When the groom dies at a destination wedding in Miami, everyone is a suspect. I loved Hendrick's first book and in this one she delivers another fast-paced and twisty page-turner, packed with secrets and suspects. It kept me guessing whodunnit until the very last page! Total binge-read and I recommend it to anyone who loves thrillers, especially locked room ones. Can't wait to read what Hendricks writes next!

I have mixed feelings about this book and struggled with how to rate it. There were things that thrilled me and things that irritated me. First of all there was an obscene amount of POV’s. I’m talking like at least 8. I understand why it was thought to be necessary, but as the reader I kept having to flip back because I was mixing up characters. Next all these characters had crazy secrets that were entangled together which to me sounded far fetched. I did like the general plot of the book and how it wrapped up in the end.

Trevor wants to propose to Fiona. He invites his friends to brunch and reveals his intentions. He needs them to ensure that Fiona will say yes to his proposal. If they don’t comply or step out of line, he will reveal their deepest, darkest secrets. They reluctantly sacrifice Fiona to save themselves.

This is only part of Trevors plan. His now fiancé Fiona has a very politically connected family and he is determined to weasel his way in. What better way than to marry into the family?

The friends reunite for the wedding. It should be a joyous occasion and they should be celebrating. Instead they are a bundle of nerves. The anticipation is killing them.

It is said that it’s good luck if it rains on your wedding day. However, these dark skies are only a foreshadowing of what is to come. A few of the friends have had enough and decide that they will not let Trevor control them anymore They plan to take him down

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Wow! What the hell I just read! The book opens at wedding ceremony where the groom shows allergic reaction what he’s recently consumed, dropping dead as his killer is watching it from the front row!

Then we’re introduced five close friends of bride Fiona: mediocre looked kindergarten teacher( I kept thinking why they keep their friendship with her because it seems like they don’t adore her too much)
Let’s briefly tell who they are:

Emma and Ethan dated forever, most romantic couple of the group, expecting their first child.
Dutch, coming from money, buried his head into charity works to compensate his father’s sins.
Veejay; nerdy one, fan of fantasy books, Emma’s bestie who always has her back when she was in deep trouble.
Allie, just divorced from his double aged husband, ultra smart, doing shady business behind the shadows( that character kept my attention and I wished she has her own book.)

When Fiona was rushed to move to Florida after not knowing much about her boyfriend Trevor first class douchebag Vaughn, her friends got a little worried about her insta love decisions.

And dear Trevor pays all of five musketeers visit, blackmailing them with their ugly secrets ( especially angelic Emma surprised me a lot) to come out. He tells them he’s gonna propose and they won’t have any objections unless they want secrets reveal.

The douche’s intention was obvious. He doesn’t adore his soon to be bride but he needs her political connections to change his life into different direction. As a security guard, he knows how to reach CCTVs, hidden cameras and a lot digital sources to feed him with more secrets of others!

Five friends keep terrible secrets which make them terrible humans which also make them good with each other.

I loved whodunnit mystery, short multi POVed chapters, cliffhangers, twists.

I wish I loved the characters a little bit more and I’m so curious about Fiona because when his soon to be husband already shared his past relationship with everyone in the middle of reception but we never see her and Trevor’s confronting ( of course she didn’t know he was related with those photos but at least we can see how they face this situation together)

I still think what all those five people in common with her from the beginning ( instead of Ethan: and I’m surprised he kept her in their inner circle) I found her so clueless and irritating ( can’t she see she’s marrying with a scumbag and if she had this decision to get over with Ethan, it would make her more pathetic! )

I guessed the killer with logical thinking. I knew what all characters could be capable of. So that one was the bolder to take matters into his/her own hands! So I made the right guess and high fives myself!

Overall it was fast and unputdownable, riveting read I devoured in one sit even though it was lack of likable characters!

So I’m giving my four entertaining murder mystery- whodunnit wedding crime stars!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

I absolutely love this thriller. It is really captivating story that draws you in from the beginning and just really take you along for the ride. I really enjoy the setting and the characters as well. Highly recommend!

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

I loved this one. Very fast paced, had me turning pages as I tore through it – I had to see how it would end. The characters were well rounded and the narrative felt believable. Gave me chills. Solid five

Trevor Vaughn, the groom in question, wooed his bride-to-be by first becoming close with her friends—which is to say that he learned all of the five’s darkest, most dangerous secrets and blackmailed them into convincing Fiona to say “I do.” The friends were forced to convince a doubting Fiona to go through with the wedding, no matter what, and now the charade is set to continue all the way to the altar. Trevor has his own reasons for wanting to marry into Fiona’s family, and he’ll stop at nothing to make his plan a reality. But when he dies of an apparent allergic reaction at the wedding, surrounded by such close enemies, the possibility of murder isn’t far behind. And for the authorities investigating the case, anyone present could be a suspect.
Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for giving me an advanced copy.

You NEED to read this book!!! Sometimes I say that a book grabbed me by the face and didn’t let go… This book grabbed my wrists, my throat, my face, and my hair! I can’t remember the last time I read a book in one sitting! I loved how there are little WTF moments dropped like bombs throughout the entire book until the final explosion at the end that I did NOT see coming! This was my most anticipated book of 2022 and I’ve never been so excited to get to read a book! I was nervous that it might not live up to my high expectations but it was even better than I thought it would be! I DEVOURED it in less than 5 hours! I loved some characters and I even loved the characters that I think we are meant to hate in the end. Hey, everyone is flawed, right??? Except Trevor. Oh my gosh I hated that guy. Every single character has a seriously jacked up secret and he is a wretched human being for blackmailing them! But really… is there a secret so bad that would be worth killing him to keep it hidden??? I loooooooved finding out each of the secrets as the dropped like bombs throughout the book! I’m so obsessed with Hendricks’ writing style and I’m already jonesing for her next book! I wish I could get amnesia and forget this entire book so I can read it again for the first time! I’m so jealous of you jerks who haven’t read it yet! 87 zillion flaming stars from me so I’m smashing that 5 star button over and over!!! If there’s one book you buy this year, THIS needs to be it!!!