The Dinner Party

by Viola van de Sandt

For fans of Cleopatra and Frankenstein and Assembly, an intimate and darkly propulsive story told over the course of a dinner party, from its careful preparation through its explosive, irrevocable finish, about the tensions of love and autonomy, grief and female rage, and the surprising moments when they come crashing to the surface.
 
Franca left the Netherlands behind to start her new life in England with Andrew. Andrew, whose parents lived in South Kensington but had a flat their son could “borrow” nearby. Andrew, an old-fashioned British gentleman who encourages her not to work but to instead focus on her writing. Andrew who suggests a dinner party with his colleagues to celebrate their big upcoming launch.
 
A dinner party that Franca must plan and shop and cook and clean for. A dinner party during a heatwave when the fridge breaks, alcohol replaces water, and an unexpected guest joins their ranks, upending the careful balance between everything Franca once was and now is…
 
Expertly weaving the past and present with precision and delicious tension, The Dinner Party is a thoughtful and thought-provoking look at female rage, body autonomy, and all the concessions women make throughout their lives—big and small—until the surprising moment when they decide they can make them no longer.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Contemporary, Thriller, Literary Fiction, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller

304 pages, Hardcover

Published November 4, 2025

Reviews

[Fran Hawthorne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started out as such a promising 4 stars, and I'm truly sorry that it slipped to 3.

I was enthralled from the beginning by the powerful and intense language. The narrator, Franca, is a young and emotionally lost Dutch woman, now living in London and engaged to a charming British tech entrepreneur, Andrew. Having made a small fortune by selling his first startup, Andrew is about to launch a spaceship that will carry samples of the (supposed) best of human creativity to whatever intelligent life may be in the universe--an admitted "update" of the Golden Record carried by the Voyager spacecraft in 1977.

Franca has been desperately alone since her father died when she was 12. Her mother ignored her; she withdrew from her friends; she has never held a job; she even abandoned her university studies in Utrecht because Andrew appeared and swept her off her feet in her senior year. Her only friend, during her first two years at college, was Harry. But when Harry wanted to move their deep friendship into a love affair, Franca panicked, and Harry left.

The narrative is beautifully written and so vividly honest that I wanted to jump in and fix the chicken that Franca is totally messing up for the eponymous dinner party. Franca is, indeed, frank, unsparing, and shocking.

Except for the tricks.
And as they became more and more apparent, they drove my rating further and further down.

First: I was annoyed with the phony framework of Franca telling her story to her therapist. It's too convenient to have a wise therapist ask just the right questions. (Someday, I'd like to read a novel with an incompetent therapist.)
Second: It's a bit too cute to start with lots of hints about something that happened with a knife at the aforementioned dinner party. Sure, the hints had me turning the pages. But again, it's a phony setup in some ways.
Third: Another all-too-convenient cliche is that Franca just can't remember what she did with that knife.
Fourth: You could say that the ending is wham! Or you could say it's a trick. Take your pick.

Still, this is a vividly original novel that probes deep into a character, and well worth reading.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

ARC for review. To be published November 4, 2025.

2 stars

Franca is preparing for a dinner party hosted by her fiancé, Andrew. They met while both were at school in the Netherlands; Franca dropped out to return to the U.K. with Andrew after a quick romance following the breakdown of Franca’s friendship and subsequent departure of her only friend, Harry, from the program. The novel looks back and forward from the party (through Franca’s visits with a therapist,) the guests and at Franca’s life.

It is hard to talk about this book without spoilers so I’ll just say that there are a couple of bait and switches/twists here. Plus of the major things that happen, one I didn’t see AT ALL, and by that I mean I totally missed it in the text. Did I skim through it because I was reading too quickly? Am I just a bad person? I don’t know, but when it what raised, I honestly had no idea what she was talking about. I kind of felt like a bad person.

Anyway, I found the book tedious. I hated every character except the cat.

