They say you can’t choose your family but you can pick your friends. This book shows how sometimes friendships are forced upon you and just how toxic they can be too.

Narrated by Sasha we learn about her twenty year friendship with the wealthy Caitlin who she met at Saxby House in Dorset when her parents started working there. Sasha is awe struck by her status and over the years puts up with more than she should to keep her bestie.

Fast forward to present day and Caitlin has turned into bridezilla and poor Sasha the bridesmaid is baring the brunt of her rampage. I was just waiting for one more snide remark to send Sasha over the edge and the secrets to start spilling out. Now I understand that as a child they just want to fit in and are desperate for friends but as an adult I was frustratingly shouting at her to grow a pair and kick Caitlin to the kerb.

To me personally this was an enjoyable thriller that had a really despicable character, the type you love to hate and the ones which are my most favourite. However it was slower paced than I wanted and the ending was a little disappointing. You can tell the author has studied psychology and it’s apparent in how well the relationships are written but I personally just needed a little more oomph in the plot.

I was really intrigued when I read the blurb for this book. Unfortunately, this book was a real struggle for me to read. The book is marketed as a thriller, I believe it is more of a domestic suspense. I found both Sasha and Claire to be utterly despicable. This is a tale of toxic friendship and as an adult why didn't Sasha just back away?

I really enjoyed this book. The story kept me invested with details of their toxic friendship and wanting to know the secret Sasha was keeping.

A good old fashioned mystery that compels you to read till the very end.

I have enjoyed Nina Manning‘s work in the past, so I was excited to check out The Bridesmaid. I enjoyed the dual timeline. I think this really gave insight to the Sasha and Caitlin’s relationship.

This was an intriguing read. It was not super fast-paced, but the book is full of secrets, which were surprising when revealed and not easily guessed.

Sasha and Caitlin are very interesting. Their friendship is odd for many reasons, but it is clear Sasha I’d devoted.

The Bridesmaid is a great, suspenseful drama. It gave me a lot to think about and kept my attention. I’d recommend giving it a shot.

Thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources for allowing me to join this blog tour and Netgalley for the review copy. All opinions are my own and unbiased.

Fraught with suspense but derivative of the genre. It's frustrating to read the same book over and over again. I am wondering if this was even a thriller? Terrible. No good.

Wow! Starts a little slow, but just keeps getting better! A fantastic book - really enjoyed the story, and by the middle couldn’t put it down until I saw how it ended! Great read!!!!

The Bridesmaid by Nina Manning is certainly a page-turner, although I would hesitate to classify it as a thriller. It is a tale of friendship, betrayal, secrets and lies, and you will be desperate to unravel a mystery.

Told from the perspective of Sasha, we witness through an alternating timeline the evolution of a friendship. Sasha is the daughter of domestics who are employed at the imposing Saxon House, and finds herself being drawn into a relationship with Caitlin, the granddaughter of the imposing home's matriarch. The friendship feels forced from the very start, and Sasha is never sure of Caitlin's motives. Saxby House harbours many secrets, and Caitlin appears to be the gatekeeper. Yet somehow, the two women remain in contact throughout the years, and Sasha is asked to perform bridesmaid duties at Caitlin's upcoming nuptials. Will the secrets of Saxby House finally be revealed?

This is a perfectly paced read that held my attention through its many well-timed reveals.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

This follows the story of childhood friends Sasha and Caitlin. The two become friends when Sasha‘a parents begin working at the family home of Caitlin’s grandmother. The two girls are from very different backgrounds but quickly become best friends, which they continue to be, and Sasha is asked to be Caitlin’s bridesmaid. The girls however have secrets, going back to their childhood, which could be exposed and threaten their relationship and Caitlin’s big day.

This was set across different timelines which I loved; the present and the girls’ childhood. I enjoyed how things built up and the two stories intertwined as things began to be revealed. I did have an inkling about what the secret was and was a bit underwhelmed when it was revealed. I did enjoy this book and the exploration of the sometimes tense relationship between the two girls, but couldn’t help feeling that I wanted more from it and a bit more excitement. It was a bit of a slow burn and I was expecting a bit more of a kick to the finale, but despite that it was an enjoyable read trying to guess what the big secret was and it did keep me intrigued.

