The Wedding People was an unexpected delight! I was rooting for Phoebe all along and really enjoyed all the twists this story took. The setting was top notch too and made me want to plan a trip to coastal Rhode Island!

Many thanks to my friends at @henryholtbooks and macmillan.audio for the free #gifted copies of this book. 

Witty and wise.  Full of heart.  Deeply resonant.

Some books you read.  Others you experience. 

I finished this book more than a week ago, and I’m still actively thinking about it.  I don’t call many books perfect... but this one... it was absolutely PERFECT for me. 

From the compelling storyline to the inviting setting and the richly drawn characters. 

From the deep dive into hard places partnered with the space for growth and laced with abundant humor.

I was immediately immersed in Phoebe’s journey and swept away by Espach’s powerhouse writing.  So tender.  So vital.  So raw.  So relatable. 

With each turn of the page, I became more convinced that Espach had intimate knowledge of my soul.  The gut-wrenching pain of infertility and pregnancy loss.  The loneliness and yearning.  The utter heartbreak.

And then slowly, eventually... Learning to hope again.  Opening to connection and life again.  Finding the strength to laugh.  To love. 

There is startling beauty within the excavation of emotion in this read.  I laughed.  I cried.  I went through the entire gamut alongside Phoebe only to find myself laughing some more. 

But most importantly, as I closed the pages of The Wedding People, I felt seen.   

Not many authors have such an innate and easy ability to connect and uplift.  And as I pondered this book’s deep impact, I was reminded of the experience I have when reading Fredrik Backman.  His books are astutely observed, witty, wise, and full of humanity. 

So, too, is The Wedding People. 

Don’t be surprised when I- the person who has trouble picking favorites- names this book as my BOTY. 

🎧 I partnered my print copy with the audio, and Helen Laser nailed the execution of both the heartbreak and humor within this novel.  It’s a fully emotive listen, and Laser well embodies the variety of characters and tone within this read.

I was so excited about this book but couldn't finish it - too vulgar and that's just not my jam. DNF about 35% in.

Wow! The hype is real! After listening, I immediately said this might be my favorite book of the year. A week later, I still have that same thought.

I listened to Notes On Your Sudden Disappearance a couple of summers ago and found it a compelling exploration of grief and its non-linear healing process. Espach's writing skillfully balances the weighty subject matter with humor and lightness, making the story impactful and accessible.

And she does that again with The Wedding People. Now, after two books, I can safely say her writing is remarkably readable, easy yet thought-provoking, and sad yet funny. It's simply incredible, and now she's an autobuy author for me!

In The Wedding People, Phoebe’s depression is triggered by grief. She grieves for her baby (infertility and miscarriage), her marriage, her cat, and ultimately her own happiness. Espach captures the darkness, “stuckness,” and the ease and comfort of staying in your depression so well. But she also shows that it only takes one person to give someone a reason to be part of something - to be seen.

As Phoebe encounters all the wedding people, each moment offers a light of second chances, hope, and new beginnings. It is a reminder that everyone can do hard things and proof that even fleeting connections with other people can be meaningful and purposeful.

Helen Laser’s narration is simply superb! She highlights Espach's words with care, grace, and humanity while hitting the perfectly timed comedic moments. The book includes a large cast of characters, which Laser easily performed. I highly recommend this format!

Seriously rough start that eventually mostly balanced out, thank goodness. Decent readability, dark themes dealt with through humor, with longer chapters that help you settle into the narrative and characters .. but overall not a whole lot to say about what boils down to a completely average (not necessarily negatively meant) book. 🤷🏻‍♀️

<i>Thanks to NetGalley and Holt for an eARC of this book.</i>

4.5. Phoebe goes to Rhode Island to end her life and intersects with a group there for a wedding and her life veers off in a completely different direction.
This book was so funny and heart-warming, I was sad when it ended. I loved getting to know all the characters (Juice was my favorite). The premise made me think twice but being along on Phoebe’s journey to rediscover herself was so honest and poignant. Very close to five stars!!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for this ARC!

In an attempt to escape her disastrous life in St. Louis, Phoebe flees to a Newport, RI hotel she's wanted to visit for years. Upon arrival however, she discovers that she has unintentionally crashed the wedding of spoiled rich girl, Lila. As she spends the week with the bride and her guests, Phoebe begins to see a different path for her future.

This book was so beautifully written. Each character was so loveable and had so much depth to them. It was easy to somehow root for all of them despite many of them having conflicting goals. This crazy, lavish wedding is an excellent backdrop for all of these characters to come together.

This book deals with some heavy topics, but it's infused with the perfect amount of dark humor and sarcasm. It was really thought provoking and I know this book will stick with me for a long time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for the ARC!

The Wedding People goes back and forth between being a feel good book and a really sad one. Phoebe shows up at a fancy Newport, RI resort, spending the last of her money, and planning to end her life. Coming from the midwest, she travels in a fancy dress and heels, and doesn't even bring a change of clothes, thinking she will only be there for the day. She quickly learns she is the only resort guest not part of the wedding party, the bride and groom befriend her and the group connects to each other in various ways. I loved the connections between Phoebe and the wedding people, each was different and charming. But it was hard to remember that Phoebe was seriously depressed, even before her husband had left her. And there were a couple of side notes about how their other friend had died by suicide, I wish there had been more background on that. But overall, a good book, and I loved the ending.

