This book was so entertaining. I was drawn into the story from the beginning and was involved until the end. The characters were complex and interesting. I found the story to be well paced and engrossing throughout the whole book. I was invested in the couple throughout the book and felt all the emotions through both the highs and lows of the story. If you want an entertaining and well written book this is it for you.

I adored this book! It is a fun, light, whimsical romantic comedy about a professional bridesmaid. What is a professional bridesmaid? It is a job Sophie Breeze invented with the help of her cousin. Sophie is paid by brides to be a bridesmaid, help them plan their dream wedding and to make sure their big day is perfect. She is the person that runs errands, books events, deescalates stressful family situations and is there for the bride any time they might need help.

Sophie is hired for a high profile wedding and needs to work with a very difficult bride. She has to decide whether this wedding is worth all of the hard work and humiliation she needs to endure to have her career really take off. This book is full of friendship, family, forgiveness and trust, weddings (of course!) and really funny, likable characters. 5 stars!

What a great read. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
This book was smart. Funny. Brilliant! Amazing characters. And the writing was on point!
Just really enjoyed reading this! Thanks NetGalley publishers and author!

The Secret Bridesmaid was a thoroughly amusing and fun romp. The characters were rich enough, but everything stayed relatively light. The bridesmaid duties vignette at the end of each chapter frequently made me snort-laugh, and I ended up staying up past my bedtime to finish it. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.

I received this novel as an ARC from NetGalley. I loved this fun and fresh story of friendship and love. Sophie is a professional bridesmaid in London and has been hired for the biggest society wedding of the year. The bride Cordelia is a nightmare though and Sophie is developing feelings for her older brother. Watching her keep it all together is entertaining and ultimately sweet.

Thank you to @netgalley & @stmartinspress for an ARC of The Secret Bridesmaid by @katybirchallauthor.

A little background:
Sophie is a kind hearted person who genuinely enjoys weddings and decides to turn it into a career.
Cordelia is a closed off person who has been burned in the past by those closest to her. As a result, she has no intentions of allowing anyone new into her life.
The two meet after Sophie is hired by Cordelia's mother, the Marchioness of Meade, to be Cordelia's bridesmaid.

Okay. This book was really cute. Every character had a purpose and added something special to the story. I have to admit, Cordelia was my favorite character even though some of her behaviors were outrageous.
Sophie was a close second but there were a few times I questioned her passiveness and why she was allowing people to treat her the way they did.
What did I like about the book? I don't have any complaints. This fulfilled all my rom com needs and then some. It was an easy read and there were many times I caught myself laughing and smiling.
I highly recommend picking this book up when it releases in May!

This review has been posted to Instagram at @jesslikesreading

This book was a ton of fun with some actual LOL moments! I'm a sucker for when authors include fun things at the end of chapters that subtly move along the plot (text conversations, email exchanges, receipts, etc.) and this had some great ones. If you're looking for something light and fun (while a little predictable), this is a great choice! Would also be a great read while on a bachelorette party!

This book has the “chick flick starring Anne Hathaway” vibe to it. It’s a light-hearted and wacky quick read that makes you laugh and smile. It was a “girl-power female friendship” focus novel, which we love, and you never knew what to expect with the various wracking wedding scenarios. The text was occasionally broken up by texts or emails for various weddings she was working, which made it more interesting. However, I found myself skipping over a lot of the descriptions to get straight to the dialogue. Based on the description I was hoping for a little more steamy romance, which it didn’t really have. It also didn’t even really *start* until three quarters of the way through the book, which felt like far too late.

It was a good book, but honestly I think it would make a much better movie.

3 stars.

This book was super cute. It was a great beach read and was very light. I found some parts to be repetitive which made me hesitate with giving five stars.

I absolutely loved this book! Sophie was immediately someone I wanted to be friends with. The professional bridesmaid was such a fun concept (I mean, this isn't really a thing...is it?) I loved how she handled all of her brides and especially loved (and laughed out loud!) at all of the email/text correspondence included between Sophie and her brides/vendors.

Cordelia was....awful. But I have to say that I felt for her. It was obvious from things her mom had said that there was a reason for this. And every time Sophie would start to chip away and get closer I was so hoping we were getting somewhere, and then Cordelia closed off again. So many parts had me laughing out loud - between the swan whisperer and their conversation in the shady bar.

