I really went into this book expecting something way different and was pleasantly surprised with how different this book is from a typical wedding rom-com. Although it has its comedic moments, the emotional beats of this story is what shone, really embracing a protagonist that is multifaceted and has more than one dimension. Did I not feel completely satisfied by the end of the book? Maybe, but to be honest I think I preferred it that way in this book's case.

The Bad Luck Bridesmaid is more than just a rom com, it's an ode to being strong women, to being women that are true to themselves.

Zoey and her best friend Hannah see life completely differently. Zoey is not sure marriage is for her and Hannah knows that it is. Zoey's been a bridesmaid three times and all three times, the bride has failed to get married. Each one determining that they're not actually in love with the groom and that something better is out there for them. Zoey has decided that she is the common thread to these failed nuptials and it just confirms that marriage is not for her.

But Hannah encourages her to go on a date with her cousin, Rylan. Much to her surprise, Zoey falls hard for him. Finding love like she never imagined possible, but she still isn't able to envision a future with marriage in it. This all comes to a culmination when she is Hannah's bridesmaid to her whirlwind wedding to Graham. While there, Zoey is reunited with Rylan and the pain of breaking up with him, but still loving him. Meanwhile, Hannah has been struggling with her own complications. Both of these women are finding obstacles to the "traditional" trajectory of happiness but they both manage to find ways forward without compromising themselves.

This was an emotional read that is about more than just romantic love, it's about loving yourself and loving your friends.

Zoey has been a bridesmaid in three weddings… and all three weddings have been canceled, so she believes she’s bringing bad luck to her friends. Now, her best friend Hannah is getting married in Ireland, and she’s nervous she’ll ruin Hannah’s happily ever after. But while that’s the supposed premise of the book, the focal point of the plot is actually Zoey’s nerves and concerns about the idea of marriage – although she met the perfect guy, could she ever actually get married herself? I liked the story, but Zoey was kind of a drag, and I found myself frustrated with both her choices and her inability to step back and see a therapist or otherwise take action to change. The novel was really well-written, and had some thought-provoking insights about societal expectations of relationships, but it was also just kind of a downer – even though there was kind of a happy ending.

Such a cute, funny, heartwarming story! I love the female empowerment message it gives. So important for women, especially young women. I would recommend this!

This was a good Contemporary Romance, that I would definitely recommend to anyone who thinks it sounds interesting!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

I’m happy to report that ‘Bad Luck Bridesmaid’ by @Alison.Greenberg was really cute! I actually liked a rom-com-dram 😄 I think I liked it because it seemed realistic, I understood the main character and I LOL’d.

Zoey has been a bridesmaid three times and none of the brides have ended up walking the aisle. 0-3, the bad luck bridesmaid. Is her ambivalence towards marriage rubbing off on these brides?! I mean, Zoey has been dating Rylan (hottie all-American boy) and she STILL has cold feet towards marriage. So he’s like, why am I wasting my time here? Anyway, Zoey’s BFF wants her to be a bridesmaid (oh crap) and she thinks if she can get at least ONE bride down the aisle her curse will be broken and she’ll marry Rylan with happiness.

Clearly things don’t work out that easily. This book was pretty funny and Zoey was such a good friend. Also, she ended up with the exact person she was meant to be with. In my opinion. Also, one of my favorite parts was Karen the falcon. Hahah, funny. 😂

The steam factor in this book was just enough. Not an overwhelming amount that distracted from the story. The parts that did spice up I had to look over my shoulder to make sure no old ladies at the gym were about to have a heart attack. 🔥🔥🔥

This book just came out on January 11. Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for letting me read this digital copy!

I have been a bridesmaid 3 times as well. I don’t think I’m THAT bad luck, as 2 of the 3 are still married! On that note, have a great Monday and start to your week!

🖤🖤🖤

Nice story about Zoey. Her self discovery through the book is cute, romantic, funny and entertained. Great easy and fast reading.

I loved this book! The plot was so delightful and I loved the emphasis on close and loving friendships. I thought the love between the main character and her friend was the real gem here and I liked that the ending wasn't the typical happy ending you expect from these books.

This is definitely an unexpected new favorite for me!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC ♥️

What a sweet, fun rom-com! I don't read romcoms as often as I should, but this hit the spot. Thank you for the opportunity to read it!

I would give this 3.5 stars. I liked it enough but I just couldn't like Zoey very much. She worried way too much abiut being "different." I am a Rylan fan though. :) I felt so bad when Zoey told him no. It crushed me... I would like to listen to the audiobook at some point.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy for my honet review.

