I really enjoyed this book about a bridesmaid for hire! Having been in a few wedding parties myself, I know that while weddings are a lot of fun, they can also be stressful and dramatic. The Secret Bridesmaid managed to capture all of that in an amusing, lighthearted way. I also really loved how a big focus of this book was female friendship. It's a complicated subject, especially when weddings are involved, and I thought the author did a great job of weaving that theme into the story. This book was the true definition of a rom-com, with both laugh-out-loud hilarity and swoony moments (but nothing too steamy). The story was a fun, fresh concept and an absolute delight to read. I'm sure this book will be making an appearance in many beach bags this summer!

Fabulously fun chick lit. Sophie is a professional bridesmaid. She secretly handles anything and everything to make a brides wedding day perfect and stress free. A mother hires Sophie for what will be the society wedding of the year, but Lady Cordelia Swann wants nothing to do with her. She is a bridezilla sending Sophie on outrageous errands. This is an enemies to friends story that is sweet and heartwarming.

I think if you are looking for a CHICK LIT story! filled with just a fun plot then you'll love this one!!!

Sophie Breeze is a professional bridesmaid hired to help with anything the bride may need to make her special day stress-free as possible. Her toughest challenge was when she was hired by Lady Victoria (a highly powerful family) for her daughter Cordelia's wedding. Who is the definition of bridezilla, while still managing her other clients.
Although the story was a bit too long, I really enjoyed this light-hearted rom-com/chick-lit book. There were several laugh out loud moments.

Thank you NetGalley, Publisher and author for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/ 5 stars

The Secret Bridesmaid is my first book by this author. It is her adult fiction debut.

The story takes place in the UK and is sort of a combination between chick lit, women's fiction and a British rom-com.

The narrator is Sophie (31 years old-1st person POV). She is a professional bridesmaid.

I loved this premise so much. Sophie loves weddings. She has turned this into a full time job. She is hired to pose as the bride's friend. She works to help plan the perfect wedding. But the wedding guests don't know. The title is perfection.

I absolutely loved getting to see all of the weddings that Sophie was a part of. It made this book extra special. Also in between chapters the author includes emails and phone messages from brides and vendors. This really set the tone for the book.

This book does have some romance. But it's not really the main focus of the story IMO. Yes there are weddings. So the book does have a romantic feel to it. But the book focuses more on Sophie's job. I definitely wish that there had been more focus on romance.

The book is really about friendship. I loved Sophie's cousin Cara. And I loved the friendships that Sophie made with the brides.

The book was funny, but it was also charming. This was a quick, fun, light read. I really enjoyed it.

Sophie Breeze is a professional bridesmaid, like an event planner who doesn’t fully plan the wedding, but takes over where the bride can’t or won’t and she’s really good at it. Of course, it helps she loves weddings and happy endings, but that’s a different matter altogether.
When Sophie is contacted to work on the highly coveted wedding of Lady Cordelia Swann by the bride’s mother, she’ll try very hard to get the commission and get the job done, but unfortunately the bride is a difficult character to say the least and the very definition of a bridezilla all wrapped in one elegant package.
This was my first read by this author and it’s a comedy from beginning to end, like LOL hysterically in every chapter and though, as the blurb says, “celebrates the nuances of female friendship, and the redeeming power of love in its many unexpected forms”, it was far from a rom-com in my opinion. It is a good story about love and friendship between 2 very different women who take the long road to become true friends, but the romantic aspect of the story occupies less than 25% of the whole book.
The story is still worth the read, warm, heartfelt and with great characters and a very creative backdrop, but you can be disappointed if you go into it looking for a fun romance.

Happy Publication Day to The Secret Bridesmaid by Katy Birchall 🎉
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Sophie’s business - she’s a secret bridesmaid with a sole purpose to help make the wedding easier for the bride. Without anyone knowing she’s not really friends with the bride.
Then she is hired to help Lady Cordelia by her mother and Cordelia is not amused.
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Enter a dashing Viscount, hi-jinx, an ex-, and other brides. The heart of the story is the relationship between Sophie and Cordelia. Oh, did I mention it is set in England?
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I love when authors use other means to communicate a story, and one of my favorite aspects were the notes and emails of Sophie’s. Literally I was laughing at the first one much the displeasure of my husband-who was trying to sleep.
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Part rom-com, part female empowerment, with a sprinkle brilliance. I really enjoyed and I recommend. Not to mention the cover is gorgeous!
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The hugest of thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the ARC in return for my honest thoughts.

