The Secret Bridesmaid is an enjoyable story. I thought it would be more romantic comedy but I felt the romance story plot was secondary and I think it was more a woman's fiction book. But even with that I enjoyed the book.

The book is about Sophie who's job is to be bride's Bridesmaids. She gets a job with a wealthy family that there daughter is getting married and does not want a wedding planner or a bridesmaid. So her mother hires Sophie to help her daughter. The goes through Sophie's struggle with this specific bride and how Sophie is able to survive and thrive throughout the process.

One part of the book I really enjoyed was snippets of her other brides that have hired her and what she does for all of them. These sections are mostly through emails and texts which are really funny and enjoyable break from the main story and helps explain a little more about what being a professional bridemaid does.

I would recommend this to anyone that loves romantic comedies.

This was super super cute! Though this was more of women’s fiction than the romance it was marketed as, I still heavily enjoyed this. I found the writing addicting, my favorite part being the friendship between the class differences. I can’t wait to read more adult romance-y books this author puts out.

This was a really cute and funny story! I loved the characters and the way the relationship between Sophie and Cordelia evolved. The story was well rounded and the plot very well paced. I hope to see more from this author, maybe a follow up with Sophie & Tom!

Sophie Breeze is the woman every bride wants by her side on her wedding day! She’s their professional bridesmaid. She is hired to make sure everything goes smoothly without any of the wedding guests knowing who she really is.

I expected this one to be cute, but I was not prepared for it to have me laughing out loud and to have me smiling the entire time! It is perfect for fans of 27 Dresses and Sophie Kinsella!

British rom-coms tend to be hit or miss for me, but this one was definitely a hit! Sophie is professional but snarky and I found her utterly delightful. The story is basically a satirical look at weddings and has so many laugh-out-loud moments. As delightful as it is, it did seem to be more women’s fiction with just minor romance storyline. Not a big deal, but I was expecting more romance.

I read and listened to this one and the audiobook was great! The narrator’s accent and comedic timing were spot on. It was a little hard to keep up with all of the different weddings at first but eventually I realized they weren’t meant to be major parts of the story. Despite that the bridezillas, horrible vendor mishaps, and hilarious hijinks made this such a fun, light, and easy read.

Thank you so much to @stmartinspress, @netgalley, and @macmillan.audio for my gifted copies.

Fun, romantic comedy that is a perfect beach read. this was a cute story that I really enjoyed. Looking forward to more from this author.

I had previously DNFed this book and wasn't planning on giving it another try, but I decided to pick it up myself recently and was very pleasantly surprised. It was just a cute fun read. I still wouldn't really consider it to be a huge romance book, but I think that it definitely had its moments.
The characters were well written and there were some times where they were a bit too much to handle, but it didn't keep me from finishing the book this time around. I think that if you are looking for a fun lighthearted read, this would be the book for you. I'm always a sucker for a Happily Ever After moment.

Thank you to NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh, this book! Such a fun and unique premise!

Our heroine, Sophie, is a professional bridesmaid. Like all of you reading this review, I'm sure you must be confused - do you hire a professional bridesmaid if you have no one available to be a bridesmaid on your wedding? Nope. A professional bridesmaid is essentially a wedding planner. The main difference is that Sophie intentionally plays second fiddle to the bride - she's there to make absolutely everything the bride wants happen, and given that she's part of all the festivities, she can stop things from going wrong right off the bat. Also, as a p[us, Sophie makes the bride look super organized!

Anyway, I digress.

Sophie is hired by Lady Cordelia's mother to be a professional bridesmaid for Lady Cordelia on her wedding (which is touted as the wedding of the decade). Cordelia is pissed, and she does what she can to make Sophie suffer. She asks for very impossible things, and she's just a big pain in the ass. Our Sophie, however, is a pro, and sooner or later, she starts to win Cordelia over. And not just that, she and Cordelia also become friends. Add in to the mix Cordelia's brother Tom, who Sophie starts to have feelings for. Trouble is, Tom knows her as Cordelia's friend Emily, not as Sophie, the professional bridesmaid...

I really enjoyed how many layers The Secret Bridesmaid had. As mentioned earlier. there's Sophie and Cordelia's friendship, which I would say is the star of the book. Their hijinks were a lot of fun, and I loved seeing them get to know each other. Second, we have Sophie and Tom's budding romance. Tom was so sweet and charming, and him finding any excuse to spend more time with Sophie was so cute. I did wish that their romance got more focus, as I would have loved more Sophie and Tom scenes. Lastly, and I think most importantly, we have Sophie's character growth.

Sophie got out of an eight-year relationship a year ago, and she hasn't really moved on, Her ex meanwhile was already in a relationship two months later after their break up, and Sophie just got his wedding invitation in the mail. Sophie is heartbroken, and she wonders if maybe she imagined their whole relationship. Maybe she messed up. How on earth did she have no idea that her ex wanted a break up? As the story progressed however, and we get more scenes with Sophie and he ex, we see Sophie realize that maybe she didn't remember how she acted during their relationship after all. She didn't remember how she purposely stood in the background so her ex can be the center of attention, and she didn't remember his snide comments when she wanted to change something about herself. Seeing Sophie realize that she really did nothing wrong was empowering, and I was cheering her on as she finally moved on.

All in all, as if it's not obvious yet, I adored The Secret Bridesmaid and I breezed through it. The characters were all fantastic, the premise unique, and I enjoyed how fast paced yet character driven the story was, I also busted a gut laughing at the whatsapp group chats snippets and email threads between Sophie and her different clients inserted throughout the book. This book really made me feel every emotion there is! I can't wait to read Katy Birchall's next book, and I hope that this is not the last we've seen of Sophie and the gang!

