BOOK REVIEW

This was nerve-racking and filled with tension. This is the story of four former housemates who arrive a remote Scottish Island for the wedding of the friend.

This starts with a bang and then alternates between the past and the present. Secrets are revealed, trust betrayed and someone is murdered.

The author did not give anything away. Everyone was a suspect and they had a motive. Told from the points of view of two women and the murderer, we are taken on a journey of fear, distrust, tension, nerves and fear.

I was completely blindsided and didn’t see anything coming. If you are looking for a thrilling adventure filled with secrets and keeps you guessing till the end then this is your book.

The wedding party boasts a gorgeous cover that definitely grabbed my attention. I didn't even read the blurb... just saw the cover and was like "Yep, I want to check that out!".


The only reason I'm giving this 4 * instead of 5* was the pacing. I love the storyline itself, it's tense and unnerving. The revelations are great... it was just a little slow at times for me. And I loved reading from the varying perspectives, especially those told from the murderer.

Another win for thriller lovers, definitely gonna recommend this one.

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Wedding Party by Lorna Dounaeva is a gripping thriller that makes you question how well you really know the people you love.

When five old friends from university are reunited on a remote Scottish island for a wedding, it should have been the perfect time to catch up with one another. The friends were last together eight years ago, so a get together is long overdue. But very quickly it seems not everyone is as excited as Asha the bride is. And then when the body of the groom is found and Asha goes missing, the friends realize that everyone is concealing some type of secret. As the bodies pile up, can the remaining wedding party make it off this island alive?

This was the first book by Lorna Dounaeva that I have read and I loved it! I really enjoyed the multiple POVs and the alternating timelines, it goes back to the University days and then forward to the present. I enjoyed how we are given little snippets that lead to the motive of the murderer throughout. An unreliable narrator, plenty of twists, and suspense, this book had me hooked and questioning everyone! Perfect beach read that will hit the mark with fans of Emily Shiner, Shari Lapena, and Lisa Jewell!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Lorna Dounaeva, and Bookouture for this ARC!! Publication date: May 6th 2025.

The Wedding Party was a slow-burning thriller that involved four friends visiting a remote island to attend their old housemate’s wedding, which is meant to be a joyous occasion, but soon turns into something sinister.

I liked that the book flicked from past to present, so we got to know what the friends were like back in their Uni and house sharing days and onwards and what may have been the reason for the resentment and dislike of some people.

I didn’t particularly like any of the characters; the one I did like turned out to be an awful person, too.

I didn’t guess who the murderer was, I was a little surprised by it.

This is the first book I have read by this author. It was a good read, even though I used a few curse words when reading it; the characters annoyed me quite a lot.
I will definitely pick up another book written by Lorna Dounaeva in the future.

Twisty thriller by a new-to-me-author. Old friends arrive on an island to watch their own getting married - until one of them is dead! One of the newlyweds is on the run while bodies keep piling up. Atmospheric and interesting!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

Oh this was a good one, my first book by this author and it had me gripped. A group of university “friends” get together on an isolated Scottish island for one of the groups wedding, but they all have secrets and don’t particularly like each other anymore (if they ever really did) and very quickly the Groom ends up dead. We follow two POV’s, Sarah and Diane and we jump between two timelines. Some parts I guessed but some of the twists completely blindsided me! And I love an unreliable narrator! Highly recommend picking this one up!

I didn’t know what I was in for, and what I got was a wild ride! A secluded island and we don’t know who the killer is? We don’t even know if everyone is going to make it off the island! This is simply a masterpiece as far as thrillers go. It’s so fast paced and engaging, try to put it down, I dare you!

This book had me suspecting everyone. I tried to piece together the puzzle, but I just couldn’t do it. Then came the twists I was super surprised how it all ended up! I just don’t think anyone can predict this book. Sure, you can try, but this author has a fantastic, if not a little questionable (haha) mind!

Seriously though, this book is really enjoyable. As I said above, it’s fast paced and it’s an easy read. The author provides us a great atmosphere for the book, and we get little flashbacks of days and times leading up to the wedding that help provide insight into who might the suspect be, but never really provides the answer. There are multiple points of view told in the book, which is helpful when you’re trying to figure out who is behind it all! So, if you’re into thrillers at all, check this one out!

