Tessa is at her lowest point and is dreading going on a bachelorette trip in the form of a yoga retreat. On the other hand, her inner true crime lover is intrigued about the location and the disappearance of four girlfriends 10 years earlier. She thinks there might be more to the story and if she can get to the bottom of what really happened on the island all those years ago, her podcast career might be able to make a comeback.

The Bachelorette Party is full of suspense and I loved the little blips of flashbacks. I did not predict that ending at all and highly recommend for a fun, summer thriller!

Thank you to Camilla Sten, St Martin’s Press – Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for the advanced e-copy in exchange of my honest review.

The Bachelorette Party by Camilla Sten ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I have enjoyed Sten’s other works tremendously, so I had high expectations for this one. There’s nothing glaringly wrong with this. The pacing was good, the multiple timelines worked and flowed with one another, and the writing was gripping. However, I guessed the reveal very early on, and I never connected with the characters, and I hated the assumptions our MC made because I felt like she should’ve known better.

All in all, this was a solid popcorn thriller you can read in a day. It has an eerie setting, a locked-room trope, and quick pacing perfect for those that enjoy those.

Four best friends would go to Isle Blind for time away from everything and no one knew where they were actually going. When they didn’t come back it was basically brushed off as a boating accident. Tessa was a writer and she was interested in knowing what really happened. She made sure she was invited there and she began snooping around to get clues. But it turned out to be quite a horrific time to try to stay alive. I thought I had it figured out early in the book but I was definitely not even close.

I received this ARC from Netgalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was an engaging thriller that maintained my interest throughout. A group of friends travels to a secluded island for a bachelorette weekend, but events soon take a sinister turn. The audiobook version was particularly enjoyable, with excellent narration that vividly portrayed the unfolding chaos. The characters in this story exhibit complex and unpredictable behavior, and the use of a dual timeline added an additional layer of suspense. Overall, it was a compelling and intricately plotted narrative with a dark undertone.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillian Audio and Minotaur Books for the advanced copy of The Bachelorette Party, as well as Camilla Sten for another great story.

I'm sorry to say but I could not finish this book at about the 35% mark. The premise seemed interesting but it was very challenging for me to get into this book. The characters and timeline jumping were very hard to keep track of and I was not able to connect to either the story line or the characters. As this is the first book by this author I have read it's possibility her writing style but it is just not for me.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for a digital ARC of this book. Opinions are my own.

The Bachelorette Party is a captivating novel set on a remote island off the coast of Sweden, and I must say, it was a thrilling ride from start to finish. The story masterfully intertwines the lives of four childhood friends—Tilly, Anna, Linnea, and Evelina—who share a secret annual tradition, with the gripping quest of Tessa Nilsson, a true crime podcaster determined to uncover the mystery of their disappearance.

The author does an excellent job of painting the serene yet eerie atmosphere of the island, making it almost a character in its own right. The juxtaposition of the friends' carefree gatherings with the underlying tension of their eventual disappearance kept me hooked. The narrative seamlessly shifts between past and present, revealing layers of secrets and building suspense.

While the plot is engaging and the characters well-developed, there were moments where the pacing felt a bit uneven. Some parts of the story could have been tightened to maintain the momentum. However, the unexpected twists and the ultimate resolution were satisfying and left me pondering long after I turned the last page.

Overall, this book is a fantastic read for anyone who enjoys a mix of mystery, friendship, and a touch of revenge. It's a story that keeps you guessing and leaves you eager to uncover the truth. I highly recommend it to fans of suspenseful and atmospheric novels.

Ah the locked island revenge mystery! Tessa a podcaster who has been disgraced (no spoilers) has been and continues to be fascinated by the Nacka four, four young women who simply disappeared ten years ago. Now the sister of one of them has built a luxury yoga retreat where Tessa and her pals are meant to be celebrating an upcoming wedding. Not so fast- there's a villain out there. This has a lot of characters and two time lines so you must pay attention. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a fast paced popcorn thriller that will keep you turning the pages.

I loved the idea of this book! The dual view messed me up and there were so many characters at the beginning I got confused and a bit lost! But I've all this was a good book!

