a pretty face paced crime thriller! enjoyed getting the POV from the FBI agent. for awhile I was unsure if who the killer was but closer to the end the more obvious was. Still enjoyed it!

This book. What can I say about this book. I just finished it and I am having a hard time piecing together words to truly describe how incredible this story was. It was fast paced, addicting, twists and turns at every page and had one heck of an ending. I am going to be thinking about this book for a long time. Recommending it to any and all readers who want an addicting thriller that delivers an INCREDIBLE plot twist ending. Huge fan! Huge!

3.5⭐️

Sshh…Mom is Trying to Read: Book Club Podcast received an ARC for this one in exchange for a review✨

Overall, the plot was interesting and kept my attention. I liked the FMC and getting her POV as the lead FBI agent on the case. To me, it was just a little predictable though. I also wish we could have gotten more of Carrie’s POV at the end. The ending and conclusion was all a little rushed and needed more detail to make the *why* and the *how* behind the murder make more sense.

I would recommend this though to people who like crime thrillers!

Life is perfect for Carrie, now engaged to Oliver Phoenix, CEO of a billion-dollar firm. With her brilliant career as a nurse in the ER, a role she enjoys and is good at, things couldn’t be better. She’s looking forward to their joint bachelor/bachelorette party at the famous Stanley Hotel, the prelude to their wedding celebrations, and her happily-ever-after.

Andrea ‘Andi’ Castle is an FBI agent, who’s been suspended from work for two weeks because of another colleague who beat up a suspect in her case. Her childhood friend, Lana Melody, who is a nurse and a friend of Carrie, talks Andi into going as her Plus One to Carrie’s bachelor/bachelorette party. Now Andi looks forward to having a good time, away from the pressures of her job. Until a key member of the bridal entourage turns up dead.



The book is written in the first person PoV of Carrie and Andi. The narrative is preceded by the first-person account of Elsa Ward, who receives a mysterious package. Later, we read the first-person account of Joe, Elsa’s neighbour, who finds her body. Between these four first-person PoVs, they add up to too many first-person accounts, almost all of them unnecessary. The story would have read much better in the third person.

The chapters are short enough, but at 88 chapters, there are way too many, especially considering the surfeit of unnecessary information, most of it dumped on us unceremoniously.

Characters tell each other things they know already. For example, Oliver tells Carrie about her parents’ achievements. Also, each time a character is introduced, we are given too much information about that character.

Consequently, the murder, which is central to the plot, comes at the 27 percent mark.



None of the characters were likeable. Andi was completely unlike any FBI agent I’ve read in fiction. I found her too full of herself and too awestruck with the legacy of her father, even as she pretended it didn’t matter to her. Her constant reference to her job, a point hammered by nearly every one of the other characters, made me want to scream.

After all that build-up, she turned out to be quite stupid. She let a character into an active crime scene, mere minutes after the body was found. She should have been suspended for this.

Andi’s father calling her Sugar Bear and Daughter made me cringe. It was just as cheesy to say that he would answer her call on the first ring, even if he was in the middle of sex or a fight.

Carrie was just as much of a pain, projecting herself as perfect. The part where she described her own physical features was annoying. In fact, none of the physical descriptions of the characters were necessary.





The first-person accounts of Carrie and Andi are too similar, with both often using the exact same words to describe a character. Both women refer to Cade Winston, Oliver’s friend and groomsman, as having a ‘God complex’. In another instance, two unrelated minor characters, completely different and unrelated, use the phrase, panties in a wad.

The book needed better editing. The dialogues were stilted and unnatural. The jokes that characters cracked were sad. The banter between Andi and her dad was cheesy.

When Andi asks Natalie, Oliver’s sister, if Oliver owned a gun, she says, “Yes. And so do I. For protection.” A page later, Andi asks Natalie if she owns a knife, and Natalie replies, “What? No. No knife, and before you ask, no gun.”

Here’s one more example of this lack of attention. In Andi’s PoV, she tells us that Danielle, Carrie’s lawyer, is wearing a pink blouse. Then Carrie refers to it as blood red. In the next chapter, Andi calls it red too.



The author is a woman, and yet supposedly strong female characters routinely diss their own sex. Andi actually says, she doesn’t fight like a girl. Elsa, an attractive older woman, is mocked as being a bimbo.

We are told that Elsa’s death was a murder, not suicide, but we aren’t told how she died.



There are many loose ends too. We are not told where the knife that was used in the killing was hidden. Similarly, no explanation of why there was no blood on Carrie’s inner thighs.



Why did the author need to write such a long chapter about Elsa and the neighbour who found her body when it was totally irrelevant to Carrie’s story?

Introducing a character in the last few pages was a pathetic move. Also, the resolution of the investigation was shoddily wrapped up, with no justification for the conclusion. I was annoyed at the number of unanswered questions and loose ends.

There were several proofing errors which hampered the reading experience further. Dr Norton, the evaluating psychologist, a woman, is referred to as ‘his’ once. Even though, Oliver and Carrie are not yet married, they are frequently referred to as husband and wife.

In the Prologue, we meet Elsa Ward and then later on in the novel, we meet Larry Ward, unrelated. Why repeat names?

This book was disappointing on so many counts.

This book was a little difficult to follow at first and I wasn’t sure the direction. The story did pick up and it was very enjoyable. I liked the twists in the story and would read more from this author.

I liked this book…the main character was likeable, smart, intuitive. Too much ragging about her dad. The case was interesting and a twisted ending.

I do have to say: the people have spoken, this book is indeed poorly written
I was beyond excited to read this since the premise was very much convincing but throughout the story i found it was quite lacking in words in writing in everything

Thank you netgalley for the arc🫶🏻

For a bride-to-be and her fiancé, secrets and lies make this a killer celebration in this psychological suspense. A good mystery read! Thank you net galley and the publiser for the arc in exchange for a review.

