DARK comedy that reminded me of Finlay Donovan but even crazier and definitely seedier. Fun and funny, and I couldn’t stop turning the pages! There are pretty much no likeable characters here and everyone has something to hide. The mystery was fine, the reveal was good, but the dynamics between these 5 friends are what keep you reading!

3.5/ This was a fun thriller/mystery, for sure. I definitely didn't anticipate as many murders as there were in the lead up to the wedding(s) and was surprised by the ending. It's a fun, easy read, but I didn't find myself as hooked as I hoped. The main characters are quite flawed, which is necessary for the suspense until the end, but makes it harder to feel connected to their plight.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the eARC!

This is a decent, summery, darkly humorous story with lots of drama, dead bodies, and snark. I enjoyed the full history of the women's long friendships and the twists along the way to the end.

You May Now Kill the Bride was tge thrilling adrenaline run I needed between the pages of a book ! I'm so grateful to have tge opportunity to read this ..... definitely worth recommending .

This book was actually insane the whole time. The way the multiple perspectives were written was so interesting and I never saw literally any of the twists coming. It was so insanely messy and I loved it.

I wish Lauren had had a more conclusive ending, especially because compared to the other girls her story felt a little unfinished. Otherwise, though, the ending was crazy and so well built up to that I had a great time.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House for the advanced copy!

If you love the zany antics of Sophie Kinsella characters, but want a murder mystery on the level of Lisa Jewell, you need to read You May Now Kill the Bride by Kate Weston! It’s full of dark humor, snark, and over-the-top dramatics in the best way possible. This is exactly the kind of book that makes you giggle when you read, because it’s so fun and ridiculous at the same time.
This is the type of book with characters you love to hate doing terrible things to each other, which makes everything feel so much less serious. Are the women technically running from a crazed serial killer who could very well be someone in the friend group? Yes! Are they also all annoying and self-obsessed so you don’t feel terrible? Yes! Do they complain about a spiritual retreat bachelorette party EXACTLY LIKE you and your friends would? Also yes!
My only knock was the final reveal (no spoilers). I was fully in until we learned who was at fault, and it didn’t feel quite right. The pacing pushing to the reveal had my emotions fully ramped up, but the reveal lessened that feeling. However, it was still a big ending that left me satisfied enough to be happy.
This is the perfect book for two types of situations: 1) Anyone stuck in a miserable, never-ending schedule of wedding events this summer. I see you and I’m sorry, this book will make you feel so much better. 2) Anyone who needs a break from reality, and doesn’t want to turn on Bravo today. This packs the same amount of punch and hilarity as any Housewives could.
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Saskia is in charge of Tansy’s Hen do and enjoys planning these things probably because she owns an event planning business. This group of friends have been besties since they were little. Tansy is marrying Ivan after a short time knowing him and her friends don’t like him and think she is making a mistake. They are headed to Camp Chakra retreat in the woods where there will be no phones, no alcohol, and no sugar. Who said this was fun? But some of the gals got the Wifi code and brought flasks. Tansy is getting threatening text messages and is not sure what to do. When she ends up dead from an allergic shock, the friends don’t know what to do and who to trust.

Farah’s Hen do is the following weekend and she has been planning her wedding for a long time now. She loves flashing her big, beautiful diamond engagement ring. She has spent so much money on this event that she is seriously in debt but trying to hide the fact from her fiancé. She is becoming a true bridezilla. When Farah has her big dress sizing event, one of her bridesmaid ends up dead. But it’s when a third woman dies at her Hen do, things gets really bad. Yet another death only makes things truly scary for everyone.

This book is just a laugh a minute with lots of dark humor. A lot of Processo is drunk here and the woman all argue a lot and then forgive one another. I didn’t see the ending coming but it was quite good. Be ready for a lot of girly stuff with a chuckle or two and lots of shaking your head. Enjoy!

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

You May No Kill the Bride had the perfect blurb to draw me in, except it didn’t. I wanted to love this but it felt confusing as time’s especially with the time jumps to the past which I understand why the author added them in to set up the plot but it just didn’t draw me in. The humor/satire was corny and it felt dull. It just wasn’t for me.

I really liked this book. It was funny and chaotic and an all around good time.

I had a little trouble at the beginning with so many different characters trying to keep them straight but once I figured it out it was so good.

I loved the relationships between all the characters and the way they spoke to each other. It was a good mystery without being scary and unsettling. The whole book I was kept guessing about who the murderer was and never really suspected who it turned out to be so that was a nice surprise.

I would definitely read more by this author.

You May Now Kill the Bride by Kate Weston was a funny, suspenseful and engaging story.
This dark comedy was such a twisted, thrilling and entertaining story on female friendship.
A real page turner. The crime plot is masterfully constructed.
This is an unputdownable, unpredictable, hilarious thriller.

Thank You NetGalley and Publisher for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I really really wanted to like this book. The cover was the first thing i seen but it fell short for me.

