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.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper 360 for the ARC of this novel. This story honestly had some great potential. I flew through it pretty quickly waiting for the big twist. But when I got to the end and saw the acknowledgements page, I said “that’s it?” It was a promising book with a disappointing ending. 3 stars.

A perfect whodunit, with expert twists and turns, and a fast-paced story!

This was such an enjoyable book to read, and I actually read it in one whole sitting! This book is just super binge-able due to its mysterious story, classic mystery tropes, twisty plot, and perfect pacing. It is one of those books where you feel like you know what's happening but you actually don't fully know. Up until the very end, this book surprised me and it was just so addictive.

Also, all of these characters were very complex, and some of them were loveable while others were a bit more black and white. Clarissa Ann Lycnh was fantastic at making you dislike a character but also making you feel bad for that character, and it really played with your emotions while reading the story.

This book really achieved what I think is the best thing to have in a mystery book, which is an emotional ride. I went through a whole rainbow of emotions from anger to shock to happiness to confusion. It was really just expertly done.

SUCH an enjoyable and fun ride and I would totally suggest this book to any mystery lovers who want a fun but twisty book!

Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter for a chance to read and review this book!

As someone who was born and raised in south Louisiana, I knew instantly I needed to read a book about a Nola bachelorette party! Ohhh this as a huge miss for me.

First of all, it was WAY too short to have so many POV's. The characters all had the exact same personality. If we weren't told the differences, we'd have no idea they weren't all the same person.

This is picky but if you base a book down here, it will get judged when things are "off"...
Ma'am. There aren't "many" different kinds of gumbo. We have chicken and sausage gumbo and we have seafood gumbo. That's it. No others.
Also if you're going to use traditional last names, for the love of all things holy, have the narrator learn how to pronounce them. The "c" in LeBlanc IS SILENT. 🤣

The bachelorette begins on a Friday night; all six women are excited for a chance to escape their everyday lives. But then friendly rivalries turn vicious, and a game of truth or dare turns deadly.

Too predictable and I actively hated most of the characters.

I gobbled up this book in one day because I just don’t want to stop reading. I kept wanting to learn more about the characters and what happens next. Everything was so well written and flowed beautifully. Plenty of mystery and intrigue all throughout. This is a new author for me and I have a feeling anything else she’s written won’t be a disappointment! A great find!

The premise was quite compelling and the pacing tight, however there were some aspects that hindered the reading experience for me. For one, the POVs were quite indistinguishable, and the "twists" were predictable. There was also an overuse of the ellipsis to the point that it became a crutch.

That being said, it was an easy read. For fans of the genre, it will be run-of-the-mill but a well-done one, albeit predictable. For those new to the genre, or those who are familiar to or fans of Lucy Foley, then this will be a welcome read.

This is a fun and twisty mystery that is a quick summer read. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.