The Bridal Party by Maria Frankland is a fast-paced, psychological thriller that will have readers on the edge of their seats until the very last page. The story revolves around a group of women gathered to celebrate Caitlyn's upcoming wedding, but what begins as a seemingly innocent celebration soon descends into a web of lies, secrets, and ultimately murder.

The narrator, who is Caitlyn's maid-of-honor, has spent weeks organizing the hen party, determined to make the event perfect. Despite tensions simmering beneath the surface—jealousy among Caitlyn's school friends, coldness from her sisters, and strained relationships all around—she does her best to maintain the illusion of a joyful celebration. However, the cracks in Caitlyn's picture-perfect life begin to show when a cruel revelation from her sister-in-law exposes the lies Caitlyn has been hiding for years.

As the truth starts to unravel, the atmosphere shifts from celebration to suspicion, and what was meant to be a fun weekend spirals into chaos. The revelation of Caitlyn's dark secrets sends the group into a frenzy, and when Caitlyn is found dead the following morning, it's clear that one of the women in the room is responsible. But which of the many hidden truths was enough to drive someone to murder?

Frankland weaves an intricate narrative filled with red herrings and unexpected twists. Each character's secrets come to light, and the tension escalates as they realize they may not only have to confront their own guilt but also fear for their lives. As the group remains trapped together until the murderer is revealed, the question becomes: who will be the next victim?

The Bridal Party is an addictive, suspense-filled thriller perfect for fans of domestic thrillers and psychological mysteries. With a shocking conclusion and complex characters, it's a must-read for anyone who loves a gripping whodunit.

The first third of this book was a bit slow for me, but once things started happening, it really picked up. I especially enjoyed the multiple points of view. Multi-POV can be tricky—it’s either done really well or not at all—but the author pulled it off solidly here.

Maria Frankland’s writing style actually reminded me of Freida McFadden, especially with the short, engaging chapters that keep the pages turning. The big twist was somewhat predictable, but still well-executed. I didn’t see it coming until the very end, mostly because I wasn’t focused on piecing everything together, so it still packed a punch.

Overall, this was a solid 4-star read. If you enjoy twisty thrillers and love the fast pace of Freida McFadden’s books, Maria Frankland is definitely worth checking out!

The Bridal Party by Maria Frankland
5 ⭐️

Quick paced/ Unputdownable thriller! I was not expecting that twist!

A Bridal Party turned fatal when bride to be Caitlyn is found dead in her bed. Everyone is a suspect and the killer is not who you think

I clearly mis-read the description because I thought it was to be a funny story ABOUT a Hen Do. Alas, I was surprised when I got to reading. The story was suspenseful and exciting! Highly recommend for fans of Frieda McFadden and Lucy Foley. Quick paced and a breeze story when you are in the mood to dive in deep.

A great read
Couldn’t put this down
Loved it from the first page to the last
With plenty of twists and turns
Thanks NetGalley

A bachelorette weekend turns sinister when the bridal party wakes up to find one of their party to be dead in her bed, as the investigation unfolds so do all their secrets
Which secret was worth killing for?

I enjoyed the premise, concept and setting of this story. The format and multiple POVs Was also great, easy to follow and connect with the story and characters. Unfortunately it did feel somewhat rushed towards the ending, and if I’m being honest while surprising, was not completely shocking and I didn’t feel like it was satisfyingly finished and I was left wanting more …

Overall though an easy read and entertaining whodunnit for any murder mystery fans out there. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

A good read with some good twists and good suspense. Enjoyed it and will look out for more from the author based on this.

Found this quite hard to keep track of all the characters, I did finish as I hate to leave a book unfinished but not one of my favourites

This took me a long time to read because most of it is people talking after the murder is discovered. There are a lot of characters and they're not just unlikeable, most of them are obnoxious, even the ones I think we're supposed to like. In the beginning, the person in charge of the bridal party tries to solve the murder before calling the police, demanding information from everyone. It did redeem itself somewhat with the ending, though, because it had a satisfying end. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this.

Caitlyn and her nine hens arrive in Dublin for a never-to-be-forgotten weekend. As the drink flows and the laughter echoes, her attendees put aside their buried resentments and secret agendas. But one of these agendas will be executed - no matter what.

This was good. Nothing ground-breaking, but really fun. I think it would make a great beach read.

The Bridal Party is an amazing thriller with such a great plot and characters. There is drama and twists and turns. I really recommend it and I hope to read more from this author.

Great plot and characters in this one. If you are looking for drama in your book, you are going to love this one. It will have you guessing and I can't recommend it enough.

This was just a book I could not finish. Maybe at a later date I will be able to finish it and change my review and rating. But with what I have read thus far I couldn't continue.

However thank you NetGalley and Booktoure for the opportunity to review this book.

Another winner from Maria Frankland! Yes, this plot has been done many times before but Maria Frankland still manages to make everything fresh and new. this was a fast paced whodunnit that kept me guessing right up to the end. I liked that the story was set in Ireland. Not only did it make the story interesting and a bit more exotic, the idea of being somewhere unfamiliar when there is trouble just adds to the stress and unease of the ladies of the bridal party. I enjoyed this one a lot and I'm looking forward to Maria Frankland's next book.
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. I had a very good time with it!

The bridal party is a fast read suspenseful novel that will keep you on your toes. A killer, a love story. It goes completely wrong.

I enjoyed the writing style and the different point of views. This book was fast paced and kept my interest. I saw the twist coming but it still came together really well. Even though this is a book that’s done over and over again I enjoyed the story and the experience in this book. Thank you NetGalley and Maria frankland for my arc copy and for a good book!

It's supposed to be a fabulous weekend away in Dublin to celebrate Caitlins upcoming wedding but all is not what it seems. Caitlins in laws bristle with hostility, as if Caitlin is not good enough for her their family. Caitlin herself is recovering from cancer and even though she seems to be fine and seems to be looking forward to her wedding, is she really Is the groom as nice and she makes him out to be or is there something sinister about him? Her best friend, who has organised the shower and wants to do everything she can to make Caitlin happy has her doubts about the wedding and whether her friend is actually really . A few drinks later, everyone is drunk and screaming and shouting and the first night is a total washout. But hey, they have a whole weekend to make up for it....only, the next morning, Caitlin is found dead in her bed. So who killed her? Her awful in laws? One of her so called friends? Very cleverly written, great twists too.

Lots of characters made it difficult to keep track of them all (pen and paper needed to make notes) but it turned into a enjoyable story.

The Bridal Party was a great read. There were lots of characters, which did take me a while to get each one straight, and some great twists but it was the shocking ending that really impressed me. Great book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC.

The Bridal Party by Maria Frankland ended in a way I wouldn't have guessed but in a way that was perfect. Very hard to put down and would recommend.