The Secret Bridesmaid, by Katy Birchall, has all the trappings of a fun, funny romantic story -- but instead it is a little hard to believe, tough to swallow, and a little, sadly, boring.

Sophie Breeze is a professional bridesmaid, who makes her living pretending to be friends with brides all around London, in order to help them with all things wedding related, from keeping their new in-laws from fighting, to helping pick out flower arrangements, all the way to wearing a Chewbacca outfit to the ceremony (yes, that is an actual scene in this book). Sophie does all of this while keeping her status as a paid employee 100% confidential -- instead, she poses as a childhood friend, a distant family member, a new friend from work -- anything to keep the bride's friends, family, and often even groom, from knowing her true identity.

When Sophie is hired by the mother of Lady Cordelia, the bride is not happy about it -- and makes that displeasure clear to Sophie, doing everything she can to get Sophie to quit. Sophie is determined to hang on and see it through, however, not just because of her work ethic, or the connections that this wedding will provide her, but at least in part because of Cordelia's surprisingly hot brother.

Right off the bat, one has to accept the premise that hiring a wedding planner is somehow such a tremendous embarrassment, even in the year 2021, that folks would go so far as to lie to their closest loved ones about a friend so dear to them that they could potentially be a bridesmaid. This premise is based on reality (professional bridesmaids are a thing!) but it is a little hard to accept in the case of Cordelia and her family -- Cordelia famously has no friends, and yet here is one ready-made the moment she wants to get married. The premise, therefore, requires a little suspension of disbelief. As for Cordelia herself, she is so fundamentally terrible and cruel a person that even the inevitable explanation as to the trauma that causes such cruelness is, again, a little tough to swallow. Cordelia is, after all, a full grown adult who is hazing a paid employee -- not a character I found myself particularly wanting to root for.

Sophie's journey through the book is a little messy and poorly fleshed out -- she has been told by her recent ex-boyfriend (who is newly engaged) and Cordelia herself that she lacks spontaneity, that she works as a bridesmaid because she's too cowardly for the spotlight, and that she should be more "sassy" (what, exactly, is meant by sassy is unclear, but the word is used at least a dozen times throughout the novel). Sophie doesn't exactly go on a journey of self-discovery, nor does she really address these issues head on. Instead, she whines about it to her BFF/cousin, uses it as an excuse to continue with the job even while she's being hazed, and eventually ends up...nowhere much changed. Her entire internal path is vague and unclear, and for a book that is fundamentally about that, it doesn't bode well that even describing WHAT Sophie's issues are, exactly, is challenging for the reader.

The love interest is similarly poorly fleshed out -- he is hot, he is vaguely charming, and he lacks much personality. The relationship between Sophie and Cordelia is somewhat more compelling (although I found myself wanting to shake Sophie and tell her to get the heck out of that job), but the characters overall are a bit stale.

There are a few amusing moments sprinkled throughout, and it is not outwardly offensive (although the thorough lack of diversity is borderline), but overall it is a rather bland, boring take on what could have been a fun, funny story.

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the ARC!

Sometimes I need to change things up from all the historical novels and the thrillers and read a fun, lighthearted romp like this one.

Sophie Breeze is A Secret Bridesmaid, meaning she is usually hired on by a bride or relative to assist in all the overwhelming tasks a bride needs to do before the big day but in the guise of a distant friend who has come to the rescue for some of these tasks. Sophie has proven invaluable to some of the brides she has assisted whether dressing up as a Star Wars character or to making sure orders for t-shirts with catchy phrases is correct, Sophie does it all. When a friend refers her to the elegant, upper crust Lady Meade who is in need of a secret bridesmaid for her daughter's upcoming nuptials, Sophie sees this a chance to further promote her fledgling operation and branch out. But, little does she know that Lady Meade's daughter Cordelia is a BRIDEZILLA in the worst way and Sophie really has her work cut out for her. Sometimes I felt so bad for Sophie, aka Emily as she comes to be known in the part of bridesmaid she plays to unsuspecting family and friends, she certainly was not a quitter and I rooted for her even when I would have thrown in the towel if it were me.
This was a charming, fun read that I could easily see being made into a movie with maybe the suave Tom Hiddleston or Henry Cavill as her dashingly, handsome brother, Tom (just my opinion).