Main character, Phoebe, is just coming off a divorce when she decides to go to the fanciest hotel in Newport, RI. When she arrives, she learns that she is the only guest at the hotel not part of an elaborate wedding. She quickly becomes enmeshed in the lives of the wedding people, in particular the bride, Lila. We follow along for the week as she and Lila become bonded, both revealing their true feelings about people, life, and expectations to one another. I really loved Phoebe's character and seeing her evolve through the novel was a delight. This book was shocking, funny, sweet, and unexpected. Espach's writing is fantastic; it goes down smoothly and quickly, but is full of deep insights into the human experience. Tw: suicide, grief & death themes

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review.

Based on the cover, I assumed I was falling into your standard rom-com novel. As I began reading, I realized this was far from the truth. I didn't quite expect the turn that the novel would take at the very beginning (which I won't spoil here). I was worried this would be too dark and that I wouldn't enjoy it. I kept reading, and let me tell you, I loved this by the end of it. Phoebe's journey from depression to hope was inspiring. The characters were all so interesting. Those first few chapters are just heavy but trust me, you'll want to keep reading.

This book is a delight! I was laughing out loud throughout, which is rare for me. But the book is also full of deep moments that stopped me in my tracks with their profundity. That’s my ideal type of book - a mix of light and deep. The writing is so smart, and I loved the way that the plot unfolded. Thank you so much for the complimentary eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

The Wedding People got on my radar from From the Front Porch and Annie B. Jones. While triggers abound in this (for me infertility), I LOVED this book and it's going to be in the best books of the year for me. I tandem read this on both audio and via my e-arc and I need everyone to read this!

A grieving newly divorced woman gets a hotel room at a lush and swank Newport, RI hotel solely with the intention to end her life. However, she happens to cross paths with a bride who has reserved the whole hotel except for the room our main character is in who will not have her ending her life during her wedding weekend. This novel is an ode to the power of community, finding people who get you, and grief. It's both funny and heavy and wry and I found myself feeling so many emotions. What a treat of a novel.

I loved this book endlessly. The characters, the writing, the setting, the story - it was beautiful. The discussions around grief and death were so authentic. It had the perfect amount of dark humor.

If you enjoyed Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin, I think you’d like this. If you’ve ever experienced grief in any capacity or ever felt lost, I’d recommend this. Please view the content warnings before you read!

Really fun twist on your typical wedding-themed books. Interesting characters you just couldn’t help but become attached too. As someone who’s getting married soon, I appreciated the humor this book depicted towards the whole wedding process.

When The Wedding People begins, it is full of bleakness and triggers! Our poor protagonist, Phoebe, has had one major disappointing life event after another, until she feels her life is not worth living anymore. So, she makes a plan to end her life at a beautiful hotel (that she always wanted to go to,) in a stunning dress (that she never got to wear out,) only to find she is the one guest in the hotel that is not there for a lavish wedding week. Phoebe’s plans get quickly hijacked by wedding drama, which surprisingly and sometimes humorously, brings her back to life. Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for an enjoyable free eGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adored this book! This was one of my most anticipated reads of the summer and it delivered big time, all the stars! This book had the best dialogue, humor, and all the characters felt like they could be real life people. It dialed into the intensity we all feel as being human and experiencing the highs and lows of life. I thought the book did a wonderful job at depicting depression. I adored Phoebe's journey and her efforts to feel truly alive despite the challenges she faced as she was living a life that differed from her expectations. Truly loved it and would recommend to all readers!

Now this is my kind of cozy, FUNNY, and introspective read. Our main character Phoebe is going through a tough time in her life. She’s 40, struggling with fertility, her marriage has lost its spark, and she can’t finish her dissertation. Her life feels blah. So why not end it? Except Phoebe’s luck hasn’t gotten better because her dream hotel (where she goes to end it all) is full of the worst kind of guests…wedding people! Over a week’s timeline…Phoebe gets more and more involved in this wedding while picking up the pieces in her life and theirs.
This book is a great look at holding people accountable. Once Phoebe gains the confidence, she’s able to say how she feels. Phoebe is such a relatable character. She doesn’t center men in her life, she isn’t annoyingly smart. She’s just a good person and good friend. Loved this book!

This book spoke to the hearts of women. The women are complicated, flawed, and truly human. You won’t be disappointed.

Nothing is turning out the way you thought it would. So its time to go out in style. But what happens when your plans are diverted by a very unlikely group of people attending a million dollar wedding at a posh hotel? This is a story about second chances and rerouting your plans. With great characters and dark humor, The Wedding People was so great.
Thanks to Net Galley and Henry Holt for an early read. It's destined to be the book of the summer.

This book was not what I expected--but I loved it anyway. It opens with a character planning her suicide. But from there, it lightens up. It even feels a little silly sometimes, but I liked it. It has some heavy themes-so reader, beware if suicide and infidelity and death are triggers, but I think it was handled well. The characters are quirky and lovable, and you find yourself rooting for them. Loved the Rhode Island setting!