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!

I am a fiend for chick-lot and this was just was I was looking for!! Mushy in all the right places with tons of laugh out loud moments. Highly recommend to anyone looking for a quick and super fun read!!

I absolutely loved this book! It was the perfect rom com fun escapist fiction read I needed to keep my mind off all of the Covid quarantine lockdown insanity! I laughed so hard at many points in the book at Sophie’s exploits! I also learned a lot and when weddings resume l’m definitely going to see if I can find a wedding fixer like Sophie! I can already see the movie version of this in my head. I also loved that while it had a romance subplot, the development of the friendship between Sophie and Cordelia was given more prominence in the story. I loved the evolution of Cordelia’s character from mean girl to a good friend. Definitely will read Katy’s other books now that she’s on my radar! Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to provide my honest feedback on this wonderful book!

Whether one defines this as British chick lit or romantic comedy, it is absolutely delightful and such a pleasure to read. Full of both heart and wildly appealing characters, this story of the developing professional relationship that leads to friendship between Sophie and Lady Cordelia is full of laugh-out-loud moments. But there is also plenty of emotion and a seemingly "off limits" older brother. This is my first book by Katy Birchall but it will certainly not be my last. Highly recommended.

I received a complementary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book was SO SWEET! It was a pretty quick read but truly a wholesome plot! I really loved that the central narrative focused on the development of a female friendship; it was really special to get to read about and really, really well done! Sophie, the main character is wildly likable and relatable which made this book extra fun! Overall, super enjoyable read!

Whatever you are doing stop and read this book!! I laughed, I cried, I smiled often. This story was a quick read about Sophie (Emily) who is a bridesmaid for hire. I was routing for her the whole time and I absolutely loved every moment of her journey. The character development was wonderful as Cordiella pushed her out of her comfort zone. This book had me reading late into the night the finish as I couldn’t put it down. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. Thank you netgalley and publisher for the advanced read.

Whatever you do, do not read this book in public. If you do, and start laughing out loud, well, I warned you. The Secret Bridesmaid by Katy Birchall is hilarious. Sophie has found a niche as a bridesmaid for hire. Not a wedding planner with her own vision, a bridesmaid there to support the bride’s vision. It is brilliant really. She poses as a friend of the bride and is there to solve problems and run errands. She gets the opportunity of a lifetime and adopts the proper cover story to fit in. The bride clearly doesn’t want her and Sophie falls for the bride’s brother even though he doesn’t even know her real name. When all heck breaks loose, Sophie picks up the pieces to move on. But it ties up nicely, and everyone is better off in the end.

The “in-between” pieces that give the color of what Sophie’s job is like on a daily basis are the hilarious part. The texts, emails, and group chats are ones you can imagine in your real life, but just a little more over the top.

This is a quick read with characters you love (and some you love to hate). It is a quick read that will leave you smiling in the end.

I am thankful for the electronic copy of this book I received from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Fabulously fun chick lit. Sophie is a professional bridesmaid. She secretly handles anything and everything to make a brides wedding day perfect and stress free. A mother hires Sophie for what will be the society wedding of the year, but Lady Cordelia Swann wants nothing to do with her. She is a bridezilla sending Sophie on outrageous errands. This is an enemies to friends story that is sweet and heartwarming.

Sophia is quiet, people pleasing and is successful at not being the center of attention. Cordelia doesn't trust anyone but her fiancé and family. She can't fire Sophia but she can make try to make her quit. The story throws in extra snippets of other wedding adventures to add to the humor or the story. The focus is on female friendship but there is a bit of a romance potential with handsome brother Tom. And his is a viscount!!!

Clean romance with some cursing. Enjoy on a day when you need something to make you laugh and smile. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC ebook in exchange for a honest review.

I really liked this book. The concept was really original and I liked all the characters. It took me a long time to warm up to the main bride, but eventually I came around. Sophie was a great character and I liked all the things she learned about herself throughout the book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I absolutely LOVED this story.

It is a cute, light hearted, funny story about friendship & a dash of romance that will make you feel warm and giggly throughout (there were multiple times where I actually laughed out loud)!

Sophie is a hired bridesmaid, like a wedding planner, but working undercover as a bridesmaid. She's been hired to help plan the wedding of the year which is set to be no easy task with a bride who is seriously against the idea. Sophie is immediately tested and thrown obscure tasks to try and throw her off, but that doesn't stop her!

The friendship that Cordelia and Sophie build throughout the story is endearing and the true love story here. But, we also get a hint of a future love story to come!