Obviously the little bit of romance added in was super sweet! My heart broke for Sophie when it came to Daniel...but she handled it so well - and it forced her out of her comfort zone a little! Then there was Tom...and I loved how it was all handled. I appreciated the focus being on the friendship in this story but obviously fully enjoyed the little bit of romance added in to.

I would 100% recommend this book to anyone wanting a light, fun read about friendship and love.

A lot of fun. .A breeze and very enjoyable read, the characters were for the most part very likeable. The fallout was a bit predictable.

What a fun read! I love a book that sucks me in. It was happy, upbeat, and positive. The writing was quick paced and well written. What a cool job to be a secret bridesmaid and make weddings a happy and easy day for brides! The main character is fun and quirky. You just want her to have her happy ending throughout the entire book. She’s wholesome and the writing brings such positivity. The story was cute, if predictable. I would definitely suggest this as a beach or pool side read.

Sophie is great. I’d love to have her job but to work with Lady Cordila’s daughter I’d have to take a hard pass on that one. You can guess what happens but you won’t believe what she goes through to get the brides down to the altar. The red hair request was a little over the top!

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

CW: bullying, drug use/overdose (side character)

This was a fun read about a professional bridesmaid. As a current maid of honor in an upcoming wedding, I loved all of the tidbits, my favorite parts being the different wedding mishaps at the end of the chapters. I was howling at times reading everything.

I would not classify this book as a romance, rather a fiction read with a romance subplot. The romance was sweet and subtle, but this was Sophie's story as she deals with getting invited to her ex's wedding and learning more about herself.

I was not a huge fan of Cordelia. While I understood her more after learning her backstory, she was bullying Sophie constantly. Sophie was very naive and put up with a lot, and while some of it was meant as humorous I just found it downright mean. I would have loved a bit more conversation to resolve especially when Cordelia just exposes Sophie when secrecy is so much part of her job.

Overall I enjoyed this one but I would not go in expecting a romance.

Rating: 3.5
Steam: 0

I was looking for a fun, light-hearted book to read and this book more than delivered!

Sophie Breeze is a professional bridesmaids helping brides and their families plan the wedding of the bride's dream. Sophie has a natural gift of helping brides stay calm and give them the support they need during the wedding process.. So when Sophie is offered a chance to be a bridesmaid to Lady Cordelia, the daughter of a Marchioness, Sophie thinks she's up for the challenge. But little does Sophie know that this job will push her skills as a bridesmaid to the limit.

There were so many laugh out loud and sweet moments throughout the book. Katy did a fantastic job of crafting charming and endearing characters that you can't help but love. And even though there are some romance elements to the book, at it's core the book is about friendship and self-love.

If you're looking for a fun, upbeat and wildly entertaining book, I can't recommend this book enough.

The Secret Bridesmaid will be released on May 4, 2021.

I received a free copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press via Netgalley. My review is voluntary.

A special thanks to St. Martin's Griffin and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Sophie Breeze has the coolest job on the planet. She's professional bridesmaid, where she aims to support the bride, keep the day organized and calm, all while convincing everyone at the wedding that she's been a friend much longer than expected. Most brides are ecstatic with her services, but not Lady Cordelia Swann, who makes it her life's goal to get Sophie to quit.

The Secret Bridesmaid is fun and entertaining! The plot is super unique...I really loved Sophie's job and all of the hilarious emails and texts with other brides at the end of chapters. The book is definitely more chick-lit than romance, but I liked the relationships between Tom and Sophie. I also loved the British phrases and words; it really made me miss London!

While I really disliked Cordelia at the beginning, I found myself slowly rooting for her, especially with the arrival of her frenemie Annabelle. Cordelia is super surprising, revealing layers as she becomes more comfortable around Sophie. And the hoops she makes Sophie jump through are beyond. I loved all the antics they got into.

Overall, this was a fun and quick read that I enjoyed!

This is the best book that I have read in ages! Witty, romantic, sweet, everything I needed! I have never read or heard of this author, however, she now has a huge fan, I do not exaggerate when I say I laughed so hard, I woke my husband up in the middle of the night! I didn't care, it made me happy from the first chapter to the last! I hope there is a follow up with Sophie, the professional bridesmaid, and sexy, handsome, sweet Tom! This would make the best Rom - Com.
I highly recommend! Thank you Netgalley!
carolintallahassee.com

FIRST IMPRESSION:

I saw this cover and I thought "My God, that's pretty!" Then I read the blurb and I. Was. Sold! Did I just heart "British rom-com"? "The society wedding of the year" and wedding drama? This is starting to sound too good! But no, wait! A "professional bridesmaid"? Oh my God, sign me up because this is everything my chick-lit heart craves for!

