Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for the eARC.

The synopsis to this one had me very excited. And, I love a good dual POV which was a great set up. I really enjoyed that we were getting two very different perspectives. I will say the ending was just kind of....meh for me. Just landed a little flat.

I was initially really interested in this book based off the synopsis however as the story went on, it took turns I didn't really enjoy.

The Wedding Party is told in two POVs, Carrie (the bride to be whose fiance turns up dead) and Andi (an FBI agent who was supposed to only be a plus one to the wedding)

I was excited because I thought how interesting to see someone be forced into investigating when they intended to just be a guest, I hoped it would give Poirot vibes. Unfortunately you spend more time learning about Andi's father and his questionable choices during his law enforcement career. I do enjoy when you get a peek behind the character to feel more invested however, I felt like it was too much, especially when it focused on people in Andi's life rather than herself.

Of course with Carrie, you could tell things were off when everything describing her seemed perfect. If we've learned from other thrillers, they never are, however it felt so obvious that it couldn't be ignored.

The conclusion also felt a bit rushed and like we just needed to get to it already after spending all this time learning about the character's histories. It was enjoyable but I would not say it would be nearing the top of my favorite thriller lists anytime soon.

“The Wedding Party” by L.R. Jones is a psychological thriller that will keep you guessing.

Told from dual POVs, the brilliant FBI agent, Andrea Castle, and a bride to be, Carrie, the story is jam packed with details.

Agent Castle attempts to escape media attention by attending a bachelorette party as her friend’s plus-one. Her plan for relaxation is immediately interrupted when the groom to be turns up murdered.

It’s a race to find the killer amongst the wedding party but with rich people, lawyers, and potential mental issues, will Castle discover who the guilty party is?

The Wedding Party follows two POVs, Carrie: the bride-to-be whose fiance turns up dead the morning after their joint bachelor/bachelorette party; and Andi: the FBI agent who was invited to the weekend getaway by a friend of the bride-to-be. Andi becomes the lead on the case and you are taken along in the journey to find the true killer.

While this sounded like an interesting premise, the story just fell flat for me. When it came to Andi, I felt like there was too much time spent talking about her father and his questionable law enforcement tactics of the past. We get it, she is her fathers daughter, but not her father. Also, I found the word play between Castle (Andi's last name) and her boss/lover Aiden King felt forced. I didn't hate her character, but I felt like the character development was a little shallow. It seemed like this could be the first book in a series that would follow along Andi's career and other cases. And if that is the case, I would hope that we can learn more about her and hear less about her dad.

When it came to Carrie, I felt like it quickly became obvious that she wasn't who you thought she was going to be. There was so much attention drawn to the fact that everyone around her said how nice she was, you could tell that things would turn out to be the complete opposite. The other part that really bothered me was the repeated use of the word belly. Carrie is supposed to be an ER nurse and she, along with other nurses, medical professionals and law enforcement officers keep using the word as well. That felt very unrealistic to me. I associate the word belly with children, so as an adult, the only reason you would say belly is if you are talking to a child.

The ending felt a bit rushed to me, as if the writer had a set number of pages she was aiming for and had to quickly wrap things up before she ran out of pages. While the story wasn't terrible, I probably wouldn't recommend it to someone looking for a good thriller/mystery.

Carrie and Oliver are celebrating their upcoming wedding with a type of joint bachelor/bachelorette party for a weekend at a haunted hotel. One of Carrie's best friends, Lana, asks her friend Andi to tag along as her plus one, and finally Andi agrees. Agent Andi Castle could really use a fun weekend getaway, after recently closing a particularly difficult case and dealing with ongoing issues with her partner. The escape that Andi hoped for is quickly turned into a work trip when someone from the wedding party is found brutally murdered. As the first law enforcement officer on scene, Andi quickly dives into cracking the case and finding out who among their group is a killer.

