I enjoyed this book. I started as soon as it popped into my Netgalley app and finished the same time the next day.
It reminded me of the television show Desperate Housewives. It was not a mystery/thriller but more like a mystery/whodunnit. The ending was definitely not expected at all and in a good and surprising way.
The narrator gave it chic-lit vibes. I think she was a bit too animated considering the subject matter but did an excellent job with the actual narrating.
I would probably casually mention it to friends but wouldn't go out of my way to do so.
3 1/2:⭐

This audiobook, in my opinion, was not a thriller or mystery. It was more of a drama. The characters were all horrible and not relatable, maybe that was the point?

This book took foreverrr to get to something interesting. I found myself not paying attention as it was going.

The narrator was great, the different voices were perfect. I listened at 1.75x.

All in all, this audiobook wasn’t for me.

You know the phrase ‘Hot Mess’ ???
Well, I feel like EVERYONE in this book could be described that way!! 😮

Ruth and Teo are getting married. She’s from a well-to-do family. Her wedding is being touted as the wedding of the century, and her Mom plans to keep it that way…

BUT…there are SECRETS!
Lots of secrets!
Secrets in places where there shouldn’t be ANY!!

One being her father, who disappeared many moons ago…and now returned to their lives to walk her down the aisle….
Wait!! What???????

Lots of crazy. Lots of small town vibes. Lots more crazy!

Thank God she has SOME family and friends who appear to be somewhat normal…but are they really?? 🫣🤪

As the wedding day approaches, things begin falling apart.
Can the wedding be saved?

Also, the wedding is taking place about a year after a tremendous storm took out much of the town…and it remains in shambles. The hope is that the wedding will shine some light on the town to get some action going for repairs…

3 1/2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 for me, but rounding down to 3, as I really couldn’t connect with ANY of the characters! But, I think that was the whole idea 💡….

#TheGoodBride by #JenMarieWiggins and narrated nicely by #MarniPenning.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #DreamscapeMedia for an ARC of the audiobook which I received today!! It was released yesterday, 12.10.24, so you should be able to find it on shelves now.

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Ruth Bancroft is getting married a year after a hurricane that left a fishing village on the Gulf Coast torn apart, in a bid to bring much-needed funding and vitality back to the area. This wedding is meticulously planned and curated and should be the perfect day, but things quickly spiral out of control when gunshots are heard and a prominent guest goes missing.

I enjoyed The Good Bride, but I felt that it was more of a drama than a true thriller or mystery. This is definitely a slow burn story with more attention given to characters and drama than action and big twists and turns. It is certainly character-driven and the story is told through multiple POVs that help to advance the character development and drama. I enjoyed the story overall, but I had trouble getting into this book for a while. I don’t mind an occasional slow-burn book, but this felt a little too slow for me. Others may enjoy that aspect, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

Thank you Dreamscape Media for providing this audiobook for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you @booksparks @librofm @dreamscape_media for a gifted copy/ALC!

✨ 𝙈𝙮 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 ✨
This was my fourth read for as an ambassador for the 𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌𝑺𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒔 𝑭𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒆 and it was a suspenseful mystery leading up to a wedding week gone wrong!

Ruth Bancroft has returned to her small hometown to have her wedding, which is about a year after a devastating hurricane swept through the area. Ruth is a simple bride trying to balance her sisters and mother’s more demanding antics leading up to the wedding. Ruth just wants to get married and live HEA!

Ruth’s semi-estranged father shows up, who has a past of not being there for anyone. Pretty soon an expensive piece of jewelry goes missing and it throws everyone into chaos. We get introduced to the sheriff Marcus’s POV and his daughter, who is the wedding planner. Being a small town, everyone already knows each other, and the dynamics of rich vs poor/struggling gets thrown into play in the story too.

I was a little lost on some of the dynamics and twists of the story, with there being so many people’s stories to keep track of. It made the story feel more like family drama with a slight bit of mystery stirred in. I would have liked a bit more of the mystery added into it!

🎧 𝙉𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 🎧
Marni Penning did a great job narrating this multiple POV story. She added accents during the dialogue which helped distinguish between the characters speaking. She was easy to understand while listening to the story too!