[JanB]

Slow and a bit strange. There’s a lot of anticipation of what exactly happened at the dinner party and many words describing the prep work of rabbits rotting in the fridge and nasty descriptions of stuffing chicken carcasses.

It’s enough to make you a vegetarian.

The rest of the narrative involved many words describing her super boring therapy sessions

It’s a short book but I dnf’d at 38%
It was enough to know it’s not for me

* I received a digital audio via NetGalley

[Christy fictional_traits · Rating 2 out of 5]

'Everything that happened that night...I remember things and I don't. They're not a reflection of how it felt, what went on before it, why I did what I did. Facts don't come into it'.

Franca seemingly has a good life since she moved to England, from The Netherlands, to live with her boyfriend - who became very rich from the sale of his business, and asks nothing of her, until he requests for her to put together a dinner party, to help seal a new business deal, everything starts to unravel.

This story had an intriguing premise and evoked a brooding atmosphere, however it didn’t quite come together for me. From the outset, as Franca relates the events of the night to her therapist, there is a promise tension and psychological depth; hints at something sharp and unsettling beneath the surface, and while some chapters were page turners, others left me floundering to understand the meaning.

Readers who enjoy slow, ambiguous literary fiction may get more out of it than I did. I can only surmise that it was more about exploring a cathartic journey for Franca than any real psychological thriller.

'A fool deserves to be confronted with her foolishness. A coward with her cowardice'.

[Deborah]

DNF.

A psychological thriller, with a young woman in therapy to recover memories of a fateful dinner party several months earlier. As she recounts the events of that night, it’s clear that she was seriously unravelling—and then I hit page 58. She did something so deeply unpleasant to a pet that I immediately packed it in.

[Hades ( Disney's version ) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley and Hachette Audio/ Little, Brown & Company for an ALC of this book

Honestly in my completely useless opinion the narrator really didn't fit this book, which unfortunately contributed to the book falling flat. The narrator's voice is beautiful & unique. With that being said I feel like this narrator would be PERFECT for any type of romance or fantasy. However I will say the book itself was intriguing enough for me to seek out a hardcopy and try that route. Overall I would say definitely check this out! But in actually tangible book(or ebook) form.


Until next time,
Hades
🩵

[Rita Egan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The main gripe about this novel seems to come from those that expected a thriller finding it too slow, and those that didn't like the characters. If fast pace and new friends are what you are looking for, step away from the book.

This is a psychological drama whose pace and narrative arc perfectly mirror the result of harm upon the person. It is visceral and it is a painful read. It goes in and out of focus and flashes between times of causes and consequences. It is a study in "triggering" and interjects monotony with moments of explosive reaction in the form of violent and profane interior dialogue and imagined behaviour, but spoiler alert: the cat is fine.

If you have ever experienced feminist rage, it's possible you will get along with this story.

Let the author take her time to apply the structure which, in my opinion, works very well. And remember what they say about Hurt People.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a goodreads drawing.

This book came with a little book club kit, and a novelty bookmark. Gotta say, that put in the mood to like the book. For whatever reason, a certain class of people has a real hangup about dinner parties.

[Books By Your Bedside · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Tinder Press for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.

I'd had a spell of disappointing reads before this and so I was desperate to find something I could get my teeth into, and this was fantastic. I read the first quarter in about an hour, it just sped by. It's one of those books that I wanted to dive into and read in one go, but I also wanted to take my time with it because it was so good.

Thrillers probably make up at least 75% of my reading, and whilst I love them, they can get a bit samey. So it was great to read one that was a bit different.

It isn't your straightforward thriller. Yes there are obvious traditional thriller elements but it's a quiet thriller. There's suggestions hints, secrets, claustrophobia; there's this heaviness about it, this fear, sitting on the edge of your seat, waiting for the jumpscare.

It's mostly written in the form of a long letter that Franca writes to a character who I won't spoil. It's an interesting format to use, and it risked being a bit clunky and one-dimensional, but it is so seamless and adds more of a personal touch to the story.

