This book felt like a Hallmark movie in written form, in both good and bad ways. I will say, as an American reader, there were quite a few British phrases and terms used throughout that were unfamiliar to me, and some of the dialogue felt clunky and unnatural. Overall, the relationship felt a bit rushed (another Hallmark-esque quality), but it’s a feel good story with a happy ending!


Thank you NetGalley for the eARC of The Wedding Hitch

I felt like this was a bit slow moving for the first 3/4 of the book and then went 1000 miles an hour. I wanted a little more relationship development with our main pair - it didn’t feel like they had enough story development and I wanted a bit more! We learned more about the ex and his motivations that the dreamy love interest so I gave 3 stars. It was a nice writing style though and I would read something else by this author if I came across it!

I very much enjoyed this book! It was easy to become invested in Róisín’s character. (I completely side with her in the alleged “misunderstanding,” by the way.) I loved watching her struggle to find her way, make the best of a rough situation, and try new things. 10/10 would recommend.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘑𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴, 𝘓𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC of The Wedding Hitch! I truly loved this charming, funny, and entirely individualistic book for so many reasons.

To summarize this review, I really enjoyed this book and will definitely read everything this author writes! Róisín O’Reilly is a truly lovable protagonist with a clear sense of self, which was a big part of what I adored about this book. The concept of a wedding with no groom was so fun, the Sylverley Estate was described in such lovely detail, the characters and their conversations were all so unique, the dating adventures were hilarious and tragic, the ending was perfect, BUT I felt the romance and chemistry lacking during several portions of this book. This did not, however, deter me in the slightest from reading it. It’s truly a phenomenal read.

Our girl in The Wedding Hitch has a unique career as a historical costume designer, an eccentric Irish family that she loves and begrudges in equal measure, and a found family of interesting characters, particularly her fairy goddaughter Esme: an inquisitive six year old with cerebral palsy.

When we meet Róisín, she is engaged to her longterm boyfriend Nate and it is clear that they have very different outlooks on what their future will hold. Specifically, Róisín desires to get married on the stunning and historic Sylverley grounds, straight of a Regency era novel.

SPOILERS AHEAD:

When Nate admits that he never intended to propose to her in the first place, Róisín doesn’t beg or try to compromise on her steadfast desires. She grieves her relationship while also knowing that she will not budge on her desire for marriage or children and settle for less than she truly deserves. That immediately endeared me to this character.

The hitch? Well, there are many of them and the play on words is fun and subtle and obvious in all the right ways for our seamstress. Róisín wins and accepts a free wedding at Sylverley in a contest with just one small hitch: she has no groom! She has a year to get hitched…no small feat, there.

What follows is nearly a year of dating escapades (all tragic and hilarious in their own way), failed attempts by Nate to win back his girl, a charming romp through the quaint and fairy tale Sylverley grounds, and a slow burn romance between Róisín and the general manager (later revealed as the last Sylverley heir), Tristan Nash.

One of the best parts of this story to me is that, in true Róisín fashion, she chooses to use her “free wedding” at Sylverley as a charity ball for cerebral palsy instead with her fairy goddaughter Esme as the guest of honor. And better yet, Tristan proposes right before they are announced at the charity ball, a year after he escorted her disheveled self into the same room to accept her free wedding.

Now, the reason why this is a four and not five star read for me: I felt like I was missing SO much romance and chemistry between Tristan and Róisín until the very end! Tristan was meant to be a bit of a loner and a bit aloof but he still lacked a lot of personality to me until the very end. I found their conversations to be a bit dull which was in stark juxtaposition to how quick and witty and entertaining the conversations between most other characters were.

Overall, I adored this book in so many ways and Róisín is an excellent example of a female protagonist who truly doesn’t need much to hold her own. For the most part, she was a great communicator with healthy boundaries, self-worth, and a clear identity. Congratulations to Claire McCauley on a delightful read!

This a wonderful bit of fun. Róisín Just wants to get married and her boyfriend of ten years lets her know he never wants to get married after she wins the wedding of her dreams. Some iffy advice from friends has her accepting the prize and committing to finding a fiancé in 12 months to have the wedding before the prize clock runs out. She happens to make historical costumes and so the estate she won the prize from lets her live in an old cottage on the grounds while she makes uniforms and looks for a boyfriend to marry. Wacky dating stories ensue. Of course the grouchy estate manager Tristan is there sending mixed signals. Eventually they find their way. It is a charming romp. The characters are quirky and fun. I did find myself feeling pretty bad for Nate, who really believes he loves Róisín. And the actual relationship between Tristan and Róisín is yada yada yadaed more than I would have liked. But as I said it was fun and sweet (no steam) and worth the read.

Great Story. Definitely a must read for any romance lover 5/5 Stars out of 5 stars. Going to be recommending this to all my friends

What a cute Rom-Com Read! I finished this book in 2 days! This is my first read from Author Claire McCauley and I enjoyed it. The plot with Roisin O'Reilly winning her dream wedding is what drew me to reading and completing this book. This book was a fast, emjoyable read.

The Wedding Hitch by Claire McCauley was a delight to read.

Róisín wants nothing more than to marry her fiance' Nate that she has been in a relationship with for ten years. She pushes Nate to go to the opening of an estate and decides that this is the venue that she has always dreamed about. While touring the estate, she enters a contest and then promptly forgets about it amidst life's daily grind and dealing with her mother and sister.

When she unexpectedly wins that contest - the wedding of her dreams at Sylverley and tells Nate, she is given the surprise of her life when Nate tells her he doesn't even WANT to get married, much less there. Stunned, Róisín goes to friends who help her try and restart her life - her business is out of Nate's apartment, her home was with Nate and she suddenly finds herself at odds with everything she thought she would have.

