Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! This book had great pacing but I overall struggled to care about any of the characters. I was intrigued by the mystery to keep reading, but overall was left a little disappointed.

Okay, so Camilla Sten wrote "The Bachelorette Party," huh? Right off the bat, that title screams "chaos" and "potentially regrettable decisions." It's like a neon sign pointing towards a rollercoaster of friendship, questionable fashion choices, and maybe, just maybe, a little bit of self-discovery amidst the tequila shots. Honestly, the whole bachelorette party concept is a goldmine for storytelling. You've got a group of friends, usually at different points in their lives, all thrown together in this high-pressure situation: celebrate the bride-to-be, create memories that last a lifetime (or at least make for good stories later), and try not to completely embarrass yourselves or the bride. It's ripe for conflict, comedy, and a whole lot of heartfelt moments. I haven't read Camilla Sten's specific take, but I can already imagine the possibilities. Will there be a wild night out that ends with someone accidentally getting arrested? A heart-to-heart conversation where long-held secrets are finally revealed? Or maybe just a series of increasingly awkward games and activities that highlight the absurdity of it all? The success of a story like this really hinges on the characters. Are they relatable? Are they flawed? Do we care about them? Because if we do, we're invested in their journey, even if that journey involves feather boas, penis-shaped straws, and questionable karaoke renditions. Ultimately, "The Bachelorette Party" sounds like it has the potential to be a fun, messy, and ultimately heartwarming story about friendship, love, and the often hilarious journey to adulthood. I'm definitely intrigued to see what Camilla Sten did with it. It's a topic that pretty much everyone can connect with on some level, whether they've been the bride, the bridesmaid, or just a casual observer to the organized mayhem.

This book got off to a bit of a slow start, but started to pick up about 25% in. I really wanted to love this book because of the idea of it, but this fell a bit short for me.
What I did like was that they intertwined the case of the Nacka Four that happened 10 years prior, and linked it to this present day mystery on the island. Tessa, our FMC, goes to the island with the intentions on trying to find about why those girls disappeared 10 years ago, while also facing her inner demons.
I found myself guessing halfway through the book who the new suspect is, but I was really shocked when I found out who the suspect from 10 years prior was.
Overall, it was a decent thriller with some twists that will surprise you, but it was a bit on the slow side.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins for the early digital copy.

This was giving Lucy Foley vibes and I loved it! Great concept, easy to follow, couldn't put it down! It was a good thriller that gripped me from the beginning.

The Bachelorette Party is full of twists and turns. An interesting premise and location for a thriller. I enjoyed it

A bachelorette party on an isolated island, a down on her luck true crime podcaster, and a decade old cold case of four friends who disappeared- add it up, you get a really fun summer thriller. A quick, fun read where a group of bachelorettes realize they’re cut off from help as things start to go wrong. Mixed in with the locked room mystery, we get flash backs of what happened to the original missing girls. Gave me I Still Know What You Did Last Summer vibes. I think fans of Lucy Foley would really like this.

Thank you to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC of The Bachelorette Party!
This book ended up being a page-turner with quite the twist at the end. It kept me up way too late at night too many times to count!

The Bachelorette Party follows a group of friends who go to an island resort that sounds like a dream come true - yoga in the mornings, view of the ocean, secluded and peaceful. However this dream trip turned into an unimaginable nightmare as secrets of the group of friends’ past is slowly revealed.

Camilla Sten’s The Bachelorette Party is a riveting psychological thriller that masterfully intertwines dual timelines to create an atmosphere of suspense and mystery. Set on a small, remote island off the coast of Sweden, the novel follows a haunting annual reunion where four best friends mysteriously vanish—a tragedy that haunts the island for a decade. The narrative is reenergized with the arrival of Tessa Nilsson, a determined true crime podcaster, whose investigation into the past uncovers chilling secrets and reignites old fears. Sten’s meticulous attention to detail and atmospheric setting not only draw readers into the isolated island world but also heighten the tension that permeates every page.

The novel excels as a page-turner, thanks to its twisty plot and the clever use of a dual timeline that gradually reveals the layers of deception and hidden truths. Sten’s storytelling is both elegant and relentless, ensuring that readers remain engaged as the suspense builds toward unexpected turns.

With its compelling blend of psychological insight and intriguing mystery, The Bachelorette Party offers a thought-provoking exploration of friendship, betrayal, and the enduring impact of unresolved pasts. This engrossing narrative is sure to satisfy fans of thrillers who appreciate a well-crafted and twist-filled journey.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Camilla Sten for this ARC in return for an honest review!

Tilly, Anna, Linnea, and Evalina meet once a year at their favorite place, a remote island off the coast of Sweden, to celebrate their lifelong friendship and unwind from life's pressures with beer and dancing by the water. All they need is one night of fun and trading their secrets before they return to their day-to-day lives.
Ten years later, the friends suddenly disappeared. Tessa Nilsson, a local true crime enthusiast whose true crime podcasts were extremely popular in Sweden, had attempted to uncover the mystery of their disappearance before her podcast came to a sudden end.
Tesse’s best friend, Anneliese, planned a bachelorette party for her at a popular yoga retreat on a small island off the coast, near where the tragedy occurred years ago. Tessa felt this might be a chance to find out what happened to the four women. Little did she know of the danger ahead for her.

