Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for the EARC.

For fans of the Guest List, you will love the bachelorette party. The twists and turns were so good. I really loved it, I couldn’t put it down.

I will note the timeline can be hard to follow at times but it’s such an interesting edge of your seat book that it’s worth it.

I received an advanced copy of this book from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley.

On a windswept Swedish island shrouded in secrecy, four childhood friends—Tilly, Anna, Linnea, and Evelina—gather annually for an exclusive getaway. Their tradition involves carefree nights of beer, dancing, and heart-to-hearts far away from the burdens of daily life. But one fateful night, they vanish without a trace, leaving only cryptic clues behind.

Fast-forward ten years: Tessa Nilsson, a true-crime podcaster with a faltering career, has long been obsessed with the mysterious disappearance of the four women. Her hunt for the truth reignites when her best friend Anneliese insists on a luxurious bachelorette weekend at a yoga retreat on a nearby island eerily similar to the one in the case. While the plan is all about bonding over yoga and bubbly, Tessa sees it as her last chance to uncover the secrets buried on that remote, rocky island.

This thriller hooks with its dual timelines, alternating between the carefree lives of the missing women and Tessa’s contemporary investigation. The flashbacks offer fascinating insight into the bond shared by the four friends and sprinkle breadcrumbs about their fate, keeping the mystery alive. However, the sheer number of characters and the frequent timeline jumps make the narrative hard to track at times, with similar names only adding to the confusion.

Despite its flaws, the novel does deliver an engaging murder mystery with a moody, atmospheric setting and some chilling moments. While certain twists are predictable, the journey to uncover the truth is still gripping enough to hold interest.

The Bottom Line:
The book thrives on its eerie, isolated setting and the intrigue of unraveling a cold case. Though the plot sometimes stumbles under the weight of its complex timelines and multitude of characters, fans of dark, atmospheric mysteries will likely find enough suspense and drama to stay invested. A solid read, though not without its challenges!

A bachelorette weekend away goes terribly awry in this thriller when, unbeknownst to most them, the ladies are drawn to the site of an unsolved quadruple disappearance from a decade earlier. True crime podcaster Tessa, one of the guests, is hoping to capitalize on the destination and learn a bit more about what she believes to have been a quadruple murder rather than a disappearance. However, when suspicious things start happening on the island, Tessa worries that history might be repeating itself and that none of them are safe.

I liked the format of this thriller, switching between then and now which is quite normal, but the unique aspect was that the "then" portions were not necessarily in chronological order. Rather, they were set in an order that made sense with the plot that was unfolding with the modern day timeline. This wasn't something that I noticed right away, but it becomes about 2/3 of the way through the book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy!

The Bachelorette by Camilla Stein is a captivating and suspenseful psychological thriller that explores the dark side of reality television, love, and deception. The premise—a young woman competing for the heart of a charming bachelor on a high-stakes dating show—provides the perfect setup for a story full of intrigue, secrets, and unexpected twists. Stein’s writing pulls readers into this world with sharp, engaging prose that keeps the pages turning.

The character development is strong, particularly with the protagonist, who is both relatable and complex. As the competition heats up and the stakes grow higher, her internal struggles and emotional vulnerabilities come to the forefront, adding depth to her character. Stein skillfully balances the glamour and glitz of the televised world with the darker, more manipulative undercurrents that often go unnoticed by the audience, making the story feel both gripping and thought-provoking.

The pacing is well-managed, and the book is full of twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end. The tension builds steadily, and while some elements of the plot are predictable, there are enough surprises to keep the reader engaged. The exploration of manipulation, both in relationships and media portrayals, is particularly well-done and adds layers to the narrative.

However, there are moments where the narrative could have been tighter, and some secondary characters could have been more fleshed out. While the story is engaging, I found myself wanting a bit more depth in terms of the psychological aspects of the characters' motivations. Still, the twists and suspense more than made up for these minor drawbacks.

