I thought this book was really cute! I went in with basically no expectations because this is a new to me author, but was pretty pleasantly surprised with it. Pippin and Toby were really cute and I always love friends to lovers so it was a good time with that. I wish we got a little more Toby time, or even chapters in his POV because he really felt like a secondary character in comparison to everything else going on. I also just thought he was really sweet and the chemistry between him and Pippin was so fun that I just selfishly wanted more.

So so so so so good. I loved this book. I'm definitely a mood reader, and this was perfect for what I was in the mood to read. I love friends to lovers, especially when it's a slow burn. And ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY COMMUNICATE. It was a little iffy on the communication there for a second, but only cause Pip was so busy. But it was mutual!! They were both aware!! It wasn't one-sided avoidance!!
Toby was literally so thoughtful and patient and caring. I FREAKING LOVE HIM. I loved that the romance was kinda on the back burner, though, too!

I feel like this story, for me, is really about the family and the expectations that come with family. Pippin had to learn to let go of what she was grasping onto with both hands. She had to believe that she was more than this job she was stuck with after her father died. Yes, the restaurant was there family's but it was all she was. She had to learn who she was outside of all these things that she felt defined her, like her sister or the restaurant.

Pippin's story arc through this book was endearing and definitely relatable. I spent so much of it being like, "same, girl." I love her. She is me. We are one. I love this book. And I LOVE TOBY. I am not afraid to yell it. Thanks, bye!

This is a quick and fun read. A retelling of the classic film, "Father of the Bride". Pippin's twin sister returns from studying abroad.... with a surprise fiancé in tow. With her plans for a summer of sister one-on-one time, in the past, Pippin is ill-equipped to deal with even more change coming her way. However, one positive change is the surprise return of her best friend Tobt, who recently graduated from med school. This story certainly had charm but it did take me a long time to connect with the main character. Her stubbornness came off as single-minded. I did find myself applauding her eventual development. A lot of meaningful exciting, and engaging potential scenes were done off-screen instead of being played out for the reader to see which is a shame. To summarize this book is cute and charming but a lot was missing that would have made the story great.

This unfortunately didn’t work for me.
I am enjoying the author's writing, however the story is dragging and it feels like nothing much is happening. I wanted more Toby and Pippin, but in the 25% that I have read so far, only two interactions have happened between them.
I keep hoping for more, but I'm not patient enough to read more, so I'm dnf'ing.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

This is a well-written book, but it started out as too much family drama and not enough romance for me. DNF. I'm sure others will enjoy it.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I loved this novel. Written like a love letter to the city of Boston, I was shocked to find out Lauren Morrill doesn't live here. This book features Italian and Irish Catholic characters, and does an excellent job of not stereotyping or mocking either heritage or faith. This book is a delicious friends to lovers story about life long best friends. It's about family and duty to those we have lost. It's also about patience and compromise. This book puts the comedy in rom-com and not in a hijinks-y way. It has some zinger lines and some big, swoony feels. The man main character is my favorite book guy I've read this year. I highly recommend Sister of the Bride.

Pippin doesn't have time for anything besides running her family's restaurant. Sure, she's pulled it out of what could have been a disaster, but running behind and thin is exhausting. Her twin comes home affianced and her mother announces they're selling the building and business, thus throwing Pippin's world into a tail spin. Her saving grace is the return of her best friend, Toby.
The best part of this novel was the dad joke intros to every chapter. They added a levity and sweetness that gave me a huge appreciation for Toby. Which - to that end - I think having his POV would have improved the read for me to as I found Pippin to be fairly unlikeable which could have been a perfect Julia Roberts "Jules" nod. She read as two different characters from the first to the second half. I expected a little more My Best Friend's Wedding but her angst and shock over her sister's engagement fizzled out to nothing without a seamless transition.
Thank you to Yellow House Media and Netgalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

⭐️- 3.5

This book started a little slow but I really ended up enjoying it. I love the childhood friends trope, I think it’s really relatable and always adds a hint of nostalgia. There was believable chemistry and great spice build up. I did wish there were less political talk because I use books as reprieve form that. But over all a solid read.

Unfortunately wasn't able to connect with the plot line nor the author's style.