I loved this book, I thought the twists and turns that happened were kind of expected - not in the same way - but I knew something would happen.

I enjoyed the different perspectives from the characters and hearing their POV throughout the book. It gave me a good insight into each of their lives and just how different they both were despite being good friends. Opposites do attract even for friends but then sometimes, jealousy hits and people show their true colours.

Thank you to Nina and Netgalley for allowing me this ARC. I really enjoyed it, my first from Nina and definitely not my last.

★★★★ 3.5 stars (rounded up)

This is one of those books that despite being fraught with suspense and drama it leaves you wondering how on earth to categorise it. It's marketed as a thriller and yet it isn't really. More of a dark contemporary suspense-filled drama that will have you reading well into the night. I have to say that I enjoyed this book far more than her last but it still doesn't beat her fantastic debut thriller "The Daughter in Law" which was phenomenally brilliant.

The story begins with an unnamed character slipping into bed and snuggling up to a child as she relives the memories of the past that still haunt her, a letter clutched in her hand. Then it slips back in time to 1991 then forwards to 2009 and then back again to 1988...where the story really begins. The timelines might appear confusing at first but they become clearer as the story progresses, after which the main timelines are 1988 and 2009 with the progression of time going forward. I will begin where the story does...

Dorset 1988: Eleven year old Sasha lives on the vast estate of Saxby House where her parents are employed by matriarch Josephine Clemonte as housekeeper and head gardener respectively. They live in a cottage provided to them under the terms of their employment and their children, Sasha and Hunter, enjoy the vast grounds in which to play. In the summer of that year, the lady of the manor's granddaughter comes to stay along with her parents and Sasha is excited at the prospect of meeting someone her own age. The moment she meets Caitlin Sasha is completely enamoured and a friendship is born.

However, Caitlin is not always as she appears and Sasha often hears her mumbling to herself and when she asks her to repeat it, Caitlin just stares at her blankly before continuing on her way. In awe of her beauty, Sasha revels in this new-found friendship despite Caitlin's odd behaviour and often cruel treatment of her new best friend. Regardless, Sasha is eager to be the bestest friend, hungry for her acceptance and approval and eager to please.

What follows is a foray into Sasha's sometimes lonely existence throughout the rest of the year when Caitlin is back at school in London. She longs for the summer when for three months, she and Caitlin are together once again. The following year Sasha meets Chuck, the son of a family friend, who attends the various parties the family hold whether it be New Years Eve or a birthday celebration. Sasha is drawn to Chuck who isn't as snobbish or as aloof as Caitlin though she realises that nothing could ever come of their friendship because people like them don't really mix or marry people like her. Still, she enjoys her time with Chuck...when she isn't with Caitlin, that is...because he accepts her for who she is while Caitlin is quick to point out the differences in their social status, as if some kind of power play to keep Sasha in her place.

And yet, Sasha is still eager to maintain their friendship and will do anything to please the girl who so obviously regards her more of a toy that can be picked up and put down whenever she chooses. As if Sasha is merely someone to entertain her during months of boredom.

Then one night Sasha discovers a secret about the Clemontes but is persuaded by Caitlin's mother Ava never to reveal it. As the reader, we are not privy to the secret until towards the end when the bombshell is revealed at Caitlin's wedding.

London 2009: It's been twenty years since Sasha and Caitlin became friends and yet the status quo remains the same. Despite everything she dishes out to her "best friend", Caitlin proudly proclaims that she never apologises. While as an adolescent I can understand her need for acceptance but as an adult I'm surprise Sasha continues to stand for it. But then Sasha has a plan...for what? Revenge? Or truth?