THE STORY:

The story is pretty straightforward. We have Sophie, a professional bridesmaid who is damn good at her job, and her opportunity of a lifetime in the form of the biggest wedding in British high society. But see, Sophie gets hired by the bride's mom, not the bride, and this diva bride is dead-set on managing her wedding, no matter how crazy things get. Then there is the fact that Sophie is working under a secret identity (all part of being a professional bridesmaid), pretending to be the bride's friend. But now Sophie is attracted to the hot brother of the bride! Forbidden love, much? The story follows Sophie's HILARIOUS wedding shenanigans as she navigates through the toughest wedding she had orchestrated her whole life!

I loved this book so much that I read it in less than 24 hours! That's roughly 320 pages in a matter of hours, and my normal quota is maybe 100 pages a day since I have to balance life, blogging, studying and everything else in a since day.

In my opinion, this book deserves to be read based on how fun this blurb itself sounds, okay? But that's not how a book review works, so I'm going to give this a fun twist and list my top 5 reasons why you should read this. Note that's 5 reasons for the 5 stars I gave this book!

1. The first book that ever made me tear up laughing!

Katy Birchall nails the humour in this book! Holy crap, the amount of laughter this story forced out of me (because I try to be a stoic reader or people start asking me what's funny *sigh*) is insane! I locked my room door because there was a constant stream of tears running down my face! Guys, if you need a pick-me-up on a rainy day, THIS. IS. IT! Read this and you'll be on cloud nine. Or wheezing. Either way is fine with me.

2. Heartwarming female friendships that kept me spamming my best friend's messages.

I honestly did not expect the theme of female friendships to play a big role since the book was labelled as a rom-com, so this took me by surprise. At the end of this read, I was so nostalgic about all my friends scattered across the globe (perks of studying abroad!) and hating the crap out of the quarantine solitude. And if I ever met these characters in real life (fat chance!), I would cling to them for dear life! On a more serious note, I love that the female friendships were all about growth, family and fun. Also, I miss my friends, okay?

3. Professional. Bridesmaid.

Are you surprised this wasn't the top reason for reading this book? Haha! Can someone tell me if being a professional bridesmaid is a real thing? I love that Sophie wasn't just desperate for a job and had no choice but to be a professional bridesmaid, but she was very passionate about her job! Sophie's passion was so infectious that even I wanted to try my hand at this profession! Also, doesn't hurt that I'm a sucker for weddings!

4. An empowering, boss babe MC.

Running your own business is scary, okay? I get scared just thinking about it. But it was refreshing looking at Sophie's self-employed life. It might be relatable to many people who are working from home these years as well. I loved reading about her at-home work routine and her setting up appointments, getting jobs done. It was just empowering to read about the female MC working throughout the book. It was also so satisfying to watch Sophie grow into her own throughout the story and I was cheering her on till the very end!

5. The romance was there but it didn't cloud the whole story.

Sophie has the hots for the bride's brother, we have already established that. And it's a very sweet, wholesome romance, let me tell you. But it was more of a side-story, than an integral plot point. And I loved that. The love interest is such a sweetheart and I was rooting for them, but I am glad that that wasn't the most important thing in this book. It somehow made the story richer and more wholesome that way. In a way, that made it easier for me to relate to Sophie (probably our workaholic personalities coming out to shine) and I got so invested in Sophie by the end of this read.

FINAL VERDICT:

The Secret Bridesmaid by Katy Birchall delivers on all the hilarious wedding mishaps, wholesome female friendships and sweet love that it promises. This book is perfect for anyone who loves a good laugh-out-loud chick-lit novel, or even anyone who's missing their friends during these pandemic days. One of my favourites of 2021 without a doubt!

I received this book complimentary from NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

Omg. This was REALLY cute. It was not so much a romance as it was a lovely story of friendship. Cordelia was awful, truly at the beginning of the book. It was wonderful to see Sophie and Cordelia bloom into a beautiful friendship. Tom was more on the back burner but it was very sweet. I love to see someone who is protective like Sophie and Cordelia. They were made to be friends. I really enjoyed this one.

This was super funny! I loved it, and the cover is so pretty! Thank you to Netgalley for this arc ebook!