A review by me_alley
The Bachelorette Party by Camilla Sten

fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

This book has some real "horror movie" energy.   Remember the geico commercial awhile back where there were kids running away from a murderer and they hid behind a wall of chainsaws instead of driving away? This book is like that.   It reminds me of the Scream/I know what you did last summer time frame of cinema.   The characters are beautiful, mostly female, some of them are basically interchangeable.   The only reason why there are 4 women in the first set of murders and 5 in the second set is to heighten the body count and make it bloodier.  It is a big riot and obviously, as they say, a "page-turner." I read it in one sitting.

Dual time frames- 2012 when a group of 4 friends goes on their annual girls trip to a remote island with no coverage.   2022 when a bachelorette party goes to the same island, which now has a mindfulness resort on it as the first guests.  The most interesting character is our main character in 2022, Tessa.  She recently was a true crime podcaster but had some sort of problem a "mistake" that ended her career, which we find out later in the story.   She is single and bisexual, there is an interesting conversation with one of the bridesmaids who is demonstrating what biphobia sounds like, in her ignorance.   Most of the tertiary characters are generally pretty one dimensional, as there isn't time to develop them.  

Although this takes place in Sweden, and all of the first names and surnames are quite Swedish, it comes across as pretty American.  I enjoyed the story and didn't guess the ending.  If you read a lot and enjoy a good slasher film, you should pick this one up!

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC.  Book to be published June 10, 2025.   Just in time for wedding season.I’m