Book: The Wedding People
Author: Alison Espach
Genre: Fiction, Drama, Self-Discovery/Change, Drama
Places Featured: Newport, Rhode Island, United States
Review Score: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 (rounded down)
Review: I’m not quite sure what I expected with this one but it wasn’t this. I was very pleasantly surprised with this heart-warming, yet realistic story about the complexities of life, people, and relationships.

Phoebe has treated herself to a special night at the Cornwall Inn in Newport, Rhode Island (somewhere she has always dreamt of going), but the night goes nothing like she planned when she runs into Lila, a bride who has every detail of her wedding week perfectly planned…though that’s not working out either.

The two become an unlikely set of friends confiding in each other and learning from each other (the wine helps, of course). Everyone else at the Inn (mostly guests of Lila’s wedding since the Inn was supposed to be just for them) contribute to this quirky novel that captures life as it is: sometimes messy, sometimes funny, sometimes fun, sometimes challenging, and sometimes just right.

I often think it’s weird when a book is described as “tender” but this is one of those where it fits perfectly–you’ll be left with a little bit of hope and a warm fuzzy feeling for this thing called life.

Reviews posted on Instagram (@travelbooksandmovies) and some posted on blog (www.travelbooksandmovies.com)

This book was not what I expected, but, instead, so much more. Alison Espach has written a thoughtful novel that covers serious topics in a graceful manner. What exactly is happiness? Can we ever truly come back from grief? Why is it so easy to tell things to strangers when we can't talk to the people we love the most? The book was funny but not in a comedic way, and I'll be thinking about it for a long time.


Bonus—I loved what the author wrote in the acknowledgements about simply treating strangers with kindness. You never know how much a smile, greeting, or kind comment will impact someone. As author Abby Jimenez wrote "Grace costs you nothing."

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

After getting over a very dramatic and jarring start to this book (*definitely check content warnings before reading if you need them*) this book definitely turns around and shows up! The beginning gives off a very grief-stricken, bleak, and almost hopeless feeling to start, but this mood soon paves the way for new friendships, new love, and new leases on life. The characters are quirky, flawed, and yet still so loveable. The setting is idyllic and perfect to read during the summer, made extra fun with the element of over-the-top wedding festivities taking place throughout the story. This book is irreverent, funny, and perfect for readers who want to face the dark parts of life with humor and hope. Highly recommend this one for readers who love character-driven books with relatable characters and for readers who appreciate a strong sense of place. Overall, I recommend!

POP THE CHAMPAGNE! This is a great one! If it’s still in your TBR, bump 👏🏻it👏🏻up!
Confession- I may have over highlighted as I read. There were so many good quotes and messages throughout. 🥹
This one is probably more relatable to the over 30-35ish reader, but I think there is something for everyone in this story. A little dark humor, grief journey, romance, self-discovery, family drama, and so much more. Plus we all know how weddings are! They can definitely be memorable in many ways. 🤪🤣

Lila (the bridezilla) + Phoebe (the rando who happened to book a room at Lila’s wedding hotel) + a week of wedding events = a rollercoaster of emotions!! I laughed through the awkward parts (& at the quirky characters), felt sad for their loneliness, and had my heart burst when someone found a little peace.

I loved that these two strangers found each other and became the refreshing safe place they needed where they can be themselves. 💕

Grab! Just go grab this one! 📢

Thank you to Netgalley & Henry Holt and Co. for my #gifted e-arc in exchange for my honest review. 😊

👉🏻Read if you like:
•Female Friendships •Wedding Season •People Watching •Dry/Dark Humor •Grief & Depression Journey •Self-Discovery •East Coast Setting •Witty Banter •Second Chances

⚠️check trigger warnings before reading.
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Review has been posted to IG & Goodreads

The Wedding People" by Alison Espach is a captivating novel that brilliantly balances humor and heart. Phoebe Stone's unexpected arrival at the Cornwall Inn sets the stage for a story that’s both uproariously funny and deeply moving. Espach masterfully weaves together the lives of her characters, exploring how chance encounters can lead to profound connections and unexpected new beginnings. With vivid prose and a keen understanding of human emotions, this novel is a beautiful reminder that even in our most unplanned moments, we can find the clarity and companionship we need to move forward. A must-read! Thanks to Net Galley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

"𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 10 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵."

