I love me a romance that does classic tropes justice, and this one was a helluva lot of fun. "The Secret Bridesmaid" feels like a quality rom-com from the heyday of Julia Roberts and Sandra Bullock, with a British twist. There's not a whole lot of deeper substance here, but that's not a mark against it; when you just need a light and frothy read at the end of a hard day, this would be a great choice.

The Secret Bridesmaid was just a delight. Sophie is a professional bridesmaid - kind of an event planner but more persona, in London. She is hired to help brides cope with all the details around an upcoming wedding , posing as an old friend and acting as a bridesmaid or maid of honor. Sophie is still reeling from being dumped by her love interest of several years, part of a tight friend group, who has the bad taste to invite her to his wedding. At the same time, Sophie is hired by an upper crust family to help with their daughter’s wedding. Unfortunately, the bride has no interest in working with Sophie, so they are off to an awkward start. Cordelia even tries to sabotage Sophie, telling people she’s a professional escort, and other lies.

While billed as a romance, I felt this was more about friendship, trust and second chances. The romance was minor. There are several funny interludes between chapters, highlighting Sophie’s correspondence with brides and vendors, group texts during “hen do’s” (American = bachelorette parties), etc.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the opportunity to read a review copy of this book. I wound up listening to the audiobook, courtesy of my public library, on a long flight, which was narrated beautifully by Nathalie Buscombe. All opinions are my own.

The Secret Bridesmaid by Katy Birchall is a delightful read perfect for fans of lighthearted, humorous romances who adore stories about strong female friendships, weddings, and the joy of love in all its forms, with a dash of British charm and wit.

The Secret Bridesmaid was a fun read, a bit over the top at times, but it still works. It's a good comedy and an okay romance. I went in thinking the secret bridesmaid premise was farfetched, but it turns out it's a real job, so I learned something new!

perfectly enjoyable as a piece of mindless reading to pass the time. it was an okay light read, so if you're looking for that, this one is what you need

Too adorable for words.
I loved this read. It was cute. It was sweet. It was funny. It was one I didn't want to put down.
This is just the kind of book I needed right now.

Thanks NetGalley for the preview!

This book was fun and sweet, a perfect summer read! I could not put it down. I loved the anecdotes from different weddings and the email exchanges had me in tears! I love a good friendship story and this one was great!

I tandem read this book on Kindle and on audio, and loved Nathalie Buscombe's narration. The premise of the book is a bit unrealistic (especially in the era of social media) but I would say go into it without fretting about how practical it is. It's a fun and memorable rom-com with just the right blend of high society drama and self-discovery. A great summer backlist option.

This was a great chick lit read!! I thought this one was very enjoyable. A great light, beach read! Recommend for anyone looking for an easy, cute read!

*Thank you @stmartinspress for the copy in exchange for an honest review. Review not posted to Amazon/Goodreads because less than 4 stars or DNF.*

THE SECRET BRIDESMAID was such a fun, entertaining & lighthearted read! i absolutely loved the plot: a professional bridesmaid for hire, a royal family in england, and a romance. we are starting to plan our own wedding, so reading about wedding planning is really fun for me! i found myself actually laughing out loud multiple times and appreciated the lighthearted anecdotes.

while this book is classified as a romance, i really felt like it was more of a chick lit; the romance storyline took the backseat to friendship, family drama, and wedding planning. overall i really liked this one and i’m so glad i finally read it. if you like downton abbey, hallmark movies, and/or weddings, this is the book for you!

I appreciate the ability to send a rating and review for this title. I really wanted to read The Secret Bridesmaid by Katy Birchall. I love the cover and the premise.

Very easy beach read. Not bunch more If you are looking for something to take take up time. This one is for you.

This was very fun and almost made me want to give a career as a secret bridesmaid a try. I loved the friendship forged in this book, and the interludes with planning issues for weddings that weren't central to the plot were very fun. I did think the storyline about Sophie's ex felt a little unnecessary, but did still enjoy seeing her become stronger in her personal life through that as well.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. I really enjoyed this novel. There are some laugh out loud moments for sure. It was a bit on the unrealistic side but all in all i highly recommend for anyone that is looking for a light chicklit type novel.

I was not expecting to love this book so much! Mainly because I usually read romance and thrillers. This book is mainly about friendships with a side of romance. It was charming, hilarious, and emotional at times. Sophie is a saint! I don’t know how someone goes above and beyond for bridesmaids—even though it is her job, she agreed to some pretty outrageous requests. That’s probably the only negative thing I’d say about her. She definitely needs more boundaries with her clients! The author did such a fantastic job with the characters. Cara was by far my favorite 😂 and Cordelia eventually won me over. Overall, this book was a gem 💎

I really liked Sophie and Cordelia's dynamic in this book.

More than anything else, this is a story of friendship and trust. But it's not preachy, it's a fun read which I tore through!

The book deals well with its cliches so it feels hopeful and cute throughout with just enough turns to be interesting.

