This book was interesting. I can't say too much without giving spoilers, but let me go through some of my positives and negatives. First, the writing was great. Nina Manning is a wonderful writer; however, the story did drag for a while for me. This was likely because of that "I have a secret and won't tell you until 75% through the book" thing that is so prevalent in many books. Unfortunately, the secret here didn't have as much of a payoff as I had anticipated or hoped. Also, maybe a consequence of Nina's great writing, but not one of the characters was likeable (well, maybe except one, but you don't really find that out until the very last chapter). I do wish I had someone to root for. The last chapter was great, and a nice little final twist that I really enjoyed. Overall, it was a good book that I'm glad I finished (it was rough there for a little while, and I was debating DNFing it, but I'm glad I didn't).

When Sasha's parents take on jobs at Saxby House she meets Caitlin for the first time. Caitlin's grandmother, Josephine, is the matriarch of the Clemonte family and owner of the large manor. Sasha is eager to be the bestest friend to Caitlin, who she envies and admires, regardless of how badly Caitlin treats her.
Now grown, Caitlin is marrying their childhood friend, Chuck, and Sasha is her bridesmaid. Sasha is determined to make Caitlin's wedding day one to remember, including revealing buried family secrets.

I went into this book expecting a thriller, the cover and synopsis definitely makes it seem that way, but it definitely wasn't. The premise of the story was good, but it moved so slowly. It alternates between past and present, but the pace never really picks up. Things do get a bit more interesting after chapter 9, but you realize quickly that the author wants you to assume something that isn't the truth. It's pretty obvious because there are never details given. While the ending wrapped up well enough, it left me feeling really sad, especially knowing that the truth was never completely revealed.
Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a great thriller! What better way is there to see two women show their true selves than during the preparations for a wedding! This was the quintessential toxic friendship, which made for a fun read!

2.5 stars rounded up. This book started out with so much promise, however it took forever to get to the point and the “major reveal” wasn’t that interesting. I wouldn’t consider this book to be a thriller, more like a mild mystery.

Sasha and Caitlin have been friends since childhood. Now Caitlin is getting married and Sasha is being the best bridesmaid she can be. Or is she?

This could have been a much shorter book and it takes far too long to get going. The whole book is told from Sasha’s perspective but in a dual timeline- the summers of the 90s and present day. It’s more of a mystery than a psychological thriller.

I wasn’t completely sold on the plot or the writing style and the characters seemed a bit one dimensional. Caitlin was just plain mean a lot of the time and it was hard to believe that Sasha would have remained friends with her to such a degree after leaving Saxby. The one exception to this was Ava. The reveal at the end made her the only truly realistic character- haunted by her decisions and life choices.

It fell a little short for me but I am glad to have been offered the opportunity to review this novel. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to rw1ad this book. Sasha has been friends with Caitlin since she was a young girl. When Caitlin gets engaged, Sasha wants to make sure the wedding is all Caitlin wished for. I enjoyed the cast of characters.

Dark, poignant and bittersweet. There is so much to uncover in this book as it explores lots of difficult areas of human nature. The toxicity of childhood through to adulthood friendships and deep secrets hidden within families, even those seemingly prosperous is dissected to produce fascinating results. The issues of class divide are also, slightly uncomfortably, highlighted and expertly illustrated.
There are lots of twists and turns in this story and I honestly didn’t expect most of them, which made it a really compelling read. I still don’t really know who to warm to and empathise with, which is evidence really of very clever story telling and carefully crafted characters. Definitely recommend.

Oh, the tension! I was practically clenching my jaws and holding my breath from start to finish. This slow burn psychological thriller is enticing and captured me, utterly and completely, from the first page to the last. I hungrily read the novel in one sitting, ignoring everything else.

Young Sasha moves to live on a huge estate along with her parents where they work as head gardener and housekeeper/cook respectively. As a young girl, Sasha is ecstatic to discover the owners of the estate have a young daughter her age. They are incredibly wealthy and the class lines are very distinct which matters more to Caitlin's parents than Sasha's. Appearance is everything. The book is told in alternating timelines in Sasha's voice when the girls are kids/teens and also as young women. Nina Manning does this beautifully.

Caitlin is not a normal kid but Sasha is drawn to her and aims to please, desperate for a best friend her age who is like a sister. Caitlin's mother detests Sasha and the lower class in general but the girls hang out and know each other better than anyone else does. When Caitlin plans to marry, Sasha is to be her bridesmaid. But nothing is as it seems. I just love the goosebump-inducing psychologically disturbing bits scattered throughout. Very, very interesting plot and subplots.

