This book starts with four best friends, Tilly, Anna, Linnea and Evelina who get together every year on an isolated island, to catch-up, laugh, drink and party. Things go terribly wrong and the women are all murdered; but their family at home does not know about where they go and assume they are all missing at sea, when the boat they were on is found empty, floating.

Forward ten years later, Tessa, whose personal and professional life is falling apart, has been invited to the island where a new yoga and health resort is to celebrate a bachelorette party for one of her friends, Anneliese. Tessa doesn’t really want to go because of where she is in her life, but since she is a true crime junkie and has a true crime podcast, she cannot resist going to secretly see if she can solve the mystery. Tessa believes the women were murdered and thinks the proof might be on the island. As the ladies get to the island, they have to hand over all their electronics (to truly relax) and set about doing yoga, drinking cava, going on walks and catching up between vinyasas. But there is something strange about the island and when one of the women leaves to go home without a word to anyone, Tessa is suspicious. from there things go from bad to worse and Tessa has to hope she can survive the island if she ever hopes to know what really happened to the four women ten years ago.

The narrator did a good job, it was easy to tell who was who in the narrating and she was easy to understand. This was not as good as I thought it would be, but it was a good listen.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house, narrator and the author for the opportunity to listen to a complimentary copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

I know what they did last summer... or rather, ten years ago.

Ten years ago, four friends later nicknamed the "Nacka Four" took their annual girls' trip to a secret location - a remote Swedish island - and never returned. Presumed dead after a boating accident, their bodies have never been found and the mystery of what happened to them is still unsolved.

Now, another group of women, taking a trip to celebrate the upcoming wedding of one of them, is headed to a small island that sounds eerily similar to the one from which the "Nacka Four" disappeared. Among the five women taking part in the bachelorette party festivities is Tessa, disgraced former host of a true crime podcast that crashed and burned. Having been fascinated by the "Nacka Four" for a decade, and aware that the owner of the island where they are staying has a personal connection to the case, Tessa's attendance is in no small part motivated by her hope for redemption by uncovering the truth about what happened to the four women a decade ago.

The story is told in dual timelines, which worked really well here. The remote island, complete with a phone ban, serves as the setting for an excellent locked-room mystery, and Camilla Sten masterfully uses it to create an eerie, claustrophobic and tense atmosphere. The two groups of women make for a fairly large cast of characters, and given that the book is not overly long, not all of them are equally well-developed, but I enjoyed their varied, very realistic relationships. The story was fast-moving and made it easy to finish the book in one sitting.

"The Bachelorette Party" definitely reads more like the script to a slasher movie than a psychological thriller, so if you're expecting the latter, be warned. The sense of urgency from the locked-room atmosphere did add a lot of tension, but the whodunnit was blatantly obvious - even more in the present timeline -, and there were definitely some gory, grizzly murder scenes reminiscent of movies like „Scream“. I wasn‘t bothered by it, but proceed with caution if you are squeamish.

Overall, this was a popcorn thriller with slasher film vibes in an intriguing Swedish setting, with enough suspense to keep me hooked and read it all in one sitting.

I listened to the audio book narrated by Laura Jennings, who did a spectacular job as usual.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

"The Bachelorette Party" is slated to be released on June 10, 2025.

This book was slow for the first half and was a slasher film for the last half. There was only very minor character development for anyone other than the main character and the bad guy was really one dimensional. Super disappointed. The narrator was good though.

Camilla Sten's The Bachelorette Party is a gripping locked-room mystery set on a remote Swedish island, where the past and present intertwine. In the past, four childhood friends vanish during their annual getaway, while in the present, disgraced true-crime podcaster Tessa Nilsson attends her best friend's bachelorette party, which feels eerily familiar.

The audiobook, narrated by Laura Jennings, brings this story to life in a way that enhances the suspense and atmosphere. Although I was not previously familiar with Jennings, I feel she did an excellent job capturing the nuances of the characters and the tension of the plot.

Sten masterfully builds suspense, using the island's isolation and shifting alliances to create a haunting atmosphere. The dynamics of friendship are explored deeply, revealing buried resentments that add complexity to the story.

