This was a really fun book.

I enjoyed seeing Willa realize her strength and feel confident in being a friend. I also enjoyed seeing her relationship with Liam evolve.

I felt like there was a little too much emphasis put in ‘The Incident’ but it also is such a defining moment for Willa so I’m also not sure what I would have liked to see different.

I also felt like Maisie’s secret was a little unnecessary in the overall scheme of the story, but again not sure what I would have done differently.

This was a quick, enjoyable read. Definitely recommend for anyone who is looking for a light story.

A fun rom com/ women's fiction that I couldn't put down!

I made the mistake of starting this at night and was all up night finishing it. I couldn't put it down, I was just hooked on the story. I like the depth that Willa has with the reason why she is the way she is due to "The Incident" , and how she is struggling the re build her life. I felt that all the relationships between the characters where very natural and Massie and Willa's struggles leading them to therapy was done very well. Willa's and Liam's meet cute, if you can call it that, works well . I loved their interactions and how he also has baggage but it's not stopping them from seeing where life leads them. The romance parts are fade to black which works well for this kind of book, I think it would have changed the all over tone of the book if it was not.

NetGalley has this categorized as a romance but I think it falls more squarely into "women's fiction" (a category I am often annoyed about... why isn't it just... fiction??). Willa was a successful reporter and lifestyle blogger in Columbus, Ohio, until she caught her lifelong best friend in bed with her fiancé and she basically ran away from her life. I appreciated the portrayal of Willa's response to this trauma, which included depression and hiding away, both of which seem pretty authentic. At no point does she just "get over it" with this huge betrayal, and I was glad about that. The novel starts with a pretty great opening chapter in which Willa (who is living in her sister's guest room and working for her sister's event planning company) is playing the role of Princess Sparkleheart at a kid's birthday party when she suddenly sees her former best friend Sarah, so she panics, drops the expensive cake, and runs away. There's a guy there who laughs at her, and she is understandably seething mad at him, too. Soon after, she randomly meetings Maisie at a coffee shop where Maisie offers to pay her 200 dollars to pretend to be a friend that she's been meeting every Monday at said coffee shop. Willa is caught totally off guard and pretends to be an old friend of Maisie's when she meets Maisie's finace, all of which leads to Maisie hiring Willa to be a bridesmaid in her wedding and to continue the childhood best friends ruse. The best man just happens to be the guy who laughed at her, but he redeems himself a few times and there's a romantic subplot, but the real focus of the story is Willa's growth into the person she really is, which parallels the growth of her friendship with Maisie. I really liked the personal development shown here - it didn't seem forced or fake or too easy, but there's a lot of growth that happens. A solid story about friendship and finding yourself.

The Wedding Ringer by Kerry Rea was such a breath of fresh air. First, the cover is absolutely stunning. Second, I really enjoyed the premise of this book. It made me laugh and cry, particularly the themes of friendship breakups. I loved the full cast of characters, particularly Willa. I especially loved the nostalgic millennial references throughout.

Thank you so much to Kerry, Berkley and netgalley for the opportunity to review 💖

Adult friendships and breakups are the focus of this debut novel. Willa was once a successful blogger until life threw her a big curveball - her fiance cheated on her with her best friend. Now depressed and working children's birthday parties, Willa wants a fresh start as soon as possible. A chance encounter with Maisie, who needs a bridesmaid and is willing to pay for it, leads Willa to this unconventional relationship and throws her headfirst into Maisie's world and right into Liam, a hot doctor. With a potential real friendship happening and an attraction to Liam, all Willa wanted was a fresh start - is this the way she's getting it? And will her past come back to haunt her?

This is a cute story that will charm readers as Willa overcomes her past in order to get a better future. It's fun women's fiction with a heart.

4.5 ⭐️

After The Incident, Willa’s heart makes no room for new friends, new relationships, or new love. With hardly any money, a lack of writing mojo, and living rent-free under her sister’s roof, a chance meeting with the sweet Maisie at the coffee shop could just be what she needed. Maisie extends Willa a paid offer to be her friend and to be a bridesmaid. Willa accepts, but little does she know what’s actually in store for her.

I definitely enjoyed this more than I expected! It was a mix of Rea’s writing style, Willa’s POV, and legit all the 90s nostalgia sprinkled throughout the story. Those references were so reminiscent of my own childhood, so I was here for it! Though the romance was more of a sideshow in this one, I still loved getting to know all of the characters through Willa, and ultimately the fake friendship with Maisie that turned real. If only there was more Liam… because hot pediatrician? I mean c’mon.

I recommend to fans of Kerry Winfrey’s books!

Not going to lie, sometimes books centered around weddings and wedding planning can be tough for me to read given that it’s my actual job. But since Kerry is a fellow Pitch Wars alum, and because I know how amazing she is, I went into this one with high hopes and they were totally met.

