This was a good story. But nothing memorable. It’s a fun in the moment kind where it did kinda keep me guessing. I think it could have been better the concept was good but not fully developed. Not sure there was enough of a connect with the two different time lines. Would have liked a point of view from the other perspective. Overall just an ok thriller.

I really enjoyed The Lost Village, so I am game to read more of this author's work. Unfortunately for me, this one did work quite as well for me, but it was still a decent read.

Every year four friends get together on a remote island off the coast of Sweden. No one knows where they disappear to each year, only that they are off somewhere together. They've been best friends since they were children, and once a year they come back together to be drink and dance and enjoy each other's company before returning to their adult lives full of expectations and responsibilities.

One year, they do not return. It's presumed to be an accident, though their bodies are never found.

Ten years later, Tessa Nilsson is obsessed by the story. That obsession became a popular true crime podcast and this is the one case that Tessa longs to solve. Few clues were ever found to indicate what truly happened, and authorities could only guess. A presumed boating accident involving alcohol was their best idea, though Tessa does not believe that's accurate.

Unfortunately for Tessa, due to a major misstep ending in tragedy, her podcast and reputation are in shambles and gone is her chance to find out what really happened.

UNTIL.

Because of course there is always an UNTIL.

Tessa's best friend Anneliese is to be married soon and her bachelorette party is set to take place at a yoga retreat on a remote island off the coast of Sweden. When Tessa realizes it is the same island - owned now by one of the victim's sisters - she knows this might be her last chance to find out what really happened.

The problem is, Tessa wants the truth, but someone else on the island wants revenge.

With only two others on the island in addition to the handful in the party, there is a small suspect pool to draw from. I worked out pretty quickly who, but given the back and forth between the time lines, I wasn't quite sure why, and what exactly they were intent on getting revenge for.

Dual timelines can be difficult to write but I think it is a strength for the author. Even when I was not totally sure at first how they connected, the clues are there and they come together well. The pacing was also well-done in both timelines. Neither lagged at any point, so I was invested in both.

I was also intrigued by Tessa's own personal mystery, and what could have possibly happened to absolutely make her life explode. That was engaging enough in itself, without overshadowing the events that Tessa needed in order to start rebuilding her life again.

My main issue with the book is that the timelines themselves kept tripping me up. It seems like the dates are a bit off, things don't necessarily seem to line up in the way they are described, so it kept throwing me. I can't tell if it was intentionally off, which could be possible but then other parts don't work. I am honestly not really sure how to describe it without bringing up spoilers, which I will happily do with books I hate, but I didn't hate this one and still want to recommend it.

As a result, this one did not quite grab me the way The Lost Village did, but I still recommend it. It's not groundbreaking in the genre, but readers will still enjoy the mystery. I still ntend to read other work by this author.

Recommended.

But please also read The Lost Village.

From the beginning this one felt chaotic and hard to follow... had to DNF it about 1/3 of the way through because I just couldn't figure out what was going on, nor did I really honestly care. Disappointed :(

This one was a wild ride! A remote island, a group of friends, a yoga retreat that turns into a total nightmare… yes, please. 👀

Ten years after a group of girls vanished without a trace, Tessa returns to the island for her best friend’s bachelorette party—and of course, things go sideways fast. It’s got locked-room mystery vibes, creepy flashbacks, and a touch of slasher energy that had me flying through the last third of the book.

I loved the dual timelines and the true crime podcast angle (huge bonus!). The atmosphere was eerie and unsettling in the best way. I didn’t find the characters super lovable at first, but once things started unraveling, I was all in.

This is perfect for fans of Lucy Foley, Ruth Ware, or thrillers with a little extra bite. Definitely recommend for your summer reading list—especially if you’re in the mood for something twisty and dark!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I have to mark it dnf even though I read/listened to well over half.
This book was a big disappointment for me.

Some islands are meant to be left alone. Some secrets demand blood.

It started with a girls’ weekend. It ended with a podcast… and possibly another body.

Camilla Sten returns with a psychological slow-burn that unsettles more than it entertains — and that’s what makes it unputdownable. Set against the eerie, wind-lashed backdrop of an undisclosed Swedish island, The Bachelorette Party lures you in with cava, yoga mats, and promises of sisterhood — then shuts the gates and buries the exit.

