I had a bit of trouble at the beginning getting into this book but once I got past the first few chapters and got used to the writing style I got sucked in and really enjoyed it. The build up of the character in the beginning felt a bit unnecessarily wordy like the author was trying a little too hard to impress us with her brain but I felt that it evened out and the flow got better once you got past the first few chapters. All in all this book made me smile, laugh and cry which made it a great read in my opinion.

This was a cute one! Loved the writing. There were a lot of funny parts. I didn’t love the way it ended though so that knocked it down a bit for me. I would definitely read this author again though.

I am so happy to have finally found a book that will pull me out my reading slump.

<b>Bad Luck Bridesmaid</b> is a love story that’s not really a love story. It’s emotional, it’s fun, and it’s witty. And all of these traits can be found within the main character, Zoey Marks.

Within the first pages, I knew I loved Zoey. Her character is authentic and relatable. She’s a kindred spirit. She highlights the ‘complicated’ aspects of life and her journey through it. Her highs are high, and her lows low.

Greenberg’s debut novel is a hit in my books, definitely climbing up to the top of my list of favorite reads for 2021 without a doubt! Her characters are so real and tangible. The plot was great! And overall the writing style is clear and witty, leaving you with an easy to read and definitely binge-worthy book!

The whole journey of reading this novel had me wanting to sit and read voraciously. I was right there with Zoey, emotions flying unchecked as I followed her journey. She’s unique and shows you that it’s okay to be unique without yielding entirely to societal norms and pressures.

<i>I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review! All opinions expressed are my own. Upon publishing of this novel, I will also be posting my review to Amazon Canada.</i>

I absolutely loved this book! I was in such a reading slump until this book came my way. The heroine was fantastic and the story kept me turning the pages well into the night. I couldn’t read it fast enough, as well as I was sad that it was over. I cannot wait to read more from this author.

Oh how I adored this!

This had it all: banter, quick wit, funny dilemmas, great chemistry and characters I felt I could actually connect to.

This sort of reminded me of that movie with McDreamy when he is the Maid of Honor but falls in love with the bride...gave me those feels and I was here for it!

Thank you, NetGalley, for an e-arc of The Bad Luck Bridesmaid in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love this book so much- the synopsis sounded perfect- but it just wasn’t for me. I thought the premise was interesting, but the actual story just didn’t deliver. Despite all of her internal monologues, I felt very disconnected to Zoey, even while I related to some of her struggles. I think that’s because the entire book felt more like a summary rather than a story, especially at the beginning. It so long to get to dialogue that I almost gave up on it.

Even when I finally made it to the dialogue, though, the story still felt like a summary. I kept finding myself skimming and skipping over entire paragraphs because nothing was happening. I never felt lost despite skipping over chunks of the book because there’s more rambling internal monologue than actual plot.

I did like the message at the end of the story. I just wish we had gotten there in a more interesting way.

2.5 Stars

I thought I was getting a romantic comedy but this is more like chick lit, and that's not a bad thing, it just wasn't what I was expecting. There is a lot going on in this book, Zoey is bad luck whenever she is a bridesmaid, this is going to be the fourth time, and she is determined to break the curse. I liked how the book showed how important female friendship is and it did have a touch of romance, just not the one I was expecting, and I was cheering a certain couple on. But then...bam! A couple appears out of the blue...that ending was really weird to me. On a more positive note I LOVE the cover, it is perfect in every way!

With many thanks to NetGalley, Alison Rose Greenberg and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for the giving of the ARC.

Fun, promising premise, but I wasn't too fond of the main character, Zoey. I was looking forward to more clever and witty writing, but there was too much long-winded inner dialog and cheap snark.

Get ready to feel every single thing on the emotion spectrum. I was alternately laughing out loud (uncontrollably when bird related) and experiencing chest crushing pain. It’s a wonder I wasn’t bawling my eyes out. This is the book I’m talking about when I say I only read romance if it comes in romcom form. I need to have my heart getting ripped out interspersed with hilarity or I won’t have any part of it. This is going to be huge. First love, true love, heartbreak, feminism, badass women, family drama, comedy. I also feel like maybe ARG somehow got access to my personal thoughts and experiences and put it into a book. It was such a great read and it crushed my other favorite reads of the year to dust. This was so good in every single aspect and I recommend anyone who loves romance, romcom, straight comedy, read it immediately. It’s going to be a movie, I can already tell. 27 Dresses meets Made of Honor meets My Best Friend’s Wedding. Abby Jimenez and The Friend Zone meet Farrah Rochon and The Boyfriend Project.

I cannot wait to see what ARG does next.

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

There was snappy dialogue and there was romance, but this is not a typical rom-com. I enjoyed reading the book, but I had a hard time identifying with and understanding the main character Zoey’s decisions.

As the book begins, we learn Zoey has served as a bridesmaid for 3 friends who never actually make it down the aisle, hence the book’s title. Zoey grew up moving from place to place and finds it impossible to commit for forever. She sees this as a flaw which shes fights against when she finally falls deeply in love. (I found it hard to believe she really was that much in love, but that’s just my opinion.)

