I could not relate at all with Zoey and did not enjoy this story. I found Zoey unlikeable and unrelatable to any part of my life.

As always, thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! Going into this, I had average expectations and I was excited to read this debut novel from this author in particular. Overall this book was 80% description and 20% dialogue. I even got to a point where i skimmed/speed read the second half of the book which did not result in an enjoyable reading experience. Zoey Marks as a character was difficult for me to even root for. It was bizarre to me that she couldn’t see that the marriages she “ruined” were truly not meant to be to begin with and she let it effect her view on her own potential engagement. I also could’ve done without the constant pop culture references in almost every chapter, sometimes more than once. I wish this had been better and I hope the author continues to grow from here with potential novels to come.

I think if this book was written in third person I might have enjoyed it more.
Instead it was a lot of "I, Zoey Marks, badass boho chic badass boss girl badass." and narrating scenes while describing herself as in "I looked out the window with my almond shaped eyes...." and "my chocolate brown eyes narrowed"

I didn't find Zoey especially badass or rebellious though she's built her whole identity around that. Jumping on the bed at someone else's house and writing on the tv in sharpie aren't particularly rebellious, it's just bratty. She struck me as a grown up Eloise from the Plaza.

Zoey also isn't a bad luck bridesmaid. She just happens to know 3 people who called off their weddings for pretty valid reasons. Her being a bridesmaid had nothing to do with the outcome. I also thought it was farfetched for Zoey to latch onto the idea that if her friend got married despite a short relationship, then SHE could also get married because it proves she isn't bad luck. That is a terrible friend to have!!!!

I did like the settings and festivities for her friend's wedding in Ireland. I also liked a heroine who didn't focus her life around finding "the one" and actively pushed away any potential mate out of habit or maybe spite. It just didn't come together for me like I hoped.

*I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and I am required to disclose that in my review in compliance with federal law.

*I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and I am required to disclose that in my review in compliance with federal law.

I quit this book after 20% - it was a DNF for me. I hate to dislike books that I have to give reviews for, but this was just not for me. The book (or at least the first 20%) was told as a summary of past events, and I hate those type of books. I want to feel like I'm "experiencing" the story and not just being "told" the story. I also didn't connect with the main character - she again told us how great she was at her career and how much she hated marriage, but I didn't feel connected to her. I fully recognize the book could have gotten better, but I just have no desire to see if that happens.

I give this book a 3.5 star rating

I enjoyed this book, even though I found several circumstances within it very far-fetched (the Falcon and the lifeboats) and the hijinx a bit unbelievable. But the pacing was great - I was left wanting to keep reading at the end of each chapter and I finished it in a day and a half (having Covid and being confined to bed helped that a bit).

I loved Zoey and Hannah's friendship - it's the girl bond most of us dream of having. Most of the characters were lovable (except for the ones that weren't meant to be, looking at you Gemma and Celeste). Without giving too much away I will say I loved the ending - it was what I was hoping for, I just wish I had more time with it.

This was as much romance as it was women's fiction with good balance between both.

I was so excited to read this one because the premise sounded stellar, but this is definitely my least favourite book of the month. The first 25% of the book was basically all summary and had barely any dialogue, which left me feeling very unconnected to the main character. I honestly didn’t care at all for Zoey at the point because the book didn’t engage me. As I got to know her more, I cared less. I could definitely go without being in her annoying head. This felt incredibly predictable and unfortunately felt like zero character growth for me as well even though it’s framed to be major growth. As a side note, after reading the acknowledgements like I always do, I find it weird to name two characters who eventually are romantically linked after your son and daughter...

