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.

I am hoping the final version fixes some of the glaringly obvious errors in a few of the details. The premise of a bachelorette party mystery drew me in with this one, but the execution was lacking. I guessed the murderer by 30% and wasn’t shocked by anything that happened. It was a quick read so for that I am thankful but I probably wouldn’t recommend.

I really enjoyed The Bachelorette Party! It was chilling, suspenseful, and hard to put down. The author did a great job describing the setting and the characters in a way that made me feel I was there. It was darker than I anticipated, but I really enjoyed it and look forward to reading more from Camilla Sten.

The Bachelorette Party
By Camilla Sten

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Pub Date: June 10, 2025

Thank you NerGalley and St. Martin’s apress/Minotaur Books for the advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

First of all, this book had a lot of moving parts. There was the story unfolding in the present, a 10-year old mystery, and the backstory of the protagonist.

It was all compelling and it all worked together well, but I wasn’t shocked with the Villian. I knew it from the time the character was introduced. I feel like there could have been a little more surprise there.

Overall this was a great thriller.

This was SO GOOD.
I loved the premise of the story - a bachelorette party gone wrong (putting it mildly).
The build up to the twists had me gripping the edge of my seat!

Suspenseful and chilling, this novel masterfully weaves friendship, mystery, and dark secrets into a gripping tale. Tessa’s obsession with the unsolved disappearance of four women takes her on a dangerous journey, blending the eerie tension of a true-crime podcast with the chilling atmosphere of a remote island. With twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat, it’s a thrilling ride from start to finish.

The Bachelorette Party totally pulled me in. I went in thinking it would just be a fun, wild weekend kind of story, but it turned out to be way more intense—and I mean that in a good way. I liked how the tension slowly built up, and I kept trying to figure out what was really going on. The setting was super creepy in the best way, and the characters felt real, like people you’ve actually been on awkward trips with. I couldn’t stop turning the pages because I had to know how it was all going to end.

First, my thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this novel.

The Bachelorette Party had a premise that immediately intrigued me: a remote island, a mysterious disappearance, and the promise of a locked-room style thriller. From the outset, I was excited—this setup had all the ingredients for a compelling, suspenseful narrative. And indeed, the author does an admirable job building an atmosphere of dread and unease; the isolation and growing paranoia among the characters were palpable.

However, while the initial chapters drew me in, the story’s momentum faltered as it progressed. The pacing felt uneven, with the first half moving quite slowly before picking up somewhat in the latter portion. Unfortunately, by that point, some of the tension had already dissipated. I also found the plot to be a bit convoluted, with multiple timelines and a large cast of characters that at times made the narrative difficult to follow. The past timeline, in particular, felt disjointed and detracted from the forward motion of the present-day storyline.

In terms of plot twists, I found many of them predictable, and as a result, the sense of surprise and urgency was diminished. A key disappointment for me was the introduction of a significant character very late in the story—this felt abrupt and undermined the payoff of earlier developments. The ending itself struck an odd balance of being both over-the-top and underwhelming, leaving me more puzzled than satisfied.

That said, I believe this book could appeal to readers who are newer to the thriller genre or those looking for a light, entertaining mystery rather than a tightly plotted, high-stakes suspense novel. It’s the kind of story that might be enjoyable on a relaxing afternoon, provided you’re not looking to scrutinize every narrative choice too closely.

In sum, while The Bachelorette Party had a strong premise and atmospheric moments, the execution didn’t fully deliver on its potential.

I am a big fan of Camilla Sten and all her other novels. I thoroughly enjoyed 'The Bachelorette Party' even though this one was a slower pace. The twist at the end was well worth the read as well as the seamless timelines.. Missing friends, a true crime podcast, isolation and a cold case, yes please!!! I definitely recommend to anyone who loves eerie island vibes.
Big thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the early, free book to review!

I am apparently a sucker for a 'stranded' thriller lately. The cast of characters brought together in this book were all perfectly placed. Each woman who joined this bachelorette trip were simultaneously easy to empathize with and slightly unlikeable.

We meet Tessa at one of the lowest points of here life, when her career is in disarray, but her childhood friend is getting married and she can't miss the bachelorette party, especially when it is being hosted on a remote island, where she believes 4 friends went missing 10 years prior. As a true crime podcaster, this feels like the perfect opportunity to look into this cold case, especially since the owner of the hotel is the sister of one of the cold case victims.

As in any great thriller, things go a bit sideways and the author leaves just enough breadcrumbs to make you think you know what is going to happen. I very much enjoyed getting to read The Bachelorette Party early with Net Galley and look forward to more from Camilla Sten.

"The Bachelorette Party" transforms a tiny island into psychological quicksand—every step deeper pulls you further from safety, every wave crashing against the rocky shore reminds you there's nowhere to run. This isolation is the perfect pressure cooker for secrets that have simmered for years.

The prologue hits like a sledgehammer. Four bodies, one massacre, zero explanation. Sten doesn't just dangle the mystery; she slams it down and dares you not to keep reading. Who were these people? What invisible threads connected them to their killer? The structure—alternating between past and present through tight, urgent chapters—creates a relentless momentum that mirrors the rising tide around the island.

At the center stands Tessa, whose character contains the book's most fascinating contradiction. Her crime podcast gives her a public voice of authority while privately, confidence eludes her completely. The guilt she carries creates a gravitational pull on her every interaction, distorting her relationships and judgments. Her hidden agenda for attending her sister's celebration makes you question not just her reliability, but everyone's.

While Sten's previous novels deliver more believable motivations, the vengeance plot here stretches credulity despite its meticulous construction. The "why" behind the bloodshed feels disproportionate to its horrific execution.

Still, the pages practically turn themselves. For psychological suspense "The Bachelorette Party" delivers an atmospheric, unsettling reading experience that's worth accepting the invitation.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the free books for review.

I really enjoyed this book. I’m a big fan of Camilla Sten’s other books. This book was a little bit of a slower pace but I enjoyed the crazy twist at the end. The MC did get on my nerves but I was interested in the story enough to not care.

This is the first I’ve read by Camila Sten. 3 star thriller. Good story, kept me pretty interested. Was not a fan of the ending, it was a little too much, and kind of predictable. The story was seamless with the timelines, so I appreciate that.

I’ve been on my fair share of bachelorette parties, so I was immediately intrigued by The Bachelorette Party by Camilla Sten.

Tessa’s podcast used to be a big deal, especially when she covered Sweden’s most haunting unsolved cases. But when four childhood friends vanished without a trace, she never found the answers and the story stuck with her. Years later, her best friend's bachelorette party just happens to be on an island that feels a little too familiar. Tessa sees one last shot at uncovering what really happened.

The setup had me hooked and I loved the eerie island vibes (I'm also always a sucker for a thriller with a podcast tie-in). Early on, I had a tough time keeping track of who was who, and I didn’t totally click with the characters. Even so, the tension builds nicely and the twists land well.

Overall, a solid 3 stars. I enjoyed the ride and would recommend it to anyone who loves atmospheric popcorn thrillers.

3.5 stars.

This was my first book by Camilla Sten, and I enjoyed it. I personally do not like books with dual timelines and a large cast of characters because it makes me go back to certain points in the book to remind myself of certain things.

I love locked room mysteries, and yoga retreat on a remote island is the perfect setting. Although I was able to guess the twist pretty early, do not let it deter you from picking this one up. I read A LOT of thrillers and mysteries and it's pretty difficult to fool me at this point.