To say I loved this would be an understatement, I started the audio and didn’t stop until it was done. I walked my dog, cooked dinner everything. I really liked the concept of this story as it’s different from a lot of books out there. The writing was great. It made me laugh out loud in places and the ending did not go the predictable way which I LOVED. The story showed that it’s ok not to want what “society” deems you to. It’s a story of growth, friendship, hard desicions and love. I highly recommend.

Ok. So this book was a whirlwind. I thought it was going to be amazing based off of the synopsis! It was hard to get into and was a little too “poor me” “feel bad for me” kind of vibe. The main character, Zoey, falls in with Rylan and talks about him the whole book. It doesn’t end in a happy place, seemed rushed, and overall not my type of book.

HOWEVER, the audio to the book was spectacular and was the best part of the book! I did also enjoy the premise of the book about how Zoey was the “bad luck bridesmaid” that when she was a bridesmaid, the couple didn’t get married. Thought it was different and interesting in that aspect. I would try this author again! The writing was well done!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️💫 (2.5)

I liked this book for a few reasons:
1. It has the stuck together, forbidden love, and second chance tropes (I'm re-learning how to recognize romantic tropes).
2. There's a message that it's okay to be a complicated woman that I wish was shouted from the mountaintops more often.
3. I love Zoey and Hannah's friendship.
4. Falconry and Loch Ness sightings are included in this delightful book.

The bad luck bridesmaid, even I was starting to think it was a thing. One wedding not happening ok, sometimes things just happen. Two weddings not happening and you begin to wonder. By the third wedding that didn't happen I was convinced that Zoey Marks was just bad luck and people who were even thinking of marriage needed to stay as far from her as possible.

Zoey never wanted to fall into that traditional marriage, 2.5 kids and a golden retriever ( Sorry Sunshine). She wanted to be the master of her own destiny, a force of nature, and she thought she'd found that In Rylan, he seems to accept her for who she is, crazy hangover cures and all, that is until that fateful day he decides to propose, now you have to remember Zoey has told every man she's ever dated that she's just not into long committed relationships, so just hitting that year mark with Rylan says so much about how she actually feels about him. Unfortunately or maybe fortunately she just has her pages written and knows what she wants and what she's ok with.

I don't think she thought Rylan would really leave, but a heartbroken man.... well he took her saying no to the proposal as no to him and didn't give her a real chance to explain, well at least not right then, will her ever be able to accept her for who she really is? That remains to be seen.

Running to help her best friend heal a broken heart Hannah does all she can to try and heal Zoeys heart, even keeping news to herself that was life changing so that she could be there for Zoey, and as most people who've had a broken heart know, it's not always easy to spot signs that other people are giving you when you're hurting.

A few weeks later and a wedding invitation arrives, Zoey immediately feels dread, knowing that as the bad luck bridesmaid Hannah will never make it down the isle and she'll be 0/4. As if that pressure isn't enough Hannah informs her that Rylan will be at the wedding and that he's bringing someone, a female someone.
Even a fairy tale castle in Scotland complete with a bird of prey named Karen can't handle all of the secrets, plots, and plans that this group of people have crammed into one weekend. (It sure is fun to read though).
Will Zoey and Rylan get back together? Will Hannah make it down the isle? will Karen fly back to the coop (literally) and is it possible to have multiple happy endings when every single character is complicated and involved in their own crash and burn moment in life? I won't give that away but I will say if there were a sequel I'd have pre ordered it already.

A very different read. There is a warning not a ROMCOM, but some how while reading you hope and sorta expect it to be. It’s an emotional journey of Zoey, her relationships, her friendships and bad luck at being a bridesmaid. There is humorous parts in the story that will have you laughing out loud and truth in how the world expects you to conform. To me there was a lesson to be learned and one I always believed in. A very good read! I did listen to the audio, but also read the book. The narrator was excellent, had me walking longer to keep on listening. The novel is a page turner, wondering what next?
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an Advance Reader Copy of this story. #NetGalley #BadLuckBridesmaid

This book will be entertaining to those who love a steamy book that explores the expectations of marriage, love. and all of the complications that can intertwine. It is not a typical romantic comedy, but goes deeper into one woman's aspirations in life and love. Readers should be aware that there are very frequent uses of four letter words, which may be offensive to some. Narrator Sarah Naughton gave a good performance in her reading of the story, Her narration is emotional, well done, and on point.
Thank you to Net Galley and Macmillan Audio for the advance copy of the audiobook.

This one was just ok for me. I thought the main character was very tough to root for and unwilling to compromise or have a conversation about what upset her.

Zoey thinks she is cursed when for the third time a wedding she’s in fails to end in a marriage. This gets into her head so much it ruins her relationship with her boyfriend. When her best friend asks her to be a bridesmaid for wedding number 4 she is determined to make it happen so her friend can find happiness and she can see for herself love lasts.

