Cover Image: The Stand-Up Groomsman

The Stand-Up Groomsman

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

I was SO excited when I saw that I had been given a copy of this book to read! Oops on my end for not actually posting this review until now, forgetfulness will be the death of me I swear...

However, for me this one just fell a little flat. The rom was fantastic but I have a deep-rooted gut feeling that it was the com that just didn't satisfy my full romcom needs.

Overall, enjoyed the book, but it could have used a few more light moments to make me appreciate what was going on throughout the story!

Was this review helpful?

This was a very sweet Canadian rom-com. Though at times the humour felt a little forced, I enjoyed how the story focused on other issues in the character's lives and how that was impacting their relationship.

Was this review helpful?

Vivian and Mel are forced to run in the same circle thanks to their best friends, who will soon be married. While the two get off on the wrong foot, there are endless opportunities to build a relationship that neither one of them have had before.

With that, the overall timeline of the story was slow and lacklustre. It was a challenge to build a connection with the main characters because their own connection was so delayed.

An interesting take on opposites attract, enemies to lovers and grumpy + sunshine tropes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkely for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed the continuation of this series from Jackie Lau. Donut Fall in Love was one of my favorite books last year, so this one was greatly anticipated. The Stand-Up Groomsman was a fun romance with depth. I loved the relationship between Vivian and Mel. They were well rounded characters with flaws and insecurities. And I loved the bisexual representation in this book.

A bridesmaid and groomsman put their differences aside to get their best friends down the aisle in this opposites-attract steamy romantic comedy.

They say to never meet your heroes, but when Vivian Liao's roommate gets engaged to her favorite actor’s costar, she has no choice but to come face-to-face with Melvin Lee again. He's just as funny and handsome as he is on-screen...but he thinks she’s an ice queen and a corporate sellout. It's none of his business how she chooses to live her life, no matter how charismatic he is.

Mel is used to charming audiences as an actor and stand-up comedian, but he can't seem to thaw Vivian’s defenses. If she can ignore the simmering attraction below the surface, so can he. The only thing uniting them is their goal for their friends’ wedding to go off without a hitch.

As they collaborate on wedding cake and karaoke parties, Mel realizes he might have seriously misjudged this bridesmaid, while Vivian discovers the best man might just be as dazzling off-screen as he is on. With the wedding underway, maybe more than one happily ever after is in the future.

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed this story but I loved the LGBTQA+ representation throughout the story. It was really cute and loved the opposites attract, enemies to lovers and grumpy+sunshine tropes. Loved the banter between the main characters.

Thank you to Berkely and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This wasn't exactly my cup of tea. I'm not sure why. Maybe my brain wasn't in it but I was feeling the love interest that much HOWEVER I can see how my other friends would love this book. The pacing was a tad slow in some part but Vivian I loved with my whole heart and connected to immediately.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Netgalley, Berkley Publishing, and Jackie Lau for an advance copy of The Stand-Up Groomsman in exchange for an honest review. I absolutely ADORED Donut Fall in Love so I was so excited to read Mel and Vivians story. I enjoyed so many aspects of this story but I loved the LGBTQA+ representation throughout the story. It was fun and enjoyable to watch Vivian and Mels relationship blossom and grow as they learned more things about themselves while they built their relationship. This was a little steamy but nothing that would make you blush to bad. This is out now and would make the perfect Christmas gift for any rom com lover in your life.

Was this review helpful?

I didn't think I would enjoy this book so much since the first book was just an okay read for me. I think what ultimately sold me on this one was Melvin. He was so not what I expected, especially after that first epic meeting he had with Vivian. A meet-cute it was not! Thankfully, as the story progressed and I got to know Melvin a little more I got to see the many layers that hid underneath that tough exterior he put out to the world.

Vivian was also an interesting character to get to know. I remember her from the first book and thought she came across as a bit cold and arrogant. But after reading her story, I understood better where she was coming from and why she had put those walls around her.

So of course, now that Lindsay and Ryan are getting, Vivian and Melvin find themselves spending time together since they're both members of the wedding party. In between cake tastings, Shania karaoke and other wedding planning events they both see each other in a new light. Ultimately, Vivian softens towards Melvin the more layers he sheds and while she lowers her guard, Melvin sneaks into her heart. I appreciated the author's efforts in building Melvin and Vivian's romance at a steady pace, which is why I found their romance adorable. Sure, there's plenty of lust and chemistry between these two, but there was also a lot more.

