Recommended by Elizabeth L.

Longer than it needed to be but a mostly entertaining read about a woman facing hard truths about herself. Moments of genuinely good humor and insight with much fun poked at the outrageousness of weddings but also with well-rounded characters, even the bridezilla. Male characters are also portrayed with more depth than expected. ( )

While this begins with a character so depressed that she wants to commit suicide, things quicky roll out of control in such ways that she determines to live, and begins living life to the fullest. ( )

4.5

Two women meet at a hotel, one is getting married, one is recently divorced. Neither are happy.

At first the book is incredibly sad & depressing because of what Phoebe is going through, but thankfully, there’s hope & happiness too.
But poor Harry deserved a better ending.

“The hotel looks exactly as Phoebe hoped.” ( )

Similar in some ways to A Man Called Ove, but the protagonist is a woman who is dealing with the betrayal of her best friend and husband, a divorce, and the death of her cat. She plans to kill herself, but is sidetracked by the bride of the wedding party at the hotel. ( )

TOB. I loved Alison Espach’s previous book, Notes On Your Sudden Disappearance. I also liked this one, The Wedding People. Phoebe is a sad soul who has been stuck in her life. Nothing much changes, years of working on her dissertation, teaching without a professorship and married to the same man. She just doesn’t fit in with those around her.
Following her divorce, she decides to go to a chic hotel that her and her husband d once talked about going to. She is going to kill herself but everyone else at the hotel, is there for a very chic wedding, As things evolve with numerous characters, hidden feelings, etc. it turns out Phoebe isn’t really a fish out of water and becomes alive again. This is the part I like best, getting to know Phoebe. The other characters and the plot just move Phoebe’s development along. ( )

Phoebe is at a low point in her life. Her husband left her for her best friend, her job as a adjunct professor in literature is getting her down, and her cat just died. She always wanted to go to this expensive hotel in Rhode Island but her husband never did. Now that she's single, she decides, why not? She seems to be the only person there who's not there for the wedding. She meets Lila the bride in the elevator and almost smashes her hand when she tries to keep the door open and she can't figure out how Phoebe got the best room in the hotel! Phoebe becomes a part of her family and includes her in a lot of activities. Lila takes her under her wing and decides since her maid of honor can't come, Phoebe would be hers. A lot of interesting family members, that's for sure.

I had a hard time getting into it at first for some reason and it took me forever to get to page 60 on the first day. Not sure if it was me or the book was slow but finally picked up.

This book is getting a lot of hype because it's Jenna's Book Club read. Was it worth it? Sort of. It's original that's for sure and somewhat sad because of Phoebe's life before now and why she came to the hotel to begin with. However, since meeting Lila, she seems to be a different person. As for Lila, she's sort of a blonde ditz to me, young, and her fiancé is much older (ok, in his 40s)I think) all over the place, and somewhat loveable. I mean who would have a week at an expensive hotel before the actual wedding? People with money of course.

As for the ending, I figured it out and somehow there was a hidden message in it what happened to Phoebe in the future. ( )

Story of Phoebe who checks into the Grand Cornwall Inn with the intent to commit suicide. Lila, the bride, learns of her plan and stops her. They become close and confide in each other. Funny and sad all at the same time ( )

Absolutely beautiful in every way! ( )

There are loads of things in this book the presence of which would generally result in a book dislike, but that did not happen with The Wedding People. I sort of loved the book. It is smart, filled with witty banter and fun facts and it made for a fun read. Briefly, a newly divorced, infertile, friendless, familyless, depressive adjunct professor, after hitting bottom, finds herself thrown into a wedding for a stranger she bonds with in a way I won't detail here. She ends up continuing the bonding beyond the bride and becomes besties with a number of the "wedding people" including some she ought not have gotten quite so close to. In this milieu she finds she is freed from a small and unsatisfying life because she is all out of fucks to give and can be herself and speak her truth in a way she never felt she could before.

I mentioned the book contains things I usually hate, so I feel like I need to be specific. No one in this story acts or reacts in ways people act or react. It all has a network sitcom sensibility. Though this is something I generally hate it did not for the most part bother me here, but occasionally despite all the goodwill in the world I found that artificiality did annoy me. I appreciate that the MC feels freed up but she is suddenly 100% confident in herself, free to ask the most difficult questions and provide the most awkward truths with grace. It doesn't happen that way. You need to learn how to connect with people after a lifetime of not doing so. It is not a magic trick. She also becomes the person who everyone at the wedding loves. Again, before this wedding immersion she had one friend (who turned out not to be much of a friend at all.) People do not wake up after an epiphany and suddenly become the life of the party after a lifetime as a wallflower. This is not She's All That and Freddie Prinze, Jr. is not there to make her a cool girl. Additionally, the groom's sister is that tightassed, humorless, lawyer bitch that lazy writers love to write and which I hate. (This is not defensiveness. I am a lawyer, and I am sure many people have non-complimentary things to say about me, but tightassed and humorless are not those things. I run more to lack of filter and being the type that makes things into jokes when she should not.) So too the perfectionist bridezilla. Yes, I know these women who are so concerned with what things look like they can't see beyond that, but they made her so vapid and narcissistic that she was impossible to like, and that is clearly not what the author intended. Again, there were other things that did not work, but in the end, this book charmed me. The banter was great, Phoebe (the MC) was interesting and I liked riding shotgun as she found a new lens on the world. I liked Gary, the groom, a ton and enjoyed the time Phoebe spent with him and with his daughter. The Newport setting was also fun.

