This was a solid mystery read, wasn’t predictable but at the same time dragged on a little bit. The narrator did a good job at keeping the suspense high and the plot twist was good but I wasn’t a fan of the back and forth timeline. Overall though I enjoyed this.

Told through a dual timeline, a group of ladies head out to a seclude island resort for a weekend of relaxation, yoga and vegan food. The same island that years earlier is location where four best friends went missing. The getaway bachelorette weekend is also a digital detox, all the ladies surrender their devices.  The first part of the book is a slowburn, the ending ramps it up several notches. A very creepy, atmospheric thriller.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio / Minotaur Books / St Martin's Press for the ALC. The narrator was great, delivering a very impassioned narration.

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I enjoy a mystery thriller sometimes and this sort where a party on an island gets cut off and then the bodies start dropping is a standard. But the circumstances and characters make it all new. The Bachelorette Party is a group of women in a bridal party going to a retreat on an island. The owner and the chef are just starting up the resort with yoga and vegan food and other wellness type activities.

Tessa has just lost her job and relationship, and may be getting sued. Her older sister is on this trip also. The women are all from Sweden. Tessa has done podcasts for years and one story she has always followed was a group of four women who went on a retreat every year until they didn't come back one year. That year was on this island and was 10 years ago. The new owner of the island is the older sister of one of the victims and she hopes to interview her.

Tessa has a bad feeling from the start. She thinks the chef looks scary. The owner Irene on the other hand is calm and competent, and it turns out is somewhat willing to discuss her sister. Then things go badly fast.

The story was interesting and relatively easy to read. There were sections for the present 2022 and the previous retreat with 4 girls in 2012, which meant a lot of characters initially. So we know their thoughts and jealousies, their fears and hopes. The original 4 were best friends over most of their lives from childhood to twenties. The new group is a bridal party which is generally younger but still from the same social class as the original group.

I liked the story and Tessa, even with all her troubles. She makes a difference, being observant and aware enough to realize more options than most people. I was on the edge and worried for them throughout, as well as the original 4 girls. We do get closure on them which I always appreciate.

Narration:
Laura Jennings is a new narrator to me, but she has narrated many audiobooks. I appreciated the emotional tones she brought to the characters. The primary voice and thoughts were Tessa. None of the voices pulled me out of the story, but they were distinct and felt comfortable. I listened at my newer 1.75x speed.

This is a dual-timeline story, with one timeline taking place ten years prior, when 4 best friends who meet yearly on an island, the location secret to everyone but them, disappeared. Now, Tessa Nilsson who is a true crime podcaster obsessed with the case, is going to a bachelorette party for her best friend. The party is planned for Baltic Vinyasa, a sleek, sophisticated yoga retreat on a small island off the coast—one with such similar characteristics to the tragedy years ago that it raises the hair on Tessa’s neck. This may be the chance for her to revive her career and find out what happened to the women once and for all.

Normally I love locked island mysteries, but I just could not get into this one. I kept forgetting which timeline each person belonged to. Also, Also, the story was a slow burn for the entire book,, and none of the characters were especially likeable. The narrator did a good job with narration. Overall I give this a 2.5 rounded up to a 3.

The Bachelorette Party is a gripping psychological thriller that blends mystery, suspense, and a touch of horror. Set on a secluded island, the novel follows a group of friends gathering for a bachelorette party at a luxurious yoga retreat. But beneath the picturesque setting lies a dark history—ten years ago, four women vanished from the same island, leaving behind only chilling clues.

Tessa, a true-crime podcaster whose career has recently taken a hit, sees this trip as her last chance to uncover the truth behind the disappearances. As the weekend unfolds, tensions rise, secrets emerge, and the past refuses to stay buried.

With its fast-paced narrative and compelling characters, The Bachelorette Party is a must-read for fans of thrillers. If you love stories that keep you guessing until the final page, this one is for you!

#BookReview #TheBacheloretteParty #CamillaSten #Thriller #NetGalley #ALC #MacmillanAudio

Thank you NetGalley, Camilla Sten, and Macmillan Audio for the ALC of this book.

Read if you love:
- friend groups - and all their drama
- sisterly bonds - and the lengths sisters go to
- "locked room" mysteries set on remote islands
- screaming "OH MY GOD" to your audiobook

The Bachelorette Party was such a fun, quick read for me - I finished the audiobook within 24 hours (and if I didn't need to get up for work the next day, I would've completed it in one sitting!) Almost a decade ago, four girls - friends since childhood - go missing, and their disappearance is never solved. Present day - a new yoga retreat opens on an exclusive island, and a group of friends go to celebrate their bride to be. But revenge is in the air, and they're stuck on the island with someone ready to take it.

