My Ex-Best Friend's Wedding by Wendy Wax is a good fit for readers seeking a heartfarming story about the power of friendship, family bonds, and healing relationships amidst personal growth and life's challenges.

I love Wendy Wax's book and this was no exception. It was a great story of friendship, secrets, and forgiveness. Throw in a wedding and and a beautiful setting and you have a wonderful book to read all summer long.

My Ex Best Friend's Wedding is a true remembrance to the value of friendship. We all have our little spats and what not but somehow there is always that someone that will always be there for you no matter what and that is what spoke to me in this book. Both Lauren & Bree grew up together and were best friends growing up, but drifted apart due too a unspeakable rift.

They no longer speak but that is all about to change when Kendra, Lauren's Mom is determined to bring these to back together.

Overall a unique story about friendship and forgiveness.

I always fall in love with Wendy Wax's books, and this book was no exception. Emotional, funny, cute, with a life-changing event that would deter anyone, I adored this book. Best friends Lauren and Bree used to be close, but over the years they have grown apart. When it comes time for Lauren's wedding, they will see each other again and old issues will come back from the past. Such a good book that made me remember why I have the best friend that I have and that love can change so many things.

It's been a bit since I read a Wendy Wax book and boy did I miss it. I love the way she writes and My Ex-Best Friend's Wedding was just as engrossing and emotional as I had hoped it would be. I really liked the three different viewpoints - Lauren, her mom Kendra, and Lauren's ex-best friend Bree. The audio of this book is fantastic, mostly because Brittany Pressley voices Bree, but I also loved the other narrators which are Lauren Fortgang as Lauren and Ellen Archer as Kendra. The thing I love about audio is the way it can bring a story to life and that is exactly what it did for me with this one.

I really enjoyed the look at all of the different relationships in the book, and I can't be mad at the beach setting even in December. All the characters feel very real and relatable, and the scenarios in the book are something I could see happening in real life. I also loved the powerful female characters and the dash of romance. Also, what is not to love about a story inspired by a generation of women wearing the same wedding dress? Wax starts out with that little fact at the beginning of the book and it really set the stage for that part of the story.

My Ex-Best Friend's Wedding takes a long, hard look at the mother/daughter bond and friendships, and I enjoyed every minute of it. If you want a women's fiction/beach read/drama/heartwarming book all rolled into one, then I highly recommend reading or listening to the audio of this book. I always look forward to Wendy's books and I can't wait to get to another soon!

Thank you to the publisher for my advance review copy via NetGalley. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Another gem from Wendy Wax. The relationship between the friends is realistic and I loved the beachy setting.

f you enjoy a 40-year-old secret baby plot, infidelity, and ho-hum excitement about getting married then you will like this book more than I did.

Lauren and Bree had planned to move to New York together. Bree had second thoughts (and a lack of courage) so she bailed out. Soon after she married. Lauren took the plot that she and Bree had worked on together, and became a published author. So both have some unresolved animosity toward each other.

Lauren finally agrees to marry her boyfriend (although she unsure if she really wants to get married). Bree has two children and a crumbling marriage, owns a bookstore, and has been attempting to finish a book for over 15 years.

As Lauren returns home for the dress, her mother is dealing with her own troubles. Her former fiancé has discovered that she had his child. And he wants to be part of their lives.

None of the characters are especially admirable. And the resolution is not especially heartwarming.

I received an ARC from the publisher for an honest review.

As someone who always spent a summer week in the Outer Banks growing up I was amazed that Wendy Wax had only been to the Outer Banks to do her research. She covered so many of the wonderful places I have always loved. This was such an enjoyable read, I can’t wait to recommend it to our readers and I look forward to reading more of her stories.

A charming beach read about best friends and family. My Ex-Best Friend's Wedding is a story inspired by a wedding dress that has been passed down by generations of women in the author's family. How fun! This is an engaging read about family traditions, time being the ultimate healer, friendship, secrets, family, and forgiveness. Recommend!

