What a wonderful read! This is a book that is both entertaining and allows you to learn new things about yourself.

Phoebe arrives in Cornwall with the goal of treating herself to one last indulgence before she ends her life. Instead she becomes embroiled in a wedding party that allows her to rethink her decisions.

I cannot say enough about the depth of this book. There are deeply sad moments, humorous mishaps, new and life-changing relationships, and so much drama!

Phobe Stone arrives at the Cornwall Hotel all dressed up without a piece of luggage -as she has run away from her depressing life. She finds herself as the only person at the hotel not invited to a week long celebration of a wedding, This is one of the best books I’ve read this year, I loved all the characters and felt like I knew them. It was a book of self discovery, new friendships and realizing that with everything sad in life - there is a way to make it to better days.

This was a quick read for me because I had to read "just one more chapter" to find out what was going to happen next. The writing made me laugh out loud more than once which is saying something when it's a book where the main characters suffer from depression. As someone who works in healthcare and has experience dealing with the different iterations of depression and mental health in general, I appreciated how well researched the depictions of depression were in this book. As a reader, you could see the different ways this can manifest in people and how they deal with it.

I loved Phoebe and want a sequel to this book!

This book was very inspirational in that it took characters in various degrees of learning about themselves and shows how they each cope with that. I feel the readers can see themselves in the characters and relate to how painful the growth is. What happens when everything you believed about yourself isn’t real? What if you realize everything you thought you wanted in life ended up not being so? How often do we try to force ourselves to fit into a mold rather than finding the mold we fit in easily. It was courageous how the characters all changed in the span of a week during a very pivotal time of their lives.

The Wedding People follows Phoebe Stone, a woman at rock bottom who unexpectedly gets swept into the chaos of a lavish wedding at a Newport hotel. What starts as a weekend of despair turns into an unlikely journey of hilarity and self-discovery, thanks to the bride’s relentless determination to keep Phoebe from ruining her perfect event. Espach’s writing is witty and observant, capturing the absurdity of high-society weddings while exploring themes of grief, reinvention, and human connection. The novel balances its heavier moments with giggle-inducing scenes, keeping it both poignant and entertaining.

Set in a seaside hotel, this novel captures the awkward, poignant, and sometimes magical liminal spaces where strangers collide. Espach’s characters are full of longing and sharp observation, and she builds tension with subtle emotional truths. A surprisingly profound and altogether glorious beach read.

Adding my voice to the chorus of people who loved this book. Unexpected turns, humor, humanity and a wedding setting. Love a book that turns the premise on its ear. And the audiobook delivered in bringing this book to life.

Good gracious did I love this. What an affirming and moving novel. It has it all. So funny, so moving, and both heartbreaking and uplifting.

This was such a funny, sharp, heartwarming read—it deserves all the praise it's received! The themes of determining your own life and enjoying being alive were so resonant without being overdone, and all the humor of all the chaos surrounding the wedding was pitch perfect. Cannot quite sum up my thoughts on this one yet, because I simply loved it too much; a true masterpiece, and one I'll be returning to over and over.

While I enjoyed this one as a whole, it fell a little flat for me. I am a mood reader, so this was, more than likely, on me and not on the author.

The Wedding People is a tender, hopeful, and quietly powerful story that celebrates the beauty of unexpected connections and the resilience of the human spirit. Though the plot may unfold predictably, it’s Phoebe’s emotional journey—and the way she touches and is touched by the lives of the strangers she meets—that makes this novel truly special. With rich, heartfelt prose, a cast of endearing characters, and a generous dose of humor and wisdom, this book offers comfort without being saccharine, and poignancy without ever sinking into gloom. Even when the pacing meanders in the middle, the story remains compelling and emotionally resonant. Phoebe’s vulnerability, strength, and quiet courage linger long after the final page, making this a story that doesn’t just entertain—it leaves a mark.

