On a remote island in Sweden, four best friends on an annual girls trip were brutally murdered. But to the outside world, they just disappeared, many have come to the conclusion that they drowned while boating.

Ten years later, Tessa Nilsson, a disgraced true crime podcaster, is invited to a bachelorette party on this very island. While the fall of her professional life has left her hiding from her personal life, she decided to go on the trip to see if she can find out more about the missing girls, now known as the Nacka Four.

The bridal party and two staffer members are the only people on this island, everyone’s phones are locked up for the weekend, and from there #TheBacheloretteParty kicks off a locked room/island thriller with slasher/final girl vibes.

The first half of the book moved a little slow for me; especially when it kept alluding to why Tessa’s career as a podcast host fell apart, a reveal that didn’t turn out to hold much weight with the ongoing situation. But once it got to the 50% mark, the book really started moving for me.

There's a scene, around the midpoint, in an elevator that stuck with me. It's quick, but you know that it'll be important later. It was so poignant in the little details.

One thing I really enjoyed about this book was that Camilla Sten’s prose was so wonderful, the physical descriptions of things from the island, to people’s clothes, to sunlight shining through the curtains, adding to the reading experience. When some scenes get a bit graphic, as many in the slasher genre do, it matched with the flow of her descriptiveness.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Minotaur Books for an ARC of this novel!

The Bachelorette Party
By Camilla Sten
Publishing Date: June 10, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you to netgalley for this arc. I am so grateful I got to read this book before the publishing date! Wow!!! What a page turner! Tessa is having a bit of bad luck in life and decides to go on a bachelorette for her best childhood friend. The destination takes the group to a place where the four women disappeared 10 years earlier. Tessa makes it her mission to go on this trip in hopes of finding out what happened to those four women. If you love thrillers and suspense, this book is for you! I devoured it in one sitting and could not turn the pages fast enough. I enjoyed all of the twists and turns and it truly kept me on my toes the entire time I was reading!! I highly recommend to my mystery/thriller/suspense lovers!!

The writing style wasn't for me and the storyline wasn't anything new for a thriller. There was too much info dumping and telling rather than showing right from the beginning and the dialogue between the characters felt off somehow.

The changing time lines and POVs were hard to follow - the personality of the characters didn't feel very distinct or unique so it was hard to keep them straight in my mind.

It also felt like the story had a lot going on with the shifting time lines but hardly anything actually happened for the majority of the story.

. The story itself was barely engaging enough but it all seemed to be predictable. Even the twists . Also each character was so paper thin.

Camilla Sten is a favorite of mine; there’s nothing she’s written that I haven’t thoroughly enjoyed. Something about her writing just resonates with me – the way she sets the atmosphere and writes her characters, it just vibes with me.

The Bachelorette Party is set on a remote island in two different timelines and two different women, each with their own issues their dealing with. It gives a unique perspective into the story and one passage in particular (for me, anyways).

In the past, Tilly and her friends have disappeared without a trace, assumed to have drowned after a weekend getaway. In the present, Tessa, is attending a bachelorette party with a group of women, including her sister on what Tessa thinks could possibly be the island that Tilly and her friends disappeared from ten years earlier. Now, a new yoga retreat is getting ready to open, and Tessa and friends will be the only ones staying there ….

Tessa, a disgraced podcast host, hopes to dig into the disappearance of the women but when things start to get bloody, she realizes there’s someone on the island who wants revenge but who and why?

Tense, atmospheric, and mysterious, I thoroughly enjoyed this remote setting thriller!
I co-read this while listening and what an amazing experience! Laura Jennings narrates this beautifully! Bravo and well done!

My thanks to St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books and MacMillan Audio for these gifted copies!

The Bachelorette Party by Camilla Sten is a twisty, time spanning thriller with a mystery of the disappearance of a group of women slowly being revealed by another group of women visiting the site of the disappearance ten years later. How the two groups are linked, and who is behind events years ago and in current day unfolds slowly, with layers of revelations keeping readers turning the pages.
While I found the concept and connections intriguing, I found some of the characters to be more caricatures than someone I could relate to. The book drags in sections, and I eventually found myself scanning over sections rather than get bogged down in slow and sometimes repetitive details. I figured out the current villain fairly early, but that didn't make the eventual revelation less impactful.
Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC of #TheBacheloretteParty.

ARC Review- pub date 6-10-25

Finished this book and all I could think was, WHAT did I just read?! In a good way.

First, I typically don't enjoy the secluded island themed thrillers, so I was a little nervous going into this one. However, it was pleasantly surprising to find that it didn't give me those vibes at all.
I was captivated from the prologue and when a book gets your full attention that quickly, it's usually a good sign!