Thank you to the publishers for providing this advance copy!

When Sophie Breeze took that late-night call from her cousin Cara, panicking because she was getting married in three months and felt like she was way behind on making all the arrangements. Sophie was a personal assistant and had been to a lot of weddings, so she knew just how to deal with this sort of crisis. She had a list of steps, which started at calming the bride, making plans to sit down and help her get things organized in the middle, and ending with laughter, to dispel the last of the panic. It was Cara who then suggested that Sophie should become a professional bridesmaid.

When Sophie pointed out that that wasn’t a thing, Cara told her that it should be. Brides may not want to hire a wedding planner, making it seem like they can’t handle planning their own weddings by themselves. But they need someone on their side, someone to help with the details, someone who will be there on the big day but not get too drunk to be of any use. So Sophie became a professional bridesmaid, and now the hardest part of her job is not dealing with the brides and the grooms and the families. It’s coming up with a cover story of how she and the bride are such good friends that she’s a bridesmaid, but no one from the family and none of the bride’s friends have ever met her before the wedding talk started.

But she’s very good at her job. She can organize a bachelorette party like no one’s business (but it’s set in London, so it’s a hen do, but same thing). Sophie can prevent a groom setting the dance floor on fire, like literal fire. She can mediate in family disagreements. She can deal with emergencies involving caterers, florists, DJs, and even portable toilets. Nothing can stand in her way for long.

And then she gets the call. A mysterious meeting. An anonymous bride. It’s only when Sophie shows up that she realizes that she is meeting Lady Victoria Swann, practically royalty as she married a Marquess, and that the bride in question is her daughter Cordelia. Sophie explains to Lady Victoria just how her job works, and Lady Victoria agrees to the contract. Sophie will have to keep everything about the wedding secret (no problem, as she always does that). And Sophie will have her work cut out for her, as Cordelia is against the idea of a professional bridesmaid.

When Sophie meets Cordelia, she understands why Lady Victoria had told her how challenging this may be. Cordelia is not just reluctant to let Sophie help. She is hostile. She gives Sophie a list of things that would be nearly impossible to achieve—10 photographers at her wedding, a piece of jewelry borrowed from the Royal Family, peacocks suspended from the ceiling. Sophie understands that she is being tested, but she wants to pass also. She knows that Cordelia is trying to break her, trying to make her quit. But Sophie refuses to quit.

And when Sophie gets to spend a weekend at the country house with the family, getting to know them all better, spending some time alone with Cordelia’s brother Thomas, she is more determined than ever to make Cordelia like her and want her help for the wedding. But when circumstances change and Cordelia doesn’t need a bridesmaid as much as she needs a genuine friend, Sophie has to make the choice between being a fake friend or a true ride-or-die bestie.

The Secret Bridesmaid is a textured story of friendship and family, of what it takes to get through hard times and how to be a true friend in times of need. Brides are well known as being picky and selfish and demanding as their weddings get closer, but that’s the time when true friends are most needed. This is a romantic comedy, but it’s the best kind, the kind that’s layered with so much more than just a frothy romance. Reading this is like watching a movie that you know will become of your all-time favorites. It just feels like meeting a new friend and finding that immediate chemistry, all the things you have in common, and all the ways they can bring out the best in you.

I listened to The Secret Bridesmaid on audio, narrated by Nathalie Buscombe, and everything about her performance was perfect. She had the ideal voice for this story, and read it with the perfect inflections and emotions. It was the most delicious experience, and I think all fans of movies like The Wedding Date, 27 Dresses, and Three Weddings and a Funeral will find themselves lost in The Secret Bridesmaid too. Read it, listen to it, whatever you like, just don’t miss out.

Egalleys for The Secret Bridesmaid were provided by St. Martin’s Griffin through NetGalley, with many thanks, but I bought the audiobook myself from Chirp.

Such a cute rom-com. I loved the characters, I loved the author's style. The wedding stories were so relatable and I felt like I knew these people. I loved Sophie's story and Tom's story. Cordelia was so relatable as a bride.
Thank you so much for giving me this heart felt book to read.

I am normally not a fan of books with royals in it, but I absolutely loved this one. It gave me all the feels between the tears and the laugh out loud moments. Cordelia was not a likeable character, but once I knew her story it made more sense. This book was definitely centered around Sophie's Professional Bridesmaid profession so not much romance unless you find weddings romantic. :)

Can you imagine being a professional bridesmaid??

Thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the #gifted copy of the book.

This book is most definitely women's fiction. There is a romance but let's say the actual interaction love interests is 10% or less. I have mixed feelings about the book, On the one hand it was well written .and I would try other books by this author. But, I really didn't admire the persistence of Sophie Breese who is a professional bridesmaid. Turns out her bride doesn't want her as a bridesmaid and creates all types of situations to get Sophie to leave.. Of course Cordelia has her reasons but those reasons just didn't work for me..



I was provided an ARC through Net Galley.