I know the saying goes "don't judge a book by its cover," but I just never listen to that rule—especially when a book is as striking as THE PARTY by Robyn Harding. This eye-catching summer suspense novel had all the ingredients that should have made it a hit for me, but unfortunately, I never felt fully invested in this story. More than anything else, this book was just too average; it's neither particularly inventive nor particularly memorable, but it's not a memorably terrible book, either. This isn't a book that offends—it just falls flat.