Thanks to author Katy Birchall and NetGalley for a digital copy of this in exchange for my review.

Man, this was such a lovely read. It hit so many spots for me - two cute romances, an extremely, EXTREMELY cute friendship, adorable quirky family hijinks, and laugh-out-loud hilarious. I have to say, the epistolary bits between chapters were even funnier than the regular narration. Perhaps Katy Birchall should consider writing an epistolary novel next? Her style reminds me of both Sophie Kinsella and Meg Cabot, whom I adore. Apparently this is her first adult novel, and I really, really hope there are more!

The Secret Bridesmaid has a premise that to me requires some suspension of disbelief, because it's about a woman who makes a regular living as a hired bridesmaid, a job that also requires her to create fake identities for each client. I find it hard to believe that the market for these services would be adequate to generate a steady and/or comfortable income and don't fully understand the need for fake identities, but the plot and shenanigans all stem from these points. While this plot device may be a little flimsy, the novel's main strengths are the humor and characters. Sophie, the aforementioned and titular secret bridesmaid, finds herself bridesmaid-ing to It Girl and general misanthrope, Cordelia Swann. I absolutely love Cordelia. I love her good side and her bad side, I love her depth and her dialogue, I love her character arc, and her relationships with all the other characters, and the lenses through which they see her. Furthermore, I love that the book centers the relationship between Sophie and Cordelia. Readers looking for an emphasis on romance may be disappointed - there is romance (excellent romance in my opinion), but it definitely takes a back seat. Is there a word that is the equivalent to bromance but for women? Because that's what this is. Any reader looking for that will be in heaven. It's extremely readable and fun, goofy, and feel-good without being excessively saccharine.

Such a fun, happy read. I enjoyed every part of this book. The story, the writing, the characters; it was the kind of book you don’t want to end. If you need a book that is lighthearted and will give you a laugh, this is the one you should be picking up.
Thank you so much to Netgalley, St. Martian’s Press and Katy Birchall for the ARC of this book.

4,5 stars!
Sophie is a professional bridesmaid, not a wedding planner. Her job is to support the bride in every possible way. She is hired by a marchioness to be her daughter Cordelia's bridesmaid. They have a disastrous start and Cordelia tries her best to make Sophie quit the job.
Adorable, kind, delightful and funny story about friendship and love. Sophie is a lovely character and I would love to be her friend. Cordelia was awful at first, but I can't blame her for that. This book is not a thriller, but it might as well be. I was turning pages and losing sleep in order to find out what happens next. The writing style is mesmerizing and I did not want the story to end. Fingers crossed for a sequel.

Katy Birchall's The Secret Bridesmaid delivers exactly what it promises - super fun shenanigans amidst the wedding of the year! I would classify this as chicklit rather than romcom but for all that, it is charming and funny and very likable indeed. If you're looking for a fun, easy read featuring interesting female friendships, a dishy romantic subplot, and a woman who excels at her job, then this is the book for you. I don't think I could do Sophie's job but I did enjoy reading about it. Highly recommended.

The Secret Bridesmaid was a delightfully entertaining afternoon read! Sophie Breeze is a professional bridesmaid hired for a high society wedding in which the bride is a nightmare diva. This definitely gave me Miranda Priestly vibes crossed with The Wedding Planner circa 2001 (Sophie Breeze as a modern JLo?). It provided a steady stream of escalating drama, laugh out loud moments at the absurdity of the bride’s requests, a sweet side love story with the bride’s brother, and ultimately, a story of uplifting female friendships. I also thoroughly enjoyed the snippets of Sophie’s other wedding jobs interspersed throughout the book, which are maddeningly hilarious and a little too relatable if you’ve ever planned a wedding. If you're looking for a quick and charming read this is an excellent choice.

Thank you St Martin’s Press via NetGalley for an advance digital copy, I’m happy to provide an honest review!

