I liked this book but I had some problems with it that keep me from giving it a higher rating. I usually like books that go back and forth in time but there wasn't enough distance between the time periods and I kept getting the characters mixed up. The characters seemed very stereotypical, and there were too many 'secrets' that kept me from enjoying the book more.

4.25⭐️

I’ll admit I was a bit hesitant about this book going in as the last time I read a book with the same title that I was really disappointed in despite loving the description.

Well I’m so happy that this one not only lived up to the description but surpassed it. I am so thankful to have gotten an eARC for free from St Martins Press/ Minotaur Books through NetGalley to enjoy which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave this review.

I have been really liking the “locked room” trope in thrillers, particularly the “locked island” variation as opposed to enjoy seeing how the author tackles the characters being cut off from the world in this day and age. Camilla Sten did a great job with this without making it ridiculously obvious.

I enjoyed the duel timeline POV which were nicely labeled with the date and time. I am interested to see the final draft of interior layout as I expect it will be cleaner since this was an uncorrected Digital Galley.

All the twists and turns are there to take you on a ride while having sub plots that pull you in along the way! It has a lot more depth than some other popular thrillers right now which I appreciate.

This book comes out June 10, 2025 so get it on your TBR now as you won’t want to miss it!

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for gifting me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Camilla Sten is back (and in English) for "The Bachelorette Party." In yet another book centered around a true crime podcast, our main character Tessa is trying to figure out what happened to four friends on a weekend getaway a decade earlier.

Honestly - this entire book missed the mark for me. I loved "The Lost Village" and was so optimistic for this book, but the entire story felt very disjointed. Tessa's podcast has crashed and burned, so the only way she can get to the truth is by going on a trip to the island for her friend's bachelorette party? Just go to the island if you want to solve it? Anyone who knows anything about the cream of the crop in true crime are those who fully immerse themselves in the story and that involves going to the area almost as soon as the reporter begins covering it. I just didn't believe the story and so for that reason, it fell flat. Two stars.

Alright, so like, I dove into this one hoping for a killer time (pun totally intended), and it was... fine? The whole remote island-meets-true-crime-podcaster vibe was giving serious spooky chic energy, and there were def moments where I was so into it. But also, some parts were like, totally predictable. You know that feeling when you're watching a thriller and you're like, “Oh, it’s obvi them”? Yeah, that.

The dual timelines is a super cool concept. Loved getting those glimpses of the Nacka Four and trying to connect the dots with what was happening in the present. It was just the kind of setup that makes you wanna binge-read under a cozy blanket with snacks. But, TBH, some of the characters were kinda meh. Like, I wanted to root for Tessa more, but she didn’t totally pop for me. And the ending was...well, low-key dramatic in a way that felt like, okay, let’s wrap this up.

Overall, it’s totally got the vibes if you’re into twisty, atmospheric mysteries, even if it’s not the freshest take out there. Perfect for a weekend read when you’re in the mood for something dark but not too deep. So yeah, rounding up to 4 stars ‘cause it’s got that popcorn thriller energy.

Huge thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion! 🖤

The Bachelorette Party was a super fast paced and quick read. It had a great storyline. The only thing I didn’t like is the description of the characters. I got slightly confused during conversations and had to really think who was who.

This was an engaging, fast-paced mystery/thriller/horror with a premise that feels both familiar and fresh. A disgraced true crime podcaster joins friends on a bachelorette party trip to a luxury yoga retreat on a small island off the coast of Sweden. The violent murder of four women occurred on this island ten years prior and our podcaster is obsessed with solving this murder. The synopsis describes this as “Scream” meets “The Guest List” which are both favorites of mine, and I actually think an accurate comparison, if setting the standard for what to anticipate a bit high. There are dual timelines which at times are not well-delineated, but I did like the different perspectives. The writing in this is intense and compulsively readable. Would recommend!

Read if you enjoy:
Wedding / bachelorette themed thrillers
Deserted island / locked room tropes
Aesthetic coasts and visual scenery
Yoga / health retreat thrillers
Dual timeline mystery component

The plot of “The Bachelorette Party” follows four women who embark on a yoga retreat themed bachelorette party full of delicious food, stunning scenery, lots of champagne.. and the odd murder.

The party of women has poetic similarities to a mysterious case of four women who went missing / presumed dead a decade ago in the same location.

Tessa, a true crime podcaster begins to see the similarities whilst there and begins to pick up the thread to unravel what happened, only her spider senses may have alerted her to potential danger too late when she stumbles upon a dead body.

