Such a funny and sweet story about acceptance and love. Told through everyone's perspective, I loved the insight and banter between characters. Laughed and cried and loved it.

To know Byron is to love him and the same goes for his story telling. Big Gay Wedding is filled to the brim with humor and wit all the while being sentimental and thought provoking. Can't wait for more from this great author!

Big Gay Wedding was then perfect mix of poignant and hilarious. When Chrissy hears her son, Barnett, is coming back to their Louisiana farm, she assumes he is planning on leaving his LA life behind to come take over the farm. Instead, Barnett tells her he is engaged (to a man!) and wants to get married at the farm. Chrissy must reconcile her Catholic faith and her grief that her son is gay with her love for her son and not wanting to lose him. Not only does Barnett come to the farm but so does his New Yorker fiancé, Ezra, and, soon after their engagement, Ezra’s parents. With their own quirky personalities, hilarity is bound to ensue. The book made me laugh but it also made me hide from my children and cry (especially the last chapter!).

I'm sorry to say this one was a DNF for me. I was 38% (page 110, chapter 10) when I gave up.
I had high hopes for this story as I love rom-coms with LGBTQ+ main characters but that was not the vibe I got from this story. I was disappointed.

Most of the book thus far was from the pov of Chrissy, the homophobic mother of one of the grooms, Barnett. I'm sure from the title that eventually she comes around to her son and his big gay wedding. But hearing her inner monologue of prejudice, being an overbearing mother and her depressing thoughts about her deceased husband were too much of a downer. I guess I was expecting something much lighter.
I wasn't impressed with Ezra's ridiculous, one dimensional family either. They added some much needed levity but it was so far in the opposite direction it was too much. Ezra's sister was the worst. At least Schitt's Creek characters were endearing, these city slickers were just awful. As much as I was rooting for Barnett and Ezra and I really wanted to see them married, I couldn't finish the book.

I'm sure plenty of people would enjoy this kind of story but it wasn't for me.

Thank you to Netgally and Holt Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

This was a cute, fun read! I enjoyed this cast of kooky characters - minus the mom at times. I wish we’d had a bit more focus on Barnett and Ezra over the mom and the sheep. The mom was kind of a drag the whole book and very self centered which she even acknowledges. The explanations of the wedding and the characters are so over the top but in a good way and make you grin while reading. The ending felt like it dragged a bit with the intense focus on Elaine. That would have been a really good separate short story. Lane would probably make an awesome short story collection!

Thank you Netgalley and Henry Holt for my e-copy!

This book was so delightful, I enjoyed everything from the setting to the characters. I loved Barnett and Ezra. Chrissy, the mother of the groom, grew on me, and I was genuinely rooting her on by the end. All in all, this book made me laugh and cry in equal measures. The only critique I would have is that the constantly changing POV was a little confusing at times, but it kept the pace moving really well so it didn't bother me all that much!

Oh my gosh, I loved this book! I just bawled my eyes out over a sheep.

This book was at times hilarious and other times heartfelt. It strikes a perfect balance between the two.

I loved Chrissy's transformation throughout the story. At the beginning she's making lists about why Ezra wasn't right for her son, but by the end she feels close enough to read him the list and contradict every item. I really liked that it was mostly told from Chrissy's point of view--it was so interesting to read a first-person POV of her change of heart.

Nearly every character has an amazing arc, and I loved them all. Barnett was initially afraid to tell his mother he was engaged, but the family ends up challenging homophobia in their conservative small town and throwing the wedding of the season.

The number one sign of a great book is when it makes me both laugh and cry. Big Gay Wedding certainly hit both marks. I loved it and can't wait to read more by Byron Lane.

I started reading Lane’s Big Gay Wedding in June for pride month. Obviously I didn’t finish it before the end of the month. Life’s been crazy.

