Varietats: The Party by Lisa Hall

When Rachel wakes up in a strange room, the morning after a neighbour’s party, she has no memory of what happened the night before. Why did her husband leave her alone at the party? Did they row? Why are Rachel’s arms so bruised? And why are her neighbours and friends so vague about what really happened?

Little by little, Rachel pieces together the devastating events that took place in a friend’s house, at a party where she should have been safe. Everyone remembers what happened that night differently, and everyone has something to hide. But someone knows the truth about what happened to Rachel. And she’s determined to find them

"Don't you ever wonder what would have happened if you hadn't made that particular decision? If you had decided to go right, instead of left? If you had said no, instead of yes? It''s strange how one, tiny, sometimes seemingly insignificant decision can have a knock-on effect on life... like a cleverly constructed domino chain, crashing down into a broken and ruined pile of rubble. Maybe if I had been a little stronger, if I hadn't had that moment of weakness, where I threw caution to the wind and just did what I wanted to do, as opposed to what I should have done, maybe then, none of this would ever have happened."

I can not imagine what it would be going to a party, waking up on a strange bed and can not remember anything of the night before. It has to be a scary and frightening situation, don't you think?

Rachel doesn't have a happy marriage, doesn't trust her friends but really wants to know what happened on the party, wants to make the abuser pay, even knowing that it was someone she knew and trust. So, even if the police will start an investigation to discover what had really happened on the party, she will start questioning her friends too, discovering a few lies and dark secrets...

This had been a nail bitting psychological thriller, with a book full of possible suspects and no one to trust. Let me say that none of the male characters had my sympathy, starting for the husband that had mood changes, and continuing with an egocentric ex-lover or a creepy "friend"... None of them are interested to know what had really happened to Rachel, they simply want to forget the "night" and continue with their lives, so could it be that one of them abused Rachel's trust? Or it was someone else?

I didn't like much Rachel either, I can understand her need to discover the truth, but I didn't like her "love" for drinks or how her marriage worked, I didn't trust her husband, but if the person who has to be on your side during the worst moments simply wants to forget what has happened to you and is not interested in you, maybe is time to change the husband... Or at least that is what I would do.

While I was reading this book I was trying to discover the truth by myself and I have to say that I guessed it correctly, but let me say that it was not easy!

I am still deciding what to think about the ending, not an ending I would had suspected when I started reading this book, but in a way understandable... I will not say anything more, so if you want to decide if you like the ending you will have to read the book! ;)

Lisa loves words, reading and everything there is to love about books. She has dreamed of being a writer since she was a little girl – either that or a librarian - and after years of talking about it, was finally brave enough to put pen to paper (and let people actually read it). Lisa lives in a small village in Kent, surrounded by her towering TBR pile, a rather large brood of children, dogs, chickens and ponies and her long-suffering husband. She is also rather partial to eating cheese and drinking wine.

The Party by Lisa Hall - Blog Tour