The Good Bride

by Jen Marie Wiggins, Marni Penning (Narrator)

8 hours, 22 minutes

The Wedding of the Year turns disastrous in this twisty family drama full of lies and betrayals, perfect for fans of Laura Dave, Lucy Foley, and Ruth Ware.

One year after a devastating hurricane, bride-to-be Ruth Bancroft is marrying her perfect groom in a quaint fishing village on the Gulf Coast. The weekend is carefully curated, with the displays of pomp and social media magic meant to promote an area still struggling to rebuild, as well as bring Ruth’s estranged family back together.

Yet as good intentions often go, this road to wed is hell and paved in complications. With tensions rising between the family and the bridal party, long-buried secrets come to light and accusations start flying. Things officially spiral out of control when the oceanfront rehearsal dinner is rocked by a series of gunshots, and a high-profile guest goes missing. As the investigation gets under way, it turns out that everyone has something to hide.

Big Little Lies meets The Guest List in this gripping page turner that asks the big questions about messy family liaisons, modern media, and the lies we tell the world.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Fiction, Suspense

Audiobook

First published December 10, 2024

About the author

Jen Marie Wiggins is the author of the suspense novel, THE GOOD BRIDE and the nonfiction illustrated gift book, MARRIED AF: A FUNNY MARRIAGE GUIDE FOR THE NEWLYWED OR BRIDE. Her books have been featured by The Today Show and People.com and you can find her writing in Savannah Magazine, Lithub, Southern Coastal Weddings, Literary Mama and elsewhere.

Follow her on Instagram @jenmariewiggins.

Reviews

[Linzie (suspenseisthrillingme) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A genre-crossing novel that was a definite slow burn, The Good Bride melded a family drama and a suspenseful whodunnit with a touch of crime fiction into one intriguing tale. From the toxic family dynamics to the small town Florida feel, the family—and Blue Compass—came alive on the page. It didn’t hurt that the multiple POVs elicited well-developed characters through flashbacks and backstories that gave me a clear image of who they each were. All together, this mostly character-driven plot had all of the puzzle pieces to deliver utter perfection.

Unfortunately, however, where the book found success with the setting and the characters, the plot itself was a little less of a smash hit. From the seemingly unhurried pace to the mildly confusing reveals in the last third of the book, I found the storyline to not quite live up to what the synopsis had promised. Don’t get me wrong, there were several dynamite twists as well as a cheer-worthy conclusion. So while it wasn’t one of my favorites, it was still a wickedly good take on a wedding weekend gone wrong.

All said and done, despite a few minor flaws, I still thoroughly enjoyed this quick, easy read. Coming in at just 280 pages, the viral social media angle and laugh-out-loud moments meant for plenty of fun. Combined with long-hidden secrets and even more juicy drama, and I was guaranteed to lap this one up in only a handful of hours. So as long as you’re not looking for a fast-paced thriller with jaw-dropping twists around every turn, I recommend giving this book a try. After all, this family is the kind you’d love to gossip about, no ifs, ands, or buts. Rating of 3.5 stars.

SYNOPSIS:

One year after a devastating hurricane, bride-to-be Ruth Bancroft is marrying her perfect groom in a quaint fishing village on the Gulf Coast. The weekend is carefully curated, with the displays of pomp and social media magic meant to promote an area still struggling to rebuild as well as bring Ruth’s estranged family back together.

Yet as good intentions often go, this road to wed is hell and paved in complications. With tensions rising between the family and the bridal party, long-buried secrets come to light, and accusations start flying. Things officially spiral out of control when the oceanfront rehearsal dinner is rocked by a series of gunshots, and a high-profile guest goes missing. As the investigation gets underway, it turns out that everyone has something to hide.

