The Trivia Night: the shocking must-read novel for fans of Liane Moriarty

Helen
I found this book easy to read, and undemanding in terms of the following the plot. I did find it quite engaging as a light read, but I can’t say that I liked any of the characters at all. The parts about the school/ parental politics were believable, but I wasn’t so sure about the swinging. I’m not sure that added anything much to the mix. I read to the end but I wasn’t gripped. And of course, poor pup.
I’d give this a 5/10

Kirsty
This book is written in first person perspective with the main protagonists being Amanda Blackland, Alice Daniels and Zoe Makin. The benefits of books written in first person perspective are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them. If there are several protagonists you also get to see more of what is going on.

This book is extremely well written with vivid descriptions that really set the scene and kept me on the edge of my seat. The cover and synopsis suited the storyline perfectly.

An absolutely must read, addictive, unputdownable and memorable page turner!!!

Love, LOVE, LOVED this absolute page turner!! It may be the first book I have read by Ali but I can promise you it won't be the last!!! As soon as I've written this up I'm off to add all her books to my wishlist. The storyline is absolutely ram packed with mystery, tension, lies, romance, suspense and OMG the twists just kept on coming again and again!!! Every time I kept telling myself one more chapter the one I was in ended at a point where there was no way I could stop reading so I absolutely devoured it in one sitting!! I absolutely LOVED the school setting which made this book all the more realistic. I loved the unique storyline, an absolutely fantastic idea for a book. I WAS absolutely blown away by the twists and considering I read approximately 30 books a month that is certainly no easy feat so a HUGE congratulations on that Ali. If you are looking for something unique, filled with suspense and that will blow your mind then this is definitely the book for you!! This book really does go to show how one night and one idea can change so many lives.

I absolutely love the fact that this book is written in several different formats which is another reason it is so unique as I have never seen a book that does this. Amanda's perspective is written as if she is speaking to the reader, we see Zoe's perspective from emails that she has written to her sister and Alice's perspective is told to us via a transcript taken in the office of a Dr Martha Davis. It is a fantastic way to write a book and makes it all the more realistic. I also loved the addition of the table plan for the trivia night for table 6 at the start of the book.

DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT READING THIS UNTIL YOU HAVE CLEARED YOUR SCHEDULES AS YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PUT IT DOWN!!!

I wasn't just 100% invested in the storyline but also in the characters. Every single one of the characters were well defined, realistic and strong. They all had their good and bad sides and I enjoyed watching how the different women reacted to each other at the school, the event and afterwards. My heart absolutely went out to a few of the characters. I can't say I felt sorry for all the characters but I also won't say anymore as I don't want to spoil it for future readers. I loved how Ali brought the characters to life and many are so realistic to what parents at school runs and events are genuinely like. However, you can't get along with everyone and each of these characters had the perfect personalities to make this book as addictive as it was!! These characters were so strong with such large personalities they won't be forgotten by me anytime soon!!

A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Ali on what promises to be a massive best seller!!! I WAS absolutely blown away by the twist was absolutely shocking!!! I can't say anything else but when you've read it you'll know!!! Welcome to my favourite author list Ali and here's to your next explosive success 🥂!!!

Overall an absolutely addictive, mind blowing page turner filled with secrets, romance, family, friends, suspense, tension and everything you could want in a book that will keep you up with a racing heart until you've finished!!!
10/10

Ffion
Well I read this book in one sitting, I just couldn’t put it down. I struggled a little with Amanda, I couldn’t quite workout what was going on with her, but connecting her story to her mothers cleared that up. I enjoyed moving between the women every chapter, getting to know their viewpoint of what happened at trivia night. The author did well to change the style of voice for the different characters narrating their chapters. Just for personal preference Zoe’s chapters annoyed me a little as she often wen off on a tangent, but overall I really enjoyed this book and loved the letter at the end written by the arch nemesis Victoria.
Overall an 8/10 from me.

