Cate Quinn's The Bridesmaid is a gripping psychological thriller that delves into the complexities of family secrets, trauma, and the lengths individuals will go to protect their own. Set against the backdrop of a lavish wedding on a private island, the novel masterfully intertwines suspense and character-driven drama.

Quinn's writing is both atmospheric and suspenseful, capturing the tension of the isolated island setting and the underlying currents of fear and mistrust among the characters. The alternating perspectives between Holly, Adrianna, and one of the bridesmaids provide a multifaceted view of the events, keeping readers engaged and constantly questioning allegiances.

While the novel offers a compelling narrative and well-developed characters, some readers may find the pacing uneven at times. However, the intricate plot and unexpected twists make The Bridesmaid a standout in the genre of psychological thrillers.

In conclusion, The Bridesmaid is a captivating read that combines elements of mystery, suspense, and psychological drama. Quinn delivers a story that is both entertaining and thought-provoking, making it a must-read for fans of the genre.

a group of bridesmaids unite for a wedding. each one has a secret. when one is found dead, the secrets start to unravel.

I was excited to get a NetGalley eARC for this book because it looked like an outstanding beach read.

*sigh*

I can almost always find something to like in every book I read and this one isn't without its guilty pleasures. The premise of a billionaire heiress bride-to-be and her cohort of gorgeous, well-dressed bridesmaids traipsing around a private tropical island with a potential murderer on the loose? Sign me up! Fans of celebrity scandal, couture fashion, and the lifestyles of the rich and famous will probably find enough to overlook the absolutely absurd actions of the characters and outlandish plot.

We lead with our protagonist - Holly Stone. She's a Harvard law graduate but, wait! She doesn't practice law because she found she wasn't welcomed into that enviroment as a chubby (!), tattooed, blue-haired, nose-pierced goth girl who favors skull print dresses and ripped fishnets. So no boring courtroom for her, no no! She is living her best life as a "freelance forensic consultant." This apparently entitles her to whip out her "ID" (presumably a drivers license since she isn't law enforcement) invite herself into active crime scenes, access police evidence at will and carry out elaborate field testing with the spectrometers, fingerprint kits, coveralls, UV flashlights and host of other supplies that she conveniently carries in her backpack...along with D&D dice, pentagram charms and candles because, you know, goth.

All law enforcement, scientists, forensic specialists etc. are absolute idiots - but not Holly! She can quote obscure scientific facts, solve unsolveable crimes, disguise her identity and MacGyver her way through delicate experiments with complete ease. She also grew up fatherless in an opium den, a bizarre factoid that was delivered late in the book but never expanded upon. From opium den to Harvard - seems legit. There were so many mentions of the FMC being plus-sized, curvy, chubby, big etc. that it began to feel fat-phobic. The character of Holly Stone reads like an amalgamation of popular TV characters Abby Sciuto (NCIS) and Penelope Garcia (Criminal Minds).

If you can stomach a disproportionately large helping of suspension of disbelief, maybe this book will be more fun. I spent most of it internally screaming, "that's not how that works! That's not how ANY of this works!!"

I also found it humorous that the bride, heiress to a billionaire nightclub empire, was mentioned multiple times as having a 50k dollar wedding dress. Surely this is a typo for 500k? One of the arches of twenty thousand white roses (also mentioned many times) costs more than 50k.

On the plus side, this isn't a poorly written book. Despite the implausibleness of it all, it is very readable and fast-paced. The plot (and WAY too many subplots) and inevitable twists make about as much sense as you would expect. I think if you sort of know not to take it too seriously, it is an adequate beach read. Definitely not my cup of tea. 2.5 stars rounded down.

Many thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for allowing me to read an e- ARC of this book in exange for my honest opinion.

I feel like this story has been told so many times before… death before a big fancy wedding, who dunnit? This had some interesting nuances but overall it was just another of the same story.

Wow what a wild ride this book was!