I absolutely love Wendy Wax as an author, one of the main reasons is she can write about many different issues. This book by far is one of her best. Most will be able to relate to the characters in this story. Its a story of love, heartache, and forgiveness. And most of all its about what the power of friendship does to out lives and the choices that we make and out decisions of this outcome.

After reading several others books by Wendy Wax and loving them, I was excited to read her newest publication. Unfortunately, this story did not live up to her typical writing. I finished it but would not recommend to others.

For the past three years I have started summer out with a Wendy Wax book. This year, it is not from the Ten Beach Road series, but Wendy did take me on a trip to the Outer Banks. Two very best of friends have a falling out over broken promises when they finished college. As time pasted the wedge between Lauren and Bree grows wider.

Lauren is about to get married and brings her husband-to-be home to meet her mother. Her mother is still "like a mother" to Bree, so Lauren and Bree will have to see each other. Bree is married to Lauren's ex boyfriend and it is not a good marriage. Lauren and Bree are both hiding secrets and it all comes to head on Lauren's visit. They are not the only ones that are hiding secrets. Lauren's mom and Bree's husband have a few of their own.

How will it end? I can't tell you and spoil it. It is worth reading to find out. I will give you some hints, Bree's daughter goes missing, a hurricane hits, and a lot is exposed. I was expecting my summer beach read from Wendy, which My Ex-Best Friend's Wedding is not a "beach" read for me, it is a really good book. I will have to pick up Ten Beach Road to get my "beach" read on. I am not complaining as it is on my list of must reads!
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I featured this book on my blog and will submit the link and other thoughts directly to the publisher in the next step of this processes.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book!

I went into this book expecting a sweet story about a wedding dress and wedding, but this book was a lot more than that. For me the dress and the wedding were almost periphery. This is the story of 3 women, a mom, and daughter, a friend that becomes like an adopted daughter. They all have their secrets and struggles. I found each of their stories to be strong on their own. Kendra and her lifetime of secrets. Lauren and her upcoming wedding and long term fight with Bree. Bree and her struggle as a mom and wife, and her desire to be more. I think each could have been a book on their own.

Check out this book if you enjoy family dramas and strong women.

A novel about the fall out of things left far too long unsaid, and about letting go of our hurt and letting forgiveness heal us. I had never read anything by Wendy Wax before this book and I feel that I picked up this one at the exact right moment. It was a story that I was able to fall into completely, and filled with characters I loved and cared about. The themes of friendship, family, and forgiveness really resonated through the story and made me so happy! My Ex-Best Friend’s Wedding is a beautiful novel, perfect for a vacation read or for relaxing after a long day!

When I picked up My Ex-Best Friend’s Wedding, it was the perfect book for me at that time. I wanted something emotional, funny, and with great characters and a meaningful story, and that is exactly what this book brings. It seems reductive to say this is a book about friendship, family, and forgiveness, though it is about those things. It is also about dreams fulfilled and unfulfilled, and about the blocks we put up in our lives due to fear. It is about regret, growth, learning, and finding the right path in our lives. It is also about the lesson that it is truly never too late to be happy.

The story is about two former best friends who were almost more like sisters. Bree’s parents were absent, leaving her to fend for herself in her teenage years. But her best friend Lauren and her mother Kendra took Bree in. They refused to let Bree feel abandoned. And in that way, a single mom, her daughter, and her daughter’s best friend formed their own family.

But then all of the things that can destroy a friendship seem to occur at once. Bree backs out on Lauren right before their big move to New York City to become writers. Lauren turns away from Bree out of hurt. Bree dates and eventually marries Lauren’s ex-boyfriend from high school. Lauren doesn’t have faith that he truly loves Bree. Lauren eventually publishes her first novel, one that she and Bree plotted together many years earlier. And slowly, these fights that seemed surmountable at first, become hardened. And the connection between the two best friends breaks.

I loved both Lauren and Bree in their own ways, though they are incredibly flawed characters. Lauren is stubborn, too quick to push those away that hurt her. She struggles to open her heart to forgiveness. And Bree is a shadow of herself, forgoing her dreams because she fears failure. It was interesting starting the book at the peak of their distance from one another, on the eve of their fortieth birthdays. What was wonderful is that the novel focused on their healing. They started broken and slowly they come back together. I found the story of their friendship to be so moving.