Willa is riding the hot mess express after finding her fiance and best friend in bed together just a few weeks before her wedding. Now she is single, career-less, and living with her sister and her wife and their three kids. Willa used to write a popular blog in addition to her job as a lifestyle reporter, but since her breakup, she hasn’t been able to get anything down on the page. To scrape some money together, she’s working for her sister’s event planning company as a princess for kids’ parties, and let’s just say it’s not going well. She desperately wants to earn enough money to be able to relocate so she doesn’t have to live in the same city as her exes–both fiance and best friend–but that’s not really happening with her current job. So when she runs into (almost literally) Maisie, she’s feeling more than a little desperate. Maisie is desperate in her own way–for some friends. She’s planning her wedding and needs to find a bridesmaid, but Maisie is a bit of a loner who has a lot of trouble opening up to people and she’s short on options. She offers to pay Willa to be a bridesmaid, and even though Willa wants nothing less than to be around weddings after her own fiasco, she needs the money. As Willa and Maisie spend more time together, they begin to develop a real friendship, but both of them are still dealing with some emotional issues from their pasts and holding a lot of things in. Willa also has trouble opening up to groomsman Liam, even though the two seem to continually find themselves in each other’s paths. There’s lots of speedbumps along the way, but each character has to deal with their issues and find a way to open up, and luckily, they do and all live happily ever after and all that jazz.

So first and foremost, I was completely captured by the voice in this book, basically from the very first page. Willa immediately grabbed me with her bonkers job situations and broken heart and writer’s block (hello relatable). I think one of my favorite things about the story was how deeply we dove into Willa’s heartbreak, not just from the betrayal of her fiance, but the betrayal of her best friend. Friend breakups can be just as hard, if not harder, than relationship breakups, and I loved how Kerry explored that. My heart broke for Willa on more than one occasion because losing a friend is just the worst. I also loved seeing Maisie and Willa come together and form a true friendship. It can be so hard to make friends as adults and I really enjoyed watching the two of them take their relationship from a business deal to something real and meaningful. And yes there was a cute love story in this book too, but for me, it was all about the connection between Maisie and Willa and watching them find each other and find themselves. If you need some laughs and some girl bonding and powerful female friendships, this one is for you!

The Wedding Ringer was a fun rom-com. I read this book in one night. I did like it, but I did not love it. I really felt like a lot more could have been done in this book. While heartwarming there was no angst, and I was not on the edge of my seating needing to read the next chapter to find out what happens next. I was hoping for more drama and romance but, lucky I was entertained by Willa and Maisie's relationship. Watching their friendship grow was the highlight of this book.

I enjoyed this cute story, and thank you very much for an advanced copy of The Wedding Ringer.

I enjoyed the overall plot and characters, and I think the main character really evolved from start to finish. I feel like Willa was a self-sabotaging person in the beginning, but knew how to take charge of her own life by the end. I can't believe this is Kerry Rea's debut novel because I thought the character development was top notch. I enjoyed Willa's comeback, if you will, and I enjoyed her journey. I also really liked the cast of characters as a whole, and I feel the friendship aspect of life was captured really well.

Overall, this was a cute, fun read that I enjoyed a lot.

We have all mourned the loss of a boyfriend/husband but the betrayal and loss of a best friend is so hard to overcome for some reason. BFF had your back. They supported you and defended you. When that stops it is a different type of pain.

That is exactly what Rea captured so poignantly in The Wedding Ringer. The crash of everything we knew, the shut down, and the re-birth of who we are now. Getting back out there is hard and the author captured the processes so perfectly.

I loved the character development in this book. There are so many awesome characters that you learn to love and you can easily relate to them. Support and love is all around and this story is a great reminder to look at who is supporting us.

One thing I really wish is the we got to witness more from Liam and the developing story there. I feel a bit gypped after we spent so much time together. The laughs and humor, the sweetness and support. I really wanted more.

Overall, this story is a touching, raw, and funny look at our deepest emotions with a side of developing friendships, some tough love, and self help thrown in too. A delightful read!

This book will definitely be included in my top books of 2021 assuming I write one! It was everything I love in a romantic comedy: both emotional and sexual chemistry between the leads, humorous dialogue, strong platonic friendships, supportive family members, laugh-out-loud moments, an easy breezy writing style and so much more.

Willa was so likeable and relatable! What happened between her and her best friend/ex-fiancé was unimaginable and I absolutely understood why she completely fell apart. And, Maisie. Well, she was absolutely charming and adorable, I would totally be her bridesmaid if she asked. Her secret "truth" was powerful and worth the wait to find out. Liam was the sexy but vulnerable/soft love interest that I melt over. And, finally (well, not FINALLY because there is so much more to love, but I need to end this review soon), Willa's nieces were SO FREAKING CUTE. Seriously, the entire cast of characters felt so real.

If it isn't clear already, I absolutely adored this charming and delightful romantic comedy/women's fiction mashup and look forward to the author's next book!