If you are looking for a sweet but not saccharine read (though it is sweet, some sensitive subjects are featured: suicide, grief at the loss of a parent and spouse, grief at the end of a marriage, infertility and the failure of fertility treatments, infidelity, and more) I recommend this one. One note -- this is being called a romance, and it is not that. Think chick-lit. There is a sort of romance subplot, but it is by no means front and center. This is about casting off security that holds you in place (a hug is a type of confinement) in favor of self-discovery and the chance for happy times. ( )

a good summer read type book. ( )

Didn’t like it at all. It was boring and predictable. She’s suicidal and the wedding people basically save her and she gets a new job and falls in love with the groom who was going to leave the bride anyways. ( )

Very much enjoyed this book. [SPOILER] A woman books a hotel to kill herself and she shows up and the entire hotel is rented out for a wedding, except for her. It's a "lighter" book than you'd think, despite a lot of talk about suicide. The main character is a little unhinged because she thinks it's going to be her last moments on earth, so why the fuck not. She tells the bride that she's going to off herself and the bride tries to stop her just so it saves her wedding. She goes to the hot tub and meets a man and they just connect. And come to find out, he is the groom-to-be. Lila is much younger than him and there was a story there, I forget. He lost his wife maybe and how he's marrying her. And instead of killing herself, she actually gets very involved in everything. And ends up hanging with everyone from the wedding because Lila has invited her. Of course, that's when she finds out the guy from the hot tub is the groom-to-be. It doesn't end perfectly. I don't really remember honestly, but I do remember enjoying this book. And glad I'm writing the review now because I want to go back and see what else the author has written! ( )

Thank you to NetGalley, Henry Holt and Co. and the author for the ARC of this book.

I wasn't sure about this book when I first started, based the assumption this would have a lot of elements of romance, which is admittedly not my
favorite type of fiction. Although there were some elements of romance, for sure, they were more of a subplot. One of my favorite things about this book was the characterization. Phoebe is an amazing character who helps the reader experience a broad range of emotions, and almost makes you laugh out loud. As Phoebe comes to the inn with the intention of taking her life, she is saved in one of the most unlikely ways: a wedding.

Unfortunately, for Phoebe she booked her room at the inn on a week that a giant wedding would be taking place. No rest for the wicked, right?
The characterization of the bride Lila was also very well done. She was super frustrating, yet somewhat lovable. As anyone that hasn't been in a wedding before you find out a lot about your friends during wedding stress. One of the things I found the most interesting and surprising was how well I could relate to the characters in the story, and to the plot line. I am in two weddings this year, and it has been particularly relatable: However, my brides are great and not bridezillas, although, like Lila have been finding who they can trust to go to for help and support and who they can't.
Like Phoebe I found out it's not always the closest person to the bride who makes a world of difference. And also like Phoebe, I found that friendships can thrive in the most unlikely of places.

This is a novel of friendship and how completely different women can see if one another's futures in the unlikeliest of ways. What I'm gonna take away from this book is that it made me want to make sure my girl besties feel supported in planning their weddings and know that they have someone that they can lean on. Also, I plan on picking up more books by this author in the future.

For my level ratings:
Level of excitement: 5
Ease of reading: 5
Overall rating: 5
I recommend this book to anyone experiencing wedding stress, any bride, needing a laugh or anyone interested in the rom com contemporary fiction. ( )

Phoebe arrives at a Rhode Island hotel after reaching rock bottom in her life, but a wedding is happening and she’s swept up in the chaos. The level of crassness felt unnecessary at times, but I did love the honesty of the characters. They found how freeing it was to tell the truth & the liberation was exhilarating. The chemistry between two of the characters (no spoilers), was electric. I liked but didn’t love it.

