Cover Image: The Stand-Up Groomsman

The Stand-Up Groomsman

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Member Reviews

This was opposites attract story where it was an enemy to lovers' story. This was sweet and very light-hearted and funny. SO easy to get lost between the pages!

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The Stand -Up Groomsmen is a laugh out loud funny romantic comedy. If you like books that make you feel as if you’re in a rom com, then pick up The Stand-Up Groomsmen!

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✨He never had fantasies about vanilla cake before, but things were different now.✨

1. Thank you for the vanilla cake appreciation. Girls who get it get it.

2. I loved their relationship so much but there were so many small things about this story that really resonated with me and made me very smiley and this a fantastic read.

**Potential spoilers ahead**

- I really appreciated how not everything was perfect with Vivian’s relationship to her family (mainly mother and brother) at the end. I think there’s always the need to wrap such things up with a bow when it doesn’t quite fit the rest of the book. She set boundaries and knew how she wanted to be treated and I really respected her. They were working on the relationship, but it wasn’t magically solved so the book could end.

- This is also one of the only contemporary romances where I’ve seen the two end up in a long distance relationship (at least for now)! Again, they’re making it work and making sacrifices, but neither had to sacrifice everything (which happens a lot of the time). Thank god she didn’t randomly change careers or something like that because it would’ve felt so disingenuous to her character.

- I loved that since neither wanted kids, THEY ALWAYS WORE A CONDOM. There was no funny business! Thank you! I did think she was pregnant at one point but it was just the stomach flu thank the lord. I also thought her reasoning behind not wanting kids was so interesting and it was actually one of my favorite dynamics in the book. (She’d watched her siblings so much growing up that she never got to have a childhood.)

- There was a sick scene!!! The above point is why the sick scene worked so well!! She was hesitant to accept his help at first but my GOD it was so sweet. He is such a love muffin please 😭

- I also didn’t expect the amount of steam we got! There were 3-4 shorter scenes with explicit language and fun settings/positions. I didn’t expect to be sweating while listening to this during work! I didn’t read the summary and even if I had I probably wouldn’t have trusted the “steamy” buzzword. I mean it’s not the steamiest book ever and there were a few more closed door scenes than I’d have liked, but I was so pleasantly surprised.

- On the topic of sex, I also really loved how assertive Vivian was in the bedroom for her own pleasure! The line about her being a grown ass woman and understanding how to make herself come was so good. Basically, she doesn’t come from penetration and her past lovers had tried to “fix her” but Mel just accepted it and asked what else he could do/what she liked. He was like bet and ate her out.

Overall, this was so charming and fun. The stand-up bits were a nice pause in the story and I liked how they became entwined with their little relationship milestones. I’ll definitely be reading more by Jackie Lau!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

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Thank you so much to Berkley and Netgalley for an arc of The Standup Groomsman.

I loved this book so much! The writing was great and I loved so many of characters. I loved seeing Vivian and Melvin develop individually and together. I also loved the representation and discussions about mental health. Cant wait to read more from this author!


Pick this one up if you’re looking for:
-enemies to friends to more
-character reflection and development
-one of the main character pair is a celebrity - stand up comedian
-bisexual male and female characters and discussions
-discussions about mental health
Trigger warning for parent not accepting
Child’s sexual and their reaction to coming out

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Vivian and Mel started on the wrong foot after Mel tried to meddle with how Vivian chose to live her life. But when their best friends are about to get married, they are forced to work together peacefully.
Mel is used to charming audiences as an actor and stand-up comedian. She's a smart, talented artist-which is why he thinks she's wasting her life as a corporate finance drone.

I enjoyed reading this book. Although the first few chapters were a bit slow, the following ones made up for it. Mel and Vivian are interesting characters with different personalities. They are complete opposites, but somehow they click. I love their chemistry and how their relationship developed. I also love how everything turned out in the end. It was not the usual type that you see in other books. But for me, it was the perfect ending for this story. If you are in for some light, steamy, romcom novels, then you should try this one!

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So I read the first book in this series and really enjoyed it. I wasn't sure what to expect with this one, but I was ready for it.

Vivian Lao was a fan of comedian Mel before she met the best man as her roommate's nuptials were being planned. What she didn't expect was that he would disappoint so throughly in real life. Going forward, she planned on definitely staying away from the hero who was not what she had hoped he be. Mel, on the other hand, was throughly enticed yet annoyed by Vivian. Every time that met for wedding planning, things seemed to get tense. Until finally they realized, they couldn't keep their attraction at bay.

