BOOK DESCRIPTION
‘Promise me? If you hear any secrets, never tell me. That would make you a most treasured friend. More than a friend really. You’re almost like a sister to me…’
Your best friend….
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?
Your worst nightmare?
But Sasha is growing tired of always being in Caitlin's shadow - always the bridesmaid, never the bride. And as the big day approaches, cracks begin to appear between the two woman. Secrets and lies swirl between the two friends like confetti. Both of them are hiding dark secrets, both of them are lying.
Could the secrets that once bound these two friends, rip them apart for good?
The chapters of this gripping tale of secrets, toxic relationships and revenge flipped back and forth between the late 1980s and the events before,during and after the wedding in 2019.
Sasha was twelve years old in the late 80s when her mum and dad moved Sasha and her brother Hunter from London to the fifty - acre Saxby estate where her parents had found employment as housekeeper and head gardener for the Clemonte family. Although Sasha liked her new surroundings, she missed her friends back in Hackney, sitting on the wall reading Jackie magazine with her friend (that brought back memories,I used to get Jackie magazine when I was younger) Her feelings of loneliness changed after she was introduced to free spirited Caitlin. The two girls became best friends (well according to Sasha anyway) and Sasha found herself drawn into and captivated by the alien world of the rich with their posh accents, servants, nannies and lavish parties. She started spending every opportunity that she could with Caitlin and her Grandmother Josephine who was always kind and welcoming towards the young girl. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for Caitlin's mother Ava who appeared to take great pleasure in undermining and humiliating Sasha at every opportunity. Sasha's mum wasn't happy about the amount of time that her daughter was spending at the big house and as the story unfolded, I began to understand her concerns about Sasha's involvement with the family. Caitlin had a nasty, vindictive side to her character, something that over time even Sasha started to notice but she know that if she stopped being friends with Caitlin, she would no longer be able to spend time at the big house. A place that over time, Sasha had began to suspect had hidden secrets within the old walls and lavish rooms, secrets that she was determined to uncover.
In the chapters that were set twenty years later, Sasha was living with a lovely but anxious and paranoid man called Oscar and had her own business. She still likes to think that she is friends with Caitlin and is organising Caitlin's wedding to Chuck, someone that both the women knew when they were younger and hung out together at Saxby House. Despite it being her own wedding, Caitlin doesn't appear to be interested in acknowledging any of Sasha's plans and ideas and seems to be avoiding interacting with her and answering her calls, texts and emails. Sasha can't wait for the wedding day to arrive because she has a secret, a revelation that will cause shock waves to ripple through the quests and possibly signify the end of her friendship with Caitlin. People in their past and present lives were not who they appeared to be and were hiding shocking attitudes and behaviour.
The Bridesmaid is a enthralling, character driven drama with a plot that contains some unexpected revelations and some lessons in morality. Sasha wasn't happy with her life both as a child and a adult but I thought that she really should have appreciated her loving parents and partner because as we all know, life isn't always greener in the other side. The cast of characters were diverse and realistic, some likeable, some not so likeable, one I was surprised to learn I had judged unfairly and I ended up feeling empathy for by the end of the story. I thought this was a very well written, compelling page turner and I would happily read more of this author's books in the future.
Author Bio:
Nina Manning studied psychology and was a restaurant-owner and private chef (including to members of the royal family). She is the founder and co-host of Sniffing The Pages, a book review podcast. Her debut psychological thriller, The Daughter in Law, was a bestseller in the UK, US, Australia and Canada. She lives in Dorset.
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