The Leaving Party by Lesley Sanderson
Genre: Psychological thriller
Read: 15th April 2020
Purchase: Amazon
(publication date: 31st January 2020)
★★★ 3 stars
Having thoroughly enjoyed "The Woman of 46 Heath Street" I was excited to read Lesley Sanderson's new thriller THE LEAVING PARTY, a story about what happens when secrets and toxic obsession collide.
Ava and Lena are best friends who have known each other since high school and share a beautiful Victorian house together. That is, until now. Ava is about to leave London and her past behind to live with her boyfriend Ben in New York. Lena isn't thrilled about it but Ava is her best friend and so she plans the biggest and best leaving party for her.
It is meant to be a surprise but Ava caught on fairly quickly what Lena was planning and played along, whilst secretly hoping for a quiet exit. Then on the day of the party, she receives a familiar package - long, slender and containing a single black rose. Ava is immediately fearful for this is the not the first one. It all goes back to the past...a time Ava would rather forget and one from which she hopes to now escape with this move.
Thirteen years ago, Ava and Lena were teenagers at a party when a tragic accident occurred involving them both and which resulted in a friend's death. Every year since, on the anniversary of that night, Ava has received a single black rose. Someone knows her secret. And they are intent on never letting her forget the part she played.
But this year is different. This is the first year that a rose has arrived out of sequence...and not on the anniversary but rather on the day of Ava's leaving party. Then just as the evening is about to kick off, another rose arrives. Who is sending them? Is it someone she knows? Someone closer than she thinks? Are they at her party tonight?
But then more strange things begin to happen when a cake decorated in black icing with the number 13 on it is left on the doorstep and a vase of black roses appears. Ava becomes even more fearful that someone at her party is responsible and she is unable to relax. She desperately wants to see Ben, who Lena says will be there tonight but where is he? He should be here by now and she can't even call him because her phone has somehow disappeared. She decides to spend a few quiet moments to collect herself and admire the beautiful engagement ring from Ben - a secret until they can announce it together - when she discovers her passport is also missing.
Downstairs Lena is determined that Ava enjoy her party though the moment is bittersweet for her knowing that she will say goodbye to her best friend in just two days time. But will she? What if she moves to New York with Ava? That would be just perfect! After all, she really has nothing keeping her here.
Then when Ava's estranged sister Martha arrives, Lena resolves not to let her ruin Ava's night. Martha hates Lena and the feeling is mutual as Lena tries to keep Martha from spoiling things. She certainly wouldn't put it past her. And despite resolving NOT to let Martha ruin the party, Lena then begins to feed Ava's fears by planting the seed that her sister is the one behind the roses.
Soon Ava doesn't know what to think anymore. All she knows is that someone is out to torment her, never letting her forget one drunken teenage night and that whoever they are might be out for revenge. She is certain now that moving across the Atlantic and away from her past is the best thing for her. Suddenly her leaving party doesn't seem to be the joyous occasion it was meant to be and Ava can't wait until it is over and she can escape the past once and for all. But can she?
The story is told in the past and the present in alternating perspectives of both Ava and Lena. I did get a little confused as to whose narrative it was at times because both are in the first person. The entire present day story is at the leaving party which I thought dragged on a little. I felt I was stuck in a timewarp that existed only at that party. And then every so often we are given a flashback to another party 13 years before, as events there slowly unfold and the two stories are woven together to suddenly make sense.
A different kind of read, THE LEAVING PARTY is a party I didn't really want to be at. In fact, if anyone wanted to leave it was me. The air was toxic, the people unlikeable and I found I couldn't trust any of them.
Neither Ava or Lena are particularly likeable, in my opinion, which does make being dragged into their drama a bit tiresome in part. Ava just seemed a little detached and I felt somewhat indifferent to her. She droned on about having done something awful for which she was being tormented and alluded to it being some dark secret...but when the reader discovers what that secret is, I was left wondering how she came to that conclusion? I understood she felt a tremendous amount of guilt but what was the big secret? It felt a little anti-climatic to me. Lena was different. I didn't like or trust her almost from the beginning. There was something creepy about her and she was incredibly unnerving. As the story unfolds it is revealed that she has an unhealthy attachment to Ava that is undeniably toxic and yet neither woman could see it that way. She was a far more rounded character than Ava, as unbalanced as she is, and clearly disturbed. And yet, we're never quite sure whether she's the good or bad guy here.
Although I did find the book a bit underwhelming after her previous thriller, THE LEAVING PARTY was still a reasonably enjoyable read. It lacked the thrills and chills, needing more suspense and plot twists. The whole book party concept was original and interesting but it became a little long winded by the end. Again, Lena made my skin crawl and if anything I couldn't wait to be out of her presence.
THE LEAVING PARTY had a lot to live up to after the last thriller, so it could be forgiven that. It was still a good read, if only for the unfolding toxicity being revealed.
I do enjoy Lesley Sanderson's thrillers and I can't wait to see what else she has in store for us. THE LEAVING PARTY was just not her best, in my opinion, though she is still an author to enjoy.
I would like to thank #LesleySanderson, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheLeavingParty in exchange for an honest review.
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