This is your standard, locked room mystery, and if you're a fan of the genre you're going to love this one. It was a solid four stars for me - there wasn't anything super ground breaking about it, and while I thoroughly enjoyed it, I felt like there could've been an alternate ending that would've put it over the top. I really liked the complexity of each character - they're all flawed and that is always really fun to read. I liked the way the story unfolded via time hops, local news updates, etc. - the hopping between helped give you enough red herrings and false narratives to keep you on your toes.

The audio narrator is super easy to listen to - I was able to get up to 2.5 speed and still follow along. Their delivery is perfect, I found they really performed to the character and I don't think I would have liked the main character as much without the inflections and tones the narrator brought to the story. Overall - looking forward to the next one by Camilla Sten!

I'm starting to enjoy thriller audible books more and more. This book was very easy to listen to. The narrator did a great job with all the different characters (there was quite a few) and the story was fast paced and entertaining.

Having the past and present POVs and two different mysteries, made this "trapped on an island" read stand out from others I've read.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press | Minotaur Books, and Macmillan Audio for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest thriller by Camilla Sten, with the audio wonderfully narrated by Laura Jennings. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Ten years ago, four friends meet every year on a secret remote island off the coast of Sweden. One year, they disappeared. Tessa has been consumed by the story of the missing four and even though she had a true crime podcast, could never figure out what happened to them. Tessa's best friend, Anneliese, is getting married and they decide to have a bachelorette party on the island. Tessa is determined to find out what happened to the women.

I love a locked room mystery and this book had two! Told through dual timelines and multiple POV, this is a suspenseful read with plenty of twists and turns. The remote island setting and lack of cellphones ramped up the tension until the very end. None of the characters are extremely likable and they were almost interchangeable, but that didn't take away from the entertaining ride. I did feel bad for Tessa and was rooting for her to solve the mystery of the missing women. The audio narration was great and added to the enjoyment!

Ten years ago four friends disappeared from a remote island off the coast of Sweden. Now they are presumed to have drowned after drunkenly getting into a boat, and they are known as the Nacka Four.
Cut to today, Annalise is having her bachelorette party on the very same island. They’ll have the whole place to themselves…and the cook and the owner of the B and B. The owner just happens to be the sister of one of the girls who disappeared 10 years ago.
Tessa was hesitant to go but, with troubles of her own, she didn’t really have a choice. Her personal and professional life are in shambles and she smells a story on the island that can turn it all around.
But someone else has plans, and it ain’t beach yoga.
Things are about to get bloody good!
Ok, I know this book is a bit obvious, but it’s the perfect summer read! I really liked the character Tessa and enjoyed finding out all her secrets and found that really moving.
I felt a real lack of connection with the other characters. To the point that I couldn’t even keep straight which one was Tessa’s sister. You don’t ever fell like they are really old good friends.
But it’s a fun, fast read. There’s some gore. A lot of internal monologuing. And there’s a great creepy atmosphere!
I received this as an audiobook to review and I cannot recommend it enough. The narrator did a fantastic job and really added to the story.
Thank you to NetGalley and McMillan Audio!

This was pretty good. It was well written, and it was quite entertaining. The book takes place on an old, isolated island off the coast of Sweden. On this island, four friends meet every year. They meet to catch up and just escape their lives for a bit. However, things go very very wrong. Ten years later a true crime junkie can't shake the story. When her friend is getting married, she is stoked that the bachelorette party will take place on this island. From there the story picks up and a whole lot of things get going!
This was well written. I mostly enjoyed the ending though found it a bit out there. I had the chance to read the book and listen to the audio of this story. I definitely recommend either option. The narration was fantastic in the audio version, but the story reads well as a book, too. I liked this.

Unfortunately, The Bachelorette Party just didn’t work for me. I listened to the audiobook, and while the narration was fine, the story itself was hard to follow in parts. There were a lot of characters and time jumps, and I sometimes found myself confused about what was happening or who was who.

A big issue for me was how predictable some of the plot twists were. I was hoping for tension and suspense, but I never really felt nervous or on edge. The deaths near the end felt rushed and kind of pointless—they didn’t land with the weight I think they were meant to. It honestly reminded me of watching a bad horror movie, where you end up yelling at the characters for making dumb decisions instead of actually fearing for them.

The setup had promise (I love a remote island mystery), and I was intrigued by the true crime/podcast angle, but it didn’t live up to the hype for me. I never felt fully invested, and by the end, I was more frustrated than thrilled.

It might work better for readers who enjoy campy, slasher-style plots, but if you’re looking for something that truly grips you or gives you chills, this might fall short.

