Such a lighthearted easy book to read. I would love to recommend this to anyone who is looking for a beach read. I also love so many of the quotes in the book. Some authors have the most incredible way of storytelling and she is one of them!

What makes The Wedding People stand out is its balance of humor and realism. While weddings are often portrayed as a picture-perfect celebration, this book takes a more authentic approach, exploring the messiness of relationships, the stress of family dynamics, and the beauty of finding connection in unexpected places.

The book was okay. The story was a bit weird to get into in the beginning. There was a lot going on and all of the different wedding people she met were cool. The bride annoyed me a lot and I wish the main character had called her out about it more.

But overall it was a good ending.

I loved this book! This book felt like real life to me. The MC is struggling like most of us are and finds herself at a hotel with a wedding. The story of how she overcomes her thoughts of suicide to making friends and rekindling her relationship keeps you thinking about your own life and choices Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read and review this book 4 stars

This was such a heartwarming and heartbreaking book at the same time. It was very emotional and poignant. I enjoyed it a lot but it is a bit heavy st times. Very good!

People seem to either love this book or hate it. In the beginning, it was a bit of a train wreck in the sense I couldn’t believe what I was reading, but I couldn’t stop.

Phoebe is in a deep depression after her husband had an affair and left her for his co-worker. She feels pressured to finish her dissertation. Also, Phoebe’s cat dies. She leaves it all behind and goes to the Cornwall Inn, a place she wanted to go with her husband but they never did. She shows up and is the only person staying there who isn’t part of a week-long wedding soirée. But, don’t think this book is going to be all pretty bows and flowers. There are some tough topics, some really messed up characters, and frankly, it's a bit ridiculous in spots.

“This is exactly what Phoebe has always hated and loved about life—-how unpredictable it is, how things can change in an instant.”

I was surprised by its R-rated content. In spots, it was pretty raunchy and really felt like it wasn’t necessary, but I can appreciate the author did it to show the character’s mental state at that point. Still, it was a turn-off for me. This story deals with some heavy topics including suicide, infidelity, and infertility. Are there happy moments? Of course! Were there moments that I felt were unnecessary to the story and could have been left out? Yes! Were there some really beautiful moments and great writing? Yes! I found the writing to be smart, witty, insightful, and honest. I loved the character development, how each character seemed to evolve over the wedding week some changing completely and some really not at all.

“This sounds like exactly what she wants, what she has secretly always wanted. To read books she wanted to read. To be sad when she was sad. To be scared when she was scared. To be angry when she was angry. To be boring when she felt boring.”

I would definitely recommend this with a caveat due to its spicy content. The heart of the story is about a woman in her 40s finding herself, a bride who has courage, a groom who just wants to love again, and a family that is so crazy you have to love them. I was worried the ending was going to take a turn that I didn’t want to happen, but thankfully it ended just the way I was hoping it would. This would have been a 5-star read if it hadn’t been for some of the ridiculous content.

Side note: You can be a light in someone’s darkness. A simple smile, a compliment, a genuine thank you, and an “I appreciate you” can be enough to change their perspective and maybe their entire life. Go and be a light!

The Wedding People by Alison Espach is a story about a woman with nothing to lose, a chaotic wedding and much more.

While the cover and title seems like a light read, this is quite heavy at times, and deals with several serious topics. This is certainly not a romance, but not literary fiction either. It’s commercial fiction that really deeps dive into the characters.

I was so drawn in at the beginning, however, one too many flashbacks took my interest away for a bit. But it features a very intriguing climax and a good ending too. All in all this is a solid read that does generate quite a bit of discussion for book clubs.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Wedding People by Alison Espach! Definitelty one of my Favorites of 2024 and a must read book club book of 2025!

I was really looking forward to reading this, especially after reading all the excellent reviews. This did not disappoint. I was hooked from the very beginning. The author does a fabulous job with character development. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

I went into this mostly blind and it really surprised me. I expected it to be light-hearted and it definitely had some serious topics. I really enjoyed this book. It made me laugh out loud at times.

I started out loving this book. I thought it was very well written, and I really liked the cast of characters. While I didn't like last two-thirds of the book, a lot of ladies in my book club loved it.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review this advanced release. I am a huge fan of women's fiction. This book did not disappoint. There is a heavy undertone, obviously; however, there is humor as well. I enjoyed each of the characters and the way in which the two main characters both grew from their newfound relationship.

I really loved this book. I felt that it was such a great exposition of the human experience. It was dark at times, dealing with themes of infertility, depression, suicidal ideation but was balanced by levity with the wedding people who just seem so out of touch with reality in the context of Phoebe's numbness. I think it was a very approachable way of discussing the difficult themes of mental health both as the one experiencing it but also as the people on the outside supporting (or in the case of her husband-not supporting) them. The hopeless romantic in me wished that Gary and Phoebe ended up together in the end, but I also appreciate that depression and grief and the will to live are things that ultimately one has to process and heal from in their own time. They can do this in parallel avenues, but it still needs to happen individually. I loved that it was left open ended with a chance that they'd find their way back to each other in some capacity, but that Phoebe steps out of the hotel with a plan for beginning her life anew. I loved this book.

I loved the balance of humor and emotion in this book. Even though the story is a little obvious once it gets going, it's still a satisfying read.

This book made me laugh as much as it made me cry. The plot line and setting were simple, but the characters had so much depth and complexity. This was a beautiful demonstration of humanity, relationships, and finding yourself at any point in your lifetime.

TL;DR: I listened to this on audio, and found the sound mix to be really wonky, to the point that it really took me out of the story. I would maybe read something else from the author since I enjoyed the read, but probably dinged it because I hated the audiobook so much.

As inspiring and lovely as everyone says. It's a warming read that deals with life's hardest themes in a hopeful way.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read “The Wedding People” for free in exchange for a review. This book has been on my NetGalley TBR for a WHILE now. I DNFed Espach’s other book, “Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance”, so I was a bit apprehensive about reading this one.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The book opens with Phoebe arriving at The Cornwall Inn in Newport, RI, and she is the only person there NOT associated with a very high-dollar, over-the-top “wedding week”. Phoebe is an outsider who eventually becomes an insider.

I enjoyed this story because it made me feel many emotions, often at the same time. Some of the characters did things that were just so maddening, but Espach created characters that allowed you to see their humanity and build empathy for why they were the way they were. She created dialogue that was almost slapstick at times, which offered much-needed comic relief when things got heavy. The bachelorette party scenes were laugh-out-loud for me.

Overall, I’d say that this was a 3.75 star read for me, rounded up to 4 stars.

This is one of those books that really snuck up on me emotionally. I was not prepared for how much it would suck me in. I found myself so enthralled with both Phoebe and the wedding people who quickly became so much more. I loved the way Espach started with surface level somewhat stereotypical characters and slowly unraveled their unique motivations and quirks throughout the story. This is a great vacation read if you're looking for something with a little more depth and complex emotions.

This story started off with a great pace. It slowed down a lot but overall not bad. I didn’t hate it.