@bookwormdanii ⭐️ BOOK REVIEW ⭐️
The Wedding Party by LR Jones
My Rating: 2/5 ⭐️

Review: This was a tough read. It was repetitive, unorganized, and predictable. It was cringey how the author portrayed women and idolized men in this book. The only redeeming characteristic that the author gave a female was Andi being an FBI agent, which was mentioned at least 5 times every page. I think a little research would go a long way when having a character be an FBI agent. Most of the time people that work for the FBI can’t tell people they work for the FBI.

The ending was predictable and included zero shocking twists. This book was a struggle to get through and truly not worth it if your a true thriller/mystery reader.

What a snoozefest. DNFed at 70%. A lot of dialogues and inner monologues of the FBI agent sounded so petty and unprofessional. I was rolling my eyes. The pacing was also terrible. Too slow of a read.

I didn't care for this one at all. It was the setting that first drew me to this book. I absolutely love the Stanley...but this plot could have been set absolutely anywhere else. Nothing in it captured the feel of the actual place. That could've been fine, but there was nothing else about the murder or characters or investigation that held my interest. Chapters switch between the bide-to-be and an FBI agent who was invited to the party as a plus one and if you don't read the name that indicates that it's switched or if you put the book down and pick it up again later, it's easy to go a few paragraphs before figuring out whose head you're in.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Thomas & Mercer via NetGalley.

Carrie and Oliver are the perfect couple, deeply in love and ready to host their dream wedding at the Stanley Hotel in Colorado. The celebration is set to be unforgettable, with family and friends coming together to share in their joy. However, the morning after the wedding, the festivities turn into a nightmare when murder strikes. Andi Castle, an FBI agent who was just attending as a plus-one, finds herself thrust into the role of investigator. As the hotel goes into lockdown and long-held secrets are exposed, Andi must race against time to uncover which secrets are worth killing for and prevent further deaths.

I'm giving this book a four-star rating, but I have to admit that I wasn't entirely pleased with the ending. The anticipation leading up to the resolution and the identity of the murderer left me with high expectations, and the ending fell a bit short for me. Nonetheless, I must credit the author for keeping me captivated throughout most of the book, especially with the detective, Andi.

Andi is a compelling character, and I appreciated the depth of her personality. Her struggles with commitment and her tenacity in pursuing the truth make her a great detective. Her unwavering trust in her instincts and refusal to take the easy way out were traits that added to her appeal. One aspect that occasionally grated on me was the repetition related to the stigma surrounding Andi's father. It came up frequently in interactions with other characters, and it started to become a bit annoying.

The setting, taking place in Denver, was intriguing. Even though I haven't personally visited the city, it's on my list of places to explore in the United States. The incorporation of "The Shining Hotel" was a fun touch, not necessarily crucial to the plot but still an enjoyable idea.

While the overall pacing of the book may be considered slow, the engaging writing style of the author kept me invested in the story.

A really suspenseful story about wedding reception which ends in a murder!
Luckily FBI agent Andi Castle is a guest, she tries to detangle secrets in a bid to find a killer.
I loved the locked room element of this story along with the tension and suspense I thought that this story had everything.

I really enjoyed this book. It was fast paced but still provided important details to work thru the mystery. I liked the quirky characters and would be interested in reading more books with them in it. Especially the dad and fellow investigators. It was also fun to "spend some time" at the Stanley Hotel! I don't read a lot of mystery and it kept me guessing until the end who did it. I will read more by this author!

Definitely unpredictable. This was a thrilling read. You will not want to put it down. You won't be disappointed with this one!

Carrie and Oliver. A couple completely in love and the hosts of a wedding to remember at Colorado’s legendary Stanley Hotel. This is Carrie’s fairy tale come true. Her fiancé, Oliver, is Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome; successful; and utterly devoted to her. Now family and friends have gathered to celebrate. It’s sure to be a wild night as the drinks flow freely and the fun begins.

But the morning after is murder.

