I am no stranger to Victoria Jenkins, but this was not one of my favourite. The many POV at the start made it hard to follow and I didn’t find the characters that easy to relate too! That being said it got a lot juicier! With twists and turns it soon pulled me back in! My advice to other readers is to persevere as it is worth it!

Victoria Jenkins is a new author to me and after reading The Bridesmaids I will be reading her other books as well. This one sucked me in right from the start.

My one issue and what prevented me from rating it higher is that there are so many POV in the beginning before I got everyone straight it was confusing. BUT. The payoff from the different POV and the timeline jump was absolutely worth it in the end!

3.75 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the chance to read this book!

"Lies are hard to hold onto..."

What a thrill. The Bridesmaids had me wanting more from the first page, it had me guessing all throughout and the twists towards the end, jeez!!

It's Holly's Hen Party, but a hen party literally from hell. Holly leaves her home with her best friends knowing no different, yet within 24 hours it goes incredibly pear shaped and the cracks within the friendship group start to show. Who was it found dead? Who killed her? Was it an accident?

I highly recommend this book for fans of the psychological thriller genre and fans of Victoria Jenkins herself.

****

Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was an absolute rollercoaster, and I absolutely loved it.

There was a constant sense of mystery through out the book. And the best part was we didn't find out who had died until towards the end.

An I don't want to give anything away, it was soo good and I'll end up spoiling it, but if you love thrillers then this book is most definitely for you.

4/5 STARS

Great if you like thrillers. Not usually my thing but it was an alright book. It took me a while to get into it though.

A thriller should be able to draw me in, make me feel something, and keep me on my toes. The Bridesmaids did well with two out of the three items on my list.

This book definitely drew me in. From the start, I was curious to see where the wedding party would take me. With so many personalities, it was obvious from the first few chapters that the drama was going to explode. The book starts with a body lying in a pool. From that moment, I was invested, because I had so many questions. Who was it? Why were they there? Who was being blamed? Were they really the one to blame? What led them to the point of violence? The answer to the question could only be answered by diving head first into the life stories of many very different women. My only disappointment with the storyline itself was that several of the twists felt forced or didn't have enough backstory or basis for them to really be twists. At the end of the day though, I flew through the book. It took me less than a day to obsessively fly through the story.

Where the story lacked was the ability to make me feel something. There were so few likable characters, that their stories didn't have the same emotional punch that they could have. Fortunately for the story, it didn't fall into the trap that many thrillers fall into where it seemed silly that the characters were keeping secrets. Every member of the bridal party’s secrets were completely reasonable as secrets.

I was certainly kept on my toes throughout my entire reading. The multiple points of view kept me on edge with the bits of information that were dropped at a time. Some of the characters that I liked best didn’t get a POV, but I understand that there were just too many characters for that. The writing style was enticing and descriptive, no matter which POV I was getting.

⅗ stars for a story that absolutely drew me in, even if I never grew an emotional attachment.

The very definition of a page turning thriller. A group of girls all hiding secrets in a deluded house on a hen weeekend? What could go wrong? I enjoyed this- found it a bit difficult to keep up with which character did what but generally thought it was very moreish and struggled to put it down!!

really messy and indistinguishable voices - i found myself waiting for another character to say the current narrative character's name so i could remember who was who and half the time it didn't even happen so like what's the point
ending flopped and didn't keep up the tense pace/foreshadowing
i really thought there was going to be another twist but all of the actual twists just didn't surprise me
ok i'm jaded and what

Quick read with lots of plot twists. This one does not turn out how you'd expect.

Full of secrets and lies, hidden pasts and false friendships. Kind of like a thriller version of the Real Housewives.

I don't get why the author doesn't seem to be very popular. This is my second read by her and both have been good thrillers. Normal situations that are believable and she's good at plot twists. Check her out!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Holly is getting married, but not before a celebration weekend with her closest friends. After a night of arguments, a body is found floating in the swimming pool of their secluded cottage. Holly must face up to the truth – one of her bridesmaids is a killer, but which one?

This book is one that most mystery books fans will really enjoy.
The plot had so many twists and turns I couldn’t put the book down
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes mystery or thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this great book!

“Tell yourself something enough times and eventually it becomes the truth.” Holly is getting married and her bridesmaids and a friend throw her a hen weekend at an isolated location. The first night things seem to be going pretty well. It’s all fun and games. The next night, however, is vastly different. Everyone is arguing, secrets that have been hidden for 20 years are being revealed, and someone winds up dead. Now Holly is left wondering, which one of her bridesmaids is the killer?

I will be completely honest, I wasn’t sure about this book at first. I’m SO glad I was WRONG. The book started off with a bang and shock after shock just kept coming. I wanted, no I NEEDED, to know everyone’s secret, how someone died and who was it; I couldn’t stop turning the pages. What was so great about this book is that even though it’s coined as a psychological thriller, it’s much more than that. It’s a story of relationships and what happens when you feel the need to hide things and how hiding these things impacts your life.

