Two strangers come together to try and make it to a wedding on time in this heartfelt, road trip romcom. There’s a cancelled flight, missed train and many more mishaps and, while it got off to an angsty start, there’s plenty of funny banter and spice for a good time.

Ada is on her way to her sister’s wedding at a castle outside of Belfast. She is her sister’s maid of honor and is in charge of getting her sister’s veil to the wedding. Her first flight lands in London but she is worried when her connecting flight to Ireland is canceled. The airline books her on a flight for the next day and gives her a voucher for a hotel nearby. But when she gets there, the hotel tells her the voucher has expired and she can’t afford to pay for a room. She has been having a bad run of luck lately and now she is broke - her tattoo parlor went under, her boyfriend, Carter, who she dated for eight years, asked to go on a break and she has been staying on her parent’s couch. She has nowhere to sleep when a handsome stranger (who was also on the cancelled flight) offers her a drink at the bar and they commiserate over beers.

The handsome stranger is Jack who is also on his way to the wedding and he is the best man, but they don’t realize they are going to the same wedding. He invites Ada up to his room, hoping for a night of fun while she thinks he’s offering her a place to sleep. She is still hoping Carter will want to get back with her, so even though Jack is handsome, she’s not interested in hooking up with him, but she takes him up on his offer to stay in his room for the night.

The next morning both of their phone’s ding at the same time, letting them know that their flight to Belfast is canceled and that’s when they realize they are going to the same wedding. Jack comes up with a plan to take a train to Scotland and then a ferry to Ireland. He is an environmental lawyer and he tells Ada he wants to pay her way to make sure she gets to the wedding on time. (The wedding is in two days.) There is a lot of fun banter between them and some bickering as they travel and there are more delays. Her sister warns her that Jack is a player and not to fall for him but Ada isn’t worried because she is still hung up on Carter – or is she?

Their attraction builds as they go through all sorts of mishaps and help each other on the way. Jack is a commitment-phobe and thinks his friend and Ada’s sister haven’t known each other long enough to be getting married. They’ve only been together six months, but he tries to be supportive of them. He has his reasons to be wary of commitments and we find out more about all that he’s gone through as he and Ada become closer. My favorite part of the story is when they explore Edinburgh together, enjoying high tea and climbing up to Edinburgh castle where they see amazing views of the city. It feels magical and when they show each other their tattoos, things get spicy.

I enjoyed the second half of the story more than the first. In the beginning, they bickered a lot, ugh, and Ada was feeling bad about her ex, Carter. She rehashed their ups and downs which slowed down the pace. But somewhere in the middle of the story, when they started falling for each other, it got really fun and I didn’t want to put the book down. I especially enjoyed seeing the growth of the main characters when they are on their journey and the ending was uplifting and surprising in a good way.

Wedding Dashers turned out to be a fun road trip with some angst and lots of mishaps and laughs along the way and I look forward to seeing what this debut author does next.

<b>Please note that I received this book via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review.</b>

Definitely not an author I will read again. I gave this 3 stars for the trigger warnings at the front and some other things I won't get into because spoilers. That said, I was dancing towards a 1 and 2 star review for a while. The hero (Jack) is not fully developed until the 60 percent mark. The heroine (Ada) is aggravating as hell throughout this story. Probably because she keeps acting as if she's new to the world and her whole won't tell her family what is going on, but will take money from a stranger thing started to get old. It didn't help she kept lusting after Jack and I was screaming to myself, red flag, every other minute about the guy. I just thought that McBreen took an easy out to "explain" Jack and I was unimpressed.

"Wedding Dashers" follows 28 year old Ada who is on her way to Ireland for her younger sister, Allison's wedding. Ada is feeling stuck because her long-time boyfriend asked for a 3 month break, and she's currently jobless after her business went under. She's back leaving at home with her mom and stepdad and she is worried that her sister is jumping into her marriage too fast. After getting bumped from a flight, and dealing with an expired hotel voucher, Ada meets a man named Jack who is also trying to get to a wedding [you see where this is going right?]. Shenanigan's abound.

So the underlying plot (get thee to a wedding) should have been fun, but it wasn't. The stupidest stuff kept happening and it wasn't cute. It was annoying and you had Ada going look at how hot Jack is every five seconds.

