A great novel with an intriguing premise that kept me interested throughout. Couple of nice twists. Thanks for the opportunity to read

Entertaining,,,
A weekend bridal party turns sinister in this entertaining suspense. The girls have been waiting for this weekend, anticipating it, but with the maid of honour Tamsyn having backed out their initial upset turns to determination to enjoy the break regardless. What they don’t know is that there’s a murder mystery game in store. Will there also be a killer in their midst? With a credible cast and a twisting but thin plot this is an entertaining tale.

I enjoyed the plot and I thought it was well written however I didn;t like the characters and just couldn't relate to any of them

Bit late reading this book but ut was a very quick easy yet slightly disturbing read.
The friendships are very real and you have no idea about what is actually going to happen. The flipping between the past and present helps to keep the cliff hangers in place.
Easy read to help get the reading mojo back

A dark & twisted tale; this should have been an instant winner for me.
Sadly though I didn’t enjoy the story and couldn’t engage with the characters.

I didn't finish The Bridal Party because the beginning was so slow and impersonal. I didn't care for any of the characters so therefore I did not care about what happened to them in this thriller!

Unfortunately I really struggled with this book and felt like giving up at times. The blurb sounded great but it wasn’t a good read for me.

Clarisse and her friends are off to the island of Jersey for a bridal party weekend. None of them have any idea what’s in store for them as the weekend was organised by the maid of honour, Tamsyn. Sadly, Tamsyn’s mother falls ill and Tamsyn is forced to back out of the celebrations. The girls intend to make the best of things though and spirits are lifted considerably when they find out where they are staying. Until they realise Tamsyn has organised a murder mystery …

Remote location, creepy shenanigans, lies and secrets … Not your average weekend, to be sure. It all reminded me somewhat of those 90’s slasher movies and The Bridal Party often evoked the same emotions in me. Those moments where you roll your eyes at the sheer stupidity of the characters, usually followed by yelling “get the hell out of there!”.

I never quite managed to get to grips with the characters and their friendships often baffled me. I might have benefited from just a bit more depth in the dynamics of how the various relationships worked to find it in myself to become invested in these ladies. The few flashbacks didn’t really bring much to the table and I’m not entirely sure they were even necessary.

Nevertheless, The Bridal Party is a quick, easy read and it did entertain me for a few hours as I flew through the pages. You just know this won’t end well but there are a few surprises in store. Even if for me personally, it all felt a little over the top. I suppose I’d call this a rather light-hearted story about betrayal and revenge and for me the perfect in-between read when I need a break from my regular dose of gore and gruesomeness. Ultimately, it failed to really grip me and the thrill in thriller was sorely lacking for me.

Lesson learned though : Never let anyone organise a party for you.

With thanks to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

Friends Nada, Gaia, Alfreya and Elana intended to spend a fun hen weekend with bride to be Clarisse. The weekend started bad!y when Tamsyn who arranged the weekend could not attend it. The woman were delighted to find Tamsyn had booked a remote country house to stay in. Tamsyn sent a text message to say the first nights entertainment would be a murder mystery with actors.

Things quickly turned sinister when Nada discovered someone had removed her costume for the night and replaced it with a medieval joker outfit. Gaia`s costume was replaced with a peasant outfit and Clarisse had a nuns outfit with a blood stain on it.

On edge Nada looked out of her bedroom window and saw the shadow of a man outside. Fiesty Gaia tried to speak to the man but he ran off into the woods nearby. Nada and Gaia don't want to ruin Clarrise`s weekend and decide to keep quiet.

When the murder mystery began a body was placed on the dining room table covered in a sheet. The compere was a local man who was involved in black magic and wicca practices. From there the women become involved in a bizarre medieval trial.

I was engrossed in this story from the first page. The story was very atmospheric, you could sense the mounting paranoia. When the trial started in the dining room I had a cold sense of dread of what was to come. The story has flashbacks to Clarisse`s ex fiance Luke who the women disliked.

I liked Nada who was a carer for her mentally ill mother. My favourite character was Gaia who was fiesty and willing to protect her friends when they were under threat.

I guessed some parts of the story but not the complete picture. There were twists and turns aplenty which left me gasping with shock. There was one scene that was completely ridiculous but luckily it didn't last long.

I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

#TheBridalParty is an absorbing read with an ending I didn’t expect!

I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to those looking for a short gripping read.

