I liked the overall premise of The Bridesmaid, but did find the chapters changing characters somewhat confusing. I think some additional context at the beginning of each chapter would be helpful so the reader isn’t spending half the chapter trying to remember who is talking. I still found the book engaging and definitely wanted to finish it. Not my favorite Cate Quinn book, but still recommend!

Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange of an honest review.

Adrianna is a wealthy heiress, getting married on her family's private island. One of her bridesmaids is murdered the night before the final dress fitting, and things start to go badly wrong - can forensic expert Holly help solve the crime?

I found the change of character narrator in each chapter very confusing - I regularly spent paragraphs trying to work out who was talking. I liked the characters of Holly and Fitzwilliam, but none of the other characters were likeable and I simply didn't care what happened to them. The trail of clues was interesting, and Holly doing forensic work with whatever was at hand was fun, but the story on the whole was not for me. I find it very hard to believe a school could operate as suggested, it was too hard to spend my disbelief.

Kidnapping? Murder? Weddings? Secrets? This one was fun!! Not the best character or plot development that I've ever seen, but it was a quick and easy read that would make for fun conversations at a book club. The characters kind of irked me and the dialogue felt a little disingenuous from time to time, but overall it was entertaining and I easily finished it in only a few sittings. Thank you for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me engaged and it only took a few days to read. I think this is going to be a good book club option for several clubs. I plan recommending to my book friends and I look forward to reading more by this author.

2.5 stars

I really wish I liked this book but beside the blurb, there was nothing interesting.

Holly a freelance forensic gets wrapped up in a high profile murder of a bridesmaid. This murder is then linked to the previous kidnap of the bride. This introduces Holly to a bunch of girls who share a traumatic childhood and could be potential killers.

The story switches POV's between the women which doesn't help the plot. The characters aren't well fleshed out and the whole cult trauma felt dragged. The climax of the book wasn't satisfying and kind of predictable.

The author tried to sweep in a romance but the overarching plot was so convoluted that it felt flat. I wish there was a more justifiable end to the story.

I thank NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for the E-Arc and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I enjoyed the premise of this book and the setting and characters were well written. At times I found it a little tricky to follow what was happening and would have liked a little more background information, but on the whole it kept me hooked and I was satisfied with the ending!

Thank you to Netgalley and Orion Publishing Group for the advance copy of this book.

Adrianna, heir to the multimillion dollar Kensington nightclub empire, is planning her dream wedding - a lavish ceremony funded by exclusive sponsors, on the Kensington's private tropical island Elysium.

There's only one flaw in her perfect plans. Elysium holds traumatic memories as the place where she was kidnapped and held hostage for three days on her 21st birthday - a case that was never solved...

When a bridesmaid is murdered the night before the dress fitting, it soon becomes clear that Adrianna won't be able to get hitched without a hitch. The body is staged in a gruesome display, chillingly reminiscent of Adrianna's kidnapping.

When forensic expert Holly becomes embroiled in this alien world, the secrets that have dogged the bride and her bridesmaids since childhood start to come out. The answers lie on Elysium, if Holly can find her way into this playground of the rich and famous - and more importantly, if she can get out of it alive...

I loved the character of Holly. She reminded me of Abby on NCIS, quirky, an outsider, but brilliant at her job.

This book had a unique storyline, one I've not read before This was a quick , fun read with lots if twists.

3.75 out if 5 ⭐️

This is my third Cate Quinn book. She is fast becoming a favourite author for me.
While I've read a lot of thriller/mystery books and I'm rarely finding unique things. This book still had me hooked throughout.
I just couldn't put this book down. Cate's writing is the type that makes her books easy to just get lost in and before you know it you're halfway through the book.

Edgy Suspense..
A dream wedding, an extravagant ceremony, a tropical paradise - what could possibly go wrong? For Adrianna the tropical island of Elysium holds traumatic memories - a case never solved, trauma never forgotten. As her wedding preparations get under way, these memories may well come back to haunt her as someone appears to have a long memory themselves. An edgy suspense with a nicely crafted cast of characters, at atmospheric and well imagined backdrop and a pacy narrative.