Eve
I found this book very easy to read, but with a cast of unlikeable characters. During the course of the book, they changed from fun loving swingers to regretful self righteous housewives and husbands. Somehow they all regretted their part in the trivia night. I thought the story was fairly weak, the only twist being the murder of Victoria's husband at the beginning of the story.
This book would not encourage me to read any other book by this author.
I should deduct a point as the dog died, but will give it a 4 as I think it is an easy non-demanding read .

Carolyn
I didn't really like this book and found it hard to get into. I thought I might have to give up but it was a little better after the trivia night. I thought it was too long, unbelievable and the characters were unlikable. The ending was quite predictable as well. I give it 3.

Rachel
I couldn’t put this book down. I was drawn in by all the characters and their various problems straight away, and the writer very skilfully drip-fed the information, so we got the whole picture piece by piece. The protagonists were very flawed, but relatable and likeable. Victoria was a fascinating character, and you could tell from the beginning that there was more to her than met the eye. Even though I guessed the ending, it was still highly satisfying to read, and the foreshadowing was woven well into the story. I would definitely read more of this author’s work! 10/10

Cat
Well haha🤣 a lot happened in this book. I feel like it was terrible but so entertaining I enjoyed it anyway! The most (only?) realistic part was the portrayal of the cliquey school mum groups. I don't really know what Ali Lowe was aiming for. It was a strange mix of ludicrous and sad events. The explicit sex chapter was beyond cringe and I was so glad that didn't continue for the whole book. Victoria's character was the most bizarre of all. Why was she so demonic? Overall a page turner, but mainly out of disbelief. 6/10 from me.

Mabe
I don't know where to start with this review. The story line of partner swapping shenanigans was not my type of read at all but the actual story line was compelling as I wanted to see how it all turned out and so I read it to the end.
I give it 4.

Sonia
Well I'm not quite sure what to make of this. It was easy to read and I certainly wanted to know what happened in the end and it was interesting inasmuch as I have no experience of this sort of behaviour myself! I did find it difficult to keep up with who was married to who in the beginning and then when I had mastered that I got confused all over again by who was doing what with who. Found the ending quite trite. Overall well written and enjoyable in a strange kind of way so I will give it a 6.

Overall score of 6.5

I read this book through my Book Club, and although it isn’t my usual genre I found I enjoyed it.

The characters were believable and if you have ever found yourself at the school gates you will recognise the various types in the book. Four couples decide that they would swap partners at the next school fundraiser, hence “Trivia Night”. The book explores the fallout from this night, in how it affects their relationships..

It was a compelling read and highly recommended.

Sex, drugs and rock and roll. This entertaining book had it all. This story was Mean Girls grow up and have children and act out and continue the bitchiness as adults. That said it was an entertaining read that anyone would enjoy. The tale is told through the eyes of three of the characters--one recounted the events to us, one told her version to her therapist via telephone messages and one wrote e-mails to her sister with her take on things. It was an interesting and quirky way of doing it. There are many twists and turns and enough going on to keep you reading. I think some folks might object to some of the sex but the story wasn't about sex it was about deception and boredom with a little alcoholism thrown in for good measure. It unexpectedly made me laugh out loud a few times. It's. a reccommended vacation read.

A well written account of a school social night with all the competitiveness that you'd associate with a room full of parents.
The characters become entwined in deception in what starts out as a harmless trivia night but ends up in a mix of sexual encounters and untruths.
Then of course the next day the blackmailing starts, yet the author has put a interesting spin on this with the blackmailers life not being quite so straight forward as first thought.
This novel is about friendships and how one table at a night out can alter so many people in such dramatic ways

The parents of the children in the first year of Darley Heights Primary school are generally well-off and respected members of society. There may be aspects of their lives which aren’t quite as perfect as they would like but as long as the wider community is unaware of these, then their privileged position in society can continue unabated. The annual school fundraising event is in progress, a Trivia Night extraordinaire at which the alcohol is flowing freely. Table Six are definitely not holding back and things soon start to get out of hand. By the next morning, several of the eight people at the table are severely regretting their actions of the night before and wondering how they will ever be able to face people again.