All in all, a well-rounded story with a sweet and rewarding romance.

Was this review helpful?

After loving the first book, i was so excited to get my hands on this one! I was so sad with how their first meeting went and i really enjoyed getting to see more personal sides of these characters. this was super cute and i really enjoyed it!

Was this review helpful?

This was an enjoyable opposites attract book. I liked watching the characters' relationship develop, and liked how they found an unconventional way to make their relationship work.

Was this review helpful?

Let me start with this is the first read for me by the author, so I did not know these characters from the previous book(s). A rom com with opposites, enemies to lovers, a long distance to overcome and a hint of grumpy sunshine (or maybe optimist-pessimist).

I loved the idea of ordinary people in this romance. No hunk or beauty queen or even an author telling you they are average in their words but then contradicting it every other page. But for some reason I did not connect with the characters like everyone else. And for me to become immersed in a romance, I need to root the romance on and that is hard to do when you don’t connect to the characters. And I loved the cultural references at the start of the book, but they stopped pretty early on.

Since I am in the minority on this one, I’d say if you like these romantic tropes, I’d give it a try.

Was this review helpful?

I recommend Jackie Lau’s contemporary rom-com THE STAND-UP GROOMSMAN (Berkley, 354 pp., paperback, $17).

Vivian Liao loved the sitcom actor and stand-up comedian Melvin Lee — until she met him. Now they can’t go a single conversation without bickering, which is a problem since they’re both in the bridal party for their best friends’ wedding. Mel and Viv agree to be civil to each other; soon civil becomes cordial becomes captivated. Next thing you know they’re texting each other restaurant tips, kissing underneath the banquet tables and slipping off to hotel rooms with comfy beds and sheet cakes. It’s a wonderful fling, but can it survive long distance and the differences between them?

This book is a low-angst charmer. Lau’s books have some of the best effort-to-emotional-payoff ratios in romance, and that’s even before we get into Mel’s buoyant stand-up routines. Vivian, too, is a unique heroine: Burdened with too much responsibility at a young age, she is wary of being pushed into a caretaker role when she’s still learning to hold her own desires paramount.

This is my favorite of Lau’s yet — with much love to the previous titleholder, “Man vs. Durian” — and, as always, it’s full of delicious food descriptions, delicate emotional landscapes and families who show affection by being relentlessly annoying. All the more relatable for being nuanced and a little messy, the ending avoids forcing its main pair into easy answers or pat solutions.

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed Jackie Lau's first book Donut Fall in Love. She drew me in with her romantic comedy and I was so jazzed to receive this one, The Stand-up Groomsman. For me, this one was not as funny as the first, but there were still many pieces of the book I did enjoy. The one piece that did not work for me was the stand-up comedy parts of it. While it was funny with added grandma jokes, I felt that that part could have been left out.
I did enjoy the romance of it, but it seemed as if it took a bit too long to get there.
If you love a good opposites attract trope along with your rom-com, this is one to give a try!

Was this review helpful?

this was so cute and nice! i liked the romance and the characters a lot, and i thought this did a great job of breaking stereotypes and cliches in the genre. the comedian aspect of it didn't really work for me, but the family storylines definitely did, and i will for sure be checking out more from this author.

Was this review helpful?

The Stand-Up Groomsman begins with tension and bad first impressions. With those people who for some reason, just say something that rubs the wrong way. We've got Mel who is a charming comedian who just wants to be seen for who he is off stage. And Vivian who has been hurt by love in the past and who can't understand being like for who she is. While Vivian was more retalatble to me - just because I'm not struggling with reconciling two personas - Mel charmed my heart.

The dual POV narration in The Stand-Up Groomsman works brilliantly. It allows us to see the depths of the misconceptions and their own insecurities. We can be on both of their sides almost from the beginning as we are immersed in their own introspection. Not to mention their electric chemistry. All the ways in which they'd actually be perfect for each other if they could get past that first moment.

Was this review helpful?

This enemies to lovers features a bridesmaid and groomsman who have to work together to celebrate their friends. As they communicate more, they find they actually enjoy each other and on the wedding night, their one night stand quickly turns into something more. The fun twist in this? The groomsman is a stand up comedian.