FBI agent Andi Castle was just supposed to be a plus-one. This should have been a calming weekend getaway from what she does best: catch killers. Instead, Andi’s on the hunt again. The hotel is on lockdown. Secrets are being unearthed. And no one is above Andi’s suspicions. But which secrets are worth killing for? Andi’s forced to find the answers fast…before someone else dies.

Carrie and Oliver and their wedding party head to the Stanley Hotel (hello to The Shining) for their bachelor and bachelorette parties. When one of the guests is murdered, it may be lucky (though not for the killer) that one of the guests has brought a plus one who is an FBI agent. Andi doesn’t know any of these people, but she sets out to figure out whodunnit, and why.
Told in two POV’s by Carrie and Andi, the question is, will Andi figure it out before everyone is free to depart. What could the victim have done to make someone want him dead? I made my final guess at about the 50% mark and for once, I was right. I enjoyed the location and kept wondering if we would encounter any of Stephen King’s ghosts that supposedly roam the halls of the Stanley Hotel.
While I didn’t find this to be as fast paced as I usually like, it was still a fine way to spend an afternoon.3.5 stars.

This was a really good mystery where I didn’t figure out who the culprit was until the end. It centers on Andi, who is an FBI agent taking a weekend break at a joint bachelor/bachelorette party along with a friend. Carrie and Oliver are the engaged couple and they seemingly have everything going for them. When there is a murder, it becomes clear that there are secrets that someone would kill to keep hidden. Andi ends up getting involved, whether she likes it or not. I was worried this would be yet another locked room mystery, of which I’ve read so much lately, but it’s not like that at all.

Andi is a likable character- I initially thought that the dynamic with her dad was weird but it made more sense as I continued reading. The mystery in the book was sound- I kept going back and forth on who I thought did it, and the author threw in some very believable red herrings. The setting of the historic Stanley Hotel was a neat idea and added a level of creepiness to the whole tone of the story.

Overall, this was a really interesting read with a strong protagonist and a great mystery. I’d recommend to those who like mysteries and psychological thrillers. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A huge sigh from me. I really wanted to love this one. This book started off promising and I was hooked immediately (the first few pages reminded me of The Golden Couple, which I enjoyed). However, once Andi and Lana were introduced, my interest started to dwindle. I love a good thriller and in order for me to truly enjoy it, I must care about the characters. I want to be intrigued by their motivations, what drives them, and most of all I want to be proven wrong. Unfortunately, this book did not deliver any of that. The characters are one-dimensional and super cliched, particularly the women. In this universe, women are either A) a beautiful materialistic airhead B) quiet and mousey, clueless about her natural beauty or C) career-obsessed and unable to switch off to enjoy a party with a good friend.

Andi, the main character, is an FBI agent and if you didn’t catch that the first one hundred times it’s mentioned, you sure will know it by the end of the book. She is option C and is constantly portrayed as the boring, serious, and insufferable investigator that does not possess one thought outside of work. I also found the dialogue very unrealistic. When Andi is first introduced to the bridal party, the entire conversation that followed was purely about her job. I promise you conversations in real life are not like that. Every character was an exaggerated stereotype and I really struggled to care about Andi, especially about her relationship with her dad, which was hard for me to even read due to their achingly awkward interactions.

I won’t spoil the book, but because of the poor writing and one-dimensional characters, I was able to pinpoint the culprit very early on. This one let me down, I do not recommend. Thank you to the author, Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy so I can provide an honest review.

I realy liked this book... The end was realy surprising! Did not see that coming!
Carrie and het fiancé Oliver, hold a joint bachelor/bachelorette party at the Stanley Hotel in Colorado.
Andi Castle is a plus-one with her friend Lana at this party, and a FBI agent/profiler.
After the party, Oliver got killed, and everybody thinks Carrie did it... the question is, did Carrie do it?

I really enjoyed Andi and her dad Eddie’s relationship. It's a kind of love-hate relationship.. but he helped her really to get to the point to come to the conclusion..
I would like to know where the knife is, how the whole murder went down from the killer’s perspective. Other than that, it was an exciting suspenseful thriller!

The first part of The Wedding Party was a slow start, the story really kicked off once everyone arrived for the bachelor/bachelorette parties.
after that, I could not put it down!
thank you lisa and netgally, for the ARC..

