This debut was an unexpected surprise and delight. Jack and Ada are each carrying their own emotional baggage (pun intended) on their journey to get to her sister and his best friend's wedding. Along the way they find laughter, friendship, and attraction. They both need time to figure out how to heal from past relationships and I really liked that the author took the time to explore this a bit. The audiobook is brilliantly narrated by Brittany Pressley and she always brings her own touch of magic when reading a book.

This romcom was everything I didn’t know I needed—gripping me from the very first chapter and holding my heart until the very last page. It’s been a long time since a story consumed me so completely.

As raw as it is heartfelt, this is more than just a love story—it’s a powerful testament to resilience when life veers off course. The characters are beautifully imperfect, their struggles deeply human, making it impossible not to root for them. Their journey is messy, hopeful, and achingly real, with a supporting cast that shines just as brightly, each on their own path of growth and self-discovery. But beyond romance, this story is about finding your way when the road ahead is uncertain, about holding on when everything feels lost. And above all, it’s about love—the kind that refuses to fade, even in life’s hardest moments.

You could look at Ada and think she’s a doormat, someone who lets the people around her dictate her thoughts, stuck in denial, breaking down at every inconvenience. But maybe that’s just the surface—maybe I see her differently because I understand her. Maybe it’s the eldest daughter, older sister thing—the role of the additional parent, the one who picks up the pieces for everyone else, always putting yourself last. Maybe that’s why I relate to her so deeply.

Spending your entire youth with one person, growing up alongside them, only to find yourself lost in the aftermath of a breakup—it changes you. It forces you to question what you truly want, who you even are outside of the role you’ve always played.

Jack might not be the textbook definition of a “perfect book boyfriend,” but to me, he is. I love the way he is—the way he sees Ada, the way he’s always there, quietly asking, “What’s wrong?” or simply holding her when she needs it. But most of all, the way he asks, “What do you want?” That simple, loaded question—a lifeline for someone who’s spent her whole life prioritizing others.

And speaking of Jack—he’s also fighting his own battles, navigating his own mess. On the outside, he might seem cold, emotionless, unreadable. But I understand him too. The need to feel yet keep everything buried, so you’re never a burden to anyone else. Maybe that’s why this book hit me harder than I expected. Maybe I see myself in both of them.

Or maybe I’m just overwhelmed by how much this story made me feel.

And the banter? Absolute magic. Witty, effortless, and brimming with chemistry—it made every moment between Ada and Jack even more electric. I was obsessed. These characters aren’t just memorable; they’re the kind you can’t help but root for, the ones who linger in your heart long after the last page.

And just to add—the side characters? I loved them all. Their own personal struggles, the way they brought warmth, humor, and heart to the story. They weren’t just background noise; they mattered. Each of them had their own path, their own heartbreaks and triumphs, and I felt just as invested in their stories as I did in Ada and Jack’s. They added so much depth, making this world feel even more real, and I couldn’t get enough of them.

I had an absolute blast with this book! It’s already cemented itself as one of my top reads of 2025, and I know I’ll be revisiting it before the year is over.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘉𝘦𝘳𝘬𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.💐

I wanted to love this one—the setup had all the elements of a fun, chaotic road trip romance with a little enemies-to-lovers spark. Unfortunately, it never quite came together for me. The humour felt forced, and the chemistry between Ada and Jack never reached the tension or depth that would make their journey worth rooting for.
Ada’s frustration with her sister’s wedding and financial struggles were understandable, but they became repetitive, making her feel more whiny than endearing. On the other hand, Jack was supposed to be charmingly roguish, but he lacked the depth to make his redemption arc believable. Their banter often felt like it was trying too hard to be witty rather than flowing naturally.
The travel mishaps had the potential for comedic moments, but instead, they dragged, making the story feel longer than needed. When the emotional beats finally arrived, they didn’t hit as hard as they should have. The resolution felt rushed as if all the tension and misgivings evaporated rather than being meaningfully resolved.
There were glimpses of what could have been a great rom-com, but the execution fell short, leaving the story feeling more like a series of inconveniences rather than a heartfelt journey to love.

This one was fun! Really enjoyed reading it. Was grateful to get approved for an ARC even though I actually ended up reading it after the publishing date. I have seen so much good feedback on this one everywhere.

Wedding Dashers is a fun destination romance, where down-on-her-luck Ada is about to celebrate her little sister’s wedding—right as her entire world is falling apart. So when she’s stranded halfway to her destination with a handsome stranger (who she then finds out is the Best Man!) what follows is a trip that is complete with hilarious hiccups and chemistry, where Ada has to not only find a way to her sister but also figure out what she wants.