Bad Luck Bridesmaid is the story of Zoey who has been a bridesmaid three times for weddings that didn’t happen. She’s sure she is bad luck and when her boyfriend is ready to get married she definitely is not, meaning a fourth wedding that doesn’t happen. I think Zoey could use some serious counseling as she makes herself miserable to avoid a lifetime commitment to the man she loves. Her issues are explained by the way she was raised but she is willing to take risks in her professional life just not her personal life. When her childhood friend Hannah wants her to be a bridesmaid can she over come her fears to see Hannah and Garrett tie the knot? Will their live help her to overcome her own fear of commitment?
I give this book 4 of 5 stars. Characters can be shallow and to self involved at times; prone to foul language, mostly Zoey. Also too quick to run to the bedroom together. It will probably hold more appeal for a younger, 20-30's audience.
I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

BAD LUCK BRIDESMAID stars Zoey, who's been in three weddings, none of which has resulted in a marriage... making her: bad luck bridesmaid.

Zoey's not someone with her sights on marriage in general, but then she meets someone she loves spending time with. They start dating and suddenly a year and a half's gone by, he's in his 30s and wants to know he'll spend a lifetime with someone -- which to him means a ring around her finger.

I found the audiobook a great companion to a hot Friday evening of deep cleaning the kitchen and bathroom; the narrator is easy to understand and follow along with. BAD LUCK BRIDESMAID is written in the first-person, which I felt lended itself to narration. The beginning felt a bit long; it was easier for me to get into the story via audio than text.

Part of me wishes the author'd gone further in exploring why Zoey doesn't want to get married, but part of me is glad she didn't. Who's to say she needs a reason? (It's not like we ask "Why?" when people announce that they're getting married, so why do people need to explain why if they choose not to get married?)

Not everything in this one worked for me, particularly not pushing back against hurtful behavior and a few broad statements about gender roles. But I'm absolutely here for any and all reconsideration of what "happily ever after" means, and figuring out what it is that's best for us.

Zoey is a mess and believes she is the curse for three weddings since they never happened. Thus, the Bad Luck Bridesmaid title. She is a whirlwind of jeopardizing weddings, including her own. She was proposed to by Rylan and couldn’t commit. Then has to face him at another wedding. Honestly, I didn’t like the ending. I understand why the author chose her ending,but I think Zoey was a fool. It was a decent story but I really didn’t like the main character.

2 stars

While there were minor improvements toward the end, I found this book challenging to complete because of its insufferable main character. Had I not been listening to an audio version while doing many other tasks, I am certain I would have elected the DNF option, which I try to avoid at all costs.

Zoey Marks is the main character of this novel that - from its cover and title - may misdirect readers into thinking it's more romance than women's fiction. This character is...awful. The entire novel is told from her perspective, and readers cannot ever forget this because Zoey constantly refers to herself as "I, Zoey Marks," which is a small but infuriating detail. When you think to yourself, "I have a lot to do today. I need to pick up groceries, get gas before work, etc.," do you also insert your first and last name after every "I?" What's fascinating about this quirk is that it reflects a bigger issue with Zoey: her outrageous entitlement and self-centeredness. She comes from a particularly privileged upbringing and is quite put upon by her intellectual parents and her constant moves to various wealthy suburbs. It sounds HARD, Zoey Marks. Your struggle is real (in your mind only). While readers follow her, Zoey has one central romantic relationship and one friendship, and while she thinks her main problem is her self-proclaimed status as the bad luck charm in her friends' wedding parties, it is really what that idea highlights: unwavering self importance. What makes Zoey unique isn't unique at all. She fears certain kinds of commitments. Girl, preach. You have just labeled like half the adults I know here in 2021. You're not special. She also has this fascinating quality of creating a whole internal manifesto (and regular references to her book of rules - barf) but also never sharing even the smallest relevant details about her life with anyone who allegedly matters to her. Not to mention there are a lot of double standards here. She's allowed to do all kinds of outrageous stuff and be appalled at the audacity of others for existing while they inconvenience her in her warped plans. I could go on for a long, long time about the additional issues I have with this character, but I don't like spoilers, and I really just want to get away from her.

As a professor, nothing makes me sadder than to dislike a book I'm expressly reading for the purpose of reviewing. I understand what goes into producing one, and I am sure this author has so much attachment to this character and this world. That noted, this may win the award for my most frustrating read of 2021. For me, this is just a novel about an ultra privileged and short sighted woman pouting about how different and special and meaningful she - Zoey Marks! - is, and I found myself rooting against her from the jump. It is my express hope, Dear Reader, that your experience will be the opposite, but oof.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review a copy in advance in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts and opinions are mine and mine alone!



