I was so excited to read this, the cover art is stunning but for me this fell flat and I DNF'd at 35%.
Thank you NetGalley, Rebecca Heath and Aria & Aries for this ARC, all opinions expressed are my own.

I typically love books set at weddings because there is so much potential for drama. The Wedding Party, however, was a miss for me. I found the pacing very slow; the first 3/4 of the story dragged. I also spent a long time confused. On multiple occasions one character said to another, “I don’t understand,” and I was glad that I was not the only one who didn’t know what was going on. There are some good twists at the end but the journey there was not lively enough and I didn’t really see the resolution I had hoped for. I received an ARC from NetGalley and I appreciate the opportunity to provide an honest review.

So many secrets. So many rich people behaving badly. So many lies. I do appreciate a wedding gone wrong and the chaos was next level that it was at times hard to keep up. The only character I gravitated toward was the grandmother and her little dog. Any woman a man calls crazy is smarter than him. The twists were not too surprising but I still enjoyed them. This was a quick and entertaining read. TYSM NetGalley!

This is not good. I really didn’t enjoy anything about it. The writing style isn’t appealing, it’s all over the place. The story is so silly. On the surface it has potential. A tragic death 12 years ago, a wedding, guilt etc but it just doesn’t land. None of the characters are redeemable in any way, the story is just ridiculous

Rating - 3.5 stars (rounded to 4)

This was my first book by Rebecca Heath, and I really enjoyed it! This is a multi-timeline murder mystery taking place as everyone returns home for a wedding bringing the past crashing into the present. With the multiple POVs you get to see the story from all sides. At first it was hard to get used to the POVs switching at every chapter, but I got used to the flow after reading a few chapters. I liked how the story began with the upcoming wedding of Adele and Jason, and then used flashbacks to slowly reveal what happened in the past. The suspense slowly builds throughout the book. All in all it was a good thriller that was enjoyable, kept me guessing and made me want to read to the end. Thank you to NetGalley and Aria & Aries Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book. I started to read this book the day before some friends were getting married and that was probably not the best decision I could have made... The book goes back and fourth over a three day period and I kept getting the timeline a bit mixed up in my head. I wasn't overly fond of the characters but did enjoy the book. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

This book over promised and unfortunately under delivered. The book had me extremely invested the first 25% but just slowly went downhill after that! I hate writing this but it felt the book just missed a lot of good opportunities.

🏝️ T H R I L L E R T H U R S D A Y review 🏝️ featuring “The Wedding Party” by Rebecca Heath!

BOOK REVIEW: 🖤🖤🖤🖤/5

Three families are brought back together in Refuge Bay on the south Australian coast where they all vacationed together for years. They are also all bonded by a tragedy that took place 12 years prior … each drastically affected in different ways.

Adele and Jason are tying the knot and not everyone is happy about it. Going back to Refuge Bay stirs up a ton of memories and secrets … and someone begins to threaten the couple NOT to go through with the wedding.

This novel is told through multiple perspectives and dual timelines and you really cannot trust anyone. Everyone is lying and seems to have cruel intentions … and a place that used to be a refuge doesn’t feel safe any longer!

Thank you kindly to @rebeccaheathauthor @headofzeus @netgalley for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This book releases on January 23, 2025!

I really wanted to like this, but it ultimately fell flat for me. The wedding party centers around Adele and Jason as they prepare to get married. The wedding is set to be a picture perfect day, but everyone is harboring a secret of some kind, largely around the death of Ollie, Adele’s childhood sweetheart and Jason’s best friend. The story is told from multiple POV’s, including Ollie’s mom, which I enjoyed. And the author’s writing style made for an easy read.

Overall an okay read, but it felt a bit slow and like there was a lot of build up for an ending that didn’t deliver as much as I would’ve liked. I wanted to feel like I was on the edge of my seat needing to know what happened next, and this never got there for me.

Thank you to Netgalley for an eARC copy.

In the days leading up to a wedding, tensions among three families arise from years past. Alternating between Adele (the bride), Melanie (a grieving mother), and flashbacks, the plot largely centers on the events of 10 years ago when Ollie, Adele's friend and Melanie's son, died tragically. Everyone says it was an accident, but Melanie still cannot believe this now.