What I find impressive is that, whilst there are flashbacks and whatnot, it is mostly set across one evening, and Viola has managed to keep it exiting, interesting, addictive, fun - you never want to switch off or turn away, and it never feels static or stale.

The characters are not particularly likeable characters, for a variety of reasons. They are all well written and she's given us a broad spectrum of characters but I didn't like any of them. That's not a negative point as such , for me she's written them very well, they're just unlikeable characters.

Franca is a very unreliable narrator. I know there is this trope of the unreliable narrator, but I don't think I've ever read a book with it, so I didn't have any opinion on it, but it worked here. It means, as the reader, you're never resigned or too comfortable, and that made it more interesting.

There are some difficult topics (I won''t go into them for fear of spoilers), and overall it isn't an overly happy book. It is quite dark, but I think it balances well.

I've seen some other reviews that are giving it 1 or 2 stars, and I know we all like different things and I will never judge someone for their reading tastes at all, but I enjoyed this so much that is really surprised me to see such negative thoughts. But I think it has the potential to be divisive, and it'll either be a 1 star or 5 star read.

I kept waiting for the THING to happen. You know, all books, especially thrillers, have a THING. And I was trying to work out what it was. And when I read it, it did surprise me. But then I thought, in hindsight, it's quite obvious but very cleverly hidden. I wonder if I read it again, would I read it differently?

It is chaotic, messy, frenzied, frantic - in all the good ways.

[Nicole · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received a free copy. Could be some mild spoilers below so be aware before reading 🤷‍♀️

Firstly I hope when it is released there's a trigger warning on it. I was surprised when I got to some pretty graphic scenes. I thought it was more about most women's problem of bearing the mental load in a home and for events but instead this is about a woman who has been and is being abused and some pretty dark places her mind is going. So be warned. If I knew this before I would have skipped it.

Secondly, I'm not a huge fan of the unreliable narrator. I have read a few and do enjoy it if it's done well. I get that it's her processing her trauma and learning to trust her therapist. But as I said, I have read others I enjoyed way more. Sometimes it felt like the author was trying too hard to mimic the tone and style of those other books I have read that came out in the last 1-3 years.

If more depressing, dark topics and unreliable narrators is your genre of choice then maybe this is for you. If it's something you're not as into and you only plan to read one or two of this genre I would say go with something else.

[Alexy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is literary fiction, not a psychological thriller. It teases the reader as if it were a psychological thriller, then turns that expectation on its head. All your assumptions are wrong.

This is a novel about what it’s like to be a woman financially dependent on a man who is not a monster, but who has done something very wrong. Should she leave or stay? Was it really bad enough to upend her life over? Is Franka actually happy in this relationship at all? If she has nothing outside of it, what is the cost of leaving?

I also really loved the discussion of literature and the literary canon.

[suzannah ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

not at all what i was expecting. i have very mixed opinions and i will have to sit with this one for a while before i can even start to give a proper review.

[Hutton Laine · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5, rounded up.

If you want to read a book where you dislike every single character, this is the book for you. I want to say I see what the author was trying to portray, it just didn’t sit well with me personally. You follow the main FC through present & past of an exceptionally annoying dinner party with extremely repetitive conversations with the most annoying people. I think I kept reading hoping for the drop, but that never came. The ending helped me round up.

PS, LEAVE THE FREAKIN CAT ALONE

Thank you NetGalley, publishers & author for this read in exchange of my honest review. 🖤

[Leanne Hale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many thanks to Hachette audio and NetGalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
In The Dinner Party, we follow Franca, a young Dutch woman at a bit of "loose ends" who is currently living with her upper class fiance in England. She is preparing for a dinner party for his business colleagues. and as her preparations unfold, many things go wrong, an unexpected guest appears, and an overwhelming tension builds throughout the night.