By the end of the book, when Zoey serves as the bridesmaid for her best friend who does make it down the aisle, she comes to the realization that she’s ok as she is. At the same time, she’s feeling heartbreak, she embraces the possibility of a new relationship for which she may be better suited.

The book was well-written with well-rounded, believable characters and great dialogue. I look forward to the author’s next book.

Full review on Pop-Culturalist.com closer to the pub date. Zoe Marks is a cursed bridesmaid. When she reaches strike three, she's starting to wonder if her perspective on love is affecting her loved ones. It's to the point that she rejects her boyfriend, Rylan's proposal leaving both of them heartbroken. Although, personally I don't think Zoe has a right to feel heartbroken if she was the heartbreaker. Zoey's best friend, Hannah declares that she's marrying a guy she just met (Zoe can't help but roll her eyes at this one - what a cliche)! However, this wedding is a fresh start for Zoe and she's willing to do whatever it takes to turn her luck around.

Not everyone is meant to be married and this entertaining novel proves that for some people, that is OK. Zoey has been asked to be bridesmaid several times and so far, none of the brides have made it down the aisle for various reasons. She is skeptical about love until she falls for her best friend's cousin and realizes that love can be real, even though she remains reluctant about marriage. When her best friend becomes engaged and wants Zoey to be bridesmaid she is reluctant to participate because of her poor track record with previous weddings. When she consents and the wedding goes forward there is a lot of angst and drama before getting the couple down the aisle. I enjoyed the story but I feel it could have been much shorter if some of the overthinking and drama was cut down. It went on much too long and the story could have much more tightly paced. I did enjoy the ending.

Great read! Bad Luck Bridesmaid was such a fun read and I highly recommend it. The storyline was easy to follow and the characters were well-crafted. Truly a delight.

I had high hopes when I started the book. I enjoyed reading about why Zoey was a bad luck bridesmaid. I also enjoyed reading about her friendship with Hannah. I just really did not like the ending of the book and found her relationship with Rylan to be frustrating.

Thank you to Netgalley & St. Martin’s Press for sharing this digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest review.

Cursed bridesmaid bringing bad luck to brides is an interesting premise. I struggled with this book. Just couldn’t connect to Zoey. LIked the concept a lot and expected this to be a bit funnier, quirkier than it was for me. This will definitely be perfect for other readers. This book has messy characters and relationships.
Just wasn’t for me.

I *LOVE* the writing, the plot, the strong, true, joyous female (& male) friendships, the banging hot sex scenes, the various characters and their self-discovery. The author does an amazing job of making a self-described "complicated woman" understandable and relatable...and Zoey and I are pretty different people (to clarify: I do not expect others to want all the same things I do in life, but this book really helped me to inhabit a different perspective).

That said, I have mixed feelings about the marketing for this book. The title, cover, description, who they asked to blurb it, all kinda signal that this is a romance, even a rom-com. Unless we maybe count Zoey & Hannah's friendship as the HEA, or put a lot of faith into the upcoming HFN we get a glimpse of at the end, this is not a romance.

While Zoey's internal narrative and some situations literally made me laugh out loud, it is also not afraid to acknowledge that sometimes life is fucking heartbreaking and you just have to be true to yourself and get through. OTOH, I might not have picked it up if I knew it was going to leave me with so many feelings, and I am VERY glad I read it—definitely going to be in my top 10, maybe even top 5, for 2021 (or 2022, since it releases in January).

A final thought: someone teach these women about waterproof mascara!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC for an exchange of an honest review.

What a fun book this was. Light and easy read.

The Bad Luck Bridesmaid stars Zoey Marks who believes she brings bad luck to weddings. A bridesmaid batting at 0 for 3, Zoey seems to be the death knoll for weddings and it has given her some major commitment issues. After a year of living with her current love, Zoey cannot accept his proposal and the supposed love of her life hits the road. A little soul searching and another bridesmaid request later, Zoey is finding herself and what she wants for the future. Zoey is definitely a die or ride friend but I found her hard to sympathize with or even to like. The story moves quickly and has a somewhat satisfactory ending but this book was just okay for me. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s for the eARC, in exchange for this honest review.

I read a lot of rom-com, contemporary romance, and women’s lit, and I love when someone can pull one of those off with an unconventional approach. Alison Rose Greenberg did it pretty well with Bad Luck Bridesmaid! I was sucked into Zoey’s tales of her “curse,” her friendship with Hannah, and her own adventures with love while knowing the traditional HEA is not for her. I read this in a day and enjoyed the heck out of it.

DNF

The premise had me so beyond excited, so it’s with a heavy heart that I say I really couldn’t connect with the main character. I hated the voice. It had so much that felt like it should be a good fit with my tastes, but it also felt too much like the protagonist was “not like other girls” and was trying to tell the reader a million indie things about herself in every page, and a few chapters in, I was just exhausted and not into it. I think this will definitively be the book of someone else’s heart, but I had to put it down.