Sometimes you don't know what you need until it finds you.

Phoebe is on her way to a beautiful hotel for a very short stay. She's wanted to stay here for a long time but never got the opportunity. Now she's decided she will end her life there. Her husband left her, her cat died, she can't seem to get past the isolation of the pandemic, so she decides to at least end her life somewhere quaint and beautiful.

Unbeknownst to Phoebe, there's a wedding party at this particular establishment and the bride is not going to let anyone die on her wedding week!

Yes, sometimes you really don't know what you need, especially when what you needed was a bunch of Wedding People to give you a reason to wake up in the morning and keep going. Hope is all around us and in this cast of characters, there's never a dull moment.

I am at a bit of a loss for words right now. Alison Espach is one of my favorite authors and I had to know she'd have something meaningful to say about our losses during COVID and the fragility of life. Her prose just lights me up. Every book I have of hers is highlighted halfway through. I love everything she has to say and this time was no different.

This story was so tender, so melancholy, but also so full of hope and wit. I laughed, I cried, I felt things I haven't in a long time. I'm so grateful I read this when I did. I've had a hard time lately and it's caused me to do a lot of thinking.

I already miss the Wedding People. Some things only come around once in a lifetime. Will they meet again? Who knows, but we will always have this time!

I really enjoyed this sharp witted book. I loved the characters and the development over the course of the novel, it was funny and sad, but oh so lovely. I think it would make an incredible movie or mini series.

As an aside, I try not judge a book by its cover, but this cover is fantastic.

Thank you to Netgalley and Henry Holt & Company | Henry Holt and Co. for the advanced reader copy.

I really enjoyed this book. The author has a way of capturing my attention instantly. I had to keep reading just one more chapter. It was a hard one to put down. Highly recommend.

This book surprised me in the absolute best way. I laughed out loud CONSTANTLY. Gosh the writing is BRILLIANT. Sign me up for everything this author writes!!

wasn’t sure what to think of this novel that started off kind of depressing. Phoebe Stone has hit rock bottom and runs into a wedding group staying at the same hotel she is at. Thankfully, Phoebe’s story takes a positive turn when she is befriended by the future bride. This book is hilarious, thought provoking and full of witty banter. There is some explicit language that I didn’t care for but overall I enjoyed this emotional story about love, relationships and overcoming adversity.

Thank you to @netgalley for the advance copy.

Phoebe is an adjunct professor whose marriage has ended. She decides she wants to kill herself, and books a room at a resort. When she is at the resort, she discovers that all of the other guests are there for a wedding in 6 days. She meets the bride, who assumes Phoebe is a friend of the future groom, but Phoebe tells her why she is there.
Of course the bride is upset, but not for ending her life, but that Phoebe would ruin the wedding. She asks Phoebe, “what can you do instead?” this question is in Phoebe’s thoughts as she decides to not go through with it. The bride continues checking in with Phoebe and over the course of the 6 days, Phoebe is invited to all of the wedding events and becomes the maid of honor. She really learns about herself and I was happy with the ending.
I normally would be hesitant to recommend a book with such a story line, but it was really enjoyable.

I have mixed emotions about The Wedding People - I enjoyed reading, but the theme of suicide is always a tough one for me. Here's the set up: Phoebe, the main character, has suffered from depression and has made the decision to end her life. Over the past few years she has suffered infertility, miscarriage, her husband's infidelity, and the end of her marriage. Her career as an adjunct professor is in a stalemate - she is unable to finish her dissertation. When her beloved cat dies, Phoebe becomes focused on a plan to end her life. She chooses a beautiful Newport hotel, does not pack a bag, and flies off to her destination.
Once at the exclusive hotel and booked in the Penthouse, Phoebe discovers that literally every other guest is there for a wedding between a young socialite named Lila and her doctor finance, Gary. Lila and Phoebe meet, and of course Lila is aghast at Phoebe's plans - feeling that her suicide, no matter how discreet, will ruin her elaborate wedding.
After talking, and Phoebe's failed attempt at suicide (after taking her cat's pain killers???). the two form a friendship - sharing secrets, fears, and truths. I don't want to give too much plot away - it's better to go in cold. Despite the suicide theme, there are many funny moments. Some frank talk about sex and sexuality as well. I do get frustrated at these books (Think a Man Called One) where a suicidal person gets in a new situation, meets new people, and POOF - their depression and suicidal thoughts are gone. Some very unlikely plot lines, too - but I went along for the ride. A good read for the middle of summer. I did a combination of audio book (solid narrator) and digital ARC - thank you Netgalley.

Adored this one! An unusual coming of age story about loving yourself, putting yourself out there, and the impact that strangers can have on you! Heartwarming and cute but also with deeper themes of family, mental health, grief, and the ridiculousness/sweetness of weddings

I really liked this look at marriage, sense of self, relationships to others and hope in the face of utter hopelessness.

🍾 The Wedding People - Alison Espach

3.75 ⭐️ - Part of me didn’t like this one as much as I wanted to, but also I did enjoy it? I’ve been feeling a little undecided since I finished. It’s very character driven with wonderful messages, so maybe it’s just a me thing?

I enjoyed this one. There were some parts that felt wordy or lost my attention but overall it’s good. I could really relate too - I’m in my “wedding people” era as I’ve been in lots of friends weddings, especially recently. It was funny to “hear” about it from an outsiders point of view as the wedding people run around for a week before trying to make sure everything is perfect. I’ve been there. But aside from that, the messages in this book are really important. Finding things in life that make us happy, that drive us to keep going, is so important. Anyone who needs that, needs to read this book.

Thank you Netgalley, Henry Holt, and Macmillan Audio for the early ARC and listener copies. This one walks down the aisle on 7/30!

