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...
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I've always enjoyed this author's writing. I came across her when she wrote as Madeleine Wickham and read all of those novels in the late 1990s. Like many people, I went on to read the Shopaholic series featuring Becky Bloomwood, fabulously funny contemporary humour with a lead character who always made me smile.
It's been a while since I read anything by her and have been looking forward to The Party Crasher and I've not been disappointed. I read it in a couple of days, fully immersing myself into the chaos of Effie's world.
Effie is the youngest child in her family, she has one brother and one sister. They were brought up at Greenoaks, a house with strange brickwork, a turret and lots of memories. It's their Dad's birthday and they've gathered for their annual 'decorate the Christmas tree' event. Things don't seem quite right though and Effie and her siblings are shocked when their parents announce that they are separating.
Fast forward some months and Effie's relationship with her Dad has broken down. He has a new girlfriend, much younger than him and there are far too many Public Displays of Affection on Instagram for Effie to cope with.
Greenoaks is sold and a party is being held to say goodbye to the house. Effie is not invited but she needs to get into the house to rescue her beloved Russian Dolls. A set of dolls that have been her companion since childhood. Effie decides that she will crash the party, remain unseen, rescue her dolls and then disappear.
However, little that Effie does goes to plan and the party crashing turns into a huge drama. She also has to deal with facing up to her ex-boyfriend, the guy who shattered her heart, and lurking under tables in in cupboards means that she overhears and sees lots of things that are both hurtful and revelatory.
The Party Crasher is a feel-good, fun read that kept me entertained. Effie can be incredibly annoying, she's often a bit selfish and thinks about herself a great deal. However, she's also honest and loyal and full of hurt. I liked her, and I understood her feelings. She felt let down, abandoned and misunderstood. She's the baby of the family and has behaved like it, but has also allowed others to patronise her and protect her.
This is a joyful, warm and emotionally uplifting read and I recommend it.
Sophie Kinsella is an internationally bestselling writer.
She is the author of many number one bestsellers, including the hugely popular Shopaholic series. She has also written seven bestselling novels as Madeleine Wickham and several books for children. She lives in the UK with her husband and family.
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