Thank you NetGalley and st martins press for the eARC.

I’m honestly not even wanting to write a review. This is gonna be more of a rant.

Zoey Marks is the MC in this book and the most insufferable character ever. I debated DNGing the book multiple times but I was hoping that she would get better. I was wrong.

Zoey came off as entitled and selfish. The way she kept announcing “ I Zoey Marks” had me rolling my eyes too much.

I felt like the author tried to hard to make her sound sophisticated and it just did not work for me.
For example;
“Forever? Aren’t you allergic to that word?”
“I was allergic but I’ve just started taking emotional Claritin.”

Also the cheating that came out of nowhere was not okay. I’m not okay with cheating but this was just gross.

I definitely should have skipped this one.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley. My emotions are so jumbled after reading this story that I want to give it both five stars and one star. I feel like a damp cloth discarded into a pile of rancid rags, left to molder, but it wouldn’t be possible for me to feel this way if the writing weren’t so damned good. Ms. Greenberg, I hate that you made me care about your characters before tearing out my heart and stomping on it. That’s why I’m only giving you four stars. I honestly don’t know how to write this review without spoilers, but I will try. If you’re reading this review and don’t want to have any idea what happens in this book, perhaps you should stop now.

Initially, I couldn't put this book down because I found Zooey self-deprecating and just plain funny. Some of her observations were all too much like something I’d think. When asked by her best friend Hannah to meet her cousin Rylan for a date, Zooey replies, “...which part of me looks like I date bros who have Roman numerals tacked on to their names?” Nevertheless, she agrees and he texts her: “My cousin says your the greatest person she knows, and that I would be lucky to buy you a drink. How’s next week? —Rylan.” Her next bit of narrative is, “”Your’ howled at me,” and we know she’s going to tell him to get lost, but then he texts back: “You’re. I promise, I aced middle school grammar.” She decides, “Fine. Maybe I would let him see me naked.”

Some of the other humorous observations were these: “I was two beers past sober, and thus the harbinger of the world’s greatest wisdom.” And “I grabbed my glass of Pinot as if it were the banister and took a much-needed gulp…” And “To enjoy this song, one must enjoy it in such an over-the-top manner that other people become unwilling participants.” And “I slowly turned my head, as if I could somehow delay humiliation if I simply pretended that I wasn't born with the correct neck muscles to look sideways at people.”

The narrative is told entirely from the POV of Zooey, which would make you think you’d understand her a little better, but ultimately, I didn’t. She’s a likable and relatable character who embraces her individuality and wears it like a crown. In my view, however, she wears it like a ball and chain. How can I empathize with a woman who consistently chooses the most painful path? Who fights against what her heart wants because it doesn’t fit with the image she has of herself and how life is supposed to be? It’s as if she was born perfectly-formed and self-aware and there’s no need for her to mature and change her views. And she certainly won’t compromise. It’s maddening.

Sometimes a theme is so obvious, it’s impossible to ignore. The theme of the story is that holding onto secrets is damaging to our souls and we must be willing to speak our truths, no matter how ugly they may be, no matter what the outcome might be. To me, that’s too cut-and-dried. Sometimes we need to temper the truth with compassion, and sometimes what’s true today is not true tomorrow. Unfortunately for Zooey, once she discovers her “ugly” truth, she decides it will never change.

The power and importance of friendship is also a strong throughline. Again, this is simplified. Zooey and Hannah have been best friends for thirty years, and yet they keep secrets from each other and neither is willing to tell the other the hard truths. Yes, I know; eventually they share their secrets and that’s part of the healing Zooey experiences, but I found it disheartening that Hannah doesn’t share with Zooey that she might be making the wrong choice. Instead, she repeats what Zooey said to her earlier about Graham being a guy who would “move mountains” for her: “You’re worth moving mountains for too, Zooey.” And a small voice in her head asks Zooey, “Am I the mountain? Am I the very thing standing in my own way?” Oh, you’re so close, Zooey! YES, you’re the mountain! Of course, she decides she’s not, but the more important question (to me) is, why is she unwilling to move mountains? Is it only the man’s job to do that? Seems a bit sexist to me. Just sayin’. Maybe Zooey isn’t as confident and self-sufficient as she thinks she is if she’s afraid of losing herself in someone else.

