Loved this book. It is so much fun especially if you have kids that have recently married or if you have a marriage coming up anytime in the next decade. The book uses two alternating perspectives—one from a MOG (mother of the groom) who is a traditional Connecticut matriarch that clings to her old money prestige and the other MOB (mother of the bride), a glamorous, singe mom from luxurious California. Both are reluctant about their children’s engagement and through a series of events both end up taking over the wedding planning in a chaotic but endearing way that reflects a shared camaraderie. The book is fun and has both humor and heart and great side characters. Ultimately, just a great feel good story.

💍 🍋 𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬 🍋 💍

𝘈𝘣𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘭𝘦𝘹𝘢 𝘚𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘦𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✍🏻 @liandolan
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💌 Definitely RSVP to this book! I requested the ARC based on the cover - something about wedding and lemons seemed so much fun. THIS BOOK IS A MUST READ! This book centers around the engagement and wedding planning of Chase and Penelope, but is so unique as it is told from their mother’s POV and sprinkled with wedding etiquette advice. As a future Mother of the Groom, it will definitely be a book I’ll be revisiting in the next 25-30 years (he’s still in diapers). 🩵 This story was so delightful and heartwarming as it beautifully illustrates families uniting and showing love for one another despite differences. If you loved My Big Fat Greek Wedding, you will definitely enjoy this!

🍋 Thank you to @netgalley for this wonderful ARC! This was my first novel by Lian Dolan and I absolutely loved it. I will definitely be reading more from this author!

A light-hearted, funny family drama involving the MOG and MOB who have to get along while helping plan their children's wedding. This was an easy read and good on audio. I liked that we got the story from the older women's perspectives. Recommended for fans of books like The people we hate at the wedding or Social engagement. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Penelope and Chase are in love, and keen to get married. But their mother's are very different people with very different views on how the wedding should go...

I was expecting this book to be full of tension and sabotage with a rousing ending where two women put aside their differences for the happiness of their children ... And whilst I was right on the ending, there wasn't really any build-up. Everything felt like it happened very quickly, and the animosity between the Mothers read as very tame and almost non-existent. It made the book a bit dull, unfortunately, because I felt at the end like nothing had really happened?

Pick it up and give it a go if it sounds like your thing, it just wasn't really for me.

Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy to review

Penelope (Penny) daughter of single mother Alexa Diamandes of Montecito, California, and Chase Blakeman, son of George and Abigail, Blakeman of Connecticut, have just become engaged. They live in New York where Penny works for a marketing firm and Chase is the chief of staff for the Mayor of the City of New York.

Penny calls her mother to tell her of her engagement. Alexa is a successful Greek-born woman who lives a good life in California running her successful travel business. She is happy for her daughter and looks forward to meeting Chase and his family. George is a retired financial manager who now plays a lot of bridge. Abigail is proud to be a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). She enjoys the historic home they have on the water and hopes to sell it soon for a good amount and then retire to Hilton Head. Abigail is happy about the wedding but a bit worried about the young woman Chase is to marry. With money very tight for the Blakeman’s, she plans a drinks party to celebrate their engagement and meet Alexa.

Although Penny at first claims to want a simple wedding, she soon starts adding more and more demands to the plans and turns it over to her mother to do all of the tasks as she is too busy with work to do it herself. Abigail would prefer that they have the wedding at their home instead of California, but that isn’t in Penny’s plans. But when Penny is too busy to meet up with Alexa and Abigail in California to make all of the wedding plans, there are a lot of responsibilities thrown on their shoulders. They hope they can choose for Penny and she will be satisfied with their choices.

I found this book to be a fun read about all of the things involved in planning a wedding. The friendship between Alexa and Abigail was a beautiful thing to watch as the two women became good friends. It was amazing to me how the author managed to keep up with all of the enormous details of the wedding and all of the characters involved. I really loved this book and it also reminded me how thankful I am that my wedding, while beautiful, was no where near as complicated as this one. Enjoy!

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Abigail and Alexa Save the Wedding was a fun book about two mothers and a wedding told from their point of view.