I really enjoyed The Bridesmaid by Cate Quinn—it’s pacey and it grabs you from the first page. Set in the city and on a glamorous private island, Heiress and socialite Adrianna’s picture-perfect wedding takes a turn after one of her bridesmaids is murdered.

Lots of twists and turns to keep you hooked and some thoroughly loathsome characters to hate, the book is a great mix of dark drama and suspense.

This is my second Cate Quinn novel and I found it to be a lot like the other one I read.
It was a decent read but it honestly felt very hard to keep up to all the different characters. I felt like there was more detail in the way things were rather than with the characters. I feel like if more went into the characters rather than the details of what they were wearing it might have been better. The part of the story I enjoyed the most was the parts that describe the school that they attended. It would be interesting if she wrote a prequel to the story with them as girls attending the school. If you’re not a fan of childhood trauma, drug use, and suicide this is not a book for you. But if you want a mystery story you might want to give this one a try. See how you feel about it.

I had really high hopes for this book and while the premise did seem like it had all the right fixings, the final seemed disjointed and far-fetched. There was much too much going on.
When I read I don’t mind having to suspend belief, but to a degree. There were so many moving parts and pieces that didn’t get fully explored or explained that it felt like a jump at some points. It felt a bit like a caricature of wealth, these women. And the love story between Fitzwilliam and Holly seemed random and had zero build up. Because so much was happening it felt like nothing could be delved into deeply, and all had to be addressed shallowly.
Over all it definitely felt like a draft - great potential and a strong idea, but didn’t hit the mark for me.

On a paradise island a wedding is planned. but the island has bad vibes for the bride as it's where she was kidnapped and held hostage.

This is very much like a jackie Collins novel. It is an easy read with twists and glamour.

It is one of those books that the reader really doesn't expect much but my reading time was enjoyable and it was fun..

This book was ok, it was like Paris Hilton meets Law and Order. Wasn't my idea of a mystery. Some of the story was just so unrealistic, but it was an easy read and it did have a few twists.

A really interesting thriller with some great twists, a little bit of romance and a whole lot of rich bitch drama. This was a great read with some really dark themes and some fantastic characters in a setting that was really brought to life by some great writing.

A family full of secrets and a private island? What more trouble could you ask for? I loved Holly (FMC) from the very beginning and this story kept me on my toes until the very end.

Thank you to NetGalley & Orion publishing for the ARC ebook for my honest review.

A great plot with many twists and turns and mind- blowing tension with many suspenseful moments throughout! I devoured this book in one sitting!

I’d highly recommend this book! 😊

Adrianna, heir to the multimillion dollar Kensington nightclub empire, is planning her dream wedding a lavish ceremony funded by exclusive sponsors, on the Kensington's private tropical island Elysium. There's only one flaw in her perfect plans. Elysium holds traumatic memories as the place where she was kidnapped and held hostage for three days on her 21st birthday, a case that was never solved... Good book! This book had suspense, intrigue, murder, mystery, a great who done it and a few crazy twists and turns. The story was interesting! It wasn’t a top favorite but still worth reading! Would recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

The Bridesmaid by Cate Quinn is a novel full of dark secrets and chilling twists. Adrianna’s dream wedding on the luxurious private island of Elysium quickly descends into a nightmare when one of her bridesmaids is gruesomely murdered. This forces her to confront the unresolved trauma of her kidnapping years earlier. The tension mounts as the story weaves between past and present. Long buried secrets and betrayals come to light, and will keep you hooked with every revelation. This is the perfect blend of psychological thriller and murder mystery with a fantastic ending!

I just love Cate Quinn books. The Bridesmaid is her newest work. It was a great read that kept me turning pages until the very end.