Review: The Party Crasher by Sophie Kinsella

The Party Crasher by Sophie Kinsella

Photo credits Ziyaad Plaatjes

It often annoys me when people can't communicate with each other... and this annoyance stems from real life (mine) where SO many misunderstandings and miscommunications could have been sorted out through proper communication... But of course, that wouldn't make for a good book, or a good movie, for that matter, right?

Oh how it feels to be grown up and so aware! 😄

With so many themes coming in to play as we wade through The Party Crasher, the story unfolds as more than just someone who crashes a party discreetly. 

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What is The Party Crasher about?

Effie, the youngest daughter in the Talbot family, has 2 older siblings, a dad and a stepmom who practically raised her as her own daughter seeing that Effie's real mother passed away when she was a toddler. Their family situation is great and that's why the announcement of her parent's divorce seems completely sudden and comes as a real shock.

Trying to grapple with this new family situation, her career, and her failed love life, more hurdles come along in the form of her father's new girlfriend. A younger woman who flaunts her "sparkler" (jewellery) for anyone to see and definitely doesn't have his children's best interest at heart - they're all adults now, so according to her, they shouldn't be called "children", even if they are his...

After a last straw between Krista (her dad's new younger girlfriend) and Effie, communication between Effie and her father become non-existent.

Through her sister, Bean, Effie finds out that their family and childhood home is being sold and that Krista is throwing a 'house-cooling' party... which Effie doesn't get an invite to, and then later receives an "anti-invite".

Feeling disheartened (who wouldn't be), Effie decides to skip the party as well as the family get together since she does not want to be in a place where she isn't wanted. But she soon remembers that she really needs to retrieve her beloved Russian dolls which she had expertly hid in the chimney to keep them safe - she doesn't want them to be lost or sold!

 

 

With not attending the party, the only other option is for Effie to sneak into her family home, and take her dolls... but it's through this adventure, she learns so many secrets about her family, herself and even about the boy who got away...

 

Family dynamics are a major issue, lightheartedly woven with humour and sentimentality. It's a great thing when a character grows throughout the book and with the exceptions of a few questions... I did enjoy this light read. I give it a 3 out of 5.

Blurb on the book:

The Talbots are having one last party at their family home. But Effie hasn’t been invited…

Effie’s still not over her parents splitting up a year ago. Her dad and his new girlfriend are posting their PDAs all over Instagram – and no one should have to deal with photos of their dad with the hashtags #viagraworks and #sexinyoursixties. Now they’re selling the beloved family home and holding a ‘house-cooling’ party. When Effie receives only a last-minute ‘anti-invitation’, she decides to give it a miss.

Until she remembers her precious Russian dolls, safely tucked away up a chimney. She’ll have to go back for them – but not as a guest. She’ll just creep in, grab the dolls and make a swift exit. No one will know she was ever there.

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Of course, nothing goes to plan. Not only does Effie bump into her ex-boyfriend (who she’s very much not over), she can’t find the dolls. And as she secretly clambers around dusty attics, hides under tables and mournfully eyes up the dessert table, she discovers unexpected truths about her family – and even about herself.

With time (and hiding places) running out, Effie starts to wonder if she’d be better off simply crashing the party. Perhaps that’s the only way to find out what’s really going on with her family…

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