THE WEDDING WAR tells an interesting tale of how a friendship gone wrong overshadows a good portion of the friends’ lives. Tennyson and Melanie are best friends growing up but have a falling out when love and relationships go awry. The story begins with the prologue in 1985 and gives a lot of hints of what’s to come.

The story begins in 2020, so a lot of water has gone under the bridge. Tennyson and Melanie are back in the same small town in Louisiana, much to Melanie’s chagrin when she finds out that Tennyson moved back. She can’t let Tennyson’s actions from many years before go, and with good reason. But when their kids fall in love and want to be married, the fun really begins. We learn of their anger, their actions, and their losses. But we also see that these women haven’t yet grown up. Melanie’s husband has a history with both of them and is too slick for my tastes. She and her husband also keep secrets from each other and don’t have much communication.

There is a lot of darkness in both the past and present, along with feelings of anger and bitterness. Sometimes the kids sounded like they were the parents. THE WEDDING WAR has multiple story lines, a lot of the past affecting the present, and a muddled relationship between the lead characters. There is some closure, but the story has a lot of loose ends and ended too abruptly for me, which was disappointing. I was also disappointed that it wasn’t the lighthearted read I was expecting.

I rated the book 3.5 stars but rounded to 4 stars here and on other sites.

This one was very entertaining. I did find issue with some of the character descriptions and some of the events that take place seemed a bit far-fetched. I found myself getting annoyed with the characters every now and then, but enjoyed the way the story ended. Overall, it was a quick read and provided a laugh with a little steam. ⁣⁣

I expected this to be a fun rom-com but it is more of chick-lit focusing on female friendship. I had high hopes for this book when I started it and realized one of the characters was named "Tennyson." Overall I found it to be a little slow. There were some blatant sexist lines throughout the book as well.

Sorry but no. I don't wanna be harsh, but I couldn't even finish this book. I take part of the blame because I got carried away by that beautiful cover and the blurb, hoping to find an witty rom-com and some mischief and misadventures between two (ex)bestfriends, but sadly it wasn't what I found here.

BUT what I did find was;
- racism.
- stereotypes and gross generalizations.
- characters with whom I couldn't connect and who couldn't interest me less.
- lots of anger and petty behaviors.
- some really heavy issues that I think weren't dealt with seriously enough.
- a bland humor.

the writing style wasn't bad but the content left a lot to be desired. Also, it's the 2020 people, books about two women who fight or fought for a guy aren't a thing anymore.

I was somewhat hesitant to start this book because I'd read a few bad reviews, but I'm so glad I read it! I was hooked from the beginning, I read it in 4 days, and yesterday I was up reading until 3 o'clock to finish it (I'm so sleepy now!).

Do you know when you are 9 or 10 years old and dream with your BFF, that it would be fantastic that when you get older her son and your daughter would get marrried? Well, that happened to Melanie and Tennyson, only that in somewhere between then and now they changed from best friends to worst enemies.

Told in both points of view (Melanie's and Tennyson's), I enjoyed knowing them better, their relationship, how the image they projected was very different to how they really were. Even though I didn't approve of all of their decisions, I liked both characters, and I laughed and I cried with their tales.

** Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review **

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read and review this title. I will review this title at a different date.

This is a unique story about female friendship. I liked Mel much better but ultimately found the story uplifting, funny, and interesting.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Friendship is complicated. When two former childhood best friends, Teeny and Melly, find out that their children are planning to marry, it sends them both off the deep end. They hate each other as adults because of a series of perceived and real betrayals. How will they manage to put their differences aside for their kids and get through the wedding? Both women are strong and flawed. The betrayals have left them broken. The emotional ride had me laughing, crying, and everything in between. They are better people as friends, is the lesson learned here. I really enjoyed this story and the characters and the transformations that occurred.

I had a hard time putting this book down, full of emotion that will will have you laughing out loud and crying through out the story. Melanie and Tennyson were best friends growing up and then a betrayal broke this friendship and family apart. Fast forward and now their children are getting married to each other, can they set aside their differences go forward with their lives.

I could identify with Melanie with her personal life. Tennyson was a little bit over the top but she won my heart more towards the end. I highly recommend this book. I read through my kindle unlimited.

A story of friendship, living life and finding what fulfills you. Melanie and Tennyson were best friends until they weren't. Life and a man came between the two friends until fate makes them face each due to their children falling in love. Like it or not, they two friends will have to reconcile and try not to kill one another while planning a wedding. Separately Melly and Teeny have their own personalities, together they are the best version of themselves, it just takes them a while to figure it out. This story had all of the feels. The antics are over the top, but the feelings are truly heartfelt and I found myself tearing up several times. Loved this!

DNF @ 25%

I really wanted to like this one, but after almost 100 pages, I hated all the characters that had any substance to them and didn't care about the plot at all. There seemed to be nothing redeeming about either MC for me to root for, and whatever awful thing happened between them years ago was not compelling enough for me to want to keep going. I wasn't bothered by the writing, but the story itself just was not enough to keep going.

