I absolutely love a book that takes place on a secluded island, so I was excited to read this. I thought the book was a good thriller. I liked the dual timeline and found the book suspenseful. The book was also very entertaining and there was quite a bit going on.

This book has two timelines and takes place on a remote island off the coast of Sweden. Four best friends disappear from Isle Blind in 2012 and then 10 years later, another group of friends stay at an upscale yoga resort for one woman's bachelorette party. Tessa is there to support the bride-to-be, but is also hoping to find information on the missing group from a decade before in hopes of reviving her failed podcast. It becomes clear that everyone is keeping secrets and that everyone is in danger. Adding to the tension, the island has no Internet service and party guests are told to leave their cell phones locked up in the resort owner's office.

There is a large cast of characters in this book, some more likable than others, but I didn't have any problems keeping track of everyone. There are unexpected reveals about the characters and a few plot twists, some I guessed and some that surprised me. The ending is dramatic, suspenseful, and a little too gory for my taste. However, in spite of the violence that comes before them, somehow the final pages of the book have a hopeful tone. Overall, the storytelling is engaging, and I enjoyed the book, in spite of the grislier scenes.

I received an advance review copy of this ebook from Minotaur Books, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

My first by this writer but not my last, although it did take a little while to be invested in the story it was suspenseful! I love the change between past and present to keep you in the loop!

4/5

This one had such a great set-up: a bachelorette party at a new luxe resort on an isolated island, which is also the location of an unsolved disappearance of the four women over a decade ago. The main protagonist is a true-crime podcaster who has always been interested in that old case and wants to use her invite to the present day Bachelorette Party to dig around the location and potentially ask some questions. The moody vibes were excellent, and the protagonist had a level or unreliability/borderline obsession that was perfect for the plot line. Where I struggled was the large cast of characters/dual timelines. Because there are flashbacks to the first four women’s murder to the current party I had a hard time switching back and forth and trying to remember all the friendship dynamics and drama. This might have been because I was listening to the audio though! The back half of the book the intensity and thrills increased, and readers who enjoy survival horror plot lines/slasher style thrills will enjoy this one!

Turns out I really am a big fraidy cat and this got a little too horror movie for me so I had to step away...it was good even if I was too afraid!

Thank you to Net Galley and Minotaur Books for the advance copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

First of all, let’s just take a moment for the stunning cover! Even on the Kindle PaperWhite it’s so beautiful!

A dual time line story explores an annual girls’ trip that ends in murder and another girls’ trip to the same creepy island 10 years later. Speculation rises as one of the bachelorette trip attendees becomes curious about the murder years before. A true-crime podcaster, she’s quite the sleuth and is on a mission to figure out who did it. But not before horrible things begin happening on the island during her own trip.

Who killed Matilda and her friends, and will Tessa and the bachelorette crew make it out alive?

This novel by Camilla Sten had me hooked in the beginning, but slowly lost my interest. I’m not sure if it was unnecessary details and plot lines or simply a twist I half expected, but in the end what I genuinely believed would be a 5 star read fell a little short. Hear me out, it was still a very enticing read and definitely had my attention. The twist was unexpected, but I had it figured out around the 50% mark.

I give this one ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 (rounded up) stars and think it’s certainly worthy of a place on your summer reading list! Spooky summer secluded island vibes. Out June 10th!

#minotaurbooks #netgalley #summerthriller #LGTQIAbooks #readmore #islandread #summerreadinglist #tbr #bookworm #bookstagram #bookreview #bookrecommendations

So, I was very torn between 3 to 4 star rating and ending up giving it a 4 star. I was very taken about with the 2 different timelines that turned into 3 for such a brief period. I felt like this book had good potential, but I was just able to see the twist coming before the happened. I guessed who did it and most of the why. I ended up giving it back to 4 star because I thought the last little 10% really brought everything together and had a little interesting part that I wouldn't have caught.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange from my honest review.

