The Party Crasher by Sophie Kinsella

 

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.

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...

When Effie gets a half hearted last minute invitation to her father and new step mums house “cool down” party she is adamant she is not going, that is until she remembers her precious hidden Russian dolls tucked away in the house.

Effie decides to embark on an undercover mission to secretly gatecrash the party, retrieve her dolls and head home all without being noticed…….

Undercover missions don’t always quite go to plan!

I was thoroughly entertained watching Effie on her undercover mission to secretly gate crash her family party, I was so won over by this absolute bizarre decision of how she was going to get her dolls that I was hooked and had to watch the events unfold leaving few opportunities to put this addictive fast paced book down. There is a continual light hearted witty feel to the storyline wrapped around a little flicker of romance and a rollercoaster of issues surrounding family dynamics.

Effie certainly had a slight immaturity to her which becomes apparent because she has always been babied by her family and she hears some comments during her undercover mission that hit home.

I can always rely on Sophie Kinsella to provide a feel-good witty read to lose myself in and to introduce us to characters who you would love to be friends with and The Party Crasher is no exception.

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