e-ALC, 08:59:09
Narrated by: Stephanie Cannon
Release Date: December 16, 2025
Published by: Tantor Media, Inc.
Read from: December 9-10, 2025
Stand-alone
Source: Netgalley (I received this ALC free from the publisher and Netgalley. This did nothing to influence my review!)
Content Warning: Murder, Bullying, Child Abuse, Drug Abuse, Addiction, Death, Child Death, Gun Violence, Abandonment
For Readers Interested In: Adult, Contemporary, Sparkly Cover, Mystery, Netgalley, Realistic Fiction, Stand-alone, ThrillersFrom the acclaimed author of The Clinic comes a pulse-pounding thriller about a society wedding turned deadly, for fans of The Unwedding.
The Kensingtons invite you to the society wedding of the decade. There’s just one hitch. You might not make it out alive.
When a celebrity bridesmaid is murdered weeks before an exclusive society wedding, forensic attorney Holly Stone is drafted as an unlikely undercover replacement. As she works to unpick the lives of the notoriously private Kensington family, glamour-averse Holly discovers a new worst enemy in bridezilla Adrianna. Heir to a multimillion dollar fortune, Adrianna is set on throwing the event of the decade, and she won’t let anything get in her way.
But beneath the veneer of poise and sophistication, Adrianna and her bridesmaids have secrets worth killing for.
As the wedding day gets closer, it’s clear that one of the five hand-picked bridesmaids has committed murder – and a destination wedding is a perfect place to strike again. Soon, Holly finds herself on the playground of the rich and famous, but if she wants to find answers, she’ll have to make it out alive.
*MY THOUGHTS*
I picked this up before I read the synopsis. I saw Bridesmaid and I was immediately sold. I’m a sucker for anything to do with a wedding. But this wedding is not at all the romantic, fun events that I love. There is so much hate, animosity, and mean girl behavior lol And this doesn’t even count the person whodunit lol
The mystery in this was chef’s kiss. There’s so many POVs that you can’t help but get confused. And the people aren’t the best. They all had something they wanted from the bride. And let me tell you, she was also a piece of work. I don’t remember liking anyone in this book. And that was when I knew I liked this lol Mysteries tend to stick out to me when I don’t like anyone and can literally blame anyone lol
The thriller aspect wasn’t really a thing. I mean don’t get me wrong, there are a couple “thrilling” scenes, but for the most part, it was just a bit mysterious. Or it could be I was just a bit jaded or I’ve read too many of them lol But I don’t think there was a lot going on that made my heart go racing. Just that one part in the beginning, but that was the hook to get you into the story. There was nothing else really after that. And that was hella disappointing.
As for the characters, I loved Holly. But she was literally the only person. She was smart af and I loved the way she wasn’t scared to be herself or intimidated by the others. Especially since she was different from them in almost every way. I was actually impressed with her and the way she took everything in stride, took what they said on the chin, and still was able to solve this case. Definitely an impressive feat.
The ending was what threw me. We don’t really get a good explanation on the how even if we do get the why. And the person whodun it? Yeah I called it. It was this big reveal, but them wanting that big reveal was what solidified it for me lol I guess that’s why I don’t love how it ended. It just felt weak. It didn’t change my rating, but I did want to point it out.
Overall, I give this