Many thanks to Netgalley for the e-arc!

When I heard bachelorette/bachelor party and murder, I knew I wanted to read this book. Unfortunately the tag line wasn't as compelling as the actual book. The writing was rough, the characters were blah, and extremely repetitive.

The Wedding Party: A Thriller by L.R. Jones - A Disappointing Read

2 Stars

I recently picked up "The Wedding Party" by L.R. Jones, expecting a thrilling psychological suspense story set against the backdrop of a lavish bachelor/ bachelorette party at the iconic Stanley Hotel in Colorado. However, my experience with this book left much to be desired.

From the very beginning, the writing felt amateurish and lacked the depth and sophistication I usually look for in a suspense novel. The plot was predictable, and so repetitive that I found myself losing interest rather quickly. Despite the promising setting of the Stanley Hotel, I felt that it was underutilized, failing to create the immersive atmosphere that could have added to the tension of the story.

As I reached the ending, which I had hoped would redeem the shortcomings of the book, I was met with disappointment once again. The resolution was eye rolling, leaving loose ends untied and questions unanswered. It was a lazy attempt at wrapping up a story that had potential but fell short in its execution.

In conclusion, "The Wedding Party" was a letdown for me, despite my initial excitement for the genre and setting. The lackluster writing, repetitive plot, and unsatisfactory ending made it a struggle to get through. While I try to focus on the positives in my reviews, I cannot overlook the flaws in this book. Unfortunately, I would not recommend it to fellow readers looking for a gripping thriller.

⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary.⚠️

This one started out great, but then got a little slow in the middle, and felt rushed at the end. Didn't really like how the father was mentioned SO much throughout the book, and a reference to another whole mystery that I know nothing about. However, the murder mystery was a fun ride and I liked how it all came together in the end.

I really enjoyed this book. It was different than anything else I've read recently. I couldn't put it down! I will keep an eye out for this author's future work!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this book. I found this book to be well written for the most part. The story was interesting and kept my attention for most of the book. The story basically revolves around this weekend combined bachelor/bachelorette party at the Stanley Hotel (yes, the famous, haunted one). The bride-to-be is then suspected of being a killer and an FBI agent and guest at the party has to figure out if she's really the one who did it. Nobody believes that the bride-to-be could possibly have done something so terrible. She's the nicest, kindest person etc. Is everything as it seems? Is everyone that is in the wedding party who they seem to be? There is a link with another case due to a wrapped gift box being delivered ahead of each of these two murders...are they connected? Interesting plot that sometimes fell short to me, but got there in the end.

FBI agent Andrea „Andi“ Castle is invited by a friend to a joint bachelor/bachelorette party, and someone promptly ends up dead.

So far, so good - the premise sounded interesting, and the opening chapter was well done and drew me in. That is, until the main characters arrived. The book is told from the points of view of Andi (the FBI agent, lest you forget) and the bride-to-be, Carrie. The way both women - and women in this book in general - are written is completely stereotypical and frustrating. Interactions and dialogues are cringe-worthy. And don‘t get me started on how Andi does her job - downloading confidential files on a public WiFi network, interviewing potential suspects over the phone, taking days (and days!) to obtain and execute search warrants without sealing them, not doing a single proper interrogation that takes longer than the usual 3 page chapter length… and that‘s another thing: the chapters are short. So short, it feels like a lot of jumping around in the story. No scene is ever quite fleshed out properly, no dialogue ever quite the proper length. I felt jerked from one direction to another.

As for the whodunnit, the final reveal was surprising only in its ridiculousness because of Andi‘s methods in obtaining a confession (she supposedly is her father‘s daughter after all, but at this point, I‘d long ago stopped caring).

There are also various inconsistencies. The outfits, which are always mentioned in great detail for the women for some reason, are one thing: blouses switch from pink to bright red over the course of one page, slacks become jeans, etc.; Andi‘s partner is mentioned as having beat the perp in their previous case, but later, it was a witness; a patient doesn‘t connect easily to her doctor and spills her guts the next second. Even more grating were plot strings that went nowhere. Why was the groom nervous about having an FBI agent (never forget that Andi is one, it is mentioned on practically every page) at his bachelor party, for example?

All in all, a really frustrating experience both in terms of readability/structure as well as content. I was expecting more, particularly since this came from an established author.

Thank you to the author, Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed the plot of this book, but I could not get past the writing and dialogue. It was a bit challenging to enjoy. The ending was predictable and the characters were not too likeable. It fell flat for me and was hard to finish.

Really enjoyed this book. It was quick easy read. Kept me guessing till the end on who the killer was.

Nothing is as it seems in this book. Carrie and Oliver are, on the surface, so good for each other but what is really going on?

Jones does a good job stringer the reader along through Andi's investigation. This case has so many facets and plenty of red herrings to keep Andi and us wondering. Who are these people? What else is going on? How did this happen?

The reader will be carried along as all these questions are explored and if they're like me, they'll be a bit surprised by the answers.

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for the ARC.

I love the Stanley and this concept was amazing, however I felt a lot of the time this book was a bit slower than necessary, and repetitive. It felt like I was circling the drain waiting for something to happen and then it did, and it was rushed through. I will still read books by this author going forward though!

I really disliked how women were written in this one. If it weren't for that I probably would've rated this higher, but its 2024 and we don't need to have every single woman being unlikeable and we don't need all characters being misogynistic. The twist is alright and the pacing was really good, but it just felt like this was written years ago, not recently.

Went into this book blind and quite enjoyed it! Loved the twist towards the end of the story. I liked the police procedural and whodunnit, it all came together at the end! I hope it becomes a series. I would highly recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.