DNF at 30%

Now, does that mean is a bad book? not really it might not had been for me but totally should give it a try who knows maybe this is the book you might be waiting for :)

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read the e-arc.

I absolutely adored "Sister of the Bride." Main character and narrator Pippen Marino basically learns to be a grownup on the pages of this book as pretty much everything in her life changes, starting with her twin sister's unexpected engagement and wedding, and ending with Pippen's seemingly newfound lust for her newly returned to town best friend, Toby. There is no big bad here - no big lies, no third act breakup, no non-redeemable characters. This is a simple story of growth, acceptance of self and others, and a realization of love. With some hot sexy times thrown in. I highly recommend.

5 stars. Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for a complimentary ARC of this book. The opinions herein are my own.

Sister of the Bride is a slow-burn, single POV, friends to lovers romance that has food imagery, dad jokes, and familial relationships at it's core.

I think the first half of this book is a little slow in order to really make the payoff work - and it does! If you're finding the first half just a little slow, I highly recommend to keep reading because at about 50% things really start moving and I couldn't put it down!

I loved the exploration of the family dynamics and how hard (but important!) change can be - I haven't read a true friends to lovers in a while and thought this was a really good example of how difficult a changing dynamic can be but how rewarding it can also be. I struggled with Pippin's character a bit in the beginning just with her communication style but the end has a moment that I loved SO MUCH and I need to scream about it here. After she and Toby sleep together for the first time, Pippin is rushing out of his apartment for her sister's wedding and runs into his ex who is coming to meet Toby for brunch, which he didn't tell Pippin about. Instead of rushing to a conclusion and making assumptions, Pippin says to herself that there must be an explanation because she is so sure of Toby's feelings for her. LAUREN THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS SCENE!!! As a general hater of the miscommunication trope, I love seeing scenes where communication is handled so matter-of-fact and characters don't jump to conclusions.

Sister of the Bride pubs September 12 and it is a super fun friends to lovers romp with allllll the Italian food!

Thank you to Netgalley, Yellow House Media, and Lauren for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

3 stars.

"Sister of the Bride" by Lauren Morrill is a mixed bag for me. Despite this being billed as a romance, I'd say that what works best for this story is the exploration of the changing relationship between the main character, Pippin, and her twin sister Polly (vomitously nicknamed Pepperoni and Pizza... seriously, this made me roll my eyes soooo much whenever it was used in earnest). Polly is about to get married to the love of her life, Mackenzie, after returning home from London, and Pippin cannot deal. She's shocked that Polly is ready to tie the knot after only six months of dating Mackenzie. Pippin's life is also in a freefall for a myriad of other reasons. She recently found out that her mom and grandma are set to sell the building that houses both their home and their family's Italian restaurant, which she takes as a personal affront to the memory of her father, who died at the age of 51. Pippin is a total control freak, and I found it difficult to connect with her because she gets upset about every little thing! Sweat the big stuff, sure, but there's so much that she freaks out about for no reason without thinking rationally! She really needed to slow her roll! At least Mackenzie's mom attempted to put her in check about her privilege. As far as the romance goes, I just didn't feel any sort of connection between Pippin and Toby until the 70-ish% range of the book. I usually adore the friends-to-lovers trope, but this story didn't do it for me in that aspect. Honestly? I thought Toby and Pippin worked better as friends. They needed to have A LOT more open communication, in my opinion. Still, their banter is good regardless of their relationship status. The pacing is so, so off that I found it challenging to keep reading this story. Some might consider this a slow burn, but I just consider this slow. I think with some editing and tweaks, this could be an amazing book. (PS: I know we're not supposed to judge too harshly since this ARC is an uncorrected proof, but I've never read a story with quite so many spelling and grammatical errors before, and it took me out of the story trying to get what words were actually supposed to be on the page)

Thank you to NetGalley, Lauren Morrill, and Yellow House Media for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

If you are looking for a book that will give you a few hours of escape, then this is a good one to pick up and read.
Sister of the Bride by Lauren Morrill is a light easy read. Pippin and Toby fit together so well. Being with them as they discover what could possibly be them finding the one that is for them.
I was so glad I read this book by Lauren Morrill. This is the first book I have read by her, and I will be looking for more to read.
Thank you NetGalley, Lauren Morrill and Yellow House Media. This is my personal review. The cover is perfect for the story!