The Bachelorette Party by Camilla Sten is a locked room-esque thriller about a group of girls who go to a remote island for a bachelorette party. Which also happens to be the same place four girls disappeared from a decade ago.

I liked the premise of this book, however at times the dual timeline got a little confusing. I also wished for a little more detail around some parts of the ending. I will definitely read future books by Camilla Sten.

This was a nice early summer read. It has loads of suspense, questionable characters, and a few good misdirects. Tess is a likeable protagonist and (thankfully) a reliable narrator. The plot really picked up midway and kept me engaged until the end.

4.5 stars actually, but not an option here.

I originally requested this book merely on the fact that it was described as Scream meets The Guest List, two of my favorites. I ended up reading this in two sittings because it was so twisty & dark, but I will say it took me a minute to get into the beginning. There were quite a few characters all brought up at once and I struggled to keep them straight. All in all though, I rather enjoyed this and recommend to my friends who enjoy twisty murder mysteries/thrillers.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

The premise totally hooked me—a remote island, a cold case disappearance, and a bachelorette party that might be connected? Yes, please. I was ready for something twisty and gripping, but unfortunately, this one didn’t fully deliver for me.

The pacing felt slow. It took a long time to build up, and when things finally started to happen, the payoff just wasn’t as strong as I wanted. It didn’t leave much of an emotional punch or that satisfying “whoa” moment I usually look for in thrillers.

I also had a hard time keeping track of the characters, especially in the past timeline. The original friend group kind of blended together, and I found myself backtracking to remember who was who. And Tessa’s storyline—especially the bit about her podcast career falling apart—felt underdeveloped. It was mentioned, but not in a way that added much to the story or helped me connect with her more.

It wasn’t a bad read, it just didn’t stick with me. I’d still be open to reading more from Camilla Sten, but this one didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

This was a well paced murder mystery that is told through dual timelines of past and present. The suspense really picked up in the second part of book and never let off!
Thanks st. martins press, Minotaur books & net galley for this arc!

"The Bachelorette Party" by Camilla Sten is a heart-pounding thriller set on a remote island in Sweden, perfect for readers who enjoy locked-room murder mysteries.

Tessa Nilsson is known for her popular true crime podcasts, in which she's notorious for covering some of Sweden's most gruesome cases. Yet, when her podcast goes up in flames, her name and reputation are tarnished, forcing her into isolation as she grapples with her newfound status as an outcast.

Yet, when she gets invited to a getaway weekend to a yoga retreat, a bachelorette party for her friend Annelise, Tessa sees this as an opportunity to uncover a decades-old mystery that's never been solved. The Nacka Four, a group of four girls who returned to the same island year after year until one summer ten years ago, when they disappeared without a trace. The retreat is in its early stages of opening, located on the same island where the Nacka Four disappeared. This might be Tessa's only chance to redeem herself and uncover what really happened to those girls. But digging into the past, especially one that may not be as clear-cut as everyone has convinced themselves of, might turn a fun bachelorette weekend into something ugly.

What an absolutely riveting, tense, fast-paced ride! Sten has a double mystery set up: the disappearance of the Nacka Four and the event that shaped the future (or lack thereof) of Tessa's podcasts. This causes a lot of tension in the novel. Not only is Tessa choosing to go "undercover" solo to determine what happened the night the four girls went missing, but the girls at the getaway weekend are intrigued by the event that caused her reputation to be ruined. These mysteries amp up the stakes, making it impossible to know whether Tessa's looking for another story when there isn't one, all on the hope she can return to her near-stardom status.

Sten delivers several perspectives and two different periods, making for a quick and fast-paced mystery for readers to dive into. While the perspectives were a bit hard to follow at first, they helped shape the story, characters, and mysteries. These perspectives help readers to understand the characters, to bond with them, and to care for them. This is very much a story about friendship as much as it is about grief and trauma and the impact it has on the psyche. Tessa's character is the most interesting because she's so complex, and there is so much about her that remains hidden throughout the story, a clever way of revealing some complex thoughts and emotions Tessa refuses to acknowledge, even to herself.

Readers who love Sten's writing, mysteries, tightly-wound thrillers, and themes of friendship, revenge, and trauma/grief will love "The Bachelorette Party." Be on the lookout for Sten's book on its expected publication date of June 10th, 2025.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press (Minotaur Books) for providing me with an e-arc and the opportunity to share my honest opinion in this review.

