I received an advanced copy of this book from Joffe Books via NetGalley.

This book is a twisty, character-driven murder mystery set against the backdrop of a bachelorette party gone horribly wrong. The story opens with a flashback to Maggie’s wild bachelorette night in the 1980s. When Maggie wakes up in bed with a stranger, she’s horrified—not only by her lapse in judgment but by the phone call she receives from her friend Suzanne, informing her that another friend, Angie, was found murdered that morning.

What follows is a layered and engaging mystery that alternates between the perspectives of Maggie, her friends Suzanne, Kelly, and Carol Anne, and the detectives trying to piece together the crime. Each of the women has a personal stake in solving Angie’s murder—not just for justice, but to protect the secrets they desperately want to keep hidden. Maggie wrestles with doubts about her impending marriage, Kelly is on a journey to maintain sobriety, Carol Anne suspects her husband of infidelity, and Suzanne is entangled in an affair with unexpected connections to the case. The characters’ motivations and hidden lives create an undercurrent of personal drama that enriches the murder investigation and keeps the suspense alive.

O’Connell’s writing masterfully layers these secrets, drawing readers into the mystery while exploring each character’s complex backstory. The alternating perspectives, including that of the lead detective, make for an immersive experience as new twists emerge and loyalties are tested. Just when you think you’ve solved the mystery, O’Connell pulls the rug out from under you, leading to a cleverly crafted double epilogue that leaves you guessing even after the final page.

This book is definitely a page turner! I couldn’t put it down. I found myself drawn more and more into the lives of these seemingly disparate friends.

Six friends get together for a bachelorette party and the next morning one of the women, Angie, is discovered murdered. The story alternates between five of the women and the investigation into Angie's death; the sixth, Natasha, is hardly mentioned at all and appears to be the friend you make because your mother knows her mother and so you have to tolerate her.

Each of the women has her own issues that she is dealing with in the two weeks leading up to the wedding for the bride-to-be Maggie. Because of the different relationships between the women, the information they share with each other differs. Some know much more about the issues each other is dealing with than others. The women are trying to be helpful, but not too helpful because they have their own secrets to protect, which may or may not be related to Angie's death. The limited sharing of information causes increased problems and misunderstandings and ultimately places one of the women in danger.

I have to admit that I didn’t love any of the 6 women as they seemed a bit shallow to me, but I did enjoy the reveals about them which explained some of the dynamics between them and helped to pull you into figuring out who the murderer is. It kept me guessing all the way.

The plot is creative, with some interesting and amusing twists and turns, and some rather good surprises at the end.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

This was a middle of the road thriller for me — I enjoyed the drama surrounding a bachelorette party but I felt like there were parts in this story that dragged a bit. With that said, I didn't suspect the killer or the twists and turns of this book.

This is a pretty average thriller but some good twist and turns. There were some parts that felt a little slow but then they would pick up.

I did not guess the killer and that always makes a good thriller for me. There were some parts that were slightly cringe. I also forgot a lot of the times that this was set in the 80s because nothing really made me think of the 80s.

Genre: Thriller
APK: Ebook
Pages: 305
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Series or Standalone: Stand-alone

This book will not disappoint, so much secrets and lies between friends. It is enjoyable but a slow burn. At the end of the book I wanted to know more. Was a very good read.

The Bachelorette Party by Catherine O’Connell was full of twists and turns. The story started with a flashback to Maggie’s bachelorette party, where the bulk of events took place. One of the party goers ended up murdered and discovered by their friend the next morning on her daily run.

We bounced perspectives between the other party goers and the lead homicide detective as well. The character development was wonderful, and I loved all the layers they contained. New secrets kept being uncovered, and the story progressed seamlessly.

We ended on a hell of a cliffhanger, where a different possible scenario was introduced, and it’ll leave you with your mouth hanging open and questioning everything.

Highly recommend!

I gave this one 4 stars because I couldn’t put it down. I like a good “who dunnit” novel and could see the concept of this as a movie. I thought I knew exactly who the killer was but then after a couple twists I found out I was wrong. The person that did do it was not on my radar whatsoever. It is a multiple POV with each chapter being a different person, however, I didn’t get lost or confused with timelines because it stayed on the same path. If you haven’t make sure you check this one out on Kindle Unlimited.

This book seems more like a book about female relationships, and gossip rather than a mystery. Although there was a murder in the very beginning of the book, the book did not unfold like a like it was focusing on a murder mystery. I unfortunately cannot get into the rating style That the book was written in. Nor did I find the characters to be particularly likable or engaging. I do appreciate the opportunity, however, to read this book and I want to thank the author publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity!

Really enjoyed this fun thriller - who doesn’t love drama and a thriller surrounding a bachelorette party?!