There were some priceless bits of wisdom sprinkled into what I originally thought was a very funny story but which I eventually came to realize was a tragedy. I love Romeo and Juliet as much as the next person, maybe more, but at least, they chose the path that they believed would bring them together. Although taken out of context from the story, this explains my response to the ending. It was “...a moment—a big moment—the kind you prepare for, but are never prepared for.” I keep reliving the final encounter and thinking WTF? I cannot imagine saying “I love you. I want to be with you,” but only on my terms. It’s not open to discussion or negotiation. Even though both of us will be miserable as a result. Is it so important to prove a point that you’re willing to forsake your own happiness? In the end, I really didn’t relate to her at all.

It’s very pro-feminist, which I loved. But I found Zooey’s inability to articulate her needs and her unwillingness to understand, much less accommodate, someone else’s beyond frustrating.
Still, I’ll point out what I did love. First was this: “Society and biology work together to try to put rogue women in their place.” Yes, it’s true, but there’s no need for one person to stand up and say, “Not me,” at the expense of her own happiness. There’s a saying for that…something about removing something from your face… And I thought Zooey’s revelation to Hannah was a powerful one: “I think that too often, women take pieces of themselves they have no reason to hate, and they carry those pieces around like failures. If enough women stopped apologizing, then maybe there’d be less of an expectation for us to always burn bright and stand still. Maybe our complications would become our backbones instead of our scarlet letters. Hannah, it’s a relief to stand tall in my own body, rather than shrink because I’m not the woman someone else expected me to be.”

Although I could understand this comment from Zooey, it was followed up with a complete failure to recognize she had the power to redefine the societal expectations of what marriage could mean as a construct. “There was comfort in knowing that by coloring outside the lines, I was in control of where I wanted my pen, and it was not where someone else told me to put it.” Rylan never wanted her to change and I don’t believe he would have ever told her where to put her pen or where to color. She gave up the “perfect” man because she couldn’t see a way to combine her love for him with her need to express her true self. It made me want to shake some sense into her and remind her, “This is what you wanted all along! You can have everything you want!” But maybe the author doesn’t believe that’s possible.

I appreciate that the title of the book is explored, and eventually, redefined in a much more positive light. It makes more sense. One of the other things Ms. Greenberg does with her narrative is clever and memorable. It’s a little thing, but sometimes little things can have a great impact. It’s common enough, when someone asks what’s wrong, to say, “Nothing.” Whenever this happens in the book, Zooey narrates, “It was not nothing.” After an encounter with Rylan, Zooey is thoughtful and Rylan asks her what she’s thinking about. As with everything Zooey, it’s not a simple answer: “I felt a thickness in my throat as the answer tore through my bursting heart. ‘Will I ever love another man as much as I love you in this moment?’ I was living in a moment I knew I would one day ache for. I was home, and I was homesick. He was magic, but magic was fleeting. ‘Nothing…’ I lied. It was everything.” And it was heartbreaking. And I still want to cry. I’m exhausted.

I have a really hard time not finishing books normally, but this one was a little easier for me to decide to dnf.

I found the main character unrelatable and unlikable.

I received a ebook copy, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was very excited for this novel but once started, found myself having to push through it. Had it not been for the fact that I don't DNF books, I would have DNF'd this one. I could not relate t other MC at all and found her to be quite insufferable at times. I found myself rolling my eyes at least a few times per chapter.

I read Bad Luck Bridesmaid well over a month ago now and I’m still sorting through what I thought of Alison Rose Greenberg’s debut novel. I enjoyed it. But did I actually like it? That, my friends, is the Big Question. Let’s prepare for a (likely rambling) analysis.

Here’s the book’s description:
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.
Okay, the woman definition of fine (NOT FINE).
Determined to turn her luck around, Zoey accepts her role and vows to get Hannah down the aisle—all the while praying her best friend’s wedded bliss will allow her to embrace marriage and get Rylan back.
But as the weekend goes on, Zoey is plagued with more questions than answers. Can you be a free spirit, yet still want a certain future? Can you have love and be loved on your terms? And how DO you wrangle a bossy falcon into doing your bidding?
Everyone is, obviously, entitled to their own feelings. I just couldn’t help but think Zoey was an idiot. She honestly believed that she was bad luck and she was the reason that her friends weren’t getting married. And that somehow meant that marriage was evil and there was no way that she could ever take part in the institution. I’m not married and my boyfriend and I have no plans to get married so I can respect the choice to not go through all the pomp and circumstance and paperwork that is a wedding and marriage. But Zoey’s reasoning was just so…bizarre. I absolutely could not get inside her head enough to empathize with her. Is that a huge problem? No. Not really. But I expect at least a little bit of that with certain genres and contemporary fiction (especially those with a romance storyline) is one of them.