I absolutely loved this book - it was incredibly written! The book is about Sophie - a professional bridesmaid whose job is it to support the bride and be there for her. She’s great at her job and is everything for everyone - including working from her study (cupboard). Then she is hired by the Marchioness of Meade to help her daughter - Lady Cordelia Swann who turns out to be positively ghastly. Their adventures are hilarious - and their growing friendship made my heart melt. Throw in a hot brother - who is also a Viscount and this story is just perfection. This book is witty and humorous, the characters were lovely except for Daniel who is an a**. Definitely a must read for anyone who likes a great romcom.

This is the right book for these bleak times, highly entertaining and escapism at highest level.
I had a lot of fun, enjoyed the plot and rooted for the characters.
The plot is well developed and flows, the characters are likable and fleshed out.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Katy Birchall’s “The Secret Bridesmaid” grabbed my attention simply because of its book title. I knew I’d be in for some laughs, an interesting story, and the beautiful backdrop of London.

Sophie Breeze is hired by Lady Victoria Swann to be the bridesmaid for her daughter, Cordelia. Hating the very idea of it, Cordelia makes life a living hell for Sophie. What adds to Sophie’s pressure and inconvenience is Cordelia’s hot, much sought-after bachelor brother, Tom. He is conveniently always right there, all flirty and witty and unintentionally showing off his sexy forearms.

When I realized that this wasn’t an actual romance book (I see it as chick lit), I surprisingly wasn’t disappointed. I knew it would be light-hearted, funny, just a little on the romantic side, and more about who this woman is and what lead her to be a professional bridesmaid. Strangely, this was a fast-paced read for me. I was swept away by the belly laughter pranks and mishaps, the dialogue and especially Sophie’s inner commentary.

Sophie’s decision to remain with Cordelia the Bridezilla was frustrating, though; I’d have quit ages ago coz life is precious and I don’t need to put up with that crap. However, I was able to resonate with Sophie: the need to please everyone, ensuring that things go according to your plan, being invited to your ex’s wedding (really dude?), and the honour it is to be someone’s friend and sidekick.

Sophie’s surname Breeze is ironic because she is far from being “breezy”. This woman is in control and plays it safe by doing what is expected. She’s also a fighter. She almost gave up and damn it I totally would have, but like me, she has some good fighters in her life to help pick her up, redirect her, and relight the flame that makes her a sassy gal on fire. (cue Alicia Key’s “This Girl is on Fire”).

If you need a break between your smut books, I’d recommend this. Just go with it no matter how silly it seems. With the emotional rollercoaster of reads lately, this book offered me a story about a woman’s tenacity, the role of female friendships, and how being yourself always wins in the end.

Thank you Netgalley & St. Martin’s Griffin for this much appreciated e-arc for an honest review.

WHAT A CUTE AND FUNNY BOOK!
It's been a while since the last time I found a chick-lit book that can make me laugh like this book!
I love the main characters especially Sophie Breeze! She's a professional bridesmaid and it's her full-time job! This book is Sophie's story and adventure with her job after she finally met with Lady Victoria’s daughter, Cordelia.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to finally read this gorgeous book as an ARC!

Oh this book was just what I needed. I laughed, I teared up, I wanted to visit a mansion in the English countryside…

Sophie is a professional bridesmaid. Not quite a wedding planner, more of a bride’s assistant. Generally, brides hire her to take some of the pressure off, help them with wedding tasks, and make sure things run smoothly on the day.

When Sophie is hired by the Marchioness of Meade to help her daughter plan her nuptials she is overjoyed. This wedding will make her career! There’s just one problem, the Marchioness’ daughter Cordelia really really doesn’t want Sophie’s help. In fact, she does everything she can to try and get her to quit, which includes some pretty crazy wild goose (or rather Swan) chases and shenanigans. But Sophie is the sunshine to Cordelia’s grump and is determined not to be run off so easily.

