This was an engaging, compelling thriller. Holly was a really interesting protagonist and I enjoyed seeing the world through her lens as a forensic scientist. Adrianna was also very interesting to follow and I found myself questioning everything. The twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat and I did not see anything coming. Would definitely recommend!

There's a big lavish wedding planned and right before the big wedding, one of the bridesmaids is no longer alive.

I wanted a thriller that was easy to read and even though this one has multiple POVs, it was a relatively fast paced read!
I love that the main character, Holly, was such a strong female lead which is my favorite.
I watch a lot of crime shows and this book definitely read like a show in my head!

Loved the book, I had a feeling about the end but was constantly second guessing myself haha

This was an okay read. It seemed like it was going to be good but then it got caught up in too many twists that fell flat. There were too many characters to keep track of and we only got the POV of 3. Each character had a persona being developed but then all made left and right turns out of character--probably to try and build intrigue, but it was downright annoying. This novel really had some good bones but it just did not come together well IMO. I really thought this one was going to be 4.5 at least but it is 3, at best. The ending was very disappointing and sloppy--before going all Hallmark on the reader.

Adrianna, daughter of nightclubs owner, Leopold, is getting married .. but one of her bridesmaids is found dead a few days before the wedding. Super rich, and famous, Adrianna was kidnapped when she was 21 - for three days, and was a mess when she escaped. Mark Li, her millionaire fiance, just wants to keep Adrianna safe. Everything unfolds at the Kensington island where secrets are revealed. Really enjoyed the writing style and the characters. Wonderfully told from different characters’ perspective. A fun read! Go read it!

This was a fast paced thriller with multiple POVs set in a wealthy world. Adrianna is a heiress/influencer and everything about her wedding is for the cameras and sponsors. Once murder comes into the picture she must scramble to save her wedding day. Holly is a forensic scientist who gets pulled into the case by the murder of her mentor. These two women couldn't be more different. The third point of view was of another bridesmaid and I think that should have been completely cut out. This book was good as a quick read that keeps your attention but the twists were not very twisty.

“The Bridesmaid” is by Cate Quinn. This book has a number of short chapters, which made this book fly by when reading it. I loved the cover - as it - and the synopsis - really convey what this book is about. I really liked the main detective character - Holly - as she was quirky and smart. As I read this book, I kept thinking “this would be so much better visually than as words,” which isn’t something I usually think, but I think visually I could’ve seen the island and the others in the story. There are a lot of other characters, ones I cannot say I really liked, but this book proves that just because you don’t like characters it doesn’t mean that you don’t like the overall story The switching POV took me a while to get used to - as sometimes I fell rolling with one person’s take, that it took a few paragraphs to get into the new headspace. For me, this book was a slow burn one - and the tossed in red herrings and misdirections didn’t help with the pacing. Overall, a well done book, just not quite my cup of tea - though it did hold my interest.

You get sucked into this right away with a bridesmaid who ends up unalive dressed in a wedding dress. Holly Stone is brought in as forensic expert to try and solve who did it. The bride is Adrianna Kensington and she is masterly curating her wedding for all the social media to see and it must be on brand. Holly gets to be the new bridesmaid and is worried someone in the bridal party might be a killer.

You get plenty of different points of views to try and keep you guessing who is guilty. All the bridesmaid went to the same boarding school which seemed to scar them for life and added its own creepiness to the story. The bridesmaids we all there for their own gain.

The bodies start to pile up and Holly must follow the clues Simone left her to solve this before it’s too late.

*DNF’ed at 66%

The Bridesmaid follows Adrianna Kensington in the days leading up to her wedding. When she discovers one of her bridesmaids dead in a gruesome tableau mirroring a traumatic event from her past, Adrianna tasks her fiancé with finding a non-police officer to investigate. It’s great when men get involved with the wedding planning! Enter Holly Stone - a not-like-other-girls goth detective who also happens to be connected to the murdered bridesmaid. She ends up kind of accidentally going undercover to investigate and is immersed in a world of wealth as she’s whisked away to a private island with the other bridesmaids, who all attended the same mysterious elite boarding school.

This book switches perspectives between Holly, Adrianna, and another bridesmaid, and has a dishy feel with the boarding school drama. It’s set up as a whodunnit with the private island narrowing the possible suspects. I think this could be a really fun read for someone who is more into the plot than the characters. Unfortunately, for me, I couldn’t get past the character inconsistencies, and found the pacing too slow in the middle to keep me engaged. I also didn’t like the constant references to Holly’s style, “curves,” and lack of private school etiquette. It took away from the narrative for me.

I stopped reading it at around 18% because I wasn’t feeling it and then ended up going back to it, but I’m calling it at 66%. It just isn’t grabbing me enough to override my gripes with the writing style. Thank you to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review!

The cover is nice, and the synopsis is nice. The book itself was a very slow burn for me.