This book was nothing like I expected. I would suggest going into this mostly blind, but I do think it's important to know that it is VERY slow-burn, and also told not only in multiple timelines, but also there are moments when it is unknown whether you are getting reality, fantasy, or delusion. It does require both conversation and patience. If you are expecting a thriller, that is not what this is.

van de Sandt does an amazing job building an uncomfortable and overwhelming sense of dread as the day progresses, while also giving us a full picture into Franca's past, her hurts and trauma, her sense of loneliness, and lingering grief. She does a deft job of discussing issues of violence against women, and how so often we rate harmful and hurtful behaviors as "not that bad" and even as experiences to be expected. As someone in the mental health field, I also great appreciated her depiction of therapy and therapists.

The audio was well done, but this is one I would recommend may be best on the page, simply because of the timelines. It's hard to say I "enjoyed" this, but it was extremely well done, and I don't hesitate to recommend it.

[Alice Summer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gut angefangen, wahnsinnig stark nachgelassen. Ich war echt lange nicht mehr so enttäuscht von einem Roman. Über kleine Plot Holes kann man gut hinwegsehen, aber hier sind einfach handlungstreibende Sachen nicht genug ausgeführt und man weiß gar nicht wie und was da jetzt passiert ist.

[Jessica Haider · Rating 3 out of 5]

Viola van de Sandt’s The Dinner Party is a slow-simmering look at control, gender roles, and female rage, all unfolding over one increasingly tense evening. Franca’s situation, a new country, a subtly controlling partner, and a dinner party she’s expected to carry, feels sharply observed.

That said, the pacing is very deliberate and sometimes lingers a bit too long on the same emotional beats. The ending delivers, but getting there takes patience.

Three stars: an atmospheric, thoughtful read that simmers more than it sizzles.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars!

I recommend going into this book with as little knowledge as possible.

I'm always searching for the feeling I got when reading The Secret History, and reading The Dinner Party was the closest I've come. The book starts out with the knowledge that the dinner party Franca is hosting is going to have a disastrous end, but slowly alternates between Franca's past and present. I found the descriptions of what it's like being in a male dominated world, and the resulting female rage really accurate and relatable. The ending made me feel a type of way I haven't felt about a book in a long time, and it's going to stick with me.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I genuinely don’t know how to feel about this book, which is exactly what makes it so compelling. Told over the course of one long, fever dream of an evening and its aftermath in therapy sessions, the story follows Franca as her carefully managed life begins to crack open.
The real genius here is the use of the unreliable narrator (a personal fave of mine!). Franca is complex, troubled, and at times completely untethered from reality, and as a reader, you’re pulled right into that confusion. I found myself constantly questioning what was real, what was memory, what was denial. It’s claustrophobic, intense, and incredibly well done.
Please check trigger warnings for this book.

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Die Dinnerparty, die Franca und ihr Freund ausrichten, um den erfolgreichen Abschluss von Andrews Projekt zu feiern, läuft völlig aus dem Ruder. Noch lange danach kann sich Franca zwar detailliert an den Anfang erinnern, aber die Ereignisse, die sie an den Punkt in ihrem Leben gebracht haben, an dem sie sich jetzt befindet, hat sie komplett verdrängt. Gemeinsam mit ihrer Therapeuten Stella versucht sie, die Lücken in ihrer Erinnerung zu schließen.

Viola van de Sandt erzählt die Geschichte in Rückblicken. Franca soll einen Brief schreiben, in dem sie erzählt. wie es zu den Ereignissen bei der Party gekommen ist. Aber obwohl sie immer vom Schreiben geträumt hat, fällt es Franca schwer, den richtigen Anfang zu finden. Deshalb erzählt sie ihre Erinnerungen nicht immer in chronologischer Reihenfolge. Trotzdem fließt sie Handlung und hat mich in ihren Bann gezogen.