Wow! I didn't know what to expect with this book, but I loved it! 4.5 out of 5 stars!
The story takes place in Newport, RI where our main character, Phoebe, has just arrived at her dream hotel, but her intentions are not what you expect. What Phoebe didn't expect was a whole hotel full of wedding people, in particular, the bride, Lana. Over the course of the week of wedding festivities, Phoebe and Lana become friends, but not in a traditional sense. Lana is freight train, and Phoebe is on the tracks forcing Lana to pull the brakes.
I loved the relationships between all the characters, even the ones I wasn't supposed to like (I don't think). I liked the structure and the third-person omniscient narration. There were a couple of pieces of the story that were a bit too "perfect," but I loved this book and have told anyone who would listen about it!!
Also, I just heard they are making a movie out of it, so that is even better since the whole time I was reading it, I thought, "This needs to be a movie!"
Thank you to Henry Holt and NetGalley for the ARC.

A fast five-stars for me. I love everything that Alison Espach has written, and this book especially.

What stood out most to me was the impressive depth her characters had. They felt like such real people from the start and I couldn't get them out of my head while I was reading. This was definitely one of those books that I was itching to get back to reading when I had to put it down.

Though a bit darker than I expected, I loved the setting and the premise of the novel. I also loved Phoebe's background in Victorian Literature and all the comparisons and insights Espach shared about the history of marriage and the spectacle of weddings today.

This one was tender, heart felt, and overall just a joy to read. I will be recommending it to everyone this summer!

For a book with an intensely dark premise (trigger warning!) this is so funny and sweet. I blew through it in two nights, staying up far past my bedtime because I had to know what would happen to all the wedding people. You've got Phoebe, who checks into a gorgeous hotel with no apparent reason, though of course she has many reasons and a very detailed plan for her day. But her plans are foiled over and over again by the wedding that is happening in the hotel. Mainly by the bride, but then also the groom, and eventually the entire party that takes over not only the space she has sought out for solitude but also her room, her mind, and even the future she couldn't envision before checking in.

I think this is just wonderful and fun and of course I'm always a sucker for an adjunct English professor heroine. Five stars, just go with it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital advanced reader copy- my unbiased review is to go and get the book as soon as it publishes!

This book started slow, but I also think it wasn’t at all?? It was slow because Phoebe was depressed, but maybe it was just me feeling what it feels like to be depressed as I read on. This book made me feel relatable. This book makes the messiness of life feel cozy somehow. Lila is a force to be reckoned with, but in the best possible way. She pushes phoebe to be alive. To live life. Phoebe pushes herself to feel the aliveness of the world around her. I highlighted a lot of this book, parts of it made me stop and reread it. This book is for anyone who is living in the present world and has feeling

I really liked this book. It was a bit weird, the characters were all a bit eccentric. But I went into it not knowing what it was about at all and was surprised at the plot. I would suggest going in the same way.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

I was lucky enough to receive both an ebook ARC and an audiobook ALC of this book. The audiobook is narrated by Helen Laser, which I was excited about because I have enjoyed other titles she has narrated.

I thought this book was a fast and enjoyable read, perfect for the summer. I started and finished this book in under a day. I thought the story was kind of exciting and I enjoyed the characters, although I wouldn't say they are all too likeable. With that being said, I thought the ending was lackluster, and had the book had a different ending, I would have probably rated it 5 stars. I also think that Helen Laser's fabulous narration is what kept me wanting to find out what happens in this story.
Even if the ending was slightly lackluster (and abrupt), I would still read more books written by Alison Espach in the future.

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Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

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This was so surprising and heart-opening!! We started the audiobook on a roadtrip while I followed along on e-reader and at no point did we know where the story would go. There is a part on page 134 or so that ROCKED us to our cores - screaming in the vehicle with excitement and intrigue. Phoebe was unlikeable at first, and so was Lila for that matter, but the two of them grow on you so much. So much happens in this book that by the end we were truly feeling like we'd spent a weekend on a huge emotional journey with all of the wedding people. I truly was so shocked to have loved this as much as I did and I think going in blind was perfect.

4.5!!

Mixed feelings

This story was a mix of emotions for me. Sometimes I was bored and couldn't wait for something interesting to happen, unfortunately, that didn't happen very often. The main character is at a pivot point in her life, alone because her husband left her, so she decides to visit a fancy hotel that she dreamed of them visiting together while they were married, but didn't. Phoebe decides this would be the perfect place to end it all.

As Phoebe, dressed in a way too formal green dress shows up at the hotel, it turns out that she is the only hotel guest not associated with Lila's big wedding. Like a $1 million big. Lila is not quite a bridezilla, but adjacent. Her friends, who really aren't, are annoying clones of each other. Her future sister in law has her own issues. The groom is a gastroenterologist about 20 years older than Lila. Lila's mother shows up and tries to take the attention away from Lila and put it on herself. And all that (and more) is just the first day of 'wedding week".

I tend to have a mental picture when I'm reading, and Phoebe's picture was that of an older woman, maybe 60's or so...but I came to realize she is younger. The point is, she acted like she was older, no hope left for her, etc. This is not said to poke fun at depression at all, just my dislike of the character.

I really wanted to like this book. The location is beautiful, overlooking the ocean, the hotel sounds like a dream destination, but that's where it ends for me. I'm sure there are a lot of readers who will absolutely enjoy the story, I'm unfortunately just not one of them.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

I don't think I have enough words to say how much I enjoyed this book. I fell in love with these characters. This book just made you feel something special. Such a fun and inspiring read.

This was fantastic. The dialog was superbly genuine and I loved the character development. Additionally, it was hilarious at times and heart wrenching at times. I fell in love with the characters and was rooting for all of them (even when Lila was being bratty). The motivation for each character's actions is shown, creating deeply relatable characters. A solid 5 stars for me.