Author: Claire Seeber

The Birthday Reunion by Claire Seeber

The Birthday Reunion

Posted on April 25, 2023 by Nadene @ Totally Addicted to Reading in Reviews / 7 Comments

The Birthday Reunion by Claire SeeberTitle: The Birthday Reunion
Author(s): Claire Seeber
Published by Bookouture on April 18, 2023
Pages: 331
Genre(s): Psychological Thriller
Source: Publisher
Format: eArc
Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon
Rating: One StarOne StarHalf a Star

Four friends. One dream getaway. But who will make it out alive?
When the gold-rimmed invitations arrive through the doors of best friends Simone, Hannah and Vicky they’re instantly taken aback. Their ex-friend Jodie is inviting them to a lavish Mediterranean villa to celebrate her birthday. They haven’t spoken in years since she betrayed them in the worst way. So how did they make the guest list?
They all have their reasons for saying yes. Stay-at-home mum Simone had her dream job snatched away. Hannah lost the love of her life. Café-owner Vicky wants the chance to help a wronged friend. Is the reunion a chance to confront Jodie and the past once and for all?
Arriving at a villa that looks straight out of a movie set, the friends relax by the sumptuous pool as they wait for the other guests to arrive. But as the chilled wine is poured and the three friends reminisce, they see Jodie walking towards them with a look of shock on her face.
Because Jodie didn’t invite them here.
But by the end of the weekend it will become clear who did. Someone else has a reason for revenge. Who will make it out alive?

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I am always on the lookout for psychological thrillers with an intriguing premise, so after reading the synopsis for The Birthday Reunion,  I thought I hit the jackpot. Unfortunately, it didn’t deliver as expected.

The Birthday Reunion tells the story of four (4) friends, Jodie, Hannah, Vicky and Simone. These four ladies friendship was forged over adverse circumstances and they remained close until Jodie betrayed them. Since then, they have had no contact with her. Fast forward twenty (20) years later, Hannah, Vicky and Simone received an unexpected invitation to Jodie’s ‘fortieth birthday celebration’ on the island of Ibiza.

Now the ladies made a promise to never speak to Jodie again, which had them questioning if they should accept the invitation. After much deliberation, they accepted the invitation. However, upon reaching their destination, they learnt Jodie did not send them an invitation. So the question on everyone’s mind was, who sent the invitation and why?

Now, with a premise such as this, one would expect a fast-paced and thrilling tale. Well, the story moved at a painfully slow pace and it did not provide a thrilling ride. It wasn’t until around eighty percent of the story that things became interesting.

The characters failed to wow me. None of them were likeable, and I cared not one iota about any of them. The story moved between the past and the present. Now usually I don’t have issues with this, but it didn’t work for this story. The switch between timelines was not seamless, which led to some confusing moments.

Although classified as a thriller, The Birthday Reunion failed to give me any thrills. No unexpected twists occur. Neither did the story deliver up any nail biting moments. In other words, the story bored me. I must admit the reason I kept reading lay in my desire to know who extended the invitation and the motivation behind it. Unfortunately, the revelation proved quite underwhelming.

This was my first experience with the author’s work and it’s likely to be my last.

 

Story Evaluation
Plot
3
Characters
2
World Building
3
Writing Style
2
Pacing
2
Cover
4
Enjoyment
2
Ending
2
Overall: One StarOne StarHalf a Star

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

Nadene @ Totally Addicted to Reading

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