Life is looking bleak for Phoebe Stone. Her mother died when she was born, she was raised by her depressed father, never progressed further than being an adjunct instructor, IVF has failed, her husband left her for one of his associates, and now her beloved cat has died. She decides to put on an elegant emerald dress that she bought but has never worn, book a room at a high end resort in Newport that she had wanted to go to with her husband, and take her life. At check in, she learns that the entire resort, except for her room, has been taken over by Lila for her million dollar destination wedding.

Initially she is mistaken for one of “the wedding people”. When Lila learns Phoebe’s intentions which will ruin the wedding, she befriends the lonely woman. And thus the reader is off to a rollicking six day visit with “The Wedding People.”

It took a while for me to get into this book, but once I did I found it a witty, satisfying contemporary read. I loved the colorfully, well developed characters and the astute, sometimes painful, often cleverly funny observations of life, family and relationships. Readers will find themselves cheering on Phoebe as she learns a lot about herself and comes into her own.

Incidentally, Tri Star has already acquired the rights to this novel.

It’s not an exaggeration to say this book changed my life. When I initially read the summary for this book, I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into. As someone who has dealt with infertility and miscarriage (and is now doing fertility treatment), I’ve never been able to put into words some of my experiences. Phoebe’s experience, particularly the feelings of regretting not being excited for the brief time she was pregnant and her relationship with Harry, feels deeply similar to my experience. It isn’t often that you feel fully immersed in a story and find yourself crying heavily because you feel seen. Thank you for this story. And the hope that comes along with it.

A devastating event leads Phoebe to take the dream trip she has been putting off. The trip involves a sinister plan that begins to fall apart when a bride and her wedding guests arrive at the same hotel. A bride who REALLY doesn’t want anything to ruin her day, and unexpected bonds being created all lend themselves to a change in plans.

This was a highly anticipated read for me, and it lived up to all of my expectations!

It was funny and quirky but also so emotional while dealing with some really heavy stuff. If there was ever a book that portrays the essence of hope it would be this one! I loved all of the characters, and in the end I even found myself softening towards the one character we’re not supposed to like.

I can totally see this being a well loved movie someday. I actually already have the full cast picked out in my head

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Henry Holt Publishing for this advanced reader copy of The Wedding People by Alison Espach. I absolutely loved Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance in 2022, and now Espach will be an auto buy author for me.

Phoebe has reached her breaking point in the long list of bad things that have happened to her. She leaves her home and career, checks into an expensive dream hotel, and plans on never coming out. Much to her surprise, life is turned upside down by a week long wedding celebration in the same location.

This is not a twee rom com by any stretch of the imagination. This book discusses very difficult topics in an honest, refreshing and humorous way. There are deeply flawed but equally lovable characters, and one liners that left me tearing up or laughing out loud on equal measure. Espach is a brilliant writer, and I adored this book!

The Wedding People published July 30, 2024.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I'm obsessed with Alison Espach.

This is PERFECT summer reading. Save this one for an evening on a porch or a day at the beach.

I enjoyed the first half - great all around characterization (I LOVE miserable, depressed protagonists) and beautiful, escapist setting. But the plot required a little too much suspension of disbelief for my liking. Or maybe I'm just not into books with happy-ish endings?

This book is so special. I downloaded it after seeing someone praise it highly on Twitter and proceeded to gulp it down greedily on an airplane. Each character is so well realized and sympathetic while also sometimes frustrating - Phoebe in particular. Espach is talented at having empathy for her characters without ever letting them off the hook. I’m not normally a highlighter but I couldn’t help but mark several passages - here are a few favorites:
“There are some people in this world who remind you of exactly how you like to speak. She hasn’t met a person like this in a long time, not since she met her husband, which was why it was so painful when she started to forget how to speak to her husband.”
“Nobody was ever really watching, except Phoebe. Phoebe was the only person waiting in the dark to condemn herself for every single thing when the day was over. “
“And sometimes I wonder if the people who say they love being around children are lying. It’s like people who claim to like raisins. They just want to be people who like raisins.”
I don’t know what else to say except to reiterate that I think this book is incredibly special and will be beloved.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

This was a crazy story and very fast paced. However, I am not sure if I would say any of the characters were likeable. This is a good beach read, and good escape from the stressors of every day life. I will be on the lookout for more books by Alison Espach in the future!

