Thank you to Henry Holt and NetGalley for my advance reader copies!

Still reeling in the wake of her divorce, Phoebe takes a trip to The Cromwell- a coastal hotel in the Northeast that’s always been one of her bucket list destinations. Unlike the typical hotel guest, Phoebe doesn’t have strolls along the shoreline in mind, rather, she has come to the hotel for a much more morbid reason. When she arrives at The Cromwell, it is to find that the venue has been bought out for a wedding. Resolute, Phoebe is determined to accomplish what she came for, but perhaps the bride has other plans for her.

At the eleventh hour and in the midst of quite a reading rut came THE WEDDING PEOPLE. Poignant and heartfelt, this was definitely the right book at the right time for me. TWP is about endings and starting over when you don’t have faith in yourself or believe a different outcome is possible.

Everything about this book clicked for me, and I adore Espach’s writing style. This is a top contender for my favorite book of 2024 and one I will certainly revisit in the future.

While I did feel a bit gaslit by the description of this book (I didn't expect it to start out so dark!!), I loved reading it, and the character development was really well done. I was thoroughly entertained by it and invested in the characters. It was slow at times but I continued to be motivated to see what would happen.

I went into this book completely blind, which is actually a preference of mine. I am SO glad I did. It actually makes me want to avoid talking too much about the plot, so I will only skim. The book stars Pheobe, who has hit absolutely rock bottom and finds herself utterly alone on a grand vacation in the decadent and gorgeous Newport, Rhode Island, the only guest at a hotel NOT there for a decadent wedding. The story begins when Pheobe's life collides with Lila, The Bride.

These two women could not be more different, or more complimentary. It's so easy for a character like Lila to fall into the trope of the snobby spoiled rich girl or for Pheobe to become the Debbie Downer, but these two women were such fully fleshed out characters with so much charm and heart it was impossible not to root for them.

Also, it takes quite a bit for me to actually laugh out loud while reading, which I found myself doing several times throughout this story. As soon as I finished it I mailed a copy to my mom and sent Amazon links to all my book club friends to encourage them to pick it up. I've heard that the rights were acquired to make this a movie, and I cannot wait! It just truly is a gem of a story.

Thanks to NetGalley, Henry Holt & Company, and Alison Espach, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. I absolutely loved this one! It hit all the emotions. It was heartfelt, funny, entertaining - all the things I look for in a novel.

I went into this book expecting a light hearted romance. What I got was so much better. Yes, it had the romance storyline but....it also has art, Rhode Island, family dynamics, and a historic hotel that I dying to visit if only it existed. I thoroughly enjoyed this book

I was skeptical about this book when it started, but as I got more and more into it, I found it to be very enjoyable.

I loved the characters and the concept was great over all.

📖 BOOK REVIEW

📱 THE WEDDING PEOPLE by Alison Espach
5 stars

Genre: contemporary fiction
Did I cry: from the feels, from happiness and from laughter
Published in 2024

💭: i think you all probably know that this book took over my whole personality this summer. I don’t really know how to review it. It’s going to be my favorite book of 2024 and for sure in my top 3, if not 2, if not number ONE, best books of all time.

There’s a certain type of magic you feel from a book pretty early on when you just know you’re reading a book that’s going to hold a very special place in your heart. It makes the reading experience so bittersweet. I’m so grateful that this book exists. It’s so much more than a funny story with some dark humor. There’s a striking reality to every aspect of this book. The characters, the experiences they’ve had, their emotions, their dialogue, their humor, their mental health, their decisions — they’re all portraying a very real human experience that allows for deep connection and relatability. This foundation makes the book, in my humble opinion, absolutely flawless.

I don’t know what else to say other than that somebody on the beach asked me if i was okay because i had tears going down my face from laughing. It is the funniest book I’ve ever read. I have such a soft spot for delicate topics handled with humor because it takes so much skill to perfect that balance.

I have forced this book onto everybody i know and I will continue to do so forever and ever and ever. Thank you Alison for blessing my life with this book.

⚠️ there are pretty big trigger warnings for this book, be mindful going in!

I wasn't sure if i was going to like this book and i was very skeptical it isn't my normal read.

I have to say this was one of the best novels i have read in 2024. This will stick with me as it was well written and I cannot wait to read more from this author.

This had warm and fuzzy feeling, sad, happy and just a real pallet cleanser.

This will be the best read for 2024.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

The pacing was too slow for me. I was interested in the outcome *just* enough to keep reading it, but didn't really enjoy this book and didn't feel satisfied in the end.

This book was very slow in the beginning and I honestly dreaded picking it up. It's not a book I typically would go for so I wasn't surprised that I didn't end up really liked it. Overall, the message of the story was great but it wasn't enjoyable enough to get there.

Book Review:
Title: The Wedding People
Author: Alison Espach
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/3 stars

I don't know, book friends. I don't think I loved or even liked this one as much as I wanted to. I saw high reviews on this book, but it took forever for me to get through it. It's wasn't bad at all, I just got bored at times. The point of the book was great, but maybe it's just me. Having dealt with someone I love who struggles with mental health illnesses and suicidal ideation, reading a book surrounding these topics might have just shut me down. So don't take my review at face value. It might just be one of those books that just doesn't match the reader. That is all.

Published: July 30th, 2024

Thank you, @netgalley and @henryholtbooks, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley, Henry Holt and Co. and the author for the ARC of this book.

