Camilla Sten delivers an atmospheric, slow-burning thriller that had me hooked from the first few pages. The Bachelorette Party explores the dark side of friendship, loyalty, and the secrets we try to bury—especially when you’re stuck in a remote cabin with people who know you too well.

The setting is perfectly claustrophobic, and the tension between the characters simmers beneath the surface before it boils over in shocking ways. I appreciated how Sten developed each character’s backstory and motivations, making even the most questionable decisions feel grounded.

While the pacing dips slightly in the middle, the final third completely delivers on suspense and payoff. This is the kind of thriller that stays with you—not just because of the twists, but because of the emotional undercurrents and raw portrayals of complicated female friendships.

A solid, satisfying read for fans of Lucy Foley, Ruth Ware, or anyone who loves a thriller with depth and atmosphere.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

What a fun story. Great characters and loved the mystery. Really well written. What a story of friendship, loved Tessa’s storyline searching for the truth.

This book is told from a past tragedy and the present day. In the past, four long time collage friends meet yearly at a remote island off the coast of Sweden for a night of drinking and laughter. But one year they never return home, nor are they ever found. Present day, Annalise is planning her Bachelorette party with her best friend, podcaster Tessa. Annalise wants to have it on a small island and unknowingly plans it on the same island that ten years ago the four women disappeared from. Tessa immediately is obsessed with the idea as she remembers hearing about the disappearances and vows to solve the mystery, but will fate claim it’s next victims?

Tessa gets invited to a bachelorette party on Isle Blind and decides to go, more to research an old case for her true crime podcast than to attend the party. Once there, she starts trying to piece together what happened 10 years ago, when four friends disappeared in a supposed accident. But as Tessa investigates, things take a sinister turn.

I thought this book was fine. The characters were all mildly annoying to me, and Tessa was always so sure she knew everything (despite often being wrong), that I didn’t find her very redeeming as a main character.

The actual plot was good, although the big reveal didn’t really do much for me by the time I got there.

I liked this one fine, but I have enjoyed some of Sten’s other books more.

The gorgeous cover of this book would make me pluck it right off a bookstore shelf. Un upcoming wedding. Sweden. Private island retreat. Girls trip. What could go wrong, right? I really liked the premise of this book, with dual timelines just 10 years apart. 10 years is not too long for people to forget or for secrets to remain buried. But, somehow I never really connected with the characters. Maybe there were too many of them. Maybe they just weren't relatable to me. I felt sorry for their experience but somehow didn't end up caring what happened to them. And whatever happened to Carl? I feel like he was the elephant in the room that never got addressed even in the end.

Overall, it was a quick entertaining read. Good to pass the time, but not particularly memorable.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

{3.5 stars}

Thanks to Minotaur Books and St Martin's Press for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions below are my own.

Ten years ago, four women went missing on their annual girls retreat to a remote Swedish island. Now another group of women is on the island for a bachelorette party and one of them is haunted by what happened there a decade ago. It becomes evident quickly that the past just might repeat itself.

I've enjoyed Sten's other novels. I've also done a cruise through Sweden's remote islands so I could really visualize the setting of this one. Lots of unlikable characters but the baddie was plausible which I like in a thriller. Didn't really need the after the reveal future scenes though. It's a good page turner for the beach or pool but not one that will stick with you.

Thank you to netgalley for the arc. The beginning had me like “what???!!” But then it fell a little flat for me. Overall it was a good read.

I really liked the first two books I read by this Swedish phenom, most especially the sense of place they so fully evoked for me. Still true...just no longer novel; talk about a victim of her own success...! It's also the case that this plot, girl-group grows up hiding secrets worth killing for, does not compel me as much as it once did.

“Sometimes there’s no such thing as okay. Sometimes all there is, is good enough.” It's prophetic that this line is in this book.

Minotaur Books wants $28.00 for a hardcover. I say use the library.

Thank you NetGalley, Minotaur, St. Martin's and the author for the arc!