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Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

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As soon as Phoebe arrives at the upscale Cornwall Inn in Rhode Island, she realizes she is the only guest at the inn who is not there for a wedding being held at the end of the week. The bride, Lila, has planned the whole week and her spectacular wedding. Phoebe’s plan will for sure, ruin the whole wedding. The Wedding People is about the lives of Phoebe whom is a professor, recently divorced and suicidal, Gary, the doctor and groom, Lila, the quirky bride who works at her mother's art gallery, and Jim who is Gary's best friend. This is my first read by author Alison Espach and I cannot wait to read more of her books! A very special thanks to NetGalley & Henry Holt & Co for the ARC of this that will release 7/30/24.

A great novel about the power of a community and the ability to take the time to find yourself. I'd recommend to those looking for an uplifting story.

I’ll just begin with this disclaimer: Romantic comedies are not my usual, preferred reading genre. That said, I do enjoy reading a well-done rom-com now and then. When a trusted reading friend (whose reading opinions often mirror mine) raved about The Wedding People, Alison Espach’s upcoming release (late July 2024), I was eager to read an advance copy of the novel myself.

The Wedding People is definitely a rom-com – and a delightful, well-done, surprisingly thoughtful one at that. Like any rom-com, The Wedding People features implausible coincidences, a certain level of predictability, situations that would never occur in real life, and - naturally - a charming meet-cute. But The Wedding People is so much more than that. The characters are a bit unexpected and interesting, the dialog is fresh and funny, the pacing is good, and while, yes, the predictability factor is high, there is also more depth and thoughtfulness than you might expect in a romantic comedy.

I very much enjoyed this novel, and will look forward to reading more of Alison Espach’s writing. The Wedding People will be a delightful addition to your summer reading list.

Thank you to Henry Holt & Company and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published in the United States on July 30, 2024.

4 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

I don't often recommend ARCs to people before they're published, but I'm definitely telling people about this book. I love literary fiction and this book had such a unique premise. I loved the cross of reminiscence with the slice of life and commentary on a wedding by a suicidal person. I think it's a really amazing read with a lot of character depth for both the main character, Phoebe, who has such beautiful and astute observations on life and aging, and the other FMC, Lila, who is complicated even in her own spoiled bubble. I loved their interactions with each other.

Another huge note on this book is that the romance doesn't feel forced at all. It feels very empowered and inconvenient at times, but definitely has the most satisfying ending without feeling cliche. I wish I could read this again for the first time.

5/5 will recommend, think this has potential to be one of the books of the year.

THE WEDDING PEOPLE BY ALISON ESPACH, PUB DATE: 7/30/24
I’m likely more critical of books than the average reader. I may be too critical. I often can’t help but think about what I don’t like about an author’s writing or what I would change to “improve” the story (in my eyes). As someone who is not an author and who does NOT have the talent to write a book, my critique does not mean much. However, since I am so picky, when I tell you I loved a book, it’s very high (and rare) praise for me to give! And let me tell you, I LOVED The Wedding People by Alison Espach. This five-star read is one I’ll be recommending for a long time to come.

Short synopsis: After arriving at the posh Cornwall Inn in Rhode Island, Phoebe realizes she is the only guest at the inn who is not there for a wedding being held at the end of the week. The bride, Lila, has carefully planned the week and her million-dollar wedding. Phoebe’s plan will surely ruin it. The two women will find themselves changing one another’s lives.
My thoughts: There is so much wit, humor, tenderness, and raw emotion in this novel. The writing is beautiful, and the story is touching. Phoebe’s reflective, internal thoughts and her desire to say what she thinks is refreshing. The banter, connections, and the willingness of characters to confess their private, most innermost thoughts is well executed. While the story takes place over a week, the reader learns about Phoebe’s past. The characters and their distinct, quirky, personalities are developed well. Even characters with unlikable traits have redeeming moments.