I absolutely loved this book. Andrea Castle, is on a break from the FBI and is invited to go to a engagement party at a haunted hotel; with some incredible history attached to it. We meet Carrie , Oliver and the bridal party; except things don’t go as planned. When a murder happens and the bride might have done it; Andi, gets into police mode and works the case. This case takes you on different paths while trying to figure out if Carrie is innocent or not. With twists that make you question who did it all the way to the end; this book will definitely keep you turning the pages and wanting more!

I enjoyed this thriller, but I didn’t love it. While it captured my attention and kept me guessing all throughout, it sadly fell short during the final twist at the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars

Great story, fast paced and twisty. I was immediately engrossed and needed to know what happened. But the ending was so abrupt.

This was such a great book! I read it in one day! I would definitely recommend this book!! So many twists!

Holy. Cow. I’m not sure I have enough good things to say about this book! I was absolutely hooked and did not see the twist coming!! Definitely a fast paced thriller!

This started very, very slow. I also found it very long, and too the point where it could probably be shortened. I loved the setting and thought that was extremely unique, a wedding at the Stanley hotel. I didn't feel any connection to the characters and simply carried on with reading this just to finish. Although the ending did surprise me, I wasn't wow'd.

Ooof, sadly, this was a rough one!

THE GUEST LIST by Lucy Foley is one of my favorite mysteries, so from the premise I thought this one would be similar. However… I had a very hard time with this one. I THINK it’s because this was an early copy, but there was so much repetition of specific phrases/expressions from multiple characters, and the dialogue kept hitting me as pretty stilted. Andi’s whole world revolved around her father, which was weird and I think spoke of a lot of daddy trauma issues that weren’t really addressed, but his character was even weirder—extremely caricatured, to the point I couldn’t take the book seriously. Every single person in the story also made such a big deal about Andi being an FBI agent, and they all knew who her dad was too? I could buy maybe one or two people knowing, esp the ones in a related field of work, but even total strangers whose first reactions as to google her name and read all about her and her father was just… a stretch. And there were quite a few stretches here.

Sad this was a miss for me, but super grateful to Netgalley and the publisher!

I WANTED to like this book. Unfortunately, that didn’t quite end up being the case. Th story is incredibly repetitive- reminding the reader over and over again that our main character works for the FBI. Almost every paragraph has a mention of Andi’s dad who we don’t meet until the end and has a very small role in the book. I do think the intention was to foreshadow the ending and how Andi was going to end up like her father just like Carrie, but all it really ended up doing was confusing me and making me triple check that this book wasn’t part of a series because it felt like I was supposed to know and have some sort of attachment to Andi’s father. To be perfectly honest, I didn’t find myself really caring about any of the characters or about who was the killer. It took me much longer than it normally would have to finish a book of this length because I just didn’t have the motivation to go back to it. I think the idea of what was going on was good but something about the delivery just really fell flat for me.

I will not be sharing this review anywhere other than here out of respect for the author and publisher for providing me an advance copy of this book.

Prepare for a interesting "The Wedding Party," where FBI agent Andi Castle finds herself on leave after closing a case involving a brutal serial killer. Invited to a coed bachelor/bachelorette party by an old friend, things take a dark turn when a murder occurs. We also delve into the perspective of Carrie, the bride-to-be, as she grapples with insecurities about marrying into a wealthy family.

The beginning of the book captivates with its suspenseful introduction to the characters and their interactions with Andi, who senses something off about almost everyone. However, the story takes a downward spiral after the murder, becoming frustrating due to repetitive character actions. While I held on, hoping for a satisfying resolution, the big reveal left me disappointed and with numerous unanswered questions. The murder weapon remains unrecovered, and the significance of the secret in the box and its aftermath feels disconnected and lacking purpose.

One aspect that proved particularly irksome was the excessive mention of Andi's father. Despite his minimal presence in the book, he was incessantly referenced in both character conversations and Andi's inner dialogue, which became grating. Overall, "The Wedding Party" was an alright read, but not one I would revisit.