I was approved for this ARC a while ago and had it on my list to read closer to the publication date. Then I saw others’ reviews popping up (not great) and it made me start to dread reading it, so I kept pushing it off.

Finally came the time to just dive in. Once I started reading I couldn’t stop. I loved the pace of the book and past/present timelines. The present chapters had an eerie suspenseful feel. The past chapters provided more character building and context. The writing makes sense as the reader is only inside Alex’s mind, which makes it a true psychological thriller. While I can see the major twist as being frustrating to some, this was overall a bingeable fun read.

Alex works as an intern for Crimeline in NYC and is determined to present a great story that will allow her to move up in the company/her career. She’s chosen to deep dive into a murder from 10 years ago. Eric Myers was found guilty and is currently serving his sentence in prison for the gruesome 666 murder. Alex wants to dig deeper to determine if there is any possibility of Eric being innocent. Jump ahead to present day December and Alex’s best friends are surprising her with renting the actual cabin the murder took place for her bachelorette party. What starts as fun-spooky turns into a nightmare. Alex wakes up to a bloody cabin and her friends missing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. This review will be shared on NetGalley, Goodreads, and Amazon.

ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 𝔽𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕥: 𝐸-𝐵𝑜𝑜𝓀 & 𝒜𝓊𝒹𝒾𝑜𝒷𝑜𝑜𝓀

ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨: 𝐈 𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 (𝐢𝐟 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭) 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐭, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐚𝐛𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒚 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠! 𝐀𝐬 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 “𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐒𝐎 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞” 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒚 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬, 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲. 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐮𝐳𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭.

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒚 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐱—𝐚 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 “𝟔𝟔𝟔 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫.” 𝐒𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐨, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 “𝟔𝟔𝟔 𝐊𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫” 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐬 (𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫). 𝐎𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝, 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐲 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐮𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐱 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐨’𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐭!

𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝑜 𝒮𝒶𝓃𝒹𝓇𝒶 𝐵𝓁𝑜𝒸𝓀, 𝒫𝑒𝓃𝓏𝓁𝑒𝓇 𝒫𝓊𝒷𝓁𝒾𝓈𝒽𝑒𝓇𝓈, 𝐻𝒾𝑔𝒽𝐵𝓇𝒾𝒹𝑔𝑒 𝒜𝓊𝒹𝒾𝑜, & 𝒩𝑒𝓉𝒢𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓎 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒜𝑅𝒞! 𝒜𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝓅𝒾𝓃𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓂𝓎 𝑜𝓌𝓃.

This book was a twisted one for sure as we get to see one of the craziest Bachelorette parties that you will ever read. Alex is researching a murderer and actually is interviewing him because he claims to be innocent even though he confessed previously. Then we flash forward to her party which has gone terribly wrong because she just woke up in the shower, there is blood all over, and her friends are gone.

This book was very fast paced, but overall fell a little flat for me unfortunately. It was a fun ride, but too many twists which relied on the characters behaving like no sane human ever would.

The story itself was fast paced. There were some things that felt spooky throughout the book. I wasn’t a big fan of the ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penzler Publishere, Scarlet for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. This book officially publishes on 9/3/24!

I really enjoyed the unique true crime spin that this book had to offer. As someone who is interested in true crime myself, I enjoyed the set up with interviews and snippets of reports. This book is told from one POV and dual timelines but was set up in a way that was not confusing for the reader. Giving this one three stars because I did guess one of the major twists, and I did find a few parts to be a bit far-fetched logistically. This is a fun whodunnit though, and I would generally recommend.

This was simply not very good for me. Poor writing, dumb characters, and twists that either were so poorly contrived or made me angry or both!!

I don’t have much else to say. If you can’t say something nice and all that.

This story was fast-paced, but it definitely felt like it needed a good edit. I'm hoping that since this was an ARC, those errors will have been caught before final publishing. The plot was also just a bit messy--I was really confused by the characters, their characterization and their choices. I questioned the motives of the killer, because...why? I don't know. It felt like the author wanted the chance to make anyone the killer if a good idea or way came to her, but that just made the whole story a little messy.

A girl’s getaway turns into a night Alex will never forget in The Bachelorette Party, Sandra Block’s mix of thriller and horror. Alex is already having trust issues with her fiancé Jay when her best friends Lainey and Melody plan a surprise trip. And what a trip it is. Alex is a writer for the tv show Crimeline. She’s planning an anniversary show on the bloodthirsty 666 killer complete with prison interviews. Of course, convicted murderer Eric Myers swears he is innocent. So, in keeping with Alex’ interests, Lainey and Melody book a weekend at Hobbes Lodge, where Eric wrote 666 on the walls in his victim’s blood. Cheery, isn’t it? It gets worse. In the morning, her friends have vanished. There is a knife and pools of blood on the basement floor, the same blood that drips from Alex’ hands.