This book was just okay for me. I had a hard time getting through it. I liked the idea of it, but the execution just wasn't there. I thought it was a good thriller, but it just didn't grab me like i thought it would.

Loved the twists and dynamics of the women both past and present. The book follows dual timelines of women on the same remote island. Forced into tragic situations one is a story of survival and revenge for the past. A great beach or read in one weekend novel.

Thank you to the publisher, Net Galley, and the author for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have read and enjoyed Camila Sten, and I devoured her newest book, The Bachelorette Party. I am always ready for a book with a friend reunion on an island! Throw in a disgraced true crime podcaster looking to make up for a former mistake and a cold case about four missing women that could involve the island you are going to and I could not put this book down.

Sten is great at marrying two storylines and two timelines into an excellently paced novel. She knows exactly when to switch between stories to keep you turning pages. I liked the plotting and the mystery kept me guessing. But there were parts of the novel that missed their mark. I was never sold on the suspense and sense of danger. All the pieces were there, but I was never fully engrossed, I was never lost in the story. The red herring felt obvious and the conclusion felt impractical. The book is a quick propulsive read that I enjoyed. I still recommend it. I will continue to read what Sten writes.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

The prologue left me a bit confused after reading the end bit, and the text messages throughout the story weren’t always explained, making them hard to follow. The chapters were very short, which kept the pace moving quickly. At one point, there was a mix-up with names between Caroline and Natalie, and with so many characters, it was a little difficult to keep track of who was who. The fear emanating from the characters was beautifully written—I could truly feel their tension. While the antagonist was a bit too predictable, I didn’t suspect the true killer until the story delved deeper, which was a great twist! This was an enjoyable read.

I have loved Camilla Sten's work in the past, but this one felt like a pretty straightforward time-jump thriller. Fun setting, but otherwise nothing too surprising.

A locked-door mystery set on a small island, The Bachelorette Party is full of questions and thrills. Tessa, a disgraced true crime podcaster, joins her friends for a bachelorette party on the island where four friends disappeared ten years earlier. She's determined to uncover the truth, but she might find that the answers are more than she bargained for.

I really enjoyed the set up of the plot and that we get to know both friend groups through the dual timelines, though I did struggle to connect with the characters so I didn't feel the emotional beats. The big reveals and motivations for some of the characters felt too over-the-top and dramatic to me, but I think this could be a great read for fans of slasher and/or popcorn thrillers!

Locked room mysteries are my jam. I always lean towards reading these first when trying to choose a book. The premise of this book, 4 friends go missing after taking a trip to a remote, deserted island over ten years ago. No one knows what happened. Fast forward ten years later and a stunning wellness retreat is now built on that very remote island. A group of friends get the pre-grand opening treatment to try it out, all very excited to be the first ones to experience!

One of the guests, Tessa, has ulterior motives to this trip. She hopes to uncover the truth of what really happened a decade ago. Once she arrives, some strange things start happening. At first, Tessa thinks it might be her imagination. But then......

So the locked room remote vibes was immaculate. I loved that. I also loved switching from past to present day to give you an idea of what went down a decade ago. I did feel that this book didn't grab me as much as I had hoped. It was overall a very fun and easy read. I finished it on a Saturday easily. This was my first by the author, and I would absolutely read more of her work.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC, all opinions are my own.

Camilla Sten is an excellent writer of thrillers--I really liked her previous two--but this one kind of misses the boat. You'll get the joke if you read it. Four young women vacationing on a island are killed, or at least presumed murdered. Later, a woman who needs a big story to revitalize her true crime podcast joins her friends for a vacation on the same island. Bad things ensue. The people who do the bad things are kind of obvious. And I'll just add that if you didn't know it already, domestic/intimate partner violence kills more pregnant and post-pregnant women each year than any other cause. Nearly 20% of women experience violence during pregnancy. Partners being controlling is a massive red flag for D/IP violence. This is your PSA for this book, which I just can't really recommend.

The Bachelorette Party is a decent read. It's all very middle-of-the-road for me. Good writing but forgettable characters and plot. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review.

There's no way you can start reading this book and not want to finish in one day. The author gets you hooked from the beginning with the killing of four friends on a remote island. Great mystery with just the right amount of suspense!

The Bachelorette Party
Tessa was an up and coming podcaster when one story derailed her whole career and life. She really doesn’t ‘feel’ like celebrating at her friends bachelorette party but when she finds out it will be on a private and remote island - the same island where 4 women mysteriously disappeared from 10 years ago she is intrigued. Maybe there will be a story here to lift her career out of the dumpster. Or maybe it will turn into a whole new sort of tragic story of her own.
I felt like this was a decent read though maybe not mind blowing. The characters were easy to get to know and the different timelines was easy to follow.