Frans Geschichte ist die von Verlusten. Als sie zwölf Jahre, als ist, stirbt ihr Vater an Krebs. Danach verliert sie auch ihre Mutter, die ein Jahr lang nur das Nötigste mit ihrer Tochter spricht. Danach ist das Verhältnis der beiden zerrüttet. Ausgerechnet an dem Tag, an dem Franca mit Harry den Menschen verliert, der ihr am nächsten steht, verliert sie ihre Mutter zum zweiten Mal: sie zieht nach Berlin.

Danach verliert Franca sich selbst. Sie lernt Andrew kennen, verliebt sich in ihn und zieht mit ihm nach nur fünf Wochen Beziehung von Utrecht nach England. Sie bricht ihr Studium ab und plant, einen Roman zu schreiben. Aber nach einigen Jahren sitzt sie nur noch zuhause, trinkt und streamt Serien. Andrew stört das nicht: er verdient genug Geld für sie beide.

Dieses Verhalten hat mich von Anfang an gestört. Andrew scheint sich nicht für seine Freundin zu interessieren. Francas Leid ist offensichtlich, aber das Einzige, was Andrew unternimmt, damit es ihr besser geht, ist ihr einen kleinen Kater zu kaufen. Im Verlauf der Lektüre habe ich immer mehr den Eindruck gewonnen, dass Franca Andrew egal war. Wichtig war nur die Rolle, die sie in seinem Bild von einem perfekten Leben gespielt hat.

Das Dinner ist von Anfang an ein Fiasko. Der Kühlschrank fällt aus, deshalb muss Franca beim Essen improvisieren. Der Ehrengast ist ein Mann, den niemand aus Andrews Team leiden kann und dann und der trotzdem im Projekt die wichtigste Rolle spielte. Franca ertappt Andrew bei einer Lüge und plötzlich ist Harry wieder da, als Begleitung eines der Gäste. Aber da ist auch etwas anderes: eine Szene in der Küche, von der Franca lange nicht weiß, ob sie so wirklich passiert ist und ob es nicht vielleicht ihre Schuld war.

Es gibt vieles, was mir die Lektüre schwergemacht hat. Franca kommt mir zutiefst unglücklich vor, sowohl bei der Party als auch schon in der Zeit davor. Das Schlimme dabei ist, dass es ihr anfangs nicht bewusst ist und sie dann irgendwann aufgegeben hat. Andrews Verhalten ihr gegenüber wirkt liebevoll, ist aber in Wahrheit gleichgültig. Später bei der Party zeigt er dann sein wahres Gesicht und sagt, was er wirklich über Franca denkt. Bei dieser Party ist sie unter den Alphamännchen alleine und bleibt in der ihr zugewiesenen Ecke. erst als sie die verlässt, sehe ich das erste Mal die Frau, die sie sein könnte. Aber es wird immer offensichtlicher, dass sie kurz vor einem Zusammenbruch steht.

Trotz oder vielleicht gerade wegen dieser schweren Themen habe ich die Lektüre als Besonders empfunden. Viola van de Sandt erzählt mit einer unglaublichen Intensität. Damit verleiht sie ihren Charakteren einen Tiefgang, den ich so nur selten gelesen habe.

[Brooke — brooklynnnnereads · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very interesting novel with the main storyline spanning the length of one day, specifically focusing on the event of a dinner party. With that being said, the story jumps back and forth in time exploring the past as well as the present.

I don't know what to make of this novel really because I don't know if I fully understood everything. Oh the double edged sword of literary fiction. I think I understood major moments within the story but then some of the character's mannerisms (specifically Stella, especially nearing the end) almost appeared as if they were alluding to something more. That is where I became lost. There's an aura of complexity and intentional mystery and uncertainty that's woven throughout this novel but that also continues into the ending.

The last fifty to one hundred pages of this novel is where I became hooked. Plus, there was something that had me questioning everything as I missed something for THE WHOLE TIME. I'm not going to say much about it but that one hit me from left field. I was so impressed!