Thank you to Jen Marie Wiggins and Crooked Lane Books for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

PUB DATE: December 10, 2024

Trigger warning: alcoholism, breaking and entering, pregnancy, mention of: gun violence

[Jonetta · Rating 4 out of 5]

the setup…
It’s been a year since Hurricane Carrie ravaged the coastal town of Blue Compass, Georgia and they’re still struggling to recover. But the upcoming wedding of Ruth Bancroft, the youngest daughter of wealthy matron Caroline Bancroft and her ex-husband Thad, who is estranged from his three daughters, should infuse some much needed revenue for the small business community. It’s going to be the event of the year and there’s a lot at stake for many. There’s Kayla the wedding planner who is counting on this providing a much needed boost to her business; there’s Ruth’s oldest sister Sophie who’s counting on it to further race her Instagram influencer profile; and Caroline who wants to be the real main attraction, just to name a few.

the heart of the story…
I got a strong sense of each of the characters and always felt like everything was building to some main event other than the wedding. My instincts were right on as something catastrophic happens the night before at the rehearsal dinner. I was also expecting Ruth to be a bridezilla but Caroline wore that mantle and well! It’s a really slow burn getting there, however, and it took some patience. There aren’t a lot of likable characters here and the lifestyle and behavior of the rich is quite off putting. But the last half of the story was a page turner.

the narration…
Marni Penning was great at creating distinctive voices for the critical characters and especially nailed Caroline and Sophie. Her storytelling skills were really strong, particularly as this took a while to come together.

the bottom line…
Despite all of the events, mystery, intrigue and excitement of the second half, the build up and character development of the first half is what made this a success in the end. Have patience as the payoff came. And, opt for the audio version if you can. 3.5 stars

Posted on Blue Mood Café

(Thanks to NetGalley and the Dreamscape Media for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)

[Kurryreads (Kerry) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

Unfortunately, I knew pretty much immediately that this book wasn’t my vibe. Rich people having rich people problems. I’m just not someone who likes rich people in books. I can’t relate to their so called problems and have a hard time caring about them so this one was just rough to get through.

I held out hope for a compelling mystery but was left disappointed. Not for me at all.

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT2XRw5N2/

[Kimberly Belle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Driven by old betrayals, long-held secrets, and toxic family dynamics, everyone has something to hide when a high-profile guest goes missing at the wedding of the year. Part suspenseful whodunnit, part family drama, The Good Bride is a wickedly good tale that will keep readers guessing all the way to the explosive ending.

[Jennifer *Nottoomanybooks* · Rating 2 out of 5]

I made it to 35% before I put this book down. I was not invested in the story and felt bored. I see how the story could have potential because the synopsis drew me in, but it wasn’t executed in a thrilling way for me.

[Stacey (Bookalorian) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The good bride by Jen Marie Wiggins

The audio was fine. It was acceptable.


Bride-to-be Ruth Bancroft is marrying her perfect groom. Trouble is all the family coming together in the same place. Family drama, gunshots and a missing guest… The investigation brings together the kind of secrets no one needs to hear.
Yeah it was ok. Bit busy. Too many POVs. Too many unlikeable characters. Too much going on and the writing wasn’t good enough to hold all the pieces together. It was a bit monotonal. The twists were the only things worth finishing the book for and the ending as just ok.

I felt a bit underwhelmed.

3 stars

[Natalia Farnham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably more of a 3.8 rounded up, If you like a good slow burn this is for you. It did a good job having multiple povs and laying out the ground work for the twist to come. A toxic family with a past you get small glimpse into. This did a good job showing you how having all the money in the world still can’t bring happiness. The author did such a good job with making you feel how out of touch some of the characters were to everyday life. This was a quick read for me and rather enjoyed the slower pace of a who dunnit.

[Suspense And · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the sister relationships in this book and the town. writing is fast paced and makes u feel like u are there. Did not see that twist at the end coming. Good easy summer read

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me a little while to get into this book, I think it just seemed slow to get going. The story is a family drama told from four different POV’s and I think this contributed to me taking a while to move the story forward in my head, I was trying to keep up with the characters.

Ruth Bancroft comes from a very wealthy family and is about to marry the love of her life, the wedding occurring twelve months after a devastating hurricane on the gulf coast. Members of Ruth’s family have been estranged and it is hopeful that this joyous occasion may bring everyone back together, then again maybe not. As always with this family, everything has been intricately orchestrated and planned, but soon secrets and tensions will rear their ugly heads, and this may not be the happy event everyone is hoping for.

