It was refreshing to read a nontraditional wedding/divorce story from the perspective of a character like Phoebe. I was at a 5 star until the last quarter of the book. While the ending seemingly brought appropriate closure, I was still a bit unsatisfied though I did leave with a renewed sense of optimism.

Grateful to NetGalley & Henry Holt and Company for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Wedding People by Allison Espach is very easily my favorite read of the past 12 months. Phoebe Stone is a college professor who finds herself at a crossroads in life. She books herself a room at The Cornwall Inn without any belongings and her husband. Phoebe finds herself in the middle of a large wedding party that is also at The Cornwall Inn. The bride and Phoebe form a special bond that changes the trajectory of both their lives. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the premise and was excited to read the book. I found parts of it to be a bit confusing, especially towards the end. The pacing was a bit slow at times and felt like the book could have used a bit more editing. Overall, I enjoyed the story and writing.

I just loved The Wedding People! At first I was afraid I'd picked up a breezy romcom, which isn't really my thing. But I was very quickly sucked into this engaging story that is so much more than meets the eye. The characters are so vivid and real, and the themes are so relatable. This is a story about understanding yourself, finding happiness, about what's important in life, about love and friendship.. It's funny, poignant and insightful. I really could not put this one down!

It started off very strong and it was not what I was expecting from the cover and the title - which was an interesting surprise. However, it became a little more depressing than what I was expecting, then a tad repetitive, then predictable. I liked the variety of characters but they seemed like caricatures and not real people.

This story gave me so much hope. Hope for what is unknown, yet to come, and what could be. Within the pages I grew comfortable about the ability to start over from rock bottom and thrive.

This book is gorgeous, and funny, and true. It’s White Lotus meets My Best Friend’s Wedding, with a side of Sally Rooney. Filled to the brim with so many beautiful ideas and acute observations that I would have to backtrack to read a second time. Get your highlighter ready, it will be doing a lot of work! I found myself putting off picking it up so that I could delay finishing it. I can’t wait for this to come out so that I can force it into people’s hands and then force them to talk about it with me after they read it.

This book was not at all what I was expecting. I thought rom-com or romance but this was really a book about a woman’s own struggles through life, love, and relationships.

Life is hard! And sometimes we forget that it ok for life to be hard. We need to speak our thoughts rather than hide ourselves. We need to go after what we want because nobody else will do it for us.

I thought Lila was a great bride and I completely understood her reasoning and thoughts for trying to make the wedding happen. Same with Gary, great groom and wanting to have someone give him a second chance at life makes total sense. I’m just so happy they saw what they needed in the end and chose happiness over doing what is expected.

Would recommend this.

When I started this book, I had moments where I was skeptical about the plot and if I would enjoy it. But when I say I wanted to clap at the ending, I mean it! What a beautiful story with important life lessons woven throughout without being clichè. Loved it all and wouldn’t change a thing!

Thank you to NetGalley for this opportunity to read and review this book.
First the book takes place in Newport RI and I live in RI, I am intrigued and who doesn't like a book describing the golden age of the Newport mansions. Second didn't realize the author is a professor at Providence College which is my Alma Mater.
The story follows Phoebe whose life takes an unexpected turn that leads her to this mansion in Newport where a wedding is taking place for a whole week. The book follows how her life takes a different path after meeting the bride Lila and the groom Gary.
I did like this book but wished the ending was slightly different on how it got wrapped up but overall good story.

The dry deadpan humor in this had me cackling. I feel like this was such a good balance of dark, heavy emotions with dry humor without making light of the heavy topics. It was so well done and written in that regard. I do feel it dragged in the middle where I wasnt particularly gunning to crack open my kindle, but the later half got exciting because I truly could not tell how this would end.

This is the first book I've read by the author and it certainly won't be the last. The story focuses on Phoebe, who runs away from a broken marriage in order to commit suicide. The hotel she chooses is the scene of an upcoming wedding. As Phoebe becomes more involved with the people at the wedding, her perspective and future change. I read this book in one sitting. Well done.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley. I think this book will be a huge success. I loved every single page, character, and plot point. I purchased Espach’s first novel right when I finished this.

