What a delightfully messy book about love, heartbreak and commentary around the expectations of women when it comes to marriage. I devoured this book in a day and it moved me. I loved the strong female friendship, the Irish antics and a surprise enemies to lovers trope my absolute favorite.

Bad Luck Bridesmaid was a fun ride! Zoey believes she’s a bad luck bridesmaid because every time she’s been a bridesmaid, the bride doesn’t do through with the wedding. Because of her “bad luck” at weddings, she doesn’t believe in marriage.

I loved the characters and the storyline. It was more about Zoey finding herself but romance was sprinkled in throughout. I’m not going to give anything away but I was surprised by the ending, but the more I thought about – it was the prefect ending for Zoey. Overall it was a quick and fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchage for my honest review.

I DNFd this fairly early on because I don’t like to read foul language. Way too many f-bombs for my taste.

I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy of this fabulous book! It has everything I love in a romance: messy, complicated characters and discussion of deeper themes. After years of being a bridesmaid in failed weddings, Zoey begins to wonder if she’s the common denominator. Zoey’s own misgivings about marriage cause problems in her relationship as she reflects on what it really means to “settle down” and if it’s possible to build a life with a soulmate and maintain independence. I found Zoey an engaging protagonist and her thoughts about this stage in her life extremely relatable. There are also some fun, romantic (often steamy!) moments between her and the love interest. I highly recommend you pick up this book, especially as we approach wedding season!

I loved this story! You fall in love with the characters and story so quickly. Adding this author to my favorites.

I loved this one! As a romance reader, I look for characters to connect with and it is important to my enjoyment of the story. I loved the MC. She was a strong woman who knew what she wanted! We need more characters like her!

Don't let the cute cover fool you; I had heard before I started Bad Luck Bridesmaid by Alison Rose Greenberg that it was going to be more of a heavy read than a romance, so I went in fully prepared. Like the reviews I had skimmed had said, this was indeed more about Zoey discovering who she was as a person, and it was a little lighter on the romance side of things. It had its funny moments for sure, but definitely not as many as I would expect from a full-blown romcom, so in my mind, I am considering it more women's fiction with a dash of romance and humor. I enjoyed Zoey as a character for the most part (she is a little much at times), and I could fully appreciate her apprehension toward marriage and if it was something she would ever want at all. As a woman who doesn't want kids, I rather likened it to that, so I could understand how she felt and I already know the pressure that is placed on us as women, in general, to be a certain way and want certain things.

I also highly recommend listening to the audiobook which is narrated by Sarah Naughton. I have listened to a few books now that she has narrated, and she kills it every single time. I loved her as the voice of Zoey, and it is my opinion that she really helps the listener connect to this story as a whole. I really liked the pacing of the book, and I zipped through this one when I had the time to listen to it. For the voracious reader, it would be easily doable to listen to it or read it in one day, and the audiobook is just shy of being 10 hours long. I was really impressed with the characterization Greenberg was able to achieve in Bad Luck Bridesmaid, and each of the characters felt very real and whole. I was actually a little surprised that this is a debut, and based on how much I enjoyed it, I will definitely be reading whatever Greenberg comes out with next no matter what the genre.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

*Contains spoilers*

I was really vibing with the book up until the ending. Like I was thinking five stars.

Bad Luck Bridesmaid is a silly (and surprisingly naughty!) book about Zoey, who is set to be her best friend's Bridesmaid in her wedding in Ireland. But her best friend is related to her ex boyfriend, and he shows up with another woman on his arm.

The book is hilarious and is a lot more relatable than I originally anticipated. Reading the book left me feeling like this would be an incredible movie.

But that ending... Zoey parts ways with her ex after a will they won't they whirlwind, and she winds up maybe with the best man, who is just terrible. I liked that Zoey stayed true to herself, and didn't compromise what she wanted for a man, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't rooting for her and Ryland to wind up together in the end.

Thank you to netgalley for this copy! I also own this physical paperback because I loved it so much! Recommend!

This is EXACTLY the new direction romance books should be taken and explored. This was a pleasant surprise to read and I loved how it had all the classic elements we love in contemporary romance but it had taken a more reflective and self-awareness approach.

All the characters were likeable and I found myself chuckling more than a few times through the shenanigans. We follow Zoey with her anti-Forever with marriage stance after witnessing 3 of her friends not making it down the aisle and thinking herself as the Bad Luck Bridesmaid.

Then she goes on her own journey of discovering love - is it enough to change her stance on Forever? You'd think it was predictable, but it wasn't. I loved it - highly recommend.

Cute story!

Description
Most Anticipated Romance of 2022 by Goodreads

"A compulsively readable, witty, and humorous novel about the pursuit of a happily ever after...with oneself." - Tif Marcelo

Whip-smart, heartfelt and joyful, Alison Rose Greenberg's Bad Luck Bridesmaid is a celebration of complicated women and a power-anthem to live your truth.

Happy Ever After.
On Her Own Terms.

It’s official: Zoey Marks is the cursed bridesmaid that no engagement can survive. Ten years, three empire waist dresses, and ZERO brides have walked down the aisle.