I don’t want to reveal too much about the book or potential spoilers and highly recommend you read this one without knowing too much about it.

The Wedding People will be published on July 30. Pre-order now or get it on your list to read before it is adapted by TriStar Pictures for the screen! As I was reading this book, I kept thinking about this being on screen and am excited to see who will be cast.

Thank you to @netgalley for the advance copy of this fabulous book.

When Phoebe enters the crowded lobby at the infamous Cornwall Inn of Newport RI, she is wearing a beautiful green dress and carries no luggage. Phoebe, a literature professor from St. Louis, booked an ocean view suite for this auspicious occasion. To be alone and mourn the husband she lost and life that is no longer attainable. As she carefully observes the lobby Phoebe realizes these guests are attending a wedding. In fact, she is the only non wedding guest in the hotel. Alone in the elevator, Phoebe and Lila, the beautiful bride, strike up an unlikely friendship, confiding things in each other they probably shouldn’t be saying out loud. Before she knows it Phoebe is spending the week with “the wedding people” who are mostly named Jim and more wrapped up in themselves than to bother asking why this stranger is at the wedding. While helping Lila have “the most amazing wedding week ever” Phoebe reflects on the dissolution of her own marriage and the devastating betrayal of the man she loved. As she remembers the painful IVF failures and the family she will never have she closely watches Lila and sees the pain beneath the glitz and glamour; a difficult eccentric mother, the devastating loss of her father and the fact she is marrying a perfect man whom she may not actually love. As the two women share their lives and experiences with each other they are able to honestly face their true selves in the mirror. A million dollar wedding week filled with outrageous characters, dark humor and the ultimate search for the meaning of life. This was a unique, well written, captivating story. What is really interesting to note is that at 50% I was not completely hooked, even considered putting this down! But it pulled me back in and got progressively better. This never happens! I am so glad I finished and wound up loving it.

The Wedding People is an excellent "slice of life" novel about the lives of Phoebe (a professor who is recently divorced and suicidal), Gary (a gastroenterologist and the groom), Lila (the bride and who works at her mother's art gallery), and Jim (Gary's best friend and the brother of Gary's late wife), the complicated situations they find themselves in, and what it means to discover one's true self.

The novel is extremely well written. Some possible triggers are suicide, infertility, cheating, and divorce, but all of these tough topics were handled with great care. I really enjoyed the dry humor sprinkled throughout the story.

I'm delighted to have discovered this author, and plan to read her other books. I learned that she is a creative writing professor, which made me wonder if the character of Phoebe is a lot like Alison Espach.

Thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Company for an advance copy of this book.

Visiting the ocean, in particular the beachfront Cornwall Inn in Rhode Island, has been on Professor Phoebe Stone’s bucket list for a good while. As she descends into depression after she accepts she can never have children and after her husband divorces her and moves in with another of their colleagues and after another year of not being placed on tenure track in at the St. Louis college where they teach and after the dog she and her husband had throughout their marriage dies, she decides to indulge herself and books an expensive one-night stay in the best suite and commit suicide while she is there. The main action of the book takes place thereafter, over the course of a week. Phoebe arrives and discovers she is the only guest who is not part of a week-long wedding extravaganza. When she finds herself in the elevator with the intended bride, Lila, a self-centered princess, demands to know why she is there if she is not a guest of either side and Phoebe tells her she plans to kill herself. Lila is horrified that someone would do something to ruin her whole wedding event and ultimately spends hours and hours talking to Phoebe, telling her she will pay for her to stay for the rest of the week—as long as Phoebe doesn’t kill herself until after Lila and Gary’s wedding. Freed from all the constraints of her life back home, Phoebe finds she can be completely candid with these strangers, and they all become drawn to her. That is as much of the plot as I dare reveal; I was sucked in to the story almost from the first page, and the writing was full of keen insights on a variety of topics like infertility, divorce, job frustration, grief, and infidelity. There is also plenty of humor in the story to break up the heavy topics. In the end, both Lila and Phoebe make brave choices to take control of the direction of their lives going forward. If I had any criticism, I felt a part of the plot was predictable, but it did not impede my enjoyment.

