This was a unique take on a romance story!
Unfortunately I didn't like it at all. I don't like giving bad reviews to books, but I found very little here to love. Zoey was utterly unlikeable as a main character for me. I believe she is meant to be a strong feminist character, but she embodies more toxic traits than admirable ones. She makes snap judgements and stereotypical assumptions about other people, even though she despises others doing the same to her. She revels in her identity of "not like other women" and "complicated" without understanding how she belittles other women by doing so. She complains so often and is selfish and self-pitying. I'm fine with her ultimate decision to give priority to her self, but not with her lingering hope for someone else to compromise on the same needs that she refuses to.
There were several scenes that gave me the impression they were written to be humorous (the falconry class, for example), but they didn't work for me. I also really struggled with the entire first quarter of the book being rapid-fire story setup told through flashback - that section was much too long for me.
My biggest positive is that I enjoy this author's style of writing sex scenes.

I will post the review to my instagram @literarly_ the week of Jan 9 in honor of the upcoming release!

The strong feminist love that our protagonist Zoey has is incredible and the writing is top notch. The things she says and the way she feels really mirrored some of my own thoughts as I navigate my way through my mid and late twenties. However, Zoey is also horribly selfish and kind of just an a**hole for a lot of the book. She is surrounded by some of the best friends a character could ask for and she doesn’t do those relationships justice. She finds herself just a bit too late for it to be a key part of the book and it doesn’t give us time to fall in love with her new path. Spoiler alert…I’m not sure about how I feel about her ending up where she does. I know the whole point was that she finally isn’t afraid of relationships anymore but she kinda just jumps into a new one, and it was a little rushed. Still totally recommend, just go into it knowing it isn’t a total fluff piece. The spicy scenes are really really well done too 😉.

Zoey Marks believes she is the reason that all of the weddings she has been a bridesmaid in have not happened. That she alone has the power to control other peoples lives and she uses it as a reason to explain why she abhors the concept of marriage. She has basically weaponized her being bad luck and wears it like a shield. Even if I let go of all conscious thought, emotion and logic, this did not work for me. It is not a romantic comedy or a romantic anything. Women’s fiction yes, romance not even a little. Zoey is incapable of speaking her truth that she just doesn’t want to be married and she treats the men in her life terribly. No one is a mind reader and she just strings them along without sharing her feelings or even acknowledging what her truth really is. I’m not sure she is even capable of accepting the responsibility or owning her own feelings and emotions. I felt badly for all the people she left in her wake of selfishness. No one should be in a relationship of any kind if they don’t want to be there, but they should be honest and decent with those they claim to care about and love. She was neither off these. My heart broke for Rylan. Good narration.

I quit this book after 20% - it was a DNF for me. I hate to dislike books that I have to give reviews for, but this was just not for me. The book (or at least the first 20%) was told as a summary of past events, and I hate those type of books. I want to feel like I'm "experiencing" the story and not just being "told" the story. I also didn't connect with the main character - she again told us how great she was at her career and how much she hated marriage, but I didn't feel connected to her. I fully recognize the book could have gotten better, but I just have no desire to see if that happens.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ALC!
I'm struggling to review this one. This was definitely not the more traditional romance that I was expecting (cover art and title imply a fluffier read than it is). Zoey is definitely a one of a kind protagonist-- I found her immaturity infuriating at times (sometimes she's just an a**hole), and at other times I was rooting for her. But like Zoey says, she's human. Sex scenes are numerous and detailed.

I do wish Zoey had her AHA moment a little sooner so the reader could have seen spent more time with the resolution (aka her new relationship). I thought I saw it coming, but it came too late for the reader to enjoy Zoey's new path. Overall, I'm glad I read it. Recommended for readers of New Adult romance looking for something outside the romance box. For fans of Emily Belden's Hot Mess.

I think more edgy coloring of the cover art may help better set reader expectations.

BAD LUCK BRIDESMAID stars Zoey, who's been in three weddings, none of which has resulted in a marriage... making her: bad luck bridesmaid.

Zoey's not someone with her sights on marriage in general, but then she meets someone she loves spending time with. They start dating and suddenly a year and a half's gone by, he's in his 30s and wants to know he'll spend a lifetime with someone -- which to him means a ring around her finger.

I found the audiobook a great companion to a hot Friday evening of deep cleaning the kitchen and bathroom; the narrator is easy to understand and follow along with. BAD LUCK BRIDESMAID is written in the first-person, which I felt lended itself to narration. The beginning felt a bit long; it was easier for me to get into the story via audio than text.