Initially, I was pretty annoyed at what a doormat Sophie was. The brides she works for ask for some pretty outlandish things, and she just takes it all. But as the story progresses she starts to stand up for herself more, and find creative ways to give the brides what they want without sacrificing her own dignity and self-worth.

This book was marketed as a rom-com, and while there is a bit of romance running in the background I really wouldn’t call it a romance. It’s more a tale of female friendship, but I was 100% here for it. I loved watching Sophie come out of her shell, and Cordelia start to open up and be vulnerable. The moments between the two of them were the ones that tugged at my heartstrings and had me turning the pages.

There are loads of extremely funny parts throughout the book too, especially the email vignettes between chapters where Sophie is interacting with various wedding vendors. They are bizarre and hilarious and you’ll find yourself eagerly awaiting the next one.

So grab yourself a copy and get ready to be thoroughly entertained!

I absolutely loved this book. Sophie is so awesome. I want to be her friend! The book was so full of humor and heart that it was hard to put down. It left me feeling warm and fuzzy. It made me feel smushy one moment and then had me laughing out loud the next. The adventures she has with her brides are absolutely hysterical. I was so happy to see Sophie step out of the shadows and into the spotlight. I will definitely watch for more books by this author as I loved this one. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and I am happy to give my honest opinion.

This was my first read by Katy Birchall and it was really cute. I smiled during the whole book and couldn't put it down.

Sophie is a professional bridesmaid. She hires herself out to help brides who don't want an event planner but need help in keeping their sanity during the wedding process. To her surprise, she's hired by a marchioness to help her reclusive daughter Cordelia.

This isn't a typical romance book. It's very much chick lit and a coming of age story. Lady Cordelia is the bride Sophie is hired to help and Cordelia doesn't want anything to do with her. Sophie is pushed out of her comfort zone with the crazy tasks that Cordelia gives her. Sophie learns to be sassy and stand up for herself. She learns to care about Cordelia and they form a true friendship. There is a bit of romance with Cordelia's brother Tom, just enough for a taste. The romance book lover in me would love for their story.

I would definitely recommend this book and this author. The emails/texts throughout the book about other weddings were hilarious. Cordelia was a really fun character and I would 100% want to be Sophie's friend. I can't wait to read more from this author.

I know people are going to hate on me but I did not love The Secret Bridesmaid as much as others did. I do not know why but I just could not get into The Secret Bridesmaid. I tried multiple times, trust me. It's just the characters personalities. I do not like how much a pushover Sophie is. I felt there is so much more for her. She needs to stop validating other people's opinions and focus on yourself. Who cares what people think? And don't get me started on her feelings with her client's older brother. I'm not saying it's a terrible romance story, it's just not for me.

This was a really fun and fluffy read! I definitely expected this book to be more romance focused, but I loved that the author chose to focus more on Sophie, our main character, as a person as well as female friendship. I loved reading about the growing friendship between Lady Cordelia Swann, who is determined to be a Bridezilla, and the professional bridesmaid she never wanted to hire, Sophie. That being said, I wouldn't be opposed to hearing more of Sophie and Tom's story *wink wink.*

Overall, this book gave me all the ~smushy~ feelings, but I do wish the word "sassy" did not appear quite so often. Also, it may have just been the format of my eARC but I found myself skipping past the messages at the end of some of the chapters.

This was my first Katy Birchall book, but I would definitely read more in the future! This was the perfect cozy read after my first week at a new job and I will continue to hold all of these characters in my heart for a while!

****3.75 stars****
*Advanced copy provided via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

4.5 (half point off for predictable Dark Moment Misunderstanding)

Another enjoyable pandemic read.

Sophie is basically a wedding planner who slips into the role of bridesmaid while secretly doing all the thousand things necessary for upscale weddings, including being emotional support for brides who are being pushed into Bridezilla mode by pressure.

Sophie is so good at her job that she doesn't advertise, which is convenient as she uses an alias every time. But somehow gets jobs. Until she gets the job from Heck, being bridesmaid to a bride who bypassed Bridezilla at the gate. Cordelia is an angry, combative member of a posh family, and Sophie finds herself playing the toughest role of her life. Doesn't help that Cordelia has a very handsome brother . . .