All the 5 precious friendship stars to this lovely read! This was hilarious, wonderful, charming and I loved every page! I was expecting a light, romantic read (which I love) but this was really a story about self-confidence and friendship. There is a touch of romance, don't worry, but that is not the focus. The focus is entirely on the life of Sophie, our main heroine. It was heartwarming and I adored the friendship that develops between Sophie and Cordelia.

Summer is well on its way and this would be such a perfect beach read. The writing is immediately engaging and the characters pop off the page. From the beginning, it is very easy to get attached to Sophie and want her to succeed. Also hilarious wedding hijinks are always something I am highly entertained by. I am a sucker for a good wedding planner, or in this case secret bridesmaid, story just about every time. My only complaint is that I was sad to finish it because I was enjoying it so much!

I read this in under 24 hours. I could not put it down. It was the perfect read to get lost in and I laughed/smiled just about all the way through it. If you are looking for a joyful read, this is the one.

Many thank yous to St. Martin's Griffin and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I love it when I come across an ARC I can gush about like this one!

This was my first time reading from Birchall and I couldn't wait to give The Secret Bridesmaid a try. I'm not a huge fan of women's fiction but still decided to give it a try for a book club read. And it wasn't too bad, it was a slow start for me, but as I kept going I was loving the development between Sophie/Emily and Cordelia's friendship.

In this case, it was a enemies to friends kind of friendship, took some time and Sophie never gave up ... even though Cordelia would make it tough for her sometimes. There were so many comical parts in this book that had me chuckling.

Being the romance lover that I am, I'll always wish for more of that in a book. They're subtle and it's more of a side story, with the relationship between Sophie and Cordelia taking center stage.

If you're looking for a light read that focuses on the character development between two women and their eventual friendship, this one is for you.

3.5/5

What a great book!

I wasn't expecting this story when I first picked this book up but I am so pleasantly surprised with how it turned out! The story was great and unique and it was very well executed. Plus the dialogue scenes were my favourite part, got me laughing every time!

I think the main character was fantastic. she stood her ground and knew her worth multiple times and it was nice to see how things took a turn for the better at the end, to leave the reader off feeling satisfied.

Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin's Press for the earc in return for an honest review.

Sophie Breeze is a professional bridesmaid, which is different than a wedding planner. She acts as a friend with a fake name and background to help the bride with all the little details and encouragements.

The email exchanges and text conversations were so on point with how it feels talking to people/customer service most times. I admit I come back with "telephone" like responses to my husband as well. But when you get to the t-shirt email you will know what I mean. 

I actually kind of want to be a Secret Bridesmaid now. I went down a google rabbit hole and apparently there are people who do this as a service.

It seems super demanding and brides are not the best of customers. They want everything to be a perfect dream, why not it's their special day. I don't think that's the kind of bride that I was (no one told me otherwise). But weddings are a very unique day.

Sophie takes on a very demanding, very famous client who's mother hired her and the Bride wants absolutely nothing to do with her. She's part of the aristocracy as they are in London. But this young lady has some trust issues and therefore starts making outrageous demands of Sophie just to get her to quit or be fired. I laughed a lot some of the antics where hilarious or cruel. And one of the Lady's former friends was a vindictive horrid person not to mention Sophie's ex fiancee, ugh what a prick.

Sophie also gets a little close to this Lady's brother despite trying to be professional and it's so adorable. You get all the little butterflies.

I just love how Sophie (Emily) and Lady Cordelia's relationship evolved. It was a definite rough start but her heartfelt touches to the wedding and perseverance to not give up won out.

This cover is so beautiful too! I just love her whole outfit! 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

Thank you Net Galley and stmartinspress for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

This one was cute, it was good romance. I thought Sophie was a fun and I loved the beginning where you get to see all the weddings became a part of, I mean who doesn't love a secret bridesmaid that you can pay. The romance part was super sweet and just what I need. I totally recommend.

The Secret Bridesmaid by Katy Birchall
Pub date: May 4, 2021

(Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinsgriffin for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!)