After seeing some of the reviews, I went into this one perhaps a bit jaded. And to my delight, I was wrong. I really enjoyed this story. Though I did figure out some of it before the end, there were plenty of curve balls thrown in that I didn't see coming. It was enough to make up for the fact the some of the rest was fairly obvious.

I did find the MC a little unreliable in personality (she at times felt very self-centered, and other times very caring and empathetic to the point that it felt like the merging to two characters). That being said, I felt like it added to the story a bit. Her side plot of how she lost her career and reputation was a big let down, so I was glad it was resolved/revealed well before the end of the book.

Overall, this was a great read to get sucked into for a mystery.

**Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for sending this book for review. All opinions are my own.**

I thought The Bachelorette Party was an ok read. I liked the writing style, it held my attention, and I was entertained while reading this book. However, I was not shocked by any of the twists or turns. I felt like everything was so easy to piece together and that kind of spoiled it for me. I wanted to be wrong about something and that just didn’t happen. 🫣

I was given an advanced copy of this book. All opinions expressed above are my own. The Bachelorette Party releases on June 10, 2025.

This was an okay book. I didn't really connect with any of the character's and I saw the twist coming a mile away

This book had a fun premise to it but it just didn't live up to it for me. I love a book that has multiple timelines so I really thought this would be a hit for me but I found the characters a little boring and I saw the twist coming. It wasn't a bad book I just went into it thinking it would be better.

This was just an okay read for me overall, but still pretty entertaining. A group of friends heads to a remote island for a bachelorette party—and, as you'd expect, things go off the rails pretty quickly.

The dual timeline kept things interesting, and the audiobook was a highlight—the narration really captured the chaos and tension. All the women are a bit unhinged, which made for some fun, messy drama.

Not a standout for me, but it was twisty, fast-moving, and a solid listen if you're in the mood for something dark and dramatic.

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for the advance copy!

Thank you to netgalley, and the publisher for letting me review this book.

I really liked another of Camilla Sten's books 'the lost village' this was a totally different world. there's lots of twists, and you never know what will happen next. i love a good thriller, and this one will sure to keep you guessing. if you like thrillers, and drama then pick this for your summer beach read.

This is my third Camilla Sten book and I can openly say now that after reading The Bachelorette Party, she officially is an auto-by author.
The Bachelorette Party is a dual time-line: one set in 2012 when a group of friends get slaughtered while secretly meeting on that tiny island where they have been meeting for years.
2022 and we following another group of friends who have been invited to that same island for Anneliese's Bachelorette party. The owner of the hotel/resort is the older sister of one of the victims of the 2012 killing. Another guest, Tessa, has always been into real case murders and she is familiar with the 2012 case. I loved going through the pages waiting to find out what was going to happen to the new group of friends. Were they going to be murdered like 2012 girls were?

I absolutely loved Tessa's podcast storyline, and I was mindblown when finding out the reason for her demise.

Ms. Sten knows how to create an errie setting. It was so atmospheric, so tense that I couldn't put it down and up finishing it in 24 hrs.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good reunion thriller, and this one did not disappoint! The comps for this one were on point, but this story was also reminiscent of Lucy Clarke’s The Hike. One of the things I really liked about it was that each of the characters had their own voice and personality, unlike some reunion thrillers where the characters all seem like carbon copies of each other. I also really enjoyed the dual timeline aspect of this one because it really put the past into perspective while using the future to propel the story. And while there were a lot of characters between both timelines, they were all really easy to discern and follow. As far as the story, it was killer (no pun intended!) I did know who both killers were pretty early on but I couldn’t figure out why. I was a little closer with the past killer because it just made the most sense, but WHY?! But with the present killer, I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why they did it. I knew there was a connection, but it was hard to find aside from the very obvious one. All in all, a great story. If you like reunion thrillers, you will love this one!

Huge thanks to St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and NetGalley for sending me this ARC for review! All of my reviews are given honestly!