Although this book kept me engaged I would say it was not mind blowing. It was fine. I listened to the audio and thought it would be a good beginning of summer choice with it being set on an island. With it being an audio it was hard to follow a little with what timeline I was listening to. The narrator was fine just needed to really pay attention. I had to rewind a couple times to see what timeline I was in. The book went back and forth over the course of 10 years to follow an initial group of missing girls to a new group of girls on the same island for a bachelorette party. It was hard to keep track a little who was who. May have been easier if I read it and not listened to it. Sometimes it is hard when there is a single narrator for multiple people. It was a typical mystery plot with all the usual tropes you would guess for a locked room type mystery. The main character with the present day girl group was a podcaster trying to bring her career back by finding out what happened in the past. But she seemed to jump to a lot of conclusions and I did not like her line of thinking in the end and how she handled herself. Will not say more as not give away spoilers. Book was fine. Would be an easy beach read for the summer.

I likedThe Bachelorette Party. I didn’t figure out the plot twist. However, I don’t agree with the synopsis that it is Scream and it was confusing at times with the change of narrators. If I like a book I will the but a physical copy. I don’t think I will do it with this one. It was good but not my favorite.

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.

The Bachelorette is a murder mystery thriller set in Stockholm, Sweden. The story centers around a group of friends who vanish after taking their annual road trip to a remote island — a location known only to them. Ten years later, a group of women visit the same secluded island for a bachelorette party. One of the women, Tessa, is the only person aware of the unsolved disappearance from a decade earlier and is determined to uncover what really happened.

This was my very first murder mystery thriller, as I typically enjoy romance novels, but I must say — this was a pretty good read. I especially liked how the story came together. It honestly gave Lifetime movie vibes with how wild the plot became, especially the twists around the murderer’s identity and the final reveal about how Tessa’s life unfolded due to her career. Those were some of the most compelling parts of the book.

However, I don’t recommend the audiobook version. It was difficult to follow because of the constant time jumps and the sheer number of characters introduced. At one point, I had to start taking notes because it became overwhelming to keep track of everyone. That was one of my biggest issues with the book. The narrator also did an okay job, but there wasn’t enough vocal distinction between characters, which made it even harder to follow along.

All in all, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it — just not in audio format. Thank you to Bramble Books and NetGalley for providing this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I should have read a physical copy of this book. I found the alternating points of view (two different dates) confusing and I kept trying to remember which timeline was which. I think it would have been easier to track if I was seeing the dates. That is just me, this was probably easy for others to track.

With that said, this story was messed up (in a god way)! A pod caster interested in the story of a group of women that went missing ends up on an isolated island with the sister of one of the missing women, what could go wrong!?! This story was fast-paced and it kept me engaged throughout. The ending was unexpected and I loved it.

Laura Jennings did a great job narrating the story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the alc.

Unfortunately, this book was a "no" for me. I found the characters unlikable and the dual timelines confusing. I thought the narrator was good, but wish there had been two narrators for the different parts of the story.

This thriller flies by and the audio narrator nails the vibe without.
However, nothing here screamed fresh. I clocked the villain early and kept waiting for a curveball that never came. Predictable doesn’t equal boring, but a little surprise would’ve pushed it higher for me. The subplot about how Tessa torpedoed her own podcast adds some depth, though.
Bottom line: quick, popcorn-worthy, and worth the credit if you like your mysteries light, fast, and competently read.

I really wanted to like The Bachelorette by Camilla Stein. the premise sounded promising, with a suspenseful setup involving a bachelorette party on a secluded island that goes terribly wrong. Unfortunately, the execution didn’t quite live up to the potential.

The pacing was off for me. Some parts dragged, while the big moments felt kind of rushed. I never fully connected with the main character, and even though she had her moments, I found my attention drifting.

I’m usually fine with stories that jump back and forth in time, but here it didn’t quite work. The past timelines were supposed to fill in the gaps, but I just wasn’t that interested in what they were revealing. It felt like it slowed everything down without adding much tension or depth.

That said, I did enjoy the eerie, isolated setting. It gave the story a nice moody vibe, and there were a few scenes that genuinely built up some suspense. I listened to the audiobook, and I think the narrator helped keep things afloat more than the story itself did.

It took longer than normal for me to finish listening because I just couldn’t stay connected to the story. 🥴

This ended up being a slow-burn thriller that didn’t quite stick the landing for me.

The Bachelorette Party is a suspenseful book, set on an isolated island, with a group of friends (or are they?) celebrating their friend’s upcoming wedding. As is typical with many Scandi authors, the pacing is just quick enough to maintain interest while still being descriptive. The setting is another character in this book and if you are in the mood for a dark, gloomy, island setting that still is modern enough to feel fresh, this book is for you.
The characters were overall well developed and I was surprised by many of the twists and turns. The ending was satisfying which is so important with suspenseful books.
The narrator was fantastic and easy to understand and lent itself to me speeding up the audiobook without losing the comprehension. I liked her overall pacing and performance of the dialog. I recommend this book for those who love a Scandi suspense story and a folk horror setting and those who like reading about female friendship groups and how they can go bad quickly.