Thanks to NetGalley, Henry Holt & Co., and Ms. Espach for making this ARC available to me. The book is scheduled to be published on July 30, 2024.

Trigger warning: This book contains thoughts of suicide

Phoebe Stone's world is falling apart. Her marriage is over. Her academic career is flailing. So she books a trip to Newport, Rhode Island, and plans to kill herself. When she arrives at restort, everyone is talking about a wedding. And it appears the entire resort has been booked for that event. In comes the bride giving gift bags - including one to Phoebe. On an elevator ride to the penthouse (somehow got booked in a mix up) Phoebe reveals her plans to the bride, Lila, and Lila makes it her mission to stop her and keep her from ruining her wedding.

And as everything goes wrong with the wedding week plans, Phoebe gets brought into the part she puts of her plan to end her life, becomes friends with the bride, the groom and his daughter, and is there to help save the day. Phoebe starts coming back to life, realizing the possibilities that are available to her.

I really enjoyed this book - while the book is really funny, it isn’t making fun of Phoebe’s mental health and crisis in her life. It’s about her rediscovering joy and reconsidering her choices.

This is my first novel by Alison Espach and I will be back for more! This one had a very interesting premise and had me hooked from the start.

Phoebe Stone arrives at Cornwall Inn after her husband has left her for a co-worker. She is feeling depressed and down. She decides she will have one last fabulous night at a place she has dreamed of going. When she gets there, she is met with guest after guest who are part of the "wedding people" and mistake her for one also. She doesn't correct anyone because she figures she won't be there long enough for it to matter. She didn't pack any bags/clothes. She just arrived in a dress she owned that she thought was pretty.

Then Phoebe meets Lila the Bride. And Lila, being a bridzilla, has accounted for every last scenario. She is shocked to find out that there is a guest that is not part of the wedding party. She doesn't know how that could have possibly happened. She planned a week of wedding events and Phoebe has thrown a wrench into them by telling Lila what she has planned. Lila is horrified but is still only worried about how it will affect her wedding. The two women start opening up to each other since this is a nothing to loose situation. Phoebe is at the lowest point in her life, failed IVF rounds followed by her husband leaving her for another woman. Lila thinks she is at a high point, finally the big day has arrived, her father had been so excited to get her married off.

I can't even begin to do this book justice. The character development was so wonderful and the side characters were just as charming. This story was one that I would classify as character and plot based. The author did such a great job making me care about these characters. I could go on for days. I laughed and teared up for this one. This one kept me reading quickly just to find out what was going to happen next. I was always rooting for all the characters.

A very special thanks to NetGalley & Henry Holt & Co for the ARC of this that will release 7/30/24. This was easily a 5 star read.

The Wedding People
Arc Review- 5 Stars
Publishing Date 7/30/2024

“But life is strange, always thinking this one this is going to make you happy, because then you get it, and then maybe you’re not as happy as you imagined you would be, because everyday is still just like everyday. Like the happiness becomes so big, you have no choice but to live inside of it, until you can no longer see it or feel it. And so you start to fixate on something else”

I’m obsessed. I found a new comfort read. I immediately pre-order this book once I was finished.

The Plot-
Phoebe hit rocked bottom, She always wanted to travel to Newport, Rhode Island, so she decides to go and rents a room in an expensive hotel, but when she gets there she realizes she just crashed a wedding weekend.