I enjoyed this book, which looks at the mothers of a wedding as their son and daughter announce their engagement in this funny book about family, friendship and love. I love that it was told from the point of view of the mother of the bride - Alexa, a Greek-born business woman who lives in southern California and Abigail, a New England-to-the-core, Coastal Connecticut mom.

At first, the moms are a bit unlikable but once they need to join forces to plan the wedding, they grow on you. I loved the different family dynamics, the Merry Widows and the wedding etiquette column throughout the book.

If you've ever planned a wedding, this book will have you laughing at the expectations of a wedding and family involvement.

Thank you William Morrow for this arc.

The term Industrial Wedding Complex is used in this book and I have to admit, it’s correct. I’ve confessed to spending far too much time on the reddit thread AITAH and a fair amount of the posts there concern weddings and how these can make otherwise sensible people seemingly lose their minds. Thankfully most of the people in this book avoid that.

There’s a lot going on in this story – much more than just planning a wedding. The engagement announcement is a surprise to both parents to say the least. Both sets of parents go into this with some preconceived notions about the other side and worries about the advisability of the marriage. Will they be able to pull back, take a look at the bigger picture, and set true love on course?

One thing I enjoyed a lot is the character of a friend of Abigail (MOG) who is sort of a famous Miss Mannersesque wedding advisor. Scattered through the book are “columns” that she writes in which she tries to advise people on their role in the ceremony and more importantly what is NOT their role. Most of what MOBs and MoGs fuss about is NOT their role.

Alexa chose to be a single mother due somewhat to how she knows her own (at first unwed) mother was treated by family. Alexa grew her career and then decided to have a baby whom she has brought up partly with the help of a circle of widowed friends. It doesn’t hurt that said friends are very wealthy but first and foremost they are delightful women and I enjoyed their presence in the book. Alexa is a bit baffled at why her daughter who has the start of a great career too even wants to marry much less someone who works for the mayor of NYC and is from a stuffy New England family. Her first trip to meet them is a little stilted. Toes are stepped on a bit from both sides.

Abigail and her husband George have been married for thirty years and their lives and lifestyles aren’t what Abigail expected from life. George wasn’t exactly a successful investor at his firm and now Abigail works a pittance job and tries to keep up appearances as they are house rich but cash poor. She’s a bit stunned at her future DIL’s glamorous mother but also a little opinionated about single motherhood and the mystery of who Penny’s father is. Abigail can be a bit of a snob for a while.

To their credit, the mothers set to work to help Penny and Chase arrange their low-key, no gimmicks nuptials (both but mainly Penny have endured their own 20something friends going through the whole “my wedding has to stand out and be perfect” and both want none of that). Then just when it seems they’ve got things worked out and locations found, Something Happens and the two mothers are faced with What Do We Do Now?

This is where the rubber meets the road in the main relationships of the book – the one between the mothers and Alexa’s circle of friends – are worked out and forged. Learning about each other helps each mother learn the wonderful things about their child’s potential spouse and realize that this wedding and marriage needs to be given another chance.

Okay it might come across that the mothers and friends are meddling a little but everyone has a good reason. Alexa feels that her daughter has a chance for a wonderful life partner and regardless of her own choice, she wants Penny to know for sure and never think later that Chase is the one who got away. Abigail and her husband might have had their issues but Abigail knows that a good partner to help you through life is a gift and not one she wants to see her son lose. It takes a village of friends, including a fun mayor with connections, to see things through.

The last bit of the book is nice but I felt parts could have been eliminated or trimmed. Still I enjoyed this older woman focused story as we watched Alexa and Abigail change their minds and opinions and grow as people. And the wedding and reception sound like a blast. B

1⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an advanced copy of Abigail And Alexa Save The Wedding.

Penelope and Chase have just recently gotten engaged and tell the happy news to their families. Both of their mothers think that they have the idea of the perfect wedding. When there is couple has an unconventional idea they go along with it. But then they are called in to save the day.

