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I'm trying to remember the name of a book I read as a kid. The story was about a bunch of kids who get invited to a party (I think at some rich girl's house) and dying one by one.
The only specific plot point I recall is that one girl buys a dress that she's very excited about but her sister spills purple nail polish on it. The girl then has to borrow an outfit from her mom. That's all I have.
I remember reading this as well ... nice detail with the nail polish! Is it Christopher Pike's Slumber Party? It's not supernatural, more a slasher book.
Six friends go on a ski trip. One friend, Nell, is scarred facially from a fire years before. Celeste, the newcomer to the group, asks if anyone else was hurt in the incident. She's told no, but the reader learns through an internal monologue that Nell's sister, Nicole, died in the same fire.
As the plot progresses, Dana disappears, leaving behind only melted snow and ash.
Eventually, we learn that Celeste is actually Nicole, previously thought to have died in the fire, with facial reconstruction and a taste for revenge on the friends she believes betrayed her memory (or something similar).
Hope that helps!
The Invitation by Diane Hoh. I was trying to find the answer too!
I think Mia has the right answer, but I feel uncomfortable adding that many details to their answer, so I'm posting my own. This indeed matches Diane Hoh's The Invitation.
At the party of the year, a rich girl’s practical joke turns deadly
For the high schoolers of Greenhaven, Cass Rockham’s fall party is the social event of the year. Each October, students wait by their mailboxes, praying for the gilt-edged invitation that grants entry into the inner circle of the most popular crowd. And now Cass has planned her finest party yet, with a new sauna, a hot band, and no parents for miles. But to make this party really killer, Cass tops it all off with a sinister twist. Nerdy Sarah Drew is shocked when she and her friends receive invitations to Cass’s affair. For years she’s steered clear of the popular kids, and now they want her to come to their party? Sarah is wary, but her friends talk her into coming with them. But she regrets it quickly, for at Cass Rockham’s mansion, the only party favor is death.
From the Google Books excerpt:
Breathing a sigh of relief, Ellie bent to pick up her dress.
And screamed in horror.
There, settled on the bodice, smack in the center where it couldn't be missed, like some repulsive, fat insect, was a huge, bright, purple blob of nail polish.
She indeed blames her sister, Ruth, and then borrows a dress from her mother.
As far as I can tell from reviews of the book (1, 2), there's nothing supernatural, just a spree killer knocking them off in a deadly scavenger hunt.