I enjoyed the overall murder mystery aspects of the book and how the past timeline ties into the present. The flashbacks were interesting in getting to know the four missing women whilst trying to piece together what happened to them.

I will say some components of the book were a little predictable but it didn’t necessarily take away from the reading experience.

Thank you to St Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books and the author for the EARC!

Publish date: June 10th 2025

3.5/5

A bachelorette party-based murder mystery?? Now that sounds like fun, doesn't it?

Overall, I thought this was good but I was left a little unsatisfied at the end. The pacing was good throughout the whole book, which is usually a gripe of mine when it comes to mystery/thriller books. My main problem here was just that I didn't find the ending the be satisfying. I wanted the reveal and the climax of the story to be bigger and more gasp-worthy.

I also didn't find the characters that interesting. And I am a character-based reader, so I really do want to care about the character or at least be interested enough to want to know what happens to them and why.

This book has a past mystery and a modern-day mystery and it works well in this book (that sort of thing really is rather hit-or-miss).

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

First, I want to thank you for the advanced copy.
I did think the beginning was a little slow but it definitely picked up. I liked how their was a bit of gore, to make it stand out from original thrillers.

Overall, i liked the book, it was different and entertaining.
Plus, I love a book with short chapters 🤩

Tessa is not at a good point in her life. She recently lost her true crime podcast and is selling her things to make money. She's not in the mood to attend a bachelorette party but changes her mind when she finds out where it's taking place. It's going to be at a new yoga retreat on an isolated island, the same island where 4 women went missing 10 years ago. Hoping to solve the mystery and bring listeners back to her podcast, Tessa attends the bachelorette party. In flashback chapters we learn about the 4 missing women before their disappearance and why Tessa lost her podcast. Are the woman in the bachelorette party also in danger?

On a remote island nestled off the coast of Sweden, four friends Tilly, Anna, Linnea and Evelina meet every year. Best friends since childhood, the idea is to drink beer, dance by the water, and shake off the weight of life's expectations. The location of the island is a secret to everyone but them. One night of reckless fun and secret-sharing, and then they return to their normal lives! Great read! This book had great suspense, intriguing, action, fabulous characters, murder, mystery, gaslighting, a fantastic who done it and some really wild twists and turns! The story was very interesting! I highly recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

I am a fan of this author but this was her worst book. It was not an original plot at all. I have read other books like this that were better. Also, this book kept jumping timelines and it got confusing at times. I just did not like this.

Well, I’ll start my unpopular review by saying that even though I’m a die-hard fan of locked-room murder mysteries, I didn’t enjoy this book as much as the author’s previous works. There was no issue with the execution of the mystery—the pacing was good, and the intertwining of the past mystery of the Nacka Four with the present-day bachelorette party mystery was gripping.

However, I wasn’t satisfied with how things wrapped up. The unnecessarily exaggerated and overly dramatic ending reminded me of a soap opera. Additionally, the perpetrators’ identities were far too obvious from the beginning, which killed the suspense and surprise.

I also struggled to connect with the characters, including the protagonist Tessa and her best friends. That said, I was intrigued by the mystery of the scandal that ruined Tessa’s life, and when the truth was revealed, it sent chills down my spine. That twist captured my interest far more than what happened to the Nacka Four or the events at Annalise’s wedding.

For these reasons, I’m giving this book a solid three stars. It deserves credit for its balanced pacing and the seamless connection between the past and present mysteries, even if it didn’t fully meet my expectations.

Quick recap of the plot:
Ten years ago, four childhood friends, known as the Nacka Four, gathered on a remote island off the coast of Sweden—a location they kept secret from everyone. They were presumed drowned after an intoxicated boat trip, but their bodies were never found.

Fast forward ten years: four more childhood friends reunite at the same location, this time for Annalise’s bachelorette party. The gathering follows similar rules, including a strict technology cleanse. Among them is Tessa, who has a hidden agenda: to investigate the Nacka Four’s disappearance and salvage her career as a disgraced podcaster.

The island is now owned by the sister of one of the victims, and Tessa is determined to uncover the truth. But when one of the bachelorette party guests goes missing and another starts acting suspiciously, wielding knives, Tessa realizes that digging into the past might come with a price she’s not prepared to pay.

Overall:
I’ve already shared my verdict—three stars. While I expected more, it’s still a fast-paced, popcorn thriller that might satisfy fans of the genre.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for providing a digital review copy of this thriller in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

I have been a Camilla Sten fan since "The Lost Village" and I enjoyed "The Resting Place," so of course when I saw a new novel (translation?) was available as an arc, I had to request it.