Other than way too much backstory at the beginning of the novel (five chapters 🤯) I enjoyed this one. It’s more contemporary/Women’s fiction than romance but it was a good time overall. Zoey and her best friend have very different ideas of marriage and love and it was fun to see them interact and I really liked watching Zoey come to realizations about herself and her future. Also I’ll give a shout-out to the narrator of the audiobook 👍🏽

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an audio copy to listen to and review.

Zoey doesn't exactly hate love. She just doesn't like marriage. After being a bridesmaid in 3 non-weddings, Zoey knows that she is a bad luck charm. She doesn't trust the concept of marriage; so much so that she rejects the proposal from the 'perfect' man; her love, Rylan. After being asked to be a bridesmaid again, Zoey is determined to fall in love with marriage and prove she isn't a bad luck bridesmaid. This was a pretty good read - fast, funny, and enjoyable. I liked the ending quite a lot even though it wasn't what I expected.

The narrator was very good - easy to listen to!

I am so torn about this book because it was completely easy to read and I think Zoey and Hannah's friendship was beautiful, supportive, and endearing. On the flip side, I despised the romance. Granted, this isn't labeled as a romance, but the bulk of the book balances Zoey's big love for her ex with her big love for her best friend. See? Torn.
While Zoey and Hannah are complete friendship goals, Zoey and Rylan felt extremely toxic. Love to me can be all-consuming but lasting love is about compromise and looking out for the other's needs and best interests.
The character arc and ending reminded me quite a bit of Hannah Orenstein's Playing With Matches, even though the love stories are dissimilar. I'd say fans of either book would enjoy the other.
I read the first half and listened to the audiobook for the second half. I equally enjoyed (equally gave the romance major side-eye) both outlets. The narration is done by Sarah Naughton and her cadence perfectly suited Zoey's POV.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy and MacMillan Audio for the alc. All thoughts in this review are my own.

I liked this book! I related to Zoey almost immediately. She doesn't know what she wants and she's trying to figure it out, but she's being pressured to make a decision and ultimately struggles to deal with the fallout of her choice. As she guides us through each failed wedding, convinced she's the problem, she's forced to reckon with hard truths- and on what terms she's willing to let love in. ultimately where the book missteps for me is the ending- it doesn't feel genuine to the Zoey we get to know throughout the book. She parts with the love of her life only to immediately hook up with another guy. What is that? that's some nonsense and goes against everything she stood for. plus, the one liners got super cheesy in the end and cringey to read. Overall I liked the book, I just thought the author got lost in the end.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CYX-FunLRep/

DON'T JUDGE THIS BOOK BY ITS COVER!

I love the rom com cover on this book. However, it's not a rom com. It's not even chick lit. It's a women's fiction about a woman with a complicated relationship with love and marriage. The book ended up being a DNF for me—I was lured in by the cover and description, but I am not the target audience. The book is contemplative, whereas I prefer a fast pace. The tone is dark IMO, while I like the light and fluffy stuff. So if you're looking for a thinky, slow-paced, somewhat dark women's fiction, this book might be for you. And if you like audiobooks, the narration was good.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Zoey, Zoey, Zoey! I want to love you, I want you to find happiness, I want you to overcome your fear of commitment, but my word you sure don’t make it easy!

Bad Luck Bridesmaid is full of interesting characters, beautiful settings, funny banter, and plenty of character growth I found it hard to get past the main characters strong and somewhat unsavoury personality, overall an entertaining listen more about major life decisions rather then romance.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Three stars for this entertaining but disconnected romantic read. 14+ rating

Is it possible to really like a book but not so much the main character? The story was entertaining and had me laughing in places but Zoe was definitely not someone I would be best friends with. Her contradictions, which we all have, were annoying; she could be a tough businesswoman and a loyal friend but couldn't commit to a relationship. I did like Rylan and Hannah, as well as the overall storyline but her actions were frustrating. Still, as in life, a change in perspective can change everything.

The narration was well done and with no issues.

Thank you to @macmillan.audio #stmartingriffin @netgalley for the ALC and @stmartinspress @macmillanusa for the ARC in return for my honest review.
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My thoughts…
On the fence. I read and listened interchangeably. It helped me speed through Zoey’s issues with commitment. Why? Because she was meant to be the “heroine” in the story yet, her internal monologues and thoughts were so grating. Her skepticism of commitment was so painful to listen/read, especially the dramatic scenes. I’m on the fence because I liked the writing style, the narrator and the ending (which I totally guessed would happen) but, Zoey was a bit unlikable. What helped me enjoy this book overall was the cover tagline: “This is not a rom com. You have been warned.”

