Title: The Wedding Night

Author: Harriet Walker

Genre: Thriller

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Publication Date: 15th July 2021

Rating: 4/5

Cover:

Summary:

What do you do when the wedding of your dreams turns into a nightmare?

When Lizzie calls off her wedding in the south of France only a week before the big day, not even her closest friends know why. But since the chateau is already paid for, they figure it’s the perfect place to take Lizzie’s her mind off her suddenly single state.

But when the group arrives, the wedding is waiting for them – food, flowers, and all.

The next day, Lizzie wakes to find her friends have drunkenly revelled in the wedding-that-wasn’t – but not all their antics were benign. Someone is set on tormenting Lizzie, and she can’t think who.

The more the friends try to piece together exactly what happened that night, the more secrets start to come out . . .

Review:

I absolutely loved The New Girl by Harriet Walker so I was really excited to read this new release from an auto-buy author for me! Whilst The New Girl remains my favourite of the two, happily I can say that I found The Wedding Night just as well written and quietly engrossing as its predecessor. The story follows a group of friends who decide to go on their planned trip for Lizzie’s wedding despite the fact Lizzie has called it off. We don’t know why the wedding has been cancelled and the events leading up to that decision are revealed in flashbacks throughout the narrative.

I just love the way Walker writes, the secluded luxury of the French chateau and the simmering unease bubbling around this group of people is evoked perfectly. I also loved that female friendship is at the heart of this novel. It smartly places the focus on the connection between these three women who have gone through a lot together and the secrets they are hiding both with and from each other. The Wedding Night is not an adrenaline filled action thriller. Rather it is more of an atmospheric and compelling exploration of love, jealousy, betrayal and the enduring bond of friendship. This would be a fantastic reading choice for lounging with a cold drink in the scorching summer sun!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I very kindly received a copy of the book from the author. My review is entirely my own honest opinion.