⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Bridesmaid by Nina Manning started in with a flourish. Two young girls become unlikely friends as one is rich and the other not. Caitlin was a spoiled rich child who despised her mother and Sasha was the well-loved child of working-class parents who were employed by Caitlin‘s family. However, the two pre-teen girls, Caitlin and Sasha, are inseparable at the large country estate and start a friendship that continues well into their 30s and culminating at Caitlin’s wedding. But the friendship was never equal since one person had significantly more power over the other during their lifetime causing difficulties. The book eludes constantly to a major secret and a major upheaval and on so many occasions Sasha wants to unburden herself of the secret that she knows would upset her best friend. When the secret is disclosed at Caitlin’s wedding, I was underwhelmed. I don’t know what to think at this point other than a little disappointment. #familysecrets #bestfriends #richgirlpoorgirl #envy #jealousy

This book about toxic relationships was great Nina outdid herself with this novel!
Great characters with an amazing story!!! Yes please!

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

I struggled a little reading this book to be honest, but there was just enough happening to keep me interested in what would happen next.

This is my first book by Nina Manning and I would like to read some of her other titles

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

The bridesmaid
By Nina Manning
Pub Date May 27 2021
I loved this book a great thriller I must say it’s between Caitlin and Sasha and Chuck and Iva it’s like a love triangle that not meant to happen and there some scenes I was shocked at what Caitlin done to Sasha even though they best friends Caitlin could be cruel at times to shahs even though Sasha was worse with Caitlin. The writing style was epic a page turn over took me four days to read it but it was worth the read.

I struggled a bit with this book if I’m honest. There was no real wow factor and it just plodded along

The Bridesmaid will hold your attention from the first paragraph to the last one.

Sasha and Caitlin are childhood friends but their relationship is not an equal one for many reasons. Sasha's parents work for Caitlin's family and there is always that sense of lordliness over Sasha.

Caitlin is about to get married and Sasha has a surprise for her on her wedding day and you know this is not going to go well.

The story is told in different time lines with hints of what's to come.

The pages will fly by to the satisfying conclusion .

This is my first but not my last book by Nina Manning.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an page turner of a read.

REVIEW
The Bridesmaid by Nina Manning
3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I enjoyed the story this book told, but there was no real wow factor for me if I’m being honest. I guessed the twist at the end which to me, wasn’t even that big of a twist. I felt like I kept waiting for something big to happen, but it fell a bit short

This follows the lives of best friends, Sasha and Caitlin. Sasha’s parents work at Caitlin’s family’s estate, so they become best friends from a young age. Caitlin always has a sense of entitlement and doesn’t always treat Sasha very well, throwing her under the bus, blaming her for things, and talking down to her. There are many secrets at the estate, and Sasha is curious to find them out. She finds out a secret that could change Caitlin’s world from a young age, and keeps it with her through to adulthood. Until the day of Caitlin’s wedding, that Sasha has planned, where she decides is the place and time to stop hiding behind Caitlin and her family, and tell all.

I enjoyed reading the stories from over the years of how Caitlin treated Sasha, and it made me dislike Caitlin a lot.. but to me, the secret wasn’t anything crazy and there wasn’t much of a thrill factor.

Thank you to @netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review

The story centers around Sasha and Caitlin. Both from different backgrounds. Caitlin wasn't very nice to Sasha when they were younger but their friendship managed to survive. When Caitlin is to be married Sasha is the bridesmaid.

The story is told from different timelines and us a slow burn read. I enjoy books that build up to a big finish. There are little clues dotted amongst the past that you know will blow up in the future. The friendship is very much one sided and I did feel for Sasha. Not too keen on Caitlin but that was down to the brilliant writing style. I enjoyed this book.

This was a mystery/thriller but those aspects of the story were almost eclipsed by the strength of the characters. The author invests considerable effort in building the characters as well as the relationships and this makes for an immersive reading experience. I liked the book very much but do think badging it as a mystery may put off people who are more interested in general fiction.

The Bridesmaid is about childhood friendships, secrets, and ultimately revenge.
Sasha is twelve years old when she is uprooted from a poky flat in London to Saxby Hall estate a grand Manor House where her parents have landed a cottage with their jobs, mum is housekeeper and dad is gardener. Caitlin is the granddaughter of the owner of Saxby and is the same age as Caitlin. The two form a great friendship but Sasha at times is treated meanly by Caitlin. The book has two timelines which is then when they were children and now that is a countdown to Caitlins wedding. At times the relationship between both girls can only be described as strange.
The book is tagged as a psychological thriller but I would put this more in the family drama scene. The book was a little bit of a disappointment at the end but I enjoyed the book as a whole.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The story dragged for me. It took a while to get through it. I almost dreaded picking it up. But I needed to know what the secrets were.

The main characters were unlikable. I did enjoy the last chapter though. The surprise ending was worth it for me and I did enjoy the explanation.

This book did not go the way I expected it to. But I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not. There’s really not a whole lot I can say without giving away spoilers.

