Rosalee and five others go to an eerie, creepy mansion in New Orleans for her bachelorette party. Weird things happen and everyone has things to hide. This was an amazing gothic read that I finished quickly. I can’t wait to read more by this author. Thanks NetGalley and Harper 360 for this ARC that will be rereleased November 14, 2023!

Six women on a bachelorette party weekend getaway in New Orleans........what could go wrong?
"The Bachelorette Party" starts right off with the murder of one of the participants. The weekend had been carefully planned, set at an amazing Louisiana estate with a dark history. Complete with servants, lush rooms, and plenty of pampering and partying on the schedule. The bride, her cousin, her best friend, and the grooms mother, sister & his best friend form a diverse group not totally filled with love.
This tale will keep you guessing and entertained with a twisty story.
I admit I stayed up late to finish.
Yes, I would recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley the author and Harper 360 for the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review.

There is a lot I disliked about this book, and I have a lot of opinions as to how it could be better, but I want to start with the positives.
The author has a fantastic idea! I love the drama, the plot, and who/how. But I don't like how it was executed. I would have done one quick intro with the detectives (why are they not named in that first scene!?!?!) And then told the story in chronological order kind of how it was done. Or, and I like this better, the story is told through each characters point of view, but in an interview like setting with the detective. So the reader feels like the detective and is learning things at the same rate as the detective.
My main point, good story, bad execution of telling it. Unfortunately this has to be a 3 star for me. It's okay, and wasn't my taste, but that isn't to say someone else won't love it.
I hope this review helps. Thank you NetGalley, One More Chapter, and Carissa Ann Lynch for the opportunity. I hope your book finds success.
Happy Reading and Blessed Be.
Lily Ashtree

The Bachelorette Party by Carissa Ann Lynch is a riveting murder mystery set during a bachelorette weekend in New Orleans. The story follows Rosalee, the bride-to-be, and a diverse group of attendees as their celebration takes a dark turn when a game of truth or dare leads to murder. What sets this book apart is its unique narrative structure, with alternating chapters from different characters' perspectives, and the clever use of police interrogations to keep the victim's identity hidden. Lynch's storytelling prowess shines as she skillfully develops each character and weaves a suspenseful and engaging tale that will keep readers guessing until the very end. It's a must-read for mystery enthusiasts seeking a thrilling and well-crafted whodunit with a personal touch.

I would first like to thank NetGalley, Harper 360, and Carissa Ann Lynch for providing me with a copy of The Bachelorette Party for my honest review.

The Bachelorette Party is about well, a bachelorette party taking place in New Orleans. The story follows the bridal party through their celebrations of the upcoming wedding, leading up to the death of somebody in the house. Throughout the book, you do not know who died, or who the killer is.

As I was asked to give my honest review, I will say that when I began this book, I did not expect to like it. I’ve always disliked the New Orleans/Mardi Gras theme or aesthetic so when the setting of New Orleans was presented, I lost a bit of interest.

The story drew me in, learning about each member of the Bachelorette party, their secrets, and their lives. The author left off each chapter with a cliff hanger, making you want to continue reading.

I’ve read a lot of books where there’s a murder, and the entire book is describing the lives of the suspects and their motives for the murder until eventually the killer is revealed, and I’m generally disappointed because I am able to guess the killer about halfway through the book. However this book was different, not only did we not know who died, but even when it was revealed, every guess I had for who the killer was, was incorrect.

I am guilty of judging a book by it’s cover, so I was not immediately drawn to this book, but I’m grateful I was given the opportunity to read this book, as I was pleasantly surprised. I love when a book is able to surprise me, and when a mystery is able to stump me. This book is a great read and I would absolutely recommend you read it.

I flew through this one. I think it was a great who done it thriller that had you on the edge of your seat for most of the book. Carissa Ann Lynch does an amazing job of pulling you into the drama that's unfolding. Having a bachelorette party in one of the best party cities in the US, New Orleans, is bound to be fun. For Rosalee, the bride-to-be, it's a night she won't ever forget. With her eclectic entourage, this party of six is in for a big surprise and one of them doesn't get out alive.

I truly loved the suspense in this book. It was narrated in multiple POV (which is my favorite) but each chapter revealed a little bit more and a little bit more. The characters in the book, the bride-to-be, the best friend, the cousin, the mother-in-law, the sister-in-law and the groom's friend had such complicated development, it was fantastic. Each of the characters were likeable and unlikeable in their own ways and I really enjoyed the twists and turns all the way through to the last page. If you like a fast-paced thriller with some good twists, I definitely recommend picking this one up in November!