This is the first book I've read by L.R. Jones, and I was asked by her team to read this book in exchange for my honest review. I enjoyed this book! Carrie and Andi were both really interesting main characters and I enjoyed the dual points of view. Without giving too much away, I can say that I didn't find either of them particularly likable characters, but I enjoyed getting to know them and having my views of them change throughout the storyline. I was entertained by Andi's relationship with her dad, who is infamous in the law enforcement community. Her dad, Frankie Castle, a rouge ex-cop (I’m imagining Detective Elliot Stabler from Law & Order, seasons ago before he started following the rules) was an interesting character and added an extra layer to the book. Lastly, from the first page, I was excited that there was a dog in this story! But was selfishly saddened that the dog only had a brief cameo.

Once it was mentioned in the book, I was hopeful that there would be more involvement of the haunted hotel in this story. For a few chapters, I expected a paranormal turn (since the haunted rooms in the hotel were mentioned), but the story evolved well without this aspect. Another thing that I noticed was how many references there were to things that had happened in the past (Andi's job, situations with Andi's dad, etc.) that it made me question whether this was the second book in a series. After double checking, I found out that it is a standalone novel, and while the background information was entertaining, I didn't find that it added to the story and could have done with less of it because it confused me overall.

Don't read this if you're only interested in it for the setting. Yes, part of this story takes place at The Stanley Hotel. However, you'll get more history and atmosphere by reading the hotel's actual website than you will from this book.

The missed opportunity with the setting is my biggest disappointment, but there are others. Every criticism everyone else has given about this book - same. I almost DNF'd after reading the word 'bimbo' twice in the first few pages. The entire book perpetuates a lot of unhelpful stereotypes, especially about women. The writing feels lazy and unrealistic.

And yet, I kept reading. I don't feel good about being entertained by this, but I was. I wanted to know what the deal was with those weird boxes. Objectively not the best written book, and had some problematic content, but the mystery hooked me enough to finish.

Firstly, I would like to praise the cover of this book, which is very beautiful and made me want to read it. Secondly, I really liked the author's writing, I was trapped in the story to find out who the killer was, but my guess was correct and, for me, the ending was not surprising, but disappointing. The book has a lot of potential, but the ending didn't live up to expectations.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Told from perspectives of Carrie & Andi, I was left with my guesses of who the bad guy was with these two voices on different sides.

I was guessing who the murderer was, who had the most secrets. I was on the edge of my seat right until the very end & the heartbreaking conclusion. I finished it in 2 days. I couldn’t stop reading!

Thank you, LR Jones, Thomas and Mercer, netgalley & Kate Rock for my copy. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to the author L. R. Jones, publishers Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of THE WEDDING PARTY. All views are mine.

"𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤”— 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑠 𝑎 𝑐𝑙𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑎—“ 𝑔𝑢𝑦𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠 𝑡𝑜𝑔𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟. 𝐵𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑒 𝑚𝑒, 𝑖𝑡’𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝐶𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑜. 𝐼 𝑠𝑎𝑤 𝑖𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝐵𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑛, 𝑡𝑜𝑜. 𝑇ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝐺𝑜𝑑 𝐼’𝑚 𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘 ℎ𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝐷𝑒𝑛𝑣𝑒𝑟. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑒𝑛 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑛’𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑇𝑒𝑥-𝑀𝑒𝑥 𝑖𝑠 𝑘𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑟." Loc.249

Jones's THE WEDDING PARTY is a book about a wedding guest staying in one of the most iconic hotels in the American west– who also happens to be a badass female criminal profiler and investigator, who, it turns out, is the most capable person for the job when an irreplaceable member of the wedding party turns up murdered. Jones punctuates the tension with hilarious banter and subtle humor, like the dynamic between the two investigators. This one wasn't quite my style, but I recommend it for fans of popcorn thrillers and Olivia Worley.

“𝐴𝑚 𝐼 𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑦𝑜𝑢?”

𝐼 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑠𝑎𝑦 𝑛𝑜, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 ... “𝐼𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑏𝑒ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒.”