She, cheered on by friends, decides to find a husband for that wedding (she has one year to have it) and the best part of the book begins - finding a husband, but most importantly, finding herself again along the way.

I enjoyed everything about this book and laughed out loud as Róisín's adventures to the altar took place.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in lieu of an honest opinion. This book was a wonderful treat!

Róisín is an authentic historic costume designer and she loves her work, along with her café owning fiancé Nate, whom she has been with for over 10 years. While visiting a grand English estate Róisín falls in love with the surroundings and wants to get married there, unfortunately it is not within their budget. On a whim Róisín enters a contest for a fully funded wedding at the estate and she wins and has a year to plan before the winning expires. Róisín is ecstatic and tells Nate of their good fortune. Unfortunately, Nate has to tell her that while he does love her he does not want to get married or have kids, he wants to continue the way they have been for the past decade. Róisín decides that she does want marriage and kids and breaks up with Nate and decides to find a husband for her perfect wedding before the year is up, With the help of her friends and an Irish Wolfhound she may find what she needs but not what she is looking for.

I thought the premise of finding a husband for a wedding, instead of the other way around, rather interesting. I loved that history wasn’t made boring! The story flows well, has typical romcom elements of communication issues, funny situations, and a very adorable 6 year old. There isn’t any dramatic drama or secondhand embarrassment, this is just a fun read through the English countryside, as an American I’m presuming it’s countryside. It’s HEA, no explicit spicy scene, except a kiss, romance. I appreciated the glossy of words in the back for the U.S. readers.

This book was just fun fun fun! I loved Róisín and really wanted her to get everything she wanted, yes it was a bit silly I mean would any of us end up in a situation like this?! lol but sometimes thats just what me need!

ARC Review- 3/5

I really like the overall premise of the book, but the enemies to lovers wasn't fully there for me. I was rooting for Róisín to find her happily ever after, but the two main characters had very few interactions until late in the book, so I found it difficult to be rooting for them. I did really enjoy how this book captured the difficulties of dating and how exhausting it can be. I also really enjoyed Róisín relationships with her friends and her fairy-god daughter! These two aspects made the book an enjoyable read but I just wish there was more interactions between the two main characters.

The Wedding Hitch is the story about a woman who wins a wedding package at an old British estate on the very day she learns her fiancé really doesn’t want to get married. She’s given a year to use the gift. There’s so much more going on in this novel than Roisin’s dating drama to find a replacement groom. Claire McCauley has created some interesting characters that cover a wide range of human emotions and foibles to keep the story moving forward, as well as situations that handle serious issues with humor and finesse. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley. Highly recommend.

The Wedding Hitch by Claire McCauley is a romantic comedy with a side of history and fashion. Róisín, a newly engaged fashion designer who specializes in historically accurate costumes, is planning the wedding of her dreams. During a visit to a wedding venue she loves, she enters a contest for a free wedding and wins! Upon telling her fiancé the exciting news, he admits that although he loves her, he doesn't want to get married. Róisin is devastated but doesn't want to give up her dream wedding, so she has exactly one year to find a new groom. She makes a deal with the venue's staff to make them some historically accurate costumes in exchange for room and board while she sorts out a new place to live and searches for a groom.
The storyline is cute, and the characters are well thought out and loveable. I totally couldn't put this book down and read it in one day. Thank you, #NetGalley, for ARC access to #theweddinghitch in exchange for an honest review.

Really enjoyable read! I found myself cheering on Roisin & reading into the small hours to see if she would get her happy ending! Perfect summer read!

A romcom with plenty of rom and even more com that legitimately made me laugh out loud. This story about Roisin O’Reilly is pacy yet all the characters have depth. I felt for Roisin when she wins a wedding and becomes single, and enjoyed everything she goes through as a result. There was also a twist I somehow didn’t see coming.
Lovely Bath setting and the Irish diaspora main character gave it another layer of depth.
Fun summery read - five stars.

This is an ARC Book Review. Publish date: April 29, 2024, by Joffe Books. I want to thank NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Roisin wants nothing more than to have a Regency themed wedding at the Sylverley Estates. There's just one small problem... she doesn't have a groom!

Roisin and her fiancé, Nate, visit Sylverley Estates to learn more about the amenities and wedding packages they offer. While there, Roisin enters a competition to win her dream wedding, all expenses paid. One day, weeks later, she receives a call telling her that she has won the prize and that she and her fiancé must come choose a date for their wedding. When she tells Nate about the competition and the amazing prize they have won, he finally admits to her that he never wanted to get married.

Following her break-up, Roisin needs a place to live and a place to sew her historical fashion costumes and she is offered the chance to stay in a small cottage at the Sylverley Estates in exchange for costumes for the estate keepers. She attends high-tea and gets to know all of the wonderful people who live and work at the Estates, including the trust advisor, Tristan Nash, who also lives in a cottage on the Estates.

Her friends convince her that she can't let Nate take her dream wedding away from her just because he does not want to get married. So, she chooses a wedding date for almost one year away and plans to try and find "the one" to make her dreams come true. She goes on blind dates set up by friends, goes to a speed dating event, accidentally dates her second cousin and an American man who is married. Will Roisin be able to find "the one" and still get to have her dream wedding all expenses paid?

This book made me laugh out loud and swoon. I became invested in Roisin and found myself cringing on her behalf while also rooting for her to find "the one" to marry at the beautiful Sylverley Estates. She was funny, quirky, unapologetically herself and proud of her love of history. The side characters were all wonderful and added to the story in amazing ways. I especially loved her fairy-goddaughter, Esme, a spunky and curious six-year old with cerebral palsy.