When the start of a great hen weekend turns into a real nightmare.

Synopsis

One hen, one stag, one uninvited guest… who won’t make it to the wedding?

Megan Lewis is ready for her big day, but when an unexpected guest crashes her hen weekend, her perfectly curated world unravels.

Beth, claiming to be Jamie’s cousin, quickly charms the group. But when she gets close to bridesmaid Lauren, things take a dark turn, and a game of truth or dare exposes secrets from Megan’s past, shaking her world.

As the wedding nears, Megan realises Beth isn’t who she says she is — but she may be her only ally.

When you can’t trust anyone, not even your fiancé, who can you turn to?

An unputdownable novel full of suspense and secrets, perfect for fans of Shari Lapena, Alice Feeney and Lisa Jewell.

My review

Megan Lewis cannot wait to marry her fiancé, Jamie. They are a little happy family, with their little girl, but their wedding will be the cherry on top of the cake.
Even if it breaks Megan’s heart to leave her daughter with her parents, she heads off with her friends for a hen weekend.
When Beth arrives at the hen weekend, Megan is a bit flabbergasted, because she doesn’t know Beth at all. But as Beth explains that she is Jamie’s cousin, Megan agrees that she can enjoy the weekend, as they will be soon family after all.
But the hen weekend quickly turns into a real nightmare, as a wicked game of Truth Or Dare reveals a dark secret that Megan has been keeping. And that is not the only event that risks to ruin everything, as Megan finds herself doubting the loyalty of her friends, and even fiancé. And after this horrendous weekend, will there still a wedding be taking place?

Getting married should be one of the happiest moments in life. And it for sure applies for Megan, as she cannot wait to marry the love of her life. And even if I am a happy single, I was happy for her. Because everyone deserves their happily ever after.

So I was rather shocked to read how things start to take a bad turn, even before the hen weekend actually takes off. I cannot imagine how Megan and her parents must feel to make that discovery. While as a reader we know that things will only get worse, to be on the receiving end of such a surprise… creepy is an understatement!

It is understandable that Megan isn’t all too thrilled to have her weekend after the discovery. But as everyone tells her to forget the incident, and just enjoy her weekend, it’s also understandable that Megan decides to just go, as it’s also something that has been planned for a long time.

Now, I have to say that I don’t if I were in Megan’s shoes, I would have acted the same way, especially towards Beth’s presence. A hen weekend, at least in my mind, is something to be shared with my closest friends, so I don’t think I would appreciate a stranger’s presence, even if she claims to be related to my husband – to – be. And maybe Megan’s acceptance made me think of her of a little bit gullible. But maybe I am also a bit too paranoid, and I am too suspicious of new people. And seeing how Megan finds herself telling her darkest secrets to a complete stranger, well, I wasn’t sure it was that best of ideas…

But I also need to add, that also Megan’s friends aren’t really the kind of friends that I would have myself. I am saying they are all bad people, or are doing their best to ruin Megan’s weekend and more, but their behaviour for sure is questionable… Because each friend does something, says something, acts in a way, that made Megan and also me believe that the culprit was found.

The culprit, because a lot of scary, even terrible things are happening during what was supposed to be a happy time. The Truth Or Dare Game in that aspect is may be most innocent of things happening, as it only gets worse the more the weekend evolves…

The more is happening with Megan, the more I also found myself sitting on the edge of my seat. Because nobody in this book is who you think he/she is. There are several shocking revelations that made me truly wonder who all these people, and how their characters didn’t fit with the imagine I had of them in my mind.

This for sure isn’t the kind of book you want to read when you’re ready to get married yourself, as it will leave you scared and scarred… The author wrote a gripping, even terrifying psychological thriller, showing the twisted minds of some people. But we also see that no matter how happy someone may look on the outside, you never know what happens behind closed doors. And you never know with 100% certainty that there are no dark secrets hidden, ready to submerge…