I wasn’t a huge fan of this book. You go into it knowing the Bride is going to be murdered, and the prologue shows exactly how. I feel like the prologue was unnecessary. It didn’t really line up with the feelings and actions of the person who actually did it so it almost felt like it had been written by someone who hadn’t yet read the book. Or maybe I just colored it that way because I went into this book knowing that whoever killed the bride really really hated her.

A lot of this book was the women’s thoughts delving off the interrogation questions so we get a better view of how flawed they all are in their relationships with the Bride. Honestly if any of these women came on my Bachelorette I’d rather not have friends, most of them are terribly self-centered. Like her old friend from school who thought she should’ve been the MOH even though she hadn’t really been in the brides life much for the last few years and confronted Caitlyn at the Hen-Do about how she wasn’t getting enough attention at a party that was neither for or about her while Caitlyn is dealing with her future in-laws coming (who all have been very vocal about not wanting her around).

In the end I wouldn’t consider the “whodunnit” to be that surprising. Once we got a key piece of evidence from Caitlyn’s bag it was clear - at least in part - as to what happened. I kept telling myself it wasn’t possible logistically, but on that part I at least got proven wrong.

Primarily I wasn’t a fan of the writing of this book. Admittedly I am not from Britain so I don’t know/understand all of the common phrases that in the US made no grammatical sense so I can’t say if it was a grammar issue not corrected by the publisher, or just how people talk. It wasn’t for me, but I think it could be for people who like short, fairly easy to read Mystery books.

I’ve reread the description of the book and the first sentence mentions a “bride-to-be” sash that didn’t exist in the book and for some reason that stands out to me. Additionally, the name of the book has changed since receiving this book for review which - while the change made sense - did make it hard to find on Goodreads to review as I was looking up a book that didn’t exist.

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for an early copy of The Bridal Party. The cover was AWESOME! Maria Frankland is in the same category as Daniel Hurst and Frieda McFadden, I get sooo excited when I see a new book out from her. I will admit this was a bit repetitive with all the questioning, way too long BUT then the twist happened and it was a good one!!! Took me by total surprise which I love. I felt like I was at the hen party, I could picture all the characters and everything that was happening. The last twist was PHENOMENAL, LIKE WOWWWWWWW!!! You will never guess, that’s what makes the book FABULOUS. Thank you again.

It's Caitlyns hen party, and 9 others are invited. The grooms mother and sister are there, the brides 2 sisters, along with some old friends and colleagues of Caitlyn. The first night we find out not everyone is happy for the bride and groom to be.
The next morning, Caitlyns body is found, and the police suspect murder. But who would've wanted her dead?

This book was a fun, quick read. The amount of characters makes it seem hard to keep up with who is who, but we get a POV of each character where we find out lots of secrets. I didn't see the ending coming at all, and although originally quite underwhelmed when coming to the end, the final chapters and revelation left me satisfied. Another classic thriller by Maria Frankland.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The author is able to describe each character perfectly while also changing writing styles between chapters. As I read a chapter of Lucy, I was impressed that the language and style felt like I was in the brain of a seventeen year old girl. It takes a lot of talent to be able to switch up dialogue like that. I did not see the ending coming! Any book that I cannot see the ending coming is always a win. I’m constantly trying to predict books. I do wish the ending had gone on a little longer so as to see the reactions of the characters as everything unfolded. I’ve already recommended this book to others when the publish date arrives.

A compelling, exhilarating suspenseful read. Engaging story with well developed characters and the ending was executed brilliantly

I finished this book but it was a slog. The characters should have been engaging and I found myself unable to care at all.

While I think the plot had promise you can only do so much with characters that aren’t in any sense fully developed.

3.5 Stars

Huge thank you to Netgalley for the review copy of The Bridal Party. This was my first novel from this author. I enjoyed the writing style and the alternating POV's. This book takes place during the first 24 hours of a Bachelorette party. Tensions are high, the guests don't vibe much with each other, and the bride to be turns up dead the next morning. 90% of the book is the detective interview with the 9 Bachelorette guests. This was a real "who done it" with some intriguing twists and turns.

I will say, some of the terms used in the book threw me off. I suppose it's because of the author being Australian. Like a hen party, not a term we use here. We would call it a Bachelorette party. Using the word "solicitor" meaning a lawyer or legal representation. Just something to think about for finished copies.

This was good, but it was just too predictable for my liking. It is very similar to previous books that I have read and I like to have something new when reading thrillers because it will lose the shock factor.

Many thanks to netgalley, the author and bookouture for approving my request to read this book.

This story opens with the bride to be Caitlyn arriving in Dublin for her hen party which results in her untimely demise. The story is told from different characters viewpoints and I enjoyed how it all led up to the big reveal at the end, some of the characters I definitely loved to hate-some are the absolute worst!