Overall, The Bachelorette is a strong, four-star read. It’s an enjoyable, page-turning thriller that offers an exciting mix of romance, drama, and suspense. Fans of psychological thrillers and those interested in the darker side of reality TV will definitely find this book compelling. It’s an excellent choice for anyone looking for a gripping story with plenty of twists and emotional depth. I was given an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my review.

The timeline felt disjointed, along with both the prose and dialogue. While the plot was intriguing, I was not invested in any of the characters or even the large mystery at the center of it.

Using two different timelines to draw readers into what happened to four friends on a remote island in the Baltic Sea with a current bridal party's stay on the same island years later is at best confusing. It was hard to understand the relationships between the original four women as they weren't really developed enough as well as the current bridal party's member's relationships. It felt like I was reading standard character sketches instead of fully fleshed out characters. The character of Tessa is hard to pin down--is she manic depressive, a loner, emotionally unable to connect? She goes from being a fringe member of the friends' group to being the main character rather quickly. If you read a lot of mysteries, this one will be easy to solve. Those just starting out in the genre, will most likely enjoy it but there are far better efforts out there to enjoy.

This was the third book I read by this author and it is easily my least favourite. :(
Initially, I did like the setting, the mystery (about the main character's past as well as the one about the disappearence of 4 girls), the dual timeline and the journal and emails entries between some chapters.
Unfortunately, after the first 20 chapters (there are 50), I started to get bored by the cast of characters - all of them, from the past as well as the present timeline -, the whole plot turned out to be a massive bag of clichés and it all got very predictable. What's more, the interaction among the friends got very annoying, toxic and full of miscommunication tropes.
By the time the 'reveal' happens, I was no longer invested in the mystery - which is very easy to predict if you pay some attention to it, or if you are an experienced mystery/thriller reader.
By no means I think this is a bad book. The clichés are all over the place, yes. The writing is way too simplistic, yes. I never got the feeling that I should care for the characters or to think the stakes were too high, no. Yet, I won't say this is a bad book. I'll say this is a non-surprising nor exciting thriller to more hardcore thriller readers.
People who have read few mysteries before might benefit more from reading this one.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for providing me with a free eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved Camilla Sten’s first few novels, and while I liked this one, I didn’t love it. The pacing felt off at times. I will be recommending it, however, to those who love a “locked room” mystery.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC.
Generally I like Camilla Stern's books, but not this one.
It started out alright, but the further I read, the less I wanted to continue. There are other books I've read with a similar make up that were much better and I ended up scrolling through to the end.

Was not expecting that ending! It was a thrilling read from start to finish. I will say, having the past and present interspersed did make it a bit confusing, leading to me not understanding the dynamics and relationships (especially across different ages of characters. I will say that it was well written, I just wish the pacing was a bit better.

I enjoyed this Bachelorette party version of THE RETREAT meets THE HUNTING PARTY. We need more bachelorette party-themed stories imo. Tessa is experiencing a low point in her life but joins longtime friends at a bachelorette party, mainly to investigate a cold-case that could be linked to the island location, and has strange links to her personal life.
I found this thriller fun, exciting, and terrifying. And a little disturbing, it can be a bit gruesome. Although one part was obvious to me there were enough twists to shock me at the end. SPOILER I did not appreciate Tessa running at the end iykyk.
Thank you St. Martins Press/Minotaur and NetGalley for the digital review copy.

Thanks for the ARC NetGalley :)
Told in alternating past and present with just enough tidbits for you to think you figured it out.
Two parallels years apart, just a group of friends going to party on an island and get some quality time together only to end up in a version of Hell.
This had the perfect balance of back and forth between the two stories, while I was reading I wished for a little more views into the first Girls' Trip, but seeing it through to the end it makes sense.
It has enough crumbs for you to guess back and forth between characters, but I did not see it playing out the way it did.
There were a few areas of the story I could have read more on, such as the podcast of it all, but all in all an entertaining read.

3.75*

I really liked this thriller! I kept questioning who to trust, and while I think I had a feeling about the ending, it was still full of surprises and thrills. I really liked the main character and her type of perspective in a setting like a bachelorette party. Another great read from Sten!

