This one took a while to find its footing for me, I wasn’t really hooked until about 35% of the way in.

The final 20% did deliver, it was tense, stressful, and kept me flipping pages. But to get there, you really have to slog through a lot of filler. I think a tighter edit through the middle would’ve made the impact of the ending hit harder and more exciting to get through.

There’s a definite The Guest List vibe here with the isolated setting and the slowly unraveling tension, which I liked a lot! The location was immersive and atmospheric, and more unique than most which was impressive.

There were some things about the characters that didn’t really make sense to me -
1. Irene’s character arc made very little sense. Revenge is one thing, but the leap to methodical mass murder felt like a stretch. Also killing Adam simply for being a man and disagreeing with her seemed unnecessary and a little over the top. I also found it hard to believe Irene’s omniscient understanding of everyone’s movements. Like randomly guessing Annelise was visiting a friend in the same apartment building as Matilda and Carl - it would have been far more effective (and simpler) if Annelise just lived there.
2. Carl, too, felt like an unfinished character. His sudden turn into unhinged territory lacked buildup or explanation. If he was meant to be broken in some way, I would have liked more behavioral cues and background to buy into it.
3. Tessa’s backstory was oddly extensive for how little it actually contributed to the plot. Her personal trauma and guilt were presented in detail, but they never really fed meaningfully into the main narrative. And her decision to run instead of helping her sister? That moment made her frustratingly unlikable and hard to root for.

I found the flashbacks super compelling - they added some intrigue and backstory, and I think leaning more into them, especially to flesh out Irene and Carl, could have given the narrative more emotional weight.

It’s official: I will read anything Camilla Sten writes, and most likely, I will love it. Her third thriller is once again a winner for me, and I can’t wait to see where she goes next!

Ten years ago, four women, dubbed the “Nacka Four,” disappeared from an isolated island in the Baltic Sea, Isle Blind, during their annual camping trip to the island. They were never found, and presumably drowned while taking a dingy out on rough seas while drunk. Ten years later, a we resort has been built on Isle Blind, and a group of friends are going for an exclusive preview weekend as a bachelorette party for one of the group. Tessa, whose life s falling apart, has an alternative motive: to find clues about what happened to the Four that night. But there’s more going on behind the scene than anyone anticipated.

The story is told along two timelines: in 2012, from one of the missing girls’ POV leading up to the fateful trip; and Tessa’s in the present day.

Once again, Sten has created a unique story that just sucked me in right from the beginning. The opening chapter is super creepy and just sets the stage for what is to come in the book. And with that, the action really takes off right away. With the resort being isolated, there’s a foreboding and suspenseful atmosphere throughout the book that just ramps up as it goes on.

I didn’t guess most of the solution at all, even through it all made sense and the clues were there, which makes for a good book, imo. I had an idea about one point and was right about it, but like I said, there were still enough surprises and twists to keep me interested, which is what I love about Sten’s books. She always has a little something up her sleeve.

I also loved the character development with Tessa, who had a complex background story, and had to deal with her own issues throughout the book and its events. I liked how she was very multifaceted.

Again, I highly recommend this book, then checking out the other books by Camilla Sten. It’ll be worth your while if you’re looking for some good thrillers.

I’m sorry, but I DNFed this book. The prologue alone was so long and uninteresting, and there was already a theme attached to the main character within the first chapter that I don’t care to read about.

Publication date: June 10, 2025

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC. All opinions are my own.

The idea of a remote island getaway with friends for a bachelorette party sounds like something bad is bound to happen. Especially when cell phones are taken away and you are at the mercy of the resort staff. This locked room thriller was enjoyable to read, but never “wowed” me. I listed to the audiobook and found my mind drifting at times. Overall it was an enjoyable book and the ending wrapped up the story well.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC.

I liked the dual timeline aspect of this and how the stories wove together. Our FMC was hard to like at first, but it did not take me too long to root for her in the midst of chaos.

Thank you Minotaur Books for the gifted copy!

This was a very bingeable thriller that I had a hard time putting down! I was supposed to read it in a 5-day long structured buddy read, but all of us decided we couldn't stretch it that long and binged it instead.

My only complaint, and it's minor, is that sometimes the characters were hard to keep track of. I think this was more of a me thing than a writing thing though.

It would be a great beach read and I'd ultimately recommend to thriller lovers. The Bachelorette Party pub date is June 10.

This book starts with four best friends, Tilly, Anna, Linnea and Evelina who get together every year on an isolated island, to catch-up, laugh, drink and party. Things go terribly wrong and the women are all murdered; but their family at home does not know about where they go and assume they are all missing at sea, when the boat they were on is found empty, floating.

Forward ten years later, Tessa, whose personal and professional life is falling apart, has been invited to the island where a new yoga and health resort is to celebrate a bachelorette party for one of her friends, Anneliese. Tessa doesn’t really want to go because of where she is in her life, but since she is a true crime junkie and has a true crime podcast, she cannot resist going to secretly see if she can solve the mystery. Tessa believes the women were murdered and thinks the proof might be on the island. As the ladies get to the island, they have to hand over all their electronics (to truly relax) and set about doing yoga, drinking cava, going on walks and catching up between vinyasas. But there is something strange about the island and when one of the women leaves to go home without a word to anyone, Tessa is suspicious. from there things go from bad to worse and Tessa has to hope she can survive the island if she ever hopes to know what really happened to the four women ten years ago.