It just was so confusing with how the book jumped around. The pacing of the book was slow and just was not for me.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

2.75 stars

This had the trappings of something that should work- at her hen do (bachelorette party), Tansy von Weller drops dead, with the only suspects being her bridesmaids who all have motives to kill her. All of them are absolute messes, as is perfect for a thriller, and have their lifelong friendship tied together by a ~mysterious event~ from their past. As more bodies start dropping, the list of suspects continues to dwindle, and secrets start to come out to play. The mystery aspect of this was great and interesting!!

What really did not work for me here was the writing. It was some kind of omniscient narrator where we got everyone's POVs all the time. In one page alone, we could be tapping into the thoughts of 3 different characters- which was way too much to try to keep together. This really distracted me and made it take longer to read the book, as I was trying to keep track of who was who and what they were thinking and why because it was all muddled together.

Thank you so much to Kate Weston and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review.

I ended up DNF’ing at 12%. It just wasn’t grabbing my attention like I’d hoped. I wasn’t a fan of the plot line when the friends were children. I understand why the author included those chapters, to show us how the girls came into the roles they have presently, but it was just meh.

Four best friends and numerous murders that follow them. I really disliked all four friends and their deeply toxic friendship, the backstabbing, the cheating, and the competitveness was just horrible. but I appreciate how the author helped the reader understand why each friend did what they did. The mystery did keep me guessing all the way until the end and had some unique plot points to how the characters died.
If you enjoyed Pretty Little Liars, this is the book for you!

This was a WILD and fun read! I absolutely hated these friends and their deeply toxic friendship, but the author did a great job of helping us understand each of the main characters and their motivation. The mystery kept me guessing all the way until the end - just when I thought I had it figured out, some new twist would be unraveled!

If you enjoyed Pretty Little Liars, Bride Wars, or just any antic-filled murder mystery, this is for you!

Lauren, Saskia, Dominica, Farah, and Tansy- five friends- or are they? And now they are four because Tansy was murdered at her bachelorette party. You'd think this would tamp down things for the remaining women but no....Farah insists upon going through with her own party. You'll quickly realize that these women are bonded by their shared history, which is now coming back for revenge. No spoilers but know that these women are just....annoying. There's some good satire history here (maybe better than the mystery.) Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A quick entertaining read.

The sharp wit and sarcasm made reading this so fun. The toxicity of these friends made me very thankful for the friends that I have. This was a fast, satisfying read.

This was a fast, easy, satiric, contemporary style mystery/thriller. Its centered around 5 female besties who have a long history filled with secrets, lies, & cover ups. The story is told across two timelines - the present, where the weddings and killings are happening and in the past- specifically in reference to the time when this pentagonal friendship was created.

It does lose some momentum around the middle, but it definitely picks up for the last quarter. I did not suspect the killer to be who it was, so I was pleased there was plenty a misdirection & twist to keep one guessing. Despite the fact that literally all of the protagonists were just unlikebale characters overall I needed to know who was killing them off! I was hooked on their connections and trying to guess whodunnit, and I stayed for the twisty, snarky story.

"We've been friends a long time"....."and sometimes friendship is just about helping each other survive" - this was my favourite line, and I did omit the middle part to not give any spoiler inkling away.

Thank you to NetGalley & Random House for a copy of this digital ARC.

Snarky, pointed, and laugh out loud funny, this dark comedy was a thrilling take female friendship. Filled with secrets, humor, and murder, and a cast of relatable characters that will keep you guessing until the very end. The various bridal settings were fun and the send up of influencers and ridiculous social media culture had me giggling. And the yoni eggs? Hilarious!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC of You May Now Kill the Bride by Kate Weston.

Dane Cook once said every friend group has that one friend that nobody likes and if you’re a group of friends doesn’t have that person then it’s you.

Everyone’s high school friend group thinks they’ll be together forever. Their bond is unstoppable and nothing can come between them. This friend group is not any different however, when people start dying one by one will the group get stronger or will they ultimately fall apart?

Farrah has been waiting for Toby to propose to her for 10 years and it’s finally time for her big day. She will stop at no cost and spare no expense literally. Her job is on the line and so are her friendships. This bridezilla will not let her day be ruined by anyone else. Tansey always been the friend that shines brighter than everyone else no matter the cost and when she meets some random man who falls deeply in love with her and decides to get married before the tables turn quickly.

This friend group starts to unravel quickly when Tansey is killed at her hen do. Followed by others in the group slowly falling prey to whoever is blackmailing the women and challenging their untouchable bond. How many murders have to happen before the true monster is revealed and can these women cheat death and keep all of their secrets intact?

Weston did an amazing job with this plot line and keeping everyone in suspense. This novel was a real page turner. It’s the perfect summer read and really makes you put life into perspective. How far are you willing to go for your friends? More importantly, how far are you willing to go for yourself?

Pub Date: May 14, 2024
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