Thank you NetGalley, Harper 360, One More Chapter and Carissa Ann Lynch for the eARC of The Bachelorette Party in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date for The Bachelorette Party by Carissa Ann Lynch is 14 November 2023 (the day after my birthday peeps).

Rosalee isn’t as excited as she should be for her bachelorette getaway. Her future mother-in-law and sister-in-law are in attendance and they have made no secret of their disapproval of her. The fact that her soon-to-be husband’s female best friend is along doesn’t help things. But she will have her cousin Tinsley and her best friend Mara who planned the event. What should be a good time is secrets, suspicion and dangerous pranks. And then one night the lights go out and someone is dead.

It’s one of those stories where you start with a detective at the scene of the crime right before going to interview the suspects in the case. Then you rewind back to how we got here and try to figure out who was killed and why. Was it the mean mother-in-law? The troubled sister-in-law? The groom’s childhood friend who has secrets? The cousin tricked into paying for the extravagant affair? The best friend who cares so much about the bride. Or is it the bride herself who is suspicion and may harbor dark secrets of her own?

It’s a quick read and an ok story there’s a tiny twist at the end. It wasn’t bad but also wasn’t anything too special. There was really no suspense or thriller elements to it just a mystery where the murder all happens off screen so you just hear about it afterwards. Most of the book is just telling what happened really. All in all this was just ok.

The layout of this book was great. I like how the author told it from the point of view of each character and was able to clearly show the personalities of each. The author revealed nothing until the end. There was a perfect amount of detail and storyline.

Wow. Just wow! This locked room mystery was such a great gripping thriller that left me surprised by the ending. 6 star read if I could. If you like thrillers you have to read this page turner.
I just reviewed The Bachelorette Party by Carissa Ann Lynch. #TheBacheloretteParty #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

Six Women, One Body.

The Bachelorette Party follows the different POVs of the six women attending a Bachelorette party in New Orleans. When their fun weekend turns deadly, Detective Smalls must find out what woman is the killer. Each woman has their secret, but what secret leads to this deadly encounter?

I enjoyed this fast paced mystery. Although this book is under 200 pages, it didn’t feel rushed or completely obvious. The ending left me satisfied but there was a twist at the end I didn’t see coming. This is the first time I have read a book from Carissa Lynch and I am excited to read some of her other work.

The Bachelorette Party comes out on November 14th!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper 360 Publishing for the opportunity to review The Bachelorette Party. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgally for the ARC. Enter New Orleans, enter the bride, the best friend, the cousin, the mother in law, the grooms friend, what could go wrong? There's secrets and resentments. No one likes or trust anyone. The story was well written but I just didn't like any of the characters. And then the ending...

Review

This story itself was very mid and almost unforgettable for me. I was expecting bigger secrets, more cutthroat energy from characters that despise each other in some way. The writing started a little dry to begin with & it took me some time to fully get into.

With the book being set in New Orleans, I was expecting the story to be more mystical and much darker. Also, I feel like the setting could have been creepier if it was set in the LaLaurie Mansion.

I very much wish this book was longer - it would’ve added more character development and fleshed out motives. It all seemed too rushed and convoluted to keep the mystery of the murderer a secret.

What irked me about Chapter 17 is that Elizabeth grabbed a bottle of Pinot Noir from the fridge & sets it on the “sleek quartz countertop” just to be magically holding the bottle a couple paragraphs later when Elizabeth is scared by Tinsley’s sudden appearance from the butler’s pantry.

The groom’s job as a prominent lawyer was a too perfect way to end the book (as he’s able to represent the murderer/accomplice pro bono) to “nicely tie up” the story and give it a happy ending.

I also despise that the Monster-In-Law went from being cruel and heartless towards the Bride-To-Be to suddenly being a loving, adoring mother-in-law in the blink of an eye on the wedding day. Also, how can she NOT know Rosalee is pregnant on her wedding day WHEN SHE PUTS HER MIL’S HAND ON HER ROUNDED BELLY?!

Lastly, readers are meant to despise most of the characters, and I did - just not in the “love to hate them” way Lynch seemed to want.

I found the characters obnoxious and annoying.
✨Rosalee’s not despicable but she refuses to stand up for herself, call people out when they’re being obnoxiously shitty, and refuses to tell her husband a secret about her past (which, plot twist was just a lie she told herself that she eventually convinced herself was true).
✨The rest of the girls in the bachelorette party group were just self-centered, conceited, and at each other’s throat.
- Mara and Tinsley were petty and childish with the party planning.
- Elizabeth and Bri were obnoxious with their “better than you” attitude towards Rosalee for the sole purpose that Rosalee was not Georgia.
- I was supposed to sympathize with Georgia over her struggles and the fact she only saw the groom as a best friend. Her “I’m just a happy go lucky perfect yoga influencer” exterior was just over the top.