Rylan was also an idiot. He expected to be able to change Zoey’s mind about marriage just by being his wonderful self instead of, you know, talking to her. The problem was that they both thought they were right and instead of discussing it like rational adults, they just assumed the other would change their mind. Guess what. They didn’t. And it was painful for all involved.

I did like Zoey. I think that helped me like the book a little more than I would have otherwise. She seemed like someone I could be friends with, which is always nice feeling to have while reading a novel.

It was nice to have a bit of armchair travel with this novel as Zoey heads off to Ireland for Hannah’s wedding. They got to stay in a castle and wander around and experience the grounds. I would definitely be up for that right about now.

I’m still not really sure what I think about Bad Luck Bridesmaid but I do know others have adored Alison Rose Greenberg’s debut novel. I would definitely be interested in what she writes next so that’s saying something. Keep in mind this isn’t actually a romance (the Happily Ever After is…kind of absent) but give it a read if it intrigues you. And then let me know what you think!

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, SMP Romance (St. Martin’s Press), via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Zoe has been the bridesmaid at 3 of her friends' weddings. All three have ended up not making it down the aisle to get married. She feels she is cursed when it comes to marriage and love. When she meets the man of her dreams, Rylan, it makes her re-think everything. When he proposes, her fear of marriage ruins her perfect relationship, not only breaking her heart but his as well. When Zoe's best friend Hannah gets engaged to her relatively new boyfriend, it takes everything in Zoe to help this marriage not become failure number 4. This book was a mixture of witty, funny, and steamy. I enjoyed every minute of it. Zoe was a great lead character who was a strong woman and such a breath of fresh air. Her acceptance of her differences was a great portrayal of what every woman should be. 4 stars. Thank you, NetGalley for the eARC.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me an advance reader copy.

First of all, I am upset with myself for not picking this up sooner. It was so much better than I expected going in.

Zoey thinks she is the "Bad Luck Bridesmaid" because every time she is someone's bridesmaid, the bride doesn't make it down the aisle. She is 0-3 for seeing her friends get married. She takes this bad luck as a sign that real love is not really meant to be. She is in a committed relationship, but once the question is popped, she cannot say yes.

Zoey decides that if she can get one friend down the aisle, then maybe she can finally say yes to the man she loves. A destination wedding in Ireland leads Zoey down the bridesmaid path once more. Can the 4th time be a charm?

Through honesty with not only her friends, but with herself, Zoey learns it is okay to not conform to societal norms and accepts that marriage is not for her.

I loved that there was some spice intermingled within the story, without taking it over.
I loved the takeaway.. that you don't have to sacrifice your morals, or who you are in order to be happy. You don't need marriage to find happiness.

Zoe has been a bridesmaid in three weddings. None of those brides have made it down the aisle to get married. Therefore, Zoe doesn’t believe in marriage or forever. Then she meets Ryland and he is her perfect match and the other half of her soul. When he proposes, she freaks and they split. Hannah, her best friend from childhood and Ryland’s cousin, get engaged and asks Zoe to be her only bridesmaid. Can Zoe get this one down the aisle so she can change her own beliefs after forever?

After reading the description, I thought this had all l the makings of a romantic comedy, so I wasn’t prepared for how sad this novel left me feeling. It had plenty of laugh out loud moments, sweet, tender times and steamy sex scenes, but I absolutely hated the ending and the way it made me feel. The great thing is that several days after finishing it, I’m still thinking about it and my emotions surrounding it.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for his advance readers copy

Unfortunately I just couldn’t get into this book. I found the main character extremely unlikable thr beginning, and I felt like I was just being dumped a bunch of information vs being along for the story, I ended up DNFing

I started out absolutely loving this book. Zoey Marks has it all - a great job, loving parents, friends, and a wonderful boyfriend. But she believes she is bad luck after two weddings get called off while she is a bridesmaid. After the third called-off wedding, Zoey, for some reason, cannot bring herself to marry Rylan, who is pretty much the perfect book boyfriend. You feel her pain and how she wants to work through this and get back together with Rylan. Then her bestie, Hannah, announces she is marrying a man she just met in Ireland. Rylan is Hannah's cousin, so he will be in attendance - and SHOCK he will be bringing a new girlfriend (after ending a very long relationship three months ago?!). It's there where this book took a real turn for me. Zoey was a generally unlikable character, but I was still rooting for her to get over herself and win in the end. And I guess some may say she did win in the end, but I definitely did not feel that way with WHO she wound up with. I spent almost all of the book rooting for a reunion just for that to happen? I only finished this book because it was something I had to review. Sadly, it was not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the ARC.