This book was fast paced and had a lot of events that happen where you have no idea what is coming next. As someone who is eloping this year I was relating to the designation wedding gone wrong (hopefully without all of the other added drama!). If you like murder mysteries, trying to figure out who the culprit is, and what is going on I think you’ll enjoy this book. 3.5 stars for me!

Oh my goodness! What a group of bridesmaids. When one is murdered they just choose another gal. This time it is a forensic attorney that is undercover. Who killed the bridesmaid and why? I don't think any of the bridesmaids are overly likeable. They are not a group of friends. This is a good story with plenty of drama to keep it interesting. I enjoyed the book.

This book is so full of intrigue and suspense that it quickly draws you into the pitfalls of the high-society life where nothing matters more than your social media clicks and your lavish parties, or wedding in this case.

When Adrianna, the rich socialite, gets married, everything must be perfect, from the destination to the bridal party and everything in between. Her father chooses her bridesmaids based on what they can offer the family, but this was only their first mistake. As the bride’s past trauma complicates her current wedding, things take a turn. Can this glitzy affair be successful or will it be doomed?

Once I gave myself over to the promise of adventure, I was addicted. I loved this one, I loved the different personalities of the characters, and I was shocked by the ending.

Thank you, NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the eARC.

Cate Quinn's latest thriller, The Bridesmaid, captivated me from the very first page!

This murder mystery, set among the ultra-wealthy elite, packed a suspenseful punch. When a bridesmaid turns up dead and the killer remains at large, Holly Stone is sent undercover to a high-society wedding weekend filled with deadly secrets lurking beneath its glamorous surface. With a bride focused more on aesthetics than on finding answers and everyone hiding something, Holly must unravel a tangled web of motives before she becomes the next victim.

The story delivered the perfect blend of eerie domestic thriller and cozy mystery vibes. The multiple points of view heightened the suspense and kept me guessing throughout. I loved the layered tension and the atmospheric setting that oozed danger and secrets.

I genuinely enjoyed every twist and turn! The Bridesmaid is another standout from Cate Quinn, and I’m already counting down the days until her next release.

This was an easy mystery and thus a fast read. Could have done without the romance between the MC and the detective, and I could have done without the extraneous POV. Overall, it was just okay, like a lot of mysteries currently published.

Not too bad, it wasn't really my cup of tea. Took a long time to finish, I just wasn't captivated in this one.
Look forward to see how the author progresses in future stories.

This novel is very mysterious and dark. It is a fast paced read, with both likable and unlikable characters. It is where a destination wedding went completely wrong. It comes with a diverse cast of characters and multiple point of views. I found it to be thought provoking, because I had absolutely no idea what was going to happen next in the book. It is set on a gorgeous private island! The wedding planner, whose name is Adrianna, plans the society wedding of the year. However, things take a sinister turn. One of the bridesmaids ends up being murdered.

The details of this murder were both gruesome and disturbing. A forensic attorney named Holly gets hired and goes undercover as a replacement bridesmaid. As the wedding day gets closer and closer, it is believed that one of the bridesmaids is the murderer. However, the bride is not letting anything get in the way of her wedding. Tensions begin to arise, secrets start getting revealed and we learn about the shallow friendships. This is a whodunnit thriller, that keeps you guessing! It comes with a big twist that I didn’t see coming! Overall, I rate this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley, author Cate Quinn and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark | Sourcebooks Landmark for this eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

I think readers that like to read whodunnit thrillers would absolutely love reading this book. Content warnings include abuse, death, murder and violence.

This book is expected to be published on November 4, 2025!

I always enjoy a murder mystery full of unlikeable and untrustworthy rich people, and this definitely fit that niche. I think the multiple POVs really helped to get every angle of the story, and they all still felt unique. Holly felt like a nod to Criminal Minds’s Garcia, which I appreciated. The short chapters made it a really quick, tough to put down read. I do have to say that the queer undertones being associated with “creepy” behavior stood out to me negatively.

This one pulled me in from the start. A thriller that’s not just about action — it’s about what’s under the surface. Twists that hit hard, tension that keeps climbing, and mystery that makes your brain work.

The detective and forensic work felt real and sharp, not exaggerated. It gave weight to the story without slowing it down. Every clue mattered.

What really stuck with me was the emotional depth — the story looks at family, loyalty, and trust in a way that feels personal, not just part of the plot. It’s psychological, smart, and intense all at once.

Easily one of the best thrillers I’ve read this year. It didn’t just entertain — it stayed with me.

Fast-paced, sharp-witted, and dripping with suspense, this high-stakes mystery plunges readers into the glitzy, cutthroat world of elite society weddings. Forensic attorney Holly Stone makes for a refreshingly grounded heroine as she's thrust undercover among a group of impeccably styled, deeply secretive bridesmaids—each with something to hide. With a murder to solve, a bridezilla to survive, and a wedding looming like a ticking time bomb, the tension builds with every turn. Equal parts thriller and social satire, the novel balances biting humor with genuine danger, delivering a deliciously addictive whodunit where no one is as polished as they seem—and the next victim could be Holly herself.

3/5 ⭐️

Adrianna’s wedding is the event of the year lavish, sponsored, and made for social media. But when a murder throws her perfect day into chaos, her carefully curated world starts to crack. Meanwhile, Holly, a forensic scientist, gets pulled into the case after the victim turns out to be her mentor. 2 very different women end up tangled in the same investigation, all against a backdrop of secrets, wealth, and drama.