This book read very juvenile in my opinion. I was not a huge fan of the writing style. It was not for me.

Penelope Diamandis grew up in Montecito, California, raised by Alexa, her single mother by choice, who was born in Greece. Now living in New York City, Penelope is smart and hardworking, building a successful career in public relations. Chase Ellsworth Blakeman, who works for the Mayor of NYC, has political aspirations. Originally from Connecticut, Chase's status-conscious mother, Abigail, is consumed with keeping up appearances, working hard to conceal their financial hardship. Everything looks bright when Chase proposes to Penny atop the Empire State Building (she says yes). Although Alexa doesn't see the necessity of marriage, she's thrilled for Penny. Abigail, however, is concerned that Penny might not be the most suitable match for Chase. When the wedding plans in California hit a major obstacle, Mother of the Bride (MOB), Alexa, and Mother of the Groom (MOG), Abigail, work together to save the day.

As you can tell from the title, Abigail and Alexa Save the Wedding is a sweet story about two families uniting. Author Lian Dolan has created a humorous tale of two very different women with one major thing in common - they love their children. The book's charm comes from its supporting characters. Alexa's support system is a group of wealthy women known as the Merry Widows of Montecito. For Abigail, the person she wants to impress the most is Bernadette, her old prep school roommate, a wedding etiquette expert who runs the matrimonial digital empire "Dearly Beloveds and Betrotheds," signing all her columns Big Kiss & Wedding Bliss, Your Aunt B. If Bernadette covers the wedding, it could greatly enhance Abigail's reputation. The book includes entertaining excerpts from the column. Having recently been a MOB, I found this book particularly enjoyable, especially its focus on the mothers. If you're looking for a light, heartwarming story to make you smile, look no further.

This book is hilarious and heartwarming at the same time. Felt like I was reading a Hallmark movie (which it needs to be turned into one lol)! The structure of the book is easy to follow and I can’t tell which mother I love more as both of them bring so much to the story. I will be recommending this book to so many of my friends and will be buying a physical copy for myself.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

I enjoyed this book but found some parts to be boring and also repetitive. It was a cute story overall. I would check out more by Lian.

Wedding bells are ringing in this delightful summer story, though not without a few surprises along the way.

Penny and Chase are newly engaged and over the moon, but their mothers? Not quite as thrilled. As wedding plans begin to unfold, cracks start to show, and the once-happy couple hits an emotional impasse that leads to calling the whole thing off.

Now it’s up to the mother of the bride, an independent single mom from the California coast, and the mother of the groom, a buttoned-up Connecticut socialite, to bridge their differences and team up to save the wedding.

I especially loved the interspersed newspaper columns offering motherly advice. They added heart and perspective to this already charming story. ABIGAIL AND ALEXA SAVE THE WEDDING is the kind of book that’s perfect for a breezy afternoon with an iced drink in hand.

💍 READ THIS IF YOU:
💐 Adore all things wedding season
🥂 Are drawn to books described as “champagne-sparkling summer reads”
👠 Enjoy stories told from the perspective of middle-aged women navigating life, love, and family

RATING: 4/5
PUB DATE: May 20, 2025
Many thanks Netgalley and William Morrow for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

** This review was posted to my blog and socials on May 13, 2025

This was a light, no spice read and it had some unexpected layers that I loved. It's a wedding tale told from the perspectives of Abigail and Alexa as they acclimate to their new roles as MOG (Mother of the Groom) and MOB (Mother of the Bride) for the upcoming nuptials of their kids.

Abigail and Alexa are two very different women. Abigail (MOG) is a married upper middle-class woman living in Connecticut who is tired of putting up social pretenses when, in private, their finances are in shambles. Alexa (MOB) is a single-by-choice mother and a successful businesswoman who wonders if her choices have set her daughter up for success on the marriage front.

When things go off the rails, can these two mothers get over their differences and rescue the wedding? When they join forces with some behind-the-scenes mom scheming and get help from the Merry Widows (a hilarious gaggle of sassy, rich old dames), nothing is going to stop them!