Caitlin's on-off relationship with Chuck over the years has somehow managed to earn a proposal which promptly preceded an impromptu trip to Greece for a "hen holiday". Her role as bridesmaid was to ensure everything from the trip to Greece to the choosing of the gown to the fittings to the party favours to the actual wedding itself went smoothly. Caitlin didn't appear to be at all interested in organising her own wedding and left it all in the hands of her competent best friend and bridesmaid, Sasha. In fact, the bride herself is completely indifferent about the whole event which puzzles Sasha. Surely Caitlin would be revelling in the glow of engagement and excited at the prospect of marrying Chuck...but it seems she's not particularly bothered. Until she sees the perfect wedding dress which bears a striking resemblance to her mother's own, stained red after convincing her mother to allow her to wear it for a play they put on one summer in which Caitlin had the starring role. But is it marrying Chuck that is at the forefront of her mind? Or is it the prospect of getting revenge on her emotionally-absent mother? Sasha isn't sure. But one thing remains clear...Sasha's own plans for Caitlin's big day.

While I went into this book expecting a thriller, I was surprised to discover that I enjoyed it even though it wasn't. Despite its slow start, the tension builds throughout where the pace picks up towards the halfway mark after which it explodes in a myriad of rainbow coloured shards to reveal the truth. However, everything is smoke and mirrors as the reader is left assuming something that isn't truth whilst revealing something completely different in the end.

A real page-turner I was surprised to enjoy THE BRIDESMAID more than I thought I would. But I wouldn't categorise it as a thriller. It's more of a dark contemporary suspense-filled drama with a twist. But in the end, even the twist kind of fell flat, not just to the reader but to the characters it was aimed at in the first place. I could relate to adolescent Sasha and her desire to please Caitlin in an attempt to maintain their friendship because I was Sasha at that age too. It's a difficult time where you are navigating the change from child to young adult and some of us are just eaten alive by the Caitlins of this world.

A story about friendship, co-dependency, family and secrets, THE BRIDESMAID is a compelling and somewhat addictive tale of two friends from two different worlds. Recommended to those who like dark contemporary tales.

I would like to thank #NinaManning, #Netgalley, #RachelsRandomResources and #BoldwoodBooks for an ARC of #TheBridesmaid in exchange for an honest review.

Saxby Hall in Dorset is a large estate and home of Mrs. Josephine Clemonte. Her daughter, Ava, a cold woman lives with her. She has a daughter, Caitlyn, and twin boys.

Sasha, her brother and parents live in a cottage on the Saxby estate. Her father is the head gardener and her mother is the cook and housekeeper.

Of a similar age, Caitlyn and Sasha soon became good friends and especially loved spending their summers together. Now, they are both in their 30’s and Caitlyn is engaged to be married to Chuck whom both girls have known for years. Caitlyn has asked Sasha to be her bridesmaid and, as such, Sasha has undertaken quite a lot of wedding planning duties for her. Caitlyn was left Saxby Hall by her grandmother and has a good job in London as a solicitor. Sasha is working hard with her own company that she started. She has a boyfriend but is not ready for marriage as yet.

The story switches back and forth from the time the girls lived at Saxby Hall to current time. We see the relationship between Caitlyn and Sasha and how Caitlyn shows her cold, heartless personality. This is typical of what phycologists may call avoidant attachment personality. At first I felt sorry for Caitlyn thinking she was the product of her cold mother, but there is so much more to what makes her. I felt sorry for Sasha and almost aggravated at her for continuing to want to be Caitlyn’s friend. However, at least for the years she lived at Saxby Hall, I’m sure she must have felt that for the sake of her parents’ jobs, she needed to continue that friendship. The story slowly leaks out the truths of the past letting the reader know how sad the lives of these privileged people really was. A great psychological drama that I think readers will enjoy.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Woot Woot! 🎉 Happy Publication Day to The Bridesmaid by @ninamanning_author!
Huge thanks to the author, @netgalley, & @bookandtonic for the eARC.
Think about your best friend. You've been friends for most of your life. Of course you'd want them in your wedding, right?
The Bridesmaid was a page-turning novel that kept me reading to see what came next. It is suspenseful and really gives us a look into what friendship sometimes looks like.
Y'all, I legitimately questioned my feelings about friendships after this one. 😂
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

Sasha and Caitlyn, friends since childhood. Toxic friendship, full of secrets. Told in a dual timeline, childhood and present day planning a wedding. Love this author's style of writing and the book kept me on the edge of my seat.