Honestly, a touch disappointed in the ending- I wouldn’t have classified this as a romance, more like women’s lit, maybe contemporary? Humor? It was funny, and memorable and I would recommend to others but not under the guise of a romance novel. Excited to read more from this author and I do believe this will come across booktok!

I enjoyed this one but I can tell it's not going to be for everyone. I found it got to a slow start and sort of dragged on a little too long in the beginning but once the story moved to Ireland the pace picked up and I got more invested in what the author was going for. If you're looking for a light-hearted rom-com this isn't that, it's much more of a women's fiction story about self-realization and accepting the way you are is perfectly fine even if it defies societal expectations.

Zoe is disillusioned about love and happily ever afters. When three weddings she's in end in disaster she starts to think maybe she's the common denominator. Then she gets her own wedding proposal and just can't bring herself to say yes causing heartbreak for both her and her boyfriend Ryland. Still nursing her broken heart, Zoe's best friend asks her to be a bridesmaid yet again in her destination Irish wedding, close friends and family only, except Zoe's ex is part of that family which means she's going to have to face him once again.

My favorite part of this book was all the action in Ireland as Zoe and the best man both feel the wedding isn't meant to be and try to find a way to stop it before the couple make a mistake they'll regret. Zoe is also fighting the feelings she still has for her ex and is conflicted when he seems to want to reunite too.

Overall I enjoyed this one but it wasn't the story I was expecting. Recommended for fans of books about women who aren't afraid to be their authentic selves, especially when it means traditional things like marriage or children aren't necessarily part of their idea of happily ever after. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copies!

A cute, fun, quick read. It is the third Bridesmaid book I've read recently so I think that may have made me compare to others. It was an ok read but not one I would grab again.

I think both the title and the synopsis of Bad Luck Bridesmaid may be slightly misleading. While marketed as a romance, this book was more about the main character finding out who she is than anything else. I liked the main character, Zoey, most of the time but thought the ending did not really fit. It was entertaining and a different/better ending would have resulted in a 4 star read.

Oh man, this book was an emotional roller coaster! Grab your tissues and skip if you don’t want spoilers…

Zoey is a women of her own. She doesn’t believe in the conventional life everyone wants or life doles out, Nope! She also doesn’t believe in marriage. She’s a o e night stand type of girl, so she doesn’t really get why all her friends are so quick to jump off the wedded bliss ship. She’s the bridesmaid to three friends weddings and they go disastrously. She starts to think she’s a bad luck charm with her anti-love vibes. Enter Rylan, her best friends cousin. The one man who makes her question everything and ultimately fell that heartbreak loneliness everyone talks about. It’s Hannah’s turn to get married and Zoey will do anything in her power to make sure it happens.. and win back the guy she let slip away.

This book is hilarious and satire and so many gushy moments mixed in. I mean I started tearing up in my kids school pick up line, like Megan keep it together!! It’s raw and plays into the real narrative of a women who doesn’t believe in standards or love. I felt this! In a way it reminded me of my youth and people never wanting me to be alone, so i max dated people for 2 weeks(no joke!) I felt Zoey on so many levels. That fear of what tomorrow let alone the future will bring.

What I didn’t like, but understood, was that crap ending. Like come on!!! I wanted them to end up together. That connection they had and how they couldn’t avoid each other, I had hoped she’d grown. But like I said I understood that her reason.. even if I was gobsmacked!

If your looking for romance, you found it, but don’t count on happily ever after. This book is more about finding your own worth and realizing there’s nothing wrong with you and not everyone needs that romantic ending to be happy.

Rating: 4
Laughing Score: 4/5
Crying Score: 0/5

Bad Luck Bridesmaid is out 1/11/2022 - Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Griffin for a copy of this arc!