A better title for this thriller would be “With Friends Like These, Who Needs Enemies”. While Alex tries to discover the real identity of the 666 killer and untangle Jay’s possible financial problems, she fights through a web of surprise and horror. It’s not fun nor is any character likable enough to make you care. 3 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penzler Publishers and Sandra Block for this ARC.

I am late reviewing this because I accidentally read another book with the same title by another author. It was also good but I was like "this doesn't sound like the description." Anyway, I am glad I cleared that up and read this. I really liked it but I was confused by a lot of the side characters names coming up but they weren't like part of the story. Like Caitlyn and Juanita. I kept getting confused by who they were and it threw me off a little.
The "conclusion" was just ... WTF? I read the part about the blood while watching a work video on bloodborne pathogens, so the timing made it so much more gross.
I loved the ending!

I love thrillers for their fast pace and uneasy feeling. I like to fear for the character’s well-being and feel reticent for what’s yet to come. Unlike horror, the point is not to scare or disgust. Thrillers pick up the attention without going too far. Although thriller and horror are next-door neighbours. And this time, I think it just knocked on the other door.

This is one of the most intense thrillers I’ve read. Also one of the fastest. In about three chapters, the crime happens. Just a few hours after falling asleep, Alex finds her friends are missing, and there’s blood everywhere. Obviously, she jumps to the worst-case scenario. Maybe the real killer is still out there. And now, he has found his new victims.

The story is told between the present and the past. That’s where we find out about the 666 Killer, see Alex interact with him, and how the whole investigation interferes with her personal life. This also brings some uneasiness to the story. And so, there’s a high-intensity potential murder happening in the present and a stressful look into the past. All these emotions reached a point where I didn’t trust any character. Everything that could go wrong was going wrong. Alex was in constant danger. She couldn’t get any help. And nothing was making any sense.

At some point, the book reminded me of Psycho, which is even referenced in the story. There’s this constant feeling that something is wrong. That something bad will happen at any moment. That something is very very wrong. And the danger is constant. So, I think the movie is a good comparison. Although story-wise, they are different. I’m just talking about vibes here.

The best part of the book is without a doubt the ambient. The story gets really intense and involves me in all the uneasiness. And for that, I love this book. Although it comes with its flaws. The ending was a bit of a stretch. For a lack of a better word… A bit stupid. For me, it doesn’t make much sense in the context of a bachelorette party. It wasn’t a total failure. Although it throws a curve ball I was not expecting it and looks like an easy way out to explain the horror night the protagonist went through.

The characters aren’t fully fleshed out. We spend a lot of time with Alex, and she is a bit bland. She doesn’t have much personality other than being obsessed with her investigation of the 666 Killer. Even calling it an obsession is an exaggeration. However, that can be somewhat intentional since she will go on a self-discovery journey afterwards away from her job and her romantic relationship. In general, the characters each have a unique trait that distinguishes them from the rest, but the story doesn’t explore more than that. It’s a characterisation on a surface level. And I don’t mind it. What I wanted from this book was to be on the edge of my seat. That’s what I look for in a thriller. And this book delivered that in a great amount.

Also, the focus of the story isn’t always the mystery. Alex’s investigation is often on the back burner while the story focuses on her relationships and presenting everything about the 666 Killer. She doesn’t make many breakthroughs. The book doesn’t lay out the puzzle pieces for the reader to solve. It’s about enjoying the vibes more than anything. The author doesn’t exactly hide information. It’s just never fully explored by the character. I could still guess the identity of the killer because it was the plot that made more sense. And if you read enough murder mysteries, you will start to correctly guess some endings.

Overall, I liked this book a lot. The high-intensity thriller, almost falling into horror, created a great atmosphere. The story just jumps straight to the point without losing any time, and so it grabs the reader straight away. It’s a great company for a moody read in the colder months.

The Bachelorette Party by Sandra Block was a compelling mystery that hooked me instantly and kept me turning the pages till the very end.
It had good characters, a good mystery, and an interesting ending.
I enjoy reading Blocks books and this one was no different.
This has a good mystery that keeps you engaged until the end.

This was not good 😂. The only pros: it was fast paced, had me a little spooked at times, and kept me semi entertained. It’s terrible for a thriller, but I read it quickly so props for that.