🌟🌟🌟🌟
I love it when I read a book and the main character has my name! Diane travels to a Scottish island for an old university friend’s wedding. The groom is found shot to death. It could have been any of the friends. The story jumps around between Diane and Sarah’s POV. The timeline switched between the past and present. I liked the short, quick chapters that were action packed.
This was a great “closed island” story. I thought I knew who did it but then there was another twist that I NEVER saw coming! This was my first book by Lorna Dounaeva, but not my last! Many thanks to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
#TheWeddingParty #LornaDounaeva #NetGalley #Bookouture #BooksOnTour #BookLove #Bookstagram #NewBook #ILoveBooks #BooksSetInScotland #ClosedDoorMystery

This one is a dark thriller that had me gripped from start to finish. I honestly didn’t know where it was going and couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. Told in the form of past and present timelines from the point of view of Sarah and Diane. The storyline reveals many a secret and betrayal along with many a dark character. The author really knows how to build the suspense along with giving you just enough when needed in the way of twists and turns. It’s a well developed storyline with well developed characters that moves at a steady pace. When it comes to the characters they’re both likeable and unlikeable for different reasons. Really enjoyed this one and it definitely had me engrossed.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review #TheWeddingParty

This was my first novel by Lorna Dounaeva and it won't be the last. I read this book in just two sittings. Loved all the twists and the plot!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the chance to read this ARC.

The Wedding Party is the fourth of Dounaeva's books I've read to date.

The plot is told from the POV of old friends Diane and Sarah along with chapters from the as yet unknown killer. Chapters alternate between past and present as we begin to uncover the motive for murder.

What could possibly go wrong on a remote Scottish Island? Everything as it turns out!

Unreliable narrators, a great plot with some killer twists and a hefty helping of suspense.

Wow, talk about a whodunnit! This was a whodunnit on steroids! It kept me interested and engaged thru the whole book.
The book is written thru the point of view of Diane, Sarah and the murderer, and it’ll keep you guessing. A group of 5 college friends reunite on a deserted island for one of their weddings, and it doesn’t take long for people to start dying. For such a tight group of college buddies, it turns out there are a lot of hurt feelings, resentments, secrets and betrayals. And when people start dying and everyone’s a suspect? Nobody is safe.
I was questioning everyone while reading this, and I was convinced every one of them was the killer at some point in the book! It was a great story and definitely worth reading!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy - all thoughts are my own.

From the moment I read the prologue in this book I was hooked! This murder mystery is inspired by the orkney isles and is set on a fictional island called Haarlorn.

As five university friends are reunited on a remote island to celebrate Asha’s wedding, what could possibly go wrong? Told in the perspectives of Diane, Sarah and the murderer, when one of the newlyweds is found dead, deserted on the beach, everyone becomes a suspect. Nervous, frightened and desperate to make it to the end of the week alive, the friends do their best to survive, but at what cost?
Each has a past, each has a secret and each of them has a motive.

This was the first book I had read by @lorna_dounaeva and I can honestly say I am excited to read more of her books in the future.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Edgy, thrilling and full of twists, this story will have you guessing until the very end!

#NetGalley #bookstagram #TheWeddingParty @bookouture #murdermysterybooks

This is a wild ride of a book, and I loved it. The first chapter starts with a bang, literally, and things just keep going from there!

The format of the book is linear, with chapters inserted at key moments that flashback to various memories from the friends’ college years or the past few years as they’ve tried to stay connected. The POV varies between characters, mostly the two women, Sarah and Diane.

There are so many great twists and turns as things get going in this book, each new chapter seemed to bring a new surprise and gave me a new theory about what was going on. At one point in time, I thought each of the characters was guilty. And when the ending was finally revealed? I didn’t see that coming at all. It was so well-plotted and full of surprises!

This is the perfect book for someone looking for a nice, juicy who-dunnit filled with shocking twists and lots of drama. Don’t sleep on this one!

The Wedding Party has two different timelines and it's easy to have a glimpse on who they were and who they came to be. They were never really friends, they were together in their earlier years by chance, did not love each other but were able to put up with each other through pranks, cynicism, lies, keeping secrets, jealousy, treason, competition. After a few years apart they are summoned by Aisha to be at her wedding in a remote island and then they partially shed their masks and let the others have a glimpse of who they really are. The murders will only add to the rising somber energy that surrounds them and the island and the sad thruth will come out at the end. Well-written, full of mystery and with scenes that sometimes makes the reader think the culprit is one and then is another, The Wedding Party is one of those books that you read in one go! Really entertaining!
I thank Ms. Dounaeva, her publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.

My 3rd book by Lorna Dounaeva and another brilliant psychological thriller.