While the pacing starts slow, the story really picks up the pace in the latter half, though some plot twists feel a bit predictable. However, there are surprises that keep the listener engaged.

Overall, The Bachelorette Party is a well-crafted mystery that balances suspense with emotional depth, making it a compelling listen for fans of psychological thrillers. Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for my advanced listening copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Locked room mystery thriller, though it's more like locked island as that's where the setting of this story takes place off the coast of Sweden.

The book has dual timeliness, one from 10 years ago in 2012 and in the present time, set in 2022. It revolves around two separate groups of friends, both groups then and now, only wanted to celebrate friendships and building connections.
When the first group of friends disappeared in 2012, no one knew why or how or what exactly happened to them. Fast forward to 2022, and Tessa and her three friends are going to the same remote island to celebrate a bachelorette party. Tessa, being a true crime afficionado, has been intrigued by the 2012 disappearance of those women and wondered if she could somehow uncover some of the truth.

What started out as some fun with friends turned into chaos, and they ended up fighting for their own survival.

I received this ARC as an audiobook, and the narrator did a fine job. The only thing I lost track of was the receipts of the phone calls/texts.

The beginning started out really strong and had promises of being a good intense thriller. However, the middle tapered out a bit, but the ending picked up the pace again.

As far as a thriller book goes, it's an okay read, no major twists or surprises, as I guessed it beforehand.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this one!

🏝🏝🏝/5

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’ve been to quite a few bachelorette parties, but nothing like this…

We have dual timeline’s, the first follows friends Tilly, Anna, Linnea and Evelina ten years ago who travel to this remote island every year to reconnect and have some fun. Then we follow the present timeline with Tessa and her group of friends who happen to travel to the same remote island for a bachelorette party. Things seem to be going well, it is your typical bachelorette shenanigans until someone is found dead and then things start to unravel.

I liked this, it gets a little slow around the 20-40% mark, but then it speeds up a bit when someone dies and the story picks up. I didn’t mind the dual timeline, but there were a lot of characters so sometimes I had trouble figuring out who everyone was. I thought Tessa’s backstory was interesting, but I didn’t really see how that fit into the story. I never read anything from this author and I would read from her again.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the beginning of this and found it great until about half way. It started to draw on too long and I couldn’t seem to enjoy it anymore. Made it 90% before I decided not to finish.

Honestly I thought this would be good, this scenario has been done several times before, Bachelorette party where old friends come together and somebody dies, who did it? This is definitely along those lines, however it was rather boring. I didn't find myself wanting to get back to it. It was an easy listen, thanks to the narration. If it was a book I'm not sure I'd have finished it.

I love a duel timeline book. This one is a thriller that has a bachelorette party in the present and then in the past there was a gathering a decade ago. I enjoyed all the twists and the remote island made it feel extra creepy. I liked the writing and the characters. This was a fun and entertaining thriller and I would pick up the author's next book for sure. This was great to listen to.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC.

🎧: I’m not sure if it was the writing style or the narrator or both. I think both. The narrator had a pretty monotone voice and whatever fear or drama was to be displayed didn’t come through, very lackluster and if was supposed to be suspenseful or dramatic, I didn’t feel much. There was also a lot of sentences. Short sentences. Like a robot. Not flowing.
You get the point, right?

Despite those two issues, this was still a fairly good read. The premise was appealing. A bachelorette party on an island? Count me in! But the differing timelines were somewhat confusing, I’ve read several books with past and present and I can’t put my finger on it.. but this one just didn’t flow right with them. I was pretty uninterested in the “past” timeline and it didn’t give enough information to really care much.

Characters were pretty one-dimensional. I wasn’t invested in any of them, and toward the 90% mark I was just like.. ok, when will this be over?

It kept me involved enough to want to finish… mostly. But not the best. I’d try again with the author.

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!
I loved the narrator as well! Her voice matched all the characters effortlessly

Rating: 3 stars
Format: Audiobook (ALC)
Genre: Thriller

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ALC in exchange for an honest review!