I was so intrigued by this synopsis, but there were some things that really took away from the enjoyment for me. First, for a lot of the book, it was a reallllyyyy slow burn. I kept being like ok when is the tension really going to get started. A lot of it did feel relevant for the later parts of the book, but that makes me question the overall plot structure. I just kept thinking ok when is something really going to happen. My other big problem is that I feel like the ending doesn't fully resolve the plot.

A psychological thriller set around a wedding on the Australian coast. I got very overwhelmed by the many characters and viewpoints and could not finish the novel.

I really wanted to love this book—it had all the elements of a great mystery. But honestly, it just didn’t work for me. From the start, I found it hard to keep track of the characters. So many names and relationships were thrown at me all at once that I felt lost.

The pacing was another issue. Some parts dragged on forever, while others felt rushed. I kept waiting for that "aha" moment, but the twists were too predictable to be exciting. Adele’s cryptic messages and Melanie’s search for answers had potential, but they didn’t go anywhere surprising.

And the ending... I still don’t know what to make of it. It introduced new revelations that felt unnecessary and left me more confused than satisfied. I honestly feel like I missed something, which is frustrating because the writing itself wasn’t bad.

In the end, this just wasn’t for me. It had flashes of promise but got lost in its own complexity.

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

Thank you Aria & Aries and NetGalley for an early copy of The Wedding Party. I am still hysterically crying. This was a FANTASTIC READ!!! The cover is SPECTACULAR!!! The plot was phenomenal!!! Melanie’s story was heartbreaking!!! I cannot say enough about this book. Know that you won’t do anything else but READ once you start. The characters were great and the ending was perfect. Thank you again Rebecca Heath.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of The Wedding Party!

I enjoyed the different points of view on this story. It's told by Adele the bride, Melanie the mother of Adele's ex-boyfriend Ollie, and Sofie the sister of Ollie. Each one has their own feelings about how the wedding weekend will pan out, but little did they know, another family member had her own plans.

Adele and Ollie were boyfriend and girlfriend up until right before Ollie's accident. Many secrets come out about the accident later in the book. So now Adele is getting ready to marry Jason (one of Ollie's 'good friends'). The few days leading up to the wedding are a cluster of lies, a fire, old memories, and a dark secret from the past.

As told from the grieving mother's point of view, Jason had something to do with her son's death. She is hoping Adele has a change of heart, while Adele's own mother couldn't be more thrilled as Jason has helped them financially.

Adele and Jason do end up getting married, but not the way she planned. Jason had other plans. His plans backfired once they were married, resulting in an 'accident' from someone who knew everything that was going on.

The one who knew about everything going on has dropped her own subtle hints until the huge twist at the end. The twist brought the book together, but left you with a few more questions that never got answered.
Overall it was a good book!

The colourful cover of “The wedding party” is definitely what originally attracted me to this book! And then to find out it is a thriller located in Australia, sign me up! The last few Australian located thrillers I’ve read have been the excellent balance of summer vacation and mystery thriller combination so I was excited to dig in.

The plot follows a couple who return to childhood stomping grounds for their upcoming wedding. For some this is their vacation spot for others it is their full time home but one thing is clear, these families are connected deeply and have known each other for a very long time.

The chapters alternate between characters and it is quick to see that some characters are harbouring grudges, others seem to have a guilty conscience and for some they definitely have an agenda of the sabotage / revenge variety.

I’d say the bride to be was the most interesting character as it wasn’t sure what her intentions truly were or where her loyalties actually lied. We got some flashback scenes to the groups childhood through the POV of the sister that gave more context to the true nature of some of the characters.

This was a very mid thriller for me, there was lots of drama throughout and a very quirky twist to the ending but I struggled with not feeling connected to any of the characters, no one seemed particularly likeable or redeemable so I wasn’t very invested in the outcome.

Thank you to Aria & Aries publishing and Rebecca Heath for the EARC!

Publish date: January 23rd 2025

This thriller has an fun and entertaining setup, but ultimately, it didn’t resonate with me. The story, centered around a seemingly perfect wedding weekend unraveling with secrets and drama, felt overly predictable. The characters came across as clichés for me, making it hard to feel invested in their stories. Overall, it was an okay read, the setting and atmosphere had potential but I didn’t feel the tension and suspense I usually look for in thrillers.