Really, the main thrust of this book is female friendship. The romance pretty much took backseat to the emotional twists and turns between Sophie and Cordelia. Which is not at all a bad thing! In fact, I found that part so absorbing that I was carried through the otherwise (sadly) predictable Dark Moment/Misunderstanding that romance writers always seem to need to shoehorn in at the 80% mark.

Thoroughly enjoyed the humor as well as the emotional arcs.

As a bride for the past 2 years who has had to postpone her big dream wedding, plan a tiny Covid friendly mini wedding, and find a new venue only 6 months out, I absolutely loved the Secret Bridesmaid! This book was perfect to help me get in the bridal spirit as we are getting closer to my big day! 👰🏻

Sophie Breeze is such a good bridesmaid and friend that she’s decided to make it her career! She’s part wedding planner, part confidante, and 100% in for crazy wedding shenanigans. She helps plan the wedding, the bridal showers, the bachelorette parties for the modern bride. Often these women are too busy to plan their own events and Sophie is perfect for the job. She is referred to a very high profile bride who... doesn’t want her help. But Sophie is determined to win Cordelia over- she’s a professional always! Things get even crazier when Cordelia announces that she’s getting married in only 2 months. Sophie must plan for this 450 person gala event and deal with this monster bride!

I just found this book so sweet and fun. I recently had some major wedding issues and I can completely understand Sophie and Cordelia’s headaches with wedding planning. More than even the bridal planning, I enjoyed Sophie and Cordelia’s friendship and seeing Cordelia evolve. I especially loved all the emails/texts/voicemails with the bachelorette parties and the vendors!

5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I am not usually of fan of books that are centered around weddings but this cover really drew me in. I am so glad I read it because The Secret Bridesmaid was a delight to read! Sophie is a professional bridesmaid meaning she is hired by the bride to help out with wedding stuff and no one knows that she is paid to be there. Sophie gets hired by Marchioness Meade to help her daughter behind the scenes but the daughter Cordelia is having non of it!! In between Sophie trying to not get fired or run off by bride and also trying not crush on the bride's brother we get snippets for what she has to go through for the other weddings she has been hired for. My favorite was the Star Wars themed wedding where she is asked to dress up like Chewbacca and also learn to sound like him. I was impressed with how Sophie could keep her calm during all the different things she had to go through. I already know I wouldn't have lasted a day. I really enjoyed the different relationships that Sophie had with the brides, the wedding parties, her friends and family and even a crush. Highly recommend if you are in the mood for a very funny read! Thank you St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for my gifted copy for review.

I loved this book! Such a fun mix of characters and situations, mixed with the experiences anyone who has ever been a bridesmaid has had. The perfect beach read (perhaps for a Bachelorette weekend???) and just different enough to stand out among the rest.

This book was so cute! As a former wedding photographer, I can fully attest to some of the craziness that happened in this story. It felt like I was back in the business and I found myself laughing hysterically at things that Sophie was asked to do because I had been asked to do so many of those things myself, yes, as the photographer. This story was believable because when you are there with someone on their big day, you do whatever is necessary to make sure it goes off without a hitch, that is why this plan to hire a bridesmaid is such a great idea!
Sophie is a bridesmaid for hire, an event coordinator, a wedding planner, a helper and a friend, all in one. She will do whatever it takes to make sure you have the day that you imagined. When Lady Victoria comes to her and asks her to help her daughter Cordelia, she doesn't know what she is in for. Sophie knows that doing this wedding could be great for her carreer, but she doesn't know that Cordelia will be the most trying bride she has ever encountered, and that is an understatement.
Sophie is introduced to the family as Emily, a friend Cordelia met at an art gallery and they just hit it off. Oddly enough, no one questions this friendship, even Cordelia's brother Tom. Cordelia thinks she doesn't need help planning her wedding and she really doesn't need a fake friend, so she goes to a lot of trouble making Sophie's life a living you know what. Sophie is not a quitter though and will stick this out till the very end, no matter what.
Too bad she's falling for Cordelia's brother in the meantime. The only problem with the bridesmaid for hire gig is that you have to lie to everyone and meeting someone like Tom under false pretenses is surely not going to go over well when he finds out.
This book was adorable and had just the right amount of hijinks and fun mixed with a little romance. Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's and Katy Birchall for an early copy.