Thank you NetGalley, Minotaur books and Camilla ten for the digital ARC of this book to be released 6/10/2025.
I enjoyed the setting and the set up of this mystery/thriller, the concept of the bachelorette party and a character trying to solve a mystery previously that happened on the same island but after that it lost me. The cast of characters was confusing and too many to follow along at times, and the twist was just ok. I have heard good things about this author's previous books so I had hoped this would be just as good or better than her other reads but it was just ok. It is quick thrilling read so if you like that type of story give this a try

I've been split on Camilla Sten. I loved The Lost Village, but The Resting Place was just okay for me. Sadly, The Bachelorette Party fell into the "just okay" category for me.

Every year, four friends take a weekend trip to a private island off the coast of Sweden. They spend time together, bonding, drinking, and dancing. It keeps them close. Then, in 2012, everything went wrong. They never return home.

Ten years later, a bachelorette party travels to the same private island for a weekend celebrating their friend, Annaliese. Annaliese is one of those women who is surrounded by a variety of people, including her dearest friend Tessa, and Tessa's sister, Lena. The private island is now home to a wellness retreat and owned by Irene, the sister of one of the missing women from 2012.

The retreat promises yoga, meditative walks, and delicious vegan food prepared by the chef, Adam. When the women wake up the next day, they find one of the women has left, called away by an emergency...or was she.

This could be viewed as a 'locked room' mystery, and in general, I enjoy these types. I did enjoy the split timelines, so we learn more about the missing women. Tessa's controvesy/downfall was an interesting plot point, but I don't know that it was necessary. How did that add to the story> She could have just been a weirdo and it would have been fine.

The ages of everyone + the timeline left me a bit puzzled. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the best at math, but I'm able to add and subtract 10 years...

There's a twist, and it's a little less obvious than you think it is. The last 20% seemed a bit rushed, and I wish there had been more time spent on some of the women's relationships to each other.

It's a good read but not a "must" for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Twenty years ago four young women who were life long friends go on their annual overnight get away to the desolate Isle Blind. But this year is different; this year none of them return. The police don't even really investigate when their small boat is found drifting, saying they probably were drunk, got in the boat, fell overboard and drowned in the ocean. Now in present day, six young woman go to the isle that is now home to a yoga retreat that is about to open for a bachelorette party. One woman is a former podcaster who is obsessed with finding out what really happened to the original four women. And when she learns the owner of the retreat is the sister of one of the missing, she is more determined than ever to find out the truth. Little does she know it is nothing like what she could imagine, and that some of the six may not come home alive, if any of them do.

The writing for this novel is superb. I enjoyed the storyline and even though it had longer chapters for a thriller, they were so well written-- it did not take away from the plot. A fan fav for sure!

Tessa Nilsson embarks on a bachelorette party at a luxurious retreat nestled on the same island four young women disappeared from 10 years ago. A podcaster in the wake of a major scandal, Tessa sees this as her opportunity to find out what really happened to the missing women—and turn her own career around. However, she isn’t the only one looking for the truth.

Unfortunately, I was not the right reader for this book, and while I see and praise the story’s potential, it was not what I had hoped for. The premise of the story was perfect for a thriller-lover like me: a remote island with nowhere to run and no way to contact the outside world. Plus, as the site of an unsolved mystery, and it was the prefect setup for a locked-room thriller. Author Camilla Sten did a great job creating the atmosphere and building the world of Isle Blind. I could feel the cool, damp air on my skin and see the foggy haze that covered the island—as if I was there. However, chapters alternated between past and present, and the past timeline spanned multiple years and wasn’t always linear, making it difficult to keep track of the story In the present, I was frustrated by how quickly Tessa determined who she believed was the murderer. As a true crime podcaster, I expected her to take a more nuanced approach and consider all the angles; instead, she decided very early on who the guilty party was and exclusively pursued that. Only a few in the bachelorette party really stood out to me; the rest I felt I never learned enough about to connect with. While the conclusion was logical, when the story ended, I wasn’t as satisfied as I wanted to be, I think, because the journey to the ending lacked some of the nuance I was hoping for. While the story’s central mystery held my attention held, this book ultimately didn’t deliver what I was looking for.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for granting me access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.