Thank you Rebecca Heath, Aria & Aries | Head of Zeus & NetGalley for an e-ARC copy.

I am absolutely swooning! This book is a delightful blend of romance, humor, and all the chaos that comes with wedding planning.

From the moment I dove in, I was captivated by the vibrant characters and their hilarious antics. Heath has a knack for creating relatable situations that had me laughing out loud while also tugging at my heartstrings. The chemistry between the main characters is electric, and their journey to love is both sweet and entertaining.

What I loved most was how the story beautifully captures the ups and downs of relationships, not just romantic ones but also friendships and family dynamics. It’s a perfect reminder of the importance of love and support during life’s big moments.

This book is a fantastic read and a real page-turner. I didn't want to put it down. I read it within a week as I just had to find out what happened to all of the characters.

Our cast of characters meets at a place they all used to visit regularly for Adele and Jason's wedding. When they were kids, Adele was dating a young man named Ollie, and when he died tragically young by falling off the nearby jetty, everyone was devastated at the loss, especially his mother and sister. A few years later, Adele and Jason reconnect and are now bringing everyone together again to celebrate their upcoming wedding. But this wedding is bringing back a lot of feelings and memories that many had tried to squash and forget.

Nothing is as it seems with the wedding party. There is love, loss, betrayal, suspicion, doubt, unrequited love and old memories that will never be forgotten.

This book is a whirlwind. It starts off slowly, allowing us to get to know the characters in the days before the wedding. Does Adele really want to marry Jason? Is Jason really the man he portrays himself to be? Is someone trying to stop the wedding from happening? And what really happened to Ollie all those years ago?

I can't recommend this book enough. It is one of the best page-turners I have read this year, and I can't wait to read more from this author.

The Wedding Party had a cover that drew me in! This story has chapters alternating from three PoVs and two timelines- all of which are easy to follow.
Adele and Jason reunite with their friends and family on the Australian coast for their wedding. Some of those people are still holding onto grudges and secrets about a tragic death that happened 12 years prior.
The twists and turns kept me going until the very end even though the pace was a little all over the place. I found some parts dragging on and others being rushed. The ending exposed more secrets and revelations but I wound up with more questions.
Great for readers who want a thrilling summer read, a slow burn, or family dramas.
Thank you to NetGalley and Aria & Aries Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Wedding Party by Rebecca Heath is a suspenseful and atmospheric thriller set against the sunny yet sinister backdrop of an Australian seaside town. It masterfully blends past and present through alternating perspectives to unravel secrets, lies, and buried traumas surrounding Adele and Jason's wedding.

Adele and Jason, childhood friends, return to their former summer stomping grounds to tie the knot. But this is no ordinary celebration. Adele’s first love, Ollie, tragically died here years ago, and his memory still haunts many of the wedding guests. Among them is Melanie, Ollie’s grieving and unstable mother, whose point of view adds a layer of tension and ambiguity. Sophie, Ollie’s enigmatic sister, takes us back in time, revealing pieces of the tragic past that continue to ripple through the present.

The narrative alternates between Adele, Melanie, and Sophie, with each perspective adding depth to the story. Melanie’s grief and bitterness make her an unreliable yet compelling narrator, while Sophie’s chapters provide crucial flashbacks to the days leading up to Ollie’s death. Adele, grappling with guilt and unresolved emotions, is an intriguing and multi-faceted protagonist. As the wedding approaches, the tension mounts with anonymous threats, mysterious sabotage, and unexpected revelations.

Heath excels at creating complex relationships and weaving suspense into every interaction. The setting—both idyllic and oppressive—perfectly mirrors the story’s duality of light and darkness. While some characters could have used more development, and the pacing occasionally lagged, the twists and turns kept me hooked until the very end. The resolution delivers a mix of shock and satisfaction, leaving lingering questions about love, loyalty, and the consequences of buried truths.

If you enjoy thrillers with rich character dynamics, dual timelines, and an undercurrent of mystery, The Wedding Party is a compelling choice. Perfect for fans of family dramas and slow-burn suspense.

Thank you to Aria & Aries and NetGalley for the ARC