The bridesmaids ! Wow what a book I loved it !!
It’s Holly’s hen do …what could go wrong !? Each and every character is complex and well written ! Each character has secrets and lies involved in them or about them !!! Such a good twisty story with lots of turns !!
I loved the chapters all being a different character in the story and then swapping, most chapters ending on a mini cliff hanger before changing to another character. Such a good read I’ve read in no time ! For anyone who likes a thriller to get involved in read this !!! Fab read !

The Bridesmaids by Victoria Jenkins will certainly keep you turning the pages, but I must admit that this was not my favourite read from this not to be missed author. Perhaps it is a plot that feels too familiar, or maybe it is my lack of patience with the toxic female friendship trope. That aside, Ms Jenkin's latest should not be missed.

Holly is getting married and a weekend hen party with friends takes a deadly turn when one of the women is found floating lifelessly in the pool. Everyone becomes a suspect as each of the women seem to be hiding a plethora of secrets and resentments, and the toxicity of this estrogen heavy weekend quickly takes on a very sinister vibe. Whom among them has been pushed so far that murder is added to the itinerary?

I always love a good thriller from this author, and this latest is no exception, although this was a group of women with whom I could not empathize nor relate. I look forward to whatever comes next from Ms Jenkins.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC.

'𝑳𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒐 - 𝒔𝒍𝒊𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒚, 𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒍.'

A brilliantly crafted suspense thriller that revolves around six women and the secrets that threaten to rock the foundations of their friendship.

Holly hopes her hen party would be a chance to relax with her friends and catch up on everything that she has been missing out. But she gets more than she bargained for when the weekend opens up a pandora's box of long-kept secrets, proving that their friendship was, in truth, a farce. And when one of them ends up dead, the women begin to realize that, not only did they not really know each other at all, but now, one among them is a killer, too.

A great round of applause for this author who has concocted a brain-wracking suspense in this fabulous narrative of a hen-party gone wrong. The plot which spans over a period of 38 hours at a converted barn retreat, is revealed through the POVs of three of the six women.  The suspense level of the plot was simply top notch, as I swiveled from one character to the next trying to suss out who the killer was. And my guess still turned out wrong.

It was a bit of a chore to keep track of all the characters, but otherwise, I flew through the pages in record time. The ending was simply fantastic and totally unexpected.

Overall, just unputdownable. Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for providing a digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Holly is having a hen weekend with her best friends, excited to celebrate before her big day. After a night of revelations and arguments, a body is found in the pool...which of her bridesmaids is a killer?

A thrilling read that keeps you turning the pages until the shocking conclusion. Lots of secrets, lies and surprises. A brilliant read! Can't wait to read more from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book in return for my honest feedback.

The Bridesmaids, if you intend to read this book by the title you maybe disappointed. If you know the author Victoria Jenkins then you get exactly what you expect! A brilliant read. A few days away for Holly and her friends in a secluded house with a pool, sauna and champagne on tap sounds like a fabulous weekend. We soon discover all is not what it seems and everyone has secrets which eventually come to the surface.
I was kept guessing right until the end which is just how i like it.
Loved every moment of this book and read it over two evenings.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me an early copy to read and give my genuine opinion.

I loved this!! It reminded me a little of a Lucy Foley book as there is a limited cast of characters and from the beginning you know that someone has died, but you don't find out who died or who killed them until much later. When executed well, this is my favourite kind of story.

There were so many secrets to uncover and I really enjoyed reading as they all came out. There was a lot going on which kept it interesting without being confusing. The characters weren't particularly likeable but they did feel like real people and their decisions made sense (even if I didn't agree with them).

The ending was good, although there was one loose end which I would have liked to have seen addressed. Other than that, I can't fault the book at all.

Holy goodness!! This book is amazing.
Page after page, I couldn't stop reading.
This book was one of those that looks amazing from the description, and actually delivers.
Such a roller coaster ride--a fast paced thriller with twists and turns and quite unputdownable--worth five stars!
I really liked how the story was written and how things unfolded as the book progressed. I loved the atmospheric setting.
The characters are extremely well written and portrayed.
An enjoyable, wild, intense ride.... I found myself not wanting to get off of!
Don't hesitate to add this one to your TBR list and move it straight to the top.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Bookouture,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my platforms, blog, B&N and Waterstone closer to pub date.

This book gripped like a vice from the first page, and didn’t let go til the last! What a wonderful plot and brilliantly flawed characters!

Talk about secrets! Everyone who attends Holly’s bachelorette weekend (or hen weekend) has secrets. Once those secrets are out, it does not end well! And it all seems to stem from one spring night in 2003.

This book was wild. It shows that just because someone is your friend, they may not always have your best interest at heart. There were so many twists and I enjoyed uncovering each one. All of the characters, except Holly (in my opinion) were unlikeable. Especially Georgia. With that said, it didn’t take away from the book.

If you want a twisty ride, read this one! 10/10 recommend.

Thank you for this advanced copy. This was not my favorite book by Victoria. I feel like this plot is overdone these days. Hen parties, class reunions, friends getting together at a dinner party or some remote location. Too many secrets, too many lies, someone ends up dead. I will say there were a lot of shocking secrets that came to light in this book. I found that I skimmed more of it than anything. I feel sorry for the main character. It's her party and EVERYONE basically gangs up on her and she realizes none of her friends are real friends. Overall, average,

"Tell yourself something enough times and eventually it becomes the truth."