I couldn't get enough of this book - especially reading while planning a wedding. It was the hilarious break I needed from the real world of it.

Charming, flirty, and comical!

The Secret Bridesmaid is a heartwarming, amusing tale that takes us to London, England and into the life of the patient, committed Sophie Breeze as she juggles a demanding career, a famous yet difficult bride, and a growing attraction for a man who, unfortunately, doesn’t even know her real name.

The prose is smooth and light. The characters, including all the supporting characters, are feisty, fun-loving, and intriguing. And the plot is a heartfelt, flirty blend of tricky situations, tender moments, humorous hijinks, self-discovery, friendship, family, happiness, romance, and all the complex ins and outs of planning the perfect wedding.

Overall, The Secret Bridesmaid is a humorous, enjoyable, highly entertaining treat that’s a fantastic adult debut by Birchall that, in my opinion, is the perfect rom-com for any day at the beach.

Sophie is a professional bridesmaid, hired by Lady Victoria Swann to help her daughter Cordelia, a bride! Cordelia wants to be no part of this agreement. This story is filled with hilarious antics, this was one of those rare books. I am always a sucker for a royal or celebrity romance, and although the main focus wasn’t on romance The Secret Bridesmaid still had all the royal/romantic vibes. I definitely recommend The Secret Bridesmaid!

Fun, easy read over a long weekend. Perfect beach book. Think Bridget Jones as a wedding planner & you will get several laughs from this book and there’s lots of snark. The characters were well developed and their conversations & texts were also well written. This would make a cute, feel good movie. Story line well developed & moved along quite nicely.

This book was a light read with characters who are very relatable! Book is perfect for someone who is looking to relax and not think too much!

In The Secret Bridesmaid Sophie Breeze is a professional bridesmaid who feels stuck in her day to day life until she books the biggest client of her career. The only problem is the bride, Cordelia, wants nothing to do with her and makes it her mission to get Sophie to quit.

This book reads like all of my favorite Rom Coms. I was laughing, sighing, rolling my eyes and so fully immersed in this book I did not want to put it down! I loved watching Sophie and Cordelia grow closer and could not stop laughing at some of the wedding antics. Their friendship was the main story line throughout this book and while there was some romance it was not the focus of the book.

I would recommend this one for anyone who loves British Rom Coms, books with strong female friendships and just laughing in general. I cannot wait to read more books by Katy Birchall!

What a fun and cute read. I really enjoyed reading this one and who thought about there being professional bridesmaids? (Seriously, such a good idea for a job if that is your cup of tea). I also loved the main relationship that was focused one what that of the professional bridesmaid and the bride ( with some side romantic relationships). The book balance serious and humorous moments quite well and had some quirky surprises too.

*ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

What a delightfully sweet novel! The Secret Bridesmaid focuses on Sophie Breeze, who is a professional bridesmaid-for-hire. She loves making other people happy by making sure that everything runs smoothly on their wedding day. There are a lot of hilarious crazy bride and wedding anecdotes sprinkled throughout the story that made me laugh. Sophie is challenged with her biggest project yet - secret bridesmaid to the reluctant Lady Cordelia, Londom society's it girl. Cordelia will do anything to get in the way of Sophie doing her job, but somehow the ice finally thaws and a genuine friendship grows between the two girls. There was also quite an adorable romance!

This novel was pure fluff filled with wedding shenanigans, female friendship, personal growth, and overall adorableness!

Love the idea of The Secret Bridesmaid, didn't love the execution. Its biggest flaw is just being kind of bland and boring. I didn't care much about the protagonist, Sophie, and therefore had a hard time feeling invested in her journey or her relationships with other characters, such as Cordelia, who was just too much of a bully for me to enjoy reading about her.

The instigating idea of a bridesmaid who's secretly just a wedding planner didn't make a lot of sense (is there really stigma against hiring a wedding planner? More than paying someone to pretend to be your friend?? I know professional bridesmaids are a Thing, but surely Sophie was just...being a wedding planner?). Although I expected it to be explained or justified in the story, it really wasn't.

Since I've seen several reviews that seem to be irritated that it isn't, as apparently advertised, a romance, let me be clear: it really isn't trying to be a romance, it's women's fiction/chick lit/whatever genre you want to call that, and the romantic relationship isn't the main focus or driving plot.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.

This is a cute romcom - def chicklit with a happy ending. I had a very difficult time getting into the book and it wasn't until the second half that I started to enjoy it. Like any romance book, there is drama, and false accusations and of course your happy ending.

I think the book probably could have been shorter and I def. wish I had loved it the way other reviewers did. It just wasn't for me.

This book will def make a good hallmark movie that I would probably love, but just not the book for me.

Sophie Breeze is sure that the wedding of the century will show the world just how special her calling is, that of the bridesmaid who definitely has your back. As a professional bridesmaid she is secretly hired to make sure the day goes without a hitch. She has landed the most prominent client to date. A former model now Royalty, she needs Sophie to sort her family and keep things on the roll. Along the way daughters will turn, friends will let her down, can Sophie save the day. Happy reading

The perfect book for wedding season or an armchair trip to London, you'll quickly be sucked into Sophie's world of wedding planning. Delightfully fun, you'll never look at bridesmaids quite the same way again!

I like the writing style of this author! It’s very humorous in a subtle and charming way. It’s a fun and bumpy ride following the main character and Katy Birchall did a wonderful job.