A very fun and enjoyable read! The wedding shenanigans from Sophie's job brought a lot of humor, and I appreciated the focus on friendship and loyalty. The romance was very sweet, and I wish we'd seen more of it.

Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read an ARC of The Secret Bridesmaid by Katy Birchall. It was so good, I started and finished it in one day -- and that's saying something, considering I have three kids!

Sophie was a detail-oriented PA to businessmen until she served as bridesmaid for her cousin and was so wonderful at it that she decided to perform the function for other brides, for a fee. Sort of like wedding planning, but the bride was able to feel more in control.

One day, she gets a referral to a surprise client, someone who can pay big money and open the gate for Sophie to more brides she can charge a premium for her services. The catch is that the client is the mother of the bride, and the bride wants nothing to do with the arrangement, leading to Sophie's biggest challenge yet.

Sophie is excellent at her job and up to the task, though the bride throws all manner of curveballs. Ultimately, while Sophie does have a love interest, friendship ends up being the heart of the book, and I'm hopeful for more from Katy Birchall!

Sophie is one of those people that would do anything for anyone. She would bend over backwards to help a friend. These qualities inspired a job of her being a professional bridesmaid. She is there to deal with all wedding drama that brides should never have to think about. This job comes so easy to her until she gets a new, royal client. Lady Victoria, the Marchioness of Meade, decides to hire Sophie for her daughter Cordelia's wedding. Cordelia does not agree with her mother's decision. This leaves Sophie is an uncomfortable predicament.

Katy Birchall does a great job of making Sophie's character so lovable. While she is hated by the bride, you are rooting for her to succeed as Cordelia tortures her throughout the wedding planning events. The story is funny, with a few emotional scenes that will leave your heart full. This book had me smiling the entire time I was reading it.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book was wonderful. It is not your typical romcom. It's a creative, yet realistic, idea for a story. I know how wedding planning goes and how stressful it can be so I really appreciated that all of that was conveyed in this story. While there was romance in this, it is also the story of friendship and finding yourself. I finished this in less than 24 hours because but grabbed my attention. I really enjoyed this one. Pub Date: May 4. 2021

The Secret Bridesmaid was my first book by Katy Birchall, and I have to say that I was impressed with the way this book held my attention despite not just being a heavily romance book. Though there is romance in this book for sure, but it actually focuses much more on the lead female character, Sophie as well as the different friendships around her. I loved how quirky and solid Sophie was as a female character. The parts of her alone this book were very quite entertaining themselves. Even though I didn't mind the plot not being too focused on romance, I do wish there was more romance because I planned out so many moments between Sophie and Thomas. They were cute together and I just wanted more of them.
That's literally my only complaint from this book that why wasn't the focus on Sophie and Thomas because if it was then this book would have turned out to be a total hit for me though I do have to say I still liked it.

The Secret Bridesmaid focuses on Sophie. Our MC see’s the best in every person and situation, is incredibly organized and a lover of all things “love”. It makes perfect sense for her job to be a bridesmaid for hire. As a Renaissance woman she encompasses the roles of: personal assistant, wedding planner, hype-man, mediator and confidant.

When Sophie gets the opportunity of a lifetime to work with one of the most well known families, it was a no brainer to agree. However, as soon as she began her first meeting with Lady Victoria and her daughter, Cordelia things take an unexpected turn.

Without a doubt I can say this will be one of the books that I’ll find myself recommending. It had a bit of everything: humor, romance, adventure and so much more. Overall, Sophie reminded me of the best qualities I find in my inner circle.. I found myself laughing to the point of tears on several occasions and can’t wait to reread.


Lastly, a special thanks to everyone at NetGalley and St Martins Press for this arc.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book was so much fun and kept me up way past my bedtime because I could not stop reading. The Secret Bridesmaid totally gave me 27 Dresses meets The Devil Wears Prada vibes (and that was even before they referenced the movie in the book as a joke). Sophie is one of those characters who you cannot help but love. She is almost too kind to a fault but when push comes to shove, she knows how to rise and meet a challenge. Be prepared to literally laugh out loud while reading this book because it seriously reads like on of your favorite romantic comedy movies. The addition to include her emails with brides and vendors was such a fun idea and gives readers a fun insight on the things Sophie deals with as a professional bridesmaid.

I loved the development of the relationship between Sophie and Cordelia. I enjoyed the character development of both of them and that this book was not just focused on romance but on female friendships as well. that being said, go into this book understanding that the romance between Sophie and a certain male character is not at the forefront of the book. It is there and is extremely sweet and will leave you with a big smile on you face but I would say that the theme of sisterhood and friendship are at the forefront. Do not miss out on this book in May!