This is a really good story and a thoroughly enjoyable read. It is entertaining, amusing and witty and the narrative is fast-paced and gripping, so much so that I could hardly put it down. It is narrated by three of the four women at Table Six, each using a different medium – one is narrating the story as it happens, another is talking to her therapist and the third is writing emails to her sister. This is a very effective “gadget” as it differentiates the speakers and also allows each of the characters to speak openly and honestly about what happened on that fateful night so that the reader gets inside their heads and finds out how they are really feeling about the situation as it unfolds. Also, although it definitely comes into the category of an “easy read”, there are elements of it which are certainly not trite – I thought the issue of alcohol dependency was tackled particularly well. There is even a twist at the end of the tale. What more could you ask for?

I cannot really think of anything I would change.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a light, but very enjoyable read. I suppose it’s possible that some people might object to the subject matter but it seems unlikely it’s going to cause many people a problem. Overall a very good debut novel indeed.

This novel is a textbook example of how not to plot a novel. The first half is a bunch of drunk, unhappy couples doing naughty things at a school trivia night and then regretting it. The second half is a domestic thriller with no connection to the plot of the first half. The integration of these two storylines is sloppy; at the beginning we're told that maybe if they hadn't done such bad things at trivia night then there wouldn't have been children standing by a coffin later… but, by the end of the novel, it's obvious the death of that parent has nothing whatsoever to do with what happened at trivia night. Both of the plotlines are completely predictable, and I could see the "twist" final chapter coming a mile off (seriously, when a police officer says, "We're not gonna do an autopsy because it's obviously suicide" you know it was definitely murder).

The primary issue with the novel is that the sort of secrets and naughtiness the parents get up to simply aren't interesting. Various "deep dark secrets" are teased early on, but when we find out what they are, they're pretty disappointing. While I admire Lowe's attempt to include challenging issues like alcoholism, suicide, and infertility, they're treated in a completely cliché and predictable manner. While some of the characters definitely had difficult things to deal with, there was very little in the way of actual intrigue. The tagline of the novel promises big things (people's lives being "torn apart") but in the end nothing bad happens other than some hangovers and general embarrassment.

My biggest frustration, however, is that the novel is simultaneously quite morally conservative (being faithful in marriage is consistently held up as really important) but also presents the "naughtiness" of the parents as titillating and erotic. It feels like the sort of novel a slightly discontented 30-something housewife might read in order to be teased by the delicious forbiddenness of infidelity, while she would never do something like that herself. It's a novel that delights in portraying people doing bad things. As readers, we're expected both to condemn what they're doing, but also enjoy watching them. I know I'm probably in the minority here, but I just can't get behind the idea of "people behaving badly" as a type of entertainment.

Ultimately, I just don't understand all the positive reviews on this one. It's not well-written, the characters all sound identical (honestly, I can't remember how many times I had to flick back to the beginning of the chapter because I couldn't remember which character's perspective it was), the plotting is clumsy, and the secrets are just dull. THE TRIVIA NIGHT is a quick, easy read, I'll give it that, but for the rest I'd only recommend it as a masterclass in how not to put a novel together.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4680967434?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

Better than some of the 'issue' heavy novels I've struggled through recently, at least this one is entertaining and, despite some pretty serious matter, a fun read good for the beach or distraction from CoVid.

Although set in a posh Sydney suburb there's little to remind you of that, no sense of place, which weakens the novel. The whole Mean Girls thing is so very American, to this reader, from so many films and TV. As an older Scottish person much of what happens had me snorting into my porridge. Really, grown women acting like catty schoolgirls?! It has been a few years since I did the school gate thing but my experience thankfully bears no resemblance whatsoever to Trivia Night! I assume it's set in the present day but there's a dated 90s or early Noughties vibe. However, it's very quick to read, undemanding, chatty in style, filled with poor decisions and bad behaviour, Swinging (now there's something I'd not heard of in a long time), and revenge. Domestic drama that'd be perfect for TV adaptation.

There's a lot going on in this book! Initially reminding me of Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies, the story soon came into its own. I enjoyed the chatty style of writing, and finished it in no time. This would make a fun holiday read.