This book is a sweet and light romance with a fun a cute romance that doesn't take over the whole story . This story features some really likeable charters and some not so likeable characters (Cordelia). This book also had me super invested in the main romance and rooting for their happiness the whole timeThis book was a very fun a light hearted read. this book just overall had me feeling very warm and happy.

4.5 (half point off for predictable Dark Moment Misunderstanding)

Another enjoyable pandemic read.

Sophie is basically a wedding planner who slips into the role of bridesmaid while secretly doing all the thousand things necessary for upscale weddings, including being emotional support for brides who are being pushed into Bridezilla mode by pressure.

Sophie is so good at her job that she doesn't advertise, which is convenient as she uses an alias every time. But somehow gets jobs. Until she gets the job from Heck, being bridesmaid to a bride who bypassed Bridezilla at the gate. Cordelia is an angry, combative member of a posh family, and Sophie finds herself playing the toughest role of her life. Doesn't help that Cordelia has a very handsome brother . . .

Really, the main thrust of this book is female friendship. The romance pretty much took backseat to the emotional twists and turns between Sophie and Cordelia. Which is not at all a bad thing! In fact, I found that part so absorbing that I was carried through the otherwise (sadly) predictable Dark Moment/Misunderstanding that romance writers always seem to need to shoehorn in at the 80% mark.

Thoroughly enjoyed the humor as well as the emotional arcs.

As a bride for the past 2 years who has had to postpone her big dream wedding, plan a tiny Covid friendly mini wedding, and find a new venue only 6 months out, I absolutely loved the Secret Bridesmaid! This book was perfect to help me get in the bridal spirit as we are getting closer to my big day! 👰🏻

Sophie Breeze is such a good bridesmaid and friend that she’s decided to make it her career! She’s part wedding planner, part confidante, and 100% in for crazy wedding shenanigans. She helps plan the wedding, the bridal showers, the bachelorette parties for the modern bride. Often these women are too busy to plan their own events and Sophie is perfect for the job. She is referred to a very high profile bride who... doesn’t want her help. But Sophie is determined to win Cordelia over- she’s a professional always! Things get even crazier when Cordelia announces that she’s getting married in only 2 months. Sophie must plan for this 450 person gala event and deal with this monster bride!

I just found this book so sweet and fun. I recently had some major wedding issues and I can completely understand Sophie and Cordelia’s headaches with wedding planning. More than even the bridal planning, I enjoyed Sophie and Cordelia’s friendship and seeing Cordelia evolve. I especially loved all the emails/texts/voicemails with the bachelorette parties and the vendors!

5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I am not usually of fan of books that are centered around weddings but this cover really drew me in. I am so glad I read it because The Secret Bridesmaid was a delight to read! Sophie is a professional bridesmaid meaning she is hired by the bride to help out with wedding stuff and no one knows that she is paid to be there. Sophie gets hired by Marchioness Meade to help her daughter behind the scenes but the daughter Cordelia is having non of it!! In between Sophie trying to not get fired or run off by bride and also trying not crush on the bride's brother we get snippets for what she has to go through for the other weddings she has been hired for. My favorite was the Star Wars themed wedding where she is asked to dress up like Chewbacca and also learn to sound like him. I was impressed with how Sophie could keep her calm during all the different things she had to go through. I already know I wouldn't have lasted a day. I really enjoyed the different relationships that Sophie had with the brides, the wedding parties, her friends and family and even a crush. Highly recommend if you are in the mood for a very funny read! Thank you St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for my gifted copy for review.

I loved this book! Such a fun mix of characters and situations, mixed with the experiences anyone who has ever been a bridesmaid has had. The perfect beach read (perhaps for a Bachelorette weekend???) and just different enough to stand out among the rest.

This book was so cute! As a former wedding photographer, I can fully attest to some of the craziness that happened in this story. It felt like I was back in the business and I found myself laughing hysterically at things that Sophie was asked to do because I had been asked to do so many of those things myself, yes, as the photographer. This story was believable because when you are there with someone on their big day, you do whatever is necessary to make sure it goes off without a hitch, that is why this plan to hire a bridesmaid is such a great idea!
Sophie is a bridesmaid for hire, an event coordinator, a wedding planner, a helper and a friend, all in one. She will do whatever it takes to make sure you have the day that you imagined. When Lady Victoria comes to her and asks her to help her daughter Cordelia, she doesn't know what she is in for. Sophie knows that doing this wedding could be great for her carreer, but she doesn't know that Cordelia will be the most trying bride she has ever encountered, and that is an understatement.
Sophie is introduced to the family as Emily, a friend Cordelia met at an art gallery and they just hit it off. Oddly enough, no one questions this friendship, even Cordelia's brother Tom. Cordelia thinks she doesn't need help planning her wedding and she really doesn't need a fake friend, so she goes to a lot of trouble making Sophie's life a living you know what. Sophie is not a quitter though and will stick this out till the very end, no matter what.
Too bad she's falling for Cordelia's brother in the meantime. The only problem with the bridesmaid for hire gig is that you have to lie to everyone and meeting someone like Tom under false pretenses is surely not going to go over well when he finds out.
This book was adorable and had just the right amount of hijinks and fun mixed with a little romance. Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's and Katy Birchall for an early copy.