For those who need to know, there was light cursing and no sex on the page.

The Wedding Ringer is the debut book from new author, Kerry Rea.

This book starts with a broken heroine. Willa found her best friend sleeping with her fiancé and lost them both. So when Maisie storms into her life, Willa is not at all open to new romance or friends. But Maisie is willing to pay her to be a bridesmaid, and Willa needs money.

This book is more than just the typical " best friend sleeping with fiancé" storyline. It's a story about finding your people and finding friendship from the most unexpected situations as it is a love story. It is about being lost, then found, and trusting the process.

I really enjoyed this debut novel and I look forward to more from this author.

So cute!! I loved this book. I will definitely be purchasing this for my library. I really liked Willa and Maisie and the growth they made in the book. I was really glad that Willa was able to move on from her ex-fiance and former best friend.

I really enjoyed this book. I was expecting a romance but was surprised with something different. I think this book leaned more fiction than romance, in my opinion. This story features a lot about friendships, self growth, and everything in between. It was hysterically funny while also being incredibly real and raw. I would definitely recommend it.

This story was wonderful! I really loved how friendship and love went hand in hand throughout this story. Maisie and Willa's connection felt so cathartic! I truly loved how this unconventional friendship formed. The highlight of the story! The romance was really nice too but where this book shines is with Willa and Maisie and how their lives get better as they get to know each other. And, this story happens to have two really great kids birthday party scenes!

One of my favorite parts of good romance novels is the female friendships. I love seeing women support each other and build each other up. In many ways, this story is one of friendship as much as it is of romance.

This book starts with a broken heroine. Willa found her best friend sleeping with her fiance and lost them both. So when Maisie storms into her life, Willa is not at all open to new romance or friends. But Maisie is willing to pay her to be a bridesmaid, and Willa needs money.

As much as friendship is a major theme, so is loneliness. I think that's especially relatable as so many of us have limited our social interactions during the pandemic. There's also interesting conversation about whether social media is a real form of connection. And there's discussion of mental health and the stigma about seeking help. This book touched my heart.

I realize I have gotten this far without even mentioning the male protagonist. He exists, and he is awesome. The book is more focused on Willa and her growth as necessary for a romance to occur. The book has amazing comedic aspects and could probably be classified as a mix of women's fiction and rom-com.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

TW: anxiety

I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5 because it's not really a romance. It's more of WF/GF with a strong romantic subplot.

Willa is still dealing with the aftermath of finding her fiancé and best friend in bed together six weeks before the wedding.
Meeting Maisie and being hired to pretend she's the long lost best friend and bridesmaid throws Willa's world upside down.

As for Willa and Liam, after their rocky start, I liked how he redeemed himself to her by showing up and being a good friend.

Well written and engaging.

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

Moving back home and taking the obvious you-bottomed-out job? Check. Binge watching terrible tv and sleeping until noon? Check. Feeling numb and avoiding your sister's annoying self help suggestions? Check. After a mascara streaked, cake tipping melt down, Willa is ready to pack in what little of her life remained after finding her boyfriend and best friend in bed together. A mean, semi-cute party guest laughing at her? Last straw. But then a timid stranger in a coffee shop proposes a new job: Bridesmaid-for-hire. And this could be WIlla's chance to leave it all behind. If she wasn't starting to see what she might be missing.

I really wanted to like this one but couldn't get into it.... It felt more like a women's fiction novel than a romance novel.

The Wedding Ringer by Kerry Rea
Release date: November 9, 2021
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Thank you to Berkley Books and NetGalley for the eARC.

I read this book in 24 hours. It was just so fun and warm and fuzzy. It's as much a story about finding your people and finding friendship from the most unexpected situations as it is a love story. It is about being lost, then found, and trusting the process. It takes you through Willa's journey of hitting rock bottom and the baby steps of climbing up, ultimately realizing the truth that when one door closes, another opens and usually it has a much better view. The supporting cast of characters are so endearing - from Willa's sister, nieces and next door neighbor, to Maise's fiance, his sister and cousin and finally to Liam - probably one of my favorite new book boyfriends who really needs a superhero cape. The chemistry, cute nicknames and flirty banter was top notch. I love how the conflict wasn't drawn out, that the reactions were realistic and not over-dramaified (yes I just made that word up). And it had a most satisfying HEA. This is a great book for your winter TBR on a chilly day, under a blanket with a warm cup of something.

Quote: "It's a simple question, Sparkles. Either you like me or you don't. Either you want me to touch you or you don't. Which one is it?" he breathes. His words are warm against my ear, and I shiver when his lips graze my neck. "Do you want me like I want you?"

Song for Willa and Liam (and Maisie and Stacey and Ruthie): All My Favorite People by Maren Morris, "Yeah, we ain't perfect but we're doing alright, Everybody's worried about tryin' to get by...I don't know about them, But I know about us, It is what it is and we love who love."