What To Expect and Content Warnings:
🍾Mental Health Representation
🍾Dark Humor
🍾Wedding Week Vibes
🍾Infidelity
🍾Depression
🍾Death of a Spouse/Parent
🍾Suicidal Ideation

“Nobody can take care of you the way you need to take care of yourself. It’s your job to take care of yourself like that”

My Thoughts-
This book is absolutely amazing. This would be an amazing movie that I would pay top dollar to watch. This is one of my favorite books this year. The story is captivating, the writing is beautiful. This book is filled with humor and heart. This book at its core is about human connection we all crave and everyone we meet is for a reason.

All the characters in this story were well liked. They all had a story to share. And I was so invested in each story. I had empathy for all of them. The characters were flawed but yet relatable. You really see how most people you know are lonely and miserable but put up a facade that everything is okay.

Going to touch the two FMC

Phoebe- my black cat sassy protagonist. I LOVE her. She is such a well written character you can’t help but fall in love with her. I really wanted to take her under my wing. Her character development was top tier.

Lila- ahh the spoiled rich girl that’s getting married. Honestly I adore her. She was so delulu and comical. I was really rooting for her happiness as well.

I think that both these FMC complimented each other so well. You have two ladies that are polar opposites but mesh so well. I love their weird friendship

“At night she stared at her sagging breast and her thin skin over her hand and wondered what happened to her” “I had been too embarrassed then,” she says. “Simply put, I thought I was fat, but what a shame because now I see that I was too young and beautiful then not to be naked all the time” 🥹😭🥹😭

The authors writing style really stood out to me. I really felt like I was throw into the world of Phoebe walking besides her while she survived the wedding week. The dialogue was incredible. Filled with so much charm, humor and meaningful conversations. I see some complain they didn’t know what chapter they were one but that didn’t bother me at all cause everything meshed together so well, the narrative was crafted to well that I was emotional connected.

Overall I would recommend this read. I really hope the book gets the hype it’s deserves. I can sit and break down this book chapter by chapter and rave about it, but I truly think this is a book a lot of people will enjoy and relate too.

“It’s all about moving on. Saying goodbye to whoever you thought you would be”

Playlist-
💍Never Felt So Alone- Labyrinth
💍I'm Only A Fool For you- Dybbukk
💍Down Bad- Taylor Swift
💍When The Party Is Over- Billie Ellish
💍Happiness Is A Butterfly- Lana Del Rey
💍Water Under The Bridge- Adele
💍Lost- Frank Ocean
💍FOURFIVESECONDS- Rhianna
💍Fix You- Coldplay
💍I Feel It Coming- The Weekend
💍Landslide- Fleetwood Mac
💍Somebody I Used To Know- Gotye
💍Champagne Problems- Taylor Swift
💍Lose You To Love Me- Selena Gomez
💍Bejeweled- Taylor Swift

✨Thanks to NetGalley, The Author, & Henry Holt & Company for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review ✨

Trigger Alert: Talk of suicide, talk of attempting suicide (note: happy ending)

"The Wedding People" by Alison Espach is a fun read with a lot of issues thrown in that will make the reader think. Adjunct Professor Phoebe Stone ditches school on the very first day, unwilling to see her ex husband be so happy with his new partner, and heads to Newport Rhode Island with literally the clothes on her back to kill herself in a historic inn. Completely unaware that the entire inn has been booked for a million dollar wedding. After Phoebe accidentally slams the elevator door on the bride’s hand and admits she is at the inn to kill herself, she Lila become friends of sort. Well, at first, it’s because Lila is determined that Phoebe will NOT kill herself and ruin Lila’s wedding. But Phoebe becomes charmed by Lila’s ways and somehow has become a part of the week-long wedding party. Everything has been planned to perfection. After all, it’s certainly the wedding that money can buy. But can money buy everything?

Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. Although I was aghast at how much money could be wasted on a wedding, I enjoyed seeing Phoebe discover who she is and what is really important for her. She deserves a second chance at happiness.