Holy crap. I actually think this might have been better than the first one. I loved the interchange between these two. The fact that Mel respected some of Vivian's boundaries and realized she needed a minute at times. And woo boy, was it hotttt. I may have re-read some things. I think these two really in some ways maybe shouldn't have worked, but the fact that they tried and failed, and yet couldn't stay away from each other. I just loved it. I may just have buy this. Seriously.

Thank you so much for this ARC. One of my favorite books of the year. No kidding.

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I am at that point in life where I would much rather read about strong women, than damsels in distress. Don't get me wrong, I like those types of romance novels too. It just isn't the same though, as reading a wonderful rom com that makes you laugh...about a woman and her opposite learning to trust. Love!!!

Definitely recommend reading. This is book 2 in a series, but can be read as a standalone.

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Jackie Lau is a fantastic write and does such a good job within the rom-com genre. She's so funny and witty and it really shows in her characters. I can't wait to read what she does next!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!

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This book sounded super cute so despite the fact that I hadn’t read Donut Fall In Love (the first book in the series) I decided to give this one a read anyway. You definitely do not have to read the first book in order to understand this one or to enjoy it. It does give some spoilers for book #1, but overall it acts as a standalone which is often the case with romance book series like these. I will say reading this one made me want to read the first one though.

There was so much to like about this book. It had a really diverse cast of characters with a strong focus on the LGBTQ+ community. There was also a focus on mental health which was also great to see in a romance book.

Melvin and Vivian are total opposites. Mel is a comedian who is always looking for a laugh, has trouble dating, and struggles with depression. His family means everything to him and despite his grandmother always trying to set him up on dates, he loves them and would do anything for them.Vivian works in corporate finance, loves to draw, also has trouble dating, has a complicated relationship with her family, and feels best in a pant suit or jumpsuit. While Mel is liked by most people, Vivian on the other hand typically comes off as cold. Although Vivian has a cold persona, she loves to laugh and is a huge fan of Mel’s comedy and loves to draw him. When her best friend gets engaged, she learns that Mel will be the best man (as he’s best friends with the groom). And then she finally meets Mel and it goes very poorly. Mel criticizes Vivian for not pursuing art as a career even though Vivian is happy with her career and her life. Thus starts a hate-love relationship between the two.

I really liked Vivian’s backstory with her family and how that influenced who she is as a person. I would have even liked to have had a bit more of it. I also liked that she was a strong female character who is unapologetically herself and feels sexiest in pants. I’m a total dress girl in my own life, but I absolutely adore when writers actually create a female character that shows that you don’t have to be girly to be sexy. I enjoyed Mel’s relationship with his family and really enjoyed his openness about being bisexual. I could also relate to Mel’s mental health struggles. I wish Lau would have gone deeper into this topic because I did feel like it stayed mostly surface level.

Although there was a lot to like about this book, there was also some things that fell flat for me. This book had all the makings of a good novel – family issues, mental health issues, opposites attract/enemies-to-lovers romance, diverse characters, etc. Unfortunately, I found it really hard to fully connect with the main characters. I enjoyed their stories, but for some reason I felt like they weren’t fully developed. I wanted to really root for them and although I wanted them to get together, I didn’t feel like I had a huge stake in it. There was just something that didn’t entirely hook me and make me excited to read it. Overall, did I enjoy it? Sure. Would it be a book I tell my friends they need to read or I would re-read myself? Probably not.

Even though this book wasn’t a home run for me, I would absolutely still read other books by Jackie Lau. I plan on reading Donut Fall In Love at some point.

Rating: 3.5/5

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I thought this was a great contemporary romance novel, with likeable characters! I would definitely recommend!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

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I love comedy and I really enjoyed this book! It was a great follow up to the first one. Once again, the grandmother stole the show for me! Funny and cute.

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Overall, I enjoyed this book. I loved Vivian and Mel’s bickering and fighting. They way it was very clear that their life events played a huge role in how they viewed themselves and relationships. I also enjoyed the texting back and forth, that is definitely a favorite addition of mine to any story. The pacing was a little slow for me and while I enjoyed reading it I didn’t love reading it.

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MELVIN LEE. I wanted to wrap him up in a hug and never let go. I want to be Vivian's best friend and make her love me. These characters were so lovable and I was so happy with them and their story I wanted to keep reading forever.