There are obviously a lot of trigger warnings in this, but it reminded me a little of A Man Called Ove but with more plot… exceptional novel!

I really enjoyed this novel! I love a book with loads of character studies/development - The Wedding People did just that! It was incredibly heartfelt and touching. This will be the perfect beach read this summer for those that want to get lost in a novel where you're truly rooting for all the characters to have a happy ending.

This is why I read books: to feel all those emotions, to experience such brilliant writing and original stories. Just a wonderful story. It made me laugh and cry. I hope this author gets the recognition they deserve. Read this!

“I didn’t want to be saved from myself. Nobody does! All we want is permission to stand there naked and be our damned selves.”

The Wedding People is a deep, cutting look at the expectations placed on women by society, by each other, and by ourselves. It takes place over the course of one week in Newport, Rhode Island when Phoebe Stone shows up at at the Cornwall Inn with the intent to end her life. She had long dreamt of a vacation at the Inn with her husband - now ex-husband. But she does not expect to be the only person staying at the Inn who is not part of the The Wedding. She and the bride have a chance encounter in the elevator during which Phoebe shares her plans for the weekend, which the bride takes as a personal affront to her perfect wedding week. Over the course of the book, Phoebe is drawn into the wedding activities and develops a confidante-type relationship with the bride. This book was surprisingly funny in a way you wouldn't expect from the heavy subject material - infertility, divorce, depression, anxiety, suicidality, parental death. It is about the small moments and interactions in our lives that help us find meaning and a way forward.

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

This book surprised me in the best way possible. The characters are messy and real and vulnerable. The writing is raw and funny. The plot was incredible. I can't say enough about this book.

The relationships between the characters are the best parts of the book in my option. We have Phoebe and her ex-husband, Phoebe and her new best friend Lila, Lila and the wedding people, Lila and Gary, and so on and so forth. The way the relationships changed throughout the book was beautiful. They also felt so real. Nothing was perfect with the characters, which is what makes them so perfect.

The characters themselves are so fun. They all had amazing character arcs and gave me something to hate and root for at the same time. I felt like a proud parent watching them stumble through life.

This is a book about love, loss, and the impact you can have on other people. I recommend this book for people who prefer character driven books, raw and funny writing, and book clubs.

The Wedding People was, quite simply, a delightful read. The author did an amazing job at creating characters I felt like I knew - I just *got* them, particularly Phoebe and Gary. For me, the one discordant note in the whole thing was the late in the game appearance of the ex-husband - but even then, it felt ok. This was a lovely fun read about self-reinvention that I will certainly be recommending.

Alison Espach is one of my favorite authors -- it's official! 5/5 stars.

I'm consistently obsessed with her writing and will be revisiting this book later in the year once it's released. First and foremost, I am a sucker for anything with an ensemble cast and this was the epitome of the genre. Similar to Cat Shook's If We're Being Honest.

I love Phoebe so dearly. The story was about her, but at the same time, I didn't feel like she monopolized it. Lila, Gary, Marla, etc were all characters that had just as high stakes as Phoebe (well, after the first few chapters). And I loved it. I was rooting for all of them at different points.

The Cornwall Inn was also a character in this story and I'd love to see this as a movie. It would be stunning.

•Plot: 4/5 (A depressed woman arrives at a posh hotel just in time for a week long wedding celebration of two people she’s never met.)

•Characters: 5/5 (I really loved Phoebe’s growth and journey of self acceptance. Juice is a champ and I might have a crush on Gary AND Jim.)

•Writing: 5/5

•Ending: 4/5 (A little open ended.)

I realllly enjoyed “Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance” and this book definitely follows in its footsteps with honest characters navigating complex situations. This one deals with some heavy subject matter (depression, infertility, suicidal thoughts), but Espach is adept at handling it all with grace, humor, and compassion. I really enjoyed this one. Special thanks to the author and Henry Holt and Company for this ARC.