Publication date: June 10, 2025

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC. All opinions are my own.

The idea of a remote island getaway with friends for a bachelorette party sounds like something bad is bound to happen. Especially when cell phones are taken away and you are at the mercy of the resort staff. This locked room thriller was enjoyable to read, but never “wowed” me. I listed to the audiobook and found my mind drifting at times. Overall it was an enjoyable book and the ending wrapped up the story well.

I understand and partially agree with the other reviewers, it definitely wasn’t a hit for me but I really did enjoy listening to this one. It was a spooky, thriller, murder, mystery kind of book and I typically find they’re all kind of similar. It was clear early on who the killer was and it kind of made parts of the book aggravating. I enjoyed the various timelines but I felt the past timeline was never really completed in the way it could have been. I think this had the potential to be so creepy and complete with just some tweaks

Things have been rough for Tessa Nilsson. Her true crime podcast is over, she’s behind on her mortgage payments, and her life is basically shit. But Anneliese, Tessa’s best friend, is getting married and she can’t miss her bachelorette party no matter how much she prefers to wallow in her despair at home. The party is taking place on a small island that coincidentally also might be the setting for the mysterious disappearance of 4 women several years ago. Naturally, Tessa is curious about the case. One of the missing women was her babysitter and the woman that owns the island is the surviving sister of one of the missing. Perhaps she can talk to her and get her career back on track...

I read Sten's The Lost Village nearly 3 years ago and still think about it, so I was excited to see this. I can see the "Scream meets The Guest List" vibe, and it was good, but it wasn't great. Don't get me wrong - the story was engaging, and I was curious whether Tessa was paranoid and wanting something to happen or whether something was truly happening. But I didn't really connect with any of the characters and while curious about the outcome, I didn't care if anyone survived. Overall, the book was fine, but just that.

Excited that I was able to read this before it's release date in June! I loved the mystery and the suspense.; true crime documentary in book form. The connections that were revealed were wild! It did get a little graphic in parts but it added to the suspense. But obviously, a remote island with a dark past from urban legend lore....Yeah, crazy things are going to happen!

This book dragged. Nothing happened until 35% and even then it was very little. The characters aren’t likeable. The twist was weak. But I did enjoy the bi rep and some of the biphobia that was shared.

2.5 ⭐️

This book started off strong and then lost steam about halfway through. The plot became increasingly more unbelievable from that point. The repetitive plot lines and gore at the end of the book were not my favorite either.

Title: The Bachelorette Party
Author: Camilla Sten
Publisher: Macmillan Audio/ Minotaur Books
Genre: Thriller
Format: 🎧
Narrator: Laura Jennings
Pub Date: June 10, 2025
My Rating: 2.5 Stars!
Pages: 304

Story is told in dual timeline as both cases involve four friends attending a bachelorette party.

2012: On a private remote island off the coast of Sweden, four friends Tilly, Anna, Linnea and Evelina gather every year to party. However in 2012 something happens and the girls go missing.

Now April 14, 2022- ten years later: Tessa Nilsson, famous true crime podcaster, is invited to her best friend, Anneliese’s, bachelorette party on ‘Blind Island “that seems it might be that same remote island.
Anneliese’s bachelorette party.is more than just partying; she wants the group to go on a Yoga retreat at the ‘Baltic Vinyasa’ with Yogi Irene.
It seems Irene also has a connection to one of those four women that mysteriously went missing back in 2012. Tessa knows this is her opportunity to find out what really happened to those women ten years ago. Hmmm is someone else seeking revenge?

I am a big fan of audiobooks but I struggled with the characters in this story-especially Tessa the protagonist and narrator of the story. I found her unfiltered language unprofessional and unlikeable - I wasn’t sure if it was the narrator’s delivery or if the author intended for her not to be likeable.
I have a low tolerance for profanity but sometimes the story is so good I am okay with it. However –
that wasn’t happening with this story.
I hung in there but it just didn’t work for and was disappointed.

I do want to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Audio - Minotaur Books for this early audiobook.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for June 10, 2025.

The bachelorette party, once again makes me know I would never want to be invited to a destination bachelorette party

I really enjoyed this story. I love a good remote island killer on the loose thriller and I felt that this story delivered.

I try not to guess where a thriller or mystery is going as much as I can, I like to see where the author takes me without expectations, I was flung around by the different twists and turns and really liked the ending and how everything came together. There were multiple layers of mystery within the story and each one felt like it had a satisfying conclusion.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a great job. She captured the myriad different characters very well.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for this audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The concept was intriguing and the writing was good, and the narrator Laura Jennings did a great job. Overall, the story itself was ok, the execution felt disconnected. I felt like the mystery of the past and present was a cool concept, but I thought the author trying to link the two throughout and then adding a little side mystery for the main character, Tessa, didn't work and was unneccesary and actually took away from all the mysteries happening in the end. In short, too many mysteries happening. The EEeeekKK! and WHOA! moments, were also not as captivating because of the back and forth. I never knew which mystery was guiding the story and had more importance. It also took away from the final reveal which ended up feeling like there was something missing and didn't feel exciting.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the arc.