"The Bachelorette Party" is a fun summer read that really added a little bit of literary excitement to my otherwise bland coursework and readings. It reminded me a lot of a classic slasher film and that's part of what was so fun about it. I also thought that all the characters were pretty believable. I don't know what it is in particular about this Sten, but I kept picturing a movie or a three episode limited series. It read pretty cinematically and I really think that it would be popular depending on the director.

Overall, I really enjoyed this quick thriller!

Ten years ago, four friends travelled to a tiny uninhabited island in Sweden for a night of partying. They disappeared that night, leaving an unsolved mystery that haunted their families and fascinated true crime followers ever since. Now, ten years later, bride-to-be Anneliese is holding her bachelorette weekend on the same island at a yoga retreat. Her friend Theresa, or Tessa, is attending along with her sister Lena as they have been friends with Anneliese since they were kids. Tessa used to have a hugely successful true crime podcast, until a tragic scandal tainted the podcast and ruined Tessa’s credibility. Tessa secretly hopes for a chance at redemption by solving the ten-year disappearance of the four young women.

Coming from the writer of The Resting Place, one of my favourite thrillers, I had high hopes for this atmospheric thriller. The novel takes place over two timelines – the disappearance of the four young women from the island in 2012 and the bachelorette weekend 10 years later. There are a number of characters involved, and I struggled somewhat to keep all their details straight. The constantly shifting time references and number of characters made it challenging to become invested in any one story or character. There was no surprise twist in the novel as the prime suspect seemed fairly clear to me early on. It had a great setting and a solid concept which could have been executed better, either with more engaging character development or some creative plot twists.

First off I was so excited to be selected to read this! And now that I have I will be reading the other books she has written. I loved this story line, so much like scream. The beginning of the book starts off nice and easy and then boom! The characters were written well and the story line kept my interest.

The Bachelorette Party by Camilla Sten is a thrilling, edge-of-your-seat mystery that blends friendship, secrets, and murder in the most compelling way. Ten years ago, four friends vanished after a night of fun on a remote island, and the mystery has haunted Tessa Nilsson ever since. As a true crime podcaster, she’s covered countless cases but has never been able to uncover what really happened to these women.

Fast forward to the present, and Tessa’s life is in turmoil—her podcast is over, and she’s trying to rebuild her career. When her best friend, Anneliese, decides to have her bachelorette party on a secluded island eerily similar to where the tragedy took place, Tessa jumps at the chance. It’s her opportunity to finally uncover the truth. But little does she know, someone else on the island has their own agenda—one that involves revenge.

The novel had me hooked from the start with its mix of suspense, mystery, and tense atmosphere. The island setting adds to the creepy vibe, and the secrets the characters hold make for an unpredictable ride. If you’re a fan of thrillers with twists, suspense, and dark secrets, The Bachelorette Party is a must-read!

I am unsure about this one. I loved the premise, and it was one I couldn’t put down, but I didn’t love it. I think I just was invested and needed to know how it ended. It went between past and present but something there was lacking. I wish there was more written about the past event as little was said. I did forget who was who, as there were a lot of characters at times was and had to think. It was okay, not terrible but not amazing either

The Bachelorette Party by Camilla Sten is a psychological suspense that intertwines the haunting disappearance of four friends a decade ago with a current day bachelorette party on an eerily similar remote island. The setting and atmosphere really captures the isolation and creeping dread of the Swedish archipelago. This book is a tangled web of secrets, betrayal, and revenge. There is a slow burn of suspense with cleverly placed twists. Such an unsettling yet addictive story!

A big thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with access to this ebook in exchange for my honest review!
The Bachelorette Party by Camilla Sten will be released in Jun 10th 2025, perfect timing to pick it up for your holiday!
Every year, four childhood friends met on a secret Swedish island for one night of carefree fun—until they mysteriously disappeared. Ten years later, true-crime podcaster Tessa, obsessed with solving their case, seizes the opportunity to investigate when her best friend’s bachelorette party takes her to a yoga retreat on a suspiciously similar island. As Tessa digs deeper into the unsolved mystery, she realizes someone else on the island has unfinished business—and a thirst for revenge.
I went into this completely blind, and it did not disappoint! The dual timelines added so much depth, and those shocking, gripping first chapters had me hooked. The twists kept coming right until the very end—I couldn't put it down!