I enjoyed the mix of self-exploration and romance. There’s so much for Ada to work through on her dreams, her desires and how she shows up for the people in her life that I found resonated a lot with me as a reader. Of course, at the heart of this book is the romance between Jack and Ada as well, and I did enjoy their chemistry and banter quite a bit. If you’re a real steam queen, just know this is a slower burn.

This was an impressive debut and I can’t wait to see what’s next for author Heather McBreen!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the opportunity to read a copy of this. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Wedding Dashers is a FUN RomCom set in the backdrop of Scotland. Two people find themselves dashing across the British countryside to arrive on time to be in a wedding. Hijinx overtakes this love story as they both navigate being lost in love and life.

Wedding Dashers is a slow-burn, steamy romance.

Thank you, Berkley Romance.

Wedding Dashers is Heather McBreen’s debut romantic comedy set in Europe over one week. 28-year-old Ada Gallman has had a rough year. She lost her job as a tattoo artist; her younger sister got engaged to a man she barely knows; her boyfriend of eight years decided that they need to take a break for three months; and she’s staying on her parents’ couch while she tries to find a job.

At the beginning of the story, Ada is at the London airport trying desperately to make her way to Belfast so that she can attend her sister’s wedding. Ada is the Maid of Honor and she’s transporting the very expensive wedding veil. Ada is hungry, broke, and tired when she learns that her flight has been delayed until the next day. When the airline provides her with a hotel voucher, she goes to the hotel only to learn that the voucher was dated for the previous day. When a handsome stranger in line behind her invites her to the hotel bar for a drink, she accepts. They get to talking and Ada shares her true feelings about her sister, Allison, the groom, Collin, and their over-the-top wedding at an Irish castle. Then she shares her concerns about Collin’s womanizing Best Man, not realizing that he is the charming Jack sitting across from her.

After a drunken almost one-night stand, Ada and Jack have to push down their attraction to each other and figure out how to get to Belfast in time for the wedding. It’s like a romantic Planes, Trains, and Automobiles with flat tires, missed trains, and sketchy hostels. Meanwhile Ada has to decide if her relationship with her ex-boyfriend, Carter, is worth saving, or if she wants to start over with Jack.

I really enjoyed Wedding Dashers and laughed aloud throughout the story. While Ada is a hot mess, she’s sympathetic and genuinely cares about her younger sister. Less is known about Jack since the story is only told from Ada’s POV. The author skillfully foreshadows several plot points, so the reader knows what’s going to happen and waits on the characters to catch up. This is a hilarious travel romance that can be enjoyed over a weekend.

I received an Advance Review Copy (ARC) e-book from NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for free, and am leaving this review voluntarily.

3.5 / 5 stars

I received a copy from Netgalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is the debut book by Heather McBreen.

What I liked: the writing style. I found the writing kept me engaged. I love books that include a traveling story line. I guess it's because I don't get to travel internationally very often? I feel like I get to experience places through the characters eyes. I also really appreciated the way the timeline of relationships are discussed. To often we want everything to be "perfect" before we are ready to move on to the next step. Sometimes we need to be okay with moving forward even if we are messy.

What I disliked: the ending. Well, not what the final result. That was fine.... I don't want to give away any spoilers or go on any rants. But my peeves were pet at about the 90% mark and I never recovered.

In Conclusion: It's a fine nice read. Is it my favourite? No. Did I enjoy it, yes. Would I recommend it? Maybe?

I liked this fun enemies to lovers, wedding themed romance. Ada’s sister is getting married in Ireland, so Ada scraped together the money to go to the wedding as the maid of honor even though she and her sister aren’t close anymore. After her flight is cancelled, she goes to a London bar where she meets and sparks fly with a handsome guy and spills her problems to him, as follows: she’s trapped in London, is worried her sister is getting married too fast, and dreads meeting the groom’s best friend/best man Jack, who is supposedly a womanizing jerk.

Unfortunately for Ada, the sexy guy turns out to be Jack, the best man she’s been complaining about. They both need to get to Belfast before the wedding, and they embark on a hysterical journey that involves cars with flat tires, trains, ferries, and shady hostels. The chemistry between them is strong, even as they clash during the wedding festivities.

This is an entertaining read that I thoroughly enjoyed, 4 stars.

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

I just finished Wedding Dashers by Heather McBreen and here are my thoughts!!

Ada’s life has fallen apart but she has been tasked with bringing the veil for her little sister's wedding.. A sister she is drifting apart from. When her flight is cancelled she has no idea how she will get to the wedding… A man offers to buy her dinner and everything is fine but he thinks it's leading to sex… She is just about to leave his hotel room when both their phones blow up… With stark clarity they realize they are both going to the same wedding, what could go wrong? They team up to get to the wedding but things go from bad to worse in no time flat!