Loved this one. It was so compelling and I loved the dual time line it kept me interested all the way through. I loved the fact it was set in Dorset as I know that area very well. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

This was an ok book but I couldn’t really get into it , it held no surprises in the storyline . Parts of it didn’t add up to me and I couldn’t understand why a lot of the story happened . It was a bit weak after some of the good books I’ve been reading lately. Only 3 star for me

Toxic friendships, dysfunctional families and class divide are all explored in this psychological suspense. Three timelines are woven together to deliver an absorbing story that has many noir elements. Sasha's friendship with Caitlin is unequal at best. The two girls are divided by class and familial expectations. Sasha's family works at the house, Caitlin is the owner's treasured granddaughter. The story of how the girls meet and grow up together is merged with a fateful birthday party where everything changes and the wedding where revenge is sought and revelations abound.

The characterisation is good, but Caitlin and Sasha still manage to keep their secrets until the end. There are many disturbing themes explored believably in this story. Poignant and shocking with a surprising ending.

I received a copy of this book from Boldwood Books via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

So I have to admit that this story was no where near what I thought it was going to be. I do have to say kudos to the author who managed to seriously fool me with what was actually happening.

The story is narrated from the perspective of Sasha who is planning her best friend Caitlin’s wedding. I have absolutely no idea why Sasha wanted to be friends with such an awful person like Caitlin but maybe she enjoyed the lifestyle that came with the friendship.

I really enjoyed the dual timeline but I absolutely loved learning about what happened at Saxby House while the girls were growing up. I never saw any of those secrets or twists coming whatsoever but that’s not surprising since the truth was hidden behind what the author wanted you to see.

I recieved an advanced copy for free, and this is my honest opinion.

“Sometimes your closest and best friend is your worst enemy!”

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.

Even keep her darkest secrets…

The years have passed, but their friendship remains. And when Caitlin announces she’s getting married there is only one choice for the role of bridesmaid. Sasha will make sure Caitlin’s wedding is as beautiful and perfect as she is. Won’t she?

But as the big day approaches, cracks begin to appear. Because no matter what Sasha does, she never seems to make Caitlin happy.

And the secrets that once bound these two friends, now threaten to rip them apart for good...

Wow! This book really deals with some toxic friendships and family secrets.

Right from the start, you can feel the suspense and the secrecy in the actions of the main characters. The preparations for Caitlin and Chuck’s wedding are going on at full swing, but amid all that Sasha is building up courage to make a shocking reveal.

This book is narrated through events in the current day and in the past, with hidden secrets getting revealed at regular intervals. This helps to build up the excitement and keep you interested to find out the big secret Sasha has been hiding.

All the characters have been extremely well developed including the secondary ones. Caitlin is so manipulative, that you end up feeling sorry for Sasha while wondering why she is hanging on to such a friendship.

The ending was definitely way better than I expected. More importantly it actually summed up all the events and kind of made me see the plot in a different light!

Thank You NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC!

First, I want to thank Nina Manning, Boldwood Books and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I may bring you with this review.

WOW!! Just WOW! Nina Manning is the queen of dropping bombshell after bombshell that will leave you speechless in The Marriage!! Right from the start Sasha explains that she has something to confess that will blow everybody away!! However, Nina keeps us waiting in suspense til the very end. WOW!! She packs the punches with the shocking reveals!!

This book is dedicated to Hannah. She is the right friend at the right time.

The Bridesmaid would be a great suggestion for your next book club read. Infact, at the end of the book Nina has some Book Club Questions to get your discussion started.

Nina Manning’s book is a countdown to Caitlin’s and Chuck’s wedding. This book takes place in the modern day and in the past so you get the full story.

WOW!! The family dynamic and the drama in this book was just sad and heartbreaking at times.

My heart broke for Sasha who wanted something for years that eventually she could never have. I hate when things don’t work out like you want them to.

You and your best friend have secrets. You harbor a secret for so long & it’s time to spill it. You know it’s a doozy of a secret when you are trying to work up the courage to tell your best friend at her pre-wedding celebration with tons of guests and a tipsy bride to be, that will change your friendship forever! What could be THAT bad? The past and present come crashing together in this amazing book! LOVED this thriller! Nina Manning is most definitely earned a spot on our top list of authors to read! 5 stars!