Thank you #netgalley for an early read of #thestandupgroomsman

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This is the only book I can think of with two bisexual leads! Hilarious, emotional, one of my favorite books of the year.

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Vivian might be gorgeous and successful, but Mel doesn’t understand why a skilled artist would commit to working as a banker. When he tells her so during their first meeting, Vivian doesn’t appreciate being judged. Nonetheless, she can’t help but continue to admire Mel, a comedian who has always made her feel represented and truly seen. Like Vivian, Mel is of East Asian descent and bisexual. And of course, it doesn’t help that she is very attracted to him.

Throughout the wedding festivities, Mel and Vivian get to know one another and form a friendship. When Vivian decides to hook up with Mel at the wedding, a long distance relationship soon follows. Things aren’t perfect right away, but these two make it work.

I loved Vivian and Mel’s own personal stories. Vivian, as the oldest daughter, struggles with a family who has high expectations for her and offers her little support in return. Mel is extremely close with his family, including his hilarious, karaoke-singing Popo, a woman not above setting her grandson up on blind dates for holidays, even on speed dates in hot pink limos. Ultimately, Vivian has to set boundaries with her family, and Mel continues to keep his boundaries in place by remaining distant with his father, who couldn’t accept his sexuality. Of course, I loved the representation of an East Asian hero and heroine, both of which are bisexual. Their relationship, though between a man and a woman, is blatantly and beautifully queer. I liked that Mel is bigger and Vivian is thin. So often in romance we see body positivity for women, with heroines in all shapes and sizes, but the men are always ripped. That’s just not representative, and frankly, it’s not what all of us are into. And finally, the happy ending was so unique and representative to many couples I know. Mel and Vivian are committed to a long term relationship, with marriage possibly in the future. But for now they are long distance, and they very well may stay that way forever while remaining committed to one another.

While I don’t think this read was perfect – I found Mel’s comedy to be subpar, but I’ll take his word for it that his delivery is what really sells it – this hit so many boxes for me, making it a true 5 star read.

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Vivian and Mel meet in Donut Fall in Love, the first book in this series. I haven't read that one and felt that this read fine as a stand-alone.

The characters from the first book are getting married and Vivian and Mel are spending quite a bit of time together. Vivian had loved Mel's professional comedy (both stand-up and on a tv series) but was less than impressed with the real life person. At first.

This was a slow burn, enemies (sort of- more people that didn't really like each other) to lovers romance with some great diversity representation and wonderful side characters. Mel's matchmaking grandma certainly stole the show!

Vivian and Mel are both bisexual and I appreciated the sensitivity and vulnerability they shared when talking about their identities. Also, Vivian had some family expectations that had limited her view of what a good relationship could be like- I was rooting for her as she worked through some beliefs that weren't supporting her growth. She definitely got in her own way. Additionally, mental health was handled with care.

Overall, I liked this book the more I read. I appreciated that the author avoided miscommunication as a trope and focused on communication and growth. The humor was fun too.

I listened to the audiobook and the two narrators did a great job capturing the characters in alternating chapters.

Thanks to the publisher for a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

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This was phenomenal representation of Queer People in a straight presenting relationship, as well as the struggles of dating as a whole ass adult. Highly reccomend

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I read this before first in series and it can be read as a stand-alone, but you will be spoiled and miss some backstory from the first. I always enjoy a fun enemies to lovers read. The added parts of family dynamics added so much to the story.

I was so happy we got both points of view. Vivian and Melvin were both fun in their own ways. I really liked each of them, at some points I wished they would just give in, but then we wouldn’t have a book.

I definitely recommend reading the first in the series before this one, so you don’t miss any background. As a little side note I enjoyed seeing some of Mel’s stand up comedy sets, I found them hilarious.

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I enjoyed Vivian and Mel in Donut Fall in Love and was curious how they would turn out. She fan girled over him and he was not what she thought.

They were opposites attract, enemies to lovers and grumpy + sunshine.

There was a lot of comedy work which is hard to tell in writing without the delivery and timing but I thought was funny. We listen to a lot of stand up.

They didn't have the best start and Mel had to make up for his bad first impression. The wedding planning was fun and it helped them get closer since they were both in the wedding party.

Thank you berkleyromance and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

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This is my third book that revolves around a stand up comedian character and I think I can conclude that I’m just not a fan of this trope/character. I just don’t find reading about stand up comedy funny. This one just wasn’t for me!

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