It’s been years since Diane, Sarah, Peter, Ethan and Asha have connected after sharing a house together during their time at Aberdeen University. They last were together for Diane’s wedding 8 years ago and now Asha’s wedding to Gordon is the perfect time for the group to reunite and catch up on each others lives. Asha is blissfully happy; the others in the group, not so much. The wedding is taking place on Haarlorn Island in the Orkney Islands only just accessible by boat. The location is definitely different to most wedding venues due to the Island being entirely off the grid with no internet and or even phone signals but that’s exactly what Asha and Gordon want for their wedding. The plan is for the wedding guests to come over on the boat the day before the wedding, enjoy the day of the wedding and then leave the next day. Asha and Gordon will also leave the day after the wedding, heading for their honeymoon in Cambodia. However, Diane, Sarah, Peter and Ethan plan to stay for another 5 days in order to catch up with each other. Soon after the boat with the wedding guests and bride and groom leave the friends decide to do a little exploring and find a bothy which is clearly being used by someone and the group realise they are not alone on the island as they thought they were. Later on, Sarah takes a walk along the beach and discovers a body, shocked to the core she reports this back to the group and they then decide to search the rest of the island to try and figure out what happened, but during this search they discover yet another body. The friends are terrified! With no outside communication except for an unreliable old style radio, the group have no choice but to stay on the island with a murderer on the loose until their ferry comes to pick them up. But 5 days is a long time when their lives are in danger. They thought they knew each other inside out but the time since university has changed everyone and they all have secrets to keep and lies to enable the secrecy, will they discover who the killer is? And if so, how many of the group will make it back to the mainland?!

Oooo this was a twisty old tale, and I loved every page! The phrase “with friends like these who needs enemies” fits this book perfectly! I have to admit the only character I actually liked was Asha, there were another couple of characters in the group who I thought were just awful! I really enjoyed the dual POV and loved that a mystery character was introduced in chapter 9- I always love a mystery character as it gets my brain ticking trying to figure out who they might be. I really liked how the juicy bits about each character slowly came out and although I tried my hardest to figure out the twist, I guessed wrongly multiple times and never got close to it, which made it an excellent surprise when it came out. I felt the eeriness of the island was written really well and it portrayed the suffocating feel of the island perfectly and frankly I wouldn’t have set foot on that island as it seemed so creepy!!

Overall, another great page turner from Lorna Dounaeva, I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves a good psychological thriller. I look forward to her next book!

Thank you to NetGalley, Lorna Dounaeva and Bookouture for my advanced reading copy. Due out 6th May 2025.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookuture for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really don't want to leave a review but feel that it is necessary. This book was all over the place and reminded me of a "Big Orgy" or something. Although this is not a spoiler because it was not a Spicy Read. It was supposed to be about some friends who went to a wedding. However, I am still confused on who was who, who did or didn't like someone, and from Chapter 2 I knew who did it! It didn't confuse me at all. I hated all the characters. The only reason that I am giving this a 2 star instead of one is because, well I don't know. Maybe there was some savior to this. Because at some point we needed an answer, and it wasn't an answer that was worth reading for.

I didn’t expect The Wedding Party to hit quite so hard — but from the moment I started, I was completely hooked. I went in knowing only that it was set on a remote Scottish island, which immediately intrigued me. Then I realised the fictional setting was part of the Orkney Islands — a place incredibly close to my heart. I lived there for a time, and even now, years later, it still feels like a part of me. So yes, I went into this one with high hopes and a deeply personal connection.

There were a few moments early on when the geographical details felt off — little things that stood out because I know the Orkney Islands well. But honestly? Once the story grabbed me, those details faded into the background.

Lorna Dounaeva’s writing is magnetic. Her pacing, character reveals, and simmering tension are so well done that I lost all track of time. I meant to read a few chapters before bed — instead, I devoured the entire book in one sleepless night. When I finally looked up, the sky outside was already light.

This is a story that plays with suspicion and secrets in all the best ways. The multiple perspectives are used so cleverly — each one peeling back another layer, revealing tensions, betrayals, and the kind of buried truths that make you question everything. The emotional weight builds with every page, and just when you think you’ve worked it out, something new knocks you off balance.

I loved the shifting perspectives and the way each character’s internal battles slowly unfolded. There’s a dark, addictive tension running through every scene, heightened by the isolation of the island and the tangled relationships within the wedding party. You can feel the pressure building with every page.

And when the twists come? They’re sharp, surprising, and perfectly timed. This is one of those thrillers that pulls you so deeply into its world that you forget everything else around you.

Despite my initial gripes with the geography, this book absolutely delivered on suspense, drama, and character-driven intrigue. It’s deliciously messy, full of secrets, and impossible to step away from. If you enjoy twisty psychological thrillers with emotionally messy characters and jaw-dropping revelations, this one’s for you.

This book was incredible. It was gripping, well written, and draws you in from the first chapter. I loved the dual timelines, and the multiple POVs. They address depth to the story, whilst making sure that there could be constant surprises! I found myself audibly gasping many times!

With friends like these …who needs enemies ??
A “locked room mystery” on a Scottish island .. a group of old friends … a wedding … a dead groom… who is the killer ? The story did have some originality and some interesting character development and overall it was a pleasant read . I loved the atmosphere and the Scottish island setting .