ARC Review: Ralph's Party by Lisa Jewell

 

Meet the residents of the London brownstone on 31 Almanac Road who together weave a tangled web of romance. Ralph, a ne'er-do-well artist, suddenly realizes he's head over heels in love with his new flatmate Jem, the most fun and sensible girl he's ever encountered. Unfortunately, Ralph's best friend, Smith, has already won Jem's affections, although Smith has not entirely given up his passion for the femme fatale, Cheri, who lives upstairs. Across the hall, Karl and Siobhan have been happily unmarried for years, until Karl gets a smashing job as a London rush-hour DJ and momentarily gets tempted into Cheri's cozy lair.
These six star-crossed tenants become more enamored, and more confused, as the story progresses-until their true destinies are revealed on one crucial night-the evening of the extravaganza that is . . . Ralph's party. This wonderfully hip new novel was an instant popular success when it was first published in England, and American readers are sure to be captivated by the debut of a talented new writer.

Title: Ralph's Party

Author: Lisa Jewell

Publisher:

Expected (Prior) Publication Date: January 6, 2026 (May 6, 1999)

Review:

Thank you to Edelweiss and Atria for providing me with a copy of this book to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I do love me some Lisa Jewell. And I have a certain standard I hold her titles to. She is known to me as a psychological thriller author. But it doesn't seem she started that way. This book is not that at all. This book follows 6 people and their interactions with each other. This book follows their lives and how they become intertwined and convoluted and all around crazy!

I know this title was originally published in in 1999 and I'm not sure if it's been edited and updated since then as this was my first time reading it. I really enjoyed the pacing of the book. I will say, the plot was unusual, just following these people along and watching their daily lives. It was a bit strange but totally intriguing all at the same time.

This a lot of humor in the book. It took a bit for me to see it. It's almost satyr the way the relationships unfold and proceed. Everything that happens just seems to go above and beyond. It doesn't seem feasible it would all even come together as it does but it does and then you're just left wondering how you didn't see it playing out the way it did. You should definitely expect the unexpected from what occurs.

I really enjoyed the varying points of view. It got me into the minds of all the characters. And it really helped them develop all their own personalities and quirks. The different points of view also moved the plot along at a good pace.

If you're going into this book thinking you know Jewell and her writing, prepare to meet something totally different. It definitely was not my favorite book by her but I enjoyed it being different than the other things I've read from her. There were a few times it was slower than I would have liked. And I found myself waiting for things to happen in many instances, but overall it was fun. I see a lot of low ratings on this one and I can see where people who have read her more recent stories may not love this one. Go into it pretending you know nothing of what she has written in the mystery genre and you'll be good.

Author:

LISA JEWELL was born in London in 1968.

Her first novel, Ralph's Party, was the best- selling debut novel of 1999. Since then she has written another twenty novels, most recently a number of dark psychological thrillers, including The Girls, Then She Was Gone, The Family Upstairs and The Night She Disappeared.

Lisa is a New York Times and Sunday Times number one bestselling author who has been published worldwide in over twenty-five languages. She lives in north London with her husband, two teenage daughters and the best dog in the world.

Lisa's Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/LisaJewelloff...