This was a mix of slow and fast paced moments. I liked the contrast between Adrianna’s influencer life and Holly’s no nonsense forensic world. There’s also a third POV from another bridesmaid, but honestly, I didn’t think it added much value. I sped through that one.

It was entertaining read that kept my attention at times, but the twists weren’t all that twisty. It was alright, but lacklustre.

I usually read a book in 3-4 days. This one took about 10 days. Held my interest but was slow and dragging. The storyline was good but the book dragged and I felt it should have been shorter in length. Too much repeating. Still a decent book and worth the read.

Thank you NetGalley for my eARC of this book, the opinions are my own and freely given.

High society wedding where murders abound. Yes Please!
But this one didn't really cut it for me. Adrianna is set to be married; however, her daddy hired all the bridesmaids in order to control the narrative of the wedding. Then a lawyer who is one of the bridesmaids is murdered and Adrianna's fiancé hires Holly a forensic attorney to look into the murder. The wedding is then moved to a remote private island and things ramp up from there. I was just left feeling like something more was needed. Holly and the undercover detective had some undercurrents of a romance beginning while they were on the island. There was a girl's private boarding school associated with all the bridesmaid and bride (except Holly) that scandal brought to light.

I couldn't identify with any of the women; I couldn't even pretend to be in their shoes. I was not a fan of this one.

Holly is a forensic analyst recently relegated to working solo after a falling out with her previous employer when she is suddenly swept up into a case that's stranger than fiction. Just before a wealthy heiress's the wedding of the century, one of the bridesmaids is found gruesomely murdered and hung from the ceiling in a wedding dress. To find the killer, Holly must go under cover as a replacement bridesmaid investigate the other members of the wedding party before the killer can strike again.

I had many issues with this book. I will admit that I was not a fan of this author's previous release, The Clinic, but that one I felt beholden to since it was offered to me as an ARC. I similarly received this title as an early review copy, but I wasn't willing to put myself through this story. If I had realized that the author was the same as The Clinic before I started reading, I probably would not have agreed to review it in the first place. But, alas.

First of all, the dialogue felt stiff and completely unrealistic. How many times is someone going to call this woman hot? Not only did this repeated dialog feel unrealistic, it was just plain weird to read so many people objectifying this woman in a 2025 release. Writers simply don't write like that anymore because its dated and out of sync with how modern folks speak. I also took issue with the mega-bitch writing of Adrianna because, again, these kinds of one-dimensional characters are just crude and outdated. Also, woman-bashing is out.

I love a short chapter, but these ones actually felt too short and choppy. The author wrote a cliffhanger at the end of nearly every two to three page section, then would pick it right back up on the next page, but in a new chapter. Why? It felt almost like a gimmick - "Here's the carrot, dangle dangle, follow the carrot, keep reading." If the book is compelling, I'll keep reading regardless of the weird big gasp! moments at the end of every chapter.

The concept of this book was fun and I do love a good messy wedding story, but honestly, this was the nail in the coffin for me as far as this author is concerned. I won't be reading another of her books. Her writing style simply does not jive with me and I disagree with her choices on characterization.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a DRC of this title.

This was an enjoyable read, but it didn’t fully hit the mark for me. The story was engaging, and the plot definitely kept me curious. Holly, the main character, was the highlight of the book for me, however, I did feel like her character could have been developed more. I would’ve loved to learn more about her backstory and motivations to really connect with her on a deeper level.

The "mean girl" dynamic in the book didn’t appeal to me as much. It felt a bit too forced, and I would have preferred to see more focus on the other relationships and emotional depth instead of the typical drama. Overall, it’s a decent read, but it left me wanting more character development and less of the usual high school antics.

Super creepy closed door (island?) mystery. Makes me glad I'm not a rich girl. Very good, and I cant wait to read more.

Wow—what a wild ride! The Bridesmaid dives headfirst into the glamorous yet deeply dysfunctional world of the Kensington family, blending murder mystery with high society drama. With a remote, exclusive island setting and a quirky, brilliant forensic pathologist at the helm of the investigation, this book delivers twist after twist.

The story is packed with jaw-dropping surprises, although I did find that a few chapters lagged slightly between major reveals. That said, the eerie allure of Elysium Island and the tangled secrets it hides kept me hooked from beginning to end.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review—opinions are entirely my own!

I really enjoyed the Bridesmaid by Cate Quinn. We follow along with rich heiress Adrianna and her perfectly sponsored wedding…but what wedding isn’t complete without murder, drama and deceit?!

Crime scene forensic Holly is able to tag along to the private island owned by Adrianna’s family to try and solve the murders undercover…but she’s in for some big twists and turns along the way.

It was fast paced and fun to read!

Thank you to Cate Quinn and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of The Bridesmaid!

This was a great, fast-paced thriller. I’ve heard good things about Cate’s previous work and was super excited to dive into The Bridesmaid.

I love a fast start and this book certainly delivered. Adrianna, the rich daughter of a mogul, is planning her dream wedding. But right out of the gate you’ll find that the people surrounding her all seem to be keeping secrets. You don’t have to wait long for the drama and danger to kick up and that kept me on the edge of my seat. To be honest, this one was hard to put down. And the ending? The best payout. I recommend this one for any mystery /thriller lovers!

Thank you, SOURCEBOOKS Landmark, for providing the copy of The Bridesmaid by Cate Quinn. I loved the premise-who doesn’t love the trials and tribulations of super wealthy celebrities? The book didn’t live up to my expectations, although I loved Holly’s chapters and the shocking ending. I would love to read other books with Holly. The other POVs never engaged me, and the book felt long and slow. You will love this book if you like multiple POVs and secrets of the rich and famous! 3 stars