This was an okay book. I didn’t love the FMC. Requested solely because the cover I thought this was gonna be a light, cute and fluffy read, however, cheating was involved and that’s one of my least favorite tropes. The book was definitely missing something and I can’t put my finger on it.

A contemporary rom-com nestled in the beautiful Italian coast
The (Anti) Wedding Party by Lucy Knott is a romantic comedy nod to those people in our lives who just don’t “do” weddings. A person like Andi, a 34-year-old fish and chip shop co-owner who caught her fiancée making out with her maid of honor in the bathroom on her wedding day. Fast forward three years later and Andi’s best friend, Alex, announces that she is getting married to her long-term girlfriend, Charlie. Yet this isn’t just a quick “I do.” Alex and Charlie are inviting their friends and family to a week-long wedding extravaganza on an Italian coastal villa. Seeing no way to get out of it, Andi bites her tongue and boards the plane to Naples.

“If there’s one thing I strongly dislike more than an overcooked cod, it’s weddings.”

Photo of the Amalfi Coast in Italy. Credit Georgi Kalaydzhiev on Unsplash.
When Andi arrives in Italy with the rest of the wedding party, she meets the best man, Owen. Owen is also someone who dislikes weddings, and he and Andi quickly hit it off with their shared distaste for romance. Owen, as an MMC, is adorable. He’s a burly woodworker who carefully crafts bespoke coffee tables or eclectic furniture out of recycled wood. The way to his heart is through his stomach; Andi and Owen seemingly eat their way through the week without regret. Throughout the story, you see Owen as someone who is not romantic but who is sweet and thoughtful in his own way. He takes an instant liking to Andi and falls pretty fast for the romance-adverse MFC.

Andi, on the other hand, I just couldn’t get behind until maybe the last chapter or two of the book. Knott wrote Andi as a pragmatic and controlling person who is also anxious and easy to upset. I think Knott really wanted to highlight how uncomfortable Andi was with the whole wedding weekend. The story is told from Andi’s POV and a lot of time was taken to describe her as perpetually hot and sweating, with a stomach that was always spinning or flopping or grumbling, and a heart that races, pounds, or plummets in her chest. I felt uncomfortable for Andi as I was reading from her perspective, and it ended up being more distracting than helping me to make a connection with the character.

What Knott really does well in this book, though, is capturing the landscape and food of the Amalfi Coast. If you’re a foodie — especially one that enjoys fresh Italian cuisine and cooking — your mouth will water at the many meals that are shared among the characters. Fresh Italian cheeses and meats. Pastas in savory sauces. Rustic desserts and limoncello. I seriously wanted to be one of the characters, with an Italian nonna slapping me on the back, yelling “Mangia, mangia!“

Overall, The (Anti) Wedding Party is a typical rom-com with a lot of foodie flare. The premise is a good one but, unfortunately, the main character development was not as strong as I would have liked it to be.

This book had everything to be perfect for me, but unfortunately I found the author's writing not very good, I found her very stuck and the book ended up being very monotonous because of this. The characters and plot were interesting, but I didn't like the romance either. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review!

This was a simple, fun, easy and quick read. The perfect type of book for your holiday, beach, pool kind of read. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

And I and Owen both hate weddings but are there for their best friends who are getting married. Will the time they spend together change their mind? Great setting for a book.

This book was just soooo boring. I feel like nothing happened and the characters didn't have any chemistry.

I received an arc through netgalley.

I really enjoyed reading this adult contemporary romance, and I would definitely recommend trying it!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

This was an extremely enjoyable read!

What happens when two extremely anti-marriage people are forced into being the maid of honour and best man at their best friends' wedding in beautiful Italy...

I especially liked the realistic way in which Andrea's feelings were described - she didn't just magically get over her issues, even when it was beginning to affect other people. The setting was magically built, and all the mentions of delicious Italian food had me salivating and wishing I was on a plane heading towards them!

My only wish was for there to be more story after the wedding, and relationship development. I also think that Owen's "softness" was perhaps mentioned one too many times for me, but it didnt' detract from his overall appeal.