I don't know how I feel about the ending and the questions that were left unanswered. It could go either way, part of me wishes I had that closure but I also respect that the story is left with an air of mystery.

P.S. And finally: that cat though

***Thank you to Hachette Book Group Canada for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, this was an interesting one. It has a distinctly Dutch flavour to it: there's a similarity in prose, tone, and characterization to Herman Kock's The Dinner (as well as sharing most of a title). It's a great balance of humanity and hedonism with a clinical detachment of language. The structural conceit of the novel is well suited to this blend, as the story is effectively told in a series of flashbacks by our protagonist to her therapist in the present day.

It is always a challenge when a story starts with the knowledge that "something" happened, and we are working our way to the big reveal. The author can't be too vague or delicate with suggesting there is a "something" for fear the reader will lose interest. But it is also far too easy to overcorrect and slip into bathos, which I think is one of the few shortcomings of the writing here. Far too many allusions to "what happened with the knife" and "I thought of the knife, dripping with blood" etc etc. The confidence to underplay such an eventuality is the mark of great fiction, and would have made this an even better book.

[Brittany (hauntedbycandlelight) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book isn’t for everyone but it was definitely for me. RTC

[Dana]

DNF--not sure if that's just because I didn't enjoy the audio version but just wasn't enjoyable.

[Isabella Jaffery · Rating 5 out of 5]

stupendous and gripping. i need to purchase and read again

[Stephanie K · Rating 4 out of 5]

A complicated and believable heroine. An interesting structure and premise. A surprising twist. This novel made me question what an appropriate response to violence could look like. I never watched The Crown series, and now I'm feeling like that may be a good thing. 😂

[Cleverly Chloé · Rating 5 out of 5]

RTC. Yet another Netgalley read that was right up my alley.

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This blew my mind. I read it in one evening. For some reason, I thought it was a mystery, but it’s not. What it is is very deep.

It’s best not to know much about the premise going in to this. I think it was masterfully written, in hindsight. It was only towards the end that I actually realized what was going on. I had been reading quickly near the beginning and didn’t quite grasp the nuances of the sex scene pre-dinner. (I went back and read it again, and was like “duh”.) I also absolutely did not realize until the very end that the friend, Harry, was a woman. Mind you, I was reading fast, but still — I thought this was very powerfully done. I appreciated the last few pages so much — the reflection on 1) what would have made Andrew’s behavior “bad enough” to merit her stabbing him, and 2) the reflection that it’s not what Andrew did, “what matters is what I’ve made of it. Not what Andrew did. The influence it’s had on my life, who I am, what I want and dream of.” p285

This was so intense — it covered the topic of domestic rape, loss of a parent, inability to acknowledge your sexual identity, self harm, and also all the traditional male/female roles.

I thought this was a quiet little powerhouse, and I will definitely read this author’s 2nd book when she writes it!

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

More of a 4.5. Still kind of digesting it but I feel like I'll be thinking about it for awhile.

EDIT: After considering this novel for a day, I have to change my rating to 5 stars. While there were some elements of the pacing and structure that were frustrating to the reader in the moment, I think that the overall effect was worth it. I don't want to give too much away because I think the real focus of the novel is rather slowly revealed (or I am slow on the uptake), but I found the novel compelling, thoughtful, and thought-provoking.

[Kelly NuclearFiction]

DNF

I didn’t have the patience to find out which genre this book finally fell into. I just wanted a good ol death at a dinner party with some gossipy suburb drama to fuel the petty pleasure sense side of me. Too much to ask?

[Maeve O'Grady · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book ... wow. It encapsulates so well what it's like to experience trauma as a woman when you're expected to just move along and be ok. It was blunt about the subject matter without being overly dramatic or shying away from the more brutal parts of the experience. The writing was so delicate and well crafted. I'm not even usually a fan of second person POV, but it works so well with this narrative.

Thanks to the author, Hachette Audio, and NetGalley for the gifted audiobook. All opinions expressed are mine alone.