That being said— this book was the perfect escape at the end of the day when life was moving so quickly. Featuring a small town, lots of lovable and eccentric characters, and queer joy that made my heart sing, Big Gay wedding felt like a warm hug. At times, I was laughing out loud. Others I was tearing up. Others I was giggling and kicking my feet. Overall, a great time!!

Thank you to the author, the publishers and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

🩵AUDIOBOOK REVIEW🩵

Big Gay Wedding - Byron Lane
Rating: 4/5 ⭐️

“Two grooms. One mother of a problem.

Barnett Durang has a secret. No, not THAT secret. His widowed mother has long known he’s gay. The secret is Barnett is getting married. At his mother’s farm. In their small Louisiana town. She just doesn’t know it yet.

It’ll be an intimate affair. Just two hundred or so of the most fabulous folks Barnett is shipping in from the “heathen coasts,” as Mom likes to call them, turning her quiet rescue farm for misfit animals into a most unlikely wedding venue.

But there are forces, both within this modern new family and in the town itself, that really don’t want to see this handsome couple march down the aisle. It’ll be the biggest, gayest event in the town’s history if they can pull it off, and after a glitter-filled week, nothing will ever be the same. Big Gay Wedding is an uplifting book about the power of family and the unconditional love of a mother for her son.”

I cried so many times during this one! Happy tears, sad tears, ALL the feels. I think I went in expecting a romantic comedy - and don’t get me wrong, it was romantic and also funny - but I didn’t expect the emotion! We see Barnett’s mom struggling and growing so much throughout the story. Papaw was my absolute favorite - showing wellare never to old to change and be more accepting. He also showed how much the things that matter can change when facing death. Barnett and Ezra were so sweet together with so much chemistry!

This one will definitely stick with me for a long time! 🩷 So why only 4 stars? I struggled a bit with how alcoholism was handled - especially how easy it seemed to be for Ezra’s mom to quit.

The audiobook was fantastic, narrated by @noahegalvin! Each character had so much heart and emotion.

Recommend if you like:
- Gay romance
- Overcoming complicated family dynamics
- Sweet rescue animals 🐑
- Small town stories
- Hilarious moments
- The best Papaw

🩵Have you ever raised animals or done any farming? Do you have a garden?

#pride #pridemonth #gayromance #lgbtqia #lgbtqbooks #lgbtqreads #biggaywedding #byronlane #audiobook #audiobookreview

Chrissy Durang runs the Polite Society Ranch. Her husband is deceased and her son Barnett lives across the country so she's a bit lonely. When Barnett returns for a visit, Crissy plans to ask him to take over the family business. However, Barnett has other plans. He wants to get married - to a man - and his mother is more than a little homophobic.

Big Gay Wedding is a rollercoaster of emotions. At times it's laugh-out-loud funny while at others it's a combination of enraging and sad. It started off moving at a quick pace but started to drag in the middle and didn't really let up for the remainder of the story. There were a lot of characters, many of which seemed unnecessary to the story. It was entertaining overall, but I think it could have done with a little more editing. 3.5/5 stars

Thanks to Henry Holt and Co. and NetGalley for a review copy of this book.

Told from multiple points of view, even a dog and a sheep, I love how I got to know what everyone was thinking at one point or another. This story is about families coming together to celebrate two great men as they get married and one mom’s struggle to accept her son as he is.

Big Gay Wedding has laughter and tears. I’d say more laughter than tears but that last chapter had me sobbing.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book is out now!

I enjoyed this book, but it was not what I was expecting at all. While there were moments of levity, this story was a lot heavier than I expected it to be and more absurd in others. I've seen reviews that compare it to Schitt's Creek and I do see some of those similarities. However those aspects of the book carried a lot of weight in the story (alcoholism, relationship strains) and I think the expectation was that it would be a lighthearted part compared to the extreme homophobia presented in the rest of the book. With all that being said, the book was well-written, the MCs were ones I cheered on, and lets be honest the farm animals were the best. 3.5-4 stars for me.