What a ride! The drama🤌The plot twists🤌
Definitely enjoyed this one.

Holly is set to be married soon, her friends plan a hen weekend getaway in a secluded place. Nothing can go wrong, right? Only that assumption is wrong. Holly soon finds her friends- the bridesmaids have been keeping secrets, telling lies that date decades back. Will she be able to uncover the truth while maintaining their friendship or does she have secrets of her own ready to break them apart?

Honestly, the book kept me on edge. The story is told in three POV- Holly, Claire and Suzanne's. The twists and turns in the book were chef's kiss. It is a pretty fast paced book and you can easily read it in one day (if one has time).

Why I rated it four stars instead of five?
1. The personalities of the bridesmaids (except for Martha) was only the fact that they each had something to hide. Other than that, they were simply bland.
2. The multiple POV could've been executed well. At times I got confused who's POV was I reading. Holly, Claire and Suzanne's personalities were VERY similar. I would've preferred if the author wrote them differently, which would've given the characters more life.
3. It felt like the bridesmaids were never friends.

Is it worth reading?
Yes, absolutely. If you're looking for a short fast paced mystery thriller read, this is it. It will keep you guessing.

eARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review. (Review posted on Goodreads as well).

A storyline that’s been done a few times, away with your friends for a hen weekend but I really enjoyed it. Although some are your besties it just shows that you never really know someone when all the secrets unravel and everyone is at each other’s throats. I like the parts told from different perspectives and I thought I know who the culprit was but I was wrong. A great book that I would recommend.

What a book! Finished it in a day. The plot is engrossing and though the premise may not be new, the style of narration keeps you hooked.

When childhood friends gather for a hen party, their lives comes unraveling. Secrets from two decades cause more harm then good that weekend. While it looks like everyone around the poor bride has been keeping things from her, she has a shocking revelation of her own.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC

Toxicity…
A hen weekend to die for in this character driven, tension fuelled suspense. Holly is getting married and what could be better than a weekend away with her closest friends? A luxury lodge soon becomes a claustrophobic nightmare when not only cut off by snow but bound in with each other’s secrets and lies. Toxicity is everywhere and absolutely nothing is as it seems. With a credible cast of mainly unlikeable characters and a fast moving, multi voice narrative this is an immersive read best devoured in one greedy sitting.

Synopsis:
It should be the perfect hen weekend for Holly - drinking and having fun with her best friends at a secluded cottage. But right from the beginning things aren't as they should be, and soon it becomes clear that every woman has something to hide, and every revelation could make or break their friendship. So when someone's found dead the next day, it is obvious that one of them went to far to protect her secret...

My thoughts:
OH MY GOD! I love a good whodunnit in a group of friends with lots of secrets, so when I saw this book on Netgalley, I just HAD TO read it! I despised every character in this book, and still I felt for all of them at some point - because everyone makes mistakes, don't they? I loved the ominous feeling I got while reading, and I had so much fun guessing what was going on in everyone's lives. While the revelation of the whodunnit wasn't that shocking to me, the twist after that just blew my mind! Beautifully written, I will remember this book for a long time coming.

This was my first book by this author

Parts of this book reminded me of:
- The Birthday Girl by Sue Fortin
- The Party At Nr. 12 by Kerry Wilkinson

Told from alternative perspectives from some (but not all of) the characters. This is a familiar plot, with a group of long standing friends who have secrets that are about to unravel. The majority of the secrets were easy to guess, although not all. Overall, an easy enjoyable read. Not necessarily one that will keep you up all night but it will certainly pass the time on either a cold rainy day or a beach!

#TheBridesmaids #NetGalley
I FELT CLAUSTROPHOBIC.
SIX friends planned for a weekend away for Holly's wedding, they want to enjoy one weekend away from their boring lives and so they booked a remote cottage where no phone signal is there just these so called friends. Before going there an addition of Georgia is there although Tony didn't want that but Holly's persuaded her.
Once there cracks starts to form between these friends and it's clear that one of then thinks that enough is enough and so there's a dead body before this weekend will be over.
I can't say much about this story. All i can give you is that while reading it i found it similiar to IT COULD BE ANYONE & THE LONG WEEKEND. Despite of that i enjoyed this book by Victoria Jenkins. Her ability to write flawed characters is flawless.
Each female character has a grey shade. Although if you think carefully then you can guess the killer.
It's a superb read. And I think you should finish it in a single sitting.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me an advance copy.

I finished this book in one sitting! Talk about drama. I was beginning to wonder if the women in the book were actually friends the way they treated each other. It was a tad lengthy when it came to the drama but with all the plot twists and an ending I could have never predicted, I couldn’t put it down! Told in alternating chapters you get each character’s perspective.

Holly is getting married and invites a group of her friends on a weekend getaway before she ties the knot. Before the the weekend concludes, one of them ends up dead. All these women are suspects. Each have insane secrets that involve each other. One of them is a killer.


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Be careful who you trust even when they’re your friends. I love this claustrophobic mystery. I was really into the story and the characters. I had my suspicions who is responsible but I was completely surprised by the end. I highly recommend this one for anyone that lives in mystery or thriller.

This book was an exciting page turner that I appreciated that opportunity to read. Unfortunately it was a bit of a miss for me overall. None of the characters were particularly likeable and I found main parts of the plot to be rather predictable.