This book was pretty graphic at some parts, I love being on the edge of my seat, but was taken aback at some places.

Overall decent novel!

This was a slow-paced novel. The characters were obnoxious and fake. I did not enjoy reading about them nor did I care to.

The Bachelorette Party by Camilla Sten is a psychological thriller set on a remote Swedish island, where four childhood friends vanished years ago. Tessa Nilsson, a true crime enthusiast, sees a chance to investigate their disappearance when her best friend hosts a bachelorette party on a similar island. While the atmospheric setting and mystery offer intrigue, the story feels slow at times, and the characters lack depth. The plot’s final twist is satisfying but not groundbreaking. It’s an enjoyable read for fans of slow-burn mysteries, though not particularly gripping or memorable.

Thank you to Camilla Sten, St Martins Press, & Netgalley for the e-arc of The Bachelorette Party! Quick thriller-keeps your interest! The two stories come together perfectly in the end! Such a good twist! Loved the setting of the book and the friends who don’t give up on each other no matter how long it’s been or how they’ve all changed! This book publishes on 6/10/25!

A really good thriller/mystery on a remote island off Sweden. It's a dual timeline about the original mystery & the current one unfolding. The author's descriptions are very well done since I kept thinking I was cold reading the novel. The mystery part is good because I didn't necessarily see it coming and she keeps you guessing until the end.

Review of Uncorrected Digital Galley

Every year for the past eleven years, Matilda, Linnea, Evelina, and Anna had been coming to Isle Blind in May to escape the expectations of their lives, to drink beer, to dance at the water’s edge, to drop all pretenses. Then they’d return to their lives,

But then, ten years ago, they didn’t return.

Before losing her true crime podcast, Tessa Nilsson had tried to find out what happened to the four women, now known as the Nacka Four. But now she has no way of finding that truth. Besides, she’s planning a bachelorette party, a weekend yoga retreat on Baltic Vinyasa for her best friend, Anneliese.

Once the women arrive, Tessa, who’d researched the missing women case, realizes that this island is the same island the women visited . . . and never returned from . . . all those years ago.

Are there answers here?

=========

Told in two timelines with two groups of young women, the unfolding story keeps readers guessing as secrets are slowly revealed as the suspense keeps those pages turning as fast as possible. Of the two groups of women, Tessa and her friends have more depth than the original group. Tessa, not particularly likeable, does not seem close to any of the women other than Annaliese, but it’s the mystery and the far-away-from-everything setting that keeps the reader involved in the telling of the tale.

With its strong sense of place and a plot that twists and turns as revelations slowly come to light, this compulsive tale keeps readers guessing. Those who enjoy stories of friendship, mystery, and suspense will find much to appreciate here.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from St. Martin’s Press / Minotaur Books and NetGalley
#TheBacheloretteParty #NetGalley

Camilla Sten’s The Bachelorette Party is a chilling, high-stakes thriller that expertly blends psychological suspense with slasher horror elements. Set on a remote Swedish island, the novel unfolds across two timelines—one in 2012, when four friends vanish without a trace, and the other in 2022, when a bachelorette party unknowingly steps into the remnants of an unsolved mystery. Tightly plotted and filled with unsettling tension, this book is perfect for fans of locked-room thrillers, true crime, and survival horror.

Plot Overview

Ten years ago, four best friends—Tilly, Anna, Linnea, and Evelina—made their annual trip to an undisclosed island off the coast of Sweden, a sacred tradition of drinking, dancing, and shedding the burdens of everyday life. But that year, they never returned. Their disappearance became one of Sweden’s most infamous unsolved cases, captivating true crime enthusiasts for a decade.

Now, in 2022, former true crime podcaster Tessa Nilsson finds herself on the same island under very different circumstances. After a scandal ruined her podcast career, she’s hoping for a weekend of bonding with her best friend Anneliese, whose bachelorette party is set at a sleek, newly opened yoga retreat on the island. But from the moment they arrive, something feels off. Tessa recognizes the landscape from her years of research on the missing women. The unease escalates as she realizes that some secrets never stay buried—and that someone on the island may be willing to kill to keep the past hidden.

Characters & Themes

Tessa is a deeply compelling protagonist—flawed, haunted by her past, and struggling to find redemption. Her true crime obsession, once a professional calling, now borders on self-destructive fixation. Her bisexuality is subtly explored, adding depth to her character, particularly in a tense confrontation with a bridesmaid who makes ignorant, biphobic remarks.