This was a very cute, light read! I enjoyed Sophie and Cordelia, and loved reading how their friendship was formed.
The beginning half was a bit slow. A bit too much jumping around and random brides, etc. However about halfway through, there is a slight budding romance, and you see Sophie making progress with Cordelia and the plot picks up!
I almost feel that the book should be marketed as more of a friendship book than a romance. While there is a little romance, I loved the progression of their friendship!

Sophie is a professional bridesmaid living in London, She is essentially a wedding planner who pretends to be a close friend of the bride and assumes the role of a bridesmaid to help the bride. She gets hired by Lady Cordelia's mother to help Cordelia plan her wedding.

This was my first book by Katy Birchall and I was really looking forward to reading this based on the premise but found myself struggling to get into it because the first half or so just seemed to drag on. In addition, there were multiple points where there were odd transitions and some odd placement of texts/emails with Sophie's other clients.

The cover is cute and the concept of the story is good. I also enjoyed the relationship Sophie has with her cousin Cara and the friendship she eventually developed with Cordelia. Cordelia was a bit of a bully initially and came across spoiled and entitled and I really struggled with how she treated Sophie. If she was so against having help there are better ways for her to have handled it. As the story progressed, you get to see the friendly side of Cordelia.

What a lovely women's fiction story! I originally entered this novel thinking it will consist of romance, but I feel like it fell more on self-development and discovery (which makes the book EVEN BETTER than I expected!) I love how Sophie learns to live her life in the spotlight, and not in someone else's shadows. I hated her ex-boyfriend Daniel, the way he would "technically" call her boring and unoriginal. Cordelia would have to be one of my favourite characters, because she despite being a member of a higher social ranking, she never used that title to be a brat. Underneath it all, she is a caring, humorous person who will stand up for those she cares about. Her story involving the overdose was so heartbreaking :( The way she helps Sophie take risks and teaches her lessons like not caring about what others think made me love her character even more. And of course, HOW CAN WE FORGET TOM????? We all love a guy who owns estates and yet also drinks juice right out of the carton HAHAHA. Definitely a wonderful read!!

This is a sweet story of Sophie who has turned a passion, being a bridesmaid, into a profession: helping brides organize their wedding and being their bridesmaid. There is lots of intrigue in this one and at the heart of this story is a fantastic cast of characters. Each of the main characters gets some great development and you really care and want the best for each them.

The story really picks up when Sophie takes on a high society bride who wants nothing to do with her. She signs an NDA so she cant share what I going on with her family but refers to them in terms of the Devil Wears Prada which was hilarious. This story is a great mix of fiction and comedy. There is a tiny bit of romance here with an initial attraction but it really never makes it off the ground and is definitely just a side-storyline. If you’re looking for a romance here this one isn’t it but a great story of female entrepreneurship and friendship? Then absolutely pick this one up!

Sophie and Cordelia have such an interesting road to working together and friendship and its definitely worth the adventure to read and get o know these two characters. I definitely recommend this one to my women’s fiction lovers! This would be a great summer read!

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

I don’t know if it’s the change in season or what - but I want all the romance right now. I read quite a few in April…and definitely see that trend continuing into May (starting with those from Netgalley!).

Did you know a part of the wedding industry includes business that allow you to pay someone to be your bridesmaid? True story. And, THE SECRET BRIDESMAID by Katy Birchall capitalizes on that industry. Sophie Breeze is a professional bridesmaid; she helps her brides plan, manage family expectations, and so much more. When she lands the society wedding of the year, with the diva bride to match, she has her work cut out for her.

Part romance (let’s just say the bride has a cutie brother!), and part love letter to female friendships, and part comedy, THE SECRET BRIDESMAID was everything I wanted in a weekend, poolside read. It was sentimental, laugh-out-loud funny, and great for anyone that loves wedding-centric stories.

THE SECRET BRIDESMAID is out tomorrow, May 4! Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the eARC to review!

CW // drug abuse

I can't believe anyone gave this anything les than 5 stars - I loved this book sooo-o much! It hit all of my chick-lit buttons - yes there was romance but who really cares when you have such an awesome character as Sophie. I couldn't put this down and read it all in one sitting!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin"s Griffin for the arc of this title. All opinions are my own.

One sentence review: I loved this fun book that provides a voyeuristic look at what it takes to put on lavish, society weddings and adds some romance into the mix to keep things interesting.

Are you someone who checks the internet for pictures of the latest society weddings? If so, this is the book for you! The Secret Bridesmaid by Katy Birchall is a behind the scenes look at wedding planning, the outrageous ideas people come up with for their weddings, and also throws a little romance in for fun as well.

Sophie Breeze is a professional bridesmaid. Her job is to step in and do everything she can to support a bride and make her wedding planning go as smoothly as possible. She gets a huge break when she is approached to work the wedding of the year. Only problem is - the bride wants no part of it. And so the fun begins!

