I must admit that the cover design is very enticing. Since I went into this book blindly, I was surprised when the location turned out to be a small, craggy, isolated island in the Baltic since I thought the cover had Florida vibes. However, that just made me all the more curious about what was going to happen. The author does a good job of developing the characters, females who have been friends for a long time, and even though their lives have taken different paths, the fours feel a sense of commitment to their annual trips to meet up and catch up on each others' lives. When the dual time line came into play with interspersed flashbacks, I occasionally had to stop and look at my notes with the characters' names. Other strengths of this book are the contemporary details, such as Matilda and Carl having met online via Match and the LGBTQ representation. I had suspicions about the outcome of the podcaster-turned-investigator second gathering. I don't want any spoilers so I will leave it at that. The ending might have been a bit on the soap opera side, but I admit that I did start reading faster and want to know what was going to happen. I would like a half star to be able to give this book a 3.5 rating since I feel that the author does a good job of conveying the importance of female friendships and the emotional support these friendships can provide throughout one's life while also showing how time and life choices can sometimes weaken those bonds.




Note:

Interesting story about female friendships and how they can be tested. I enjoyed the story and recommend it.

This was a really great read! We have a group going on a bachelorette trip in 2022 on the same island that a group of friends went missing from in 2012 - one of the girls from the 2022 trip is a failed podcaster, hoping to uncover some details from the 2012 case to revamp her career. However, things take a dark turn when one of their friends ends up missing herself - and the twists just keep coming from there.

This was such a well-written popcorn thriller! It kept me turning the pages, trying to figure out what the connection was between the 2012 girls to the 2022 girls - it was truly an adventure! The dual timeline was really easy for me to follow, the dates at the beginning of each chapter really helped outline everything and it all flowed together nicely.

In this book you can expect a lot of things: LGBTQ+ representation, podcast elements, true crime, cold cases, dual timelines, and page turning - gripping story-telling!

I liked how this book started and finished, it felt like everything was tied together nicely and had a satisfying ending!

I thought this might be that stereotypical bachelorette locked room mystery but this was so much more! A new group at the island where four disappeared years ago. There are no coincidences! Definitely secrets and surprises along the way!

Thank you to Natgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for my review!

Overall, I enjoyed this work of suspense, however I found the pacing to be difficult to follow and revelations coming at odd times. The big, life-altering, career-shattering event that our main character alludes to throughout the entire first half isn't revealed until much too late, in my opinion. It was a defining event and would have helped the reader understand our narrator so much more had we been given the full story sooner.

I was also confused by the female friendships in the group and how Tessa even ended up on this trip if she didn't keep in touch with them over the last ten years? The last 30% of the story tightened up a little and allowed me to round up from 2.5 stars. Looking forward to reading other reviews!

Narrator of this book was excellent!! I did find it slightly hard to follow with the number of characters involved here

10 years ago there was a friend gathering on a remote island. Something a group of friends did together each year, getting everyone together. But, tragedy happens on the island, and the friends don’t return.

Today, a group of friends get together on the same island for a bachelorette party. Tessa was obsessed with finding out what happened in the past. Now that she was on the island, with the sister of one of the girls from the massacre 10 years ago, she had a better chance of figuring out what happened. She continued to question if someone on the island today has something to do with what happened 10 years ago, and did her darndest to find out.
But suddenly things seems very wrong.

Camilla Sten has proven themselves a deft thriller/horror writer in their last two books. They have a knack for setting such atmospheric spooky scenes, and I really enjoyed the island setting in this story.

There are a lot of characters to keep track of at first, but once you have a grasp on who everyone is and is to each other, this flies by. Backstory was great, the tension in the present day timeline was well done, and the action/climax kept me glued to the page. This was just what I needed in a thriller.

I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The cover is the best part of the book. There were too many characters to keep track of, and the timelines didn't help the story. Thank you, NetGalley.

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this ARC. The Bachelorette Party is told in dual timelines and multiple narrators. Tessa, a true crime podcaster, reluctantly joins her sister and a handful of old school friends to celebrate one of their upcoming nuptials. She is recovering from a career destroying decision that left her single, struggling financially, and dealing with the traumatic ramifications of her choices. However, the lure of the desolate island’s resort is strong, as it may be the crime scene of the quadruple homicide that occurred years before and the true crime podcaster in her can’t resist the temptation to dig for answers. Things quickly take a dark turn and the twists pour in.