✨Synopsis in comments!✨

This book is:
- A bite of wedding cake
- Holding your best friends hand
- Swans on a lake

Thoughts: This book was everything I needed right now. As a COVID bride, a year ago I vowed not to read any more books about weddings until I could have mine. Fast forward a year, and this book caught my eye on NetGalley. I have ZERO regrets (and another year til my postponed wedding)

This book awakened my wedding excitement. Sophie Breeze, a professional bridesmaid, is hired for the society wedding of the year. This book had all of the things I love: weddings, emails, a dreamy love interest, and strong female friendships.

It was everything I wanted from a book about weddings and friendship- sweet, very readable, and fun. I found myself laughing and smiling throughout (and it didn’t hurt that I read it in my head in and English accent). I loved this book!

I laughed so much with this book. Great story, many relatable characters. This book was a delight to read.

Synopsis:
Planning a wedding, but completely overwhelmed? Sophie Breeze is here to save the day! As a professional bridesmaid, it's her job to help your big day go seamlessly. Now she just needs to convince the bride of the biggest aristocratic wedding of the year that she can be trusted and that her services are needed.

Review:
I found the concept of this book creative and fun and Katy Birchall's execution was spot on. Sophie was extremely relatable, from her determination in her job to her fear of being center stage. Also, the situational humor in this book was fantastic! There's a scene involving swans and a public park that made me laugh out loud. This book made for a light hearted contemporary read that I thoroughly enjoyed. I look forward to reading more by Birchall in the future.

Note: while this book is clean, there is a bit more language than my typical read.
*I received a copy of this of book from Netgalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

Sophie's a woman who prefers happily ever afters (same) and keeps her life carefully in control with a smile on her face (uuuuuuuuum... not same). This combined skill set makes her the perfect professional bridesmaid. She secretly supports brides with planning and making their wedding dreams come true, from managing parents and securing vendors to corralling the other bridesmaids and putting out fires on the big day. Some of the funniest portions of the book were email, text, and voicemail interludes showing some of her more ludicrous on-the-job interactions.

What I loved about this book was that I thought I was picking up a romance, but that was a minor plotline. In fact, this delightful story applies romcom tropes to a friendship (is there a term for a girl bromance, people? Help me out!). Sophie is thrilled to be hired by the mother of the infamous Lady Cordelia for her wedding. Cordelia is an unwilling participant in the arrangement and goes to hilarious lengths to try and tempt Sophie into quitting. Along the way, they might find something a bit more real.

This was a unique reading experience for me, and I loved every minute. It was witty, relatable, and placed female friendships at the forefront. I loved Sophie's journey to accept a starring role in her own life, working against her desire to be liked and accepted by everyone. I think these are common struggles for women socialized to be pleasant and helpful at the expense of our own goals and feelings. It's a joyful story of love in all its forms and one I enjoyed immensely.

The Secret Bridesmaid is a fun read about Sophie who is a professional bridesmaid. I enjoyed being able to read tidbits about the other weddings Sophie was in (emails and texts) and talks of the bridesmaid dresses she had to wear (hello Chewbacca) and what she would do (dye her hair!).

CW: bullying, drug overdose

The book focuses on one wedding in particular where Sophie being hired to be a bridesmaid for Cordelia, the "It Girl" who is one step down from royalty, by Cordelia's mom. Cordelia did NOT want Sophie's help and was determined to make her quit.

I loved watching Sophie's journey and seeing her find herself. There were crazy moments that I feel like helped Sophie get out of her comfort zone after her last relationship ended. I loved the relationship between Sophie and her cousin Cara.

I didn't like how much Cordelia bullied Sophie. I understood why she wasn't quick to trust people and was hesitant to make friends. I just think she went too far at times. But I was happy when she finally had her breakthrough and apologized for her behavior and acknowledged that she was wrong to behave the way she did.

This was a cute book that was more about finding yourself with a romance sub-plot that I recommend reading.