Ada, eh. She's not the best romance heroine I have read. I just got tired of her obsessing over her sister and demanding that Jack spill his soul to her.

Jack was gross. Seriously. There's a lot of scenes in the first 25 percent that I was just baffled at McBreen including. I wondered if she wanted readers to even like Jack. Cause I did not. His comments were sexist, gross, etc. and the whole this is why he is the way he is made me want to yell. Somewhere a NY Times journalist is working on an article about why single women need to have more sex with terrible men. I don't need to read the same scenario in a romance book. There's a reason why I don't read "alpha" AKA asshole romances.

No one else has any personality in this thing until the 80 percent mark. I thought Allison was spoiled and awful from the way that she was written, and then we get a ton of scenes in the end that "reveal" her and I was like um okay. Same with the groom to be. It just felt like there was zero development of the hero and it was laughably bad regarding anyone else.

The setting of the book moves from London, Scotland, Ireland, Seattle, Italy, and then back to Seattle. I got zero sense of the settings really until the action moved to Ireland. And only a little bit there.

The ending was just okay. I think that the multiple endings just made me go eh. I just wasn't feeling it by the time I hit 50 percent and then I wanted to just finish this book and be done with it.

I adored this.

From the very moment Ada gave her unfiltered opinions of Jack (unknowingly directly to his face) and he didn’t actually hold it against her (only about his friend) despite the sharpness of it, I was a goner. That man is far less petty than I.

They figured each other out so beautifully, and their patience and tenderness with each other even as they both fought valiantly to keep their guards up was so sweet. They knew each other for all of thirty seconds and I was still bawling when they parted because they understood each other more intensely than anyone else at that point.

Also, let’s be so for real, we all want someone who will still talk to us even when we are our worst most crotchety selves.

Both of them have entirely valid reasons to have barricaded their hearts, and for those reasons they are uniquely positioned to wiggle right under those barriers. And what a delightful little wiggle it was.

Oh my goodness this book was perfection! There's nothing better than finding a swoony debut rom com, and Wedding Dashers is my new favorite! I cannot believe that this is Heather McBreen's first novel. I absolutely adored Jack and Ada. I'm always skeptical of romances where the main characters meet and have an instant attraction (i.e. no shared history) because lots of times that sets up insta love, which is my least favorite trope BY FAR, but in this book the meet cute was executed perfectly. It was believable and didn't seem rushed in the slightest. I will be recommending Wedding Dashers to everyone!

while it was slow to start, once i got in the groove i could not get out. unexpectidly deeply emotional. had me rooting for a male lawyer who woulda thought

I enjoyed everything about this book and cannot wait to read more from this author in the future. The author has a knack for witty dialogue and engaging storytelling. The narrative flows seamlessly, making it a joy to read from start to finish.

A mistaken identity, an almost one-night stand and a twist of fate, leaves two stranded wedding guests to find their way to their final destination together. What could possibly go wrong?!

Wedding Dashers is a terrific debut novel with fantastic chemistry and witty banter. The characters will steal your heart from the first page and will have you furiously flipping through the pages to see how everything will play out in the end.

I enjoyed everything about this book from beginning to end and can not wait to read more from this author in the future. If you're looking for a fun and entertaining forced proximity romance that will frustrate you and sweep you off your feet at the same time, you won't want to miss Wedding Dashers.

I really wanted to like this book because the premise was there but sadly I think the execution needed a little more. At time both characters were so insufferable,

Jack & Ada’s meet cute was a little inconvenient they both get stranded by their flight and start talking about a wedding they both have to attend both talking about the bride and groom before realizing they’re the attending the same wedding.

I would honestly try read something by this author again in the future!!

I can’t believe that this is a debut novel. It’s so witty and well-written. There’s legitimate character growth mixed in with the genuinely absurd situations. And the steam is hot - a slow burn to catch fire. Thanks to Berkley for the ARC.

Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group for allowing me access to this ARC via Netgalley.