#bookstagram #bookreviewer #arcreader #netgalley #netgalleyreviewer #thebacheloretteparty #mysterybooks

This was a really fun and quick thriller! I'm planning a wedding so I liked the bachelorette party theme and I loved the spooky locked door island feel.

Thank you for the ARC to the publisher and author.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The synopsis of this book sounded interesting to me so I requested a copy to read.
Unfortunately, I have tried reading this book on 2 separate occasions and during this 2nd attempt, I have decided to stop reading this book
and state that this book just wasn't for me.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the
ARC opportunity!
I haven't read a thriller in a while and this one intrigued me. It was a bit predictable that's the reason for the 3 stars.
Four friends take an annual trip to a remote island and never come back. Years later a Bachelorette party sets off for a weekend of yoga and meditation at the newly built resort on the same remote island.
I won't give anything away but you can imagine how this turns out!

THE BACHELORETTE PARTY brings together a number of my favourite thriller tropes into one story: locked-room style setting (remote island), a bit of a pod-cast/true crime element, a cold case and old, deep buried secrets. I liked the idea of setting all of these pieces against the setting of a bachelorette party.

For the first half or so of the book, I found the plot was engaging and it kept me reading. I liked how the isolated location, pressure of the bach party and the history of the island put pressure on the friendships in the group and added a sense of danger and suspicion.

That said, the story didn't hold my attention in the same way all of the way through and I struggled at times to connect to the characters. I think I expected more from the true crime podcast element, since one of the leads was the host/visionary behind one. Don't get me wrong, it was there, but it felt more like a background piece rather than being something I would classify a "podcast thriller".

I provided feedback for the audiobook. I enjoyed the storyline of the characters of this book. The suspense was just enough to want me to keep reading. I enjoyed the tricky characters that you wouldn’t think would be involved in the drama.

This one was such a great thriller! Thrillers are my favorite genre so I just devoured this one. This book starts with a bachlorette party going on a vacation to Sweden and a remote island. Four childhood friends disappear in 2012.... fast foward to present day and Tessa is visiting the same exact island where the other girls previously disappeared. DId Curiosity kill the cat... Tessa starts investigating the disappearances and lets say she found out more than you could ever imagine. I loved the fast past of this book and it was a fun summer read.

Perfect vacation read that touches on current themes like true crime podcasting. Quick, suspenseful, and has a good twist. As a queer person, I also appreciated the queer inclusion and especially that it was done in such a way that it was just part of the character's story instead of the sole focus. Recommended!

I received this for review. This was one of my most anticipated reads of this year. There is something about Camilla Sten’s stories that stuck with me. Her story the Lost Village has stuck with me for years now. I read so many books that often when I am done the story does not stay long with me. But yet again Camilla has written an intricate story with rich characters and interesting setting that I will think n about long after I have finished it. 4 friends set out on a weekend of fun only to be presumed murdered, as they disappeared without a trace. Many years later 4 more friends set out to have fun at that very location. One of them
Is a murder podcaster who has a connection to one of the missing 4.
At times the story could be a little slow, but overall I thought that the plot was interesting. The characters were well flushed out, and I enjoyed my time reading this book.

This was my first Camilla Sten book and I had a very enjoyable reading experience. The setting of the island was eerie and atmospheric. It felt like you were right there along with the characters. The story itself was a bit of a slow burn and took awhile to pick up, but I liked the plot enough to keep going. I will definitely read more Camilla Sten books in the future and have already added "The Lost Village" to my TBR!

This was a fun read! I think if you are a casual thriller lover this would be a great book to take with you on vacation. A little predictable but as someone who loves thrillers as a
Palette cleanser in between fantasy- yeah id say read this!

For the vibe readers for sure

I really had high hopes for this one, but it was a hard one for me to get into. Maybe it was a timing issue for me. I think many will likely enjoy this—thanks for the opportunity to read it though!