Rating:4.5/5 Stars

Sophie Breeze is a professional bridesmaid. What? She helps brides prepare for their big day by pretending to be a part of the wedding party. When the mother of a high society bride hires her, it would seem to be a dream - but really, it’s more of a nightmare - even if the bride does have a hot brother.

This was a fun, literal LOL read at points. There were a few formatting issues in the digital ARC, but all in all, a great read!

Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity!

Thank you to NetGalley and Publisher for gifting me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Have you ever seen the Wedding Ringer with Kevin Hart?
This book was like that, but with women.

It was quick, funny and really adorable.
got through the book within a day, like I said, easy read.
The relationships between Sophie and all the brides is so great, and then Cordelia makes me want to smack her (Bridezilla much?), but it's like a hate to Love relationship that's too good for the ages.
Tom is adorable.
the Chewbacca Running made me laugh out loud - rare for a book to make me do that.

this was the first book by Katy Birchall and honestly, this book felt different from all the other romance novels i usually read, I loved it a lot and I think that this is going to be one of those books that I am going to have to grab a physical copy of. Going to be recommending this book to a lot of people.

Sophie (a hired professional bridesmaid) is what every bride needs! Support, advice, there when you need her, runs errands, and helps to make each bride create their dream wedding. Literally. No matter the request, this girl is there with a smile on her face. And she gets some entertaining ones! Especially when she lands a spot as the only bridesmaid for bridezilla Lady Cordelia - who does NOT want Sophie around.

Boy did this one suck me in - finished in maybe 24 hours! I loved how the story was put together - beginning to end. Hilarious and heart warming in all the right moments! There was great build up and character development. I loved how the story was mostly focused on the relationship between Sophie and Cordelia, with a little romance sprinkled in! The ending will make your heart melt!

I feel like I’m a little stingy with handing out 5 stars, but this one was just so charming. You will want to stay up late to finish this one, and then you’ll go to bed with a happy heart and a smile on your face.

Thank you Katy Birchall, St Martin's Press, and Netgalley for this advanced copy!

The secret Bridesmaid – Katy Birchall

“Pinky Promise.”
What it’s about

Sophie Breeze is so good at being a bridesmaid that she’s made it her full-time job. She is hired by brides mostly who need help organising their wedding. She poses as a friend while making sure that everything goes perfect.
When she is hired by Lady Victoria Swann, a high society lady for her daughters wedding it seems to be the highlight of Sophies career. There’s just the tiny problem that the Bride, Lady Cordelia Swann, is not very amused by the idea of having a professional bridesmaid and tries everything to get Sophie to quit.
When a rival society wedding gets announced on the same day, Sophie is faced with the challenge to organise a big wedding for a bride that hates her in less than to months and keep her feelings for the bride’s cute brother in check.

My opinion:

The secret bridesmaid is a romcom in a book.
You should know about me that I love romcoms, weddings and I’m also a “goody-goody” like Sophie, so that was the perfect book for me. On top of that it’s a high society story and set in London. What is there not to like?
The writing style of Kate Birchall is very easy to read and SO English, which I love.

Sophie is for me a very relatable character. She is an optimist, she obviously loves weddings but she is also very organised and well yes, she’s a “goody-goody”.
Cordelia seems to be a rich girl cliché. She looks perfect, has a perfect fiancé, a perfect life and is very mean if she does not get what she wants. But that’s all it is. A farce. But as she begins to open up to Sophie you get why she is the way she is and a beautiful friendship blossoms between them.
The side characters are very likeable. There is, for me at least enough depth to them, even though it’s a fairly thin book.
What I liked most is that Sophie’s romance with Cordelia’s brother Tom is more a side plot than anything else, so it is much more a book about the friendship between Cordelia and Sophie.

One point of critique is there: Sometimes at the very end of a chapter, there would be an interaction between Sophie and a company where she bought something for a bride. The emails gave us an inside look into her life as a professional bridesmaid, but they did not add anything to the storyline, which is a little confusing.
Adding to that: there were sometimes changes of scenery without a paragraph in between which forced me to read some sentences twice to understand they were in another place. With that said, the book is published on May 4th , so I’m hoping the publishing company will change that in the final version.

Conclusion

The secret story of a bridesmaid is a book about friendship and loyalty with a tiny bit of romance. It is an easy and fun read, it is something to cheer you up and make you laugh out loud. If you do not mind reading about weddings, high society and a little drama – this is the perfect book for you.

I started reading this book and got immediately pulled in. Ended up staying up way later than I had planned and finished it in one day. Super cute and adorable. Would love to continue the story too.