I really wanted to enjoy this, especially because lasagna (the way to my heart) is mentioned really early on but honestly this read just didn’t hold my attention.

The friendship (which is supposed to turn into a relationship) feels awkward, not a lot has actually happened and I’m just bored. I even tried putting it aside and coming back to it but ultimately I’m dnfing at 21%.

Bonus points for the dad jokes though.

Pippin Marino has been running the 100-year-old family restaurant for the last few years. Her twin sister is returning from Europe after studying aboard. After she returns, she announces that she is engaged, and Pippin is going to have to plan the wedding.
Pippin has been BFF with Toby Sullivan for 20 years and he shows back up in town after 8 years of being in California studying to be a doctor. He is taking a job at the local hospital in the ER department.
Toby no longer has a girlfriend and after a spontaneous kiss with him it changes their relationship. Pippin is now having thoughts about Toby and more than being just friends. Toby is also keeping secrets from Pippin and needs to come clean about his return to Boston.

I really enjoy Lauren Morrill's YA books so I requested this without reading what it was about. And it was great, but my goodness it needs a better editor. For example, on one page the main character is wearing 4 inch heels, the next, she's wearing 3 inch ones. Please please clean this book up! I loved it and want it to succeed, but it doesn't seem like it's publish-worthy quite yet. (I'd give it 5 stars if it weren't for the editing errors.)

Sister of the Bride was downright delightful. I picked this up intending to flip through the first few pages but was almost immediately hooked. I’m a sucker for childhood friends to lovers arc when it’s executed well and doesn’t take the instalove path and Pippin and Toby’s story was a delicious slow burn. The breadcrumbing was perfectly done and I felt the yearning. Toby was a perfect cinnamon roll of a hero. Charming, mature and with a lil bit of a dirty mouth. Also, he’s a doctor. I rest my case.

The banter, the chemistry, the perfect amount of steam, the dad jokes and the Italian food??? This book was such a hoot. But don’t let the cutesy cover fool you.. there are some deep cuts in here. The lovely long game of Pippin and Toby’s will-they-won’t they is punctuated by a whole host of lovely little morsels of growth for Pippin. From dealing with wedding planning shenanigans, her perfectionist tendencies, a bit of grief, and changes to her family dynamic, I felt so deeply seen by Morrill’s portrayal of mid-twenties chaos and existential dread. At times I caught myself a little annoyed with Pippin’s reactions to changes in her life only to realise shortly afterwards that the precise reason why is because I’d have probably reacted similarly. Pippin’s messy, an overachiever and a little bit lost. And most of all, she’s fiercely protective of her family. Oftentimes at the expense of her own identity. She is me. I bloody loved her story, and her growth was so perfectly done. There were a few potential conflicts that presented themselves towards the end that I was scared would sour the entire thing for me and negate the growth we’d seen but thankfully Pippin made very mature decisions and miscommunication did not win. A+ for Lauren Morrill.

I can’t recommend this enough if you’re wanting a read that oozes charm, relatability, and a lovely little slowburn.

Best Friends to Lovers, corny jokes, no third act breakup? HELL YEAH. This book might not be for everyone, but it doesn't need to be. It leaves more to those who do.

Listen, I love a good dad joke and this had plenty, but unfortunately that was the main reason I kept going: to see the next joke.

I know there is an audience for this, but unfortunately it wasn’t me. I couldn’t connect to the characters and I didn’t feel strongly about their relationship one way or the other. Friends to lovers is also one of my least favorite tropes, so that definitely was working against it. If that’s something you love, then absolutely give it a shot.

I’m definitely not counting this author out though and will be looking forward to seeing what they do next.

Thanks to Yellow House Media, Netgalley and the author for an ARC of this book. I am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily.

This adult debut is so delightful I grinned the whole way through. I loved Pippin and her steadfast resistance to change - she reminded me of myself a lot. Polly is a perfect foil to Pippin with her optimism and idealism, and the fact that we never know really what Toby is thinking is lots of fun to read.

There are some really funny moments, a bit of steam and plenty of swoon in this quick, light read. Although there are some moments where grief is addressed, it's not too heavy. Toby is a cream puff ... or should I say cannoli.

Be ready to feel like pizza after reading this.