As a 50-something mom of three 20-somethings, I loved that this story focuses on two middle-aged women from different walks of life. Through them we witness their insecurities, struggles and ultimately the similarities between them as they try to help their kids get hitched. I also enjoyed the advice columns at the start of chapters by 'Aunt B", a wedding etiquette blogger, that added humour and some solid advice that showed how our roles as mothers change and transition as our kids get married.

This is a delightfully predictable and heartwarming story with a cozy vibe that is just in time for the popular summer wedding season!

Disclaimer: Thanks to William Morrow Books for the complimentary advanced digital copy of this book which was given in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! It was fun getting the perspective of the Mother of the Bride and Groom. The characters were fun and sprinkle in some travel talk. So fun.

This is an entertaining and well written book. My son is getting married in two months so I got some good laughs from the antics of the Mother of the Bride (MOB) and the Mother of the Groom (MOG). In the end it’s about love, the love between the bride and groom, their respective parents, and their friends that make up their found families.

Summary: Penelope and Chase make a lovely couple. She’s a bubbly Southern Californian with a killer work ethic. He is smart and charming, with political aspirations. They are planning a spectacular California wedding, wrapped in peonies and thousands of little white lights. Everyone is excited about it­­­­­­—except their mothers.

The mother of the bride, suave, Greek-born Alexa Diamandis, was a single mother by choice and does not understand why any woman would ever get married. The mother of the groom, Abigail Blakeman, is a garden-club stalwart firmly planted in coastal Connecticut. She thinks the whole enterprise would be so much easier if the wedding were at the golf club. When a sudden twist of fate calls them into action, these two very different women are forced to take over the wedding planning.

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

Thank you so much to William Morrow for the gifted book!

3.5 Stars

Title: Abigail and Alexa Save the Wedding
Author: Lian Dolan
Pub Date: May 20, 2025

This was a super fun and easy to read book!

Abigail and Alexa couldn't be more different. But when their children fall in love and decide to get married, they are quickly thrown into each other's worlds. When wedding planning takes a shift from happy and exciting to terrible and uncertain, it's up to Abigail and Alexa to save not only their kids' wedding, but also their relationship!

Overall, this was a cute and slightly cheesy story that would make a perfect reading slump buster or pallet cleanser after a heavier read!

I flew through it in a day and found myself smiling and rooting for the main characters! I definitely think this will be a hit for many!

I really enjoy Lian Dolan’s writing and this book is no ex exception. An easy read, with great dialogue. Perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Absolutely loved this book - would be perfect for spring and summer as a great summer read. The MOG and MOB were the best and made me wish I knew them and all of their friends!

One of the BEST reads of the year! It’s a funny, sweet and true-to-life depiction of the struggles of engaged couples and their families in the age of social media.

The main characters are: Bride-to-be, Penny and her mother, Alexa with Groom-to-be, Chase and his mother, Abigail. We know them or someone just like them: modern, ambitious, driven and protective, each doing what they must to compete, endure and thrive.

Along with a supporting cast of friends and supporters that make you laugh out loud and wish you had friends just like them!

This is a feel-good read, perfect for your summer enjoyment! Definitely put Abigail and Alexa Save the Wedding at the top of your TBR list.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the complimentary eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

5.0 stars
HIGHLY recommend

This is the most fun book! As a mom of a daughter in college, I look forward to being a MOB (Mother of the Bride) someday. But, I want her to finish school first and get her education like I did!! But a future MOB can dream!

I inhaled this book as it was light, escapist, and fun. It will be a perfect book for the summer by the pool or beach. It is so easy to read with easy chapters, easy to follow, and easy everything. The writing is good, the plot is fun, and the characters are wild!

Read this book this summer!

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7062179847 - posted 4/19/2025
The StoryGraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/52d92131-fbd8-49a8-8910-184b85e25fc8?redirect=true - posted 4/19/2025
booksbydorothea Blog: https://booksbydorothea.blogspot.com/2025/04/review-abigail-and-alexa-save-wedding.html- posted 4/19/2025