If you are seeking intense suspense which wondrously messes with your mind, do read this. I am so glad to have discovered this immersive book and felt an immediate connection. Loved learning the inner workings of the characters' minds. And the writing...oh, my. At the end of each chapter I wanted to quickly reach the next, yet didn't want the book to end. A delicious predicament!

My sincere thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the privilege of reading an e-ARC of this marvelous book.

Your best friend. Your worst nightmare...
From the moment they met as children, Sasha knew that beautiful, wealthy, and confident Caitlin would always be her absolute best friend. Sasha would do anything to make Caitlin happy. If this plot sounds familiar, it's because it's been done in a variety of books and Lifetime movies. But this author has done it the best.Great twists and turns and an ending that was completely satisfying. My only complaint is it does drag a bit in places because the other just gets too wordy but it was a great read. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

Stunning! A thrilling read that keeps you captivated to the end. Two friends from different worlds who grew up and apart brought back together by a wedding. But then the story of their childhood unravels. Wonderful twists!

Always a Bridesmaid…

Sasha and Caitlin’s unlikely friendship begins as children at Saxby House. Sasha, the servants' daughter, is enamored with the beautiful Caitlin, granddaughter of the manor. Always in awe of Caitlin’s wealth and status, Sasha revels in this friendship but also tolerates a lot of odd behavior and poor treatment from her bestie. Sasha is also intrigued by the undercurrent of secrets and lies hiding beneath the grandeur of Saxby House and is determined to uncover them. One night she does…

Fast forward to adulthood... Caitlin is about to get married and Sasha is her bridesmaid, in charge of creating the perfect wedding day. But Sasha has put up with toxic behavior and playing second fiddle to Caitlin for twenty years, and she’s finally had enough…

“The Bridesmaid” is an enjoyable read but it didn’t completely hang together for me. Told in alternating timelines but entirely from Sasha’s perspective, the story has an intriguing premise but it’s quite wordy and took entirely too long to get to the point. I also struggled with believing that what amounted to a summer friendship of convenience would have endured into adulthood, considering how poorly Caitlin treated Sasha.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sasha's parents work at Saxby Hall, and this is where she meets Caitlin, the granddaughter of the owner. They become friends but it's all on Caitlins terms. Years later Caitlin asks Sasha to be her bridesmaid. There are lots of secrets within the Clemonte family. The story is told from Sasha"s perspective and each chapter alternates between the wedding preparations and the past, culminating in secrets being revealed.
I wanted to enjoy this novel but I found it quite slow, I wouldn't say its a psychological thriller more of a mystery thriller.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own

Once a bridesmaid, always a bridesmaid? NOT so for Sasha. Enough is enough.

Bridesmaids are generally underappreciated. They do all the work to make the bride’s day perfect. They follow along with the bride’s wishes and deal with the mounting pressure of the big day. The focus is always on the bride. Nina Manning’s, “The Bridesmaid,” mirrors this relationship in an unlikely friendship between two girls.

Sasha first met Caitlin at Saxby House when they were children. Sasha’s parents work for the Clemonte’s on their estate. The girls were besties, inseparable, until the day Sasha has had enough. Enough of having to do things Caitlin’s way. Enough of putting up with Caitlin’s odd behaviour. Enough of the secrets.

This novel is about toxic relationships and explores the reason behind these types of friendships. A slow burner, and more a mystery than a thriller, you’ll discover that nothing is as it seems. Like the one on the cover, a rose is beautiful to look at and has a beautiful aroma. However, every rose has its thorn and this rose, the bride, has a few. In an attempt to keep secrets for appearance's sake, people fail to connect with the most important people around them - thus perpetuating the problem. This is the bridesmaid’s story from the beginning of the friendship to the end of it.

The author studied psychology and applied it to the relationships in this book. It’s a decades-long journey into why people behave the way they do. It’s a unique read because, for most of the book, the main characters are teenagers. Most psychological thrillers I’ve read have adult protagonists.

Publishes May 27, 2021

I was gifted this advance copy by Nina Manning, Boldwood Books and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

The Bridesmaid sees Sasha organising the wedding of her best friend Caitlin. Is their friendship as it should be though? What is the secret Sasha holds over Caitlin, and why is Caitlin so controlling?

I found this book difficult to get into, it was very wordy at the start and it felt too over descriptive. However once I started getting to know the characters, the pace quickened and I quite enjoyed the second half of the book. The author cleverly leads the reader down paths of thought, during both the wedding organisation and flashback chapters, trying to hint at reveals to come. Although I figured out what the secrets would be fairly early on, it was interesting to read how the characters reacted.

I'd rate the book 3.5, rounded up to 4.