Writing errors galore, the plot was all over the place. The ending was SO very stupid omg. I cannot believe someone wrote this and was like yeahhh these are good ideas. This girl makes absolutely zero sense, nothing she does make sense. Her sort of ending things with her fiance? Why?? Her friends are such pieces of shit and she doesn’t care?? The killer made no sense. Everyone was set up to be the killer like the author had no idea which way she’d go and wanted every option at the end. I guessed the ending in the first chapter but thought no WAY the author would write that as the ending, that’d be so dumb.

"The Bachelorette Party" combines elements of true crime, a traditional thriller, a girls' trip, and a whodunit murder mystery, drawing you in from the very first chapter and keeping you guessing throughout. Like with many of my favorite thrillers, I thought I had figured out the plot early on, only to be surprised by an unexpected twist. The story unfolds through a dual timeline, allowing you to get to know the main character, her friends, and those she encounters while researching a crime for her internship on a crime television show. If you enjoy a book that keeps you guessing, this one is for you.

I always enjoy a good “girls fun weekend getaway” theme. This story focuses on a bachelorette party for Alex (the MC) and what a party it is. The MC’s two best friends choose a surprise location—a secluded VRBO in the Catskills where a girl was murdered by a serial killer. Alex is researching this particular serial killer so this is a total surprise for her. There was quite a bit of tension, action and suspense. I think many will be shocked with the plot and surprise ending. It is a good read, especially for this time of year.

Thank you to the author @SandraBlock as well as to @PenzlerPublishers and @NetGalley for a free e-ARC. The opinions are mine alone and not biased in any way.

Thank you to Penzler Publishers and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow.

This book is the definition of a popcorn thriller. If you are a Frieda fan, you will likely enjoy this twisty thriller. Is this the best book ever written? No, but neither are Frieda's books. It was at least creative, bingeable, and the last 75 pages or so were unpredictable and exciting. I honestly couldn't put it down and felt engaged for most of the time.

Alex's inner monologue was repetitive at times, and her friends are literally the WORST. Some parts of the ending make little to no sense. This is all plot driven, so you will not find much depth here.

Overall I had a decent time and I don't regret my time reading it. I think I need something slower paced next to recover from this roller coaster...

I’m finding a difficult time writing a review for this book. Unfortunately, it wasn’t for me.

There was plot hole after plot hole, and so many aspects that just plain didn’t make sense or were superfluous to the actual storyline. I feel I was mislead in many directions, but not in a good way.

I was not a fan of any of the characters. It gave me a lot of “why would you ever go down into the dark scary basement?” bad horror movie vibes. And Alex’s friends… they have zero redeemable qualities, and their ideas/actions really got to me (in the worst way).

I love a thriller where I don’t correctly guess the twist, but this one came so far out of left field that I was left wondering what I just read…

Sadly, I am very disappointed and I hate writing negative reviews like this. I loved the premise of the book and was very excited to be approved to read the advanced copy, but for me it was a big let down.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers for the gifted ARC.

I mean definitely a Bachelorette party no one is going to forget anytime soon!!!

I don't want to give anything away so I'll keep my review vague 👻
The main character working at a company that deals with true crime was cool , I'm into true crime too so ok but I highly doubt an intern would be doing all that she was but still that was an interesting aspect.
& I don't see the ending coming & thought it was unique but did I love it ? No ... I think it could have been A lot better.
I LOVE Sandra Block & have all her other books so I was sooo excited to get this ArC but I felt she was trying to go in another direction with this one & sadly it didn't work .. at least for me 🤷‍♀️

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for this advanced copy 🖤

If you are looking for a Bachelorette weekend gone horribly wrong then look no further. Sandra Block spins a web of suspense, creepy location with questionable characters that makes you wonder is it a nightmare or horrific reality.

Read this if you like:
-the world of true crime journalism
-creepy, isolated lodge in a snowstorm
-past and present timelines
-tension filled moments and the need for survival at all costs
-serial killer trope
-unlikeable characters
-long term female friendships
-dangerous sleep disorders with potentially deadly consequences
-twists and turns that you don’t see coming while some you can predict
-unexpected satisfying ending

My rating 3.75 out of 5

Thanks to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers Scarlet for this eARC that will be published September 3 2024.

I’m pretty confused on what I actually want to say about this book. I almost put it down for good around 50-60% because it felt too drawn out, but then I was curious about how the story would end and couldn’t stop reading from 65-80%ish. I got super annoyed at the friends and couldn’t tell if the characters were the issue or the actual story. Anyway, I’m glad I finished the book. I think I will have to come back to the review after I’ve had a little time to process.