I’m obsessed with weddings and would absolutely love to be a professional bridesmaid if I didn’t completely lose my head when put under the smallest bit of pressure. Sophie Breeze on the other hand, is my idol for how she handles all kinds of different brides and is willing to make a fool of herself to make someone happy on their big day. I absolutely loved this book. It was hilarious and I loved how the main focus was on the development of the friendship between Sophie and Cordelia with a touch of romance to add to the storyline. Cordelia was such a terrible person throughout the majority of this book but she shows so much growth and development, it starts to become clear why Sophie pushes so hard to develop a friendship with her. The antics between the two main characters were so funny, I couldn’t help but laugh at Sophie’s misfortune even when I felt bad for her. Overall, this was a sweet, light read that sucked me in until the end!

While helping her cousin with wedding planning, Sophie Breeze realizes that she is such a great bridesmaid she should make it her full-time job. Different from a wedding planner, Sophie is hired by brides to pose as their friend and work behind the scenes to help them plan and make sure everything runs smoothly on their big day. When Lady Victoria Swan, the Marchioness of Meade, hires her as a bridesmaid for her daughter’s wedding, its Sophie’s chance for a big break. What Sophie doesn’t know is that the bride, Cordelia, has no interest in having someone who is paid to be her bridesmaid and is determined to make Sophie’s life a nightmare. Will Sophie be able to persevere and pull off the biggest wedding of the decade?

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press/St Martin's Griffin for an ARC of The Secret Bridesmaid by Katy Birchall in exchange for my honest opinion.
This book was sweet and fun and it made me happy to read it - I did not want to put it down and stayed up much later than expected to finish it! Sophie, the main character, is so good at being a bridesmaid (think 27 Dresses) that she turns it into a career. The story follows Sophie's most challenging bridezilla and how Sophie in return grows and develops through her relationship with the client and their family. Really enjoyable rom-com - recommended if you're looking for a fun book to make you smile!

"The Secret Bridesmaid" was an amusing story. The main character, Sophie Breeze, is a professional bridesmaid. Sophie had been a bridesmaid on numerous occasions and after helping her cousin, Cara, through a pre-wedding melt-down, Cara suggested that Sophie make a full-time job out of being a bridesmaid, like a personal assistant for brides. Sophie pretends to be a friend or relative of the bride and does everything she can to make the wedding planning process and the wedding itself go as smoothly as possible and be the magical experience the bride desires. Her job may involve arranging the music, caterer, or stationary, to resolving disputes over the guest list, to planning the hen party, to talking the bride, groom or family out of crazy ideas without causing offensive, to finding alternative high-end port-a-loos only weeks before a wedding because the company accidentally double-booked and the other client takes priority, to dying her hair red to match the other bridesmaids so the bride stands out, or to dressing up like Chewbacca and perfecting the Chewbacca roar for a Star Wars theme wedding.

Sophie has had her share of difficult brides, but nothing compares to Lady Cordelia Swann, the daughter of the Marquess and Marchioness of Meade, one of the oldest and wealthiest families in Britain. Cordelia and her best friend Lady Annabel Porthouse graced the society pages as teenagers and young adults (and every teenage girl, including Sophie, wanted to emulate their look), and Cordelia had a wild period in her twenties, but she had since largely retreated from public view. Lady Victoria Meade hired Sophie, as she believed her daughter needed someone to guide her with the wedding preparations. However, Cordelia wants nothing to do with Sophie (or Emily, as she would be calling herself during this job) and does everything in her power to force Sophie to quit or give her a reason to fire Sophie. Cordelia is quite creative and, at times, cruel in her methods. Sophie eventually gains Cordelia's grudging respect, but then some very private and scandalous information becomes public and everything falls apart. Can Sophie rectify things? Will the wedding still take place? And what will happen with Cordelia's brother, Lord Dashwell, who has taken a fancy to Emily, but does not know her true identity or her true role in the wedding?

The story has lots of humorous moments, but also some rather sentimental and touching moments. The evolving working relationship between Sophie/Emily and Cordelia is well done. Cordelia forces Sophie to confront how she comports herself, accusing her of using the bridesmaid role as a way to hide from the world and avoid taking risks. The bolder Sophie makes for quite a site.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.