I wasn't sure about this book when I first started, based the assumption this would have a lot of elements of romance, which is admittedly not my
favorite type of fiction. Although there were some elements of romance, for sure, they were more of a subplot. One of my favorite things about this book was the characterization. Phoebe is an amazing character who helps the reader experience a broad range of emotions, and almost makes you laugh out loud. As Phoebe comes to the inn with the intention of taking her life, she is saved in one of the most unlikely ways: a wedding.

Unfortunately, for Phoebe she booked her room at the inn on a week that a giant wedding would be taking place. No rest for the wicked, right?
The characterization of the bride Lila was also very well done. She was super frustrating, yet somewhat lovable. As anyone that hasn't been in a wedding before you find out a lot about your friends during wedding stress. One of the things I found the most interesting and surprising was how well I could relate to the characters in the story, and to the plot line. I am in two weddings this year, and it has been particularly relatable: However, my brides are great and not bridezillas, although, like Lila have been finding who they can trust to go to for help and support and who they can't.
Like Phoebe I found out it's not always the closest person to the bride who makes a world of difference. And also like Phoebe, I found that friendships can thrive in the most unlikely of places.

This is a novel of friendship and how completely different women can see if one another's futures in the unlikeliest of ways. What I'm gonna take away from this book is that it made me want to make sure my girl besties feel supported in planning their weddings and know that they have someone that they can lean on. Also, I plan on picking up more books by this author in the future.

For my level ratings:
Level of excitement: 5
Ease of reading: 5
Overall rating: 5
I recommend this book to anyone experiencing wedding stress, any bride, needing a laugh or anyone interested in the rom com contemporary fiction.

this book is everything. Loved the tale of our narrator and the relationship she develops with others.

The Wedding People is a serious, funny, seriously funny story with enough drama and comedy to keep you hanging on every word. The plot deals with love, death, life, connecting with strangers, happiness and depression and change. It truly is an uplifting tale which will have the reader rooting for all the wedding people as they traverse through their problems and try to discover the importance in their lives.

Phoebe Stone is a teacher, and she has decided to go to the famous Cornwall Inn wearing a beautiful dress to finish off her unbearably sad life. You see, she is divorced from the love of her life, also a teacher who cheated on her and ended up falling in love with someone else. As much as they tried, because of Phoebe, they had been unable to get pregnant something they both wanted desperately. She has not been able to finish writing her dissertation to get her PhD...for years, with everyone continually asking how it's going. And finally, she comes home to her beloved cat Harry dead. And that is the final straw.

Now, as she stands in the lobby to check into the Inn, she realizes the others are checking in for a wedding that coming weekend. She overhears the conversations of some of the wedding people as to what the weekend will bring (with rolled eyes I might add). She discovers she is the only person at the Inn who is not one of the wedding people. Although dressed as such, no one knows.

When the bride to be Iris discovers she is at the Inn, she takes it upon herself, as Iris is quite the overbearing bridezilla, to go to Phoebe's room to ask her to leave. When Phoebe explains she will not but will be out of her hair before the wedding, well, Iris basically blows a gasket!

As they sit and talk, something begins to happen. They begin to tell each other their deepest darkest fears and secrets. They start to bond over their similarly different ways of coping. And Phoebe begins to realize Iris and the wedding people may not be in a very good way, just as she too is feeling lost and lonely.

Iris invites Phoebe to one of the many, many wedding activities and Phoebe is introduced to the wedding people, the good, the bad, the drunk and the mother of the bride who is clearly Iris's antagonist. You see, this wedding was supposed to happen before her father passed away. But he didn't make it.

The more chaos the wedding people cause, the closer Phoebe and Iris become. But why? They are totally different people...or are they? And the closer Iris gets to her wedding, the closer Phoebe and Iris become to realizing certain things about themselves and each other. Are they now friends?

The Wedding People will break your heart, make you laugh, as you watch individuals learn about each other and grow, as they make life-changing choices and you will ponder the question, how on earth can two total strangers change each other's lives as well as the wedding peoples for the better in just three days.

Thank you #NetGalley #HenryHoltandCo. #TheWeddingPeople #AlisonEspach for the advanced copy.

I wanted to like this book more than I did, but I’m struggling to understand the rave reviews. I give credit to the author for solid character work and dark humor. However, I found that this book contained fairly dark subject matters that were glossed over in an insensitive way. Nor did I connect with any of the characters - I found them extremely unrelatable.

The Wedding People was an excellent read! It was funny even though dealing with a tough topic- suicide. It was absorbing.

I really enjoyed this book! Phoebe did not expect to walk out of the hotel when when first arrived. Her plan was to end her life. But, in walks Lila, the bridegizlla of the hour! Well written, flawed characters, and both deep and lighthearted. Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is my favorite book of the year! Funny, in a subtle way. Heartfelt. Honest. A call to check the why behind what we do.

The first third was difficult to get into, but I kept going and was rewarded. The last 2/3 was incredible and I was sad to leave this world and these characters.

This was a case of the right book at the right time. There was so much I loved about this book. I thought the concept was very original and engaging, I fell in love with Pheobe and Lila and their unusual friendship and I really connected with the idea of taking your life into your own hands. The author did a great job of balancing heavy themes with moments of levity and humor. I recommend it to anyone looking for a book that will make you laugh, cry, and evaluate your life. Check the trigger warning first though.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I found this book to be really interesting. The prose was a lot of "telling" rather than "showing", however I think that made sense with the themes of the book. I enjoyed the aspects of friendship and how mental health and depression were portrayed in a way that was so /real/. The thing that is holding me back from truly enjoying this novel is some of the characters. Lila could be really annoying at times, so I'm glad the book stayed in Phoebe's POV.

Thank you, Netgalley! (I'm rating this a 3.5 stars)