This is how you write women’s fiction.

I loathe when a women’s fiction book just walks the line too close to a romance novel and then doesn’t really give you enough to be happy.

This book is about Freya. I adored her and her journey to find herself after her heartbreak. She didn’t immediately jump into anything. She learns about herself, what she likes, and what she is like by herself. Do we get some romance subplot yes. But it’s only enjoy to drive Freya’s journey, it doesn’t make the book about her and a boy. It’s about Freya and that’s what she deserves. I love all the pros and cons list, they were hysterical and her two best friends were just amazing. I love that it proves you don’t have to be the third wheel, you can be perfectly included. I loved the addition of her mom, and her deep talk with her was so moving.

The wedding season was such a fun book with sadness, joy, and just so much positivity on what you truly deserve as a person.

Thank you to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the ARC. The Wedding Season is available on May 3.

I have never been so stuck on a rating for a book. Some things were a solid 4 star. Some were a solid 3 star. So I’m going with 3.5 but also feel the need to round it up, kind of.

I expected this to be a romance novel but it’s definitely women’s fiction. I wish it was a romance. I was left wanting so much more of Freya and Jamie. At one point I stared at my Kindle, stunned, that what I know would have been an amazing chapter of Freya and Jamie’s budding love summarized in a one-page list instead. There was just not enough Jamie.

Putting the romance aside, I loved the friends (and family) group. I loved her dad and brother, even her eccentric mother eventually, but by far we all need a Ruby and Leo in our life. The list was everything. Birchall nailed – IMHO really nailed – the roller coaster of emotions one feels coming off a traumatic break-up and from a broken engagement. I was brought back so many times to my own broken engagement many moons ago. Matthew was a wanker, pure and simple, and while I loved where her journey eventually led her I am not so convinced one can get over a 12-year relationship in 3 months and I definitely didn’t get any vibes that he was worth all the pining. I enjoyed some parts a lot, some parts made me roll my eyes but in the end overall I’m glad I read it and definitely connected with it in places.

QUOTE: When someone’s meant something to you, no matter how it ends, you can’t simply erase them. They always leave something behind that becomes part of who you are.”

Thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this early review copy in exchange for an honest review!

This is my first Katy Birchall book, and it falls squarely into my favorite genre: rom-com. But it goes a little deeper than your standard rom-com, in that there is a delightful sub-story about family relationships that is a nice, heartwarming accompaniment to the main story.

Freya is fresh off being dumped in a broom closet the day before her wedding to her boyfriend of 12 years, but still has to attend 8 weddings of close friends and family over the summer. Her besties help her devise a plan to survive all these nuptials - and it includes going way out of Freya’s tried-and-true comfort zone.

This was a super fun and engaging read, and I loved watching Freya branch out. I also loved her family - and the story about her relationship with her estranged mom. The antics at the weddings were expertly executed and made the reader love Freya even more.

My only complaint is that it took the first quarter of the book to get to the “action” - we had to really pore through Freya’s breakup. In the end, I see why Birchall did that and I appreciated it once I closed the final chapter.

For lovers of rom-cons, this is a must-read when it drops in May! There’s no “steam” here, so safe for the readers who try to avoid that.

I really enjoyed this book!

So I had never even heard of this author until I got an ARC via NetGalley. And let me tell you, I’ve been missing out.

This book was beautifully written. Freya is left at the alter, or rather a broom closet, the day before her wedding. But she soon realizes she has many weddings of her friends to get through in the next few months. So her best friends give her a list to make it through each wedding with a challenge.

This book was absolutely beautiful with the way she had to come to terms with being alone after being with someone for so long. I felt the heartbreak from the pages. It wasn’t an automatic rebound like some books. She worked through her emotions and eventually came to the realization that she didn’t need someone to make her happy.

The romance was subtle but felt very genuine due to the circumstances. And the conversations between the two made me giggle.

All in all, this book was a surprise and I’m very glad I was able to read it. I will definitely be going through this authors back log.

This rom-com was a sweet read that was well written with characters that were so well defined that I was totally glued to my kindle until the turn of the very last page!

⭐️ Lovable characters
⭐️ London setting
⭐️ Weddings galore
⭐️ Great ending!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

An absolute delight! The Wedding Season is a charming and a must read for fans of lighthearted and sweet romantic comedies. It features some excellent banter.

The evening before her wedding, Freya’s fiancé (and boyfriend of 12 years) breaks up with her. She is confused, heartbroken, and devastated. To make things even worse, she is slated to attend seven weddings in the next few months. Her best friends come up with a Wedding Season survival plan - Freya will have to complete one task at each wedding to help keep her thoughts occupied. Along the way, she makes new friends, has some revelations, and even starts having a little fun. Will Freya be able to rekindle her romance or does life have another plan in store for her? Freya and her friends are likeable characters (except for you, Matthew!). I was rooting for Freya to recover and successfully complete her wedding season survival list.

If you liked Katy Birchall’s The Secret Bridesmaid, or if you’re a fan of Mhairi McFarlane’s books, you will likely enjoy this. The Wedding Season will put a smile on your face, read it if you want a cute love story set in England (with trips to Ireland and France!).

Thank you very much to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This book was so fun and cute!!! I love funny side characters and this book was no exception! There were also serious moments that we were very well written and enjoyable to read. Highly recommend.

I loved every second of this book. I loved the friendships, the growth seen In Freya, the love story - it was all incredibly sweet.
Also, as someone with a difficult mother/daughter relationship, I did appreciate seeing true feelings about this topic and the struggle to move forward.
Overall, a definite spring read requirement!