I decided to try this author again. The Lost Village got so many good reviews, and I was an outlier, so I thought it was me. And maybe it is, because this book just didn't add up.
From the start, I felt like I have read several books with a trope/set up like this: 4 women on an island for a bachelorette party. All have secrets. There is a tie to an incident in the past . And one of the women is a podcaster who is trying to fix her reputation in the field. I do like the locked-room mystery. If it is done well, it is one of my favorite mysteries. However, it took me several days with this book- not to read the whole thing, but to re-read it. Because the timelines and math did not add up. I will not go into detail because I do not want to spoil it for anyone that wants to read it, but I seriously had to go back because on the first read this "math" hit me. I thought maybe I missed something (because I began to skim). But, no, I didn't.

So, although this had the potential to be a very good book, when I looked at it in more detail- everything fell apart! It would not/could not have happened. With locked room mysteries- details are life! But since the timeline could not exist, this scenario could not have happened!

I really do not like writing negative reviews. Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC. This is my honest and voluntary review.

An easy, fast paced locked room mystery! I enjoy a dual timeline and the setting being a bachelorette getaway was really fun. I was entertained the whole time, a great choice for a thriller binge read!

📚: The Bachelorette Party by Camilla Sten
⭐️: 3/5

Past and present collide on Isle Blind. A location then known to a group of best friends as a secluded, hidden island, home to their annual girls weekend to reconnect with each other. A location now home to a soon-to-open resort, fit for a girls trip of a different kind — Anneliese’s bachelorette party. What’s in common is when both trips, then and now, end with someone plotting for them to not go home.

The pacing with this one was solid, and I enjoyed the then and now narratives. That said, I found myself disconnected from every single character, with a twist that was obvious from the jump.

Thanks to St Martin’s Press via @netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Bachelorette Party is out on 6/10.

This was a good one. On a remote island a group of friends meet once every year for a one night party at a location only they know about. Ten years later, Tessa, who is consumed by the story of four friends who disappeared on Isle Blind, is lured to Isle Blind for a bachelorette party for a friend of hers. What happens when they get to the island? Just a few days of partying, yoga, and hiking? Or is there something more sinister afoot?

I like this a lot. It was well paced. The beginning held on to the suspense nicely and built it methodically. Great use of multiple timelines. The ending! Harrowing. What a twist. Did not see it coming.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review. Check this one out for sure!

Confession: I had to tell myself to put this book down well before bedtime so I could watch something fluffy on TV to cleanse my brain palate before trying to fall asleep!

The Bachelorette Party is a tense--and intense--read that kept me on edge, my brain spinning to try to figure everything out (Some things I got right, other things I got wrong!).

The setup is fairly common: a group of young women going to an isolated place where another group of young women had disappeared a decade earlier. The story is told mostly from the POV of one of the women in the later group, with a few sections/chapters from others, mainly the POV of one of the women in the earlier group. This lets us experience the uncertainty and tension-building and icky dynamics in present day while dropping clues from the past for us along the way. There are PLENTY of red herrings to steer us off course, mixed in with clues to what actually happened--and who did what--in the past.

If you enjoy:
* a mystery that will keep you guessing to the end
* characters who are relatable, if not always likeable
* sleeping with your eyes open
* complicated relationship dynamics
* a character trying to rebuild her life and atone for a major past mistake
* a unique, picturesque setting that shifts back and forth from starkly beautiful to bleak and scary as hell
* smooth, readable prose
then The Bachelorette Party will make a great summer read for you!
But remember: don't read too close to bedtime.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a free e-ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This was my first book by this author—and definitely not my last! I’m a huge fan of mystery thrillers, and this one had everything I love: suspense, twists, and emotional depth.

At its core, it’s a gripping story about friendship, grief, redemption, and the relentless pursuit of truth. The main character, Tessa, becomes obsessed with a massacre that happened a decade ago—and she’ll stop at nothing to uncover what really happened, even if it means returning to the very island where the murders occurred.

From the very first page to the last, I was completely hooked. The tension never let up, and I couldn’t put it down!