This book was as delightful as it was unexpected and heartbreaking. I enjoyed the pacing and getting to know the people at the wedding!

This book is so much more than I expected. I think I expected something light and funny (and it is funny), but it is also really, really deep. It swirl around choices we make (and why), how we give up on ourselves, how we deal (or fail to) with life's curveballs. And honestly, how often ridiculous we are as humans. I loved this...all of this, and I really love this writer. A while ago I read Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance, and I felt the same way...there are lots of layers here: shallow and deep, light and dark, and most of all it made me think and reevaluate myself and those around me. Honestly, this is so, so good. I'm heading to Amazon right now to see if this author has other titles. I feel I need to read them. Thank you NetGalley and Publishers for providing a digital ARC for review.

I absolutely LOVED this book. It’s nuanced, sad, heartfelt, funny, and deeply human. I could see myself rereading this many times, and getting something new from it each time. Thank you for the ARC!!

The Wedding People by Alison Espach is a dark story but soooo beautiful to read!
Their is something about a book with a main character who has lost herself so deeply and tragically as Phoebe. The fact that she finds herself again not because of a man or friendship, but because she truly learns to love herself is where Espach really gave me all of the feels. I am not saying that this book doesn't include themes such as romance, friendship, motherhood (in multiple forms) and I also quite enjoyed those aspects. But I got to the end of this story expecting a certain ending but got another and this was so inspiring!
Phoebe has completely hit rock bottom but I cant help but love as she slowly realizes how smart, beautiful, and funny she truly is flaws and all.
Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for the E ARC in exchange for my review.

I’ll be recommending The Wedding People to my friends who love a well written romance novel. The main character, Phoebe, grabbed my attention and never let it go. Despite this being a fictional story, she seemed like a real person. I found myself wishing for her to find happiness. I hope many others will pick up this smart novel and be drawn in like I was.

I enjoyed the uniqueness of this book, but with that, I have a hard time reviewing this one, as I ebbed and flowed on my enjoyment of the book. I was hooked from the first few pages, but then struggled to stay interested through some of the monotony of the depressing parts of the lead character over the subsequent chapters. (Trigger warnings: there is much talk about suicide and cheating/divorce) However, it was a necessary component to see the growth of this character as time went on.

The second half of the book I found to be pretty entertaining (because some of the things that happened were a bit far-fetched), but this aspect also made it pretty fun, and had some laugh out loud moments. I enjoyed the fact that I truly couldn't figure out how this book would end, and found myself racing to the end to find out if the "wedding people" would actually get married or not.

This was a departure from the typical thriller or romance novels I read, so for that alone, I liked it and would recommend it to others needing a step away from their usual genres.

“The Wedding People” by Alison Espach
Depressed – Diverted – New Day
Happenstances can change your whole world from dire to delightful. I loved this story. How we self talk can totally change our world. This story can give you lots to ponder, or just entertain you. Happy Reading ! !

Is this my favorite book ever? I think it might just be. The Wedding People is truly unputdownable and is an absolute must read. A novel about being at the lowest of lows and life just won't relent but then a little unexpected sliver of light that becomes everything. Stunning. Wonderful. Every description for perfection, this novel earns them all.

I aspire to write something as phenomenal as this book someday. Seriously!!

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Phoebe Stone plans to kill herself at a luxurious Rhode Island hotel, however, her plans are interrupted by an ostentatious million dollar wedding happening at the hotel and the bride behind it. The two forge an unlikely acquaintanceship and what ensues is an exploration of what it means to live. I was riveted from the start and felt deeply invested in these characters and their lives.

This was a masterpiece in storytelling!! The narrative structure and present 3rd person POV makes you feel like you’re at that beautiful Rhode Island hotel, witnessing people who are falling apart desperately acting like they have it together.

I particularly enjoyed how the good and bad of each character was explored. So often novels try to dive into that “no one is wholly good or wholly bad” theme and it often comes off very cliched, but here, we’re not told this. Rather, the characters are so well written and developed that it comes off so naturally.

Ugh I just *chefs kiss*

A passage that especially moved me:
“That is why she has always preferred books-because to be alive is much harder. To be alive, she must leave this hotel, despite the uncertainty of everything. Walk down the long hallway of that mansion come winter, not knowing what will become of her, which is a thing that does scare her.”

ONE OF MY FAV BOOKS THIS YEAR

I really enjoyed this book, I’m excited to see what else this author comes out with in the future! Thank you to netgalley for this eARC!

To describe the plot of this story might scare you off. It might make you think “There is no way this will work. There is no way I will like this!” But it does work. And you will *love* it. Just trust me.

It has the vibe of a less zany, madcap Amy Poeppel novel. The characters are relatable and real and understandable and lovable. The whole thing is so heartwarming (again, you would not believe this is possible if I told you the plot, so please just trust me) and at times really laugh out loud funny, and I’ll be recommending it to everyone I love.

If you only read one book this summer, I’m going to say maybe, just maybe, it should be this one. In fact, my one wish is just that this was going to be released sooner because I think it is a great summer read, so it’s a shame it’s not coming out till the end of July.