This book was not at all what I expected. I went in expecting a light, funny book with a wedding that was extra. This book is actually more about heavy moments in life, like death, separation, and coming out. The level of homophobia was sad but I’m sure it is reality in many areas in the south. There were short bursts of humor but it was not the overall “vibe” of this book.

Funny, irreverent, smart, well written and a truly fabulous read. Chrissy knows that her son Barnett is gay, she has just never acknowledged it out loud or to him and it has caused their once close relationship to become quite distant. All she wants is for him to return home to live the life she wants for him. When he does come back it isn’t for the reason she was hoping for and they’re still so far apart from each other emotionally. The divide makes the Grand Canyon seem like a hop skip and a jump. Can and will they find their way back to a healthy loving accepting parent/adult child relationship? The title and release date may lead you to believe its a light fun beach read. It is, but it is so much note than that alone. Some heavy and emotionally difficult issues are tackled both within a family and the small town. A wonderfully written journey that though about love at its very core.

A fictional town filled to the brim with mostly well-meaning Christians who just don't know what to think about a (formerly) local gay man and his future husband hosting a large wedding in their cozy farm town. We get a mother who loves her son but needs to work on her own acceptance and growth. We get Imperfect characters who show up for each other, LGBTQ pride. Animal points of view. Laughs. Tears. Byron Lane gives us all of it, and had me laughing at so many parts in the story- then crying, too. Big Gay Wedding is a novel about the power of love, no matter who it is between. I hope this sweet story gives a voice to anyone who thinks they can’t be themselves around the people who have always loved them. I loved this book!

What are your must-have ingredients for a perfect summer read? I want a book that captures my attention from the start, the kind of book I can't stop reading. I need to fall for the characters and have someone to root for. Most importantly, I need an intelligent book that doesn't take itself too seriously. Bring on some humor! My last few reads have been tense thrillers and a war epic, so I was desperately in need of that perfect summer read. Lucky for me, a copy of Byron Lane's new novel Big Gay Wedding arrived at my door courtesy of his publisher. It was exactly the kind of book I was looking for.

Chrissy's life has seen a lot of change in the past few years. Her son Barnett moved from the rural Louisianna farm to the "heathen coasts" of Los Angeles. Her husband passed away, leaving Chrissy alone to run the family farm. Now she makes ends meet by hosting school tours of the farm. Despite all the change, Chrissy hangs onto the hope that one day Barnett will move back to take over the family estate. He's coming home for a visit this weekend and has told her that he has something he wants to tell her. Could this be the thing Chrissy has been waiting for? Is Barnett finally moving back home?

Barnett's return to the farm he grew up on is filled with trepidation. He loves his mom, but his coming out to her caused their relationship to become distant. He knows his mom loves him, but her deep-rooted faith prevents her from truly accepting him for who he is. Knowing this only makes Barnett more nervous. You see, he's come home to introduce him to Ezra the man he loves with all of his heart. As if that's not enough, the couple is planning to get married. They hope to have the wedding at the family farm. The wheels have been put in motion to have the event this weekend. Will Chrissy press the breaks, or finally accept her son and the man he loves?

Big Gay Wedding sees Byron Lane write a novel that wears its heart on its sleeves. As I read the opening chapters, I couldn't help but think of the work it took my own mom to come to terms with me being gay. There was a period when both of us weren't sure how to communicate with each other, but our unconditional love won out. Lane doesn't shy away from the complex realities of homophobia. This fictional town is laced with well-meaning Christians who just don't know what to make of the loud and proud gay couple who are hosting a large event in their town. Lane laces the entire book with humor that had me audibly laughing at several points in the story. His characters are larger than life and will have you rooting for them even during their most absurd moments. Ultimately Big Gay Wedding is a novel about the unyielding power of love. Gay, straight, or somewhere in between, this is the kind of aspirational story that will appeal to summer readers of all kinds.