Thank you St.Martin’s Press and NetGalley for my ARC 💗

This was a Charming, hilarious, fun, sweet story. This is a story about when life throws a failed relationship at you, How you make the best out of it. This book had a superb cast of friends and wacky family members. It was very relatable and had me laughing, snoring out loud and crying some too. The romance was swoon worthy and yummy. This would be an excellent summer read. It was truly and entertaining read.

I was given this ARC in exchange for an honest review.




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I loved the wedding season. I normally listen to books on audible so I can’t wait until I can listen to the audiobook. The chemistry between Freya and Jamie was so fun and silly. I wish there was more. It was a little slow in the beginning but once the weddings started I love it.

💒 👰🏻‍♀️💍🤵🏼‍♂️
I should first say that while this story is cute, funny, and a bit of a romp, the cover and title don’t do it justice. The cover is adorable and our main character does have to attend a series of weddings while getting over a horrendous breakup, but there are so many other unexpected layers.
❤️‍🩹
Freya’s love life may get top billing but there were important, non romantic relationships - like the not so great one she has with her mother - that are explored and beautifully developed. Life long friendships, new friendships, workplace relationships, and both strong and broken familial ties add to the complexity of this lovely story.
🦚
Not really a spoiler - but maybe - some of the interactions between Freya and her estranged mother had me teary-eyed. While this particular relationship evolves throughout the story, it’s still complicated in the end, and I very much appreciated that.
💐
As a deliciously entertaining romcom - this book ticked all of the boxes. I love the journey, leading to newfound self compassion and self acceptance that Freya embarks on and I found some of the plot points to be less predictable than most books of this genre. Ultimately, I was elated to find this story to be more than its cute cover led me to expect and I highly recommend it! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go read every other book Katy Birchall has written.
🤷🏻‍♀️😂
Thank you 🙏🏻 to the author along with NetGalley and for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I don't think I have ever audibly laughed out loud when reading. I did that SEVERAL times during the course of this book. It was witty, it was adorable, and did I mention HILARIOUS?!?!?!?!? Once you get past the "Boohoo I got dumped" part at the beginning, you fall in love with Birchall's secondary characters. Not a single one is half-baked.. I want another book about Phil! PHIL!!!! Actually, a whole series about everyone. This was everything I wanted in a romcom. I want to give copies of this to everyone. It was such a fun read and I loved every moment. I'm going to go drain my bank account to devour everything else written by this author. Just FUN!

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

didn't love this book. First off it was definitely women's fiction with a small side of romance. It dragged on sooooo much for me I had to skim so much just to get a move on in the story.

This is a fun read about someone who's jilted the day before her wedding. Her supportive friends help keep her distracted during a busy wedding season. It's predictable, but thoroughly enjoyable.

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

4.5/5 Stars.

Once I got into this book it was hard to put down. Freya's character development was wonderful and the side characters were witty and loveable. The story managed to warm your heart while also making you laugh out loud. I will say, to me this leaned more towards women's fiction than a true romance. Nevertheless, I absolutely adored this book and cannot wait to read more by Katy Birchall.

Thank you to the publisher via NetGalley for a copy of this book.

Freya has her game face on and is ready to kick off wedding season with her soon-to-be husband. That is until he pulls her a side the day before to break up with her in a cupboard. Freya must then attend eight weddings that summer while mending her broken heart. Freya and her friends make a game plan - a task to focus on every wedding so she’s not focusing on her broken engagement including bringing home someone’s cuff links, giving a toast, and running in her hotel hallway naked.

I’ve never seen myself in a character more, but basically I am Freya. Besides the whole broken engagement aspect. I was dying laughing throughout this entire book. But even so, a central topic is mending her heartbreak and how life looks after that. Don’t go in thinking it’s all laughs and giggles.

I really enjoyed this one and highly recommend it!

What do a French waiter, a bearded brewer, and a poetry spouting-estranged mother all have to common? Enter The Wedding Season!

Freya Scott’s wedding day has arrived and it’s going to be the perfect event to kick off the wedding season—that is until her fiancé drags her to a broom closet to share that she’s too “together” and “sturdy” so he is going to have to break it off.

What follows for Freya is your typical spiral—What did I do wrong? What could I have done differently? What did I do to make him change his mind.

Enter Freya’s friends who devise quirky challenges to help her break out of this spiral, make it through the wedding season , and just maybe come out a little less dizzy on the other side.

I loved this read by Katy Birchall! It’s perfect for summer, and it has me going to search out more reads by her to enjoy!

Okay - The Wedding Season was absolutely adorable! There were so many laugh-out-loud moments, and dab your eyes with a tissue moments that I couldn't help but turn the page and devour this book in an afternoon! Freya was such a lovable, relatable character, and seeing how she grows into herself after everything she goes through was really awesome. She really inspires anyone going through it to keep putting one foot in front of the other, all while being hilarious and fabulous.

This is a super sweet romcom and will easily be one of my favorite books of the year!
Both funny and touching, the story follows Freya Scott after she’s dumped by her boyfriend of twelve years (in a broom cupboard!!) the day before their wedding.
Her friends come to her rescue, amidst her heartbreak, with a plan of action to get her through a busy wedding season. What follows has to be one of my favorite romance stories ever, and I loved seeing Freya get her own version of a happily ever after.
I think this book is perfect for fans of books by Mhairi McFarlane or Linda Holmes’ Evvie Drake Starts Over.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.