This is a romance with a twist. After Freya is dumped the day before her wedding, she bands together with her friends to reclaim the joy in her life. The story explores true friendship that stands the test of time and that brings you joy. There is lots of comedic fun as the characters find exciting ways to live life to the fullest. Freya is able to find someone else to begin a relationship with and have an opportunity for a new beginning.

Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for this arc.

Going into this, I was expecting a fun, wedding themed romance. What I got instead was a heartfelt story of self-discovery.

While not a true romance, overall I enjoyed this one. It wasn’t amazing, but it also wasn’t the worst. Pretty solid book that I could see myself recommending as an easy read.

3.5 stars rounded up

I love this sweet story, being in the wedding industry this was such a heart warming love story and had you routing for the main character the entire time!

Can you imagine being dumped by your fiancé the night before the wedding? Well, neither can Freya, until Matthew does just that after being together for 12 years. Luckily, Freya can rely on her friends to help get her through what they call the “wedding season”.

Hilarity ensues as Freya and her friends enact their “to-do” list of absurd tasks Freya has to do at each of the six weddings she has to attend over the summer. And, of course, she might even meet a man who can appreciate her togetherness and sarcastic personality.

I loved this book so much! It had me laughing at so many parts and left me with a huge smile at the end. There are so many great scenes in here and I absolutely adored Freya. Channeling my inner Brit, it was bloody brilliant!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced

3.5/5 stars

I really enjoyed The Secret Bridesmaid. So I was very excited to read The Wedding Season.

I was expecting this book to be a rom-com. And while there were some very funny moments. To me this reads much more like women's fiction. This book was much more about Freya's journey and despair than romance.

The narrator is 32 year old Freya (1st person POV). The book is definitely about weddings. And most of the book takes place in the UK.

This book was really not what I was expecting. I think that if I had read the book blurb then I would have had a better idea that this book was going to focus a lot on Freya's heartbreak and sadness. And that was honestly too much for me. It was definitely realistic. But I really wish that the focus of the book had been lighter.

There was some romance in The Wedding Season. But I really wish that romance had been a much bigger focus of the story.

The supporting characters (Freya's friends) were epic. Especially Ruby and Leo. And the weddings were actually super fun. I loved the outrageous tasks that Freya had to do. And I really adored Jamie. I just wish that he had been a much bigger part of the story.

Overall, I did enjoy the last part of the book. The characters were fun! And the title and cover were great! I just wanted the story to continue after that last chapter. As that is the story that I really wanted to read.

I picked up this book thinking it would be a romantic comedy but I was completely mistaken. This is a story about self growth and self discovery with just a dash of romance on the side.

Freya Scott got dumped the day before her wedding by her now ex fiancé, Matthew. After 12 years together, Freya now has to come to terms with her new reality as a single woman and tackle seven of her friends' weddings (the wedding season) by herself. That's when her two best friends decide to put together a Wedding Season Survival Guide - a list of challenges to keep Matthew out of Freya's head and push her out of her comfort zone.

Overall the book was well written and it had some funny moments, but I just wasn't engaged enough in any of the characters to say I really loved this book. The love interest was introduced a little too late in the story for me and I didn't feel much of the chemistry between them.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My heart broke for Freya the way she was broken up with. I couldn't even imagine how heartbreaking that would be. Reading her journey from heartbreak to coming to terms with it all and finding who she is alone, is a beautiful and funny one. The tasks her best friends gave her were great and some hilarious and exactly what she needed to survive the summer. They really helped her step out of her comfort zone and keep her mind off of her heartbreak. With the added support of her father and brother, as well as other friends, she was able to make it through the wedding season with only a few tears and meltdowns. This book shows the strength someone can show in their hardest and darkest times with the support of their loved ones. It also shows how you can repair broken relationships with family and move forward to live in peace. While I found some parts of the book a bit dry and slow, I overall really enjoyed it. It was sweet, funny and emotional.

A wonderful lighthearted read! Freya is dumped by her fiance', Matthew the day before their wedding. Left spiraling and devastated, Freya's friends give her a list of distractions to take her mind off the heartbreak and to get her through wedding season. What follows are fun memories, healed family rifts, amazing friendships and a hint of a new romance. Freya rebuilds her life on her terms and ends up happier than she could have imagined. Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC.

When i first began this book, i was in a reading slump. It was hard for me to get started so it took me quite some time to read.

This is definitely a slow burn and there were parts in the book i found to be drawn out and completely unnecessary to the story. At about 60% of the way through the book i didn’t wanna put it down. I was invested.

This is a story that i would love to see made into a movie, and i absolutely want a sequel continuing the ending and where it goes in the future!

