This one started slow for me and I almost abandoned it, but just when I was about to put it aside...It got moving! And boy did it move.
Wealthy family...secrets...lies...this one is a great read. The twist is all that shocking, but the book is still a great read.

The Bridesmaid centers around two best friends who meet as children. An unlikely friendship due to the family backgrounds of the girls. Caitlin is rich and spoiled, but craving some attention from her parents. Sasha is much less advantaged money wise but is much more loved by her family.
The story is told in multiple timelines by Sasha. After reading some of the nasty things that Caitlin does, one would wonder why Sasha tolerates the friendship. Along the way Sasha learns some secrets of Caitlin's family. Years after the friendship began Caitlin is now getting married with Sasha as her maid of honor. As the wedding day approaches, Sasha feels more and more like the secrets need to come out.
A slow starter book that eventually gets to the "good" stuff. I was wondering just what the secrets were until the very end. Let's just say it was not at all what I was expecting.

Thanks to netgalley and Boldwood Books for the arc

1/5 I am writing this review after receiving an ARC from Boldwood Books.

I desperately wanted to like this book - the cover, the concept, all right up my alley! Unfortunately I got halfway through and had to DNF. I wasn't connected to any of the characters, I didn't really even know what the book was about, and it needed some serious editing (the plot was really hard to follow, million dollar words were used when a ten cent word would have worked, and all the character's dialogue sounded the same so it was tough to distinguish between or connect to any of the characters).

The Bridesmaid is about “ best friends” Sasha and Caitlin. Sashas family works for Caitlins family in their country estate. With Caitlins wedding vastly approaching what can go wrong. Pretty fast paced filled with dark secrets thanks net galley for the complimentary copy.

Initially I was drawn in by the cover of this book and once I read the blurb I knew I had to read this story. However, unfortunately I was a bit disappointed. The storyline is quite slow and the 'toxic friendship' could have been a bit more dramatic and shocking. I felt the story was a bit predictable and didn't have that 'wow factor' that keeps me reading until late into the night. There were a few little surprises but not enough to make this a 4 or 5 star read.
Thank you to Nina Manning, NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I was drawn right into the story..The characters were well written and I enjoyed all the twists and turns.Will be recommending #netgalley#boldwoodbooks.

Great blurb and cover and was looking foreard to read,such a slow start that gave up at 10%,apologies but not for me

I was instantly drawn in by the cover and the description, but to be perfectly honest this book was rather slow to get into. Look forward to seeing what this author comes up with next time.

Friendship In Decline...
A tale of two friends and of a friendship in decline. Slow burn domestic drama told in a dual timeline which works well. Characters are well drawn with a nicely written storyline. Engaging reading.

When Sasha's parents get new jobs on a grand manor house estate she is initially reluctant to leave the city life she has always known. The grandeur of her new setting and the friendships she makes in this country abode soon appease her trepidations, however. Caitlin is the granddaughter and future heir of this grand home. Their backgrounds might be very different but the two young girls are forced together by their close proximity and a friendship forms that is set to last a lifetime. The secrets they are keeping from each other might not last as long, however.

This story was told in chapters that alternated between the early nineties and the present day. The insights to the past chronicled a growing friendship with something sinister lurking underneath. The present day focus revolved around Caitlin's wedding day and a countdown was issued with hints of a traumatic reveal to also occur on this day.

As I usually find in split-perspective thrillers, I was slightly more drawn to the sections in the past and seeing the genesis for the later discontent. However, I did also appreciate the present-day focus and became just as hooked on both as the story progressed. There were two reveals that occurred in the last ten percent and I had somewhat guessed that they might have appeared. It did not ruin my enjoyment to be proven correct but the characters didn't act as I had anticipated and the final scenes concluded quietly, which went against the vein of the rest of the book. A simmering sinister something had dogged these pages and this frittered out just as I thought it would explode, which lowered my rating to what I would have awarded the rest of the novel prior to this.

