Oooof. This book was a mess. Normally I love mess, but I pretty much immediately realized that Zoey's particular brand of hot mess express wasn't going to work for me, and I was (mostly?) right. Let's start with some positives because while I personally didn't love this one, I do think that this could end up really working for the right reader! Firstly, I listened to this via audio and thought the narration and the pace of the story was great! I definitely recommend grabbing the audio if it is accessible to you. Another thing I really liked? This book was surprisingly naughty, and never in a way that felt awkward or forced, which I very much appreciated lol. With those things being said...... I still was never really able to get over my general dislike of Zoey. She gave off big Not Like Other Girls energy right out the gate and never really stopped and it bugged the heck out of me. I do think I could like something else written by Greenberg in the future, but unfortunately this one was not at all the book for me.

cw: infertility, antisemitism, cheating

Really enjoyed this story! My favorite part was Zoey's self-awareness and the way she told her story. It made her so relatable and was an asset to the story. i was expecting a more traditional romance/rom-com, but was pleasantly surprised with the overall story.

I went in this one thinking this would be a romance book, and it is but at the same time it's not.
Let me explain.
Zoey Marks has dubbed herself the "Bad Luck Bridesmaid." She has been a bridesmaid for 2 of her close friends and in both occasions the wedding didn't actually happened. She's not convinced that marriage is for her based on what she has seen with these two failed weddings, and this is a sentiment that she holds near and dear. Enter Ryland, her best friend's cousin, and potentially the love of her life. After a couple years spent in bliss together, Ryland asks for more. But Zoey is not sure she can make the ultimate commitment, marriage, even if she does love him with al her heart. They part ways and Zoey is crushed, but another opportunity to win Ryland back presents itself at Hannah's (Zoey's best friend) Ireland wedding where Ryland will be in attendance. Can Zoey move past her fears about commitment in order to be with the man she loves?

This was an interesting premise that grabbed my attention' but soon I saw that the main character and I were just not going to get along. She continuously plays the "not like other girls" card and puts women who don't think like her down. It is possible to not want to get married, and still respect individuals who do, without making snide remarks about it every other page. It just got to be too much.
I also found the character of Hannah and her predicament a lot more engaging and enjoyable to read than the MC. Can we maybe get a book written from Hannah's perspective?
All in all this was a fun, light read but not the best imo.

Thank you to the publisher for granting me access to this arc.

I really enjoyed this book! There is a term for a complicated woman who embraces the parts of herself that others might not understand- a force of nature. I relate to this sentence so much! Absolutely loved Zoe as a character and her hesitancy to get married. I also loved how it ended! Perfect ending to this story!

Bad Luck Bridesmaid was an enjoyable read. Filled with angst and romance, there were times that I wasn't exactly sure where things were going to go. I do have to admit that the main character got a bit frustrating at times. She almost seemed to cruely play with her love interest at times.
The characters were intriguing and very well written, as was the location in which the story took place. I enjoyed this author's writing style and look forward to reading more by her!

Synopsis: Zoey Marks believes she’s cursed. She’s watched 2 of her best friends jilt their fiancee’s and believes it must be because of her. After the second failed engagement, Zoey meets Rylan Harper III, her best friend’s, Hannah’s, cousin who is too good to be true. She falls madly in love, but because she thinks she’s cursed, she’s unable to accept his marriage proposal.
When Hannah tells Zoey she’s getting married, in Ireland, Zoey agrees to be her bridesmaid thinking if she can watch Hannah successfully get married, she can get Rylan back and make it to the altar with him.
However, once in Ireland, Zoey meets the grooms brother, Ezra, and complications arise.
What I liked: I enjoyed watching Zoey and Rylan’s relationship develop. Rylan is a great character, and honestly, he is a little too good to be true, but I loved him. I also enjoyed Zoey’s relationships with her female friends. And of course, any book set in Ireland works for me.

What I didn’t like: I don’t believe anyone is cursed and so the whole, I’m the reason no one gets married, I’m the curse, was a little unbelievable to me. Especially because the reasons for the weddings being cancelled were revealed and very plausible to me (for the most part).
And going back to Ireland-this was a failed opportunity for me. Yes, the story is set in Ireland, but the groom wasn’t actually from Ireland, he was born there and then early on his family moved to the US. There wasn’t a lot of Irish charm in this story.
Overall, though, this book was a good romance. I enjoyed reading about Zoey, I loved Rylan, I liked Hannah, and I liked the ending of this story.
Thank you to #netgalley and #stmartinsgriffin for the advanced e-copy of #badluckbridesmaid.

Books with a travel aspect are my favorite… and this one was no exception! Zoey is a phenomenal leading lady who stays true to her beliefs and self throughout the novel. This was a fantastic debut novel and i cannot wait to read more from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher & Alison Rose Greenberg for kindly sharing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I totally commend Greenberg for taking all the tropes I don’t like in romance, but still making it a fun and enjoyable read for me. I binged it because her writing is so funny and amusing. The book reminds me a bit of a more laidback Ghosts meets The Friend Zone.