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗗𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗣𝗘𝗢𝗣𝗟𝗘 is the August Book Club pick for Read With Jenna, Zibby Owens, Barnes and Noble, and IndieNext (as well as my own Read Spin Repeat bookclub) and yes, it's that good.

"𝘈𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 30 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘙𝘩𝘰𝘥𝘦 𝘐𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘦𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨."
I live in Rhode Island and it's rare to read a book set here. Alison Espach captures the quirks of our small state perfectly, and as someone who's frequently in Newport (and got married there), I loved seeing mentions of some of my favorite places like Bowen's Wharf, The White Horse Tavern, The Breakers and The Boom Boom Room. The affluent beach haven is the perfect backdrop for the story of grief, reinvention and the power of connection.

"𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴, 𝘴𝘰 𝘣𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 - 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳."

I cannot wait to discuss this complex and touching novel during our book club chat this week. Grab a copy for your beach bag, people. It's not to be missed.

Thanks to Henry Holt Books & Macmillan Audio for the copies to review.

It’s a good sign when I finish reading a book, and I’m smiling. Alison Espach’s new novel, The Wedding People, not only left me smiling at the end; it made me laugh out loud almost from the get-go, and it will do the same for you.

My thanks go to NetGalley, Henry Holt, and Macmillan Audio for the review copies. This book is for sale now.

I’m not usually fond of romances, but a friend mentioned the premise of this one, and I couldn’t resist. In a nutshell: Phoebe, the protagonist, worn down by the pandemic and devastated when her husband leaves her, heads off to the posh hotel where they’d intended to spend their vacation. She takes no luggage or even her phone, because she plans to kill herself once she’s inside that lovely place.

Upon arrival, it’s clear that a mistake has been made. The entire hotel has been reserved for a wedding. But Phoebe’s room hasn’t been double booked, and so she is allowed, with apologies, to proceed to her room. However, the bride—wealthy, entitled, Bridezilla—learns of Phoebe’s presence, goes to her room, and orders her to leave. As they argue, Phoebe discloses her reason for coming, and assures her that she’ll be gone—so to speak—by the time the wedding takes place. But Lila, our bride, is having none of it. How dare Phoebe spoil her wedding! Absolutely not. She isn’t going to have guests gathering just as a corpse is being wheeled out to the morgue, right through the lobby! Phoebe must change her plans.

I won’t share any further developments, but I will tell you this: Espach can write.

Long ago, I decided that five star reviews should not be reserved for the rare gem bound to become a timeless classic. I give five stars to any novel that makes me unusually happy, and that represents the best being published within its genre. This book is one of those.

Helen Laser is the voice actor narrating the audio version, and she makes it even funnier. If you are strictly a visual reader, that’s fine, but if you like both formats, go with the audio this time, or use the audio and print versions together, which is what I did.

Highly recommended to those that enjoy a good romance, a good laugh, or both.

Rating: 4.75

This book was so well done. I finished it a couple of daays ago anad haave been trying to get my thoughts together. It was the perfect amount of cynical, honest, and emotional. The main chaaracter Pheobe is someone who I think that everyone has been at a point in their life. Becauase of this the reader would be aable to relate. Every moment of this book just felt so real and at times I had to put it down becuase I would get overwhelmed, but in the best way. The Wedding People is something that anyone will be able to enjoy. If you are a literary fiction lover you should read this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review

When Phoebe arrives alone at the Cornwall Inn, everyone assumes she’s there for the wedding just like all the other hotel guests. But Phoebe isn’t here for the wedding—she’s here because she’d dreamed of visiting with her husband before her life fell into shambles and her mind started taking her to dark places. And while the bride, Lila, has micro-managed every detail of what is supposed to be her perfect wedding week, she did not account for this depressed stranger being in the way.