I both read the book and listened to the audiobook, both were enjoyable. This story was not as good as I thought it would be, I thought the ending seemed rushed but it is well worth a read.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house, narrator and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

A little of a slow start to get hooked, but once it got going I had to know how it finished. Four friends go to a secret island year over year, but their last year things go south. Nearly a decade later, the island is turned into a resort. Four more friends visit, but an unexpected connection changes the trip for everyone. The twist I thought I figured out was only partly right. Thank you St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for this ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC.

The Bachelorette Party is a quick “locked room” mystery that’ll keep you turning the page, this is perfect for a vacation. The pacing was great and the intertwining mysteries from the past and present were well done. I love short chapters and this book delivered on that front. If you’re looking for a light mystery to breeze through on a beach day, this story is perfect.

This was a fast paced, page turning past to present thriller. While I was able to guess a twist or two, there was also some very unpredictable twists toward the end! Loved the remote island setting, and bonus points for the beautiful cover!

This was a really solid, twisty thriller. The first half was more focused on building suspense, and had more of a mystery vibe. Then the second half picked up and became a slashed thriller. The two parts balanced well and kept the pacing really solid, keeping me reading. I saw some of the twists coming but ultimately found it to be surprising with a satisfying ending.

This book was slow for the first half and was a slasher film for the last half. There was only very minor character development for anyone other than the main character and the bad guy was really one dimensional. Super disappointed.

Camilla Sten's The Bachelorette Party is a gripping locked-room mystery set on a remote Swedish island, where the past and present intertwine. In the past, four childhood friends vanish during their annual getaway, while in the present, disgraced true-crime podcaster Tessa Nilsson attends her best friend's bachelorette party, which feels eerily familiar.

Sten masterfully builds suspense, using the island's isolation and shifting alliances to create a haunting atmosphere. The dynamics of friendship are explored deeply, revealing buried resentments that add complexity to the story.

While the pacing starts slow, the story really picks up the pace in the latter half, though some plot twists feel a bit predictable. However, there are surprises that keep the reader engaged.

I enjoyed this book and would give it 3 1/2 stars rounded up. Thank you to St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This is my first book by this author and I would be inclined to read some of her other work.

I loved this book! Propulsive and intriguing; also creepy and tense and atmospheric. I really appreciated the narrator being awkward and less-than-perfect and feeling unsure but forging ahead. I had some of the mystery figured out but the ending was a surprise! This is going on my “recommend” list for people who want a great vacation read.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the eARC - all opinions are my own. So, this one was not for me. I found it to be a bit of a mess. Too many POVs, too many timelines, too many similar characters. The ending was super unrealistic. It was your typical locked door mystery with nothing original to offer.

Four childhood friends—Tilly, Anna, Linnea, and Evelina—meet every year on a remote Swedish island for a night of fun. Ten years later, Tessa, a true crime podcaster, is obsessed with their disappearance. When Tessa’s best friend plans a bachelorette party on a similar remote island in Sweden, Tessa jumps at the chance to attend and try to uncover the truth of what happened ten years ago. However, someone else has revenge in mind.

This was my first book by Camilla Sten, and it definitely won’t be my last. This was a quick read. I read it all in one day. I love a good locked room mystery. I enjoyed the dual timelines where we can explore both what happened ten years ago and what is happening in the present. I did not see the ending coming and enjoyed trying to predict what happened to the four original missing girls. I highly recommend this one to anyone that enjoys a good locked room thriller. I give it 4/5 stars.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read The Bachelorette Party. It was a decent thriller! I struggled in the beginning to stay engaged and I was a fan of going back and forth between the two time frames. The last 20% of the book was fast paced and certainly a page-turner.

This book had all the things I enjoy in a book. It had a podcast, an island setting, and party but this was just okay for me. The twists were just okay and guessed most of them.

Four friends meet every year at a desolate island to kick back and relax. On one visit something is amiss and girls go missing. The mystery has intrigued a girl named Tessa who is a true crime podcaster. She had done a podcast about a teenage boy who murdered his friends at a sleepover and was able to get a first ever interview from his father. She then uses the information to her advantage to get more listeners and betrays the father’s trust resulting in his suicide. Tessa feels extreme guilt and when asked about going to the island for her friends bachelorette party she decides to go and try to investigate the mystery of the missing girls. While on the island something doesn’t feel right to Tessa and her worries turn to reality when she and her friends are hunted. Is this revenge for her story or is the same person responsible for the missing girls? This was a great book for me and I loved the twists in it. I always like when there are twists I can’t predict and I definitely didn’t see these twists coming. I enjoyed the way the story goes back and forth between past and present. It gives you details about both events and helps keep the suspense throughout the story. I feel like there could have been a little more character development as I found myself confused about the characters roles at times. However, I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to lovers of psychological thriller with great twists.

I listened to the audiobook for this one and I did like the narrator quite a bit. The story itself was interesting, but I found the main character/narrator really obnoxious, lacking depth, and self-absorbed. I really loved the setting for this story quite a lot. Tessa is headed out to a bachelorette party that she should be skipping. She is dead broke, but she can’t resist the chance to get to the island she is sure was the setting to something horrible happening to four missing girls years. I found it a little hard to believe that no one guessed the island owned by one of the family’s as a possible setting but it did make a better story. I guessed the villain super early on, and I struggled with how slow. Tessa was to process clues and get there herself. I did like the over arching mystery of how Tessa messed up her podcast career, it was fun. The one negative about the audiobook were the phone records and texts, I couldn't track the phone numbers the way I might have if I was reading the book.