The Bachelorette Party
Every year, four childhood friends—Tilly, Anna, Linnea, and Evelina—escaped to a secret, remote island off the coast of Sweden. It was their private sanctuary to drink, dance, and shed the weight of the world, until one night of reckless fun ended with them vanishing without a trace.
A decade later, former true-crime podcaster Tessa Nilsson remains haunted by the unsolved case. Her obsession with the missing women once fueled her wildly popular show, but with her podcast now in ruins, her hopes of finding answers have all but faded. That is, until her best friend, Anneliese, plans a bachelorette weekend at Baltic Vinyasa—a luxurious, sleek yoga retreat located on a Swedish island eerily identical to the site of the tragedy.
Amidst the flowing cava and sunrise yoga, Tessa refuses to pass up the opportunity to finally unearth the truth about the four missing friends. But she isn't the only one with an agenda. As Tessa digs into the island's dark history, she unknowingly walks into a deadly snare—because someone else has been waiting for this exact moment to exact their revenge.
- Mikaela - Maid of Honor
- Anneliese - Bride
- Lena - Bridesmaid, Tessa’s sister
- Natalie - Bridesmaid, photographer
- Tessa - Bridesmaid, podcaster
- Caroline - Bridesmaid, therapist
- Irene - Matilda’s sister, runs Baltic Vinyasa on Isle Blind
- Adam - Chef at Baltic Vinyasa, Linnea’s boyfriend
- Matilda - One of the Nacka Four, Carl’s fiancée
- Carl - Matilda’s fiancé
- Linnea - One of the Nacka Four
- Evelina - One of the Nacka Four
- Anna - One of the Nacka Four
- 2012: Matilda, Linnea, Evelina and Anna die on Isle Blind.
- Police assume the girls took their dinghy out while drunk and drowned, but no bodies were ever recovered.
- 2022: Mikaela, Lena, Natalie, Caroline and Tessa travel to Isle Blind for Anneliese’s bachelorette party, but Tessa wants to solve the Nacka Four cold case.
- Caroline goes missing.
- During a drinking game, Anneliese admits she once gave a man a false alibi and later learned he was being accused of murder.
- Tessa finds Caroline dead in the dinghy with a slashed throat and a knife in her eye.
- Adam and Irene tie up everyone except Mikaela, who escapes.
- Irene confronts Anneliese because the man she lied for was Carl, whom she was sleeping with.
- Carl went missing in 2020; Irene killed him because she knew he had killed Matilda.
- 2012: Carl had been sleeping with Evelina.
- Evelina felt guilty and wanted to tell Matilda.
- Carl went to talk to her on Isle Blind; when she tried to run away, she hit her head on a rock and died.
- Carl killed the others to cover up Evelina’s death.
- 2022: Irene killed Caroline because she overheard her and Adam discussing their plans.
- When Adam finds out Irene killed Caroline, he turns on her, so she bludgeons him with a rifle, killing him.
- Irene shoots Anneliese in the chest.
- Irene tries to drown Tessa, but Mikaela beats Irene to death.
- Tessa calls for help.
- Tessa, Lena, Natalie and Mikaela work on healing from their physical injuries.
The Bachelorette Party by Camilla Sten is an atmospheric thriller steeped in heavy mystery. The story unfolds through dual timelines, jumping between Tessa’s perspective in the present day and Matilda’s point of view in the past. Despite this structural intrigue, the pacing is slow throughout the entire book, relying far more on slow-burn dread than fast-paced action.
While the central mystery is compelling, a subplot involving Tessa's podcasting misses the mark. There is a good amount of suspense built around this side story, but it falls flat and never manages to blend with the main plot. Additionally, several plot points and questions are left completely ambiguous. Rather than feeling like a purposeful, thought-provoking stylistic choice, this ambiguity comes across as if the author simply forgot to tie up those loose ends. It is an engaging read for those who enjoy heavily mysterious, isolated settings, but it is somewhat weighed down by disconnected subplots and a frustrating lack of concrete resolution.
- Caroline - Dead - Throat slit by Irene
- Adam - Dead - Bludgeoned by Irene
- Anneliese - Dead - Shot by Irene
- Matilda - Dead - Murdered by Carl
- Carl - Dead - Murdered by Irene
- Evelina - Dead - Hit her head on a rock
- Anna - Dead - Murdered by Carl
- Irene - Dead - Killed by Mikaela in self defense
- Murder
- Suicide
- Gore
- Infidelity
- Suicide
Publisher: Minotaur Books
ISBN: 9781250868503
Publication Date: June 10, 2025
Note: Details are for the original edition. Other formats, editions, and audiobook versions may be available.