I just finished this gripping Nordic thriller and it was fantastic. A closed door thriller set on a small island and the site of a tragic event 2o years before and now a soon to open yoga retreat. 20 years ago a group of 4 friends set out on their annual trip to a small island owned by one of the girl's family, but tragically none of them were seen again. The authorities wrote it off a tragic accident but there was more to the story as we soon see as another group of women head out to the newly built lodge for a seemingly innocent bachelorette party. Once on the island, one guest reveals she is a true crime buff interested in the past tragedy surrounding the island and as the trip goes on, she begins to feel things are not right on this island. A guest goes missing with only a note left behind, the cook has knives and cryptic comments, and the host knows something she's not saying. Could Tessa be overreacting or are her and friends in grave danger. This was a taut, slow burn story with so much suspense and great character development.

This reminds me of the 5th lesser known book of sisterhood of the traveling parts. I will always enjoy women friendship books!

Nice, mystery, suspense and friends being "friends" Nothing like a good mystery for over the holidays, enjoyed this read a lot. Thanks NetGalley

Tess is recovering from her damaged reputation as a crime podcaster when she gets a call from one of her oldest friend's to attend her bachelorette party on Blind Isle.

Tess is at first reluctant, still licking her wounds from a failed relationship, the termination of her job and a pending lawsuit, but is intrigued by the location. Blind Isle was infamous for where four women disappeared without explanation. The cops never really looked into it, assuming the women were drunk and fell off a boat somewhere in the area. But Tess has always thought there was more to the story. She thinks someone murdered them all.

Now ten years later, one of the victim's sister, has bought the island and created a Vegan/Yoga retreat center called The Baltic Vinyasa. Tess is hoping that by going, she'll be able to talk to the victim's sister and get a better sense of what really happened that night hoping it will revive her career.

But things take a devastating turn when Tessa finds herself instead of covering a tragedy, might become a victim in her own true crime story.

This was a very fast paced read and entertaining similar to the movie I Know What You Did Last Summer.

What a fun ride this book was... I hadn't even heard of this author before. Kept me on the edge of my seat and totally invested. Outstanding from start to finish!

You would think a locked room mystery (an island cut off from everything except by boat or ferry) would be my jam, but this was boring and at times defied any type of logic. I think jumping around the timelines didn't help either. All in all, just a snooze.

"The Bachelorette Party" takes place off the coast of Sweden. During timeline one, we have four friends--Tilly, Anna, Linnea and Evelina--who meet every year for a get together. However, something happens and the four women are never seen again. Ten years later, we follow another group of women, going to the same location for a bachelorette party at a new hotel that has been built. We mostly follow Tessa, who is an ex-true crime podcaster who is hoping to use this trip to dive into what happened to these women to be able to redeem herself after an incident has left her persona non grata. The other women with Tessa, is her sister, Lena; the bride to be, Anneliese; Mikaela, maid of honor; Natalie, the new girl; and Caroline. There's also the owner of the hotel, Irene and the hotel chef, Adam.

I will say, that Tessa and her ever increasing fear just didn't work tension wise for me. It just felt like it was coming out of nowhere. I think until we get to the certain point in the story it just felt aimless to me. I also think us not knowing what happened to her in the past until most of the book was almost done, hindered the story. Maybe if the story had started with that first, that would have made sense to why she was so focused on the original four missing women. I think I just got lost once we started shifting to Matilda and then getting newspaper articles, text messages, emails, etc. to read through. It just keeps you pulled from the story entirely IMHO.

The book shifts over to some Agatha Christie lite at one point, and I wish that Sten had pushed in on that more.

The setting of the island had the potential to be creepy and mysterious, but it didn't fit the mood of the book.

The reveals and the whys were some head scratchers to me too by the way. It just didn't make a lot of sense to me and I think that took away from the book.

This novel has everything you want in a mystery/thriller. Secrets, lies, death, suspense and nail-biting scenes which will keep you guessing.
A bachelorette party gone horrible wrong. Will the past repeat itself and who will get out alive?