I did notice a few grammatical errors throughout the story. Hopefully, these were corrected between the NetGalley version and the official/published version.
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Summary

6 women head to New Orleans for the weekend & only 5 make it out alive.

The scene: A beautiful Greek Revival mansion in the heart of New Orlean’s Garden District. Magical plans include some spa time, makeup artists, authentic/famous New Orleans food, and a night out on Bourbon Street.

The women:
✨ Rosalee: The lovely Bride-To-Be with a dark secret about her past that not even her fiancé knows.
✨ Tinsley: The estranged literature-loving cousin who’s weird and resentful. She spends the entire trip so close to punching The Best Friend in the face.
✨ Mara: The best friend who’s bossy, bitchy, and protective of Rosalee against her toxic soon-to-be in-laws. With her own financial issues remaining a secret, she shoves the expensive party onto Tinsley.
✨ Elizabeth: The Monster-In-Law who makes it known she despises her soon-to-be daughter-in-law. She’d do anything to have her son marry his childhood best friend. But that’s not her only secret. Why are her two kids (both adults) so upset by what she’s hiding?
✨ Bri: The pretensions, rude, and highly judgmental Sister-In-Law dealing with her demons using alcohol and anti-anxiety medication. What could this computer guru be hiding?
✨ Georgia: The absolutely gorgeous best friend of the groom. Is she having an affair with her childhood best friend? Why is he paying a monthly membership at her failing yoga studio?

A Surprising Sixth Suspect: Delfina: The Landry-Leblanc Mansion’s head help. Would her dedication to this eerily (and possibly haunted) mansion lead her to take things too far?

This intriguing mystery follows the bachelorette party up until a few hours before the murder. Follow along with the detective to piece together what happen, who did it, and why.

I have to start by saying I love thrillers written in the style that Carissa chose here. The point of view from each person involved helps open up the story and give us an insight to what each person is thinking and you get to see their secrets revealed in a more intimate manor.
The pacing of the story was fantastic, I had a hard time putting it down as you see each persons secrets and lies come to light,
The cousin, the best friend, the grooms best friend, the sister in law, the mother in law and the bride.
There are a ton of thrillers about Bachelorette parties gone wrong but I could not put this one down when I started reading it.
I won't be posting any spoilers but you'll stay hooked from start to finish as you have to question who each person really is when their secrets come out. You'll start out liking someone only to realize they really weren't who you thought they were.
I haven't read any books by Clarrisa Ann before but she definitely gained a new fan with this book, excellent work!
Thank you Clarissa and Net galley for allowing me to arc read this wonderful book.

The Bachelorette Party is everything you hope your party wouldn’t become. Told by 6 different viewpoints, the story evolves as you can see each person’s perspective leading up to and after the murder of one of the girls. This book was twist and I never expected how it all wrapped up! #TheBacheloretteParty #NetGalley #Harpercollins360

I really enjoyed this quick and fun read. Not sure if this falls under “cozy mystery” but that’s what it seemed like to me. The different perspectives were entertaining and interesting to follow. I loved the setting (New Orleans), the premise (a bachelorette party), and the cast of characters (women with complicated relationships who may or may not hate each other).

A bachelorette party with a group of women who have mixed feelings about being there and each other… what could go wrong? A lot obviously.
This unfortunately fell flat for me as I felt I had this “story” quite a few times before.
You have Rosalee, the bride, Mara, the brides best friend, Tinsley, cousin and then the “I don’t want to be there crew” Elizabeth, future Mother in law, Bri, future sister in law, and Georgia, the grooms friend. Each chapter is told my their POV. This is because the story starts out the bachelorette party weekend in New Orleans with a murder, but you don’t get the details.

Unfortunately I guessed early on what happened and to be honest most of the characters were unlikable. The chapters were short and it was a quick read. Perhaps with more character development I would have felt more of a connection, but I still couldn’t get past that I had read this “story” too many times before to be shocked.

Thank you to the Author, Netgalley, and Harper 360 for the ARC

I enjoyed the growth that the main character, Rosalee, showed throughout the book. I enjoyed seeing the interplay between the personalities in the book. I enjoyed reading this book and couldn't put it down.

A drama filled Bachelorette party turned murder mystery. The book held my interest but while the author did a great job telling the story from multiple POV'S, there was just way too many.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Harper360 for letting me read this book.This is a clever ‘locked room’ mystery with an interesting cast of characters who all have something to hide.

This mystery had good pacing, a gothic setting, and a cast of unlikeable characters. I would recommend this book for people who are fans of books like Ruth Ware's The Lying Game and Lucy Foley's The Hunting Party. I liked that we also got glimpses of the detective's thought process and background as she put the pieces together.