Big Gay Wedding is an awesome attention-getting book title. But in Byron Lane’s touching story, the wedding itself isn’t the point. Yes, there is a wedding. Yes, it’s big and it’s gay. But the heart of the book is the relationship between Barnett and his mother, Chrissy.

When we first meet Chrissy - aka Farmer Mom - she is eagerly awaiting the arrival of her son, visiting from L.A. It quickly becomes clear that although she loves her son fiercely, their “don’t ask, don’t tell” conversations have resulted in a very superficial knowledge of each other’s lives. But all that changes when Barnett announces his engagement to Ezra.

After years of willful ignorance, Chrissy finds herself hosting Barnett’s wedding in just a couple wild life-changing weeks. She may not support gay marriage, but she loves her son. In the end, she’s willing to face the town’s prejudices and her own for Barnett’s happiness.

If you’re a fan of 90s comedies like My Big Fat Greek Wedding or Julia Robert’s My Best Friend’s Wedding, you will enjoy this book. The main characters are larger-than-life with some down right wacky supporting characters, and the pacing is on track with a 90 minute movie.

Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for providing this ARC.

5 Huge Stars

At first I wasn't sure how I felt about this book. As the pages turned I feel madly in love with the two men that are deeply central to this book. Barnett born from proud farmers in rural Louisianna and Ezra, my hocus pocus favorite, that had a very privileged childhood with quirky yet loving parents.
Widowed Chrissy is deeply rooted in her farm and wants nothing more than her only child to leave his job in California and take over.
Barnett has a successful career and also has a truth his mom can no longer deny. He is engaged to Ezra and this gay thing is not a phase or will disappear as much as Chrissy wants it to. At first she is not likeable and her outdated views border on homophobia.
I urge the readers to give Chrissy time, she earns my respect and I didn't feel her growth was as lightening quick as some reviews stated. Love is love, that is true, and this mother's love is a special thing once see is able to see past her fears.
Ezra with his mystical ways had my heart and I really enjoyed his twin sister. Yes she was ridiculous but as you get to know her you realize what an amazing, and caring person she is. I am glad I didn't give up on this book.
I found myself rereading passages and
laughing out loud. There were also heart rendering, poignant moments that had me balling. Plesse give this book the chance it deserves. I will keep this story in my heart for a long time.
Special thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book for my reading pleasure.

I was so, so excited to get approved to read this book. So, first, a thank you to the publishers for 1) publishing this book. We NEED diverse stories. And 2) thank you for approving me to read this one. This was one that sounded right up my alley. Coming from a small, “back woods”, southern town in Mississippi with a bigoted mother, this premises sounded all too familiar. But, oof! It did not go well for me. I appreciate the levity that Byron tried to bring to the story. But this was a farce that leaned too far into absurd. The characters became too big, too unrealistic, too…everything. Just all around too much. Especially Nichole. That’s kinda where this story took a turn, for me. I was, mostly, really enjoying it. But once that character came in, the tone and absurdity shifted and it became, almost, an entirely different story and one I just couldn’t jive with. Not to mention the mother’s 180 was just…lacking. It fell so flat. I kept wanting Lane to lean in and explore the bigotry, the mother/son conflict it was causing, and her eye-opening transformation. But he shied away at every opportunity. It was just another disappointing factor for me. And I can’t even articulate my disdain for that last chapter. It seemed too desperate.

This book is perfect for fans of Schitt’s Creek. This story has many hurdles for the characters to face; mainly Barnett and his mother, Chrissy. It’s a love letter to your mom, and simultaneously a love letter to your son. This book is told in third person omniscient POV, which was a new one for me. I enjoyed that aspect, but also found it a bit challenging for my brain; it’s only made me want to find other stories written like this. The ending was so sad, and I can’t help but feel like that last chapter wasn’t necessary. Over all - I really enjoyed this book, and I love Barnett and Ezra’s love.