The Bridesmaids by Victoria Jenkins revolves around a weekend away with Holly, who is getting married, and her bridesmaids. The weekend goes the opposite of what was planned and secrets and lies are uncovered until the ‘get away’ ends in murder. One of of the women in the trip is a killer, but who is it?

I really enjoyed The Bridesmaids, it reminded me a lot of The Guest List by Lucy Foley. The secrets and lies kept you wanting to turn the page, the characters were intriguing in their own messed up ways and the whole mystery made the book hard to put down. The drama and the twists in the plot made for a very thrilling read. I definitely enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for preceding drama among these bridesmaids!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book!

Holly and her friends are going away for her hen do (or bachelorette weekend). As they start to party in the isolated house, more and more secrets start to be revealed. All of the women are hiding things, and ultimately this will lead to the death of one of them.

I liked this book a lot! It alternates between the "now" when the body is found (although the reader doesn't find out whose dead until the end of the book) and the past, slowly leading up to the present. I liked the suspense factor that created. It was not the most crazy twists, but there were some that I didn't see coming. Very solid thriller!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love a thriller with a group of women in a secluded setting and this one ticks the box. Each of them dealing with their own drama whilst trying to support the bride. Great setting, characters and twist.

Thank you so much Victoria Jenkins and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy. This book has so many twists and turns compared to the average psychological thriller. It really stands out with all the drama and chaos going on between the characters and all the secrets and lies they hold. It is an incredible journey about friendships and how 1 lie or secret can develop and become a true betrayal and become catastrophic. The author organised and planned the story well with a lot of development throughout. It keeps you hooked from the beginning and I managed to finish the book within 4 days of starting. I didn’t want to put it down and it kept me guessing throughout. Just when you think you know what is going on a whole new twist is exposed. I can not wait for future books by Victoria Jenkins and I will definitely be looking at previous books by this author.

The only problem I have with the story and the reason I have given 4 instead of 5 stars is because the characters have a very similar writing style so it is hard to distinguish amongst the characters other than their secrets and children. It could of done with some more information on the characters appearances other than their body type.

Overall if you are looking for a story with lots of twists and keeps you guessing and wanting more then this book is for you!

I loved the setting of this book - the huge manor house with the eerie pool room set amongst a snowy winter and the idea of all the characters being trapped together as more and more secrets are slowly revealed.
I enjoyed the pace of the novel, the start was slightly slow but it picked up speed and I was pleased that there were no drawn-out flashbacks which would have taken away from the present moment. I liked how the past was revealed through present conversations which kept up the suspense. The plot kept me hooked throughout.

The changing characters perspectives that are given over short chapters and the barrage of various secrets intertwining with each other sometimes made it a difficult, slightly confusing read and I found myself having to go back to the start of some chapters to remind myself of who's point of view it was that I was reading. Martha was a well distinguished character but the others were harder to gage differences between and they sometimes blurred into one.

An engaging novel and definitely worth a read.

Holly is getting married to Aaron and she’s goes on her hen weekend with her bridesmaids in a secluded cottage where someone is killed and one of her bridesmaids is a killer when a body is found floating in the swimming pool in the secluded cottage but with secrets and lies will their friendship’s survive with lots of twists and turns you will truly enjoy this psychological thriller
Thank you NetGalley and bookouture and Victoria Jenkins for writing a truly gripping book that kept me guessing all the way though

Started strong with an unknown narrator and a dead body. It is unclear who is alive and who is dead. The story takes off from there with flashbacks from present day after the murder to the events of the weekend. Lots of drama.
locked room mystery as there were only the hen party at the spa which is one of my favorite plot devices. Liked the short time period for the book. This did not live in the past. SOmetimes past flashbacks take away from the mystery. Each character had a secret and anyone of them could’ve been the murderer.
What didn’t work for me was the characters overall. I don’t have to love a character but if I don’t have someone to root for I am less engaged. I am fine rooting for the villain if it is done right. These ladies didn’t seem to like each other and let their past spoil Holly’s hen weekend. These ladies acted very immature for women nearing 40.
Didn’t really understand why Georgia had to come along. She was ~ 18 and should’ve been self sufficient. Only reason was as a plot device. Not super plausible to me. A younger child would’ve made sense for tagging along.
Plenty of twists as the ladies learn each other’s secrets and how the past has shaped their present.

Thank you to NetGallely and Bookouture for and ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Victoria Jenkins has done it again! The Bridesmaids is intense, exciting and explosive and will keep you interested from the first page until the last.
Thank you to net galley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

<b>Note:</b> I received an advanced copy of this book from Bookouture via NetGalley.

Holly is getting married, but not before a celebration weekend with her closest friends. After a night of arguments, a body is found floating in the swimming pool of their secluded cottage. Holly must face up to the truth – one of her bridesmaids is a killer, but which one?

I did end up enjoying this book from a whodunit standpoint. I was able to guess a lot of the supposed 'twists' but it did not make the book any less pleasurable for me to read. The ending threw me a bit, but not because of whose body it was but by the humdrum nature of the ending . . . it was strange.