I’ve read so much Freida McFadden at this point, and every thriller she writes takes on a totally different angle but always has her signature twists laced throughout. Notable works of hers that I’ve previously reviewed include The Teacher and The Housemaid. Today, I tried out one of her newer books that takes on a completely different style: her choose-your-own-adventure (or, as she calls it, pick your own poison) novel, The Dinner Party.

This one I’ve noticed has gotten a lot of mixed reviews online from her readers for feeling lighter than normal and not having her usual substance, but I think people need to remember that with a choose-your-own-adventure style book there isn’t as much room for substance. It’s more about quick entertainment with plenty of different endings so you can read it over and over again (and I did get through maybe 10 different endings in one reading session). On that note, it also takes a lot of careful planning to make the options flow seamlessly together into different outcomes for the same story. So, while it doesn’t feel as “grown up” as her other books, I think that’s only natural for the style of book this is.

The premise is simple: you’re a struggling waitress who needs to come up with this month’s rent by tomorrow or you’ll be evicted. Your friend calls you from a mansion two hours away with the opportunity to waitress a fancy dinner party tonight for a hefty sum. It seems too good to be true, because it probably is too good to be true. It’s up to you whether you survive the night or not.

I don’t want to give away any of the endings, but I will say, the werewolf ending was entirely unexpected and hilarious. I wasn’t expecting that to come out of a Freida book at all. Definitely keep trying until you get the werewolf ending.

I wish I’d come across this on my Kindle over the weekend instead because it would’ve been the perfect read to get me through the 3-hour car ride home from my beach trip. As always with Freida McFadden, you can find this one on Kindle Unlimited! This would be the perfect road trip or vacation read, so I recommend grabbing a copy before the long weekend starts!