✨ 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚:
💍 Slow-Burn Mystery
💍 Complicated Family Dynamics
💍 Florida Small Town Wedding
💍 Missing Wedding Guest

the setup…
It’s been a year since Hurricane Carrie ravaged the coastal town of Blue Compass, Georgia and they’re still struggling to recover. But the upcoming wedding of Ruth Bancroft, the youngest daughter of wealthy matron Caroline Bancroft and her ex-husband Thad, who is estranged from his three daughters, should infuse some much needed revenue for the small business community. It’s going to be the event of the year and there’s a lot at stake for many. There’s Kayla the wedding planner who is counting on this providing a much needed boost to her business; there’s Ruth’s oldest sister Sophie who’s counting on it to further race her Instagram influencer profile; and Caroline who wants to be the real main attraction, just to name a few.

the heart of the story…
I got a strong sense of each of the characters and always felt like everything was building to some main event other than the wedding. My instincts were right on as something catastrophic happens the night before at the rehearsal dinner. I was also expecting Ruth to be a bridezilla but Caroline wore that mantle and well! It’s a really slow burn getting there, however, and it took some patience. There aren’t a lot of likable characters here and the lifestyle and behavior of the rich is quite off putting. But the last half of the story was a page turner.

the narration…
Marni Penning was great at creating distinctive voices for the critical characters and especially nailed Caroline and Sophie. Her storytelling skills were really strong, particularly as this took a while to come together.

the bottom line…
Despite all of the events, mystery, intrigue and excitement of the second half, the build up and character development of the first half is what made this a success in the end. Have patience as the payoff came. And, opt for the audio version if you can. 3.5 stars

This is probably more of a 3.8 rounded up, If you like a good slow burn this is for you. It did a good job having multiple povs and laying out the ground work for the twist to come. A toxic family with a past you get small glimpse into. This did a good job showing you how having all the money in the world still can’t bring happiness. The author did such a good job with making you feel how out of touch some of the characters were to everyday life. This was a quick read for me and rather enjoyed the slower pace of a who dunnit.

From the beginning of "The Good Bride," I felt disconnected from the story. The opening chapters failed to draw me in, and I found the promised suspense lacking throughout the novel. The characters lacked depth, making it difficult to feel any sympathy for them.

The events leading up to the climactic water scene were intended to create tension, but they felt repetitive and revealed nothing new about the characters or their relationships. The plot was both boring and predictable, as I hoped for surprising twists that never came.

Despite my disappointment with the novel, I want to thank NetGalley for providing me with a free advanced copy. I appreciate the opportunity to engage with new literature, even when it doesn’t resonate with me.

The premise for this one definitely dragged me in, although there were several characters to keep track of, and none that I particularly rooted for (at the real risk of ending each of those clauses with prepositions!). The mystery surrounding the missing wedding guest was somewhat easy to unravel, but it did allow us to get to know the cast better and learn what other secrets were lingering. And there were plenty! The Florida backdrop in the Gulf Coast area recovering from a hurricane was suitable for this big wedding and the events that occurred there.
The audio version was done well with clear distinctions between the different characters, which I appreciate greatly when multiple narrators aren't used.
Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARL. All opinions are mine.

I really struggled to find a likable character in this book.
As the story goes, girl and boy are getting married, girls family and boys family are opposite, the past comes back to haunt them. Then there’s some lies and half truths, then someone maybe dies, then truths come out and the story ends.

Unfortunately, this one was a bust for me. Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this ALC.

The Good Bride didn't help me much with my reading slump — it was definitely not my cup of tea.

With an exciting premise and a promise of a thrilling ride, I expected to be sucked into the story immediately.

While it was an interesting family drama, the mystery aspect just didn't work for me, or at least, I didn't recognize it as a proper mystery. Yes, there was a murder and yes, the characters were all "suspicious" but eh, the reveal wasn't satisfying. At least not for me.

But I did like the writing style, the author knew what she was doing, peppering in the foreshadowing and clues.

A special thanks to NetGalley, for providing the advanced listener copy of The Good Bride by Jane Marie Wiggins. It took me a little while to get into the book, but once I did, I thoroughly enjoyed it! I was definitely surprised by the ending.

The book was narrated by Marni Penning. She did an excellent job.

Publication Date- December 10 2024
#TheGoodBride #NetGalley

Ruth and Teo are having the wedding of the year in a small coastal town in Florida that Ruth spent summers in growing up. Blue Compass is a haven for new money and the Bancroft family. This story is told by Ruth, Teo, Marcus (the town sheriff), and Marcus' daughter, Kayla, the local wedding planner. Ruth has 2 older sisters, a brother in law, twin niece & nephew, an obnoxious mother of the bride, and an estranged father. Teo's therapist mother is also featured in the story. One of Ruth's sisters is a popular social media influencer that adds its own layer of chaos to the mess. This story has struggles with class and race as well as the standard rich people being clueless and awful. Many of which are favorite thriller themes of mine. Yet the sum was less than the total of its parts somehow.

This is fast-paced and suffers from a few too many twists and story points. As a rule, I prefer when thrillers are told from multiple character viewpoints. However, in this novel, it just served to muddy the waters. There wasn't enough character building to make this method work in an audiobook, and I found myself needing to rewind in order to figure out who's pov I was listening to. This story has so much going on that it's difficult to keep all of the moving parts of the story straight. The reveals were uneventful, and I wasn't shocked or engrossed.