A special thank you to Net Galley & St. Martins press for this advanced copy! The Secret Bridesmaid is on sale May 4th, 2021 and I highly recommend you get your hands on a copy!

What a fun read! Cute, fun and a topic that’s new to me. I can say now I’m intrigued by the thought of a professional bridesmaid. Fast paced enough for one sitting or you can linger with a nice cuppa.

This piece of chick lit reminds me of plenty of books that came about since the Shopaholic series. The Secret Bridesmaid is a fine confectionary piece of escapism, exactly how you'd expect it.

This is a cute story about a young women who helps brides with their wedding preparations, in a somewhat unorthodox way. As a professional bridesmaid. Basically, she gets paid to be the bridesmaid but is more of a personal assistant. Almost like a wedding planner, but without taking so much control away from the brides. All is good until the bride from hell, who resists her assistance at every turn. Of course the brides handsome brother is an added perk.... until he finds out who she really is. There is humor, (some of which is on the silly/goofy side.) In addition to the main story (her and this particular bride,) there are email/text exchanges between her and other brides/clients which bring some added laughs. Her character is quite likeable. She is a goody goody, who follows the rules. She has a way of talking to the brides to help them see reason and makes things run smoothly. A regular Miss Fix-It. The other characters fit their respective roles brilliantly. I would have liked to have seen more screen time with the brides 'hot' brother, who is the romantic interest, even if this story was more about the bride and her relationship with the bridesmaid than any romantic aspect. The romance was more of an afterthought. It is written from the bridesmaid POV exclusively. There is no sexual content and is safe to read for teens and up. (There is mention of drugs.)

*I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley.

I seriously have a soft spot for a British rom-com read. Add in modern British aristocracy, a professional bridesmaid, crazy hilarious and ridiculous brides, mean girls, a handsome Lord, practical jokes and a stately English home and I’m really sold!

This is a fun, light-hearted and quick read of Sophie and the brides she plans weddings for under the guise of bridesmaid/friend. One of those brides is Lady Cordelia, whose mother, the Marchioness of Meade, has secretly hired Sophie. To put it mildly, the Lady has no intention to warmly welcome Sophie into to her wedding, circle or life. Can Sophie plan and pull of the wedding of Cordelia’s dreams and the society event of the year - all while avoiding all manner of hiccups, a bit of a hunky aristocratic distraction and keeping her secret role under wraps??

This was reminiscent of the movie The Wedding Planner, with the interspersed antics of various bridezillas, combined with a Sophie Kinsella novel, staring a quirky heroine who’s always in a mess, but has a good heart and you can’t help but love. The closed door romance is completely charming, full of misunderstandings, and I just wished for a little more of it. Overall, a fun escapist read!

This book was marketed to me as a romance, and love is certainly at its heart – but more than romantic love, this delightful comedy is mostly about celebrating love between friends. To which I say, yes! more, please!

Sophie Breeze is a professional "secret bridesmaid": for the bride who wants to plan her own wedding but needs a little extra support, Sophie will pose as a friend and lend emotional and organizational support. A starry-eyed romantic, she loves her job – until she's hired by the Marchioness of Meade to be a secret bridesmaid for her daughter, former teenaged It Girl Lady Cordelia Swann. Cordelia's experiences have made her distrust new people, and she pegs Sophie as a social climber right off and is determined to make her quit. Can Sophie break through Cordelia's walls and be the friend she needs in the midst of the high society chaos?

It's always good to see writers taking friendships seriously – because romantic love is far from the only valuable form of love, despite how much attention it gets in pop culture – and this book is chock-full of fantastic female friendships. Despite a rough start… and middle… Sophie and Cordelia eventually forge a true bond as they challenge and fight for each other. And, of course, Sophie's also supported every step of the way by her loyal friends and family – especially her mom and her cousin, Cara (I swear, the text chains between Sophie and Cara sound exactly like me and my bestie). The Secret Bridesmaid is a true exploration and celebration of female friendship, and I walked away wishing I could be part of this funny, sassy (you'll get it when you read it) circle of women.

(But don't worry, romance lovers: there is also a side plot romance with a charming viscount, and it is a lovely addition to the tale.)

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

I loved this book! It was fun, witty, and well written. The idea of being a bridesmaid as a your job is a refreshing. I fell in love with the characters, and the story line. I ended up waking up my husband over laughing so hard about the main character running down the street as Chewie... I literary had tears running down my face. The only thing I would suggest is at times in the book there is random writing that is hard to follow. It is like the author started writing about it, but then just moved along. It was strange, and at times I believed I missed something going back several pages trying to figure out what happen. Nevertheless, this is a great book to read.