This book had me laughing out loud. I loved Mel’s comedy and thought that was such a fun touch. While this book was funny in many ways, it also took on more serious topics. With two bisexual main characters, there was a lot of discussion surrounding bisexuality, specifically that dating a member of the opposite sex does not make you any less bisexual. It also really explored family dynamics as well as what it means to be in a relationship.

While this book is a sequel to Donut Fall in Love, it could easily be read as a standalone.

Thank you to Berkley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Read if you like:
- Diverse Characters
- Stand-up Comedy
- Romances
-Opposites Attract
- Meddling Families
-Mental Health Representation

If you are looking for more than a fluffy romance this one is for you! The author tackles tough topics like dysfunctional families and mental health all while writing a delightful and well done romance.

I loved the opposites attract vibe that we get with our two MC’s and that they are thrust together for their friends wedding and that love is what brings them together.

Was this review helpful?

This book is for the eldest daughters and older sisters who raised their siblings and may not have gotten the chance to follow their passions. Vivian Lau has your back⁣ 🥹.

Oh, how Vivian made me cry. I resonated so much with Vivian’s resentment, anger, and frustration. I saw so much of myself in her, especially in her relationship with Mel. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
Mel - what a sweetie. He’s hilarious, on and off the stage. His grandmother, nieces, even his sister, are all amazing. I appreciated how Mel approached his relationship with Vivian in such a healthy way - respecting her boundaries and needs, and never wanting to push her too far or make her uncomfortable.

Was this review helpful?

Do you enjoy stand up comedy?
With the question the only one comes to my mind is the series Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Not sure how many of you watched it, I liked that one.
Saying that listening and reading differs and I found myself enjoying this romantic comedy.

This one was different to what I usually read when it comes to rom-com and I am surprised how much I liked it. This enemies to lovers was deep with thoughtful and realistic characters that you will relate to.

Vivian and Mel both were interesting leads with each having their own experiences to lead them where they are. They were contrast to each other. Vivian being sophisticated and serious, Mel being life of the party types.

What was different in this is the fact that the author gave them a perfect balance of relationship with not turning upside down their life and suiting it to what works for them. You will know when you read this.

The story and what it entails with highlighting about Asian culture was well written. I liked how the author touched topics that are important and addressed them so well. Overall this was a great read and am definitely picking up next work by the author.

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed being back in the Donut Fall in Love world. This time the story focuses on Lindsay's best friend Vivian Liao, and Ryan's best friend, Melvin Lee. Like Ryan, Melvin is a celebrity - an actor and stand up comedian, while Vivian works in finance. Vivian is a fan of Melvin's comedy until they meet one night and he insults her, basically calling her a corporate finance drone and a sell-out. Vivian vows never to speak to him again, but that plan goes off the rails when Lindsay and Ryan set a wedding date and both Vivian and Melvin are asked to be in the wedding party.

I loved the characters in this story. They were definitely the highlight for me, especially the deep dive into Melvin's character. On the surface, particularly because of his stand up comedy persona, he comes across as loud, brash and sometimes rude. But once you peel off that outer layer, he's actually a really sensitive guy who is going through a lot.

Vivian is also a character that I loved getting to know. She's dealing with a very complicated family history and dynamic. She has put up a lot of walls to protect herself and all she has worked for, and so to Mel and to a lot of other people, she comes across as a bit of an "ice princess." I loved getting a more in-depth look at what made Vivian the way she is and getting to see that so much of what comes across as icy and aloof is really just shyness and vulnerability.

It was a lot of fun watching Vivian and Melvin move through the awkward stages of enemies to friends to more than friends as they decide to call a truce so as not to ruin Ryan and Lindsay's special day. The more they interact, the more it's clear how good they are for each other and I was definitely rooting for a happily ever after for them.

The only drawback for me was that I felt the pacing was a little show at times, particularly when Melvin is on stage doing his comedy routines. That part dragged a bit for me and since the romance was also slow burn, I found myself occasionally wanting to just skip ahead and get to the good stuff.

Still a very enjoyable read overall and one I recommend to anyone who's a fan of the opposites attract trope and of slow burn romances.

Was this review helpful?