I absolutely loved this book!!

This was a bit of a slow burner of a book, so for those of you who have started it but aren't sure yet, please persevere, it really is amazing.

Three brides-to-be and a bridal boutique owner. How these three young women and Helen, the boutique owner, come to cross paths shouldn't be a great surprise. However, how many threads of commonality they share is often surprising and it makes this book go from good to great. I think the story was very cleverly written by this author and it made me feel every emotion there is, which is why I am giving it 5 stars.

I would be very interested in reading more books by this author, for sure.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Well what can I say about this book other than it took me by surprise as I followed Dolly, Jessie and Emily as they prepared for their big day. Although I had read the book blurb and thought I knew how this was all going to pan out I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Jessie is your typical Bridezilla who is barking orders left, right and centre and it is quite difficult to warm to her. She is adamant that money is no object and that everything must be perfect, she even paid off another couple so that she could get the venue she wanted on the day she wanted. As the story progresses you do see that maybe she is not quite the cow that she appears to be, just someone who is full of self-doubt that she is not actually good enough for her fiancé Adam and his family.
Dolly is also obsessed with the perfect wedding and wants it to be featured in Brides magazine. Spending so much time trying to plan everything alone as her fiancé Josh is worse that useless she is also determined not to go back to the chubby child that she once was. Her obsessions however are close to costing her the job she needs to keep, and you also wonder if Josh is as into the wedding as Dolly is.
Emily seems the most together, she is still living at home until the wedding and she is happy to have a simple affair with simple touches such as lace bunting to decorate the room and his happy for both sets of parents helping with the organisation, in fact at times she comes across as a bit of a ditherer when a decision is required for things such as cakes, dresses etc – a stark contrast to her job as a nursery nurse in charge of the toddler room.
Just as with the brides the grooms could also not be more different. Jessies fiancé Adam, although born to wealth is actually down to earth and sees the good in everyone. Dolly’s fiancé Josh is a self-obsessed photographer who spends his days with models and his evenings putting Dolly down. Emily’s fiancé Mark is nice and sweet but dare I say it just that little bit wet, in fact at one point you have to wonder how he ever managed to set up his own travel agency.
What could have been a book with three individual stories in it becomes something more as each girl visits the same wedding dress boutique run by Helen, who after the death of her husband, decided to up sticks and open the boutique in the hope that she will be able to move on with her life. In fact, I found that I invested almost as much time wondering if she was going to be able to get her version of happy ever after too. As time progresses she becomes their confidante, encouraging each one to be true to themselves, even if this means that decisions made may be hard and change things forever.
The Almost Wife takes you on a bit of a roller coaster with each of the girls and for very different reasons. There will be times you want to slap one of them, cheer for one of them and cry for one of them, however I am not going to say which one is which. You need to pick up the book for yourself to find out and I would really recommend that you do as you won’t be disappointed. This is the first book by Jade Beer and I look forward to reading more of her work in the future

One of my favourite series on tv is 'Say yes to the dress' because I love looking at wedding dresses. Needless to say I was very pleased when I read it was about as much as three brides. I secretly hoped that I would get a glimpse of their attire and I was really spoiled.
But this book is about so much more. Three brides, but three totally different women.
One really selfish girl who comes to her senses, one who refuses to be a doormat anymore and takes her life in her own hands and one whose world comes crashing down.
All three stories are beautiful and filled with emotions. You want to shake the first girl for being the way she is now, you are encouraging the second one for being so brave and you feel your heart break in a million pieces for the third one.
The book is an emotional journey filled with tears of happiness and sadness.
Thank you Jade Beer, Bookouture and Netgalley.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the Publisher, Bookouture for this review copy given in exchange for an honest review. Also thank you to Kim from Bookouture for organising the Blog Tour!

A story about three women who are all planning their big day. Jessie and Adam are complete chalk and cheese. Adam is filthy rich, but very down to earth. Jessie appeared to be from an underprivileged background and has become quite the bitch now she’s marrying into money. Dolly and Josh are again an unlikely couple. Josh is a photographer and hangs around beautiful models all day. Dolly finds herself playing second fiddle to Josh’s job and throws everything into her wedding and looking good for it instead. Emily and Mark appear to be the only couple who are well suited, and Emily can’t wait to finally marry the love of her life. A story of love, life and family, these three ladies stories cross in the most unexpected way.

My first book by this author. The story interested me as it sounded like one emotional rollercoaster! I love books about weddings, and to have three of them in one book is just sheer decadence! The blurb also mentioned that there would be three big days planned, only two will make it up the aisle and only one will marry, so you just know that there is going to be some huge revelations and a lot of tears!

The characters were certainly a mixed bunch. Jessie appeared to be the worst with the attitude that she was so much better than everyone else now she was marrying into money, obviously forgetting her background. Dolly and Emily are more likeable but they still all have their own secrets and insecurities which makes them all different characters. The story is told from the viewpoint of all three women and also from Helen, the owner of the Wedding Dress shop where they’re all planning to get their wedding dresses from. Helen is also a lovely character. Having been widowed, her life now is the shop. I loved the first meeting of Helen where she describes her opening up routine and before any customers come in and also her description of the shop! Such wonderful dedication to her business certainly shows why these three ladies go to her!