Definitely worth the read and recommendation to other thriller lovers!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really want to enjoy this based on the summary and title, but I could not get into it. Normally I would finish this in one read, but it took about a week, as I did not like any of the characters. Told from multiple point of views, it is the day after Maggie’s bachelorette party and one of her bridesmaids is found dead. While I would have assumed this would have been the focal point, we spend the book learning more of each character and what is going on in their life - both past and present (the “present” is set in the late 1980’s). This group of women are horrible people. Drug use, affairs, etc, without redeeming qualities. The writing did not hold my attention and the story seemed to move very slow. Unfortunately this one was not for me.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this book!!

What a great book!! It had me hooked from page one! I couldn’t put this down. I finished it in one sitting. I enjoyed the storyline and the characters. This was a first for me by this author but it will not be my last!!

I had really been looking forward to this book since I had seen it in previews. I’m really sad to say that it wasn’t possible for me to get into well and even though I stuck with it the style of writing made the story less captivating.

The plot could have been very enjoyable but it was written in sort of easy beach read manner which ruined any atmosphere.

A great twisty thriller. A plot that is simple but delves into what has really happened and why. Lots of sex and drug references. At times great pace.

Would recommend and read more of.

The premise of this book had me intrigued and eager to read it. The action started right at the beginning with a murder and took off from there. There were several stories woven into the one main story and it was told through the different characters.

Maggie, the main character is getting married soon so a group of friends gather for her bachelorette party. From there several plots are developed as each friend has their own story to tell. There were several twists and so much deceit it was hard to guess where this was going. The ending was different, for lack of a better word. I did enjoy the story but the ending not so much.

Thanks to Netgalley and Joffe Books for the advanced copy

Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe Books for providing this book, with my honest review below.

The Bachelorette Party may share the title of spirit of other thrillers, but I felt like this story twisted expectations of what would happen and as a result presented itself more as women’s fiction with mystery/thriller elements to keep it suspenseful but not as the point behind it. And to be clear, that’s praise given this could have been a cookie cutter story but was not.

Set in the 80’s, Maggie is our bride to be who has just woken up after her bachelorette party in bed with a stranger she picked up the night before. If that wasn’t enough she wakes up to a call from her friend Suzanne that Angie, another friend, was found murdered. With the inclusion of Kelly and Carol Anne, also in this friend group, we alternate between their perspectives and the cops in trying to solve the mystery. The ladies are trying to solve it not to avenge their friend (not that they wouldn’t) but because each one has something to hide or prove out to herself. And while the mystery is the undercurrent the main plot elements that were also the most engaging were figuring out what Maggie wanted for herself (and if her one night stand was a decent guy), Kelly’s mission to stay sober and bring the main detective with her on that journey, Carol Anne trying to figure out what her husband was up to, and Suzanne’s affair and how it related to her drive.

It sounds like a lot but this was well written and everything worked so well, even the murder made sense when explained. My favorite parts were undoubtedly the end and I almost missed it thinking the book was done (so keep reading). If you like your mysteries to take place in real personal drama and discovery, this is perfect for you.

First, thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC copy.

Secondly, I feel bad for not being able to leave a more positive review. Especially since I've looked forward to read the book, judging by the cover and the description, the story sounded like it was just made for me. But I just couldn't get into it. I pushed through because I was curious where the story would go, I really wanted to know who killed Angie, and why. Just the writing style was sadly not for me, and made it hard to keep reading.

2 stars. This book was published as The Last Night Out quite a few years ago. I didn't know this until I read the blurb from the author. I had a real hard time with this book. So, Maggie is getting married soon. Her and her friends go out for her bacherlorette party. Maggie wakes up the next day sleeping next to a strange guy and the phone ringing. Another friend from the party is calling to tell her one of the other girls at the party, Angie, is dead. This should really be in the women's fiction category. Aside from the murder, this is a book about friends, gossip, husbands, kids, life, rich parents, maybe being pregnant. It's like a soap opera. For me, it was long and clunky. I wasn't fond of the writing style. The characters were all very unlikable. If this wasn't an ARC, I definitely would have put it into the DNF category. Sorry. I thought I was delving into a thriller, when in fact, I was reading what amounted to a bunch of women acting like school age girls.

Thank you to Joffe Books and Netgalley for the ARC. I greatly appreciate it. I do not recommend this book.

An unforgettable bachelorette party turns into a night of uncertainty, deception, and a horrible murder. Maggie is about to get married and spends one night with a few of her closest friends. She wakes up the next morning with a handsome stranger in her bed, who is not her fiance. Maggie is woken up by a phone call stating that one of her friends has been murdered. As detectives begin to unfold the case, everyone involved has a little something to hide. Did one of them do it, or is someone else next?

This was a great psychological thriller. I really enjoyed the plot and how it kept me guessing who the suspect was. Each character had a very personal story which was interesting. However I was not a big fan of switching between so many POVs. Aside from that, this story really had me on my toes and trying to solve the case myself. The twist was unexpected and left me shocked. I highly recommend this book if you enjoy thrillers!

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This one was a slow read for me. I just couldn't get into it, although I did finish it. Wasn't my cup of tea but hopefully it might with someone else.

Bit of a slow one for me but still a good read it seemed really slow to get into but I still have it a chance it will be a good read for someone out there.