5 shining stars! I freaking LOVED this book, and it absolutely lives up to all the hype I had been seeing from others who also read the ARC. It was really well written and super engaging and I could NOT put it down. I love the whole storyline, and I REALLY like how the ending got wrapped up - so often in romances like this, the main characters rush into something after going through some shit, quick to reach their Happily Ever After, and there are so many questions and what ifs and what abouts... but this one wrapped up properly and realistically with everyone sorting their shit out first like adults, and I thoroughly enjoyed that change of pace. I think my only criticism is that some of the descriptions are repeated a bit too much and could be changed up a bit more for variety, but I barely noticed since I was so engrossed with this book.

I found this book because I saw the author on threads, so I checked it out and this book ended up being such a fun read. I loved the characters. Ada was such a mess, and it was like she was the perfect mess. But she was really tenacious and stuck with things, and I appreciated that. Jack was also great, and I wondered early on if he was going through some things which he is. I appreciated the chemistry between them, it felt natural and amazing. I think that both Ada and Jack had a lot of character growth over the course of the book, Jack especially. I don’t want to go into why I appreciated it a lot because it would give things away, but I think that the author really highlighted the fact that they were both willing to put in a lot of work in their own lives. This book is very bingeable and is one that I didn’t want to put down. I did have to set it aside for a few hours, which was annoying, but I finished over the course of a day and was just in awe.

If you’re looking for a well-done romance that will make you laugh out loud, then you need to check this one out.

Wedding Dashers had all the tropes, and it was just such a fun and emotional ride! Ada’s sister is getting married in Ireland, and when her flight gets canceled, she’s short on time and money to get her the rest of the way to the wedding. And then she runs into a handsome stranger at the bar—who ends up being Jack, the best man for her sister’s wedding. This book was emotional and heartfelt. It’s a romance with mistaken identity, forced proximity and some enemies to lovers vibes. But more than that too, it’s very real. Emotions are high in this, Ada is in a break with her long-term boyfriend and is struggling with finding herself, and Jack has his own struggles that make them getting together difficult. Their chemistry is so good, the banter is perfect, and I just loved the misadventures of them traveling to this wedding. There’s so much realness in these characters and the premise kept the story fun and interesting. It was a really pleasant surprise and I really enjoyed this!

Wedding Dashers by Heather McBreen is a must-read by any romance book lover. It's a cute story of Ada & Jack, who are both traveling through Europe on the way to the same wedding. Ada's sister is marrying Jack's best friend. Both develop some swoon worthy romantic feelings for each other, but neither are in good places in their own lives for a relationship.
Thank you, #NetGalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book, with all thoughts and opinions being my own. If you enjoy witty banter, a bit of family drama, some self reflection, & a little passion, then you'll enjoy this excellent story.

Thanks to Berkley for my advanced copy of Wedding Dashers by Heather McBreen.

This book first came on my radar when the author's tweets went viral when she was trying to get this book published and I'm glad I got to read it two years later! Wedding Dashers is your fun best man/maid of honor stranded on their way to the wedding and hijinx ensues while they try to get from London to Belfast.

It was a fun book with all of your usual toad trip, forced proximity, and only one-bed tropes, but it was fun. This was a rom-com with great banter and a little bit of a slow burn.

I highly recommend this debut rom-com in January!

Wedding Dashers is an absolutely delightful romp of a book, and I fell hard for Ada and Jack and their whirlwind trip to make it in time for a wedding. When her connecting flight is canceled, Ada is stranded internationally on the way to her sister's wedding. She meets what she thinks is a stranger, but he turns out to be the best man in the wedding, who was also on the canceled flight. They work together to try to make it to the wedding on time, facing obstacles in their own stubbornness (and, let's face it, hotness and mutual attraction, hello!) along the way. I particularly enjoy that both characters have personal growth as well as building chemistry and relationship growth. This was a gem of a book!