My thoughts: Man - this book was a rollercoaster. I read it with a few of my favorite booksta friends, and they told me I’d be hooked and I didn’t believe it until I was strapped in for the ride.

The author did a phenomenal job writing this book. I felt all the highs and all the lows. She captured with detail the true joy of being in love, the passion of attraction and she captured the emptiness of a breakup. I was hooked - one of those reading in between meetings, during lunch, any free moment I had kind of hooked. I can’t get over how much I liked all the details and I feel like sometimes in romance books there are unrealistic moments, and in this story, she wrote them like how they would play out in real life - I really enjoyed that. I also really enjoyed that she used real places in New York - I’ve saved all the restaurants :)

I think by the title I expected this book to be light hearted, but it was the opposite. While it was funny ( I LIVED for Zoey’s petty inner monolog & one liners), it was kinda heavy & kinda sad.

Towards the end of the book, I felt like the focus shifted and I’m not sure how I felt about it. I was super invested in Zoey and so when the focus shifted more to the side characters, I felt like the entire story shifted. I’m also not sure how I feel about the ending, but I did feel like this was a story that I had to really think about once it was over.

In the end I really enjoyed it and I appreciated the story, but I wish the last 40% of the book was different. I still say it's a 4 star for me, because the good outweighed the bad.

Really enjoyed this one - it was a really fun and flirty book and I couldn't stop reading it! Ready to read the author's next book! Thanks for the opportunity to read!

This book was a good kind break for me. It was enough to keep me entertained, but I didn’t have a problem putting it down when I needed to. I’m not entirely sure what genre I would categorize it in. I wouldn’t say romance, but I wouldn’t really say “women’s fiction” either. If you’re looking for a good story about a woman learning that she can live without love, this is your book.

Thanks to St. Martin's Griffin for an advanced copy of Bad Luck Bridesmaid by Alison Rose Greenberg.

Zoey believes she's a curse as a bridesmaid to her friends. She's 0/3 on her friends saying I Do and she's wondering if marriage is for her. When she turns down a proposal from a man she loves she's left heartbroken. But when Hannah announces she's marrying a man she's head over heels for at a castle in Ireland and asks Zoey to be her Maid of Honor will her luck change? Oh yeah her ex- Rylan, is Hannah's cousin...

This book looks a lot at the question of do you need a marriage to be happy? While I enjoyed most of the book, I was frustrated with Zoey. I loved her friendship with Hannah. There were so many great and funny scenes in this book!

I don't want to give too much away, but this definitely is more on the women's fiction than romance. It's about finding out what's important to you and finding someone who feels the same way you do.

I liked this book, but at the same time I was frustrated by it.

Zoey Marks is a good friend, but a terrible bridesmaid. With three failed sets of “I dos” under her empire-waist dress, she’s sworn off everything to do with marriage - Be it being a bridesmaid or a bride herself. When this becomes the breaking point in her otherwise perfect relationship with Ryland, they’re both left heartbroken. But when Zoey’s best friend (and Ryland’s cousin) Hannah asks her to be a bridesmaid at her Uber-romantic Ireland wedding, Zoey can’t say no. She vows to get Hannah down the aisle and no one - not the sulky best man or the ex that she can’t get out of her head - will get in her way.

Bad Luck Bridesmaid straddles the line between romcom and chicklit - It’s not quite (and I say this without judgement) *shallow* enough to be a romance, but it’s not complex enough to really qualify in my book as fiction. There’s some familiar tropes, but it doesn’t lean too heavily into what you’d expect from a book with this cover. With that said, it’s a feel-good read that is as predictable as it is easy breezy.

Zoey is an imperfect character, and she skates out of the “unlikable” category by being self-aware of her flaws and hangups. I wanted to shake her for turning down Ryland, and then, without any spoilers, I wanted to shake them both for the duration of the trip to Ireland.

The ending was… fine. Zoey knows who she is and what she needs, and she demands that in her relationships, as is her right, but you never really quite understand her rationale in the ending. I wouldn’t necessarily pick this one up again, but definitely could see myself recommending it to friends looking for something with just a little more depth than the latest romcom.