I enjoyed this book. One of the things I didn’t like was how Ada’s sister portrayed Jack and it led to Ada having a bad impression of a man that didn’t deserve it. It really really aggravated me and I never warmed to her sister at all.

Jack and Ava are both broken in different ways and have different ways of coping with it. I thought the way they learned to become friends after their animosity was really sweet. I don’t know if I would have continued trying to get to the wedding with all the obstacles in the way but they clearly both have more resilience than me.

The book started out really slow. I wish it had picked up a bit sooner than it did but once it got going I really enjoyed this book.

Tropes - Read if you enjoy:

▪️Enemies to lovers
▪️Forced proximity
▪️Meet Cute
▪️Slow Burn
▪️One bed
▪️Road trip romance

I enjoyed their adventure and how they opened up to each other during their time getting to a wedding that neither of them wanted to go to.

This is a debut and honestly, it is quite excellent and I will definitely be looking for this author again!

4 stars

Thank you to @netgalley and @berkleypublishing for my gifted copy

Out now

Wedding Dashers is a romantic comedy that had me laughing and being "down bad" for Jack.

Ada, ever the people pleaser and hopeless romantic, is traveling for her sister's wedding when she reads the departures sign saying "flight cancelled." Looking over, she sees a handsome stranger that is in the same situation, Jack, in the hotel that she books a room for. Getting drinks with him, she spills all her feelings about the wedding she is traveling to and her feelings towards the groom... who happens to be Jack's best friend. Awkward timing turns into a whirlwind road trip through Europe to make sure both make it to the wedding in time, veil in tow.

I binged Heather McBreen's novel in just a few sittings, staying up late into the night because I NEEDED to know how Jack and Ada's story ended. I laughed at the pop cultural references and ultimately wanted to give both Jack and Ada the biggest of hugs towards the end of the novel. Lovers of romantic comedies with heart and heat will enjoy this novel, especially fans of Livy Hart or Samantha Young.

Ada is trying to get to her sister's wedding in Ireland but the universe is doing everything possible to stop that from happening. When she gets stranded in London, she bumps into Jack who is also headed to the wedding and is the playboy best man Ada has been warned about.

A roadtrip through the UK is one of my favorite things to do and it was fun following Ada & Jack on their journey (both logistically and emotionally). I do wish the setting had been more of a character, I feel like Edinburgh is the only place you get a real feel for. The romantic feelings developed a little too quickly for my liking and the sister subplot needed to be a little more fleshed out, but it was still a fun journey to get to the wedding on time.

Thanks to Berkley and Netgalley for the ARC.

A huge thank you to @berkleyromance for the free book! #BerkleyPartner #Berkley

In Wedding Dashers, Ada and Jack, the maid of honor and best man, take a hilariously chaotic journey to a destination wedding in Belfast. Buckle up, because this ride is filled with travel mishaps that will have you laughing out loud!

From witty (and sometimes swoony) banter to laugh-out-loud travel disasters, this book has it all! The chemistry between Ada and Jack is palpable, and their heartfelt moments make you root for them even more.

I’m not a fan of third act break ups. But this one is done so well and realistically. My heart ached for them. And oh boy, that ending and epilogue? Perfection!

If you’re a fan of road trip romances, this debut is an absolute must read! Get ready for a journey filled with love, laughter, and just the right amount of chaos!

Wedding Dashers
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Berkley romance for the free book and prhaudio for the gifted ALC! I read and listened to this one at the same time after learning it’s called immersive reading! It was such an adventure to read the book and listen to the audio at the same time!

This was a fun road trip book where our FMC Ada ends up be stranded in London on the way to her sisters over-the-top castle wedding in Ireland to a man she’s known for less than a year. After a stream of bad luck, she ends up bumping into a guy named Jack at the hotel she’s suppose to stay at before trying to catch another flight the next day, only to learn he is the infamous best man in her sisters wedding! These two decide to travel together to get to her sisters wedding and along the way experience endless obstacles while learning more about one another.

For a debut this was amazing! I did think in the FMC Ada was a bit delusional in wanting to get back together with her long term ex-boyfriend of 8 years who asked for a break once her business went under. I was so happy to see her character arc unfold where she finally stood up and did something for herself. I loved getting to know Jack over time and seeing how his facade of this playboy was really just a coverup for someone who was going through a painful event in life.

I think for me the book took off and really made me love it once Jack and Ada finally got to the wedding venue and they took their days of tension and friendship and morphed it into something real and full of passion. The last half of the book hooked me as both Jack and Ada were real adults who saw that they both needed time to be apart and heal from their respective issues before something real could ever happen between us. I wish more romances did this!!!

I love the humor and the puns. I love traveling on several forms of transportation throughout the UK and I love the realistic ending!