𝐻𝑒 𝑔𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑠. “𝐵𝑒ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑙𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑚𝑦 𝑚𝑖𝑑𝑑𝑙𝑒 𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒. 𝑆𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑠. 𝐴𝑙𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑡𝑜𝑑𝑎𝑦 𝑖𝑡’𝑠 𝑚𝑦 𝑎𝑙𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑚𝑖𝑑𝑑𝑙𝑒 𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒. 𝐴𝑠 𝑎 𝑏𝑜𝑛𝑢𝑠, 𝐼’𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑓𝑢𝑙. 𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑘 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑒𝑟. 𝐷𝑜𝑛’𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑦, 𝐼’𝑙𝑙 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑖𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑛. 𝐼’𝑚 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝐻𝑢𝑐𝑘𝑙𝑒𝑏𝑒𝑟𝑟𝑦.” Loc.3002

<i>This book for me is definitely a case of Booksta Made Me Do It! It gets good reviews over there, but mixed on Goodreads. I don't think Booksta had it right on this one! Jones's writing and story management are both subpar. This book is a popcorn thriller. Unfortunately, I'd probably get more out of it if I put butter on it and ate it lol.</i>

<b>Three (or less) things I loved:</b>

1. I just can't believe this takes place at The Stanley lol. I used to give the ghost tours there!

2. Love the "I'm Your Huckleberry" t-shirt, which becomes an identifying character trait for Brody. This is one of the better points of character development in the book.

<b>Three (or more) things I didn't love:

This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.</b>

1. The prose is rough. Sentences are choppy, word choices are odd, narrative voice is inconsistent.

2. For an inspector, she displays a shocking lack of understanding of human nature. The fmc isn't the only problematic character. The women in this are not great.

3. That is not how "bait and switch" works. The only thing worse than using an unnecessary idiom is using one in error.

4. It doesn't matter who's talking to whom, the dialogue is unbelievable, unnatural.

5. Wow, this book just stigmatized the hell out of recovering addicts.

6. The "my daddy killed someone while I was on the phone, but look at me, I'm fine!" thing is unspeakably wrong.

7. These characters are obsessed with weight and appearance but not in any kind of self-aware way that could be said to heighten this literature.

8. This plot is convoluted. I have no clear idea of what I just read. Worse than that though, I wasn't invested enough at any point to do the work to figure out what I was reading.

Rating: 👕👕 / 5 great t-shirts
Recommend? No.
Finished: Feb 22 '24
Format: Digital arc, Kindle, NetGalley
Read this book if you like:
🍿 thrillers
👰‍♂️ weddings gone wrong
🧌 the patriarchy
🍕 so much food

"The Wedding Party" by L.R. Jones is a captivating and heartwarming story that explores the complexities of relationships, love, and family dynamics. The author skillfully weaves together the lives of various characters, each with their own struggles and triumphs, creating a rich tapestry of emotions and experiences. The book is filled with twists and turns that keep the reader engaged until the very end. Overall, "The Wedding Party" is a delightful read that will leave you rooting for the characters and feeling a sense of warmth and hope.

Carrie and Oliver, a seemingly perfect couple, throw a joint bachelor/bachelorette party at the haunted Stanley Hotel in Colorado. The morning after the party, the groom-to-be is found murdered but luckily FBI agent Andi Castle is among the guests.
The prologue captured my attention. The short chapters left me wanting more and the many twists kept me guessing what happened. I liked that the book had two POVs of two characters, which added to the suspense. However, the end felt rushed, and we didn’t really understand what exactly happened. I also thought the recurring mentions of Andi’s father were unnecessary.

Special thank you to NetGalley, L. R. Jones and
Thomas & Mercer for the ARC of this psychological suspense thriller.

Very much enjoyed the story and characters - did not entirely see how all of the puzzle pieces would fit together in the end, but it was a good twist. Would recommend this book to others.

When I spotted this one, I thought - why not? It's a plot I see a lot but the cover is so fun and I've read from this author previously so I thought I'd give it a try. Sadly, this one just wasn't for me.

