Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

“What better place for tears and laughter, break ups and make ups than Ralph’s party?”

I am completely and utterly embarrassed to only just be finishing my first Lisa Jewell book 😳 As a thriller lover, I am so very aware of just how late to the party I am. Speaking of parties, did you know Lisa Jewell used to write romcoms? And Ralph’s Party was Lisa’s first ever book?! It was re-released back in May with this beautiful new cover to celebrate 25 years! I really enjoyed this book and I’m already in love with this author’s writing. Such a fun, chaotic story of love, friendship, break ups and make ups. And everything in between! The perfect palate cleanser in between all the thrillers I am desperate to read lately! (Lisa’s thrillers – I’m coming for you very soon!) Super happy to be sharing my review of Ralph’s Party ❤️

About the book

Meet the residents of 31 Alamanac Road . . .

Ralph and Smith are flatmates and best mates. Nothing can come between them – until the gorgeous Jemima moves in. They’re both falling for her, but which one of them does Jem want?

Upstairs, Karl and Siobhan are happily unmarried and have been for fifteen years – until Cheri, in the flat above, fixes her sights on Karl. Why should a little problem like his girlfriend get in her way?

Sooner or later it’s all going to come to a head – and what better place for tears and laughter, break ups and make ups than Ralph’s party?

The beginning

The first thing that was instantly clear to me when I started this book was just how brilliant Lisa’s characters are. As soon as we’re introduced to Ralph, Smith, Siobhan and Karl, they just *popped* into my brain fully formed. I could see them, hear their voices, feel their feelings, sense their quirks and get a good grasp of their personalities. It was weird, but in the best way – it felt so good! Despite this, the more we learn about them, the more I didn’t particularly like most of them, something that I don’t usually decide on so quickly. Even so, I strangely didn’t mind it. I could sense the drama unfolding as we visit each flat in the block, and who doesn’t love a bit of drama in a romcom?! Some of these characters seemed a little immature for their ages, some had terrible morals and others were just a little bit annoying (sorry Jem). But at the same time, the book needed all these characters, this mismatched group. It needed the chemistry, the clashing of personalities to make it an addictive read. So naturally, I had a love/dislike relationship with most of these characters!

“He couldn’t quite explain it, but for some reason, Ralph suddenly had the feeling that life was about to become very complicated.”

Best mates Ralph and Smith have been living together for fifteen years, happily spending their evenings stoned in front of the TV. Enter Jem, their new roommate, someone who completely turns their routine on its head and certainly makes things interesting. They both like her. Siobhan and Karl have been a couple for so long that it seemed all was perfect. But he’s messing around with Cheri, resident of the flat above. There were so many red flags here but I was weirdly addicted to it all. I quickly got to the point where I wanted the messy relationships and the breakups. I wanted the gossip, the drama, the arguments. It felt different and intriguing. Karl was an awful person – so far, he was certainly my least favourite character. But at the same time, I didn’t hate reading about his shenanigans. Who even am I?! There are some parts of the book that will certainly be controversial these days, but it just shows you how times have perhaps changed for the better, and what is unacceptable in modern day relationships.

The middle

The humour in this book was perfectly placed and there were a few specific sentences that made me properly snort with laughter. Despite the chaos that goes on in this book, I found it to be really light-hearted and fun, and I think this was the main reason it felt so addictive to me. However, there are so many lies, so much deciet, so many affairs (?!) going on in this book and I had my head in my hands at times thinking, “What is going on?!” But the entertainment factor was so damn strong that I couldn’t avert my eyes! Ralph falls completely head over heels in love with Jem, even though she’d made her choice with Smith. But was what they had real? Siobhan feels so self conscious but is desperate to make Karl see she can still be attractive, she can still be that confident woman. But that also ends up in a mess… All these characters needed to get whatever it was out of their systems. For real. And where better to do that than at Ralph’s party? 😏 But there’s more on that later!

“It was the best hug of Ralph’s life. The moment was magical, enchanted. She smelt like happiness. She felt like happiness.”

I’ll admit, after what I said at the start about not really liking these characters much, I really started to like Ralph and Jem together. The way their feelings for one another are shown through actions rather than words at this point, the way they have fun without a care in the world was very refreshing and heartwarming. Exploring the sights of London, meeting weird and wonderful people (some particularly odd) and having deep and meaningful conversations with one another about life were definitely my Ralph/Jem highlights. Their discussions made me think about life and what’s important. They were just brilliant and they both seemed to really bring out the best in each other. Smith on the other hand… urgh!!! IYKYK. In contrast to Ralph and Jem’s heart eyes, Siobhan and Karl were at their worst. She finds out his dirty secret and stands up for herself and what she deserves. I felt like standing up and shouting, “YES, GIRL!!!” What a rollercoaster. My emotions, man. They were everywhere.

The end

We’ve all heard (or experienced) that things sometimes need to fall apart in order to fall back together, and this is certainly a theme in the last third of the book. I had so many feelings. I felt sad. I needed a hug. But I also felt hopeful and pretty excited about what was to come. Life had changed so much for these characters and to be honest, by this point, most of them had grown on me. Who’d have thought?! And now it was time to fix things. It was time for Ralph to organise his party. He’d finally been painting again and to celebrate his success, he invites everyone he knows for one truly incredible evening. Anything goes. After all, he’s paying. It seemed Ralph had a mysterious plan for this night which we aren’t aware of straight away, but it was fun to speculate. I loved the descriptions and the atmosphere, and it felt as though we were gearing up for an unforgettable night of surprises. And these characters were finally in the same room which I loved!

“He didn’t want anything from her, he wasn’t besotted, he wasn’t obsessed, he wasn’t looking for her to fill any holes in his life, he didn’t want to change her, control her or adore her – he just loved her. Plain and simple. He loved her.”

I smiled so much during those ending chapters, but good god, SO much drama! Ralph’s party was indeed a completely unforgettable event for so many reasons. It was a shitshow. But it was also the most perfect event. After waiting the whole book for this party, I just wished it would have lasted a bit longer, but I loved seeing all these characters involved and conversing with one another. I loved how all their lives eventually connected, how much they shared, how much they learnt about themselves and one another, their growths, their losses, their gains. Everything. It was all so perfectly pieced together and left me feeling so incredibly satisfied and happy with all the different outcomes. It really was brilliant. By the end, I felt so involved with these characters’ lives and I was pretty sad to close the book. What a journey! After reading and enjoying this so much, I am now super confident I will love all the author’s thrillers. I can’t wait to start my Lisa Jewell era 💅

Overall thoughts

Ralph’s Party is a chaotic but completely loveable story of best mates, roommates, soulmates and, of course, relationships in all their brilliant, sometimes heartbreaking forms. Even though I felt like screaming at times due to the poor decisions some of these characters make, it was such a surprisingly addictive read with such a varied, colourful cast of characters. There’s drama, arguments, affairs, proposals, love, friendship, fame – all of it. And you won’t be able to get enough of it all! Despite being first published 25 years ago, I found so much of it still relevant today, although there are some scenes that could possibly be controversial. I did find the lack of technology rather refreshing too! It’s entertaining, lighthearted and full of heart and humour. Definitely worth your time if you love a rom com!

Huge thank you to Lisa Jewell and the team at Michael Joseph for my proof copy! Ralph’s Party (with it’s shiny new 25th anniversary cover) is available now on Amazon or wherever you buy your books. Make sure you’re following Lisa over on X/Twitter and Instagram for more book updates!

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