Let’s start off with all the things I enjoyed about The Bridesmaid. The chapters were super short which made the book engaging and kept the plot moving along. I liked the different POVs of each chapter, I think it made the twists at the end even better. The main character Holly was interesting and fun to read about.

I was able to predict the ending which was sort of a bummer, when I’m reading a thriller I want to be more surprised. There were so many moments where you had to suspend disbelief about the cops and the choices they were making.

Overall it was a fun read and I’d recommend to someone who enjoys thrillers.

Yes!! This was a fabulously fun and interesting read! The storyline was incredibly well done and kept me guessing up until the big reveal. The characters were well drawn and some pretty intense. Overall a heck of a who done it with forensics thrown in for good measure. Looking forward to Cate Quinn's next one Highly recommend

The Bridesmaid by Cate Quinn is a gripping psychological thriller that effortlessly blends secrets, suspense, and razor-sharp characterization into one unforgettable read. From the very first chapter, I was hooked. Quinn’s writing is taut and atmospheric, drawing readers into the dark undercurrents beneath what appears to be a typical wedding celebration.

The story follows a group of women reuniting for a destination wedding—each bridesmaid carrying her own buried secrets. When one of them is found dead, the layers begin to peel away, revealing a tangled web of betrayal, trauma, and mistrust. The narrative shifts between timelines and perspectives, heightening the suspense and making it nearly impossible to put the book down.

Cate Quinn does an excellent job of building complex, flawed female characters who feel incredibly real. Their friendships—often fraught and fragile—add emotional depth and psychological nuance to the mystery. Every reveal is well-timed, and just when you think you've figured it all out, Quinn delivers another jaw-dropping twist.

I requested this book based on the cover!

It was a great book and very well written and was great for keeping you engaged!

The character build was great and overall great thriller!!

Would def recommend!
Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

This book was fabulous, keeping me guessing from the very first page. I tried so hard to pay attention to the evidence as it piled up, the way the women interacted with each other, and what each new POV change revealed, but it didn’t matter. I was NOT prepared for the reveal, and I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time. I loved the lush, tropical setting once they arrived on Elysium, all of Holly’s quirks, and the emphasis on forensics that really made me feel like I was working the case right alongside her and Fitzwilliam.

Tessa is a reluctant bridesmaid. That is the jumping off point for this slow burn thriller, and I enjoyed reading it over the course of a weekend. It has rich people with secrets who are behaving badly, a private island, a quirky detective, unlikeable characters to root against, and a main character who doesn't quite fit in to the life she was born to live. I enjoyed this for what it's meant to be, which is a fun story to curl up with, or read on the beach while sipping fruity drinks.

This book is a near perfect thriller. I loved The Clinic by Cate Quinn and have been awaiting a new one. Adrianna Kensington is the daughter of a rich mogul and is set to be married soon, but from the very beginning you start questioning- are the people she surrounds herself with who they seem to be? The story starts right off with drama, danger, and a killer on the loose. Rich people, a whiz of a forensic scientist, family secrets, a private island, a wedding, murder, twists and turns. I could’ve easily read this in one sitting and was surprised at the end even though all the pieces fit together once you get there. I loved this and makes me want to read even more Cate Quinn!
If you’re already a mystery/thriller reader you probably don’t need to check trigger warnings, but if you aren’t I would check them just in case.

This book was a fun summer read for me. I liked the premise of the bridesmaid’s death and proceeding chaos. The multiple perspectives felt like a strong approach to this story because there are so many different life experiences that lead to the character’s actions. I do wish that there was more background in what happened at school. Also, I don’t feel like the romance between Holly and Fitzwilliam was needed. But, the extravagant wedding scene and the murders were enough of a hook to make it a 4 star read.

It’s an enjoyable thriller that I read in a day. The ending I did predict but a good thriller overall.