In many respects, it felt like the narrative overly relied on stereotypes of characters' role in life over the skillful building of characters that live with the reader. It made this story a bit hard to get into or care about. Usually, I finish thrillers in a single sitting, unable to move on until I know the reveals. In this case, my mind kept wandering because the story just didn't hold my attention.

This audiobook is narrated by Marni Penning. Marni does a great job using accents to distinguish between the revolving cast of point of view characters. The only complaint is that the accent was only used in sharing a sentence. It wasn't used during the narration of the pov character's thoughts or actions. This made it somewhat difficult to distinguish between characters until they were quoted.

Thank you to Jen Marie Wiggins, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed this thriller full of toxic family dynamics!

Premise - Bride-to-be Ruth Bancroft heads to a small fishing village on the Gulf Coast one year after it was devastated by a hurricane. The wedding should be epic, thanks to an influencer in attendance, but between family in-fighting, gunfire, and the disappearance of a high profile guest everything goes left pretty fast.

This was perfectly paced! I had other things to do, but I just couldn't find a place to pause because I *had* to know what happened next. This was very much a 'just one more chapter' book, where before I knew it I was at the end. So fun! The characters are interesting and complex, the small town and its inhabitants compelling (even though Hurricane Cary was mentioned so often it felt like a drinking game), and the plot a solid engine to carry everyone along.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Mami Penning. She did a great job! All of the character voices were distinct, so it was easy to track who was speaking, and she gave an emotive, but not over the top, read that really complemented Wiggins' story. If you're looking for an audiobook to enjoy during some errands, travel, or exercise, I highly recommend this one!

Thanks, NetGalley and Dreamscape Media, for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The narration is wonderful! I can't fault her at all. I just struggled to care about all the rich protagonists. Although I did love the drama and the weird wedding speeches. Imagine complaining about being robbed during a wedding speech. That was gold.
I look forward to the authors next book.

The narrator did a fantastic job. A wedding that goes horrible wrong. This was filled with family drama and Ruth Bancroft thought having a dream wedding would pull her family together. Rich people behaving badly. A guest goes missing and now an investigation is underway and long kept secrets will be revealed. There was just a lot of moving parts in this to keep straight and at a slow pace it was easy to loose focus .

𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬
The highly anticipated wedding takes a turn for the worse in this gripping family saga filled with deception and treachery. A year after a catastrophic hurricane, Ruth Bancroft is set to marry her ideal partner in a charming fishing village along the Gulf Coast. The weekend is meticulously planned, showcasing elegance and social media flair to not only uplift a community still in recovery but also to reunite Ruth’s fractured family.

𝐌𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬
I had a bit of a hard time getting into this book. The narrator was good, but the story didn’t really hold my interest. I think the frequent changes in point of view, along with the pacing and the overall storyline, made the audiobook less appealing to me. I wouldn’t classify it as a thriller; it felt more like a family drama that lacked the excitement. The stakes seemed quite low, and the mystery didn’t really draw me in. Each character appeared to be stuck in their own challenges, which made it tough to connect with any of them. That said, if you’re in the mood for a light mystery and family drama, I wouldn’t discourage you from reading it—it just wasn’t my favorite.

Another reviewer put it best: “ Rich people having rich people problems.” I couldn’t get into this book… I found all of the POVs to be too similar to distinguish, and all of them to be irritating and self-absorbed.

I would call this more of domestic suspense than a thriller. Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to review.

2.5 Stars Rounded Up

Who doesn't love a little family drama? Especially when it's someone else's family, not your own. In this story, we delve into the wedding chaos of Ruth, who brings her affluent family to her hometown, which was devastated by a hurricane the previous year, for her wedding. Although it's a celebration she wants, it's not unfolding in the way she envisioned. All her dreams are being disregarded as her mother takes control of everything, from the venue to the guest list to the catering. Things take a turn when Ruth's estranged father unexpectedly returns to town to walk her down the aisle. As strange events unfold around the city, this family is thrown into turmoil.

I had trouble getting into this book. I'm not sure if it was the frequent changes in point of view, the pacing, or the story itself, but it just didn't resonate with me. While the overall writing wasn't bad, the "thriller" aspect lacked the thrill. The stakes weren't high enough, and the mystery wasn't compelling. Each character seemed to be wrapped up in their issues, making it hard to connect with any of them. The narrator did a commendable job, especially with the Southern accents, but the perspectives began in a similar manner, which made it challenging to engage with the characters, particularly since there were three or four different viewpoints.

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

Unfortunately, I knew pretty much immediately that this book wasn’t my vibe. Rich people having rich people problems. I’m just not someone who likes rich people in books. I can’t relate to their so called problems and have a hard time caring about them so this one was just rough to get through.

I held out hope for a compelling mystery but was left disappointed. Not for me at all.