I was drawn in at first. I liked the package and the wondering what was going on. But from there the plot lost me. I felt the different POV jumbled. I hated that one wasn't labeled because I struggled to tell them apart - except when we were being reminded Andi was an FBI agent. Once we got to the daddy part of the story, I was just done. The conversations didn't feel real, I didn't like the characters and I just never became invested.

I wish I'd liked it more. If you do like mysteries with an FBI agent as one of the POV, you may still like this one. It just didn't work for me.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

This book was different than I was expecting. I was expecting a thriller and it was more of a crime novel. A crime novel with a thriller elements so it was the best of both worlds. My favorite character was Andi, the FBI agent. She knows how to handle people to get the information she needs and she doesn’t stop until the case is solved. The ending was not what I was expecting at all and it fit the book perfectly. A great read!!!

THE WEDDING PARTY by LR Jones (Lisa Renee Jones) is the second instalment in the author’s contemporary, adult, mystery-thriller, suspense series.

Told from several first person perspectives including Carrie Reynolds, and FBI profiler Andrea ‘Andi’ Castle, THE WEDDING PARTY follows in the aftermath of the murder of the intended groom. FBI profiler Andi Castle has been invited to a destination bachelor/bachelorette party by a friend but Andi doesn’t know the bride and groom, and discovers not everyone is happy with the unexpected guest list. A weekend to rest and relax ends with the groom-to-be’s murder, and Agent Andi Castle finds herself deep into an investigation with secrets and surprises she never saw coming. With everyone a suspect, attorneys begin to shut down the interviews, as Andi and her team dig deeper into the possibilities and back stories of everyone involved.

The world building follows several paths including the mindset of both Agent Andi Castle, and and the victim’s fiancee Carrie Reynolds. We are up close and personal as Andi struggles to remain open minded, while everyone else points the finger at the only potential suspect. As the story begins to unravel, Andi begins to focus on someone else.

There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters most of whom have their own story to tell. From the groomsmen to the bridesmaids, there is a history of secrets and possible betrayal leading to any number of scenarios for murderous revenge.

THE WEDDING PARTY is a story of secrets and lies, betrayal and vengeance, power and control, madness and murder. The premise is intriguing, dramatic and captivating but there was some redundancy and repetition; the characters are dynamic and desperate.



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GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6262802230


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What a great introduction to LR Jones! She is a new author to me and this book grabbed me and held me. The premise of a bachelor/bachelorette weekend provides the setting for murder. An FBI agent who appeared to be a peripheral character becomes the main character who is trying to catch a killer. This book provided intrigue, twists and turns and an ending I could not have imagined! I really enjoyed this book and will be looking for more of this author’s work.

I enjoyed this book a lot. The characters were well thought out and well written. The story was good, with plenty of red herrings and surprises along the way. It has some whodunit vibes of old. Fun read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this book.

This story held my interest all the way through. It’s Carrie’s and Oliver’s wedding party and things do not go well! There’s a lot of mystery, intrigue and suspense. The twists and turns just kept getting more interesting. The characters are interesting. Some are likable, some, not so much!! This is a great psychological thriller.

Thank you Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer & L R Jones for the ARC of this book!

This was a super quick and entertaining read. It was intriguing from the start and I enjoyed the multiple POVs and the slow burn nature of the hunt for the truth.

The characters were well developed and seemed as though there were multiple shrouded in secrets, so it was an excellent way to get us to suspect everyone.

The plot itself was great and I find it enjoyable when friends are suspected as Foes.

Overall this was an excellent read from this new to me author. It was twisted and unexpected with an enjoyable plot, great character exploration and a satisfying ending. I'll be looking out for more from this author in the future!

The Wedding Party was sadly very lackluster. I didn't find the story or the characters enjoyable whatsoever. The writing style was rough and it seemed like maybe the book wasn't ready to be published yet.