Once a bridesmaid, always a bridesmaid? NOT so for Sasha. Enough is enough.

Bridesmaids are generally underappreciated. They do all the work to make the bride’s day perfect. They follow along with the bride’s wishes and deal with the mounting pressure of the big day. The focus is always on the bride. Nina Manning’s, “The Bridesmaid,” mirrors this relationship in an unlikely friendship between two girls.

Sasha first met Caitlin at Saxby House when they were children. Sasha’s parents work for the Clemonte’s on their estate. The girls were besties, inseparable, until the day Sasha has had enough. Enough of having to do things Caitlin’s way. Enough of putting up with Caitlin’s odd behaviour. Enough of the secrets.

This novel is about toxic relationships and explores the reason behind these types of friendships. A slow burner, and more a mystery than a thriller, you’ll discover that nothing is as it seems. Like the one on the cover, a rose is beautiful to look at and has a beautiful aroma. However, every rose has its thorn and this rose, the bride, has a few. In an attempt to keep secrets for appearance's sake, people fail to connect with the most important people around them - thus perpetuating the problem. This is the bridesmaid’s story from the beginning of the friendship to the end of it.

The author studied psychology and applied it to the relationships in this book. It’s a decades-long journey into why people behave the way they do. It’s a unique read because, for most of the book, the main characters are teenagers. Most psychological thrillers I’ve read have adult protagonists.

Publishes May 27, 2021

I was gifted this advance copy by Nina Manning, Boldwood Books and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

The Bridesmaid sees Sasha organising the wedding of her best friend Caitlin. Is their friendship as it should be though? What is the secret Sasha holds over Caitlin, and why is Caitlin so controlling?

I found this book difficult to get into, it was very wordy at the start and it felt too over descriptive. However once I started getting to know the characters, the pace quickened and I quite enjoyed the second half of the book. The author cleverly leads the reader down paths of thought, during both the wedding organisation and flashback chapters, trying to hint at reveals to come. Although I figured out what the secrets would be fairly early on, it was interesting to read how the characters reacted.

I'd rate the book 3.5, rounded up to 4.

You know ya girl loves a good back and forth between time POVs. It just keeps the entire story entertaining. I normally enjoy one time period over the other but both were equally as interesting to me. I loved following Caitlin and Sasha from Sasha's POV the entire time. This was a suspenseful read and I loved it.

Sacha’s parents are housekeeper and head gardener to Josphine who lives in a large house with 50 acres of ground. Her father gets on very well with Jospehine and she invites Sacha to come and meet her granddaughter Caitlin as they are the same age. A close bond is formed and although Sacha is very aware of the difference in privilege the girls are best friends. Years later and it's the approach to Caitlin's wedding to Chuck whom she and her family have known for many years since they were children. Sacha is organising much of the wedding and on a hen trip to Greece wants to tell Caitlin a secret she has been keeping for too long. Caitlin's mother holds something over Sacha- we know not what. A tale of the past determining the future and of secrets and lies. An interesting read of a woman who has always had exactly as she wanted and didn't want to hear or see anything negative and told her friends so. Of a loyal and insecure friend who longs for acknowledgement from the one person who won’t give it and of keeping family secrets. One to ingirige and to keep the grey matter active. A different read indeed (in a good way!)

(rest of links as part of blog tour)

3.5

Saxby Hall, Dorset is where Sasha and Caitlin meet as pre-teens. Caitlin is the granddaughter of Josephine, the owner of the sixteenth century Manor House and Sasha’s parents work for the Clemonte family. This is the story of an up and down friendship which builds to a crescendo at Caitlin’s wedding several years on. The story is told in multiple timelines.

The title is appropriate because this is about an unequal relationship as Sasha is always the bridesmaid while Caitlin the bride at the centre of it all. The characterisation is good, Caitlin seems unbalanced, much of her behaviour is odd, weird, strange and she veers from one end of the friendship spectrum to the other. She’s a narcissist, a drama queen, a queen bee, manipulative and can be extremely mean. Part of her issue surrounds her family, the dynamics in the household are off to say the least, at times heading towards the downright disturbing and much of the drama surrounds Caitlin’s mother Ava. There are clearly many secrets being harboured, some are HUGE and there are lies in abundance. When Sasha uncovers one secret there’s a shift in the balance of power in her favour but as a personality she never comes across very strongly until the end which is of course the whole point of the toxic imbalance. You wonder on many occasions why Sasha clings limpet like to the toxic friendship. As you approach the end things slot into place and it sheds light on why Ava and Caitlin are as they are.

Although the above is a strong part of the storytelling, I find the pace too slow. There’s a lot of prevarication especially at the start and it’s about a third way in before anything much happens. It’s over detailed and over explained especially in the first section of the book but once it gets going it’s a good read although I can’t say I find it especially chilling.

With thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the arc in return for an honest review.

This had so much promise. I was grabbed early on and was kept interested enough to keep reading but in the end it wasn't worth the read. The reveal took forever to happen. So much long winded build up for not a big surprise.

This is one of those books that is fraught with suspense and will keep you reading well into the night. It centers on Sasha and Caitlin, who have been best friends for a couple decades (since they were 12 years old); now Caitlin is getting ready to get married and Sasha is helping her plan the wedding. The book is told solely from Sasha's point of view.

The book goes back and forth between the current time and the years leading up to it, so you get a good idea of how the friendship started and what might be causing the current cracks in it. The times that they spend at the mansion where Caitlin lived and Sasha's parents worked were atmospheric and easy to picture.

I struggled a little bit to understand why Sasha was so darned insecure and why she allowed Caitlin to walk all over her. It appeared that she had loving and supportive parents and I couldn't figure out why she didn't just stand up for herself. When she finally does so, it felt a bit out of character to me in the way that she did it, though it certainly was exciting! I was a little let down by the reveal of the big secret, though I can't exactly put my finger on why- I wasn't fooled by some of the red herrings (though they were well done) but think I was expecting something different when it all came to a head.

That being said, I did enjoy the book overall, and felt that it was a definite page-turner. I'd recommend it to those who enjoy psychological thrillers. I'd give it 3.5 stars. rounded up. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

SAXBY DORSET
Sasha and her family live and work on the Saxby house estate and Caitlin Anderton becomes her best friend so when Caitlin announces she's marrying Chuck, Sasha is taking under her wing to organise it all as well as been her Bridesmaid.
As time goes on cracks begin to show and rips their friendship apart. Sasha and Caitlin share deeply buried secrets,Money luxury all this life comes at a price.
A nail biting novel thriller, so creepy, a remarkable story.
I couldn't put it down.
Its will have you memorised and hooked right till the end.

I love books like this with friends that you can’t trust. This book is a page turner pulse stopping mystery. I absolutely loved it and couldn’t wait to find out what happened.

#TheBridesmaid #NetGalley
An excellent novel by Nina. Mind blowing plot, twists and characters.
Sasha knew that beautiful, wealthy, and confident Caitlin would always be her absolute best friend. Sasha would do anything to make Caitlin happy.
Even keep her darkest secrets…
The years have passed, but their friendship remains. And when Caitlin announces she’s getting married there is only one choice for the role of bridesmaid. Sasha will make sure Caitlin’s wedding is as beautiful and perfect as she is. Won’t she?
But as the big day approaches, cracks begin to appear. Because no matter what Sasha does, she never seems to make Caitlin happy.
And the secrets that once bound these two friends, now threaten to rip them apart for good.
It's characters were creepy and original. It's narration was just mind blowing.
It's a must read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for giving me an advanced copy of this book.