It’s a thriller which just about grips you. I loved the multiple characters, but found some of the storylines hugely predictable. Despite this, they where written well and it was an overall entertaining and thrilling read.

Victoria Jenkins is back and this time she offers something a little bit different to what I’ve come to expect from her books. I’ve probably said this a thousand times (and will say it a thousand more if needed), but she’s a master at misdirection in the psychological suspense genre (you seriously need to read The Argument). With The Bridesmaids she delivers a story with more of a locked room mystery vibe, but still plenty of secrets and revelations.

Holly is getting married and to celebrate she goes away to a secluded cottage with six friends for her hen weekend. But all of them are hiding some secrets so, what promised to be a weekend of friendships and fun, soon goes awry when a body is found in the pool.

This was a pretty fast paced read. I’m always up for some drama and here’s lots of it! Most of the characters had lights and shadows, which made them much more interesting. The story is told through the alternating voices of Holly, Claire and Suzanne. The different perspectives got a bit confusing at times as their personalities and voices were a bit too similar.

It soon becomes clear their friendship didn’t have foundations as strong as they believed, as they were mainly built on long kept secrets and lies. There were times I thought “are you sure you’re really friends? If you treat and talk to your friends this way, what will you do to your enemies?!” 😅

The story employs the narrative trick mainly used in this type of stories lately in which the reader knows right from the start that someone dies, but won’t find out who it is until the very end. Although there were lots of revelations, they didn’t come as shocking as in some of her previous books, but still made for a pretty enjoyable read. Certainly there were more pieces to this puzzle than I initially thought!

Quick and easy read that you will devour in a matter of hours, full of drama and juicy secrets that will keep on coming until the last page.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A hen party gone wrong so many ways. Secrets and lies that go back decades will be exposed, creating hurt feelings, pain and so much more. When Holly gets together with several of her closest friends, someone does not make it past the house party. The destination is remote and the tensions between the women rises as each moment passes.

The points of view in this captivating story are all strikingly different - Holly, Suzanne and Claire most notably reveal so much about things that were kept hidden for quite a long time. The past is relevant when it comes to exposing the issues that slowly come to light.

With twist after twist it becomes more than clear that at least one of the women has something to hide. The veracity of the friendship of the women was truly tested in this engaging read by Victoria Jenkins. The drama was never ending and continued to escalate as her latest book came to a shocking ending.

The way this book was written is truly designed to pique one’s attention as the beginning already tells the reader that there will be a body. So it becomes an enjoyable ride as clues as to the killer’s identity start to come together. Like pieces of a puzzle, one by one, each scenario make things clearer and clearer. Very much a locked room setting, we know that at least one of the women is a killer and in true genius style, Ms. Jenkins creates another thrilling story.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please also enjoy my YouTube video review - https://youtu.be/KATHUa9kvpA

I'm a sucker for books about secrets and this one delivered. The book alternates between different points of view. The multiple characters kept the book interesting and fast-paced. It was a tad difficult to keep track of all the characters in the beginning but an easy read after that.

Also, the cover is the best! Thanks for the advance review copy.

Thank you NetGalley and Victoria Jenkins on the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review!

WHAT I LIKED:
This was a twisted book of a group of friends out for an engagement party, when one member of the party is found dead. The twisted thing of this book, is that every single person at the party, has a secret that they don't want exposed. Coincidentally, the secrets link them all together.. This was so good and so hard to figure out who did it, that even up to the end where that last final secret is revealed, you don't see it coming.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
I found that each chapter changing so often to a different person and a different part of the party made it difficult to attempt to keep all of the woman separate and their stories straight (perhaps that is what helps make it such a mind boggle), But I literally almost grabbed a notebook to write things down in just so I knew which point of view I was reading from at each time. Not having any justice at the end kind of irked me as well.

OVERALL / RECOMMENDATION:
This was a good and captivating read. I finished it in two nights of reading and didn't want to put it down. I am recommending this book to anyone who enjoys a good thriller or suspenseful read.

✨️𝙷𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚢 𝙿𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝙳𝚊𝚢✨️ to @victoriajenkins and 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒅𝒔!⠀
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Description: 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? ⠀
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𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴. 𝘖𝘭𝘥 𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴. ⠀
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𝘉𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴. 𝘉𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥. ⠀
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𝘍𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘥𝘴. 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺. ⠀
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I recieved an ARC of 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒅𝒔 from @netgalley and @bookouture in exchange for an honest review.