I want to start out by saying I was so drawn to to this book because of the beautiful artwork on the cover ( I am a huge artwork girly when it comes to covers and sprayed edges). So immediately drawn to that and then the description of the murder mystery plot, I was hooked!! I do think they executed the mystery portion of the book perfectly and the connection between the Nacka 4 and the present. However, there was just so many characters and so many time switches that it was overwhelming and hard to concentrate. I loved the idea and the mystery of the book which is why I am confidently able to give this book a 3-star. I think Camilla Sten is a great writer and it was a great concept but it just kind of got lost at times and that is why I cannot give it a 5 star. The audiobook however, I believe was better due to the narrator having such emotion and fluctuation in her voice. Laura Jennings did such a fantastic job and it really made me enjoy the book more than just reading it! Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and St.Martins Press for the ability to read and review this book. These thoughts and opinions are of my own.

This book is so full of twists and turns! It kept me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen next. I highly recommend if you are looking for a book full of suspense, murder, and who done it energy.

Thank you to Net Galley and MacMillian Audio for the opportunity to review this advanced reader copy.

This is a DNF for now. I honestly never knew what was happening. I never found myself invested in the story. The narration for me was not easy to focus on due to how monotone the narrator was. The same tone was used for each character so it was difficult to keep track of who was who.

Might give this another try at a later date.

i tired so hard to listen to this but just couldn't push myself to suffer through this.

thankful i got the audio arc

⭐️⭐️ 1/2 (rounded down).

Thank you NetGalley, Minotaur books and Macmillan Audio for the ARC of this audiobook.

I was so excited to dive into this audiobook when I read the synopsis and saw the cover page. Unfortunately, that was as good as it got for me. The plot reeeaaaaallllllyyyyyy dragged on in the beginning. I was halfway through before something really interesting caught my attention. (Ie. The reason for Tessa’s fall from grace). In the synopsis, the book was compared to The Guest List - which is one of my favorite novels. Possibly my hopes were set too high because of this because other than the setting, this book was nothing like The Guest List. I didn’t find the main character likable and none of the supporting characters in both timelines added anything to the story.

The audiobook narrator was okay. I have no complaints in that aspect.

I had messed up the bookmarks on my audiobook and I missed the last 1 1/2 hours of the book. I just listened to the last 20 minutes and got the gist of what happened. At that point, I didn’t care to go back and listen to the parts I missed.

This book was just not for me.

Four childhood friends meet annually on a remote Swedish island for a night of fun and secrecy. Ten years later, true crime podcaster Tessa is obsessed with their disappearance. When her best friend plans a bachelorette party on a similar island, Tessa sees it as her last chance to uncover the truth. But someone else has revenge in mind.

I recently discovered this author, and let me tell you, this book was like diving headfirst into a suspenseful mystery. The writing style was refreshingly different - you knew what was happening, but the how and why kept you on the edge of your seat. The pace was just right, with enough detail to keep you hooked without overwhelming you.

We meet a cast of characters, from Tilly, Anna, Linnea, and Evelina to Lena, Minna, Mikaela, Natalie, and our main gal Tessa. The diverse personalities added layers of drama and intrigue to the story. Some characters were a bit tough to warm up to, but Tessa was a gem - likable and totally underestimated.

Now, I know what you're thinking - that's a lot of characters to keep track of. But fear not, it's all handled with finesse. The plot builds up beautifully, but I have to admit, the ending fell a bit flat for me. I was expecting one more twist to really knock my socks off.

The back-and-forth timeline kept things interesting, and while some parts were predictable, it was still a solid murder mystery read. The vivid descriptions of the environment made me feel like I was right there with the characters - it was truly an experience to remember.

I opted for the audiobook, and let me tell you, it was a fantastic listen. It added an extra layer of intrigue, especially during the longer parts. If you're into secluded island murder mysteries, soap operas, short chapters, or beautifully described scenery, this book is must-read. It's the perfect summer read for a rainy day - you'll breeze through it in no time.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio, for the digital ARC copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

First, this cover is GORGEOUS! 🫶🏼
This was a fun, twisty “locked room” type thriller!
Locked away at a fancy wellness resort for The Bachelorette Party…it seems everyone has a secret,
Told from the POV of Tessa, who has her own demons….the isle is home to a decades old missing person case when 4 BFF’s go missing on thier yearly trip together.
I listened to this audio & it was great! Narrator did a fab job. The story was fun too…I felt the final twist was a little lackluster & kinda came from no where but over all this was fun thriller!
3.5/5 rounded up for NetGalley

Was ok. Duel timeline. Wasn't too hard to figure out though. Narrator did a decent job. Would recommend if you like deserted island, slasher style stories.

a solid thriller: interesting premise, great location, locked-door mystery (my favorite). however all the people and the timeline got very muddy, making it a touch hard to follow. Also I was able to guess the killer (though not the reason ,which had me gobsmacked ) pretty early on. Still very much worth a read and I would read more from this author.

thank you to NetGalley, the author Camilla Sten, and Macmillan audio for my ARC of this audiobook.

This was ok. A bit rambling and times and there wasn't enough suspense to be classified as a thriller.
The characters were very interesting but I got lost with the shifting timelines. Sometimes forgetting where I was.
The narrator was a bit monotone at times.