I thought Sister of the Bride was really cute. If you like best friends to lovers, this is the book for you! The story follows Pippin as her twin sister shares that she's engaged completely out of the blue after a 6 month long trip to the UK. Pippin is wrangled into becoming the wedding planner at the same time as she has to become okay with this whole arrangement. To add more drama to the mix, her mom has decided to sell her beloved Boston family restaurant of 100 years. Pippin has no idea who she is outside of keeping the restaurant afloat after her father's death 8 years ago. Luckily, her best friend Toby has decided to move home after 8 years across the country in California for med school. He is her rock that she can tell everything to. He becomes her sounding board for all of the problems she's facing. There's just one thing she is unprepared for. Toby is smoking hot. In the 8 years he's been gone he's transformed from a scrawny bean pole into a greek god. Now she has simmering feels that she has no idea what to do with. She is scared to tell Toby and ruin the only thing stable in her life, but of course Toby is in love with her and just wants her to realize it. The book follows them falling into each other in a great way. I found Pippin a little annoying towards the end with her denial of her feelings, but it wasn't anything to deter me from recommending this book.

What a fun read! I connected so quickly with Pippin, a restaurant manager/chef juggling way too many things and none that she picked herself; she was so likeable and relatable, flaws and all. Her relationships with her family were enviable and the super slow burn into something more with her best friend was entertaining. The writing flowed so well and drew me into the story. I’m usually easily distracted and take frequent breaks but I rarely put this one down.

What I loved the most about this book was the ending. Toby and Pippin together are so cute and complement each other so well. I also just love when the guy falls first and they both find their person.

Absolutely devoured this romcom by in one sitting! This was such a perfect friends-to-lovers romance with just the right amount of smut. I really enjoyed all of the characters (except Pippin the fmc). They were all so funny, especially Nonna, Pippin's grandma.

Sister of the Bride by Lauren Morrill is a five star read that is not to be missed. This is her debut foray into rom coms for adults. She is a successful YA author. Given how good this book was, I am sure I will be reading her other books, as well.

Pippin Marino likes things just the way they are, thank you very much. It turns out the universe has other ideas for her. It’s one thing to have her twin away in Europe but now she’s engaged to be married and has asked Pippin to plan their wedding. No problem since she is running their family’s restaurant. At least that is a constant until her mother announces that she is going to sell it. It is a legacy that Pippin has been struggling to maintain in her father’s memory but her father never intended for her to feel tied to it. Now Pippin is adrift in so many ways with the future seeming so uncertain.

The only silver lining for her is that her best friend Toby has moved back to Boston to pursue his medical career. Pippin is ecstatic to have Toby back into her life. He has even agreed to help her plan the wedding. But Toby’s feelings for Pippin go beyond the bff stage and have for many years. Pippin is unaware that his feelings run deeper and they share a kiss that changes everything! There’s that word again - change.

Pippin has a lot on her plate. Will she be able to come to terms with the sale of her beloved family’s business? Has she always had stronger feelings for her bff? Pippin learns that change is not a four letter word when you learn to open up to the people in your life who will always be there through it all. Maybe change is not such a bad thing after all.

I really enjoyed this book! I found it funny and poignant. The characters were lively and the dialog on point! I think you will enjoy it, too!

Pippin has been keeping the Marino family together since her father died 8 years ago. She has taken over her father's role of running the family restaurant while giving up on her dreams. During this time her best friend and her twin sister have been off enjoying life. Pippin has been managing. Barely keeping her head, and the restaurant, above water. However, when her sister returns from 6 months in London with a fiancé and her best friend returns home for good, Pippin feels like everything is falling down around her.

Toby has been best friends with Pippin for nearly his entire life. However, when he moved away to go to medical school and he started dating Jenny, they drifted apart. And so started the 'dad joke' tradition.
These dad jokes have kept the communication line open for years, but now he is home for good. He has left his research residency and has chosen to become an emergency resident, but why? Toby is a lovely cinnamon roll main character with the worst jokes.

What happens when Pippin disapproves of Polly's fiance and marriage? What will happen when Pippin's mother and grandmother decides to sell the restaurant? Will everything fall apart? And why is Toby back in town?