I went from chatting with Maid of Honor about Bachelorette Party plans for next year to reading this book about bride Holly and her five bridesmaids, alone for a hen's (bachelorette) weekend at a remote cottage that ends in tragedy. Let's just say ... fingers crossed mine goes more smoothly 🤣.⠀
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Overall, I would give 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒅𝒔 ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. I didn't figure out the whodunnit of the book immediately, which happens way too often with me 😅. The way the author moved from character to character and changing the narrator each chapter was a fresh way to keep the suspense going. Each woman has a secret (or three), making for some meaty insights into each different personality. ⠀
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The shifting POV was a double-edged sword, though. On one hand, it kept the narrative plenty shaky and twisty, but on the other hand, I struggled to really connect with any one woman before the next character was given her chapter. Coupled with the story jumping between past and present, the narrative jumping around me work harder to keep up than I would enjoy.

This is my first book by Victoria Jenkins but it won't be my last. Holly is getting married and her besties are planning a bachelorette party. A weekend in an amazing cottage full of laughs, games, and murder... Told from different perspectives we learn about Holly's best friends and the secrets they are trying to hide. As the book unfolds you learn more about the friendship dynamic and who is trying to hide what. A quick read with a great ending!

Holly is getting married soon so her six bridesmaids decide to throw her a Hen Party. They have rented a large barn converted into a big home located in a remote, quiet, wooded area.

The women are Holly, the bride, Martha, Claire, Zoe, Toni, and Suzanne.
Each woman is dealing with some kind of problem in their life and while they want to relax and have fun, it’s not easy for them. And there is someone amongst them with a big secret that could cause a lot of grief.

The women drink a lot of champagne and enjoy the indoor pool, sauna, and spa. But they can’t completely relax because all of them are worried about problems in their lives, many of which have to do with each other.

When the secrets start to leak along with accusations and confessions, the weekend turns into a total nightmare.

Oh, dear. This book was just too much for me. Everyone hates someone else and along with the tears and agony became too much for me. This book is completely over the top which had me rolling my eyes and looking forward to the ending. Sorry.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Wow I loved every minute of The Bridesmaids. It was a rollercoaster from start to finish which I could not put down. There were twists, turns, secrets and lies and I cannot recommend it more highly. It's a definite read for thriller lovers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC.

It's Holly's hen party and the celebrations are to be held at a secluded luxury converted barn with an indoor pool, sauna, and spa. Holly and her six mates head for the venue, but Holly gets more than she bargained for. Which, if any of her friends can she trust?

The Bridesmaids alternates between now when a body is found (though the reader doesn't find out who is dead until much later in the book) and the past, gradually bringing things up to the present. The plotting is excellent, and the complex story is intriguing and suspenseful. Themes of jealousy, betrayal, toxicity and deceit are in there. Another winner from Victoria Jenkins.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Bookouture via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion.

The Bridesmaids ~ Victoria Jenkins

A group of friends head to the spacious retreat to celebrate Holly’s hen party and from the minute the arrive, the secrets start to bubble over. When one guest ends up dead in the swimming pool, the truth about Holly’s bridesmaids comes to light.

Thank you @bookouture @netgalley and @vicwritescrimes for an eArRC copy of this book!

Intriguing concept and a surprise ending definitely peaked my interest. Found the amount of characters hard to keep track of at times and some of the dialogue hard to follow. But a fun thriller and a quick read!

What should be a great girls’ weekend to celebrate an upcoming wedding among a batch of friends is anything but. One of them will end up dead. Secrets, lies, and betrayals will surface and forever alter their friendships. How they were all connected was a snarled ball of messiness.
I had trouble keeping the story lines separated until about the middle of the book. I also didn’t care for any of the characters. I was anxious to see who ended up dead.
Don’t go to a posh hideaway for a bachelorette party. Try Vegas instead.

Wow, this was a ride! This story had me engaged from the beginning, and it was surprisingly easy to breeze through. There was so much tension, lots of twists and turns. These people invented the frenemy! This kept me guessing right through. Everyone had their secrets. I think I would have got through it even quicker if the POVs didn't basically sound the same in terms of voice. I had to rely on memorising certain traits and features to figure out who was who, because they otherwise seemed similar to me.

Good read though -- I would definitely read more from this author.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this copy.

I’ve read several books by this author and she does know how to write a suspenseful thriller.

I enjoyed this book, so many secrets and so much drama. I did have trouble at times keeping everyone straight of who was who and who knew what.

Overall a strong good read.