I received an advanced copy of The Wedding People by Alison Espach from the publisher Henry Holt & Co. via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: Phoebe Stone has always dreamed of shucking oysters and taking sunset sails with her husband at the grand Cornwall Inn, but things have not been going great, her husband left her and her cat is dead, and she’s at rock bottom. Determined to enjoy one last decadent evening before ending her life, she arrives at the hotel wearing her green dress and gold heels, and is mistaken as a wedding guest. The bride who has accounted for every detail, never accounted for Phoebe and is desperate to stop Phoebe’s plan, starting a strange connection between the two women.

My Thoughts: This book while hyped significantly still surprised me. I can one hundred percent see why this made some people’s top book of the year. First, let’s start with the big trigger warning, the character is at the resort to end her life. This is how it starts and she does attempt it, but do know it is a significant upswing. However, the upswing is not cheesy or unbelievable. The way this book builds connections between strangers and imperfect persons is just so excellent. These characters are so human and just observing this small moment in time is such a fly on the wall of humanity moment. Are these people particularly important? No, but that’s why I love it. I love the idea of all this taking place in a ridiculously extravagant wedding weekend. This book is not perfect, but it does what it sets out to do really well. I thought all the characters and the intimacy that can be attained was captivating and I cannot look away.

Who Should Read It: If you wish you were a Sally Rooney person but she’s a bit too mundane/highbrow for you, this book might be for you.

Summary: A woman on the lowest moment of her life forms unique bonds with the wedding people.

This book is so hyped and I can clearly see why. It was equally funny and emotional. Really loved this book!

This book was so heartbreakingly beautiful. I was genuinely rooting for every single character. I loved Phoebe’s growth and journey so much. I seriously cannot recommend this book enough!!!

I read about this book somewhere, maybe bookstagram, and thought it looked good because I love stories about people. I do want to warn that suicide is a topic in this book, so be aware if that is not something you want to avoid. Phoebe comes to a grand inn on the coast of Rhode Island to finally see the ocean and come to terms with the awful year she’s had. When she gets to the inn, she finds that she is the only person there who is not attending a weeklong wedding celebration. Unexpectedly, Phoebe and the bride befriend each other throughout the week. Though Phoebe had no plans of anything celebratory, she finds herself surrounded by wedding people and activities all week long.

This is a cult favorite but it wasn't for me - I didn't love Phoebe's arc, I didn't love the way her ex shows up. The plot was a little too contrived and unrealistic.

I'd definitely read another Espach novel, but would highly recommend the use of trigger warnings for readers - this was a little assuming.

It felt like Elin Hilderbrand for the high brow crowd.

The Wedding People by Allison Espach is a witty, heartfelt novel about love, loss, and unexpected connections. It follows Phoebe Stone, who shows up at a fancy Newport inn with her own personal mission—only to be mistaken for a wedding guest. What unfolds is a mix of humor, emotional depth, and some truly memorable characters. Espach has a knack for making you laugh one moment and tugging at your heart the next. If you love stories about self-discovery, complicated relationships, and the chaos of weddings, this one’s definitely worth picking up!

The Wedding People was both heart wrenching and delightful. Espach oscillates beautifully between depression, trauma, sorrow, and humor, hope, joy. The characters all felt so real and I wanted them all to win in the end. This is easily one of my all-time favorite books.

I wanted to dislike this novel. I mean a woman planning to end herself on vacation…a vacation she can’t afford so she better enjoy it to her last day. Well a bride who books a hotel room is mad to say the least- but as a new marriage starts, the more an old one is thought about and maybe at a hotel with strangers isn’t the best place to make life ending decision. But then again, maybe surrounded by friends and family at a desolate location is not where you should start a new beginning. So the author brings together these two very different women who are actually looking for the exact same thing, but one is at the beginning and one is at the end and who is right and who makes it to the end of the novel so yes, I ended up liking it even though upon the premise I wanted keyword is wanted to hate it.

I'm in the minority here, but I do not understand all the hype about this book. It took me forever to read and I didn't like that there were really no chapters. It was just an average booking my opinion.