The supporting cast includes a mix of women with varying dynamics, but many of them remain somewhat underdeveloped. The original four friends from 2012, while intriguing, don’t receive enough differentiation to make them truly memorable beyond their roles in the tragedy. However, Sten succeeds in portraying the group dynamics of both timelines—the way female friendships shift, fracture, and sometimes rebuild under pressure.

The novel also plays with themes of obsession, trauma, and how the past never truly lets go. Tessa’s career-ending “mistake” is teased throughout the book, adding an additional layer of mystery that keeps the reader engaged.

Atmosphere & Writing Style

Sten is a master of atmosphere, and The Bachelorette Party delivers a deeply immersive sense of dread. The remote island setting is both beautiful and foreboding, with its isolated beaches, dense forests, and eerie silence heightening the tension. The dual-timeline narrative is well-executed, with the 2012 storyline gradually revealing the truth behind the original disappearance, while the present-day timeline accelerates toward a violent, shocking climax.

Fans of classic slasher films (Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer) will recognize the genre’s DNA in this book. The characters make questionable decisions, the body count rises, and the danger feels omnipresent. While some moments may require suspension of disbelief, they add to the novel’s cinematic, pulse-pounding energy.

Final Thoughts

While The Bachelorette Party isn’t without its flaws—some one-dimensional characters and predictable horror tropes—it more than makes up for it with its unrelenting tension, eerie setting, and fast-paced storytelling. The mystery is engaging, the twists are well-timed, and the final act delivers a satisfying, blood-soaked conclusion.

If you’re a fan of true crime, survival thrillers, or psychological horror with a feminist edge, this book is a must-read. It’s an addictive, nerve-wracking ride that will keep you flipping pages late into the night.

This one was fine. It was a quick thriller that could’ve used more cliffhangers on the end of chapters but it was still enjoyable. Just predictable.

A horror movie wrapped in the pages of a book! I loved this one! This was a page turner that made me want to keep reading to see the “who” in the final chapters! There were parts that felt a bit odd within the flashbacks, but still, a very good read! Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the ARC. All opinions are my own. Rating: 4 stars Publication Date: June 10, 2025

Pretty typical definition of a beach read- thriller. The timeline definitely made me question some things though. Decent for what it is.

Thank you @netgalley @stmartinspress for an ARC of The Bachelorette Party💃

This was one of my most anticipated thrillers of the year and I was so excited to get approved for an ARC read. Described as Scream meets The Guest List I was instantly hooked by the thriller tropes. While I think the story was very well written and the set up was great, the actual execution of the locked door was just okay. Tessa, the main character is unlikeable (and doesn’t seem close to any of her “friends” on this trip), the hidden identities were obvious from the moment they were put into action. I also wasn’t a fan of how abrupt the ending was and I felt some characters didn’t get a fair ending.

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

The Bachelorette Party by Camilla Sten, is a locked-room thriller which takes place on a remote island which flips between two timelines. In the present, five women are at a bachelorette party. Ten years earlier, four women disappeared and believed murdered in the same location.

The main character, Tessa Nilsson, is a true crime podcaster who life is currently a mess. She’s been obsessed with the decade-old mystery of the missing women. Now she’s attending her best friend Anneliese’s bachelorette party at a remote yoga retreat and the person running the retreat might have the answers Tessa’s been chasing for years.

I really liked the pacing of the story, and the way it jumps between the past and present kept things moving. The mystery itself had plenty of suspense and action, but I’ll admit, I didn’t feel as connected to the women in the present storyline as I wanted to. Their personalities kind of blended together, so it was hard to really invest in them.

That said, the book still had plenty to keep me turning the pages. It’s got a solid mix of mystery, drama, and the remote island setting added to the atmosphere.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

This book is perfect for someone who likes horror movies, it has the mysterious vibe of one, the writing is descriptive and beautiful, the plot is entertaining and and there were definitely twists I didn't see coming, the whole story is well developed and well paced.

I think there could be improvements, most of the side characters were just there, without much personalities, and without spoiling there was a bit of a cliche villain monologue near the end. Also I feel like the relationships could be expanded on more. I did like how there was a bit of commentary on how predatory the true crime community could be, though.

