I thoroughly enjoyed The Bachelorette Party! This mystery/thriller was an easy, fast read, and I was consistently invested in the storyline. In fact, I felt as though this author demonstrated a unique ability to keep a constant sense of tension and suspense. Will this book require you to suspend your disbelief? Yes! Will this book keep you turning pages to find twists, turns, and unexpected connections? Also yes!

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur books, and Camilla Sten for this free digital book in exchange for an honest review.

as a fellow true crime enthusiast, i absolutely devoured this book! tessa’s gripping journey to uncover the truth behind the nacka four, all while safeguarding her own dark secrets, kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. the twists and turns were relentless, and i can honestly say i never saw that ending coming! it completely blindsided me in the best way possible. this was such a thrilling, fun read that i couldn’t put down!

A big thank you to NetGalley and St.Martins’s Press for sending me a copy of The Bachelorette Party by Camilla Sten in exchange for an honest review. This book releases on June 10th.

You should read this if you enjoy:
• Fast-paced thrillers 🔪
• Locked room trope 🚪
• Remote islands 🏝️
• Horror movie vibes 🎬
• Missing people/unsolved mysteries 🔍

I really enjoyed this book! I was hooked from the start. The fast-paced plot and short chapters make this book sooo bingeable! I also liked the FMC and her backstory.

I will say the twist felt a bit predictable, but I still had a lot of fun reading it. I highly recommend this book if you’re looking for a great summer thriller!

One tip: I recommend highlighting character names and jotting down notes to help you remember them, as it can get a little confusing at the beginning when trying to differentiate between past and present characters.

Uhhh I regret to say this was a thumbs down for me.
This story split between past tragedy and present story of a group of friends on a remote island. I did not feel a connection with any characters, they were jot greatly developed. It seemed boring most of the time and predictable. I was hoping it would improve, but it doe not.

Thanks to Netgalley for this eArc for my review.

I felt very middling about Sten's The Lost Village but decided to give this one a shot and I'm pleased that I did. It's definitely one of those books you need to choose to not think too hard about, but I'm realizing I have a weakness for stories that get slotted into the Mystery & Thriller category that end up becoming basically Horror by the end with a slasher film-esque bloodbath and that's what this is. Fun!! Keeps me turning the pages.

I'm also into the modern mini-genre of Wellness Retreat Becomes Saw Trap, so this book had just enough stuff For Me to get away with some of the sillier moments. These elements and liking this better than her previous book are not necessarily the perfect reasons to bump up a novel to a four star but what can I say, I'm in the mood to reward improvement.

My thanks to St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I really wanted to love this book. I loved the premise of it, but it fell flat for me. There was too much going on and I got the characters confused and had to go back and reread parts of it. The ending was predictable but had a couple little twists.

Not the worst book, but not the best.

Thank you NetGalley and Minatour for the ARC.

When Tessa makes a mistake on her popular podcast and her life implodes, being invited to a bachlorette getaway for her oldest friend isn't her idea of fun. However, the location is the site of the mysterious disappearance of four women 10 years prior. A case Tessa has been obsessed with and thinks if she can figure out what happened, this could be her comeback.

Intriguing mystery and just creepy enough that it kept me on the edge of my seat. Yes I knew who did it at about halfway but couldn't figure out the why. With chapters on the missing girls' lives mixed with present day, this is a fast paced thriller.

Ten years ago, four friends (Tilly, Anna, Linnea, and Evelina) disappeared after a yearly weekend away at a remote island near Sweden. They were called the Nacka Four. In the present, Tessa, a disgraced podcaster who is obsessed with the unsolved crime, agrees to go to a bachelorette party at the same location in a brand new resort. The story is told in two timelines, which works in weaving together the plot. Very quickly one of the girls goes missing. Tessa is a well developed character who does not play well with others. I had hoped the several other characters would have had more depth. I was able to solve the mystery fairly quickly, however the author does evoke fear and dread. With thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC. My opinions are my own.

"The Bachelorette Party" by Camilla Sten is a psychological thriller that follows a group of friends on a bachelorette party weekend, with twists and turns that keep readers guessing until the end, blending a true crime obsession with a potentially deadly situation.