This book was being listed as romance and it certainly should not be. "The Wedding War" follows two childhood friends who faced a falling out after some wedding-revenge scenarios take place. This takes place many years later when their respective children grow up and face their own weddings. This more about friendship and how these two women can come back together while fighting their own relationship problems as grown adults.

I did not particularly care for any character in this novel. They were so hateful and volatile to each other and really backed the stigma or stereotype that women cannot function together without being catty and jealous. This took steps toward understanding and resolving issues but the way there felt disgusting and sleezy. I was NOT a fan of this novel. If it hasn't it should probably also be reclassified. A romance novel it is not.

This is one me. I should stop reading book based on the cover. When I looked at the illustrated cover, I thought it would be some fun rom-com, but it was anything but fun. This book was next level depressing.

It had:
– extremely unlikable characters
– basically two women fighting over a guy who's not even worth it and destroying their friendship on the way
– a broken marriage
– lots of family drama
– bad parenting
– suicide and other depressing stuff

With every page, I wanted to become an alcoholic a little bit more. Combine all things negative and you get this.

The last 20% do get better when the two women who hated each other for so long finally talk about everything and reconcile, but by that point I was already miserable so I couldn't care less.

Melanie grew up more privileged than Tennyson did but the two were best friends. Tennyson had a boyfriend that Melanie also liked and ultimately ended up marrying. At that wedding a secret came out that ruined a family and of course the friendship. Imagine the surprise from both when their children meet at college, fall in love and now the moms are helping to plan the wedding. Tennyson has lived life and now has several homes as well as money and Melanie has lived a very stable life. Neither wants to be out done so it's a bit of a competition to see who can do what. There are some truly funny moments and times when the two seem to forget they are now enemies and actually get along. Great story about how even the best of friends can have life tear that close friendship apart. I received an ARC from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Two childhood best friends ripped apart due to some event the reader isn't privy to at the start of the book and become mortal enemies. Fast forward two decades and a bit, and they discover their children fell in love and are going to be married - and they must plan the wedding together!

So starts a hilarious tale of two women trying to outshine each other and prove they are the better person.

In my mind's eye I see Melanie as Sally Field's character from "Steel Magnolias" and Tennyson as Goldie Hawn's character in "First Wives Club".
This book was so well written description-wise that as I read I felt I was watching a movie in my head. And of course when Melanie referenced "Steel Magnolias" for her wedding colours - "blush & bashful", I may or may not have applauded (okay I applauded - I'm a fan okay!?)

I really enjoyed this book. It was hilarious in parts (wedding cake fight anyone?); it was heart-breaking in parts; it had parts where there was acceptance of the circumstances.
This ultimately was a story about love, forgiveness and finding (and appreciating), to steal a line from "Grey's Anatomy" 'Your person' - the one that fits you and makes you the best version of yourself.

I was deflated when it finished, man I grew to love those two sassy ladies. I'll most definitely be checking out more of this author's work.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me the chance to read this book.

This was a decent fluffy read, but there was some deeper topics involved. However, my main issue is that you don't find out the full specifics of why Melanie and Tennyson are no longer friends until more than halfway through the book. I'm all about building up story and giving details a little at a time, but it got old hearing the reference to this incident we continually had to wait for. I often wanted to give up on the book for this very reason, but in the end I had to know. However, the family secret wasn't quite what I thought, and it was actually kind of disappointing. At least it was one of the less convenient and cliché storylines, which was how it hit on some of the deeper topics. It wasn't the best book I've read by any means, but it was far from the worst.

Not really what I expected and feel bad that I didn't enjoy it more. Though I normally tend to lean towards romance books I'm not one to back away from a friendship gone wrong. That is as long as the characters are either relatable or interesting. Unfortunately I didn't find these two women to be either and just couldn't get past that.
I will not leave my review online since it might be great for someone else.

Yes, I liked this book. However, I never felt and real connection or sympathy with the characters. The plots were interesting and well written.

I have the feeling this is going to be one of those books that readers will either love or hate (I enjoyed it). It's a poignant, humorous, and sometimes shocking look at the lives of two women, childhood best friends, who, after a life-changing betrayal, are brought together once again when their children fall in love. The characters are not always nice and some of their antics would have even Reality TV housewives doing a double take. I don't know if I would have ever been able to forgive the betrayal that ended their friendship but, in spite of that, I couldn't help but hope that there was still goodness lurking in the depths of one and strength to be found in the other. And, as dysfunctional as their relationship was, I really hoped that they would be able to find a way to, if not repair their former friendship, at least forge a new one going forward. The resolution Talley created is one in which I was able to believe and appreciate.

Teeny and Mel are flawed, complex women who took me on quite the emotional ride. I laughed, cringed, laughed, gasped, cringed some more, and also shed a few tears before reaching the end of their story. It's a humorous, sometimes heartbreaking, frequently over the top, no holds barred look at a friendship that's gone off the rails, but just might find its way back on track, and I could not look away.

*ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley
*All opinions are unbiased and my own

The Wedding War is the first book I have read from Liz Talley. While I enjoyed it, I found it a little slow to get through. I did not really like Melanie and Tennyson for a good chunk of the book so that made it hard to be invested. Overall it was a pretty good book,