Victoria Jenkins does it again! The Bridesmaids is a closed room domestic suspense novel that takes place during a Hen Party (bachelorette party for us North Americans). Jenkins does a wonderful job of developing flawed characters each with a big secret just waiting to be revealed.

This was a solid page turner. None of the reveals were mind bending, but they fit together like a perfect messy puzzle. My only critique is that the ending dragged on a bit, but overall a great read! Jenkins is turning into an auto-buy author for me!

Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for a free digital copy in exchange for a fair and honest review

Oh that was so much fun - not serious at all and what a great way to spend a sunny Sunday just relaxing and escaping into a different world. It had everything that you needed in a book like this and I just devoured it.

Just read it for pure enjoyment, it is not serious by a long shot but life doesn't need to have these all the time.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

"Lies are hard to hold onto..."

A hen (Bachelorette for US readers) weekend becomes a tangled mess of lies and six friends learn secrets about each other that threaten to crumble their relationships beyond recovery.

The plot spans over 38 hours at a secluded getaway for Holly's hen weekend. Told through three of the six women's POVs, this suspense novel was a fast paced, twisty read with so many secrets revealed, it will make you wonder if any of them were ever really "friends" at all. You will quickly learn that someone winds up dead and the killer is among them, but who is it? I tried and tried to figure out who was dead and who did it, but I was wrong... multiple times.

I struggled with keeping all of the characters straight and it took away from the beginning of the book. I ended up having to write them all down with tidbits of info about each woman because I kept confusing the women and their plotlines. Once I got a hang of who was who, the story really did take off. I loved that there were multiple secrets revealed and some that I did not see coming.

It seemed like the resolution of the death and killer was a bit glazed over at the end and it was a bit unrealistic to think that there was no HUGE investigation or interrogation of the women. The story just jumped forward a few months whereas I would have liked a little more about how the weekend ended. There was also one part about two characters that was "icky" and if you read the book, you'll see why. It wasn't graphic but just the idea was gross. Overall though, this was a great read.

Read if you like:
- Multiple POVs
-"locked room" suspense
- Lucy Foley books
- Multiple secrets revealed
- Interconnecting stories

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookoutour, and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This is no way affected my review and all opinions are my own.

With friends like these who needs enemies. Holly is getting married and her friends all gather in a beautiful remote house for her hen weekend. So many secrets, so many lies and so many twists and turns.
A brilliant read

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

Victoria Jenkins weaves another tangled web of secrets, lies and deception revolving around six women all connected by the secrets of the past...and of the present.

Holly has carried a torch for her first love for two decades. Joseph was tragically killed when he and Holly were 18, leaving her to bring up their eighteen month old son Caleb. Now she is marrying Aaron and her closest friends have organised a hens weekend away in a gorgeous converted barn in the remote countryside.

It's the perfect opportunity to relax with her friends and being pampered in the luxurious spa complete with a pool and sauna...and Holly is looking forward to catching up together. But the weekend opens up a pandora's box of secrets and deception, leaving Holly getting more than she bargained for in the face of the friendships she valued and trusted. Friendships that were nothing more than a lie.

Soon the secrets come spilling out from all sides and we begin to wonder is there anyone NOT keeping a secret? Because they all seem intent on keeping them from Holly so as to not spoil her weekend. But then Holly has a secret or two up her own sleeve that she is keeping.

THE BRIDESMAIDS unfolds through the narratives of Holly, Claire and Suzanne both before and after the event. Through each of the alternating narratives the reader wonders who is keeping what secret and who is the body in the pool? Of the six women plus one to venture off on this weekend, which of them doesn't return?

It's a very simple easy read that is quick and entertaining. I devoured it in a matter of hours as it was addictive and the fast pace kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. And boy, did these women weave themselves a tangled web?? Talk about drama! The women were catty, trashy and bitchy and at times I'd wondered if they were indeed friends, the way they treated one another. None of them were particularly likeable. But the twists were delicious, even if I did see them coming.

A quick entertaining read, THE BRIDESMAIDS is the perfect holiday thriller to while away a few hours filled with lots of drama and juicy secrets...and a lot of catty women ready to scratch each others' eyes out. A bit far-fetched maybe, but still a fun read to pass the time. Just pass the popcorn and watch the scandalous secrets unfold.

I would like to thank #VictoriaJenkins, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheBridesmaids in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

3.5 stars

Overall I found this story to be pretty good. There was a lot going on with many twists and turns...definitely did not see the ending coming as it happened.

Wasn't wild about the multiple POV's and going back and forth with the timeline...nothing wrong with the story itself, that's just never been my personal preference.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher. and the author for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.