Book Review: The Bridesmaid by Nina Manning

Is bring a bridesmaid the perfect time to get revenge?

Goodreads Blurb

The Bridesmaid by Nina Manning

Your best friend. Your worst nightmare…

From the moment they met as children, Sasha knew that beautiful, wealthy, and confident Caitlin would always be her absolute best friend. Sasha would do anything to make Caitlin happy.

Even keep her darkest secrets…

The years have passed, but their friendship remains. And when Caitlin announces she’s getting married there is only one choice for the role of bridesmaid. Sasha will make sure Caitlin’s wedding is as beautiful and perfect as she is. Won’t she?

But as the big day approaches, cracks begin to appear. Because no matter what Sasha does, she never seems to make Caitlin happy.

And the secrets that once bound these two friends, now threaten to rip them apart for good…

Review

I hate to admit as I was really looking forward to this book but The Bridesmaid fell short for me. I have been able to pinpoint one main reason for this: the blurb. For me, the blurb hints at a dark psychological thriller with some very sinister secrets. And while there are some moments of “what the hell is going on here” in the book, for me it was more like a family drama. Some of the secrets were big, don’t get me wrong, but some, and the way they were presented, was just a bit too tame. I don’t know what that says about me.

The friendship between Sasha and Caitlin wasn’t entirely believable for me, although that could have been the point. It was a totally one-sided friendship and difficult to see how it made it to adulthood. However, the chapters focused on their childhood friendship were interesting. It was a reminder of how influenced we are as children, so much so that Sasha would endure Caitlin’s cruelty just to have a friend and felt that she belonged. It was interesting to examine how she was on the outskirts both in the friendship and the social situation of her family versus Caitlin’s (rich versus poor).

I hope this doesn’t come across as an overly negative review as I did enjoy reading The Bridesmaid. There were just some parts that could have been better for me.

The Bridesmaid is available to buy now.

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If you are interested in checking out more of Nina Manning’s books, read my review of The House Mate.