What follows is the story of a week that is equal parts devastating, hilarious, absurd, and unflinchingly honest. The book cover and description led me to assume I was reading a romantic comedy or lighthearted beach read. Do not be fooled like I was into assuming this book is light. Instead, it is complicated, smart, bold, and hopeful. It’s the story of chance encounters, the impact strangers can have on one another, and what we can learn from being honest with ourselves.

I thought this book was brilliant, and I can’t wait to read more of Espach’s work. Huge thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Company for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed that the bride to be became good friends with a stranger. As the story unfolds, truths come out which leave the reader wondering. It's like peeling an onion. Are the bride and groom in love? There is an age difference. Read and find out! I recommend this book to anyone.

Witty and touching, Alison Espach presents lives at turning points and demonstrates that one never knows who or what will change life's course. The characters in this story are all so realistic and relatable. We've all met them in our own lives. I thoroughly enjoyed this humorous, thought provoking story. Thanks #NetGalley

This has to be one of the best books of the year!! It’s easy to see why this was picked to be a @readwithjenna pick. I absolutely loved this offbeat story that takes place over a week long wedding.

Phoebe goes on a solo trip to the Cornwall Inn in Newport, RI only to find out she’s the only non-wedding guest in the whole hotel. She takes the trip herself after her divorce- her husband never wanted to take a trip like this. She has other plans in mind when she runs into the bride, Lila, and she begins to spill her guts to Phoebe. Over the week, they make some major confessions to each other. This is a book that’s better off not knowing the whole synopsis, but just believe it’s worth the hype.

There are parts that are laugh out loud funny and so parts that are just so cringey. This book has incredible secondary characters such as Marla and Juice and also all the Jim’s. It has heavier parts than I expected, but I adored the wedding location and all the events leading up to the big day.

Thank you @henryholtbooks and @alison.espach for my gifted copy.

After seeing how much buzz this book got, I was worried it wasn't going to live up to the hype and man am I glad that it did. This was such a perfect, uplifting book about friendship, relationships, and identity. The writing was sharp and witty, which made the characters compelling and the story compulsively readable. There were moments that made me laugh and moments that made me cry. In short, I really loved this book.

The Wedding People was such a fresh take on a position most of us have found ourselves in: you're at a wedding (intentionally or not), you don't know a soul, and the experience changes you in unexpected ways. The gorgeous cover made me think this was going to be a light beach read, but the story is darker and more complicated than that. The characters are funny and quirky and there are themes of redemption, second starts, friendship, and love. I really enjoyed Alison Espach's writing and look forward to what she writes next.

Thank you to Henry Holt & Company and NetGalley for this ARC.

3.5 stars! Very character driven. The story starts out sad, and a little dark. But the characters keep you coming back and laughing! A great story of how strangers can completely change your life.

Phoebe Stone's life has fallen apart. Before the Covid pandemic, she had a happy marriage with Matt, a job she loved and the hope of having a family. Afterwards, not so much. Matt leaves Phoebe for her best friend after Phoebe and Matt realize that one of them is infertile and they won't be having a family. Worse, they both work as professors where Phoebe does so she will be running into them daily. Then to top everything off, her cat who loved her regardless of what she did dies.

Phoebe goes to work for the first day of classes and snaps. She leaves the university and ends up at the luxurious Cornwall Hotel where she plans to take all of her cat's pain pills, have a great meal and die in her sleep. But Lila isn't having that. Lila thought she had reserved the entire hotel for a week as it's her wedding week. She isn't happy to see Phoebe there and when she hears what Phoebe is planning, she is outraged. How could Phoebe ruin her wedding? Who does she think she is?

But Phoebe's plans don't work out. She can't have a great meal because the kitchen isn't doing room service because of the wedding festivities. The cat pain killers don't seem to do much and Phoebe wakes up the next morning. When Lila storms into her room, they start to talk and soon Lila has decided that Phoebe should stay for the week as she is the only person who is indifferent to everyone and who will tell Lila the truth about things.