Thank you so much to Heather McBreen, Berkley Books, and NetGalley for a copy of this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a fun, hilarious, and cute read!
In this book, we meet Ada as she is having a string of bad luck. She’s just lost her business, her long term boyfriend asked to go on a break, and her sister is marrying her boyfriend of 6 months in another country. Ada’s bad luck continues on the way to the wedding and she gets stranded in London. She meets a handsome stranger who is also stranded and finds out it’s the best man, Jack. Someone her sister warned her has a reputation as a ladies man. Together, they make their way to her sister’s wedding through hilarious twists and turns as Ada’s string of bad luck continues. Despite her best efforts, she finds herself drawing closer to Jack along the way.
I really loved Ada and Jack in this book. I rooted for both of them along the way as we learn more about their backstories and why they are the way they are. At first Ada seems like your typical “hot mess” heroine who needs a man to save her. But as she goes along her journey she really learns how to find her independence and to do what she wants, not just what’s expected of her. Jack seems like the typical ladies man until we learn his backstory and he opens up more.
I don’t want to give too many spoilers, but I really love how the romance between the two leads progressed in this story. I like that the characters acknowledged that they needed to work on themselves. Too often in romance it seems like when the leads fall in love, all their problems disappear. I’m happy that things were more realistically portrayed in this book.
Overall this was a fun and funny read. I recommend it to anyone that’s a fan of a laugh out loud, fun, slow-burn romance! I’m looking forward to what Heather McBreen writes next. Solid 4 stars.

I got to be honest with you. I truly didn’t know what I was expecting this romance book to be, so imagine my surprise when I was cracking up or crying emotionally. It took me by surprise how much I love this book. It was a truly amazing emotional romance book that everyone needs to read. It’s going to catch you by surprise, trust me.

I won’t say much because I don’t want to spoil you with the experience of reading this in blind. I will say that you should expect nonstop sassy banter that will make you laugh nonstop. I kept laughing out of nowhere. It made the read so much lighter and faster. But then, you will experience emotions that have you crying or thinking more about yourself. Both of these characters experience something that’s so relatable. It takes time to work through your situation and yourself. It takes hard work to truly think about what you want and what you want for yourself in the future.

A story of hope, heart, and self-discovery, Wedding Dashers is a fun read that you absolutely MUST add to your 2025 TBR. Heather McBreen has an incredibly clear voice in her writing that provides all the things that make up your favorite romcom: witty, well-matched main characters, hilarity that will have you smiling from ear to ear constantly, and chemistry so palpable that it floats off the pages. Jack and Ada were two travelers lost in one way or another with depth that really makes you love the journey they go through. They experienced so many mishaps in their travels yet found a way to grow and roll with the punches every time. There’s a certain form of beauty and a sense of vulnerability in meeting characters who don’t have it all figured out, clearly on the path to trying to relearn themselves, and that's exactly what we get here. Jack and Ada were REAL, and I loved every minute of getting to know them. Heather captured time in a bottle with her stunning debut, and has 1000% solidified a spot on the list of authors I'll read anything from.

I love when I'm reading a book by a debut author and it's so good that I wish there was a backlist that I could go back and binge! That was my experience when I finished Wedding Dashers. Heather drew me right in and crafted a beautiful story that was so much more than just a typical rom-com.

The main characters of this book, Ada and Jack, are both suffering from a lot of emotional trauma, and come with a lot of baggage. They're strangers who run into each other in a hotel lobby after their flights are canceled on their way to a wedding, and they almost have a one night stand. Then they discover that they're going to the same wedding, he as the best man and she the maid of honor. What ensues is 4 days of hysterical travel mishaps, bickering, witty banter and sparkling chemistry.

While this book definitely made me laugh, the story went so much deeper than simple humor. Both characters learned a lot about themselves while on their trip, and Heather wrote their characterization in such a beautiful way that I truly felt their emotions as I was reading. There was a classic conflict about 2/3 of the way through, but both characters handled it in a mature way, with communication and adult conversations, which was very refreshing to read! The ending was the perfect wrap-up to this beautiful, heartwarming and hilarious debut novel! I can't wait to see what Heather McBreen comes up with next!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Berkley Romance for the advanced digital copy of this book! All opinions are my own.

Wow! I have never read anything by Heather McBreen before, but I will definitely be on the lookout for more from her. This book was incredible. At first, Ada was the typical, unaware, older sister with all kinds of issues, but she grew so much over the five days with Jake. I loved how everything wasn't perfect in this book. Some things were messy, like a normal "meet cute." Thank you for an incredible read. I am ordering the book now.