After strike three, Zoey is left wondering if her own ambivalence towards marriage has rubbed off on those she loves. And when her building distrust of matrimony culminates in turning down a proposal from her perfect All-American boyfriend, Rylan Harper III, she and Rylan are both left heartbroken, leaving Zoey to wonder: what is it exactly about tying the knot that makes her want to run in the opposite direction?

Enter Hannah Green: Zoey’s best friend, who announces that she’s marrying a guy she just met (cue eye roll). At a castle. In gorgeous, romantic Ireland, where Rylan will be in attendance, and Zoey will be a bridesmaid. It’ll be fine.

Bad Luck Bridesmaid is less about finding your happily ever after romantically with someone else and more about finding it with yourself. Embracing your flaws, your differences, the things that make you unique … even if they are not what others view as “normal”.

I really enjoyed this debut novel by Alison Rose Greenberg. I was immediately sucked into Zoey’s story, having to know what was going to happen and how exactly she was a bad luck bridesmaid. I loved learning about the fragmented parts of her history right along with the present. Plus some of the stuff really made me smile/laugh while I was reading.

Most of all, I loved the story of friendship between Zoey and Hannah. Finding forever in the form of someone who has grown not only up but also with you, and still choosing to love and support that friend no matter what life brings.

I initially wanted to read this one because of the cover, and the clever title, and I am so glad I did. Thank you so much St Martins Press Romance for this eARC copy to read and review.

Quick and fun read! I think Greenberg did a good job bringing the characters to life. Parts were quite witty and entertaining, but overall, I was left hoping for a little more. There was a lot going on and while I enjoy flawed characters, Zoey is a bit of a mess.

I also have been lucky enough to read a lot of fantastic books lately, so I think I'm a bit more critical of this one. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC. All opinions are my own.

Okay I'm going to give this book 3 stars. It was a cute and quick read. But it was also a bit of a mess. The characters, plot, and laugh out loud moments made up for what incredibly is the most confusing sentence I've ever spoken...this had SO MUCH filler but it moved SO QUICK. I'm not a fan of filler and this story could've run a bit shorter rather than trying to add extra bits to get a higher page count. All in all, I would recommend it but I wouldn't reread it. I will try more from this author.

I found the protagonist in this story not relatable and I had a hard time connecting to this. I tried many times to finish this book and was unable to. I shall try this book again in the summer.

I enjoyed this one! Its not your typical lovey dovey romcom. The MC is very set in her ways and knows exactly what she wants in life. The strength that her character brought was pretty amazing. I loved the environment in the book and the characters that came along with it.

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.

I don't read many books on the romance side of things, so this one was out of my comfort zone. But....this one was ended up being more women's fiction than romance. I haven't read many books in this genre but I loved it! I knew I had to read at least 1 book with some love interests in it for February. This book was about how complicated relationships can be, and finding yourself. There was some romance, but it wasn't overbearing at all.

I actually would say more like 2.5.

Zoey is a badass. We know this because she keeps mentioning it. She seems to think unconventionality relieves her of caring about people's feelings. She has a successful business but her personal life is kind of a mess. After being a bridesmaid three times and each of those brides didn't make it down the aisle for various reasons Zoey thinks it is her fault. Like really? She goes into relationships with the idea that they will not be long term. She has no interest in getting married so when her best friend sets her up with her cousin, Rylan, she does it reluctantly and falls head over heels. After two years of dating she seems shocked when he proposed. Of course she said no. How did she not ever mention that she never wanted to get married? When her best friend is getting married Rylan shows up at the wedding with a plus one and Zoey is jealous. This book does not have a happy ending in my opinion so if that's what you are expecting this isn't the book for you.

Truth is I didn't like Zoey. At about 30% into the book she dumps Rylan and for the rest of the book we hear about her broken heart and how bad she feels and how Rylan shattered her heart. The way I saw it Rylan just loved her and wanted to get married, kind of a natural progression for people that are in love. She shattered her own heart by saying no. I hated the ending and made me dislike Zoey even more than I thought possible.

The wedding took place in a castle in Ireland but I never got a sense of Ireland whatsoever. Could have taken place in the Hamptons for all the description of the lawns and the building and the moon.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a copy.

Late is better than never!
I initially had trouble getting into this book. Its curious narrative style, that I could only describe as a mix of info-dump and self-absorbed, but kind of funny and 'there' but not yet polished really put me off initially. Its plot is kind of silly, the heroine's hang-ups didn't convince me, but it was an interesting experiment in women's fiction and expectations.

The author is funny and writes sexy and straightforward dialogue that often sizzles-and great tension and love scenes, but it's just not polished to the extent I expect. It could've been a short book, but we need to be told often that the heroine is wide-eyed, and that she's a badass, so it took more trees than that.

This may seem scathing, but that's because I'm disappointed. The plot was catchy, it had a good hook, and I'm not upset for having read it.. However, I'm disappointed that I know it could have been more than it was, with a bit more refinement and discipline. With that I may have even seen a parallel to Mhairi McFarlane in so many ways, but without out it, it feels like a bit too much of a mess for even a glancing comparison.