This book was soooo cute! It reminded me of 17 dresses and the devil wears Prada combined! I was so invested in what was going to happen the entire time and I am glad I got the opportunity to read this early because I am in love with it.

The character Sophie is so meek at the beginning and Cordelia is the opposite of her and they somehow find a way to bring new parts of their personalities out through their friendship. I seriously love their friendship so much, their banter makes me laugh and the whole swan fiasco had me crying it was so funny.

In the end it teaches the reader that there is more to a person than what you see, you have to get to know someone and trust them in order to see what lies underneath and I think that is beautiful.

A great read.

Sophie is a professional bridesmaid, and is hired to pretend to be the bride's friend and help organise everything. When she gets the chance to be the bridesmaid at a high profile wedding, it should be a good opportunity, but the bride is a nightmare and Sophie finds herself falling for the bride's brother, who thinks she is someone she is not. What will happen when all the secrets unravel?

Sophie is a profesional bridesmaid. Brides pay her to pose as a friend so she can provide a bride the support she needs with the planning, lead-up, and on the wedding day (I don't understand why she has to be in people's weddings to do this?). Sophie has been focusing on her career since her long time boyfriend broke up with her a year ago (and recently became engaged) because she was too "safe". And then Sophie gets the chance of a lifetime, when the mother of high society bride hires Sophie to help pull off the wedding of the year. Can Sophie overcome an epic bridezilla who resents her presence and pull this off? Also there are sparks with the bride's handsome brother.
This book was cute, though like many people in the book I don't see why Sophie has to be in all of these people's weddings instead of just an attendee? I'm very concerned for her business model when she ages a bit more and young brides don't want a middle age woman in their wedding. I also wouldn't go in to this book expecting lots of romance, the romance is more a side plot. The main story is definitely Sophie and Cordelia.

Let me start out by saying that this isn’t your typical rom-com novel. It’s a light read but it has depth and breath to it that other rom-coms typically don’t have. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel. I was entertained the entire time and wouldn’t change a thing about it.

Sophie is a professional bridesmaid. She’ll pretend to be your BFF throughout the entire wedding process in order to make your day magical. Think the movie Wedding Planner with Jennifer Lopez but Sophie is seriously invested in her brides. In comes the drama of a high-end wedding and ultimate bridezilla which will ultimately open a new avenue into her bridesmaid business. She just has to get the bridezilla married. Easy to do, right?

This novel was humorous, witty, and a fast-paced read! A must read for anyone who wants a different perspective on the most important day of a girl’s life.

Sophie is a wedding expert whose job is to become part of the bridal party and do whatever the family needs, from small errands to full-blown wedding planning. Her most important task is to manage crises that occur during or before the wedding, such as a drunk groom or missing “luxury” port-a-potties. When she is hired to become a bridesmaid for the difficult daughter of a Marchioness, Sophie encounters her biggest challenge yet, and possibly a romance.

“Sophie is a professional bridesmaid.” Just that much of the description of this hilarious British romcom had me hooked, and I had to know more. This is such a fun book. The idea of a professional bridesmaid is intriguing, and the author will have you chuckling with some of the crazy email exchanges Sophie has with clients. We learn a little bit about British nobility, but this is mostly a book about friendship, with a nice little romance to boot. This book takes us from humor to heartbreak and back again, with a lot of wedding hijinks thrown in. You will laugh aloud, and maybe even shed a tear, while reading this delightful book. Fans of romantic comedies, friendship reads, and weddings will enjoy this book.

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.

I chose this book because the premise sounded so fun. A secret bridesmaid? It’s made me wonder if there is such a thing? And if there isn’t, it’s brilliant. There needs to be.

Then a secret bridesmaid for a royal family, doubles the fun.

The book lived up to its fun filled premise with lots of surprises and witty banter. A quick, light read that won’t let you down, and will put a smile on your face. The perfect kick of to Spring.

Fun, fun story. Tricky to pull off, but betting somewhere, someone actually DOES do this for a living. Think this would make a great movie! I would defintely watch it. Will recommend this book for sure!

Sophie is the professional bridesmaid, literally, and she takes her job very seriously. Her job is to make sure the wedding goes all according to plan, but her latest wedding puts up some roadblocks. From being attracted to the bride's brother to a rival wedding. She has to balance it all and if anyone is up for the challenge it's Sophie. With this being the wedding of the year and if she perfects this wedding she will solidify her future in being a professional bridesmaid.

This is a great romcom that I read through fairly quickly. I loved all of the characters and watching them interact in the author's world. The idea of a professional bridesmaid piqued my interest and the author did a great job developing this story line. I look forward to reading more from this author and highly recommend this book. I wish there was a sequel because I really loved the characters.