When this book begins, we have five friends (and a tag-along) who are heading to Camp Chakra for a vegan, alcohol-free bachelorette party for Tansy, the owner of a vegan cafe, and the woman who is about to get married to a man she’s only known for a couple months. This is definitely the typical “twenty years ago, something terrible happened and now the friends that are bound by a secret are back together” kind of book, which I think are overdone. The differences in this one are the characters and the dark humor they bring to the party.

Also at the camp, we have Saskia, an event planner/influencer who “married well”, Lauren, who’s in cosmetics marketing and unlucky in love, Dominica, a divorce lawyer, and Farah, who is also engaged, and is not too happy with this rushed wedding getting attention when her wedding is just weeks away. Finally, we have Eva, a content creator. She’s dating Farah’s brother, Joss, who also used to date Lauren. The women are doing some kind of hippie cacao ceremony, when Tansy chokes and dies. Then, more people start dying, and we are left to wonder why.

Yes, this book is cliché, and yes, the characters were insufferable (yet fun to read), but I still enjoyed the read. This is a quirky little murder mystery, and I didn’t see the ending coming. This isn’t laugh-out-loud funny, but it definitely has some dark humor and a lot of awkward moments that take place and add to the overall picture. 3.5 stars, rounded up for being the author’s adult fiction debut.

(Thank you to Random House, Kate Weston and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.)

The story of the book itself was intriguing and I liked the mystery. However, the writing was so confusing and difficult to track, as it moved from character perspective from paragraph to paragraph. I think having shorter chapters but each chapter being entirely one person's POV would have been a much more enjoyable read.

It also would have been nice to get a little more information on how the murders were done exactly... where did the toxins come from? How did it come about? The last kill in particular would have been nice to see more why/how it really happened.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for a review. This book follows a group of women who have known each other since they were about 4 years old and have grown up together in England. As you read through the story multiple people end up dead and it’s a journey to figure out who is doing all this. It becomes a game of who can you trust in your closest knit group of friends.

I enjoyed reading this book as I am a sucker for a good mystery/whodunnit story. This one was no surprise as the author captivated me early on in the story and lead me through different roads where I had thought I had figured out the ending but until I read the last page was completely wrong.

I would recommend this book to those who like feeling like they have the story figured out and can be surprised at the end when they don’t.

This books was a total mixed bag for me. It had me hooked almost instantly, but I quickly realized that I hated pretty much all of the characters. So even though I was pretty intrigued the whole book, it wasn’t because I actually cared what happened to the characters, it was because I just genuinely couldn’t fathom where the book was going. The ending caught me pretty off guard, and it felt a little slapped together because I couldn’t really see the breadcrumbs when I looked back. There were quite a few red herrings that just felt like “gotcha” devices. The book was also really crass, which I usually don’t read.
All that being said, the book was entertaining by virtue of being so absurd that you kind of couldn’t help but keep reading. Sort of like watching Jersey Shore or The Real World. Not people you want as your friends (as even the author points out in her author’s note), but stupid entertaining nonetheless. I wouldn’t reread or even want the book on my shelf, but it’s definitely going to be someone’s jam.

The first 10% took me a little while to get into, but once you get to the first hen do, things really start picking up. You get the backstory on all of the main characters through different timelines, but also through their own POVs. And even though the POVs change literally from one paragraph to the next, it's pretty easy to keep up with whose eyes we're seeing things through.

There are a lot of twists in this book, and I don't think I guessed even one correctly. I was flying through this book trying to figure out who had done what, who knew what, and who was using who. Plus trying to figure out what the heck the secret they all had on one another was. And honestly, all of these characters are kind of shit, but you also kind of just love them for the hot mess they all are.

Now I wouldn't call this a thriller. I'd say it's a murder mystery mixed with The Real Housewives. So if you want a mystery that's filled with frenemy drama, then this is the one for you. It was a super fast, fun read. No regrets on my part.

Thank you NetGalley, Kate Weston, and Random House for an early copy in exchange for an honest review!

Wasn't a huge fan of the perspective changing so rapidly in each paragraph, but I can see why it would be done- the thoughts were too rapid-fire for each hen to have their own chapters or paragraphs. Saw some of the twists coming, others not so much. Overall a decently entertaining book, and I'd recommend it.