I really loved this book. It has some great characters and the different anecdotes from the various weddings Sophie is working on kept me so entertained. If you are a fan of wedding shows - this is the book for you!

I will say that the romance in this book is not the main storyline. The focus is definitely on Sophie, her job and relationship to the difficult bride, Cordelia.

That aside, I loved the book and think it would make a fantastic beach read for the summer!

I’ve been really lucky lately to find funny and lovely romanctic novels. The Secret Bridesmaid is one of these great finds.

I really liked Sophie despite her being a little naive from time to time but she is a truly lovable character. Cordelia at first is a real piece of work and I couldn’t help but dislike her. So it was a surprise when by the end of the book I loved her too.
Tom is Sophie’s live interest. He is nice and sweet.
But this book is mostly about the relationship between Sophie and Cordelia, how they become the best of friends after countless arguments and Cordelia’s initial dislike of Sophie.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy. I’m leaving this review voluntarily.

I really enjoyed this novel , it was funny and sweet and our main characters is just so loveable. I read this the weekend of one of my good friends wedding so that was the perfect read. I love the focus on friendship and family . The theme of forgiveness and non romantic love. I really love the inclusion of the email and text message, they make the story so much more interesting.
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Synopsis : Sophie is a professional bridesmaid, she works with Brides to help them bring their vision to life and to to create a seamless wedding day. When she’s presented with the opportunity of a lifetime to be the bridesmaid to a very important family, she quickly realize that she’s in over her head and the bride may be out to get her.
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This was a very cute story. I love the pranks and the banter between Sophie and Cordelia .

A fun romp with laugh-out-loud moments. This is more chic-lit than romcom but there is a romance thread. Sophie is a secret bridesmaid; she is basically a personal assistant to a bride, running errands, making sure everything goes right, etc. It leads her to some interesting, strange and funny moments. Especially when her latest bride is determined to get her to quit (her mother hired Sophie).

Friendship and opening one’s self up to new possibilities and relationships are issues that drive this story but they do not weigh down the story. This is a light-hearted, lift-me-up novel that leaves you with a smile on your face. A great summer read. Or on a rainy day. Or when you need a smile or don’t want anything too serious. Well, pretty much a good read anytime. Who doesn’t want or need more laughter in their life.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest opinion.

The Secret Bridesmaid by Katy Birchall is the story of Sophie Breeze, a professional bridesmaid whose goal is to help brides through the stressful wedding process while keeping her identify a secret from guests (and sometimes even the groom!).

Sophie is great at her job and she takes on a well-known client who is very demanding and wants nothing but to get rid of Sophie. To do this, the client makes outrageous demands to attempt to get Sophie to quit. This book was delightful! It was a very quick read that frequently had me smiling. Telephone and email exchanges between Sophie and different wedding vendors were sprinkled throughout the book, and I found myself laughing out loud at them! I enjoyed the hoops Sophie tried to jump through to please the brides and I loved the evolution of Sophie's relationship with Emily. While there was a romance story line woven throughout the book, it took a back seat to Sophie's attempts to please and befriend the demanding bride. I loved this book and would definitely recommend it!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC. This did not affect the contents of my voluntary review. All opinions are honest and my own.

This book had me laughing out loud! I read this in a day and could not put it down. Was very fun and easy read. Would highly recommend.

This was fun book. You had the help of a bride maid helper/planner. Good concept. Liked this book. Hooked on this story from the first chapter.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

The Secret Bridesmaid, contrary to the branding/categorization on NetGalley, Goodreads, and other places, is not a romance. It’s rom-com adjacent…I got strong “The Wedding Planner, but British” vibes from the premise, but the romance is very muted in the book. So, it’s perhaps more of a humorous women’s fiction?

But once you can adjust your expectations, this is a good book. I love Sophie, and she really has a gift to be able to deal with the brides and their families and the intense demands they want (even if it leads to awkward mix-ups with vendors)! I could also empathize with her “always the bridesmaid, never the bride” feeling, and how she had been burned in the past by jerks.

I really liked seeing the relationship between Sophie and Cordelia evolve. It started off as purely professional, and not without animosity, as it was actually Cordelia’s mother who hired Sophie, with Cordelia actively working to sabotage her by revealing a half-truth about who Sophie is. But eventually, the two bond, and revelations about Cordelia come to light that put their relationship to the test.

There’s also Cordelia’s brother, Tom, Lord Dashwell, who Sophie grapples with feelings for, but wants to remain professional. I wasn’t really won over by the romance; there’s nothing wrong with it, but I felt there wasn’t enough page time to really get me invested in their relationship.

This book is enjoyable, and while it is yet another victim of the weird trade paperback cross-contaminating romance/women’s fiction marketing scheme the major publishers are doing, if you don’t go in expecting a full-on romance, and are prepared more for Sophie’s story as a bridesmaid-for-hire and all that it entails, you’ll enjoy it.