This one was just kind of fine, I ended up not really enjoying the plot or characters of this one unfortunately. It was just a bit cheesy

What truly sets "The (Anti) Wedding Party" apart is its ability to explore themes of self-discovery and the importance of embracing life's unexpected turns. Through the ups and downs of wedding planning, the characters learn valuable lessons about love, friendship, and the true meaning of celebration.

I made it about 60% of the way through this book and I have yet to finish. I have decided to shelve it for now. I can’t quite put my finger on it but something about the pacing of the story is off. I do like the chemistry between the anti-wedding people however, the pacing makes it weird.

I feel like this book has gotten a bad wrap based on some of the reviews I’ve read. I really enjoyed it! I loved the relationship development throughout the story and felt for the characters. The Italian settings were beautifully written and now I definitely need to visit!

Thanks to Netgalley, Aria and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

It was a little awkward at the beginning, but I did enjoy it. It was about friendship and the mother/daughter relationship.
And it was in Italy. Loved to read about small towns and the food and people.
It had flawed characters but their growth was good.
I liked Owen. He was supportive and how he helped Andi.

It was an average romance book, with a cute setting.

This was just the type of romance book that I adore, light on the actual romance, heavy on the banter. The women are all strong characters in their own right and the leading man is not a sex God. I devoured this in two days, would highly recommend!

3.75 stars

This book made me feel like I was riding an emotional rollercoaster. While it prompts you to contemplate self-growth, it's also quite entertaining. I would definitely love to read more works by the author.

3.5 stars

“𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗲 𝗶𝗳 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘄, 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲?

I really wanted to like this book more, but tbh it was just okay. I thought the side characters were more adorable than the main character. Our fmc Andi is truly kind of an awful person in the beginning. She’s judgmental, selfish, and very rude. She somehow makes an entire wedding week about herself which was frustrating to read.

The synopsis also talks about Andi, and the best man Owen, causing shenanigans on purpose, but they don’t really do that. It’s really just poor-planning skills and a combination of the brides (gay wedding yay!) staying out too late and choosing early morning activities for everyone. Always a bad idea if you ask me. Especially after some drinkies🤭

Outside of the obvious flaws, Andi and Owen are actually kind of greet for one another. Their banter and flirtatious scenes are so cute & I loved watching them tip-toe around one another. They made it work in the end and I was happy for everyone! 💓

Also PSA: this featured LGBTQIA+ representation which made me so happy! What made me sad is that it’s all closed door. 🤣 but other than that it’s fine.

2.5 stars - This was just okay. For the majority of the book, the fmc is just kind of intolerable. She’s self-centered, negative, and whiny. That changes towards the end, but it was tough to get through. The mmc is likeable, but kind of bland. He supposedly feels negatively towards weddings like the fmc, but that doesn’t come across at all, apart from the snarky comments the main characters say semi-jokingly here and there. The mmc is not introduced until 20% of the way through the book, which may not sound long, but it seems like a long time for this type of story. There are some places that just seem in need of more/better editing. There are some bits that don’t quite make sense or have strange time-jump issues. For example, at a pre-wedding party after the main characters meet and are getting food, the mmc fills up his small plate, the two of them say one thing to each other, and suddenly his plate’s empty. Also, the book cover mmc doesn’t look anything like what is described in the book. The mmc is constantly described as being so tall…and the fmc continuously describes their interactions in away that would imply he’s 6’6” or taller (I believe she literally calls him a giant at one point), but the mmc is 6’1”….a pretty average height.
There were lots of little nitpicks things like this that could have been pretty easily fixed, but overall, the quality of the writing was just okay. I probably wouldn’t read anything else by this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for providing me access to this eARC for my honest opinion!

I wanted to love this book I really liked the premise of the story but I just could not get into it. The FMC was so hard for me to root for especialy since she had no growh through the story which made it difficult for me to root for.. This book had elements to it that i did enjoy and normally would like but when i dnt like the chartars its hard for me to stay in the story

I was looking forward to a fun, light read but the FMC is grumpy and anxious. I couldn’t get past her attitude to enjoy the book, unfortunately. However, the descriptions of the Amalfi Coast of Italy were lyrical, and the incredible details of the food has me starving! 3 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

Quite a different book to what I was expecting. However, it ticked all the boxes and made for a lovely spring read.