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The Pool Party
- Author
- Rebecca Bainbridge
- Narrator
- Olivia Darnley
- Publisher
- Quercus
- Publish Date
- 16 July 2026
- Run Time
- 11 hours 39 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
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What to expect
One summer's day. Two families. Countless secrets . . .
Kate is new to the idyllic village of Fletching. She's determined this move will be a fresh start for her family, though she misses her old life.
Melody has it all: she's as beautiful as her house, with a wealthy husband and two beloved children. But she'd love a friend she can rely on.
From the year's first school run, Kate and Melody grow close - a friendship formed during playdates and shared glasses of wine.
But when Melody's annual summer party turns into every parent's worst nightmare, a near-fatal accident threatens to expose secrets both women have kept beneath the surface.
Who is really to blame? And what have they been hiding?
'A debut that dazzles' ANDREA MARA
'Fans of Liane Moriarty will want to dive right in!' LIZZY BARBER
'The perfect summer page-turner' CHARLOTTE DUCKWORTH
'Utterly addictive - everything you want in a summer read' EMILY FREUD
'Taut, compelling and the perfect pairing with your sun lounger next summer' KIT CONWAY
Critics Review
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Beautiful prose, intriguing characters and a sublime scratch-the-surface story - The Pool Party is a debut that dazzles
Andrea Mara
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Addictive, perceptive and irresistibly tense - this debut thriller lifts the lid on a seemingly perfect world
Lesley Kara
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A pacy and sharply observed thriller about the precariousness of 'school gate' friendships and the lengths we'll go to to protect our externally perfect veneers. Fans of Liane Moriarty will want to dive right in!
Lizzy Barber
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An utterly addictive and moving portrait of marital breakdown, burrowing guilt and personal sorrow set against the unfeeling and competitive world of private schools and pool parties . . . one to enjoy and devour next summer
M. K. Oliver
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Secrets and lies abound in Fletching, a picture-perfect - and expensive - village, where everyone is desperately trying to keep up appearances. The Pool Party had me turning pages late into the night with its insightful and clever dissection of competitive parenting, toxic marriages and school-gate frenemies. The perfect summer page-turner for fans of Big Little Lies!
Charlotte Duckworth
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A finely-wrought story that smoulders with menace from the first page . . . builds steadily to the most shocking of revelations and like all the best stories has a final sting in the tale
Kathryn Sharman
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Utterly addictive - a twisty tale of friendship, belonging, and the secrets that fester beneath the surface. The Pool Party is everything you want in a summer read
Emily Freud
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Much like the pool parties thrown by the glamorous Melody, it's a decadent summer read: rich with toxic friendships and simmering secrets washed down with lashings of Sauvignon Blanc . . . Taut, compelling and the perfect pairing with your sun lounger next summer
Kit Conway
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A standout debut novel, brimful of simmering secrets. Throw in some toxic female friendships, a shed-load of champagne, and a shocking accident at a pool party, and you have yourself an impossible-to-put-down thriller
Ruth Irons
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The perfect twisty summer read full of glamour, toxic friendships, secrets and lies - I loved it!
Laura Marshall
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Set against the backdrop of a seemingly perfect community, The Pool Party explores the fragile bonds between friends and the secrets that can fracture them. A compelling domestic suspense with shifting loyalties and plenty to keep readers turning the pages
Jo Morey
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A brilliant school gate book which captures motherhood and the difficulties in navigating the politics of it [. . .] Written with sharp observation and wit, I could not put The Pool Party down. A stunning debut.
Catherine Balavage
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Aspirational lifestyles, simmering tension and buried secrets - the perfect summer read
SM Govett
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Rebecca Bainbridge
- Narrator
- Olivia Darnley
- Duration
- 11 hours 39 minutes
- Release Date
- 16 July 2026
- ISBN
- 9781529446227
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Quercus
- Genre
- Thriller / suspense fiction, Crime and / or mystery fiction
Synopsis
*DISCOVER YOUR NEW SUMMER OBSESSION*One summer's day. Two families. Countless secrets . . .Kate is new to the idyllic village of Fletching. She's determined this move will be a fresh start for her family, though she misses her old life.Melody has it all: she's as beautiful as her house, with a wealthy husband and two beloved children. But she'd love a friend she can rely on. From the year's first school run, Kate and Melody grow close - a friendship formed during playdates and shared glasses of wine. But when Melody's annual summer party turns into every parent's worst nightmare, a near-fatal accident threatens to expose secrets both women have kept beneath the surface. Who is really to blame? And what have they been hiding?'A debut that dazzles' ANDREA MARA'Fans of Liane Moriarty will want to dive right in!' LIZZY BARBER'The perfect summer page-turner' CHARLOTTE DUCKWORTH'Utterly addictive - everything you want in a summer read' EMILY FREUD'Taut, compelling and the perfect pairing with your sun lounger next summer' KIT CONWAY
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