"The Wedding Season", by Katy Birchall, was a cute and delightful book! Freya Scott is getting married, and is so excited to marry the man of her dreams. However, the day before the wedding, he breaks up with her, insisting it's for the best and she'll thank him some day. Devastated and unsure about how she'll get through the 7(!) weddings she has ahead of her that summer, Freya's friends (who are delightful!) come up with a list of things she must accomplish throughout the summer. Ranging from being the last out on the dance floor to streaking down a hotel hallway, Freya is determined to complete these tasks. Along the way, she learns that she's braver and more fun than she ever realized. And it doesn't hurt if she meets someone fun, charming, and handsome, now does it!?

I really enjoyed this book. The romance was so fun, and the friendships were delightful. I will definitely read another book by Katy Birchall. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars

The Wedding Season tells the absolutely humorous and heartfelt story of bride-to-be Freya who, when left by her fiancée the day before their countryside wedding, is tasked by her best friends to do a series of increasingly zany challenges to help her chase away her sadness during the upcoming wedding season.

While this leans a little closer to women's fiction as Freya's new romance takes a bit of a back seat to the process of her finding herself again, I found this book to be an absolute delight. It's the kind of story where you tell yourself you will just read one more chapter and before you know it, you're halfway through the book. Birchall handles the humor in a way that doesn't feel overly quirky and I really appreciated how true to life Freya's grieving process for her former relationship felt. Honestly, my only gripe is that there is a scene with a traffic cone that gets referenced many times by multiple characters that we never get to see. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I'm definitely going to pick up her previous wedding-centric novel The Secret Bridesmaid as soon as possible!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

A fantastic read. From charming, funny, romantic etc, it is filled with all the emotions I most certainly love going through during a read! The characters are each lovable, as I most certainly enjoyed Freya and her growth through the book. The challenges were definitely a fun touch. This book is certainly one readers will get a kick out of.

I was honestly so shocked at how much I enjoyed and loved The Wedding Season. It’s started off slow and really took off after Freya’s mishap of a wedding. I enjoyed throughly seeing Freya evolving into a more fearless person thanks to her supportive friends and understanding herself and why her relationship failed.

What a fun read! A bit of a slow start, but over I really enjoyed it.

The wedding season follows Freya who is about to marry longtime boyfriend, Matthew. Unfortunately, the day before the wedding, Matthew tells her that he can’t go through with the wedding and calls it off.

Freya realizes she has 7 weddings to attend over the summer while going through her own heartbreak. With the help of her friends Leo and Ruby, they come up with a list of challenges for Freya to complete during her upcoming weddings to help her get over Matthew.

A fun and adorable rom-com that had me laughing out loud, enjoying the friendly banter between characters, and loving the fierce freindships. While there is some romance in the book, it is definitely not the main focus of the story and I like that the author chose to highlight Freya’s personal growth and the relationships of those close to her.

If you love weddings and you’re in the mood for a fun well written story about friendship, healing, and moving forward, definitely read this one.

The Wedding Season is available 5/3/22

Thank you to @netgalley, @stmartinspress and @katybirchallauthor for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC.

I loved this book! Freya, our main character, has just been dumped the day before her wedding, so her friends organize challenges for her to complete at upcoming weddings. There is romance in this book, although it is not the main focus. I actually preferred it that way because it allowed the focus of the story to be on Freya's growth after and acceptance of the breakup.

This book was funny and I mean it in a 'laugh out loud' way. Freya was awkward and kept landing in ridiculous scenarios that I couldn't help laughing at. From missing peacocks to cocktail orders behind palm trees, this book had it all.

Another aspect I loved was the side characters. Freya had amazing scenes with friends and family. I can't say too much more without spoiling, but there were some heart-to-hearts and motivational speeches. These side characters really helped shape the book.

The best part was easily Freya's growth. She had a rough start to her summer with the breakup, but she ultimately grew as a person and learned how to be happy on her own. There were some tough conversations but each one was important to her growth. It helped that she had a strong support system.

I highly recommend checking out the Wedding Season when it's released on May 3. I know I'll be picking up a physical copy.

After 12 years of dating (and the day before their wedding), Matthew calls everything off. Livid, confused, and sad, Freya still has 7 friends' weddings to attend this wedding season. To survive the other weddings and take her mind off her own failed wedding, her two besties devise a plan: Freida must complete a pre-determined activity at each wedding, which range from being the last one dancing to securing a goodnight kiss. Easy, right?