This was a sweet read about a family that are facing significant change. I really felt for Pippin and felt that her family were so focussed on the wedding that they gave her very little support. Selling a family business is heartbreaking for whoever is left behind. Maybe that was why Pippin was so oblivious to how Toby felt? In summary, this is nice but I would have preferred less wedding and more family.

Big thanks to NetGalley, Yellow House Media and Lauren Morrill for this early release copy.

Thank you to Lauren Morrill, Yellow House Media and Netgalley for an eACR in exchange for my honest opinion. Sister of the Bride is out and ready to enjoy!!

Even though I am not usually a fan of friends-to-lovers romances, I actually really enjoyed this one. I loved Pippin and Toby, and I thought they had a very good way of communicating with each other. I loved the side characters. If you are looking for a sweet, good and spicy romance Sister of the Bride is for you!

This is the first book I have read of Lauren Morrill. This was a super cute book. This was a friends to lovers trope and it will have you swooning and laughing out loud. This book will also give you the perfect amount of spice. I definitely recommend this book!


Thank you NetGalley and Yellow House Media for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest opinion.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun, friends-to-lovers novel. I enjoyed it a lot.

Adorable!! This book where he’s a cinnamon roll who falls first! Hook , line, sinker in love…. The banter, the journey was so funny and entertaining! So glad to be able to read this … #netgalley

Pippin and Toby have been best friends forever, Tobby is back after 8 years away in school. Pippin has her BFF and sister back and she has the biggest plans for the summer, but her sister has news and that creates a tsunami in Pippin's life, and on top of that she doesn't know how to handles this new feelings for Tobby. She is overwhelmed.

I really enjoy this book. totally loved the sisters nicknames pizza and pepperoni. Pippin is doing her best navigating with all the changes in her life. I would have love to see more of Tobby but the daily dad jokes were good.

I've enjoyed Morrill's YA books before - they're usually nice and bantery, super easy to read, and a lot of fun. I was so excited when I saw she wrote an adult contemporary romance and requested it immediately. SISTER OF THE BRIDE is apparently a Father of the Bride retelling (?) but I haven't seen the movie. I loved the premise of a girl having to plan her sister's wedding while falling in love with her best friend. This is the kind of book that you could easily sit and read in one sitting so I’m a little annoyed it took me so long to finish it! I started it right before my birthday weekend, which always gets too busy for reading.

In any case, the Italian food and Boston vibes were immaculate in this book. I'm from Connecticut so Boston is an hour and a half from where I live. It was fun to see what they included and how they presented the story. It was a really unique situation for the MC Pippin and it was fun to see how she would move on with her life after literally everything changed. She was occasionally frustrating but I have to say, the lack of drama and miscommunication in this one (especially in a few key areas near the end) was just perfect. She would get annoyed about something and freak out, then come back to earth and apologize. It was refreshing that she didn't let things get to her for too long and came to logical conclusions quickly after her freakouts. I love a friends-to-more romance and wedding planning in books, so both were winning elements for me. The love interest, Toby, was incredibly sweet.

I enjoyed meeting Pippin's family and a lot of the side characters but there could have been just a little more about them. The book could have benefited from like 20-40 more pages of development, maybe? I also think the synopsis of the book gives away a lot of plot elements that don't happen until 30% or more of the way through the book. There were a few repetitive sentences but they’re the type of thing that I think probably got cleaned up before the finished copy.

I really hope Morrill continues writing more books for adult readers! There’s the same charm and banter as her YA books so if you’re a fan of hers in general, I would recommend checking this one out as long as you don’t mind some spice!

I got this ARC a long time ago, and went into it completely blind — no idea who the author was or what it was about. Besides, you know, that is a wedding.

What I got is a charming story about two best friends who always loved each other, but only one of them knew it from the start. Toby is a gem, he is so devoted to Pippin, he is the only one who understands her and lets her be herself with him.

Pippin, I won’t lie, frustrated me more than once. I could even call her judgemental and unfair. But, in some cases, I actually agreed with her. Seriously, 8k wedding dress is ridiculous, I don’t care how pretty it is! Tell me, someone, is that a normal price for a wedding dress in the US?

Through the course of the story Pippin grew from scared and unsure into a confident woman, who managed to avoid the third act breakup all on her own. I was sure it was coming but my girl handled it like a grown-up! And all that in the midst of her life falling apart before her eyes.

Add to that the fact that I read it in Italy, so the mentions of Italian food were ✨perfection✨, plus the abundance of Grey’s Anatomy references — and I got myself a fantastic read!