Enter Tessa Nilsson, a once-thriving true crime podcaster whose obsession with an old case — four childhood friends who vanished without a trace — has consumed her career and her peace of mind. Ten years later, she's invited to her best friend's bachelorette party on a suspiciously familiar island… and something inside her knows this isn’t a coincidence.
And she’s right.

The tension coils from the first page and never lets go. Every yoga pose feels like a trap. Every whispered toast drips with dread. Every step on that island echoes with what was — and what’s still there.

Sounds spooky, am I right?

Five stars, without a doubt... you need this book in your hands

The Bachelorette Party follows the standard locked room mystery format, except that the locked room is an island. Ten years ago four young women were slain as they partied on a remote Swedish island. Now ten years later four friends are going to celebrate before the wedding of Annaleise. Plot twist, the island is now a wellness resort run by the sister of one of the victims from the murders ten years ago.

This book definitely kept my attention and kept me reading. I have enjoyed Sten's previous books, and while this was well written, the final solution just fell a bit flat for me. I just didn't understand anyone's motives for what transpired. Another problem I had was mixing up the names of the eight girls. I think this was partially because I was listening to the audio, and might not have happened had I been reading a paper copy.

My final verdict, a good book, but one I pretty much forgot the minute I was finished. There have been a lot of locked room mysteries of late, and maybe I'm getting jaded. I would rate it 3.4.

Thank you to NetGalley, Camilla Sten, and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book made me think a little of Then There were None by Agatha Christie given the isolated island and the mystery. Tessa kept up with the mystery and moved between two timelines which kept my interest. The author kept a good job of keeping the reader guessing for the most part.

I did enjoy the interaction between the characters but they did get somewhat tiresome and I wanted more depth. Stating that I found the read to be quick and fast paced. I overall enjoyed it. I felt it was more mystery than thriller. This is my first novel by the author. I would read another by the author. Thank you Netgalley for the chance to review this novel.

Locked room mystery type of read, and while the premise is good I really struggled to connect with the characters. The Nacka Four disappear and are never found. Fast forward ten years into the future. Four more friends arrive at the same island for a bachelorette party. No tech allowed. A sister of one of the Nacka Four now owns the island and is determined to discover what happened to her sister all those years ago - what could go wrong? Thanks to NetGalley for the read.

*Thank you Netgalley for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thrillers are not normally my go to genre. I really enjoyed Camilla’s The Lost Village a few years ago and I had been wanting to read more of her work. When I saw The Bachelorette Party ARC on Netgalley last month, I thought it sounded like a great read to kick off summer! 😀

And this book is…………………. ok. The story is entertaining, but never really blew me away. The mystery is good and kept me interested, but the book was never unputdownable.

I didn’t really love any of the characters. :/ I didn’t hate them either though. They all just kind of felt like suburban Karens. Left me unimpressed.

Once the killer and motive are revealed at the big finale, I don’t know…. I found myself feeling a little bit apathetic. I’m not really sure why? :/ I just found myself wanting to skim the last 8% of the book. It’s weird because all the build up the big final reveal was fine. I don’t know, the end just comes off very MEH.

The Bachelorette Party is ok. It is entertaining to a point. The characters are borderline unlikable. The ending reveal falls a little flat. It’s a good read, but not a great read.

This book was pretty good and took you on a thrilling ride. I enjoyed the plot for the most part, didn’t really like any of the characters though.

A strange disappearance years ago. A new group of women appear on the island, what are some of their connections to the past? Great concept. But execution didn't pan out well for me. I liked the suspense, the character development and the setting. But too many intentional gaps in the last 15 years to know what was really going on, who was hiding their identity. Plus, the murders seemed like a tool rather than a pivotal point in a character's life. Almost like an afterthought, as it was more about revenge without a motive until the end. But I liked the writing style and will read another from the author to see how it goes.

This one was an interesting ride. A friend group goes to an island for a bachelorette party, but unknown to almost all of them, there is a dark history there that involved a similar friend group years earlier. When things start happening, only one of them is aware of what it could mean but by the time she voices her concerns it may be too late. This story kept me guessing, and was investing until the end. With some good twists, it was a good read.