The Bridesmaid by Nina Manning

‘It was always Sasha and Caitlin, Caitlin and Sasha; two peas in a pod’! Best friends since they were teens.

Sasha’s parents work for the Clemonte family on their Saxby Hall estate. Which is how the two girls meet.

Sasha would do anything to make Caitlin happy.

Deeply buried secret. What does Sasha need to get off her chest?

This was the first time I’ve read a book by Nina Manning! I honestly had a hard time getting into reading this book. The plot sounded very interesting, but wasn’t what I expected unfortunately. I just couldn’t keep interested, but managed to finish it.

Thank you Nina Manning, Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the advance copy to read in return for my honest review!

Thanks for the chance to read this advance copy. But, like other reviewers, I had a hard time getting into the story. After reading some excellent books lately, I’m struggling to find and finish any stories right now to hold my interest. Sadly, I did not get very far into this book before closing it. But I do appreciate the opportunity to try.

Well that was a bit underwhelming. Sasha has been planning her BFF, Caitlin's, wedding day. Sasha grew up on the estate of Caitlin's grandmother. Her parents worked on the estate. Sasha has a huge secret that may just shatter the day and change the family's lives forever. No, she is not having an affair with the groom (which seems to be what the author wants you to think). No she hasn't been blackmailing anyone or extorting money from the family. Honestly, the "secret" isn't really much of one. And it sure doesn't ruin the wedding. But the tension you may feel from trying to figure out what is going on makes up for the lack of big reveal.

*Special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this e-ARC.*

As others have written, this book was not at all what is expected. The long drawn out story is told from Sasha's perspective writing as a teenager spending time at Saxby where her parents worked and again writing years later when her "friend" from the estate, Caitlin, is preparing to get married. Caitlin and her family are very wealthy and entitled they own the Saxby estate and the plot tries to explore this very strange relationship between the two girls/women.
I wish I had not plodded through this one. In my mind, Sasha was just as poor excuse of a bridesmaid as Caitlin is as a bride.
The atmosphere at the Saxby estate was very well written it is just the story itself was not to my liking.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

I'm afraid this wasn't for me. I thought the plot sounded intriguing as I quite enjoy a toxic friendship storyline, but it didn't quite live up to my expectations.

I'll start with what I did like: I liked the dual timelines and the way the author drip-fed information, as I was genuinely interested in finding out what all the little mysteries were and I never seriously considered giving up on the book.

Now for the less good things. The characters were all horrible, apart from perhaps dear Hackett. Main characters Sasha and Caitlin didn't have one redeeming feature between them so it was pretty difficult to give a damn what happened to either of them.

The dialogue was one of the worst I've ever read, particularly between the children. I don't know if the author has ever seen real human beings interact with each other, but it certainly doesn't read like it.

The bare bones of a decent story were there, but too many unlikeable characters and shockingly unrealistic dialogue let this down for me I'm afraid.

Caitlin and Sasha have been friends since childhood, despite their vastly different social standings (Sasha's parents are the housekeepers of Saxby House, Caitlin's family manor). However, their friendship is anything but perfect, and as Caitlin's wedding approaches, bridesmaid Sasha begins to question just how true of a friend Caitlin really is...

This is a difficult one, as although it's marketed as a psychological thriller, it was almost more like chick lit but with a mystery twist. There's none of that nail biting tension that you normally get with a thriller, which isn't necessarily a criticism, but just meant it was very different from what I expected. However, it's still a really good book. Firstly, the writing is absolutely beautiful. Seriously, Nina Manning is an incredibly gifted author. I particularly enjoyed the chapters set in the past, and I can definitely imagine Manning writing an amazing historical fiction novel. Character wise, I really liked Sasha, and felt for her, given that she very much seemed to be one of life's bridesmaids, always in the background in a supporting role. Caitlin was a nightmare, and I honestly couldn't stand her. A very toxic woman, who is understandably hard to cut off, given Caitlin and Sasha's shared history.

Now, the plot itself is tricky. As I said, there's not the full blown tension you expect from a thriller, but instead you get a continual drip drip drip of information hinting at a deep dark secret from the past... When it's eventually revealed, I can guarantee it will not be what you're expecting, and its one of the few books where I can honestly say I didn't have so much as an inkling about what the secret was going to be. Overall, a really enjoyable book, and an author who's work I will definitely read again.

Disclaimer - I was fortunate enough to be provided with an advance reading copy of this book by NetGalley. This has not affected my review in any way, and all opinions are my own.

sasha and caitlin have been best friends for years, years pass and caitlin is getting married and wants sasha to be a bridesmaid , they have secrets that come out during this time. really good book

After meeting as children Sasha and Caitlin become firm friends.Sasha would do anything for Caitlin and that means keeping her darkest secrets.
When Caitlin announces she's getting married of course Sasha is her bridesmaid.
Things start to go wrong as the wedding approaches secrets that once bonded are coming apart.
I really tried to get into this story but found it was to slow for me and the characters unlikeable so sadly I DNF.
This was my first book by Nina Manning even though I could'nt finish this one I will try to read some of her other books in the future.
Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood books for this ARC.