I found myself leaving and coming back, hoping things got better, but no. You could figure out very quickly what was going on and the rest was a slow go.

NetGalley/ Sourcebooks November 04, 2025

This was my first Cate Quinn read! The Bridesmaid truly kept me reading and while it may sound cliche, I really couldn’t put it down. I had many theories about what may have happened and who was responsible, but I was certainly wrong! This book kept me guessing as we approached the wedding day and the mystery continued….

The story was engaging but I felt it was predictable. Holly was an endearing character a plus sized heroine with a brain!

This book had a bomb drop moment in the very first chapter and from that second on... I. Was. Hooked. 😱 I could not put it down. There were so many layers to this story including murder, secrets, rich people problems, and boarding school drama/trauma! But even though there were so many elements in the story, it was so well written that it never felt overwhelming.👏🏼

This group of childhood frenemies reunites for one of the women's high-society wedding and let me tell you... the secrets start pouring out like Grandma's sweet tea at Sunday lunch.💅💀 I thought I had it all figured out a few times, but NOPE...while I was right about a few things, the ending had multiple twists that I didn’t see coming. 🤯 And on top of that, the author did such a good job of tying up all the loose ends and actually completing the all the afterthoughts of what happened next. 💪🏼

I loved this book SO much that when I finished it, I immediately grabbed another one by this author that had been sitting on my shelf and fun fact, it even got a little mention at the end of this one!! 👏🏼📚 . I already can’t wait to read more from this author!! 🔥🔎

I absolutely love the cover. It is what caught my attention and made me look at the book. The only likeable character is Holly; the other women are just too much. There are some good twists. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

4.5 stars for The Bridesmaid by Cate Quinn.

Thank you netgalley for the advance ebook copy.

This is my first book by Cate Quinn, and I can't wait to read more of her work.

Everytime I thought I had it all figured out...no, of course I didn't. The suspense kept me up multiple nights in a row until I finished reading.

Definitely recommend!

What a fun read! My first Cate Quinn and I found it to be a really enjoyable book. I felt transported to the Kensington wedding to try and uncover who was after the bride. The FMC, Holly, is undercover trying to figure out which of the bridesmaids is to blame. The only catch is she has twenty four hours and is on a secluded island swarming with aggressive security. I loved the mystery, but I did guess the twist pretty early on! I didn't love the romantic plot between Holly and Fitz—I wish we had gotten more background on them to make it more believable!! Overall, I'm excited to read another by Quinn!

Honesty, what girl does not like to read about some bridal murder especially when the story is peopled by wealthy, beautiful, and flawed characters. Can we glory here in the prospect of the 1% receiving their just desserts? Of particular interest to me was the forensic data. Not having a scientific background, I can’t say how accurate the author’s research was but it was fascinating.. The Bridesmaid is an enjoyable summer read.

“The Bridesmaid” by Cate Quinn chronicles the wedding of the century, exploring the fate of all attendees.

While the narrative may occasionally feel slow, I was interested throughout the story. The changing perspective in each chapter can occasionally cause some confusion.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and believe that readers who appreciate thrillers will find it equally engaging.

Thank you NetGalley & Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Well, that was odd.

This book tried to do way too much. Like I am still a little confused, and not in a good way.

There is an evil boarding school. Evil dad. Evil lesbian. Evil drug addict. Evil bride, evil groom.

EVERYONE'S A SUSPECT.

I was a little lost on the family history. Like it is a very tangled mess of weird stuff. I was like, ok, this is what happened. But I forgot that this other thing happened and this person is this and that person is that.

I think this book is trying to be feminist? Based on the ending? It is strange because most of the book does not write women in a Cool Way. Holly is #notlikeothergirls, Petra is sleeping with a weird old man, Ophelia is a CrAzY lesbian, Georgia is dark-skinned and will be described as such often, and Adrianna is a BONKERS entitled rich girl.

This book is not very eat the rich friendly. It is very rich people have problems too! Like nah these people are billionaires and their misery is exclusively of their own making.

Mark, dude, you gotta get out. What are you doing.

There are so many characters and I don't care about any of them. Wow Holly gets a love interest?? Cool definitely a relationship that makes sense and is natural.

The more I write the more I feel like this should be less than 3 stars. But I had a pretty okay time reading most of it. Just by the end I was rolling my eyes a bit.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

A solidly entertaining thriller with plenty of glitz and high-society drama, but it didn’t fully land for me. The writing was engaging, and I enjoyed the tense, atmospheric vibe, but the story felt overcrowded with too many characters and threads that never fully came together. The pacing was uneven, making it hard to stay hooked all the way through. Still, if you like twisty mysteries with a luxurious, over-the-top setting, this could be a fun choice — just manage your expectations.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a fun, easy, fast paced whodunnit with multiple POV's. I think it was well written some times it did feel rushed.

3.5⭐️