This book was different than i thought it would be and its not going to be for everyone. I did enjoy the unusual friendship which was unexpected, moving and thought provoking. I had a hard time connecting with the FMC at times and i also thought the story unraveled slowly. I didnt care about the brides various wedding guests and their family back stories but we spent so much time on that. This also had tons and ton of trigger warnings. i think i wanted a light summer read and phew baby this wasnt it. It was well written and i do think Alison Espach is supremely talented.

Life is looking bleak for Phoebe Stone. Her mother died when she was born, she was raised by her depressed father, never progressed further than being an adjunct instructor, IVF has failed, her husband left her for one of his associates, and now her beloved cat has died. She decides to put on an elegant emerald dress that she bought but has never worn, book a room at a high end resort in Newport that she had wanted to go to with her husband, and take her life. At check in, she learns that the entire resort, except for her room, has been taken over by Lila for her million dollar destination wedding.

Initially she is mistaken for one of “the wedding people”. When Lila learns Phoebe’s intentions which will ruin the wedding, she befriends the lonely woman. And thus the reader is off to a rollicking six day visit with “The Wedding People.”

It took a while for me to get into this book, but once I did I found it a witty, satisfying contemporary read. I loved the colorfully, well developed characters and the astute, sometimes painful, often cleverly funny observations of life, family and relationships. Readers will find themselves cheering on Phoebe as she learns a lot about herself and comes into her own.

Incidentally, Tri Star has already acquired the rights to this novel.

It’s not an exaggeration to say this book changed my life. When I initially read the summary for this book, I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into. As someone who has dealt with infertility and miscarriage (and is now doing fertility treatment), I’ve never been able to put into words some of my experiences. Phoebe’s experience, particularly the feelings of regretting not being excited for the brief time she was pregnant and her relationship with Harry, feels deeply similar to my experience. It isn’t often that you feel fully immersed in a story and find yourself crying heavily because you feel seen. Thank you for this story. And the hope that comes along with it.

A devastating event leads Phoebe to take the dream trip she has been putting off. The trip involves a sinister plan that begins to fall apart when a bride and her wedding guests arrive at the same hotel. A bride who REALLY doesn’t want anything to ruin her day, and unexpected bonds being created all lend themselves to a change in plans.

This was a highly anticipated read for me, and it lived up to all of my expectations!

It was funny and quirky but also so emotional while dealing with some really heavy stuff. If there was ever a book that portrays the essence of hope it would be this one! I loved all of the characters, and in the end I even found myself softening towards the one character we’re not supposed to like.

I can totally see this being a well loved movie someday. I actually already have the full cast picked out in my head

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Henry Holt Publishing for this advanced reader copy of The Wedding People by Alison Espach. I absolutely loved Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance in 2022, and now Espach will be an auto buy author for me.

Phoebe has reached her breaking point in the long list of bad things that have happened to her. She leaves her home and career, checks into an expensive dream hotel, and plans on never coming out. Much to her surprise, life is turned upside down by a week long wedding celebration in the same location.

This is not a twee rom com by any stretch of the imagination. This book discusses very difficult topics in an honest, refreshing and humorous way. There are deeply flawed but equally lovable characters, and one liners that left me tearing up or laughing out loud on equal measure. Espach is a brilliant writer, and I adored this book!

The Wedding People published July 30, 2024.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I'm obsessed with Alison Espach.

This is PERFECT summer reading. Save this one for an evening on a porch or a day at the beach.

I enjoyed the first half - great all around characterization (I LOVE miserable, depressed protagonists) and beautiful, escapist setting. But the plot required a little too much suspension of disbelief for my liking. Or maybe I'm just not into books with happy-ish endings?

This book is so special. I downloaded it after seeing someone praise it highly on Twitter and proceeded to gulp it down greedily on an airplane. Each character is so well realized and sympathetic while also sometimes frustrating - Phoebe in particular. Espach is talented at having empathy for her characters without ever letting them off the hook. I’m not normally a highlighter but I couldn’t help but mark several passages - here are a few favorites:
“There are some people in this world who remind you of exactly how you like to speak. She hasn’t met a person like this in a long time, not since she met her husband, which was why it was so painful when she started to forget how to speak to her husband.”
“Nobody was ever really watching, except Phoebe. Phoebe was the only person waiting in the dark to condemn herself for every single thing when the day was over. “
“And sometimes I wonder if the people who say they love being around children are lying. It’s like people who claim to like raisins. They just want to be people who like raisins.”
I don’t know what else to say except to reiterate that I think this book is incredibly special and will be beloved.

As soon as Phoebe arrives at the upscale Cornwall Inn in Rhode Island, she realizes she is the only guest at the inn who is not there for a wedding being held at the end of the week. The bride, Lila, has planned the whole week and her spectacular wedding. Phoebe’s plan will for sure, ruin the whole wedding. The Wedding People is about the lives of Phoebe whom is a professor, recently divorced and suicidal, Gary, the doctor and groom, Lila, the quirky bride who works at her mother's art gallery, and Jim who is Gary's best friend. This is my first read by author Alison Espach and I cannot wait to read more of her books! A very special thanks to NetGalley & Henry Holt & Co for the ARC of this that will release 7/30/24.