The Party Crasher

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Love Your Life comes a humorous and heartwarming novel about family and finding a second chance at love, set against the backdrop of the most fabulous party you’ve ever snuck into. “Sophie Kinsella keeps her finger on the cultural pulse, while leaving me giddy with laughter.”—Jojo Moyes, author of The Giver of Stars and The Last Letter from Your Lover It’s been almost two years since Effie’s beloved parents got divorced, destroying the image of the happy, loving childhood she thought she had. Since then, she’s become estranged from her father and embarked on a feud with his hot (and much younger) girlfriend, Krista. And now, more earth-shattering news: They’ve sold Greenoaks, the rambling Victorian country house Effie has always called home. When Krista decides to throw a grand “house-cooling” party, Effie is originally left off the guest list—and then receives a last-minute “anti-invitation” (maybe it’s because she called Krista a gold-digger, but Krista totally deserved it, and it was mostly a joke anyway). Effie declines, but then remembers a beloved childhood treasure is still hidden in the house. Her only chance to retrieve it is to break into Greenoaks while everyone is busy celebrating. As Effie sneaks around the house, hiding under tables and peeping through trapdoors, she realizes the secrets Greenoaks holds aren’t just in the dusty passageways and hidden attics she grew up exploring. Watching how her sister, brother, and dad behave when they think no one is looking, Effie overhears conversations, makes discoveries, and begins to see her family in a new light. Then she runs into Joe—the love of her life, who long ago broke her heart, and who’s still as handsome and funny as ever—and even more truths emerge. But will Effie act on these revelations? Will she stay hidden or step out into the party and take her place with her family? And truthfully, what did she really come back to Greenoaks for? Over the course of one blowout party, Effie realizes that she must be honest with herself and confront her past before she’ll ever be able to face her future.

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...

"In Party Crasher: A Gay Republican Challenges Politics as Usual, Richard Tafel, head of the Log Cabin Republicans, issues a challenge to some of America's most sacred political institutions. Using personal anecdotes as well as the stories of other gay and lesbian Republicans, Rich Tafel succeeds in humanizing the struggle he and others have undertaken in their efforts to have their party deal fairly with gays and gay issues, as well as their campaign to make gays aware of the benefits that can accrue from having political alliances with others besides traditional left-leaning Democrats." "The book is laid out in three sections: "Life," "Liberty," and "The Pursuit of Happiness." In the part entitled "Life," Tafel shows that gay political ideologies are a product of the rejection gays experience. The next section, "Liberty," shows how those ideologies play themselves out in the course of day-to-day American politics, and Tafel warns of the dangers gays face in being taken for granted by the Democratic Party while being written off by the Republicans." "In "The Pursuit of Happiness," Tafel argues that political strategies alone aren't enough to advance the cause of gay rights - spiritual values and morals, he says, must be at the heart of the gay strategy. Here he challenges both those within the gay community who reject moral language and spirituality and those in organized religion - particularly those in his own Christian faith - who view sexuality simply as a matter of choice, and a choice to be condemned if it is not the straight and narrow."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

A princess isn’t supposed to fall for an evil sorceress. But in this “bewitching and fascinating” (Tamora Pierce) retelling of “Sleeping Beauty,” true love is more than a simple fairy tale. “Walter’s spellbinding debut is for all the queer girls and women who’ve been told to keep their gifts hidden and for those yearning to defy gravity.”—O: The Oprah Magazine Once upon a time, there was a wicked fairy who, in an act of vengeance, cursed a line of princesses to die. A curse that could only be broken by true love’s kiss. You’ve heard this before, haven’t you? The handsome prince. The happily ever after. Utter nonsense. Let me tell you, no one in Briar actually cares about what happens to its princesses. Not the way they care about their jewels and elaborate parties and charm-granting elixirs. I thought I didn’t care, either. Until I met her. Princess Aurora. The last heir to Briar’s throne. Kind. Gracious. The future queen her realm needs. One who isn’t bothered that I am Alyce, the Dark Grace, abhorred and feared for the mysterious dark magic that runs in my veins. Humiliated and shamed by the same nobles who pay me to bottle hexes and then brand me a monster. Aurora says I should be proud of my gifts. That she . . . cares for me. Even though a power like mine was responsible for her curse. But with less than a year until that curse will kill her, any future I might see with Aurora is swiftly disintegrating—and she can’t stand to kiss yet another insipid prince. I want to help her. If my power began her curse, perhaps it’s what can lift it. Perhaps together we could forge a new world. Nonsense again. Because we all know how this story ends, don’t we? Aurora is the beautiful princess. And I— I am the villain. Book One of the Malice Duology