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
🌶️🌶️ (“Tell me what you need to make you come.” — how I love a guy that’s secure enough to ask that!)
❤️❤️❤️❤️

Sister of the bride was a cute friends to lovers contemporary romance! I wasn’t sure I was going to finish the book as it had a slow start! I am glad I kept reading I really enjoyed the book!
Pippin and Toby are the perfect example of the most realistic friends to lovers!! The chemistry they shared was undeniable! This book had me laughing out loud at some parts! I always love when there is humor mixed in! The book had the perfect amount of spice! I always love when there is a nice balance of spice and plot! It honestly felt like I was watching a rom com in my head as I read the book! The book is a romcom remake of father of the bride which is a great movie and I definitely got those vibes! I highly recommend this book!

Thank you Netgalley for this arc!

I grew up watching Father of the Bride so I was beyond excited when I saw this was a retelling from the sisters pov 😍

When the first chapter opened with being in an Italian restaurant making lasagna with all the chaos and family banter I was in love. Family, grief, finding yourself and big life changes were the main themes of the book and I think that’s what made me love it so much!

Pippa was hard to like at first but relatable to me. The way she overthought everything even the simple things was me coded. She’s judgemental and controlling which bothered me. I understand her life is flipped upside but telling people how to live their life and spend their money is a bit far 😅 However,by the end, I was rooting for her happiness and growth. She was a good sister hobbling down the streets in Pollys heels at midnight 🥹🥹😭

Toby was easy to love. He’s cute, sensitive and patient. SO PATIENT 😭😭 he really loved pippa and I love his willingness to be vulnerable. The slow burn tension and banter between them was sooo good!! Childhood friends to lovers will always be a favourite trope. However, I did expect more romance in this book! I just felt like the romance took a backseat to pippas life and family drama. Toby would just literally pop up at the most randomest of times.

The plot was a little slow moving but I laughed a lot throughout the book. I did get a little sick of the dad jokes on every chapter (sorry 🥲). THE SMUT WAS HOT 😍😮‍💨

Overall, a cute book that I think would be perfect for readers going through life transitions that can be scary <<33

4/5!

I can easily say that this was one of my favorite arcs that I have ever read! Usually it takes awhile for me to get into arcs, but Sister of the Bride had me hooked from the start! Maybe its my love for the Hulu show The Bear (which it does not resemble that show at ALL but I immediately loved the restaurant set up of it all) or that fact that you don't see very many Friends-to-Lovers books out there in a Enemies-to-Lovers market!

I definitely recommend Sister of the Bride for its charming portrayal of Pippin and Toby's friendship and for the smut scenes that did not immediately make me want to curl in a ball like most other popular romance books! I also saw a lot of myself in Pippin and I too LOVE checklists! If you love checklists and having mini panic attacks, this book is for you!

It does kinda unravel a bit towards the end, the plot speeds up a lot (compared to other parts that span for chapters at a time) and some of Pippin's earlier holdbacks are immediately resolved without much reasoning to why, but I did not think they took away from the overall appeal of the story!

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for providing this ARC!

★ ★.5 | 🌶.5

18+

!! POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD PROCEED WITH CAUTION !!

*A special thank you to Netgalley and Yellow House Media for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*

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This book and I just didn’t mesh.

Y’all know, slow burn is just not one of my favorite tropes and I think this is a good example why. The plot just felt super imbalanced. Almost too much time passed between main parts of the book. You get more than half way into the book waiting for something to happen between the protagonists.

In the same vein, there really wasn’t enough interaction between Toby and Pippin to create the tension of a slow burn, friends-to-lovers story. They literally don’t spend much time together at all. The smutty scenes and the scenes where the do interact were nice to read, I just wish they happened more.

Pippin as a character was also just very irritating. I know the synopsis says she doesn’t like change, but that was taken to the max and it just made her an unbearable character. As for Toby, he doesn’t really have much of a personality at all.

This book has a lot of potential. But I feel like it was going in too many directions at once. I really didn’t get much of a romance vibe from it. It was more focused on Pippin and Polly. But even that was touched on very slightly. Like the selling of the restaurant was supposed to have this large emotional impact but was glossed over for the most part.