You know ya girl loves a good back and forth between time POVs. It just keeps the entire story entertaining. I normally enjoy one time period over the other but both were equally as interesting to me. I loved following Caitlin and Sasha from Sasha's POV the entire time. This was a suspenseful read and I loved it.

Sacha’s parents are housekeeper and head gardener to Josphine who lives in a large house with 50 acres of ground. Her father gets on very well with Jospehine and she invites Sacha to come and meet her granddaughter Caitlin as they are the same age. A close bond is formed and although Sacha is very aware of the difference in privilege the girls are best friends. Years later and it's the approach to Caitlin's wedding to Chuck whom she and her family have known for many years since they were children. Sacha is organising much of the wedding and on a hen trip to Greece wants to tell Caitlin a secret she has been keeping for too long. Caitlin's mother holds something over Sacha- we know not what. A tale of the past determining the future and of secrets and lies. An interesting read of a woman who has always had exactly as she wanted and didn't want to hear or see anything negative and told her friends so. Of a loyal and insecure friend who longs for acknowledgement from the one person who won’t give it and of keeping family secrets. One to ingirige and to keep the grey matter active. A different read indeed (in a good way!)

(rest of links as part of blog tour)

3.5

Saxby Hall, Dorset is where Sasha and Caitlin meet as pre-teens. Caitlin is the granddaughter of Josephine, the owner of the sixteenth century Manor House and Sasha’s parents work for the Clemonte family. This is the story of an up and down friendship which builds to a crescendo at Caitlin’s wedding several years on. The story is told in multiple timelines.

The title is appropriate because this is about an unequal relationship as Sasha is always the bridesmaid while Caitlin the bride at the centre of it all. The characterisation is good, Caitlin seems unbalanced, much of her behaviour is odd, weird, strange and she veers from one end of the friendship spectrum to the other. She’s a narcissist, a drama queen, a queen bee, manipulative and can be extremely mean. Part of her issue surrounds her family, the dynamics in the household are off to say the least, at times heading towards the downright disturbing and much of the drama surrounds Caitlin’s mother Ava. There are clearly many secrets being harboured, some are HUGE and there are lies in abundance. When Sasha uncovers one secret there’s a shift in the balance of power in her favour but as a personality she never comes across very strongly until the end which is of course the whole point of the toxic imbalance. You wonder on many occasions why Sasha clings limpet like to the toxic friendship. As you approach the end things slot into place and it sheds light on why Ava and Caitlin are as they are.

Although the above is a strong part of the storytelling, I find the pace too slow. There’s a lot of prevarication especially at the start and it’s about a third way in before anything much happens. It’s over detailed and over explained especially in the first section of the book but once it gets going it’s a good read although I can’t say I find it especially chilling.

With thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the arc in return for an honest review.

This had so much promise. I was grabbed early on and was kept interested enough to keep reading but in the end it wasn't worth the read. The reveal took forever to happen. So much long winded build up for not a big surprise.

This is one of those books that is fraught with suspense and will keep you reading well into the night. It centers on Sasha and Caitlin, who have been best friends for a couple decades (since they were 12 years old); now Caitlin is getting ready to get married and Sasha is helping her plan the wedding. The book is told solely from Sasha's point of view.

The book goes back and forth between the current time and the years leading up to it, so you get a good idea of how the friendship started and what might be causing the current cracks in it. The times that they spend at the mansion where Caitlin lived and Sasha's parents worked were atmospheric and easy to picture.

I struggled a little bit to understand why Sasha was so darned insecure and why she allowed Caitlin to walk all over her. It appeared that she had loving and supportive parents and I couldn't figure out why she didn't just stand up for herself. When she finally does so, it felt a bit out of character to me in the way that she did it, though it certainly was exciting! I was a little let down by the reveal of the big secret, though I can't exactly put my finger on why- I wasn't fooled by some of the red herrings (though they were well done) but think I was expecting something different when it all came to a head.

That being said, I did enjoy the book overall, and felt that it was a definite page-turner. I'd recommend it to those who enjoy psychological thrillers. I'd give it 3.5 stars. rounded up. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

SAXBY DORSET
Sasha and her family live and work on the Saxby house estate and Caitlin Anderton becomes her best friend so when Caitlin announces she's marrying Chuck, Sasha is taking under her wing to organise it all as well as been her Bridesmaid.
As time goes on cracks begin to show and rips their friendship apart. Sasha and Caitlin share deeply buried secrets,Money luxury all this life comes at a price.
A nail biting novel thriller, so creepy, a remarkable story.
I couldn't put it down.
Its will have you memorised and hooked right till the end.