The party of a lifetime is nothing like what they expected . . .

Annabel, Esther, Tanya, and Chloe are best friends—or were, as children. Despite drifting apart in adulthood, shared secrets have kept them bonded for better or worse, even as their childhood dreams haven’t quite turned out as they’d hoped. Then one day they receive a wholly unexpected—but not entirely unwelcome—invitation from another old friend. Poppy Greer has invited them all to her extravagant bachelorette party: a first-class plane ticket to three days of white sand, cocktails, and relaxation on a luxe private island in the Bahamas.

None of them has spoken to Poppy in years. But Poppy’s Instagram pics shows that the girl they used to consider the weakest link in their group has definitely made good—and made money. Curiosity gets the better of them. Besides, who can turn down a posh all-expenses-paid vacation on a Caribbean island?

The first-class flight and the island’s accommodations are just as opulent as expected . . . even if the scenic island proves more remote than they’d anticipated. Quite remote, in fact, with no cell service, and no other guests. The women quickly discover they’ve underestimated Poppy, and each other. As their darkest secrets are revealed, the tropical adventure morphs into a terrifying nightmare.

This book contains scenes depicting self harm.

What happens when mean girls grow up? Are they haunted by the victims whose lives they made miserable, or do they happily push the past firmly behind them and go merrily on their way?

Told from the perspective of four (obnoxious in the best possible way) women, She Started It opens on an ominous note—There’s only the bride waiting for me, and she’s covered in blood—and then catapults you into a five-star private island full of secrets so juicy that you’ll die to know what they are.

When four friends are invited to a bachelorette party in the Caribbean, they are pleasantly surprised but a little confused, especially because they haven’t spoken to the bride—a girl they were less than kind to—since they left school ten years ago. But who can say no to an all-expense paid luxury getaway, especially when there are Instagram followers to satisfy and cocktails to be guzzled down on a white-sand beach? That is, until the revenge games begin!

She Started It had me hooked from the very first page and did not let up until the very end. Fast-paced, with enough twists and turns to give you whiplash and characters you just love to hate, Gilbert does an expert job keeping us guessing until the very last page.