The Bachelorette Party by Camilla Sten sounds like the perfect blend of mystery, suspense, and drama. If you enjoy stories of long-buried secrets coming to light and friendships tested by shocking events, this one is sure to grab your attention.

The premise is captivating: four friends disappear on a remote island after a night of reckless fun, and a decade later, Tessa Nilsson, a true-crime podcaster, is obsessed with uncovering the truth. The story pulls you in from the start, particularly with Tessa’s deep-seated desire to solve the mystery of what happened to the friends all those years ago. The combination of her quest for answers and her personal stakes in the form of her best friend's bachelorette party on a very similar island creates a tense, thrilling setup.

The atmosphere on the island, with its eerie similarities to the tragedy, adds a chilling layer to the story. You can practically feel the sense of dread as Tessa delves into a mystery that may cost her more than she ever expected. And as with any great thriller, the tension only escalates as the characters' secrets and motivations come to light. The fact that it’s set on a remote, secluded island adds to the isolated, almost claustrophobic feeling, making it an ideal setting for a murder mystery.

If you enjoy stories like Scream or The Guest List, where friendships are put to the test and the line between loyalty and betrayal becomes blurry, The Bachelorette Party is definitely one to check out. It promises to keep you turning pages long into the night, eager to see how the mystery unfolds.

solated group on a remote island with a slightly different take - 2 sets of disappearances. I did keep mixing character names but not a bad suspenseful story. Good ending.

I love reading thrillers and I enjoyed my time reading this book!
Although this was decently predictable there were a few twists I didn’t see with how the ending would turn out.
I wish there were more things happening in the first half of the book.
Thanks netgalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for my honest opinion.

I got 40 percent into this book and it just was not for me at this point in time. I plan to come back to it eventually, I just didn't feel connected to it. I loved the writing style.

As soon as I saw the promos for this book for Scream lovers I had to get my hands on it. I will say it got a little weird when I realized the main characters are besties, Annaliese and Tessa. My name is Anna Lisa and my bff of like 38 years is Tessa. We are diehard fans of scream since we were able to sneak watching it in 6th grade. I have since learned never to go on a yoga retreat on a private island with my friend.

Truly though, I had a blast reading this as it did have the scream vibe of trying to figure out who caused and/or is replicating a murder from years gone by and why. I always have my theories but I was definitely led astray a few times. Well done thriller with very realistic relationships between adult female friends who go way back. The characters aren’t perfect, they have their own issues and some minor issues with one another but the will to overcome an murderer can quickly cause shifting gears.

Synopsis: each year for friends Mead on a remote island off the coast of Sweden as they have been doing since childhood. They are the only ones who know its location. Ten years later Tessa has been engrossed in the story of the four friends who disappeared. She is now invited to a Bachelorette party for her best friend which is set to be on that very island where those four friends disappeared.
My thoughts: I enjoyed this book very much. I liked the dual POV bringing us between 2022 and 2012. There was much suspense and it was well paced. Like many suspense novels I thought I knew what was happening but was I in for a twist. This held my attention and I wanted to find out what happened to the girls.
Read this if you like locked door mysteries with some thrills!
Thank you NetGelley and St. Martin's Press for this Arc in exchange for my honest review !

This is a truly suspenseful thriller that will keep you guessing. A group of four friends reunite on an island and then disappear. Ten years later a "canceled" podcaster decides to investigate the case when she is invited to a bachelorette party at a new resort built on that island by the sister of one of the missing women. The story jumps between two timelines but is easy to follow. The plot is well done and the eeriness builds as the plot unfolds. I would suggest reading this in a corner where no one can sneak up on you! Camilla Sten has become one of my favorite thriller writers, and I highly recommend this book.

The Bachelorette Party 💍🎉 | ARC review

Book overview:

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.

Ten Years Later. Ever since she was a teenager, Tessa Nilsson has been consumed by the story of four friends who disappeared. As her true crime fervor turned into a wildly popular podcast, Tessa covered Sweden’s most gruesome cases, but could never find the answers behind what happened to these women who disappeared. Now Tessa’s podcast has crashed and burned, any chance she had at uncovering the truth vanishing with it.

