Bad Luck Bridesmaid was not what I was expecting. The ending took me by surprise and the story did jump through three different times in Zoey Marks' life that weren't smoothly connected. The beginning of the story was focused on Zoey's involvement in 2 friends' weddings, or lack thereof, whilst the middle of the book followed Zoey experiencing her one true love and how this undid everything she thought she knew about herself. The final portion of the book follows her best friend Hannah's wedding and how this will impact Zoey's view on marriage.
Overall, the story was enjoyable, with many moments bringing me to tears. While the story does conclude, it was not the ending I was hoping for. The story was not typical of a romantic comedy, as it was more focused on Zoey's path to self discovery.
I would recommend if you like Women's lit, but aren't looking specifically for a romance or romantic comedy.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a quick romantic story that really did not have any drama at least for me did not feel that way. The characters were good along with the story.

Bad Luck Bridesmaid by Alison Rose Greenberg is more women's fiction than rom-com, despite the cover. I loved the premise of this one - a play on the idea of a woman being a bridesmaid multiple times, but the execution of this one wasn't as strong as I had hoped. Still, I'll look forward to more from this writer.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

The full review of this title appeared on Pages and Pictures.

This was one of the most relatable titles I read all year. This story perfectly speaks to anyone who is always the bridesmaid, never the bride, and who despite appearances has a lot of love to give. This is a coming of age story for those in their 20s and 30s.

This one fell a little flat, it was an okay rom=com but not sure I'd read this author again. Cute but not especially memorable.

This was super cute and fun!!

Not necessarily my perfect romance, but truly a fun ride.

I read this book before getting married this year and it was fun to get in the bridal mindset and follow along with Zoey's story.

I don't know what it is about books that contain weddings, but I am obsessed. I'm happily married, and yet I swoon every time.

THIS WAS SUCH A FUN READ! I thought it was adorable and sweet.

This book was alright. It claims that it’s not a rom-com and warns the reader of such but it really mostly is just that. So, if you like them, you may like this one.
Zoey Marks has deemed herself cursed. She’s been a bridesmaid more than once over the course of ten years and with each wedding the couple has split up before the wedding. Therefore she claimed the title of cursed.
After the third strike, Zoey wonders if her own ambivalence towards marriage has passed on to those around her. She goes so far as to turn down a proposal from her all-American, perfect, sweet boyfriend Rylan Harper III. She leaves Rylan heartbroken. She broke her own heart as well. She questions her actions and why she feels as she does.
Now her best friend Hannah Green is getting married. This takes the story all the way to Ireland (side note - really wish I had friends that could take me to Ireland for their wedding) where her friend's wedding is planned. Her friend who happens to be the cousin of her ex, Rylan. Since she broke Rylan's heart though he attends the wedding with a very attractive guest.
Zoey is determined to change her luck and she accepts the role of bridesmaid for Hannah’s wedding. Now she is just praying that her friend's wedding goes off without a hitch and if she can get Rylan back along the way all the better (whether he has a girlfriend or not).
However, as the weekend goes on Zoey finds that she has a lot more questions than answers.
I don’t want to tell you the whole story since it’s not an incredibly complicated one. I’ll let you read it and follow along with Zoey as you go.
For me, I found that the main character was rather annoying. I suppose if you can relate to her in some way it’s more helpful but I just couldn’t. She whines a lot!! Things she does to and for herself are the reasons for her situation so really she just needs to chill. There is one part where she says something right in front of Rylan's mom that is just incredibly rude and it really sort of made me almost dislike her, she redeems at times but it was still just bad. Why oh why would someone of her age do that? She acts like a teen at times, though most teens have a better filter and know that saying such things isn’t the best way to win back an ex.
Again though, if you can relate to the main character with more than one or two things, I think you’ll enjoy this story. It is well written and the characters aren’t terrible but I just couldn’t. I still recommend it because I think this book will definitely appeal to a certain audience and they will really like it.

An OK book but not something I was sad to see end. Typical formula of woman who can't seem to find love - always the bridesmaid never the bride. There were some parts that were funny but overall just "fine".

From the beginning of the book, we already start to get a feel that Zoey is a very pick me kind of girl. Throughout the book this type of energy doesn't change, which I didn't like. I would expect some type of character development to happen but it didn't. I DNF'd this book.

Bad Luck Bridesmaid by Alison Rose Greenberg was a surprisingly emotional exploration of a young woman's complexities as she navigates love and the uncertainty of her future.

Zoey Marks believes herself to be cursed. She has been a bridesmaid in three of her friends' weddings and none of the couples ended up tying the knot. What's worse, she decided to swear off love only for the perfect man, Rylan Harper III, to show up and tilt her world on its axis. Rylan makes Zoey want to throw out her rule book and they fall madly in love. When Rylan proposes, taking Zoey off guard, she holds firm to her convictions and denies him despite her feelings. The last thing Zoey expects is for her pragmatic best friend Hannah to announce she's get married to a guy she just met, but that's how Zoey finds herself doing bridesmaid duty once again. This time, the nuptials will be taking place in Ireland, where the bride's cousin is none other than Rylan. Zoey is determined to get Hannah down the aisle and prove that she isn't cursed, and if she can win back Rylan in the process then maybe her luck will have turned around for good.