Freya is dumped the day before her wedding in a broom closest by her partner of the last 12 years and her wedding was the first of the wedding season of which she had 8 other's to attend to after hers. While trying to live like everything is fine, Freya's two best friends devise a list of things she must do at each wedding to her focus and not feel depressed that she ended up not getting married. Along the way Freya meets someone who also helps forget that Matthew, her ex, destroyed the life she thought she wanted. Overall I really enjoyed this book, at times I was very frustrated with how self centered Freya came across when wanting everyone to feel sorry for her but since I have not been in this situation I can't say for sure that that is not an appropriate reaction. Matthew was a piece of work and I hated every time he was in the book but I loved her best friends and everything they did for her even when one of the weddings was theirs. I grew up watching Friend Green Tomatoes and there is a scene towards the end of the movie where the main character hits a car with her own and yells "To Wanda" because she was tired of being walked on. There is a scene at the end of this book where I wrote the note "To Wanda!" because someone finally got their due! At times this book was sad, happy and encouraging and I loved that. The reason it is not a full 5 star for me is because this book was again marketed as a romance but the romance was on the back burner to her self discovery of who she was and who she thought she wanted to be. There is a romance in this and it was good one and I loved him a lot but again it was not the main focus. Thank you St. Martin's Press for my #gifted copy for review.

Freya and Matthew's wedding is slated to kick off the start of a busy wedding season, but when he dumps her the night before their big day, Freya's friends put together a list of challenges to complete to survive the wedding season.

This was a fun story that focused more on friendships and finding yourself than romance. I appreciated Freya's friends waiting in the wings to help her make the best of a summer of wedding events. At times I was frustrated by her constant flashbacks to her relationship with Matthew, but ultimately realized it was all part of her journey as she recognizes the flaws in their relationship and seeks out what is best for her in life.

Overall it's a fun romantic comedy with a great group of friends and some laugh-out-loud moments and is perfect beach read for the summer.

Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my advance copy.

Thank you to Netgalley, Ms. Birchall, and St. Martin’s Griffin for the opportunity to read an ARC of the Wedding Season. An honest review was requested but not required.

There was actually quite a lot happening in this book, which at first glance looks like the literary version of cotton candy. The Big Breakup, the entire grief cycle following, and Freya’s fraught relationship with her mother were delved into quite a bit more than I would have expected based on the bubbly description and tropically colored cover. Freya’s fiancée, Matthew, calls off the wedding on the morning of, and although he technically doesn’t call the entire relationship off (at least, that’s how Freya reads it), it’s clear to the reader that they’re over – he’s just too much of a chickenshit to break it entirely off. Freya must recover from the loss of her partner of 10 years AND negotiate an entire season of weddings (which sounds silly but I do recall having several years in my late twenties/early thirties with four or five weddings each. Very expensive years, those).

This is definitely a British rom com, what with all the mention of hen dos and stag parties and marquees (tents?). Both the bachelor/ette parties and the weddings themselves are more plush and destination-y then 99% of the ones I’ve attended, but perhaps that’s a UK thing.

I really liked the way Freya’s friends pulled together to support her. The way Ruby and Leo were so involved in her recovery efforts, I was dreading that something would happen with their wedding, but, and this may be sort of spoilery, I was very happy to be proven wrong. The Wedding Season challenges were a bit gimmicky but I enjoyed Freya’s repartee with her friends so much it was easy to overlook. I also enjoyed her relationships with her Dad and brother, and, I suppose the Wedding Season challenge also helped Freya mend fences with her mum, which was beautiful.

My favorite part of the book, though, was Freya’s post-cancelled-wedding walk through of her now empty apartment, being furious that Matthew took her favorite frying pan and the house plant and that he might have touched her face cream, and absolutely wrathful that he made off with all the tupperware. LOL. This is so totally spot on. Forgot the Bridget Jones-style sobbing and ice-cream binging and huddling in bed! Freya’s righteous rage is so, so relatable. I laughed out loud.

I recall enjoying Ms. Birchall’s previous book, and I’d like to note that that ALSO featured strong female friendship. If anything Freya is even more well off than Sophie (MC of the Secret Bridesmaid in that department): the scene with Freya and her friends in the restaurant – I don’t want to spoil it – is the scene of every wronged woman’s dreams. Ms. Birchall is clearly an author who clicks for me. This is a story I won’t hesitate to order for my library, nor to recommend to readers looking for a fun romance with some grit.

3.5 ⭐️ rounded down.

When Freya is dumped the day before her wedding her life plan goes up in flames. Her wedding was suppose to kick off the start of the summer wedding season where she has like 7 or 8 weddings to attended. This book follows her throughout the wedding season and the challenges her friends gave her to help distract her.