The violence is on another level though! Totally shocked at some of the graphic descriptions in a book with such a pretty cover! The big twist didn't completely shock me in the end. I had some suspicions, but I didn't have all the details correct, so there was still a "gasp" moment when some of the character's secrets were unburied.

Overall, for me, this was a great read! I enjoyed the characters, their secrets, and in this specific book- the setting was perfect! Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press|Minotaur Books & Camilla
Sten for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

3 stars

This is one bachelorette party you'll be happy you were invited to witess in fiction and not to attend IRL.

The cover is giving beautiful location and a dose of mystery, and while the setting part is accurate, the mystery is not as prominent as it should be for the genre. That makes this suspense novel more about the journey than the outcome, which takes a lot of the fun out of it.

While I was somewhat interested in the relationships between characters, I also struggled to focus on the audiobook. The characters are in bizarre situations in some cases (the true crime podcast and related outcomes were a bit over the top, for example), and I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters' behaviors or choices, which made it difficult to root for them, too.

While there are some intriguing possibilities presented here, this one fell a little flat for me. I'll still be back for more from this author but with the hope that I'll get some added surprises next time.

Please note that this ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

There were definitely aspects of this book that I liked, but others that fell flat for me. To start, I did enjoy the parallel stories of Matilda and Tessa. I always enjoy books that have parallel storylines with different points in time. It was fun to piece together how the people may be connected and how the murders in 2012 contributed to the story in 2022. There was some ancillary character development that I loved (mostly, Carl… fun to read about him in a creepy/bad way). That said, the “twists” were fairly obvious (IMO). Additionally, I felt the demise of Tessa before 2022 was depressing and, frankly, unnecessary.

Overall, entertaining and very readable. 3.5 rounded

Wow! What a read of twist and turns! Not your typical Bachelorette Party. Tessa, her sister Lena, Natalie Mickaela, and Caroline head to Isle Blind for their childhood friend Anneliese’s Bachelorette Party weekend. Four days of relaxation, yoga and meditation. If only they knew what happened 10 years ago on that Island. But Tessa does know, she had researched it for years as a true crime podcaster, always interested in the story of the Nacka Four as they were called Matilda, Evelina, Anna and Linnea. It wasn’t until the ladies arrived at the island that Tessa realized Irene the New Hotel/ Resort owner is Matilda’s sister, yes the Matilda from the Nacka Four.

This book goes in a crazy direction I wasn’t expecting. I only tend to read a few thriller books a year, as I’m not a horror or suspense loving person. But this book was fast paced and got me hooked.
Great job Camilla Sten.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press - Mintour Books for this eARC for my honest review. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading others of Camilla’s books. Will definitely tell my thriller seeking friends to get this book when it comes out.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review-
Every year four friends party on an island. There is a story that four friends disappear on that island. Being she is a true crime reporter she would love to do a story on this. But will a night of partying etc be fun or another night of terror?

I read this book in tandem—switching between the ebook and audiobook—and it made for a gripping experience. The story is fast-paced and tense from the very beginning, The plot itself is compelling, with several twists I truly didn’t see coming. While a few scenes were more graphic than I expected, they felt purposeful rather than gratuitous, adding to the raw, high-stakes atmosphere. The pacing never let up, and I found myself constantly wanting to know what happened next. It absolutely held my attention from start to finish.

If you're in the mood for a suspenseful, high-energy read with a few shockers thrown in, this one’s worth checking out!

Thanks to Netgalley , St. Martin`s Press| Minotaur Books for the ARC. . This is my honest review.

Dreamy setting. Podcast mentioned. Locked room. Fast paced. Short chapters. Heart-racing action. A thrilling summer read with a satisfying ending. You won’t see this one coming. Thank you to Camilla Sten, NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed The Bachelorette Party. I wouldn't say it's ground breaking or fresh, but it's very readable and moves quickly. The prologue begins with four friends on a remote island and they quickly meet an untimely end. The book then begins with a group of friends heading to that same island 10 years later for a yoga retreat bachelorette weekend.

One of the guests Tessa, is going through some things — which we eventually learn more about — and seems to be a bit of the odd woman out. But she couldn't stay away because she's a true crime podcaster and wants to uncover the truth about the missing girls. Especially since the retreat owner's sister was one of the missing girls.

We learn a little more over time about the her sister and what led up to the trip. I think the murder and motive was unexpected, but they won't be the only ones killed on this island.

I think I wanted more from this book. Tessa’s character is interesting and we get a lot of backstory for her. What we really don’t get is a lot of introduction or backstory to the women she is at the bachelorette party with. Which seems odd. Tessa doesn’t want to come to the party but she is convinced to go by her older sister when she lets Tessa know the location of the party is a remote island where 10 years earlier 4 women went missing. This story had so much potential. It just really was hard to get through and felt disjointed. There was a lot of jumping around, be it a year in the past where Tessa made her big mistake that has put her in such hot water currently professionally. Or to Matilda’s storyline which leads us up to the night were everything originally went wrong on the island 10 years previously. Just the who book was off. It had some great potential but it just didn’t get there for me sadly.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

"Scream meets The Guest List in this wickedly compelling and compulsively page-turning thriller of friendship and murder from the author of The Lost Village, Camilla Sten.