TW Infertility, suicide, & infidelity ( )

4.5* rounded up, because it's better than just 4*. Although this was a bit too long and dragged in parts, I really like everything else about it. It is a bit too sitcom-ish, but I enjoyed the humor and the relationships that developed. ( )

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

This was a total surprise! I thought it'd be a classic cutesy summer romance but it was really very heartfelt and deep, thought provoking. I'm going to add it to my book club list it was such a well rounded, well thought out story. ( )

Phoebe Stone is depressed. Her husband has left her for her best friend, Mia. So, Phoebe goes to RI to the prestigious Cornwall Inn where she and her husband had planned to go at some time. Phoebe plans to kill herself, but the hotel is filled with people who are getting ready for a wedding. The bride sees Phoebe and finds out Phoebe's plan. The bride, Lila, is a self-absorbed person, grieving over her father's death, but hiding it by planning an extravagant wedding. She is engaged to Gary, who is kind, but Phoebe senses they may not truly be in love.
This is a novel of a woman taking control of her life, gaining some new friendships, and some independence. However, some of the storylines were a bit outlandish and silly. ( )

Parts of this book are truly depressing, but it's also really, really funny. ( )

This was a bit of a hit and miss book for me. The characters were well written but I just couldn't get involved with them through the whole book. I never thought about not finishing it but I hoped for a quick turn around or something for the end. ( )

Phoebe checks into the Cornwall Hotel to commit suicide. She has recently discovered her husband is having an affair and she needs to get away. When she checks in, she discovers that she is the only guest there that is not part of the wedding taking place later in the week. She meets the bride in the elevator and the bride, Lila, is surprised that Phoebe is there as a regular guest and not part of the wedding people. Lila follows Phoebe to her room and tells Phoebe that she can’t kill herself because it will ruin her wedding.
Somehow, Phoebe finds herself including in the group of wedding people and discovers that she really enjoys being with them. Through the course of the week,
This book spans the course of a week, and each day is a different wedding event, leading up to the big day. ( )

An excellent book about the unlikely friendship between Phoebe, a disillusioned adjunct teacher and Lila, a young bride-to-be in Newport, R.I. Phoebe arrives at a grand hotel in a beautiful green dress and gold heels, with no luggage. She's mistaken for one of the wedding people, but she's actually the only guest at the Cornwall who isn't there for this million dollar wedding. This book is sometimes so funny, that you're laughing loudly, then turns so tender you might have to stop and catch your breath. A wonderful book! ( )

I read some really great reviews for Alison Espach's new novel - The Wedding People - and thought I'd give it a go. I was glad I did.

The book goes deeper than I expected and explores many things - love, loss, family, friends, self and so much more. It's delivered with a sharp and sometimes dark but funny voice of our protagonist Phoebe.

She arrives at a luxury hotel ready to settle in when she is told a wedding has taken over the whole hotel for a week and they don't have a room for her. Phoebe is not going to take no for an answer. She has plans. As does the bride...

I chose to to listen to The Wedding People. The reader was Helen Laser and did a fab job. She speaks clearly and her voice is pleasant to listen to. She has created voices for the lead characters that were just
perfect. Phoebe's is matter of fact, modulated and absolutely fit the mental picture I had created for the character. The bride's voice is stressed and louder, mirroring her emotional state. The conversations between the two are filled with truths. Laser captures the nuances of Espach's book with her voice. ( )

Much to hate about the book, much to love. The whole suicide part was not well explained. But the big thing what happened to Lila and Jim. ( )

Her whole life felt like work now. Even the parts that used to be the most fun, like reading over the summer or orgasming during sex or having conversation with her husband at dinner. They felt like things she had to be really good at now, in order to prove that everything was normal.

When her fifth try with IVF ends in miscarriage, Phoebe falls into a funk and drinks too much. Her husband falls into Mia, a pregnant colleague. Since Phoebe and her husband both teach at the same university (although he has tenure and she's an adjunct), it's awkward. After the divorce, Phoebe is left with a job that can't pay the bills or even provide health insurance, and a cat. So once the cat dies, she decides to spend a night in a small, luxury hotel on the coast and commit suicide. The problem is that the hotel is otherwise completely filled with a wedding party and Phoebe is pulled into their orbit despite her best efforts.

She looks out at the ocean spread before her. From up here, the water looks calmer than it does in movies. It looks like a flat and reliable rug, as if it knows nothing about what is to come. And it's true that Phoebe expected more from the ocean, maybe because she read too many Herman Melville books in which the ocean knows everything about the future--foreshadows death with every wild and loud crash of a wave.

As Phoebe learns to say what she means, she's drawn into the lives of the wedding people, from the bride determined to make every detail perfect, to the tween daughter of the groom, to the bride's mother, Phoebe becomes important to helping them work through family dynamics and communication failures. As for Phoebe, she's pulled back into life despite her best efforts and wondering what trying again will mean for her.

This novel straddles the line between humor and brutal honesty with an assured deftness. More than anything, this is a novel about failures in communication between people, and in people's failures to communicate with themselves. Phoebe is a great protagonist; her years of measuring her words and actions have made her a keen observer of human relations and her newfound willingness to say what she means gives the people she's interacting with a lot to react to, both positively and negatively. But while Phoebe now speaks her mind, she's never cruel and she might be what the members of this wedding need. ( )