This is one mystery that has several possible suspects, and it could easily be any of them, yet at the same time, you don't think it is any of them. It has multiple POVs throughout. The main Protagonist is a little out of her elements, as she is thrown into being a bridesmaid in the wedding of a Heiress and a millionaire Tech company owner. Neither of whom she knows. She's more of a 'nerd' than socialite. She works as a freelance Forensic 'expert' and is asked by the groom to come solve the murder that took place at the venue where the wedding party has been prepping for some of the wedding festivities, who he also suspects is the person who kidnapped the bride several years earlier (who was never caught.) I wouldn't say there are lots of twists, but there are some secrets revealed that take the case in a different direction. Each character has a secret of their own, plus the bridesmaids all have some secrets that they share from their past school days. You really can't figure out who-dun-it until the very ends. It's a rather fast paced story with not much down time. It reads easily and keeps you enthralled. No sexual content but there is a small amount of violence, and mention of past abuse. There is also a very light dusting of romance (not including the bride & groom,) but it's more of hints at possibilities.

*I received a copy of this book from Netgalley.

Let’s start with positives:

The cover is phenomenal, I love the off colour scheme that gives you picturesque yet ominous vibes all at once.

The synopsis sounds excellent, we have a big deal socialite wedding - the event of the season! And leading up to it the mysterious murder of one of the famously known bridesmaids. A detective is hired and given 24 hours to solve her murder!

Moving onto thoughts:

This is a mixed bag for me. Im not surprised i feel this way as I had the same experience reading “the clinic” by the same author, but when I saw the comparison of this book to “the unwedding” (a book I absolutely loved) I had to give it a fair try.

For me I kinda liked the detective I thought she had some interesting quirks and it was entertaining to watch her process. Obviously a lot of the characters are a little detestable and unlikeable but that’s usually the case and the whole point when dealing with the rich extravagant socialites who are out of touch with reality.

I think maybe this was just a bit too slow burn for me and with the POV continually changing every chapter without a deep rooted sense of who was who it just made the reading experience a little choppy and uncomfortable for me.

I’d say you’ll either love it or you won’t so give it a fair try.

Thank you for the gifted copy!


Publishes : November 4th

‘The Kensingtons invite you to the society wedding of the decade. There's just one hitch. You might not make it out alive.’

Yeesh. The Bridesmaid is told from multiple POVs and is heavily populated with a cast of juvenile acting adults. I found zero connections with any of them. Didn’t give a damn about any of the FMC’s. And that crushed my soul a little.

I found the attempt at colossal misdirection to be such a serious undertaking that ended up having very little payoff. Sadly, It didn’t work for me. In this case, it felt wholly overworked.
In the case of the characters, well… they were all insufferable & simultaneously, they were simply underwhelming. The lack of attachment was significant & discouraging.

Regardless, I am always grateful & I’m sure there will be plenty of thriller readers who will enjoy this.

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Pub: 11.04.2025.

Starts with an instant hook,I love when books dive straight into the action!
Cate Quinn sets the scene beautifully with vivid, detailed descriptions.
It’s giving Scream Queens vibes… but in the city and on an island.
The multiple POVs kept things interesting, and the conclusion was super satisfying.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Definitely not one of my favorites I've received for a review but I did finish this book.
I don't mind having each and every chapter in someone else point of view but I did find myself going back to the beginning of the chapter to verify which character was "talking" on a few occasions.
In regards to the mystery of who kidnapped Adrianne, I had it figured out less than half way through. I found the characters unlikeable but maybe that is what the author was trying to portray.
As far as the policeman and Holly trying to solve the kidnapping and subsequent murder, I found that not realistic. Perhaps having former jobs at police departments, I know for a fact that having Holly, a forensic attorney, involved with no contract or formal police training just was not believable at all.
In closing, I rated this book three stars. I didn't hate it but didn't care for it either.

I tried multiple times to push through this book and I just couldn’t. I can’t quite put my finger on why. The characters are forgettable, the storyline didn’t hook me, and the story itself just didn’t capture my attention.
Thank you to #netgalley for the ARC but this is a DNF for me

I was not able to finish this book. It was silly, unrealistic and the writing style wasn't for me. It's giving Lifetime movie a little bit? Thank you to @netgalley for my copy!