There’s also the story of Kendra, Lauren’s mother. I won’t spoil what it is, but Kendra has a secret. And the arrival of Lauren and her fiancé in Nags Head happens at a time when the secret may just threaten to be revealed. Kendra was also such a wonderful character. She’s so strong and loving—the ultimate nurturer. That is why the secret is so shocking. As with many things in this novel, the reasons behind the secret get buried in hurt feelings, betrayal, fear, and sadness. But all hope is not lost, and I won’t say any more about it!

This book was so captivating! Wendy Wax is truly a beautiful writer, and I found this one transported me to the Outer Banks every time I picked it up. I think readers will enjoy this one as much as I did!

Thank you to Berkley for my copy. Opinions are my own.

I requested this book on NetGalley mostly because the concept sounded so interesting - it focuses on a wedding dress that has been passed through many generations of weddings and the lives of the latest women to wear it. It definitely felt like a breath of fresh air in a genre that repeats itself all too often.

The thing I value most about this book was how realistic it was - everyone has lost a friend over a misunderstanding or over something being blown out of proportion. That's what happened to Lauren and Bree - they had a small fight that snowballed into years and years of misunderstandings and assumptions. It was this realism and relatability that really got me emotionally invested in the lives of Lauren, Bree, and Kendra (Lauren's mom and Kendra's surrogate mom).

The story itself was fairly straight forward - Lauren comes home to visit her mother, Kendra, and ends up learning a bombshell truth about her past. It rattles her to her core and forces her to reevaluate her life and relationships. While the concept is simple, the author really took the time to add the emotional weight to the plot - I was invested within the first 50 pages. Once the plot really got rolling, I didn't put the book down until I had finished - it was that addictive. 

Lauren and Bree's lives provide a fascinating contrast of how one small decision can change your entire life. They were both aspiring authors and had decided to go to New York when they graduated, but in the end, only Lauren went. Because of this decision, Lauren ended up being a ultra-successful bestselling author while Bree started her family and took years to write her first book. It's this contrast that really brings richness to these characters - the author really takes the time to develop their relationship and dive deep into the misconceptions they have about each other. Kendra is also an interesting character - she's been holding onto a massive secret for decades and she is forced to deal with the fallout when it comes to light. I'll be honest - I didn't love how she initially started dealing with the consequences, and I definitely didn't enjoy her relationship with her love interest. Eventually, she corrected course and became an enjoyable, interesting, and key character for the remainder of the book. 

My Ex-Best Friend's Wedding brought a unique new story-line to the romance genre and was definitely a breath of fresh air. Overall, this book was pretty fun and it'll definitely make a great beach read this summer. I'm really looking forward to reading more of Wendy Wax's books in the future. 4/5.

Imagine you have the perfect dress - THEE DRESS - to wear down the aisle. There's just one little problem: your ex-best friend wore it first - to marry your ex-boyfriend. That's what happens in bestselling author, Wendy Wax's new novel, MY EX-BESTFRIEND'S WEDDING (Berkley).

Prized and stored away for safekeeping, the timeless ivory wedding dress, with its scooped neck and cleverly fitted bodice, sits gently folded in its box, whispering of Happily Ever Afters. To Kendra, Brianna, and Lauren it’s a reminder of what could have been, the promise of a fairy tale, and a friendship torn apart. But as Kendra knows firsthand: it wasn’t the dress’s fault.

Once closer than sisters, Lauren and Bree have grown up and grown apart, allowing broken promises and unfulfilled dreams to destroy their friendship. A successful author, Lauren returns home to the Outer Banks, fiancé in tow, to claim the dress she never thought she’d wear. While Bree, a bookstore owner, grapples with the realities of life after you marry the handsome prince. As the former best friends wrestle with their uncertain futures, they are both certain of one thing: some betrayals can never be forgiven.