Part of me wishes the author'd gone further in exploring why Zoey doesn't want to get married, but part of me is glad she didn't. Who's to say she needs a reason? (It's not like we ask "Why?" when people announce that they're getting married, so why do people need to explain why if they choose not to get married?)

Not everything in this one worked for me, particularly not pushing back against hurtful behavior and a few broad statements about gender roles. But I'm absolutely here for any and all reconsideration of what "happily ever after" means, and figuring out what it is that's best for us.

2 stars

While there were minor improvements toward the end, I found this book challenging to complete because of its insufferable main character. Had I not been listening to an audio version while doing many other tasks, I am certain I would have elected the DNF option, which I try to avoid at all costs.

Zoey Marks is the main character of this novel that - from its cover and title - may misdirect readers into thinking it's more romance than women's fiction. This character is...awful. The entire novel is told from her perspective, and readers cannot ever forget this because Zoey constantly refers to herself as "I, Zoey Marks," which is a small but infuriating detail. When you think to yourself, "I have a lot to do today. I need to pick up groceries, get gas before work, etc.," do you also insert your first and last name after every "I?" What's fascinating about this quirk is that it reflects a bigger issue with Zoey: her outrageous entitlement and self-centeredness. She comes from a particularly privileged upbringing and is quite put upon by her intellectual parents and her constant moves to various wealthy suburbs. It sounds HARD, Zoey Marks. Your struggle is real (in your mind only). While readers follow her, Zoey has one central romantic relationship and one friendship, and while she thinks her main problem is her self-proclaimed status as the bad luck charm in her friends' wedding parties, it is really what that idea highlights: unwavering self importance. What makes Zoey unique isn't unique at all. She fears certain kinds of commitments. Girl, preach. You have just labeled like half the adults I know here in 2021. You're not special. She also has this fascinating quality of creating a whole internal manifesto (and regular references to her book of rules - barf) but also never sharing even the smallest relevant details about her life with anyone who allegedly matters to her. Not to mention there are a lot of double standards here. She's allowed to do all kinds of outrageous stuff and be appalled at the audacity of others for existing while they inconvenience her in her warped plans. I could go on for a long, long time about the additional issues I have with this character, but I don't like spoilers, and I really just want to get away from her.

As a professor, nothing makes me sadder than to dislike a book I'm expressly reading for the purpose of reviewing. I understand what goes into producing one, and I am sure this author has so much attachment to this character and this world. That noted, this may win the award for my most frustrating read of 2021. For me, this is just a novel about an ultra privileged and short sighted woman pouting about how different and special and meaningful she - Zoey Marks! - is, and I found myself rooting against her from the jump. It is my express hope, Dear Reader, that your experience will be the opposite, but oof.

I enjoyed this one but I can tell it's not going to be for everyone. I found it got to a slow start and sort of dragged on a little too long in the beginning but once the story moved to Ireland the pace picked up and I got more invested in what the author was going for. If you're looking for a light-hearted rom-com this isn't that, it's much more of a women's fiction story about self-realization and accepting the way you are is perfectly fine even if it defies societal expectations.

Zoe is disillusioned about love and happily ever afters. When three weddings she's in end in disaster she starts to think maybe she's the common denominator. Then she gets her own wedding proposal and just can't bring herself to say yes causing heartbreak for both her and her boyfriend Ryland. Still nursing her broken heart, Zoe's best friend asks her to be a bridesmaid yet again in her destination Irish wedding, close friends and family only, except Zoe's ex is part of that family which means she's going to have to face him once again.

My favorite part of this book was all the action in Ireland as Zoe and the best man both feel the wedding isn't meant to be and try to find a way to stop it before the couple make a mistake they'll regret. Zoe is also fighting the feelings she still has for her ex and is conflicted when he seems to want to reunite too.

Overall I enjoyed this one but it wasn't the story I was expecting. Recommended for fans of books about women who aren't afraid to be their authentic selves, especially when it means traditional things like marriage or children aren't necessarily part of their idea of happily ever after. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copies!

DNF @ 20%.

OMG. The MC is utterly insufferable. I get that she's very anti-marriage, but she's so wrapped up in her amazing business prowess and independence that she truly thinks that she's the reason her friends up breaking off engagements. And considering one of these situations is her friend realizing that she wants to be in a relationship with a women instead of marrying the man she's supposed to, I really don't like how the friend's sexuality is linked here.

Honestly, this book just reeks of white feminism, and y'all can keep it.