Told in dual timelines and points of view, this mystery starts with the murder of Matilda, Evelina, Linnea, and Anna on Isle Blind in 2012. Now, in 2022, true crime podcaster Tessa has been invited to a bachelorette party at a new spa on Isle Blind, and she can't pass up the chance to go. With her reputation in shambles, if she can solve the murder of the Nacka Four, she's hoping she can resurrect her career. Once there, Tessa can't help but feel that something isn't right, and when one of the other women goes missing (thought to be coming back the next morning) Tessa's on high alert. Things aren't what they seem at Baltic Vinyasa, and soon everything will come to a head.

This story was alright, but I've read better. I didn't feel any suspense or care very much for any of the characters. Nothing much happened until about 60% in, so if you're looking for a mystery that will grab you right away, this probably isn't for you. The mystery ended up being twisty and unexpected, but getting there seemed to take forever.

All in all, this is an okay read, most people will enjoy it. If you like unlikeable characters, getting the group back together, or being trapped on an island with a killer, then give this one a go.

Thank you to @Minotaur_Books and @NetGalley for a digital copy for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.

Every year four women meet on a remote island for a night of drinking and renewing their friendship. From the very beginning, Camilla Sten reveals that they are murdered by a figure in a dark hoodie. To the outside world it was assumed that they had accidentally drowned when their boat was later found, but one of them was an experienced sailor. Ten years later Irene, the sister of one of the women, opens a yoga resort on the same island. The first group to arrive is the bachelorette party of her friend Anneliese. The party includes Tessa, a one time successful blogger whose shows on true crime have been losing their audience. She is hoping to learn more of what happened to the women while on the island to boost her audience. From the very start she has a bad feeling about the island. Irene confirms that she never believed the decision that it was an accident, but she is reluctant to talk about it. When one of the women disappears, a note is found explaining that she had to leave the island because of an emergency. Tessa is skeptical and later finds the woman’s body. This is just the first death. As Tessa tries to find a way to alert the authorities and find a way off the island the other women begin to disappear. One of the bridal party members has a connection to the events of ten years ago and the party was arranged to exact revenge. While it was easy to guess who was responsible, for the events at the bachelorette party, Camilla Sten keeps you guessing who was responsible for the murders ten years earlier. Using a dual timeline, Sten introduces the reader to the four victims and offers subtle hints at troubles in the women’s relationships, but her solution still comes as a surprise. It was difficult to like the members of the bridal party, but with rising tension from the time they land on the island it will keep you turning the pages to the very end. I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur for providing this book.

This was an interesting thriller that I found gripping as I tried to figure out all the mysteries. I enjoyed the locked room setting, the complex group of characters and the dual timelines.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Four best friends embarked on their annual trip to a remote Swedish island, but they never returned home. Ten years later, Tessa (a true-crime obsessed ex-podcaster) has the chance to visit the remote island when her best friend gets a great deal for her bachelorette trip. Tessa’s determined to celebrate her friend while also trying to solve a decade-old mystery, but things don’t exactly go according to plan.

This book takes place across two timelines - present day with Tessa and ten years prior with Tilly. As the reader we get to see both storylines unfold simultaneously with adds some great suspense for the present day thriller that we don’t know about yet. Although there are many characters, I felt like the two timelines were their own entities and easy enough to follow so I didn’t find myself mixing anyone up. I went back and forth between listening and reading the story and I felt like both methods were great. I wouldn’t say the twists and surprises were the most shock-worthy, but there was a decent amount of suspense and wonder that had me wanting to know more. I recommend this book for thriller/true-crime lovers for sure!

This fell flat for me, There is a lot going on, and I didn't find the jumps between time lines to be well done. I was confused for a lot of the book.

I feel like this storyline has been done a lot. Bachelorette party, remote island, killer running free, etc., etc. Nothing too memorable, unfortunately.

I loved The Lost Village by @authorcamillasten so I was excited to receive The Bachelorette Party from @minotaur_books . Thank you!

This is a great dual timeline, isolated island mystery thriller with a crime podcaster character. (I love crime podcasters in books for some reason.)

When you set a thriller in an isolated location, you automatically create a tension and suspense for the reader. Then add a group of girlfriends 10 years apart experiencing similar situations and I could not put it down.

The Bachelorette Party was a “read it in one sitting” kind of book. It’s the perfect book for your summer beach bag!