You May Now Kill the Bride offers a wickedly entertaining twist on the classic whodunit, as a bachelorette weekend takes a deadly turn when the bride-to-be is poisoned. Author Kate Weston skillfully navigates the intricate dynamics of female friendship, revealing layers of betrayal, jealousy, and secrets among the bridesmaids. While the plot may feel familiar at times, Weston injects fresh energy with sharp humor and unexpected twists. Readers will find themselves engrossed in unraveling the tangled web of motives and suspects, making this a gripping and enjoyable read for fans of thrilling mysteries with a humorous edge.

I really didn't enjoy this one. It took me way too long to get through it. I had initially requested it based on the title and cover and thought the plot was interesting.

I wasn't a big fan of any of the characters, I felt that they were all a little self-centered and kinda mean to one another so I wasn't even sure how they were all friends in the first place. The switching of POVs mid chapter on occasion was a little confusing and I was often confused on who was thinking. I did think the plot was interesting, but it didn't really captivate me or keep me in suspense as some other thrillers I've read before.

I'm also from the US so some of the British language was unfamiliar to me so I think that's why I felt confused most of the time.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I thought I would really enjoy this. It had everything I would have liked. Secluded location. Death and mayhem. A tight knit group of female friends. Unfortunately I did not enjoy this. I couldn’t really connect to any of the characters and I felt that the mystery was a bit sophomore and I found it lacking.

3.5/5 ⭐️
A group of childhood best friends are at a hen do (bachelorette party) for one of them when the bride dies. It’s suspicious, and things become even weirder when another woman dies on another hen do. There might be a killer among the friends.

Overall, I liked the story here! I thought it was different and fun. However, I think there were issues with pov. It would change many times with a chapter without clear indications. I think it would’ve been easier to follow if there had been separate chapter POVs or even if they were clearly marked within a chapter.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A group of childhood friends gather again for a bachelorette party only for the bride to end up dead. This was my first Kate Weston book, and it was definitely entertaining.

I struggled at first with the writing style and the narration, but once you get further into the novel you get used to it. It jumps from character to character, and keeps the audience on their toes. All of the characters were over the top so you couldn't take them too seriously, but that was part of the fun of the book.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC.
A group of childhood friends gather again for a bachelorette party only for the bride to end up dead. This was my first Kate Weston book, and it was definitely entertaining.

I struggled at first with the writing style and the narration, but once you get further into the novel you get used to it. It jumps from character to character, and keeps the audience on their toes. All of the characters were over the top so you couldn't take them too seriously, but that was part of the fun of the book.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC.

YOU MAY NOW KILL THE BRIDE by Kate Weston is part whodunnit, part showcase of female friendships (or not) and just all around fun.

When five friends come together for a bachelorette party for a shotgun wedding, one of them ends up dead. Lauren, Tansy, Farah, Saskia and Dominica have been friends since grade school. Their bond was strengthened in high school when a practical joke went horribly wrong and the sisterhood vowed never to breathe a word. Lauren, a make-up marketing manager is barely scraping by and being strung along by Farah’s brother, Joss for the last five years. Saskia, an event planner who married up, has moved in to a more affluent social circle. Dominica is a divorce lawyer who sleeps around in an attempt to fill a void left from early childhood. Farah, who feels overshadowed regarding her own upcoming nuptials has become a bridezilla who is way over budget and looking for funds in all the wrong places. They all come together at Camp Chakra for Tansy’s rushed bachelorette party as she just can’t seem to wait to marry Ivan (the terrible) after only being together for four months. One of these women will not be at Farah’s wedding in a few months.

As the ladies mourn the loss, they must also rejoice with Farah and celebrate the wedding she’s been planning for months. How could Tansy be so rude as to upstage Farah’s meticulously planned celebration? As the body count continues to rise, secrets are revealed and suspicion is cast on each of the women. Will Farah‘s big day even come to fruition?

I really enjoy the author’s writing style. The banter between the women and the comedic undertones made me feel as if I was in the midst of these women. I laughed. I cringed. And I just kept reading. I had to remind myself that I couldn’t stay with them all day as I had other things to do. This is my first Kate Weston novel however, it will not be my last.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

A wedding themed thriller where the bride to be winds up dead. Full review to come soon but unfortunately I’m still working on this one.

I wanted more, more thrilling times and more on the edge of my seat. It was a decent read but it didn’t hold me in. The book started off slow and i think that’s what killed it for me.