'Joyous and funny, [with] emotional hidden depths.' JILL MANSELL What might your family say about you if you weren't in the room....? ________ Cosy up with the new Sophie Kinsella romcom about family love, family tensions and family secrets. Effie's still not over her parents splitting up a year ago and her dad and his awful new girlfriend are posting photos everywhere (with the hashtags #viagraworks and #sexinyoursixties). Now they're selling the beloved family home and holding a 'house-cooling' party, but Effie hasn't been invited. Then she remembers her precious Russian dolls, safely tucked away up a chimney, and has no choice but to go back for them. She'll just creep in, grab the dolls and leave. No one will know she was ever there. But Effie can't find the dolls. And as she secretly clambers around dusty attics, hides under tables and tries (and fails) to avoid bumping into her ex-boyfriend, she discovers unexpected truths about her family - and even about herself. With time running out, Effie starts to wonder if the only way to find out what's really going on with her family is to simply crash the party... Expect shocking secrets, hilarious mix-ups and an unforgettable romance! ________ 'The best kind of escapism.' LUCY DIAMOND 'Joyous and funny, but also contains emotional hidden depths. I absolutely loved it!' JILL MANSELL 'The Party Crasher has all the wit, humour, warmth and wonderful characters that I love about Sophie's books.' JO THOMAS Readers are raving about The Party Crasher! - 'Addictive, moving in places and downright laugh-out-loud in others, I couldn't put this down!' - 'I loved this book . . . authentic and relatable.' - 'Funny, witty and thought provoking.'

Named one of the most anticipated books of 2022 by EW, Oprah Daily, Marie Claire, Goodreads and Bookpage! The USA Today bestselling author of The Worst Best Man is back with a hilarious rom-com about two strangers who get trapped in a lie and have to fake date their way out of it... Just weeks away from ditching DC for greener pastures, Solange Pereira is roped into helping her wedding planner cousin on a random couple’s big day. It’s an easy gig... until Solange stumbles upon a situation that convinces her the pair isn’t meant to be. What’s a true-blue romantic to do? Crash the wedding, of course. And ensure the unsuspecting groom doesn’t make the biggest mistake of his life. Dean Chapman had his future all mapped out. He was about to check off “start a family” and on track to “make partner” when his modern day marriage of convenience went up in smoke. Then he learns he might not land an assignment that could be his ticket to a promotion unless he has a significant other and, in a moment of panic, Dean claims to be in love with the woman who crashed his wedding. Oops. Now Dean has a whole new item on his to-do list: beg Solange to be his pretend girlfriend. Solange feels a tiny bit bad about ruining Dean’s wedding, so she agrees to play along. Yet as they fake-date their way around town, what started as a performance for Dean’s colleagues turns into a connection that neither he nor Solange can deny. Their entire romance is a sham... there’s no way these polar opposites could fall in love for real, right? "Mia Sosa... is genuinely a master of the modern romance novel." — Cosmopolitan

He’s fond of anyone who throws a party; he’s always at a party in his dreams, for party-crashing’s blazoned on his heart . . . a prisoner to the path of fi ne cuisine. With this statement, al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, a Muslim preacher and scholar, introduces The Art of Party-Crashing, a book that represents a sharp departure from the religious scholarship for which he is known. Compiled in the eleventh century, this collection of irreverent and playful anecdotes celebrates eating, drinking, and general merriment. Ribald jokes, flirtations, and wry observations of misbehaving Muslims acquaint readers with everyday life in medieval Iraq in a way that is both entertaining and edifying. Selove’s translation, accompanied by her whimsical drawings, introduces the delights and surprises of medieval Arabic humor to a new audience.

Eddie promises his fiancée, Jeannie, that his bachelor party won't have any exotic dancers. His friends have other ideas. When Jeannie find out, she decides to get her sweet, sweet revenge. This volume also features exclusive bonus material, including author commentary and a BONUS STORY: Strip Club Wife is one of Ben Boswell's earliest unpublished stories. It features a loyal husband who cuts short a business trip to take his wife out on her birthday only to find that she has planned her own celebration without him.