Nada and the rest of Clarisse’s friends are going to a country house in Jersey to celebrate Clarisse’s hen do. At the last minute, Tamsyn the organiser of the weekend, has to drop out of the trip due to her mother being unwell, and without her the girls know nothing about the murder mystery activity she has planned. Then things start to go wrong...

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for my free advance copy in return for an unbiased review.

A group of young women arrive for a hen party, but the organiser and maid-of-honour Tamsyn, is nowhere to be seen. Expecting a fun time especially with the murder-mystery game Tamsyn has booked, the night starts to take a sinister turn.

The book was well-written and I think the story flowed nicely, with viewpoints of from the present day and flashbacks to an earlier incident, and there are plenty of secrets and lies to be found out. Unfortunately, from my viewpoint as a reader, it suffered from being way too predictable - even the reveal at the end wasn't a surprise, but this wouldn't put me off trying another one of the author's books.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Atlantic Books / Corvus, for the opportunity to review an ARC.

I loved this book. I thought it had just the right amount of creepy without it being over the top. It was clever and I liked that the characters weren't just stereotypes.

The Bridal Party is a dark, gritty read with secrets, lies, betrayal and revenge as its central themes. The deception and duplicity runs right through the book making it difficult to know who to trust or who is simply putting on a front. Centred around a group of friends who embark on a murder mystery as part of Clarisse's hen party, things turn increasingly sinister and very, very creepy. The atmosphere J G Murray cultivates is so suspenseful that it was difficult to put down. Well written with plenty of surprises, some of which I predicted ahead of time, although it didn't impact my enjoyment too much.

This is a chilling debut novel, and I can't wait to see what the author produces next. Certainly one to watch.

Many thanks to Corvus Books for an ARC.

What a creepy thriller, that will keep you turning the pages !!

It all begins with a Hen Party for the bride to be, Clarisse, and her friends. They all travel to Jersey to stay in a secluded house where the plan for the first day is a Murder Mystery party. The costumes are bought and packed but then when the friends go to unpack their costumes have been changed !! Then creepy things start to happen until the Murder Mystery begins, but not all is as it seems.

I really don’t want to say anymore about the plot as I think you just need to read it and discover the plot for yourselves. A real creepy thriller that will have you avoiding Murder Mystery parties and secluded houses in the future !!

Thank you to Atlantic Books and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

Though, the premise is intriguing, it started real slow and took a long time to pick up. Add to that, the characters are not that interesting and there's not a lot of character development going on. But once it picked up, I was gripped. I also enjoyed the setting mixed with urban legend. There's also a couple of twists I didn't see coming which I really appreciate. The ending fell flat, though. I was hoping for more. Overall, it's a decent read.

The Bridal Party is the first book I’ve read by J.G.Murray and if the next is like this one I won’t be missing out on it.
The book is only a couple of hundred pages long but a lot is packed in as it only covers one day. Jersey is the setting and the occasion is Clarisse’s hen party. The book is split into the past and the present so the more you read the more you start to work out what really is going on here.
I’m not going to talk about the plot because as it’s quite a short book it will definately spoil it for you but all I will say is it’s definitely worth reading if you like to be scared a little. This is a twisty read about friendships, betrayal, lies and definately revenge.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Atlantic Books, Corvus for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Definitely not what I expected! A very cleverly written tale that has a complex story. That said, it is very easy to read and highly addictive. Excellent.

I enjoyed this book; it was a good storyline and it kept me hooked throughout. I definitely wasn’t expecting the events that occurred and it was good to feel surprised. The only downsides for me is how quick the story started and how quick it ended. The events seemed to unfold very quickly without too much an introduction and I just feel that I needed to know the characters a little bit more before it all kicked off. At the same time, the book seemed to end quite abruptly as well and I was shocked to see that I had finished the books without a little more closure. Other than that, the book is very entertaining and well written.

Six friends at a hen party on the island of Jersey that takes a turn for the worst to unveil a past secret.

A mixed read, I found the first few chapters intriguing, the next third quite slow and I spent time thinking have I read this before. It’s very similar to in A Dark Dark Wood by Ruth Wareand from 60% onwards intense that’s asking to be red in one sitting. . But the twists and turns towards the end were gripping.

Quite a mixed read. But enjoyable and well worth a read.

The Bridal Party is a story about a hellish hen party!

Party, costumes, alcohol, cults and witches are an explosive combination for a hen weekend away at a country house. I loved the mystery and the twists and turns. Very enjoyable!