This is my sixth or seven Manning novel and I have enjoyed them all. Slick domestic noir is the best descriptive genre I can attribute to her work. This time, we focus on a toxic friendship between Caitlin and Sasha told in multiple timelines where we see Caitlin as the queen bee and Sasha is the true worker bee, .also the bride and bridesmaid, in that same order. Family secrets come to the fore during the wedding. The pace builds up and we wonder why Sasha puts up with Caitlin, she is cruel, manipulative and thoroughly mean. Does Sasha have a reason to stick around. Yes, she does.

Thanks to Netgalley and
Boldwood Books for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!

⭐️⭐️/5 Stars

I really wanted to like this book. The premise and description sounded so promising! However for a “thriller” this book was terribly boring. Not much happened. The beginning of this book was so slow I almost didn’t finish this book.

The writing style was good! But the plot was not something I would consider a thriller. Unfortunately disappointed with this book.

I am still excited to read this but I dont think I will have enough time this month sadly. Its really not gripping me like I had hoped and Im super confused. Will try for sure.

Great book, had many twists I did not see coming. Thanks net galley for the advanced copy. Highly recommend this book.

This book started off very slowly and I'm afraid I struggled with it. This one isnt for me . Sorry !

Thanks to NetGalley, Nina Manning and the publisher for an ARC of The Bridesmaid in return for my honest opinion.

This is my first book by Nina Manning and I did enjoy the read. It started off quite slowly but built up to a good read.

The story follows two girls, Caitlin and Sasha. Sasha is poor whereas Caitlin is from a rich background. They form a bond like children do, but also Sasha puts up with lots of issues with their friendship.. Now set in the present day Caitlin is getting hitched and asks Sasha to be her bridesmaid. I do not want to give any spoilers away but the girls do share some secrets that potentially could ruin Caitlin's big day.

I would say that this book is more of a tale of friendship and how two children can be so different but yet have an incredible bond that follows them through to their adulthoods. The novel makes for a good read and I did read it quite quickly. I would like to give this book 4 stars.

This was a good easy read but nothing spectacular or memorable. The pace was quite slow for me and the big reveal at the end was more of a fizz than a bang. Unfortunately this won’t be a book that I’ll be recommending.

I couldn't really get into this story as the pacing is rather slow. It wasn't thrilling and did not really hold my interest even though there were a lot of secrets between the two friends. I cannot say that I can recommend this story.

3.5 stars rounded down to 3

From the moment they met as children, Sasha knew that beautiful, wealthy and confident Caitlin would always be her best friend. Sasha would do anything to keep Caitlin happy. Even keep her darkest secrets. The years have passed, but their friendship remains. And when Caitlin announces that she's getting married, there's only one choice for the role of bridesmaid. But as the big day approaches, the secrets that once bound the two friends together, now threatens to rip them apart forever.

Sasha first meets Caitlin at Saxby Hall where Sasha's parents worked. They soon become close friends. Years later, when Caitlin i getting married, she asks Sasha to be her bridesmaid. Sasha has a secret that might spoil the day and change the family's lives forever. The story is told from Sasha's point of view and the chapters alternate between the wedding preparations and what had happened in the past. I found the story quite hard to get into, the pace was slow to begin with and the story dragged in places. The secret is not revealed until after the wedding.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #BoldwoodBooks and the author #NinaManning for my ARC of #TheBridesmaid in exchange for an honest review.

Not quite the thriller I was expecting and I mean that in a positive way.

The pace started slow then picked up a tense, choppy rhythm that had me on edge even when there was nothing major going on. Manning really pulled me into Sashaa and Caitlin's world.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read suited to lovers of drama, suspense, family-centred literature. It was a great escape. It's a 5/5 stars from me for the character development, atmosphere, plot and generally everything. It's a well-thought-out and written tale tracking two time periods of two key relationships that interlink in a way least expected.