As the week goes on, Phoebe becomes attached to the people in the wedding. There's Jim who thought he was taking the groom along as a wingman the day Lila and the groom, Gary, met and fell in love. There's Lila's mother who has a huge nude portrait of herself commissioned and which Lila gives to Gary. There's Gary's sister who dislikes Lila and is having an affair. There's Gary's preteen daughter, Juice, who really dislikes Lila and is suspicious she is trying to replace Juice's mother who dies. Then there is Gary who Phoebe feels an instant attraction to and it's clear as the week goes on that the attraction is returned. What will happen?

This is my first Alison Espach book but it definitely won't be my last. I expected a frothy romance but instead there is a gradual realization by Phoebe what was wrong with her life before and how to fix it going forward. The characters are well drawn and the reader will be pulled into the plot as the week of the wedding goes forward. This book is recommended for readers of women's and romance fiction.

This book was kind of wild, in the way that I had no idea what was going to happen next. I wouldn't expect that from this kind of book, but these characters are so diverse and have different ways of talking that I was always interested to see where we were going to go. This felt so real... other than the million dollar wedding. Some parts were over the top, yes, but that's what made this so good.

I was so happy to receive an ARC of this book, as it takes place in my hometown! I went in with high expectations, especially because it seemed like everyone I followed was reading it at the same time, but I loved it! It was laugh out loud funny, had great banter, and covered heavier topics carefully while maintaining some humor. The characters were all so entertaining, and I was honestly sad when the story came to an end. I'd highly recommend this one, and can't wait to see what the author does next! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Phoebe checks into a luxury hotel without luggage, intending to end her life, and quickly realizes upon arrival that the rest of The Cornwall Inn has been booked out for a wedding. When Lila, the bride, discovers Phoebe, the one thing she hasn’t accounted for in her meticulous planning, Phoebe’s plans begin to change.

I wanted to love The Wedding People after all its recent hype but I just did not. While I liked Phoebe, and Gary, as well as some of the secondary characters, I did not find the story “absurdly funny” as the blurb notes. This story does deal with some difficult subjects and it’s best to know that heading into the book.

I enjoyed some aspects, including the Newport, Rhode Island setting, but I was expecting more humor and as a character-driven, literary fiction lover, to like the story more overall. The Wedding People is well-liked by many other readers so don’t let my more of a miss deter you!

<i>Her whole life felt like work now. Even the parts that used to be the most fun, like reading over the summer or orgasming during sex or having conversation with her husband at dinner. They felt like things she had to be really good at now, in order to prove that everything was normal.</i>

When her fifth try with IVF ends in miscarriage, Phoebe falls into a funk and drinks too much. Her husband falls into Mia, a pregnant colleague. Since Phoebe and her husband both teach at the same university (although he has tenure and she's an adjunct), it's awkward. After the divorce, Phoebe is left with a job that can't pay the bills or even provide health insurance, and a cat. So once the cat dies, she decides to spend a night in a small, luxury hotel on the coast and commit suicide. The problem is that the hotel is otherwise completely filled with a wedding party and Phoebe is pulled into their orbit despite her best efforts.

<i>She looks out at the ocean spread before her. From up here, the water looks calmer than it does in movies. It looks like a flat and reliable rug, as if it knows nothing about what is to come. And it's true that Phoebe expected more from the ocean, maybe because she read too many Herman Melville books in which the ocean knows everything about the future--foreshadows death with every wild and loud crash of a wave.</i>

As Phoebe learns to say what she means, she's drawn into the lives of the wedding people, from the bride determined to make every detail perfect, to the tween daughter of the groom, to the bride's mother, Phoebe becomes important to helping them work through family dynamics and communication failures. As for Phoebe, she's pulled back into life despite her best efforts and wondering what trying again will mean for her.

This novel straddles the line between humor and brutal honesty with an assured deftness. More than anything, this is a novel about failures in communication between people, and in people's failures to communicate with themselves. Phoebe is a great protagonist; her years of measuring her words and actions have made her a keen observer of human relations and her newfound willingness to say what she means gives the people she's interacting with a lot to react to, both positively and negatively. But while Phoebe now speaks her mind, she's never cruel and she might be what the members of this wedding need.