Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

I liked the book's cover, and it gave me a mysterious vibe. There were a lot of things going on in the book and in the bridesmaids' lives that is why there was a time I got so confused and mixed up in all the lies and deceit. I was close to DNFing in the first half but I am glad I went through and finished it. Everything wrapped up well in the end.

Gave it 3 stars because all at once there were a lot of things that were going on I did not know where to focus. I never got to digest a secret because another one has exploded right in front of my face without realizing it. I did not think it was realistic enough.. for me. hopefully this does not happen irl..

A group of friends go away for a Hen weekend and one of them ends up dead... but the culprit isn't obvious, as the grudges and resentment between these women is unparalleled.

An easy mystery with plenty of twists, The Bridesmaids is engaging but didn't grip me as much as I'd have hoped. The characters were interesting but some of the surprises weren't massively surprising!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

BOOKWORMS review:
Secrets and drama amongst friends in real life is awful..but don't you just love it in a book?! YES! Well you'll get it here.
Before Holly gets married she's to head off on a girly trip for her Hen..with her nearest and dearest friends. They all have their own pasts and baggage and this perhaps gets unpacked on holiday. This trip ends in the worst way possible...someone ends up dead! At the start we don't know who and we don't know who the culprit is either. It's gripping,full of twists and has you questioning how well any of us know our friends. Told in the point of view of Holly and 2 bridesmaids Suzanne and Claire. Thoroughly enjoyable. With thanks to Victoria Jenkins, Bookouture and netgalley for an ARC to review.

BOOKWORMS Rating: 📕 📕 📕 📕

Unfortunately I struggled through this book and ended up not caring what happened to any of the bridesmaids. They were all horrible characters but that isn’t the reason I didn’t enjoy this book. I do love a book with nasty horrible characters. In this book each chapter is narrated by one of the friends and I struggled with who the chapter was referring to and I had to keep going back to the start of the chapter to find the name . I found this a very slow read and nothing very exciting seemed to happen. I really don’t like giving a negative review but this one did nothing for me.

New author for me but I liked the sound of the book blurb and the look of the cover, both of which is what drew me to giving this book a go.

It was a highly entertaining and addictive reading, brilliant clever story plot which was pretty fast pace in places. The story was told from the view point of various characters which was good as it gave you insight into each character. However one thing that I found difficult at times was keeping tabs on which character was telling the story in chapter, I kept having to check back at times. At times I thought there was too many characters, especially when each one had their own individual story, secrets and motives taking place. If you were reading the story in one or two sittings then that’d be fine and easy, but when you’re reading the story over say six evenings, it is a lot of characters to remember to include their individual stories/backgrounds without getting them each mixed up.

But despite that I did really enjoy the story, there were quite a few surprises and twists throughout. I’d definitely read more by this author in the future.

I quite enjoyed this book. I finished it in less than two days. The writing was good, I also liked the twists here. So much happened in a weekend get away. Who would have thought that these long time friends are hiding so much secrets from each other? Love the concept of this one! Thank you so much for the ARC! 😃

What I loved:
I loved how everything was not what it seemed to be and the secrets were much deeper than anticipated!

What I didn’t love: There was alot happening toward the end for such a short time period for the weekend get away; it felt a little rushed but was still entertaining to read.

The very end was tied together nicely and I liked how Holly ended up being the true villain. I would have been interesting to see more of Holly and her husband and life without Caleb.

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.

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.