This had a really good setup but I wanted it to be CRAZIER. The characters were interesting and I enjoyed seeing Tessa’s development and the development of her relationships with the other women. I think the back and forth of Tessa’s plot line with flashbacks to the four women who went missing was done well. The reveal was okay, but didn’t surprise or excite me. I also thought the writing was captivating and had a lot of fun snarky moments. There was also solid action towards the end and pretty high stakes. I think if you’re a fan of thrillers, this one won’t blow you away, but it was still a fun time and I enjoyed the ride.

The audiobook had a solid performance and I would definitely recommend it in that format.

ARC review of the audiobook.

This story is set in an archipelago in the Baltic Sea outside of Stockholm, Sweden. Four friends travel to an island once a year for an overnight trip, until one year everything goes wrong. These women become known as The Nacka Four.

Ten years later, a group of six friends go to a yoga retreat on the same island for a bachelorette party. And again, everything goes wrong.

The story of the first trip is told through the POV of Tilly, and the second trip is told through the POV of Tessa. Tessa is a true crime fanatic who had a true crime podcast before something terrible happened and her life fell apart. Tessa’s goal for the trip is the get more information and hopefully solve (what she thinks is) the mystery of the Nacka Four and turn her life around.

I liked the dual timeline aspect of this book and I enjoyed the writing. However, I found myself more interested in finding out what happened with Tessa that ruined her life than the actual story of the book. Unfortunately, it was obvious (to me) what was going to happen way too early on. I kept reading in hopes I was wrong, but I wasn’t. I definitely wouldn’t consider this a mystery book. It had a real horror/ thriller movie feel to it which was fun.

Also, the VA is great. Laura Jennings did a great job conveying all of the different emotions from the characters throughout the book.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC. 🖤

A girls trip that turns horrifying after the friends disappear- this book intertwines the past and present, as 10 years later another group of friends gather on the same island for a bachelorette party, and the mystery continues. I had a little trouble keeping track of the characters but I enjoyed the fast pace of this book and the remote island setting.

The Bachelorette Party - Camilla Sten
Pub Date - 6/10/25
Rating - 3/5
Thoughts - Thank you to Netgalley, Camilla Sten, and MacMillan Audio for this gifted e-listener copy in exchange for my honest review. This story follows a bachelorette party to a private island not open to the public. Ten years ago, four girls go on their annual girl's trip to the island, and suddenly go missing. I was hooked into the story especially since the beginning when the missing girls are introduced. The story had me engaged until the end when the big reveal happened. I didn't love how that was written and had to listen twice to make sure I understood what happens. The story ends kinda abruptly and was rushed overall. The book was fine, nothing special.

This is my first Camilla Sten book, and I’ll be back for more. I do like a good thriller with some horror thrown in every now and then. Just a heads up that this one gets a tad bit gory at one point.

I agree with other reviewers that the beginning is slow and there are lots of characters to keep up with, but once you’re in, you’re IN! We go back and forth between several time periods, so you have to pay attention— especially with the audio, but once you get the hang of things you don’t have to worry much.

There are a couple of mysteries going on in an island setting— kind of like your locked room mysteries. Then you have your bachelorette party component thrown in. And then there’s a true crime podcaster. Who can pass up a story like this?

The audio narration is very well done and enhances an already well-written book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced recording of this book.

Publication date is June 10, 2025.

After reading the arc earlier this year, I was excited to see this story brought to life in audio. The narrator did outstanding!

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.

The narration worked well and kept me engaged, especially once the plot started to pick up.

Overall, a solid 3 stars. This was a good listen and I would recommend it to anyone who loves atmospheric popcorn thrillers.

The audio quality was excellent—clear with no distracting background noise. The narrator did a solid job distinguishing between characters, though at times, the tone was a bit too soothing and almost lulled me to sleep.

As for the story itself, I really enjoyed the twist and the claustrophobic setting of being stranded on an island. The dual timelines were well executed, but I felt certain events didn’t get the weight they deserved. While I followed everything that happened, some moments that should have felt more impactful were glossed over.

My biggest critique is the ending—it wrapped up too quickly, and the villains didn’t get the closure or consequences I was hoping for. The build-up was strong, but the payoff lacked depth.