Katy Birchall's last book 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐝 was one of my favorite rom-coms in 2021. I can not forget the Star Wars Wedding! However, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 is different. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely some funny moments, but this one was more heartfelt and relatable as the focus was on Freya's heartbreak and her path forward.

I wished we could have seen more of Freya and her new love interest Jaime, but I understand why it was left out. This was a story of Freya, moving on with her life single and leaning into her support system. And you know I love a book with great side characters and friends. 🥰

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Thank you to @stmartinspress, @katybirchall, and @netgalley for the advance copy of this book. It will hit the bookshelves on May 3rd!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Katy Birchall for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely adored "The Wedding Season." I loved how each character, especially Freya, was fleshed out. I was a huge fan of Freya's sense of humor, the empowering female friendships that were a constant theme, and the plot; I'm not going to lie, I was hesitant to see how Leo and Ruby's plan would play out when it was presented! This book was unique and extremely well-written, making it a perfect summertime read. I'd highly recommend this novel to anyone and I can't wait to read what Birchall has planned next.

This book was both delightfully funny and unexpectedly touching, which is an amazing combo, if you ask me.
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Freya was such a delightful narrator and I was rooting so hard for her to find happiness after her world was inevitably flipped when her fiancée left her right before their wedding. Not only that, but she was funny and honest and just so vulnerable in a way that felt realistic, that I just wanted to wrap her up in a blanket, offer her some wine and watch a movie with her.
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The supporting characters were all equally funny and important and such a support for Freya. They just felt like real people and I kind of want to hang with them all, if you know what I mean? Can Leo and Ruby be my best friends, please and thank you.
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The romantic aspect of this book was not the main focus of the book, so do be warned, but wow was it good. First things first, Jamie was a hoot and a delight and I kind of had a crush on him by the end too and his chemistry with Freya was very there. My one regret when it comes to their romance is that we did not get a play by play of the traffic cone incident, but other than that their relationship was *chef’s kiss* and I would gladly read more of the two of them.
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Thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
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Freya's fiancee breaks up with her the day before their wedding (in a broom closet no less!). She's devastated and now has to re-imagine her future as a single person while navigating eight other weddings this summer.

Freya is funny and strong and sometimes too together but she's surrounded by amazing friends and family. She's just gotta figure out how to thrive after being part of a couple for 12 years.

I loved The Wedding Season task list Ruby and Leo create for Freya. It gave her something to push her out of her comfort zone. I really loved all the different weddings and hen dos.

If you read The Secret Bridesmaid because I recommended it to you last summer, put this one in your beach bag. It's another funny, light, well-written book.

*I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and I am required to disclose that in my review in compliance with federal law.

Everyone should have friends as wonderful as the two best friends in this engaging romantic comedy. Always known as the "three musketeers," Ruby, Leo and Freya support one another always. When Freya is unexpectedly dumped by her fiance of twelve years the day before their wedding, Ruby and Leo rise to the occasion and plan to get Freya back on track with her life. It turns out that Freya is scheduled to attend seven weddings throughout the summer, so Ruby and Leo devise a series of hilarious challenges Freya must complete at each wedding. This is fun, with great characters and lots of laughs. I look forward to recommending this title.

Katy Birchall instantly become a favorite after I read The Secret Bridesmaid last year. Her books are funny, heartfelt, and very character-driven. The relationship focus in this book was mainly between Freya and her friends, her mom, and herself as a single woman. It was a touching story full of grief, healing, and self-love. While Freya did a few pathetic things that had me shaking my head, I never disliked her and only found her all the more relatable.

This book was lovely! However, I feel that it should not be marketed as a romance. There is a bit of a romance arc, but I feel that this book is much more about being comfortable with yourself and putting yourself back together after a messy breakup. The romance is a subplot for sure.

Be warned that the first 25% or so of this book is Freya kind of wallowing in self-pity. This is to be expected after being dumped the day before your wedding, but when I say nothing else had really happened before that point, I mean it. It is literally her just existing in the aftermath of a twelve-year relationship that she didn't realize was failing. As I said, this is entirely realistic and I didn't hate it, but I could imagine it being off-putting for some and maybe not what you are looking for when you pick up a rom-com.

However, once the weddings started happening, I was hooked. The list of tasks is hilarious and did allow light to be sprinkled in amongst the heartbreak and despair. I did laugh out loud at this book, and I found it refreshing to see a character in a rom-com who is struggling with life but still manages to have a laugh every now and then.