I think this novel has several bright spots and was an overall enjoyable read. I do feel like the pacing was fairly off. The introductory period of the book felt extremely long. However, I absolutely adored the characters themselves and the yearning was to die for. The family drama and the absence of 11th hour drama was refreshing and left me with the fuzzies all the way through to the end. Also, this book is FUNNY!

Friends to lovers and slow burn are two of my favorite tropes, and I really felt the slow burn here. Pippin and Toby were sweet and funny, but I missed a little angst and tension. Toby was my kind of man – attentive, golden retriever, he falls first, and his dad jokes and dirty talk hit the spot. Pippin was sweet, and I found her relatable.
But overall, this was a great read and I enjoyed it very much. It was lighthearted, and I liked the writing style, the author’s sense of humor, and the cover is just beautiful.

3.5 stars, rounded up

“Polly was the friend I was born with, but Toby was the friend I chose.”

I really enjoyed this adult debut. Sister of the Bride plays on the movie Father of the Bride with Steve Martin. In the movie his daughter is getting married, and he is just obsessed with the cost of the entire ordeal, while wrestling with not being able to let his baby girl go and accepting her fiancé into the family. I thought that the author did a good job of making this story her own thing and crafting some interesting storylines and side characters.

I love a good comedy and I was happy that this book had a few laugh out loud moments. I appreciated the Boston setting and even though I had no idea where or what everything was, I was able to picture it in my mind. There were, however, a few things such as some continuity issues and pacing that made me lower my rating. I wasn’t head over heels in love with this book, and there wasn’t anything objectively BAD about it, so overall it was enjoyable but there wasn’t enough sticking power to make it a super impressive read.

Pippin was a cute character, but I didn’t necessarily love her. I completely understood her motivations for wanting to keep the restaurant in the family, and her worrying about finances because those things were of major importance to her (& bc they were important to her dad). She felt forced into the life she had because she wasn't willing to sever a connection with her father and feared the unknown, so she held onto what she could. I didn’t see her as immature or silly, but I felt that her character could have dug deeper in some other aspects, especially her relationship with her twin sister Polly!

Toby, for me, was the star of the show, but we barely got anything from him until the last half of the book. I think if this book was dual POV, that would have given it a bit more tension and made it a bit more angsty for a friends to lovers type story. That being said, I loved how he constantly took care of Pippin and wanted the very best for her. He was so considerate and when it was time to lay it all on the line, he was honest and gave Pippin the time to catch up. Plus, his dad jokes and dirty talk weren’t half bad!

There were a few areas where I felt like there were a few holes, but later in the story, it was magically resolved or taken care of off page. I wish we were able to see them happen as it would have made the story flow a little better. Additionally, the pacing felt a little off throughout the book. I know this is an uncorrected proof, but there were also a handful of areas that could have been improved with a bit more editing.

If you’re looking for a lighthearted and cute friends to lovers story where he falls first, you should pick this up! It’s a really sweet adult debut and I liked the author’s humor and writing style. I look forward to seeing what she does next!

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I’ve been a huge fan of Lauren Morrill since I read (and re-read) her debut YA book Meant to Be, so to say that I was super excited for her adult debut is an understatement. Luckily, Sister of the Bride totally lived up to the hype I’d created in my own head.

Pippin Marino doesn’t do well with change, and the book follows her as she deals with her twin sister’s sudden engagement, planning the wedding, her suddenly insanely hot best friend Toby moving back to town, and her mom dropping a bomb about the family business. Her semi-constant state of panic is all too relatable, considering all that change, and I loved going along with her for the ride as she tried to deal with everything.

Pippin’s family is hilarious and realistic and loving. Tbh, all the characters jump off the page here and will make you love them. Morrill’s hilarious and heartwarming approach to creating characters and crafting the central romance hasn’t changed from YA to adult romance, except that the romance itself is spicier.

My main complaint about the book isn’t even a complaint at all – there were so many moments I wanted to read into the pages of this book and shake Pippin by the shoulders because Toby is RIGHT THERE. Toby Sullivan is the best kind of friends to lovers book boyfriend – he’s so supportive of Pippin, knows her so well, and when he starts to turn the flirting up to eleven, he knows exactly how to get under her skin. They’re some kind of magic together, and the reader will discover that long before Pippin comes to terms with it.

Sister of the Bride is a touching, funny, sexy first foray into adult romance, and I cannot recommend it enough!