Now on the eve of her daughter Lauren’s wedding, Kendra struggles with a secret she’s kept for far too long. And vows to make sure the dress will finally bring Lauren and Bree back together—knowing they'll need each other to survive the coming storm.

Another fabulous Wendy Wax novel for lover's of women's fiction, chick-lit and family drama - lots of family drama. Enjoy this with a sweet strawberry daiquiri. Perfect!

In Wendy Wax’s novel, My Ex-Best Friend’s Wedding, there are secrets, resentments and a wedding gown of almost mythical status called THE DRESS. It’s a family legacy, a sisterhood of satin, generations of brides connected by delicate Chantilly lace. However when Kendra wears the dress, its history becomes marred. Kendra flees her wedding in THE DRESS, leaving her groom Jake standing at the alter.

Lauren James, Kendra’s daughter, is the queen of beach reads. A strong, successful, career focused woman, Lauren has reached her 40th birthday unwed. Leaving behind family and friends on the Outer Banks of NC (aka the OBX) and moving to New York City alone was just the first step in becoming a successful writer. But setting out on her own wasn’t the original plan. Bree, Lauren’s sister by circumstance, not by blood, was supposed to board the bus for NYC with Lauren. At the last minute Bree bails on their plan, thus beginning years of bad blood between the two.

When a life changing event sends Lauren back to the OBX, she must not only confront Bree, but stumbles into new family drama. Kendra has kept many secrets from her daughter, but as her lies begin to unravel and relationships are tested, Kendra must reevaluate the decisions she made to protect her loved ones.

Research Pays Off
Wendy Wax, author of fifteen novels and several novellas has been celebrated as a prolific writer of beach reads with depth. More than a tale of fun in the sun, family and forgiveness is the main focus of My Ex-Best Friend’s Wedding. In preparation for her novel, Wax visited the Outer Banks of NC, meeting its residents and exploring its sites. She successfully infuses her novel with local culture, historical landmarks and popular hangouts.

A Realistic Representation

Family Ties
The OBX has been a big part of my life for the last 20 years. My husband grew up there, surfing the waves and helping his dad build many homes and hotels along the beach. My mother-in-law is currently the town clerk of Manteo, NC, which is featured heavily in the book.

The People
The relationships among neighbors and their love of the Carolina coast is accurately portrayed in the book. Sometimes called “the trap” by members of my husband’s family (because it’s hard to get locals to leave the beach), the small year round community is deeply connected to each other and the islands, often refusing to leave for hurricane evacuations and committed to rebuilding again and again after devastating storms. They are a laid back bunch, but don’t mistake that for nonchalance. They will quickly correct your pronunciation of geographical locations, many with Native American names, and brag about the history of this string of barrier islands.

Bragging Rights
There is an ongoing feud between locals (born and bred OBX) and people from Ohio, both claiming the Wright Brothers and their accomplishments. Although Wilbur and Orville Wright were born in Ohio, they conducted their test flights in Kitty Hawk, NC. Locals also want you to know Plymouth, MA was not the first English settlement in the new world. The island of Roanoke was the first attempt at a permanent settlement in the new world and the first English child (Virginia Dare) was born there. At some point between 1587 and 1590 the entire colony disappeared. Known as The Lost Colony, this still unsolved mystery has been blamed on everything from poor relations with the Native Americans, a devastating hurricane, aliens and evil Viking spirits (seen in the 2007 film Lost Colony).

Recommendation
As summer fast approaches, My Ex-Best Friend’s Wedding by Wendy Wax, is a great choice for woman with complex female relationships, those who have been betrayed and lovers of the “beach read”.