I love a classic who done it and this one was no exception with brilliantly written characters, a pacy plot and a few twists along the way, I will most definitely be recommending this to others!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc. This is my first book by Maria Frankland and it did not disappoint. A bride and her bridal party head on vacation a few weeks before the wedding. The bride confides in her one friend that the relationship is not as good as it seems. After playing games and drinking, everyone heads to bed. When they wake up, the bride is dead. Who killed her? This one kept me on edge the whole time, following clues and conversations, trying to solve the crime. The big twist at the end is amazing!! Can't wait to read more of her books!

I almost DNF’d this around the 60% mark but I’m glad I kept reading. From then on the story got very interesting and the ending took me by surprise! I thought the final twist was great.

I struggled with the large number of characters and multiple POVs, some seemed unnecessary. I really struggled with some of the terminology and names of the Irish setting, being Irish, I feel like more research should have been done on what we call things and how we speak.

Overall it was quite enjoyable just power through the first 2/3 to get to the good part.

FANTASTIC!
This book has me completely grippes right from the prologue!
And just when I thought I had the story worked out a twist came and blew it to pieces!
Highly recommend

Wow this is a disturbing dark read about a group of friends off on a hen weekend but are any of them really friends and what are they all hiding. The bride has just gone into remission and this should be a happy time but why is she so quiet and distant. When they wake up to find one of the party dead it looks like one of them may have killed her. As secrets and lies spill out the truth may be even darker than anyone expects. I loved the conclusion of this one but won’t spoil it.

The Bridal Party

The first 60% of this book I wasn’t sure if this book was for me. it felt very slow and I did not enjoy any of the characters. But the last 30% it got a lot better. it started picking up pace and going through all the interviews of the people at the bridal party (bachelorette party) it was very interesting to see everybody’s perspective and the secrets that they knew. I’m normally pretty good at figuring out the endings of books and this one actually caught me by surprise I might have been able to figure out if I really tried but I was pleasantly surprised by the twist. I definitely enjoyed the who, and why of it all but I did feel like it kind of ended abruptly. I wish it would’ve had a more clear ending. I would give this book but I am interested in trying other books by the author.



Thank you, NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

3.5 stars. Friends and future family all travel for a bride to he’s Hen Party. But things don’t go as planned. There’s fighting, tension, and a lack of fun had by all. Then something terrible happens.

I really liked the concept and storyline. But the writing style didn’t work for me. Some bits of the story were just repeated numerous times. I, personally, felt like it needed to be edited and flushed out more. And I wanted more from the ending. Even just a epilogue I would have worked for me.

4🌟
This is a quick and easy read full of plenty of unbearable characters. Personally, I enjoyed the multitude of perspectives which ultimately kept me guessing most of the way through.
I couldn’t give it 5🌟 as I felt the ending didn’t pack the punch that I was expecting.

I found this well-crafted mystery novel to be captivating, keeping me engrossed late into the night.
I eagerly awaited the resolution, which ultimately met my expectations.
The only drawback I encountered was the abundance of different perspectives, leading to some confusion.
Despite this, overall, it was an enjoyable read.

I would like to express my gratitude to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this advance reader copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

A great thriller with a twist I didn’t see coming! When I finished, I was wishing I could keep reading! This was my first book by this author, but I will absolutely be reading more by María!

Caitlyn is about to marry Ben and her best friend Jen organises a hen's party away for her with her mother-in-law to be, her sisters, her neighbor and other girlfriends. Jen is hoping this is going to be a memorable trip for Caitlyn to look back on in years to come but something is off with Caitlyn. As the weekend starts Jen knows she needs to find out what is going on and it seems a lot, Caitlyn is not a happy bride to be. Also Caitlyn is in remission from cancer and has been on an intense terrible journey, everyone is hoping her future holds the happiness she has not recently experienced.

On the first night there Caitlyn is murdered and now the hunt is on to find out who did this and why. Unfortunately I found the book to be unsurprising and unoriginal, I feel like I have read many books along the same theme, maybe in future I should be looking at what I am requesting and vie away from these types of stories. By half way through I had already worked out where this was all going, it lacked uniqueness and if it had not been for the ending I would have rated the book lower, but I was surprised at how it finished and who had committed the crime, this did take me by surprise.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy, all opinions expressed are my own.

A quick read but utterly captivating! All the characters are vile and noone can be trusted. I do love locked room type mysteries and the story was well paved and plotted out. It didn't have many shocking twists but it did have good writing and the multiple povs gave the characters depth and dimension. So no, you may not be shocked by who actually did it but you'll certainly be entertained! Perfect for summer by the pool