Although I loved the book as it was, I would have loved more Jamie! Freya and he were so adorable and their chemistry was off the charts. I understand why he was sort of pushed to the side, but I think for this book being billed as a romance many of their interactions shouldn't have been so shortened (Hello Freddie and Niamh's sten, I am looking at you.) I appreciated this book being more about Freya's journey, but it feels like Jamie was given slightly too much importance for his story to be somewhat muted. He shouldn't have been such a developed and significant character in Freya's journey if his arc was going to be lackluster for much of the book.

Overall, this book was a delight. I would recommend it, just not necessarily for a cutesy rom-com read. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC.

Thank you #netgallary for this ARC. I love a good romance and this was a fun read. Freya gets dumped days before her wedding and is left to move on. Her friends are there to help her along the way find out what happens.

I adored this story! So cute and can feel a little relatable at certain points. This is a book that I will definitely read more than once and will recommend! I think Katy did a great job at writing about what life can be like in your 20's and all your friends are in relationships, getting engaged or married. Definitely reading more by this author!

3.5 stars!
Such a cute story about wedding season! Once you are in your mid 20s, all your friends are getting married and Katy Birchall did the perfect story telling in this book. When Freya is dumped the night before her wedding, her friends create a list of tasks she must perform at each upcoming wedding. Fall in love with Freya and her friends while they navigate the Summer Wedding Season.

Thank you Katy, Birchall, and NetGalley, for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really, really, really liked this book. I laughed out loud, literally laughed OUT LOUD at parts, I cried a little bit and felt a range of emotions for the main character which was unexpected for what I would consider a light rom-com.

Freya, a recently jilted bride, has to attend seven weddings in one summer, or season. Her friends come up with a creative series of challenges for her to accomplish at each wedding to keep her mind off her own failed nuptials. Through these challenges, Freya discovers she isn't the cold, stoic person and finds she is having fun in spite of herself. By the time the last wedding arrives, Freya has come full-circle and realizes the "marriage dream" isn't necessarily the only happily ever after.

This was such a cute story and I completely felt for Freya and rooted for her love interest. I loved the banter between them and the development of the growing crush into "feelings." I thought it was a little slow in the beginning, but when it picked up, I could not put it down.

Wonderful, heart-felt story by Katy Birchall!

The Wedding Season is a lighthearted, easy-to-digest book about our protagonist, Freya, who finds herself blindsided by a broken engagement one day before the big day. With a solid group of friends who have her back, she undertakes a series of laughter inducing challenges at each of the season’s weddings. She gains confidence, learns more about herself, gains much needed closure with her ex-fiance, and opens herself up to finding love again. I most enjoyed this book’s humor and the banter between the characters. If you’re a fan of happy endings, then you’ll love this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book follows Freya, a 32 year old woman whose fiance broke up with her the day before their wedding. Freya has seven upcoming weddings to attend, so her friends come up with a list of tasks for her to accomplish in order to help her get through "The Wedding Season" without thinking as much about her ex and her own wedding.

I will admit that I was apprehensive at first. When they were making the list, I was scared that the book would end up being cheesy and immature. However, I was so thankful to be proven wrong. This book had a great combination of funny, comedic moments while also depicting great character growth and more serious, emotional topics. Freya blossomed so much throughout the book and I loved how she began to accept her "flaws" but also see them as strengths. Katy Birchall also did a great job of weaving a romance in this book as well, and while the romantic interest did help Freya's development progress, the relationship didn't overpower her journey. The romance is definitely not the main focal point of the book, so I would avoid going into this book with that expectation!

This book featured strong friendships and there was a scene in a restaurant that gave me Sex and the City friend group vibes, which I loved so so much! There were so many great characters in this book who did not merely exist on the side but actually had personalities and stories that helped Freya in various ways (Phil!)

I highly recommend this book. For me, it was a perfect combination of humor and realistic character growth, with a fun romance subplot!

Thank you to netgalley for the arc!

Freya is spending the day before her wedding making final preparations and spending time with her family, while her fiancé Matthew is spending the day deciding how to break off the engagement. Heartbroken, Freya takes comfort in her friends. In a cruel twist of fate, this is also a very wedding-heavy summer for the grieving Freya, who will need to find a way to sit through all these celebrations of love while still decidedly heartbroken. Freya’s friends come up with a game to distract her during the weddings and take her mind of Matthew- a series of challenges, each more ridiculous than the next.

The beginning of the book was hard to read while Freya’s grief was so blatant. It was well written and so believable that my heart hurt for this fictional character! I really enjoyed getting to see Freya grow and become much more confident and sure of herself throughout the book. The wedding tasks all made me chuckle too!

This was a super cute read and the friend relationships were truly heartwarming.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the advanced reading copy!