Don't let this whimsical cover fool you, this book was an emotional rollercoaster. I found my heart aching for Rylan and Zoey who were both deserving of the futures they sought but had difficulties openly communicating their needs with each other. Zoey's inner dialogue got a bit repetitive, but I enjoyed her journey of self-discovery and that she held firm to her convictions. She is not a wallflower that's for sure! Her friendship with Hannah was a bright spot as well. As someone who has had lifelong female friendships, I saw a lot of truth and sincerity to the way these two characters interacted. I do wish that there was some clarity or expansion on the final moments, perhaps an epilogue that could have showed us what everyone was up to a year or so later. All in all, the banter was witty, the spicy scenes were sizzling, and the plot was fast-paced in a way that had me rapidly flipping the pages.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for a review copy.

Oh Zoey. She's what she likes to call a "bad luck charm". Sure, her friends get engaged and ask her to be a bridesmaid in their weddings. But, the weddings never happen. This has happened three times already, so when Zoe's own boyfriend proposes, she freaks out and has to turn him down. Obviously love doesn't work, right? But when she realizes how much she misses him, it makes her think about why...

Now, her best friend Hannah has just gotten engaged and of course wants Zoe to be the maid of honor. So Zoe has a goal. She's going to make sure Hannah's wedding actually happens and that will prove to her and Rylan (the rejected ex-boyfriend who had proposed) that she actually is ready for marriage and they will work.

This was definitely your typical "I don't believe in love" romance trope, but it was really good! I look forward to reading more from this author.

I don't tend to be superstitious, but Zoey thinks she's curses. Every engaged bride who asked her to be a bridesmaid hasn't walked down the aisle. While I found the plot to be lacking a bit and the first half was slow, it definitely improved in the second half. While I didn't live this one, I also didn't hate it. I'll still give this author another chance and anticipate their next book.

This one was cute! Definitely one of those books you can finish in an afternoon without even really trying to. Did it blow me away? No. But it held my attention and I absolutely needed to know how it was going to end which caused me to read past my bedtime.

This was a fun and unique story. I really loved Zoey and found her to be pretty relatable. This was a great debut and I look forward to more from this author.

<b>**FULL REVIEW**</b>

You know, I was honestly a little disappointed in the ending…my romantic heart really was hoping for a different outcome.

While I understand the entire moral of the story, it doesn’t change that what I thought was a rom-com, turned out to be more of a “I am woman, hear me roar” kind of thing.

<spoiler>
So, if you favor a book where the girl gets the guy? Skip this one…</spoiler>

Not gonna lie though, I did laugh out loud at some parts, and I absolutely adored Hannah and Zoey’s friendship. Everyone should have a friendship like that…*sigh*

Other than that, setting is great, pace is decent, and story as a whole is good…just unexpected and dare I say, bold?

<b>**3 Never About Luck, Stars**</b>

This book was SO good and nothing at all what I expected. I loved the journey the MC went through and thought the not to happily ever after was the best way for this novel to end.

I didn’t love the MCs voice, how the story was told…idk something about it.

Also I felt like there was too much “look a lesson learned”. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good romance that the MC learns something about herself and life and you can feel the change but this was too… clearly stated?

Also. While it ended as it seemed it would from early on, it took a bit long to get there.

All that to say I’m still giving it 3⭐️ Because it’s happy at the end? But like maybe 2.8.

Bad Luck Bridesmaid was a cute read, although it did feel like the storyline was a little disjointed.

Zoey has been a bridesmaid three times in ten years, and not once has a bride made it down the aisle. When she meets the perfect guy, Rylan, her distrust of commitment and marriage come to the surface. Even more so when Rylan proposes to her. When Zoey’s BFF, Hannah, announces she’s getting married, though, Zoey is determined to see Hannah to the alter.

My biggest issue with the timeline of the story, was the reader was taken through each of the failed weddings and Zoey meeting and getting closer to Rylan before the story starts to really take off. If we ha started the story with Zoey meeting Rylan and the failed weddings as “flashbacks” I think it might have worked better. Especially as Zoey is participating in Hannah’s wedding weekend in Ireland.

Since the third bride to not reach the alter is the tipping point for Zoey to run from Rylan’s proposal, the ending was expected.

I did enjoy this book, but it was definitely not my favorite romcom book this year.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the review copy in exchange for my honest opinion!

A quick and fun read, but with some flaws. Spoilers ahead. Touches on deeper themes: friendship, societal expectations of women, infertility - but brushes over them a little too quickly and breezily in my opinion. Really wish we hadn't had the main character confront these things then end up with a romantic interest, would have felt more powerful if she had been okay on her own.

Some minor editing misses - at one point the main character is in a backless dress - which she sheds to hang out in her underwear and bra for awhile... then puts the dress back on to have another character comment on her lack of a bra???

I would read another by this author.