The writing style is a bit absurd and very amusing, and overall the plot moved quickly while a bridesmaid wonders if she’s bad luck as she watches engagements fall apart around her as she figures out her own love life. I loved the main character’s relationship with her best friend, and independence among society’s pressures, but I’m not a big fan of the romance itself. It’s incredibly smutty, and the love interest was just…hot but fine? And so many characters were a little over dramatic, with flawed logic and decision making that made me want to reach in and shake the characters. It felt a bit like manufactured drama…even though I felt impending doom, I couldn’t stop flipping the pages. I liked the themes of growing up and girlfriends being the most important people in your life, and not bending to society’s norms.

Overall it’s a fun and amusing read, albeit very very steamy. If you like tropes of commitment issues and poor communication among characters, this might be a five star for you! They’re not romance tropes I particularly liked, but I really enjoyed Greenberg’s writing and settings.

I really enjoyed listening to Bad Luck Bridesmaid. I thought it was an ordinary romcom but I would categorize it more as women’s fiction. I loved Greenberg’s writing. Steamy and cuss words are my jam.

Sometimes you can really be loving a book because it covers a lot issues in a short amount of time, but then the ending can' totally ruin your perspective on it. Zoey's journey in this one was truly all over the place and felt very realistic (and the ending was realistic too), but I just wanted a less ambiguous ending.

Rating: 3.5

This was a fun story! As someone who knows a thing or two about drama during friend's weddings I related to the characters a bit too well. There were many laugh out loud moments. Zoey at times really did frustrate me with her way of thinking. I wouldn't describe this as a romance book as it does discuss some heavy topics.

Bad Luck Bridesmaid by Allison Rose Greenberg

Bad Luck Bridesmaid by Allison Rose Greenberg introduces us to Zoey who, after being a bridesmaid several times in weddings that just didn't happen, believes she is the cause of these misfortunes. This isn't a book I'd normally pick up but I needed something a bit more lighthearted and cute after reading several thrillers in a row! I thought this book would have more of a romantic tone but it was more chick-lit with humor thrown in. I hate to say it but I didn't care for Zoey's character at all. I couldn't really relate to any aspect of her life. But overall, I liked the story itself.

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced readers copy in exchange for my review.

I want to start by saying that I received an ARC of this novel from NatGalley in exchange for an honest review… so let’s do that!

I let this book completely consume me. I simply could not put it down. The writing was funny, witty, beautiful, and honest in a way that gave me that special feeling.. the one where I started to think this might be one of my favorite reads of the year. By the end, that notion was completely solidified.

The characters in this novel all feel so very real. Their actions and emotions are raw and relatable and it made me feel like I cared for each and every one of them. The various heartbreaks hurt me, and the love throughout made me happy-cry.

I think this book has made my top 5 reads of 2021 — and it technically doesn’t even come out until January 2022. I would recommend this book to anyone. Honestly, it could be as big as Beach Read and the like (despite not completely being a romance novel).

Wonderful story about women being true to themselves in the end. Understanding that expectations are not always the direction that you
should be going. Told in a delightful way that has you wishing for Zoey to be honest to herself in the end.

I am not keen on the writing, personally, but I could still see it highly enjoyed by others. I wish I were attached more to the characters to be able to enjoy the story more but I sadly wasn’t. I would still recommend it to Contemporary Romance lovers.

Thank you SMP Romance for my copy!

Thank you for NetGalley for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book, but you have to really understand Zoey. During her whole time thinking she was bad luck, she really was not. She helped everyone in their life, move on with their life and know the reality of one's life.

So Nope, she's not bad luck, but you'd have to read/understand of why she thought but at that end they all benefitted.

I definitely recommend this book.

I won this novel in a giveaway, and I absolutely loved it. I thought it would be your typical RomCom, but I was unexpectedly surprised with how it ended. Loved the plot premise and Zoey, the main character, was so relatable. I felt as if I was in her shoes the whole novel as she navigated through her relationship with Rylan, and loved how her relationship with her best friend, Hannah was depicted. Would recommend this novel to anyone wanting an enjoyable, not so typical romcom novel. #badluckbridesmaid #AlisonRoseGreenberg

This was an OK read for me. It was slow moving at times and felt a little choppy, but I liked it enough to keep on reading. Zoey was one of the most unlikeable characters I’ve encountered in some time. In the end I felt like this fell a little flat.

This book was so much more than a romantic comedy, which the style and cover suggest. This story is full of heart, humor and self-discovery. I did feel it was a bit mis-represented as again I thought it would be a bit more romance but it felt more women's lit.. This was a first book by Greenberg I've read and I will definitely read more of her work.

I have to praise the main character because she was able to say no!

I really enjoyed this book, I was a bit sad to see how zoey had such disdain towards marriage but along the ride she made me realize that marriage isn’t forever one. And it shouldn’t be pushed on anyone, it’s a norm in our world to find love get married and have kids to create a life. But that’s not how life should be. She should all have the choice and if we so choose, our partners should be ok with that choice.

I also loved the lesson she learns, you can’t change yourself for someone else’s happiness. It jeopardizes your own happiness and in turn you loose yourself. And I loved her character for it.

Her view on marriage is a huge challenge in the book and we see her struggles and her heartache. But the most amazing part of the book I appreciated was her loyalty to her best friend. She doubted herself as her friend and in the she pulled through.

I didn’t see that ending coming and was a bit torn about it. I sat with it for a second and in one way I understood why it was a good choice. And I’m an other I was a bit put off by how quick to move on she was. All in all 4 star read!