I could not finish enough of this book to leave a comprehensive review, but I hope it finds its audience and I am grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

I tried several times to get into this book and I just couldn't. I was so excited to read it but, it just didn't grab me the way that I expected or wanted it to.

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

<i>We Are Gathered</i> tells the story of some of the guests at a wedding. You hear from Carla, bridesmaid and childhood friend of the bride; the bride's great-aunt Rachel, a Holocaust survivor; the bride's grandpa Albert, speechless and wheelchair-bound since his stroke; Annette, mother of the bride; Jack, college friend of the bride's father; the older brother of a friend of the bride, who is dealing with mental illness; and a mother to a son with muscular dystrophy, whose husband was also college friends with the bride's father.

The premise of the book was intriguing to me. I looked forward to hearing about the wedding from the viewpoint of the guests. However, the wedding is only briefly referenced in each passage from a guest. They spend the rest of the time talking about their life away from the wedding. Not that you are going to want to hear about their lives; many of them reminded me of people you meet at public gatherings like a wedding and count down the seconds until you can get away from them because they are so unlikable. This is not a book I will be recommending to anyone else.

I was drawn by the cover to request this one since I love weddings and wedding stories, but it took me a while to actually open it. I thought the writing was clever and funny and the cast of characters was so warm and really made you sad for the story to end. I'll look out for the author's future books!

This reads like a compilation of short stories of all to the guests of a wedding. A little bigger than a wedding story but a dive into the wedding party.

An intriguing tale that mostly held my attention.... felt there was “something” missing maybe? Not “have to read again”, more of a “ok, & that was about....?” Will watch out for this author though & keep an open mind. But thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to read.

In this novel you sit through a wedding from the points of view of various guests as they reflect on their lives. One interesting story from a holocaust survivor, but mainly I didn't enjoy the book.

This is about a 3.5, but I am rounding up for some of the great quotes interspersed though the book.
I had a really hard time getting into this book. I had not read any reviews and was thoroughly confused by the format, which was a series of character studies about the attendees at a wedding. They became interwoven as the book went along, because many of those present obviously had relationships with the others. The original group were 3 Jewish guys who were roommates at UNC, and the poor kid from North Carolina who was the fourth roommate. They all remained close to varying degrees, and it was one of their daughters who was getting married.
On the positive side, most of the stories were interesting, although I couldn’t relate to many of the people. On the negative side, I had a hard time keeping everyone straight, and had to keep looking back to see who was who. It isn’t a book you can pick up and put down with ease. The stories varied in interest; some of the characters were sympathetic and some definitely weren’t. Many of them had major flaws, either physical or moral, and sometimes both. There was quite a bit of irony in how lives fell out. I thought Annette’s story (a slice of leftover cake) was the most well-written and most engaging, and her character the most real, but that is probably because I could relate more to her than any of the others.
I think the author has promise, and I hope next time she adds a plot of some sort to the character studies. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I read a review of this book in my local newspaper. It sounded pretty interesting so I decided to give it a go.

One hundred and fifty people are gathered for the interfaith wedding of Elizabeth and Hank. Each chapter is told by a different character - a friend, a grandfather, an aunt, etc. Each brings their own perspective of the wedding and how they fit into the bride or groom's life.

This was often funny and insightful. I liked the honesty and straightforwardness of each character. Bravo to Ms. Weisman on this entertaining debut.

I received this from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt via Netgalley. Many thanks!

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, NetGalley, and Goodreads provided me with the opportunity to read an advanced copy of We Are Gathered. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

We Are Gathered is a book about a wedding, told from the perspectives of the guests who are in attendance. The writing format leaves the story very disjointed, with different opinions from section to section. It is also hard to ascertain the author of each portion of the book, as the character name is not always apparent.

This character sketch has almost no plot, which gives We Are Gathered a sluggish pace. The novel is just about a bunch of people attending a wedding, with very little connection between them. I really did not get a clear picture of any of the characters and the plot itself was lacking. For these reasons, I would not recommend We Are Gathered to other readers.

Not a page turner. We are gathered had times where the “stories” captured me but it was fleeting and momentary. I was not longing to get back to my book and escape. Additionally, the main characters were not as relatable as they possibly could have been, in the sense that I was never able to get “close” to them or feel a connection.