Shots ring out at the rehearsal dinner for the wedding and soon there is bedlam when a guest goes missing and trouble is brewing in the air, secrets and betrayals come to light and soon all who are present will be under scrutiny and it seems everyone has something to hide, some more than others.

The book moved along at a decent enough pace and after my initial concerns I did get into the story but to me it was just ok. I think it is that I enjoy books with a little more complexity in both plot and characterization or maybe it is the choices I am making lately in what I am reading. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an advanced copy, all opinions expressed are my own. 3 stars

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Good Bride had a combination of a little mystery, thriller and some romance all in one story. Family drama, secrets and rich people doing bad things just to name a few more! The whodunnit plot really made this such a fast paced page turner read for me. The location setting of the book took place in small Gulf Coast Seaside town recovering a year after a devastating hurricane really hit home so much to me. If there is a place I recommend everyone to visit in Florida it would be the white sandy beaches of the panhandle of Florida!! The emerald green water is stunning!!

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read about family and modern relationships in this upcoming book with main focus on sisters.

The writing Is rather quite accessible however the pace is slow. So please do not expect a fast paced thrilling read.

Try to know the dynamics between the characters if you are picking up this book. Take it slow to enjoy it.

Thank you, CROOKED LANE BOOKS, for the ARC.

[GinaMarie D’Ambrosio · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was definitely more of a mystery than a suspense/thriller, and unfortunately the plot just didn’t resonate with me at all. It took a very long time for the build up to occur, and the characters felt very one dimensional. There was a “hidden secret” that didn’t really relate to the plot in a significant way at all, the end twist and “who-dun-it” moment felt rushed and I was left wondering “what?”, and the overall drama was a bit less “high stakes” and more “rich family struggles” that quite frankly I found it a little difficult to care about.

Also, one minor issue I had was the family being uber famous to the point that hashtags were trending about them and the press was all over, but the sister only had 600k followers on social media. It just didn’t make a ton of sense to me and I was left wanting a bit. Or just confused bc were these people “famous” or not!

Even though this was a miss for me, I am appreciative to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, and the author for an audio arc of this book & love the opportunity to try out new stories!

[dianas_books_cars_coffee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ruth Bancroft is about to marry her perfect man in a small town on the gulf coast that was devastated by a hurricane a year ago. The weekend is supposed to be perfect with all their family and friends. But tensions are on the rise as the day gets closer and long buried secrets start to surface. Things really heat up when gunshots are heard during the rehearsal dinner and a guest goes missing. What happened to Ruth's perfect wedding day?

Unfortunately, I had a really hard time getting into this book. It was told in multiple POVs and pretty slow going. There were also some confusing parts. However, the family drama and mystery kept me reading on. It was a quick, easy read and just because I wasn't into this one doesn't mean you won't be. I would recommend giving it a chance especially if you like lots of drama.

[jacky · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Guest List von Lucy Foley >>>>>>

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. The cover is gorgeous and the premise is interesting. However, it just wasn't my cup of tea (or glass of champagne, in this case). I appreciate the author's efforts on her first novel and some parts did have my attention. It also kept me guessing as to what really happened, so it didn't feel predictable at all. The descriptions also brought people and places to life so vividly that I felt like they were right in front of me. Some aspects had a Perfect Couple feel.

For the most part, I felt left out of a bunch of conversations, but was somehow expected to know exactly what was happening. Everything just felt vague and confusing. It took a while to get to the climax of the story, but then things were still all over the place. I think having a bunch of perspectives wasn't helpful for this novel, as much as it could have been. There were some inconsistencies too. While there were no ages given for most of the book, some things didn't line up when one of the characters finally revealed their age.

I wish Jen all the best with her writing and hope she can fine tune her skill for whatever she comes up with next.

[Lois · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ruth and Teo are having the wedding of the year in a small coastal town in Florida that Ruth spent summers in growing up. Blue Compass is a haven for new money and the Bancroft family. This story is told by Ruth, Teo, Marcus (the town sheriff), and Marcus' daughter, Kayla, the local wedding planner. Ruth has 2 older sisters, a brother in law, twin niece & nephew, an obnoxious mother of the bride, and an estranged father. Teo's therapist mother is also featured in the story. One of Ruth's sisters is a popular social media influencer that adds its own layer of chaos to the mess. This story has struggles with class and race as well as the standard rich people being clueless and awful. Many of which are favorite thriller themes of mine. Yet the sum was less than the total of its parts somehow.