Five friends have been tight since they were girls. Now, one of them is getting married. Technically, two of them are but this book focuses on the first wedding, Tansy's. Mainly because the hen party is about to go off the rails.
It starts off bad enough that Tansy has a new influencer, ahem, "content creator" friend. Plus, she's gone all vegan in the last few years so her bachelorette is at a retreat that has no alcohol, no sugars, and nothing that makes a party fun. Plus, the five friends all have secrets including one big one. Tansy is particularly stressed because she is being blackmailed. She's not sure why. Or, to be more specific, she's not sure which one of her secrets is going to be exposed. Of course, it could be worse. She could be dead. And that's exactly what happens. But she's not the last to die...
There were so many arch comments that were dropped at the end of chapters. I felt like I was reading a serial radio show... but find out what happens in the next chapter! This was definitely fairly clued and the end was a bit over the top but a good story.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out May 14, 2024
ARC kindly provided by Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Love, marriage, friendship, blackmail, and murder are all present in this mystery. 5 childhood friends reunite for a bachelorette party, and one of them ends up murdered. This book had lots of little secrets and surprises from all of the friends, and it becomes apparent very quickly that everyone is holding something back from the others. The pacing was great, with a few flashbacks sprinkled in to reveal more background on each friend and info about a shared secret from their earlier years. The characters were all a little awful, and the author was great at developing them just enough to make them sympathetic then exposing their secret motivations and scandals. I really liked a lot of the dialog between the friends as well. 4 stars, would totally recommend to others like me who enjoyed books like The Guest List by Lucy Foley and One by One by Ruth Ware.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing this book, with my honest review below.

You May Now Kill the Bride was far more twisty than I anticipated and had me giggling at moments I didn’t anticipate (and may not have been appropriate). While we follow some truly terrible women as they get married or support each other in their journeys to wedding or through marriage, the heart of this book is really about murders of the bride(s) and what some unknown person may know about their pasts… though they can’t be sure which particular secret they’re killing for.

A lighter mystery but by no means one that won’t grab your attention, I hated the women but loved reading this.

Kate Weston has written a wickedly funny thriller full of plot twists and dark humor. When a getaway weekend bachelorette party ends with a dead bride, the remaining friends all start suspecting each other. Close friends since childhood, all the women have secrets, resentments and motives.The plot kept me guessing and the dark humor and snide conversation kept me laughing. Weston shows that sometimes your oldest friends are not necessarily your best friends.

Five women who have been friends since grade school find themselves chased by one death after another as they celebrate the days leading up to the weddings of two of their group. But their friendships aren't as close as they'd like to pretend after years of slights, growing up, and growing apart, and things get tense as the secrets start piling up and boiling over.

Some friendships should just be left to fade into good memories, but the women in this book have more than just the years of friendship bringing them together. And while it does not make for good relationships, it definitely makes for riveting reading. There were moments when I really disliked a particular character but then understood her feelings and liked her again, only for them to then do something else that was truly awful. It makes it so that you can't truly trust any of the women while also wanting all of them to make it to the end.

Kudos to Weston for keeping me guessing all the way to the end and a truly brilliant red herring that had me completely fooled. It's not often a mystery manages to keep me guessing and I honestly did not expect the ending to this one.

My one complaint is that the description and some of the reviews kept saying how funny it is and I honestly didn't think it was funny. It's interesting and emotional, but not something to pick up if you're looking for a laugh.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and Random House Trade Paperbacks for the twisty read!

Lauren, Saskia, Dominica, Farah and Tansy have been best friends since they were kids, but as adults their lives have taken them in different directions and their friendship is strained. When Tansy dies on her bachelorette weekend from a poisoned drink, all the bridesmaids become suspects. They continue to find themselves at the center of suspicious death and with each of them keeping secrets, it’s hard to know who to trust.

This book was definitely a wild ride and every time I thought I knew for sure who the killer was, a new twist would come and I was very wrong. This book gave me Pretty Little Liars vibes mixed with the pettiness of Mean Girls and I loved it. These were characters I loved to hate and could see motivation for every single one of the friends, but even disliking the characters as much as I did, I was hooked. Anyone who loves a murder mystery wrapped in a bit of humor (which I am so here for that trend) will enjoy this book!

Thank you to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the advance copy.