Anneliese is Tessa’s best friend, and before she walks down the aisle, she wants to have a bachelorette party. The destination: Baltic Vinyasa, a sleek, sophisticated yoga retreat on a small island off the coast—one with such similar characteristics to the tragedy years ago that it raises the hair on Tessa’s neck. The idea is to drink gallons of cava, do sunrise yoga, and get in their last chance to bond with the bride. Tessa will not pass this up. It’s her last chance to find out what happened to the four women, once and for all.

And it’s someone else’s last chance to get revenge.

My 💭

I highly enjoyed this one! The author did a great job doing a dual POV with the 2022 timeline and the 2012 timeline-it really highlighted the parallels between the two. I also really enjoyed that Tessa had her own secrets throughout, and once they were revealed you could understand her motivations more. I had my suspicions throughout as to what really happened to the Nacka Four and I was pleasantly surprised to not know entirely. I love when a twist catches me off guard!

If you liked She Started It by Sian Gilbert—this one is for you!

Solid four stars from me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you @netgalley for the chance to read and review ahead of time!

The Bachelorette Party publishes June 10, 2025✨

The story starts 10 years ago on the night where four women went missing and were never seen or heard from again. It drops us right into the middle of the action.

This opening had me hooked and I needed to know what happened on that fateful night.

We then jump forward 10 years where another group of girls is about to spend the weekend for a bachelorette party on that same little isle.

The main character Tessa, is who we experience the story from. She has come to this weekend ready to go digging into what really happened to the Nacka 4 (the original 4 girls). But Tessa also has a dark past, one that is hinted at through the book.

The book is paced well, and the tension is palpable when the action starts to occur. Though a bit predictable, there were still twists and turns that were enjoyable.

A great book for a beach read or a rainy weekend where you just want to lose a couple hours in a mystery. I’m definitely planning on reading some more of this Camilla Sten’s work.

*Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.*

Camilla Sten, author of the chilling thriller The Lost Village, returns with The Bachelorette Party, an atmospheric mystery that intertwines true crime obsession, female friendships, and a decades-old disappearance.

Set on a secluded Swedish island, the narrative shifts between the story of four friends who vanished ten years ago and the present-day bachelorette party of Tessa and Anneliese. As the past and present collide, tension rises, revealing the island’s buried secrets.

Tessa, a former true crime podcaster seeking redemption, leads the charge as she explores the Baltic Vinyasa retreat, where darkness lurks beneath its serene facade. Sten skillfully balances psychological depth with suspenseful twists, showcasing raw friendships tangled in secrets and resentment.

Fans of The Guest List and Scream will enjoy the blend of intrigue and thrills, culminating in a shocking finale. With its haunting atmosphere and unreliable narrators, The Bachelorette Party is an addictive read that keeps you guessing until the last chilling page. A must-read for fans of locked-room mysteries and psychological horror.

This was a fun read, a little different than other similar stories because of the location on an outlying island of Sweden. Tessa is going with a group of friends to a bachelorette party on the same tiny island where four friends went missing a decade ago. Although because those four kept their location a secret, most people believe they drowned when out sailing and didn’t connect their disappearance to the island. But Tessa’s been obsessed with that story and can’t believe she has the chance to go there and look for her own clues as to what happened.

You can guess where this is going, Tessa is certain there’s something dangerous afoot because of the past, no one believes her, and then all heck breaks loose. But the how and the why is entertaining, although there were several passages that I ended up skimming because it was just Tessa’s inner monologue repeating the same worries over and over. And while there was a slow build, once the action started it all came at once and the pacing felt off. And I wasn’t sure why with less than ten female names, two (Anna and Anneliese) were almost the same. The author couldn’t think of a different name? That just seemed strange.

I liked the conclusion, but I wish there had been more resolution to the story Tessa did that imploded her podcast. I wanted to hear more about that crime! Who knows, maybe the author will pull inspiration from that for a future story – I’d be first in line!