This is fast-paced and suffers from a few too many twists and story points. As a rule, I prefer when thrillers are told from multiple character viewpoints. However, in this novel, it just served to muddy the waters. There wasn't enough character building to make this method work in an audiobook, and I found myself needing to rewind in order to figure out who's pov I was listening to. This story has so much going on that it's difficult to keep all of the moving parts of the story straight. The reveals were uneventful, and I wasn't shocked or engrossed.

In many respects, it felt like the narrative overly relied on stereotypes of characters' role in life over the skillful building of characters that live with the reader. It made this story a bit hard to get into or care about. Usually, I finish thrillers in a single sitting, unable to move on until I know the reveals. In this case, my mind kept wandering because the story just didn't hold my attention.

This audiobook is narrated by Marni Penning. Marni does a great job using accents to distinguish between the revolving cast of point of view characters. The only complaint is that the accent was only used in sharing a sentence. It wasn't used during the narration of the pov character's thoughts or actions. This made it somewhat difficult to distinguish between characters until they were quoted.

Thank you to Jen Marie Wiggins, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.

[Vaishnavi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
In the start of the book, I thought this was so kind of a marriage or some kind of a romance book, with almost equal to no mystery. But I am wrong, this is a complete mystery book. There is also romance but there is a lot of mystery. Although the mystery is not that of a top-notch kind, it was a mediocre kind of mystery. I did enjoy guessing, but it was not much challenging, we could get the mystery almost into the half of the book.
The human emotions and human nature and also the various relationships are quite well explored. The descriptions seemed very vivid, and also the conversations seemed well structured.

Coming to my rating : out of 5 stars
Title :⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ the title is very good, deceptive and also elusive.
Cover :⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ i did like the cover, it’s very nice
Character development :⭐️⭐️⭐️ the various situations and how the characters manage and mingle them is well displayed. I did love the descriptions and struggles in the interpersonal relationship of the various characters and the ML.
Writing style :⭐️⭐️⭐️ the style in simple and understandable and also very imaginative
Originality :⭐️⭐️⭐️ the mystery element of the book seemed somewhat the usual kind.
Plot :⭐️⭐️⭐️ plot is okayish
Overall :⭐️⭐️⭐️ overall I give this book a 3.25 rating. I did love the conversational and relationship part of the book, but the mystery part is so guessable and not that enjoying, and so is the rating.

Audio rating : out of 5 🎶
Narration Quality :🎶🎶🎶 I did like the voice of the narrator
Pacing :🎶🎶🎶 the pacing is good
Production Quality :🎶🎶🎶 there is not much of the various voice elements in the narration, so it’s somewhat maybe okay
Engagement : 🎶🎶🎶 I did feel there was something lacking in the narration, so i was not that engaged
Overall Enjoyment : 🎶🎶🎶 the narration seemed a bit monotonous in the start, I had to take some time to get used to the narration and get engaged in the story. And the starting was also a lot confusing, I had to hear few parts again so that I could get the hang, I can’t totally blame the narrator for this, as this could also be the fault in the writing.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Planning a wedding is always stressful. Planning a wedding when your hometown has been almost flattened after a Cat 4 hurricane is more stressful. And planning a wedding when your long absent, newly sober father has reentered your life, when your mother is planning her own engagement to Mayor Bob and your sisters…well. It’s a lot. Because Ruth Bancroft’s wedding “Gulf Coast’s Wedding of the Year” is just about the biggest thing Blue Compass has ever seen. Add to this a mysterious stranger, shots at the rehearsal dinner, both large and small crimes and surprise thunderstorms and you get the wild ride that is The Good Bride!

The story is told by bride Ruth, Kayla, the owner of Two be Wed, and her father Marcus, police chief. The action is steady and moves toward an unexpected conclusion.The author draws on her own experiences with rebuilding after a hurricane in the Florida panhandle. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and Jen Marie Wiggins for this ARC.