The premise of the story grabbed me immediately. I couldn't wait to read what promised to be a story of love, living well, nutty friends and relations -- the typical wedding, no matter where you are. Weisman is an exceptional writer -- fantastically clever, adroit with a phrase, skilled at depicting anguish and wonder. I bet she writes fantastic short stories, flash fiction, perhaps has a terrific blog.
Unfortunately, this novel does not showcase her burgeoning talent. I so wanted to like it, settled down with a cup of tea to enjoy an intricate, complex froth of a wedding that is supposed to be perfect and ultimately is, but not for the reasons anyone might think. What I got was drone. Drone and drone and misery and more drone. I wanted to read about the wedding, see what the author constructed between the beautiful, perfect bride and her decidedly imperfect friend. I pressed forward, figuring that a little backstory never hurt anyone, but it kept on going so long that I forgot what the story was--and no longer cared.
I did not finish this book. Maybe I'm not the target audience -- or maybe I am and the way that the story was told by this magnificent writer did not work for me. Truly, it doesn't matter. I wish her well -- wish her a second novel that allows her to strut her lyrical prose, wonderful way of describing people and setting, in the service of a ripping good story.

Jamie Weisman tenderly crosses generational lines with "We are Gathered," a novel about faith, family and relationships.

As friends and family gather at Elizabeth Gottlieb's wedding in Atlanta, each person comes with his or her own personal baggage. For some, the load is light. For others, the weight is heavy with past hurts, grievances and circumstances. As Weisman fleshes out each character (through first-person narratives), she gives readers insight into the Jewish community and its rich cultural and spiritual heritage. The author uses the present, past and "what could be" to create a highly relateable and entertaining story. "We are Gathered" is tenderly written with a nod to religious roots and personal development. High praises to the author and her debut novel.

We Are Gathered by Jamie Weisman is a unique story about a wedding. Weisman's plot revolves around the wedding guests instead of the bride and groom. Each chapter is told from a different point of view and most include an interaction with the bride, Elizabeth. The novel belongs to the guests and their stories are funny and poignant. Weisman successfully provides a new take on an old setting.

not my cup of tea. hope it finds an audience just not for me. Sorry I was hoping for more. It rambled too much to hold my interest. .

I think there were only a couple of times that I actually could tell who was talking and what they were going on about. This was a very confusing book and I'm not sure where the plot was.

I liked the idea of the story but the execution left me eager to finish and still not understanding what the point was.

This was a very interesting book. I almost gave up at the beginning because I couldn’t really figure out what was going on. As I read through it, I did come to like it despite its lack of a real “plot”.

We are Gathered is a series of stories of a group of family and friends gathered for a wedding in Atlanta. The family and friends are Jewish and tell the stories of their lives and how they are all intertwined. The wedding serves as a backdrop as we really only get to know the bride ( and somewhat thr groom) through the stories of others ( the bride’s mother, family friend, godfather ect). There isn’t really a climax, although the wedding does take place as sort of the arc of the story.

This was a good quick read, although somewhat depressing. Not light reading, not beach reading either. I tend to really enjoy generational books and this is kinda one, so I enjoyed it for the most part. A solid “story”.

I loved this story about the guests at Elizabeth's wedding. I love the emotions evoked. I loved how each guest had a life-changing connection with the other guests. The first part of the book is incredibly well written. The words Weisman chose were perfect. My soul was aching and there were tears in my eyes as I got to know everyone.

All that being said, I did not like the ending. I was completely unsatisfied. I'm not sure why the book ended the way it did. Perhaps I missed something huge within the stories themselves.

I'm giving this book 3 stars for the beautiful emotions that it stirred up in me. A different ending could have bumped my rating up to 4 or 4.5.

Jamie Weisman has a true talent for writing - her chapters are more like short stories about the bit players at a wedding. The prose is beautiful, eloquent, thoughtful and very profound.

It is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo not my cup of tea. I was expecting more of a Southern Jewish wedding with some crazy side characters. I was looking for light, loving, and wedding fluff - this book was deeper than the goo at the La Brea Tar pits....

Its an amazing book - and it will find its niche out there... I'm just not that niche.

I loved this novel in linked stories; it was funny, moving and well-written. Will absolutely recommend as a literary summer read.