The story was, as I expected, a rollercoaster of emotions. There is, obviously, plenty of love and also lots of family involvement, but not all necessarily in good ways. I loved the way the book switched from one character to the other, but yet involving them all together and having their stories coming unexpectedly together by the end. It was very cleverly written and the story flowed really well. I would definitely recommend this book! It would make a perfect summer read, in fact a perfect anytime read!

OMG, I cried in the tube! The story of the upcoming weddings od Jessica, Dolly and Emily, toed together by Helen the wedding dress shop owner. All three had very different endings to their stories, and each one made me cry! I thoroughly enjoyed this book, would highly recommend.

I really enjoyed the wedding shop aspect of this book.

Helen was a really likeable character and you really felt for her when reading this.

Jessie & Adam - This couple felt really mismatched from the start. Jessie was my least favourite character out of the entire book to be honest. Even though Adam came from money he didn’t come across snobby or money obsessed. I couldn’t say the same for Jessie though. It felt like when reading her back story etc that her main objective was to get out of the council estate and marry into money etc. She was a total bitch most of this. Condescending to her relatives and quite honestly a bitch towards her in-laws also. I actually wanted her sister to smack her to knock some sense into her.

Dolly & Josh - Another mismatched couple. Dolly was obsessed with the wedding instead of the marriage. It took a long while for her to get her priorities straight. I didn’t like her to begin with but soon found myself rooting for her.

Emily & ? - I seriously have forgotten her fiance's name. He wasn’t in it that much so maybe that’s why? Emily’s story made me teary. I don’t want to give anything away in the review but I felt so sad for her character and her family. I was rooting for her and hoping she would get her happy ending.

Overall this was a well written story with compelling enough characters to keep you reading. The story itself just flowed really well and I found once I started reading I couldn’t stop.

This was a new author for me but I would definitely read more from her in the future.

Read and reviewed courtesy of Netgalley

The Almost wife by Jade Beer is about three women Jessie, Dolly and Emily. All about to become brides and the stories of all of them preparing for their wedding. Each chapter alternates between the three of them.
There is Jessie, whose fiancé and family are wealthy and because she has come from a council estate she doesn’t know if her family are going to fit in to her new lifestyle. She is quite embarrassed of them.
There is Dolly, whose fiancé is photographer, who spends more time at his job then her.
The last is Emily, who fiancé Mark is the love of her life and she can’t believe her luck.
The story also tells about Helen the Boutique Wedding shop owner that all the three girls are getting their dresses from. Her Husband died a few years previously and she only now starts dating again. The shop is her life.
Firstly, I loved the characters in this story but at the beginning I struggled with it and I though parts of Jessie’s journey were a bit over the top. It didn’t draw me in like other books do. But I persevered and I am glad it did because it turned out to be a beautifully written story.

Thank you Bookouture and Netgalley for a copy of this book.

I really enjoyed The Almost Wife. It follows the three brides to be: Jessie, Dolly and Emily. Three women and three white dresses but only two will make it up the aisle and only one will marry.

Jessie is marrying Adam, her wealthy fiancé but she struggles as she feels she doesn’t fit in with his lavish family. As she tries to meet the grade she begins to neglect her own flesh and blood.

Dolly works in PR (not as glamorous as people think). She hates her job and finds herself feeling second best to her fiancé, a successful photographer who’s used to spending his days with stunning models.

Emily still lives at home with her parents. She can’t wait to marry Mark and looks forward to the fortnightly Sunday lunches where her family and his can discuss the wedding plans in more detail.

This book is well written with plenty of great characters. The chapters flow well and you are entertained to the end. This is a story of love and emotion. It’s the first book I’ve read by this author and I’m looking forward to reading more.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

This is a great beach read !
We follow 3 woman on this path to happily ever after !
Each lady has there own chapter and they all interweave into each other’s life

A wonderfully written book. Each character had their own chapters. I feel it draws you in. liked the way each character had a separate chapter. All 3,paths criss during wedding planning.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Review: A book that I loved by reading the blurb. I was not disappointed. We follow three girls who are all planning their wedding but their lives cross paths throughout the story which is fall of interesting twists and turns. This is a great read and one I would highly recommend, its is written well and keeps the pages turning.

I would recommend giving this book a go. Its a book that certainly keeps you engaged.There are 3 women planning their big day. Im not one for spoilers,so wont go into any detail. It is an emotional book in parts and i also think there are aspects to the story that most people can relate to.. Its very well written and i look forward to reading other material from this author.

This was a solidly entertaining "summer read." The characters were well developed, the plot moved along well and the story was immersing. I don't think this quite rises to the level of "literary fiction" but as a genre read it's well done and satisfies all requirements. Will be interested to see more from this author in the future!

I just couldn't get into this story. I honestly don't know why it just didn't click with me. I felt like it dragged a bit for me and I just couldn't get into it.

I will say that the book is well written and I would be interested in reading other stories by this author

A well written book,liked the way each character had a seperate chapter devoted to them and how they all came together in the end of the book.
A gripping story,would love to read more books from the author.
Excellent read.