On a remote island nestled off the coast of Sweden, four friends - Tilly, Anna, Linnea, and Evelina - meet every year. Best friends since childhood, the idea is to drink beer, dance by the water, and shake off the weight of life's expectations. The location of the island is a secret to everyone but them. One night of reckless fun and secret-sharing, and then they return to their normal lives.

Ten Years Later. Ever since she was a teenager, Tessa Nilsson has been consumed by the story of four friends who disappeared. As her true crime fervor turned into a wildly popular podcast, Tessa covered Sweden's most gruesome cases, but could never find the answers behind what happened to these women who disappeared. Now Tessa's podcast has crashed and burned, any chance she had at uncovering the truth vanishing with it.

Anneliese is Tessa's best friend, and before she walks down the aisle, she wants to have a bachelorette party. The destination: Baltic Vinyasa, a sleek, sophisticated yoga retreat on a small island off the coast - one with such similar characteristics to the tragedy years ago that it raises the hair on Tessa's neck. The idea is to drink gallons of cava, do sunrise yoga, and get in their last chance to bond with the bride. Tessa will not pass this up. It's her last chance to find out what happened to the four women, once and for all.

And it's someone else's last chance to get revenge."

Oh, mysterious spa of death!

Dual timeline. 4 friends go to a remote island off the coast of Sweden. Secrets are shared fun is had, but can the secrets stay a secret?

𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬
On a secluded, rocky island off Sweden’s coast, four childhood friends—Tilly, Anna, Linnea, and Evelina—gather each year to drink, dance, and escape life’s pressures. Their meeting spot is a secret known only to them. But one night, they vanish without a trace.
Ten years later, true crime podcaster Tessa Nilsson is still obsessed with the mystery. Her once-popular show unraveled trying to solve the case, leaving her without answers or a platform.
Now, Tessa joins her best friend Anneliese’s bachelorette party on a sleek yoga retreat—on an island eerily like the one from the disappearance. She sees a final shot at the truth. But someone else sees a final shot at revenge.

𝐌𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬
I was really looking forward to The Bachelorette Party—it was my first book by Camilla Sten, and with all the praise for her earlier work, I expected a gripping thriller.
While the book succeeds in creating a strong sense of tension and unease—especially with the isolated island setting and growing paranoia among the characters—the plot itself didn’t quite live up to expectations. There were too many characters and frequent timeline shifts, which made the story feel muddled and difficult to follow.
That said, Sten’s ability to build atmosphere is impressive. The fear and distrust between friends felt very real, and there were moments of genuine suspense.
Overall, it was a mixed experience for me: strong on mood, but the execution of the story left me a bit underwhelmed.

Thank You @Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for allowing me to review this ARC.

Four friends go to a remote island to drink, party and have some fun. They never return, never to be found. Ten years later, a true crime podcaster goes to the same island to research the disappearance of the those four. But her and her friends suddenly find themselves facing the same fate as the original four. Sounds like a great plot for a good story, right? It would have been, if it hadn't been such a slow slog to get through.

The mc is unlikeable. Tessa is trying to avoid attending the Bachelorette party of her closest friend. Her older sister is also invited (why?, not sure) and convinces Tessa to attend, which she only does once she finds out it is going to be on the island the original four disappeared from 10 years earlier. Tessa had a popular true crime podcast but recently did something 'horrible' and lost her entire listening audience. Now a pariah in the podcasting world, she hopes going to the island is her chance to solve the old mystery and redeem herself as a credible podcaster. She runs an internal dialogue constantly. It is filled with the boring minutiae of her every thought, highlighting her obsession with getting her reputation and former glory back. I didn't like her at all. The rest of the bachelorette group were equally either forgettable or just annoying. Since the storyline included the past and the present, there is a total of 12 characters to try and keep track of. That's too many. It took almost 3/4 of the way into the book before the action picked up.

The timeline jumps back and forth from ten years earlier, to the present. A lot. The ending, while ok and tied up all the loose ends, felt rushed and over the top, as far as motives. And while this was decent enough if you are sitting at an airport with nothing better to do, I wouldn't recommend it as a riveting, page-turning thriller.

I've really enjoyed this author's past work, but this one didn't quite hit the mark for me. There were a lot of characters to keep track of and the story shifted between multiple timelines that also made it difficult to follow. I liked the concept, but just felt like if it cut out some of the timelines and characters it would have been a much tighter, creepier thriller.