I really thought I would enjoy this one … I’m such a sucker for the “stranded on an island with a killer” trope. But sigh.

The opener and the setting was “wham bam whoa!! … but that’s where it stopped for me. The rest of the book, I just couldn’t connect with. It sorta dragged, I didn’t like any of the characters & the whodunnit wasn’t much of a mystery, with no great twist or shocker.

I think the premise was there … but in my opinion, the execution just never took off. But hey, give it a go & decide for yourself! I’m sure a lot of readers may really enjoy this little popcorn thriller … unfortunately it was a miss for me.

I truly enjoyed reading this book! I had no idea where the book was going. It definitely kept me guessing!

I so wanted to love this book but I just found it so hard to get into. It took me forever to read because I just wasn't "pulled in". I finally started reading it and enjoying about 3/4 of the way in. It was good to get to end and just have all the loose ends tied up. Overall, decent read but just kinda drags in the beginning.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Did I love the book? No.
Did I hate the book? No.
Do I feel like that the execution of the story was missing? Yes
Were there great parts? Yes
I think it was the characters. There were so many of them and I felt like I couldn't get to know the ones that I really wanted to know because the others were developed so well. I felt lost at times during the book. The ending was okay but, was missing something that a normal thriller gives.
I will read Camilla Sten again in the future though because that woman has a mind of all minds.

I was definitely NOT expecting what happened to happen, I was not expecting that the one person did what they did. Or how everything connects in such a crazy and chaotic way. This is such a good story, leaving you in the edge of your seat trying to guess at what is going to happen but really having NO idea.

I really wanted to love this one. The premise was good but I thought the storyline was a little chaotic making it hard to follow especially with the amount of characters in the book.

This is a gripping, atmospheric thriller with a strong locked-room/cold case vibe. If you enjoy stories where the setting is just as suspicious as the characters, and clues unfold at just the right pace, this one’s worth watching out for! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Love a good thriller! This was a fast read that kept me interested the entire time. I felt there were a few loose ends/the end was a little rushed but overall really enjoyed. Thanks so much for the early free copy!

Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC of #TheBacheloretteParty. This book started off well for me and I thought it was going to be one of those “stay up reading all night” books, but unfortunately it wasn’t. I enjoyed the dual mysteries presented, but I struggled with keeping track of all the characters and what was going on. Often I would read several pages and completely forget what I read. I’m certain this book would be a better read for someone that has more patience for a drawn out storyline. It was good, just not great.

Great read. An easy, quick, page turner full of twist and turns that kept me wanting to read more! Would highly recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a fast paced book and it really kept me going throughout the story. I wish some details and characters were a little bit more fleshed out, but I loved both Tessa and Matilda! They were strong characters, and I really did feel for them. I thought the plots were predictable, but some of the goriness was genuinely unexpected and I kind of loved it! This book would get an easy 4 stars for me had characters outside of Tilly and Tessa been developed more and if the podcast subplot was tightened up a bit, but I still had a great time reading it!

Happy pub week and thriller Thursday!!

Tessa is headed to her childhood friends bachelorette party on a remote island with a group of girls she hasn’t seen since high school. Seems weird for Tessa to want to go to a bachelorette for a girl she hasn’t really stayed in touch with, but she has ulterior motives. Ten years before a group of girls disappeared on Isle Blind and no one knows what happened to them.

Tessa has a failing career in True Crime and figuring out what happened that night ten years ago is just what she needs to kick start her career back up!

The story is told in duel timelines flashing back and forth between the past and the present on Isle Blind, starting to piece together what happened the night the nantuk four disappeared.

This book kept my interest and I enjoyed the story development! I love a “locked door/cold case” thriller where you know something isn’t right about this island, you just need to figure it out. You’re not sure who you can trust but clues slowly start to formulate!

👀You definitely want to keep your eye out for this one!!

Thank you SO much for my advanced copy! @authorcamillasten @minotaur_books @stmartinspress

🥳pub date: June 10/2025

my rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️