[Melissa (honeybee.reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Good Bride is a slow burn domestic, family drama/suspense. The story was filled with toxic characters, lies, manipulations and secrets. It is told in multiple POV's which helps the reader get a deeper feel about each of the characters and their inner thoughts. There are quite a few characters so you will need some time to get accustomed to them. Wiggins' writing was good, easy to follow and engaging.

The plot unfolded well with some nice twists and turns, but the last portion of the book did leave me a little confused. Even with that I still found myself racing to the end to find out the outcome. Overall a novel that is on the shorter side, fun, engaging and entertaining. Just keep in mind this is a slow burn !

✨️Thank you to @booksparks & Jen Marie Wiggins for my gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Елена · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Good Bride didn't help me much with my reading slump — it was definitely not my cup of tea.

With an exciting premise and a promise of a thrilling ride, I expected to be sucked into the story immediately.

While it was an interesting family drama, the mystery aspect just didn't work for me, or at least, I didn't recognize it as a proper mystery. Yes, there was a murder and yes, the characters were all "suspicious" but eh, the reveal wasn't satisfying. At least not for me.

But I did like the writing style, the author knew what she was doing, peppering in the foreshadowing and clues.



Thanks NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to review the audiobook version of The Good Bride.

[Stacy40pages · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Good Bride by Jen Marie Wiggins. Thanks to @booksparks #frc2024 for the gifted copy ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ruth Bancroft is getting married in a quaint fishing village, a year after a devastating hurricane. The publicity is meant to help promote and rebuild the area but good intentions are paved with complications, especially when the Bancrofts have family secrets.

If you like stories about rich people and rich people problems, give this one a try. I never really connected with the characters but I liked the wedding aspect and wanted to find out what was going to happen. The real mystery and action does not start until halfway through, so you’ll have to stick with it while you get to know everyone and the wedding plan.

The Good Bride comes out 12/10.

[Farah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The synopsis of this one was good but sadly the execution was just okay. There were a lot of characters to keep track of and it was a lot slower than I usually like my thrillers to be. I'm sure there will be plenty of others that love this book though so don't let my review put you off. The writing was good. I would definitely try something else by this author.

[Alina · Rating 2 out of 5]

From the beginning of "The Good Bride," I felt disconnected from the story. The opening chapters failed to draw me in, and I found the promised suspense lacking throughout the novel. The characters lacked depth, making it difficult to feel any sympathy for them.

The events leading up to the climactic water scene were intended to create tension, but they felt repetitive and revealed nothing new about the characters or their relationships. The plot was both boring and predictable, as I hoped for surprising twists that never came.

Despite my disappointment with the novel, I want to thank NetGalley for providing me with a free advanced copy. I appreciate the opportunity to engage with new literature, even when it doesn’t resonate with me.

[Cynthia T · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you @NetGalley and @Dreamscapemedia for the ARC. I was really looking forward to this audio but it fell short for me. There were to many characters and backstories to keep up with. I felt lost at times. It was a good listen but easily forgettable.

[Janilyn Kocher · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read.
The author wove the strands of the story quite well.
I started to put part of the overall picture together but there were still some lingering strands.
I liked the ending the best.
Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the advance copy.

[Sissy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[disco · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few too many characters to feel a connection or empathy for any of them, and Hurricane Carrie was possibly the one with the most depth.

[Ty]

DNF @ 75%. I tried really hard to complete this story but I found myself uninterested. The story was extremely slow paced and was simply boring. None of the characters were interesting and the narration for the audiobook was terrible. I was slightly disappointed in this because I love stories dealing with rich people problems, but this one clearly didn't work for me.

[Sarah Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely flew through this. It was so interesting and I loved the popcorn twists and turns. My only issues was having so many characters to follow along with, it got confusing at times to differentiate who was who with what backstory.

[Jaime]

If this book doesn’t improve - will be DNF

So far the narrative and POV is bouncing between 6 characters and I have a feeling more to come…I just can’t…every time I start to get into the mind of a character it changes to someone new.