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy of the audiobook.

Hmm…what did I just read? I would not categorize this as romance or even rom com. Where do I start with this? Here are some of my issues with this book:
- Zoey - she is a strong female that focus on her career and thinks she is the cause of weddings that doesn’t happen because she is bad luck
- Ryland and Zoey’s actions. It just infuriated me what they did during the wedding in Ireland
- Ezra, this felt so unnecessary in the book. We needed to see more of his interaction with Zoey for this development to be real
- the ending, how does someone love someone so much just moves on so quickly.

The narration was great but this book was just a train wreck weekend that the HEA did not feel believable.

This is about Zoey who has now been a bridesmaid 3 times and none of the weddings have ended with a I do. The 1st time it happen she thinks nothing of it. The 2nd time is in a coincidence? By the 3rd time she knows she's cursed. That leaves her shaken and turning her life upside down.

Zoey has always marched to the beat of her own drum. She lived life for herself and no one else. She never wanted to do what everyone else wanted her to do. She was happy not being tied down.

Her best friend since childhood Hannah is trying to get her to take a chance one a actual relationship not just a casual relationship.

Enter Rylan Hannah's cousin who she sets her up with. There's something about him that makes her want to throw out the book. He's someone like no other she can see a tomorrow with him. But he wants the next step and get married. Zoey doesn't know if she can say yes today or ever. Love has always been something doesn't seem to last look at the 3 failed marriages she was a part of.
Then everything falls apart and she's left broken and questioning everything.

Then Hannah is getting married and Zoey to be her bridesmaid. Zoey isn't sure on what to do. If she can get Hannah down the aisle maybe a forever love is something she can have for herself.

I really enjoyed this book and how it's a love story but not a typical one you get a lot if the facts from the beginning.

And I love that she is a strong woman who doesn't need to follow the normal.

Thank you NetGalley for the Audio and the E-Arc for exchange for my honest review. I switched between the Ebook and Audio throughout reading

Zoey is bad luck when it comes to weddings - she’s been a bridesmaid 3 times but not one of those brides has actually made it down the aisle. After the 3rd time, Zoey feels an intense distrust of marriage which leads her to turn down a proposal from her perfect boyfriend, Rylan. But when her long-time best friend asks Zoey to be her bridesmaid, Zoey is determined to break her curse and get Hannah down the aisle.

The cover of the audiobook I received had the tagline “This is not a rom com. You have been warned.” I’ve seen that tagline has been changed, but after looking at other reviews, I really think they needed to keep it because going in without the rom com expectation really helped me to enjoy this one.

This book had great character development. Seeing how Zoey grew and how self-aware she was made for a great journey. It was amazing to see her really accept herself by the end, and it made this story feel very real. That being said, it did start to drag in the middle and felt a little long for a bit.

I switched between ebook and audiobook for this one and really enjoyed both. I thought the audiobook was really well done and enjoyed the narrator.

Thank you to SMP Romance, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the advanced copies.

Ohhh this book.

I’m not going to lie. When I first started this book, I almost DNF’d it. In fact, it took me until about 15-20% to really start liking it. There was so much info dump at the beginning and I honestly did not like the MC at first (she gave me “I’m not like other girls” vibes) but I’m SO glad I didn’t put it down. By the end of the book, I’d completely fallen in love with the story and Zoey and all her flaws. She made me laugh, made me want to throttle her, made me feel empowered, and made me want to hug her.

After a rocky start, this book won me over and I was grinning as I devoured this book.

I do want to warn every one that I would classify this more as women’s fiction with romance vs. romance but gosh was the romance in this one so realistic and well done.

Absolutely adored and so thankful to have received an arc.

Bad Luck Bridesmaid is a fun, sweet, and empowering read that left me feeling happy. What more could you want in a light, romantic read?

Zoey Marks is the cursed bridesmaid that brings her brides down with her. She has been in three weddings that have ended with the bride not making it down the aisle and she feels the weight of that. It has kept her from making commitments in her own life. Ryland, the seemingly perfect guy who was ready to make the ultimate commitment to Zoey was left heartbroken when she just couldn't say yes. When she finds out that her best friend Hannah is marrying a guy she just met, and she is the Maid of Honor, she has no choice but to fly out to Ireland to be by her side. But will she go through with it? Also Ryland will be there which further complicates the situation.

I liked that this was ultimately a book about self discovery, love in different forms, and trusting yourself. It's not your typical rom-com although it did follow some typical romantic troupes for those looking for that.

The audio was narrated by Sarah Naughton - she did a great job at keeping a steady pace throughout the book and conveying the emotion and experience of the characters. So much of this story is rooted in the experience of different emotions and that was perfectly expressed through the audio.

This book will be published on January 11, 2022! Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the preview in exchange for my honest review