Overall, it's a good book and I would recommend to anyone looking for a book with a movie-vibe, it's a fun and exciting read!

Agatha Christie’s 1939 And There Were None set the template for the island mystery with its protagonists trapped on a remote isle and stalked by an unknown killer. The arrival of cell phone technology has forced writers to up their thriller game. As with the guests in Sean Doolittle’s Device Free Weekend, the five girlfriends who arrive at Baltic Vinyasa on Isle Blind off the Swedish coast for a four-day yoga-themed bachelorette party must give up their cell phones and other digital devices to the proprietor, Irene. “I wish I wasn’t so addicted to my devices,” confesses Lena. Her sister Tessa, the bride-to-be’s best friend, has another, more secret, motive for joining the party. A true-crime podcaster whose latest episode crashed and burned in the wake of a scandal, she hopes to redeem her career by solving the mystery of the Nacka Four. A decade earlier, four young women, who had traveled to the archipelago for their annual reunion, disappeared, presumed by police to have drowned when their boat was found floating. Tessa suspects they may have been murdered on Isle Blind and is determined to find evidence. But from the moment she steps on the island, her sense of dread grows. While elements of this twisty mystery require a suspension of disbelief (the luxurious hotel is built on a rocky island too barren to support crops yet has plenty of water for hot showers), Sten (The Resting Place) excels at building the creepy horror and chilling tension. Readers who like their thrillers bloody and gory will enjoy this dark Nordic take.

This was a page turner!
I enjoy the mystery and all the twists and turns, trying to figure out what was going on
It did feel a little slow at some parts but it wasn’t off putting, definitely a fun and twisty read!

My favorite movie of all-time is Scream, so when the very first sentence of The Bachelorette Party's description states: "Scream meets The Guest List in this wickedly compelling and compulsively page-turning thriller of friendship and murder," I knew I HAD to read it. And let me tell you, the description is spot on. From the exotic setting, to the simmering drama amongst childhood friends, to the slasher movie elements, Camilla Sten hit the ground running from the very first page! I absolutely tore through this book, surely one of my favorites of 2025 already!

Tessa is obsessed with true crime stories and before her life imploded had a popular podcast about them. She is/was about the next big story and has been stuck on the Nacka 4 for the past 10 years. This item is essential to the story otherwise most of the rest doesn't make sense.

A bachelorette party to reconnect with old middle/high school friends whom you've almost lost touch with at the barren island the Nacka 4 used to party at before they disappeared. Tessa is hoping this puts her back in the podcast world by having access to the island but this also makes her the information provider and her friends don't trust her based on her past implosion.

While there was a minor twist, the villians were pretty obivious from the beginning. The back and forth between present day and the past worked well for the story without giving too much away or backtracking but there's some past flashes that aren't explained or are but with a throw away line so it doesn't exactly make sense why it's included.

It was an easy quick read but nothing will linger beyond the conclusion.

A Swedish podcaster who has fallen from grace attends a bachelorette party on a mysterious island where she is secretly trying to solve a missing women case in an effort to restore her reputation.

3.5/5 ⭐️
A big thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an ARC of The Bachelorette Party in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed the present-day storyline, which kept me engaged from the start. The setting was atmospheric and perfectly suited for a mystery, adding an extra layer of intrigue to the plot. However, I found it difficult to connect with the characters in the past narrative, which made those sections less compelling for me. While the dual timeline structure can be an interesting storytelling device, I personally found myself more invested in the present-day events.

That being said, The Bachelorette Party is an entertaining read with a strong sense of place, making it a great choice for mystery lovers. It will be released on June 10, 2025—just in time to take along on your summer vacation!

This story follows podcaster Tessa, who is at an all-time low. She is invited to her high school friends Bachelorette Party, which happens to take place on a remote island where it’s said that four women had disappeared ten years before. Tessa takes this as an opportunity to redeem herself and her failing podcast to get to the bottom of what happened to these four women. But of course! Things start to go wrong quick.

This was a medium-paced thriller that kept me hooked from chapter to chapter.

Slightly predictable in one sense, but in another I was completely shocked.

I did find the timelines to be a bit confusing as they contradicted each other, and there were a few other little plot holes, but other than that it was a good bingeable read.

3.75 stars