My Ex-Best Friend’s Wedding is the latest novel by Wendy Wax. Kendra Jameson is the latest keeper of the heirloom wedding dress that is referred to as THE DRESS. If any woman in her family wishes to walk down the aisle in the stunning creation, they may wear it. Kendra has a photographic reminder of how she looked in the timeless ivory dress, but the memories are not as lovely as the picture. Lauren and Brianna met in kindergarten in Nags Head and became the best of friends. They were even born on the same day. The girls were in and out of each other’s homes and Kendra even lived with the Jameson’s her last two years of high school. Their fortieth birthday is fast approaching, and they do not even speak to each other. A broken promise was the beginning of the end of their close friendship. Lauren is now a famous author in New York while Brianna is married to a cheating spouse, has an angsty teenager, owns a bookshop, and has been working on a manuscript for the last fifteen years. One afternoon Lauren calls Kendra to announce her engagement to playwright and songwriter, Spencer Harrison. They will be visiting to introduce Spencer to Kendra and for Lauren to try on THE DRESS. What should be a joyful occasion, turns dark when Kendra’s forty year old secret comes to light. Lauren is devastated and her close relationship with her mother is in tatters. Brianna and Lauren’s long held resentments bubble to surface making an already tense situation explode. Is there a way for Brianna, Kendra and Lauren to overcome the past and regain the closeness that they have lost?

My Ex-Best Friend’s Wedding is about forgiveness, friendship and family. I thought the story was easy to read with realistic characters and situations. I enjoyed Wendy Wax’s beautiful descriptions of the Outer Banks which brought this rugged coastline alive for me. I like the idea of a wedding dress that is worn by generations of women. It may be altered, but it never loses that special fairytale quality. Wendy Wax has a conversational writing style which makes the book relaxing and easy to read. The point-of-view alternates between Kendra, Lauren and Brianna. This allows readers to see the various situations from each woman’s perspective. The women were complex characters whose emotions leaped from the pages. I wish Spencer had been as developed. I felt he was neglected though he comes across as a warm, loving and interesting man. We see how mistakes and miscommunication affect relationships. I do want readers to know that the story contains foul language and intimate situations. I liked the one of my favorite books was recommended for one of Brianna’s patrons (Discovery of Witches) plus the television show Say Yes to the Dress (they even visit Kleinfeld’s). It was interesting to learn more about a writer’s life. Their work does not end when they finish the book (edits, publicity, marketing). My Ex-Best Friend’s Wedding is a light relaxing story that is the perfect book to read at the beach, beside a pool or next to a lake.

Ⓕⓡⓘⓔⓝⓓⓢⓗⓘⓟ. Ⓕⓐⓜⓘⓛⓨ. Ⓕⓞⓡⓖⓘⓥⓔⓝⓔⓢⓢ.

This was a delightful story about family, friendship, and forgiveness. Wendy Wax write stories about strong dynamic women and their complex unbreakable bonds. Lauren and Bree were best friends until Lauren went off to New York and Bree didn’t come as originally planned, instead she stayed home and ended up marrying Lauren’s ex. What stings even more is that Kendra, Lauren’s mother, thinks of Bree as a daughter. 20 years have passed and Lauren returns home to introduce her mother to her fiancé and maybe even try on the family wedding dress. Kendra is so excited to see her daughter, she wants to try to repair things between Lauren and Bree. She also has a BIG secret she needs to tell, a Secret that will change everything. So will Lauren ever make it to the altar? and will it be in the family gown?

The story jumps between the perspectives of Lauren, Bree, and Kendra. All of these characters we’re so real, so relatable, and so likable. They all have made mistakes, they all have done questionable Things, but haven’t we all? Getting the story from the three different women’s perspectives really let you see the full picture and what everyone’s motivations were. Sometimes we do stupid things with the best of intentions. Throughout this book I kept putting myself in each of these characters positions and trying to figure out what I would do. And if I’m being honest I have no idea. So it’s a good thing I did not have to come up with a resolution to this story which I thought was perfection! The setting of the story was the Outer Banks of North Carolina that sound simply beautiful. I loved how we got to see this beautiful place through the eyes of Lauren‘s fiancé a lifelong New Yorker.

This is the perfect book to read at the beach or when you wish you were at the beach. The characters were colorful and compelling, the story was engaging and complex, and the setting was gorgeous. I love books about strong women and all the women in the story were strong, and I saw a little piece of myself in each of them. This story made me smile and crave Kendra’s chocolate cake!

*** Thank you so much to Berkley for my gifted copy of this book ***