3.5 stars, rounded up

I went back and forth about whether to round up or round down, but I decided to go up because the resolution of the story is heartfelt and unexpected.

Main plot of the story is one we have read and seen on the screen a million times. Ada is on her way to her sister's wedding in Ireland. Her flight out of London is cancelled and she meets Jack, who is in the same predicament. After saying some disparaging things about the best man in the wedding, Ada discovers that Jack is said best man. The two travel together to the wedding, and there's a lot of sexual tension between the two of them. However they both have a lot of emotional baggage and the timing just might be off for them to give in to the attraction.

I thought the first half of the book was slow and predictable. I feared it was going to go in the regular romcom/Hallmark direction but I was happily incorrect. Are there some steamy sex scenes? Yes, this is not a closed door book. But in the end the emotional exploration was quite realistic and the entire book felt like something that could actually have happened, madcap cross-country trek notwithstanding.

I didn't particularly warm to Ada's character until quite a bit into the book. She seemed very immature and stuck, but when she finally comes to some realizations about herself, she showed a great deal of growth and maturity.

Overall, I enjoyed this surprising romance novel. If you can get through the long setup, the payoff is very sweet and meaningful.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (4.25/5)

Plane, trains and automobiles with a romantic twist. Two strangers, Ada and Jack, meet on their way to a destination wedding when their travel plans go awry. Both are carrying baggage, figuratively and literally. While some of their plans are quite unorthodox and a little bit of a stretch, the outcome is worth the read.

This was such a FUN read and a great debut novel. The storyline kept me turning the pages. The characters were realistically flawed and their banter amusing. The settings were romantically perfect. I appreciated the twist ending that I didn’t expect and found very satisfying. I look forward to reading this author again.

Thanks to Berkley Romance and NetGalley for this ARC. This is my honest opinion.

Short synopsis: Desperate to make it to her sisters wedding in Belfast (with the veil intact) Ada’s flight gets cancelled. Her and the stranger (who happens to be the best man) travel together to make it in time.

My thoughts: This is a debut?! I absolutely adored the wit, the banter, and the fun of this one. There were also some serious undertones, but I loved how the author handled them, and the characters grew through them!

Jack and Ada were so great together. They were messy, but their communication was excellent. I loved the situations they found themselves in, especially the hostel with the “special quilt.”

If you love a good “road trip” wedding romance you’ll be sure to love this! The audio is narrated by the amazing Brittany Presley and she did such a great job! I loved how she told the story!

Read if you love:
* Destination Weddings
* Banter for days
* Maid of Honor/Best Man
* Forced proximity and only one bed
* Pineapple on your pizza

Ada is a bit of a mess. Her boyfriend of 8 years told her he want a break, her tattoo shop has been closed down by the bank, she’s back living with the parents, and her connecting flight to her little sister’s Scotland destination wedding has been cancelled. What else could go wrong? Ada’s bad luck continues with the hotel voucher that the airline gave her is useless but, a stunningly gorgeous stranger offers to buy her a drink, then dinner, then to share his room. However, when Ada says yes, she thinks he’s just offering a place to sleep. He thinks she’s agree to a hookup and they are both quite surprised when the miscommunication becomes apparent and Ada realizes that her stranger is really Jack, the best man at her little sister’s wedding….awkward! Ada and Jack embark on a number of transportation modes to get to the wedding in Scotland while sparks fly and chemistry sizzles. It’s a wild ride full of self revelations and aspirations.

Ada is struggling—not just financially, but also emotionally—as she scrambles to reach her estranged sister’s destination wedding in Ireland with barely a penny to her name. When she misses her connecting flight, she finds an unexpected ally in Jack, a fellow stranded traveler also trying to make it to a wedding. As they bond over their misfortunes, Ada vents about her deep dislike for her sister’s fiancé and her dread of meeting his notorious best friend—only to discover that Jack is, in fact, the best man.

While some romcoms are light and breezy, this one offers something deeper. It has heart, grit, and a compelling exploration of what happens when life doesn’t go as planned. Beyond the romance, the story dives into themes of resilience and self-discovery, making it all the more rewarding. Ada and Jack’s struggles feel incredibly real, and their kindness and authenticity make it impossible not to root for them. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy.

Wedding Dashers is a delightfully fun and charming romance that had me grinning from start to finish! With its mistaken identity twist, forced proximity, and laugh-out-loud travel mishaps, this book is the perfect mix of chaos and chemistry. Ada and Jack’s banter is sharp, their slow-burn attraction is irresistible, and the journey through Ireland adds the perfect touch of adventure and whimsy. If you love road-trip romances with heart, humor, and just the right amount of swoon, Wedding Dashers is a swoony read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an arc. All opinions expressed are my own.