If you’ve ever been through a long term relationship ending than the grief and healing process Freya goes through will be totally relatable. I thought the author did an amazing job writing what it is like to deal with all the emotions that you’re flooded with.

I loved the characters and Freya’s friends were great!

Book: The Wedding Season
Author: Katy Birchall
Pub date:5/3/22
Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Review~

The Wedding Season is an amazing book. Freya is so excited for her wedding but then her fiancé calls of the wedding.

Freya and her friends come up with making a wedding season task so she can get other about the wedding. She has so much wedding to go to.

I love how this book shows personal growth and it is okay to take as much time that you next to get through something.

Jaime was my favorite charter he brought the best out of Freya.

Overall this book was amazing and so funny to read. It was a very funny and entertaining book. I definitely recommended reading this book!!

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinpress for my eARC.

This book gave me a lot of life lessons and inspiring quotes. Highly recommend this feel-good book full of self-growth, moving on, and friendships!

Freya is our main character, and I love reading about her moving on and adjusting to being single. It was beautiful to see her learn how to be more independent, how to enjoy every little thing about herself, and learn self love.

I love all the side characters that were there for Freya through it all. They have so many heartwarming and hilarious moments with Freya that definitely helped remind Freya that she is very much loved. The Freya, Leo, Ruby trio was my favorite!

Although the book focused more on Freya’s journey there was still an adorable slow burn romance between her and Jamie. They didn’t get along the first time they met each other but once they started talking and opening up, I really love their connection and bond.

After Freya was dumped in a broom closet the day before her wedding, she has to pick up the pieces and run the wedding gauntlet. When her best friends issue a challenge - that she do one hard task every wedding - Freya grows and changes to unearth the person she wants to be and embrace herself.

This book was incredibly sweet, funny and at times shockingly profound. I loved Freya and how she found herself over the course of her wedding season. It was about so much more than her ex fiancé or even the new men she encounters along the way (which the book does a good job of)- its about finding who you are, taking risks and embracing life in all its messy qualities. A true joy of a book!

Other things to know:
Single POV
No spice
Slight enemies to lovers (more like a bad first impression)

Hours before Freya and Matthew are supposed to get married, he bumps her in the broom closet.

If you read Katy Birchall’s “The Secret Bridesmaid” be warned this book is different. If you are expecting a rom-com, then keep it moving. This is a women's fiction about a woman on a journey of self discovery.

I am not even going to lie, I wanted a laugh out loud story about some more wedding disasters. While this book was not for me; I can see many who will enjoy this one.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and MacmillanAudio for gifting me an eARC and ALC in exchange for my honest review.

It'll be the summer to remember with so many of her friends getting married. And her wedding is the first out of eight. But when Matthew, her boyfriend of 12 years, breaks their engagement the day before the wedding, she's left with a humiliating and heartbreaking future. Her best friends Ruby and Leo, whose wedding is the last of the summer, come up with a plan to help her survive. She'll have one task each wedding to focus on and bring her out of her comfort zone-- from being the last one standing on the dance floor, to getting a kiss by the end of the night, or streaking through the hotel corrider. As the summer goes on, Freya begins to feel herself again, finding her confidence with every task she completes and even finding a spark of attraction with a possible new guy.
This book had some heartbreak, but a lot of humor. It was so very British, so I just want to say Matthew seemed like such a wanker. To leave her the day before the wedding with no real explanation after he's known for months was cowardly and he truly deserved that kick in the nuts! Freya's friends all sound like a fun and supportive group. I loved this story!

I don’t think I could have picked a more perfect book to read while going through a heartbreak. This was the reminder I desperately needed that friends can help you get through anything and love comes when you’re least expecting it. This book had me hooked from the first chapter and I found myself reading it every choice I got. Freya’s character was raw and real and I enjoyed getting to watch her recover and grow. Thank you to NetGalley for the arc of this title, I loved every minute of reading it.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4681937375

I absolutely adored this book! The Secret Bridesmaid is one of my favorite books from this year and after finishing it I ran to get my hands on this one..

The Wedding Season did not disappoint! This is the perfect summer read. It will have you laughing throughout and is an all-around feel-good book.

This is a story of personal growth, moving on and friendship. Freya was such a relatable and likable main character. I loved watching her navigate her new life stage and be willing to learn to love herself again.

Birchall also writes some of my favorite side characters! Ruby and Leo were so fiercely loyal to Freya and such a good example of true friendship. We all need friends like them. Lastly Jaime was a swoon worthy love interest to add to your book boyfriend list.

If you want a feel good read with laughs and sweet moments this one is for you! Katy Birchall is officially an auto-buy author for me! I need whatever she’s working in next asap!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.