The Wedding Season by Katy Birchall

Freya is set to kick off this year's Wedding Season with her own wedding, but  is broken up with the day and now needs to get through seven weddings this summer and fall while nursing her own heartbreak. Freya and friends come up with tasks and challenges for her at each wedding, and we follow along through the summer as she heals. The tasks helped her find happiness, stay distracted, meet new people, and have fun.

This is marketed as a rom com, but it reads more women's fiction to me, with a light sprinkling of romance thrown in. The first almost 50% or so of this, Freya was quite sad and wallowing in her feelings which was a bit too much for me. I did feel for her but it just brought down my overall sentiments towards the book as it was a bit of a downer. Freya has a strong support network, Leo and Ruby, and eventually Jamie, but he is also in so little of the book overall. The wedding season tasks were a great distraction for her and each one proved to help her with a different part of her emotional recovery from her transition from her relationship.


Thank you so much @smpromance for my gifted copy. This publishes May 3!

The Wedding Season was a delight to read and I can’t wait to read more by Katy Birchall. I love the way this book is written. We’re reading in Freya’s voice and mind and I just want to be her friend with her witty asides and fun thoughts and approach to life. Needing to get through a wedding season of 7 weddings while nursing her own heartbreak, Freya and friends come up with tasks and a challenge for her at each wedding, and we follow along through the summer as she heals. The writing style is fun and fresh — lists, text chains, stream of consciousness. It keeps you engaged the whole time. It also doesn’t hurt that later in the novel, the author quotes one of my favorite Jane Austen scenes. The friendship between Freya, Ruby, and Leo is so fantastic, and I really love that we don’t know exactly what will happen on the romance front. It’s great to have a heroine who has the rest of their shit together. Stayed up late to finish this one in one day… I enthusiastically recommend!!

In your 20-30’s it feels like every few weekends (in summer and fall) there is a wedding to attend; that is a Wedding Season. The “season” should begin with Freya’s wedding. However the night before she gets dumped. Thankfully she has two besties (who are engaged to each other) that help her create a list of seven ridiculous task to complete at the next 7 weddings. These tasks are to help her find happiness again, keep busy at the weddings, meet new people, and have fun.

Many are labeling this as a RomCom, while it is very funny and cheeky I feel like “romance” is not the main focus. So I’d happily call this Contemporary Women’s Fiction. The first 27% of the novel was Freya being sad and deep deep in her feelings. Then the tasks are created and we see her blossom as a person. We see her grow. We see her mend relationships and friendships. We see Freya become a whole person, no longer broken.

I enjoyed the funny moments and the tasks for each wedding were well done. But I had a very hard time getting through the first quarter of the book, the sadness and “poor me” vibe lasted way too long. Which is why I’m torn between a 3.5-star and a 4-star rating.

*Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.


Read this if you like:
-Character Growth 📏
-Hilarious “to do” lists and tasks ✅
-The Secret Bridesmaid

Has anyone ever been dumped the day before their wedding? Well, Freya has. Her 12 year relationship ended out of nowhere, in a broom closet of all places. After this heartbreak Freya doesn't know how she is going to make it through so many friends upcoming weddings. So her closest friends make her a wedding season bucket list, one task at each wedding to get Freya out of her comfort zone. Will Freya complete the list or will her broken heart hold her back??

I very much enjoyed this read. Its very light hearted and I found myself cheering for Freya. I personally don't know that I could complete all of her tasks. I would recommend if you like a good rom com.

This book was so fun. It was a quick read and I didn’t want it to end. I will recommend this to all my rom-com lovers.

great book about dealing with a break up and doing different tasks to make it through all of the wedding season and even finding someone new . I liked that she was able to be an adult about it but still stood up for herself when it became time. loved her friends and jaime.

Katy Birchall hit the nail on the head with this one. I loved the Freya, Ruby and Leo’s friendship. They really are the definition of best friends and being there for each other through thick and thin. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud to their banter. It was a great read and I can’t wait for more.

Quite interesting book, a chill read for those who want to laugh a little. The characters are fresh and likable. Definitely will share it with my friends.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins for the arc.

On the day before her wedding Freya experiences the unthinkable - her fiancé Matthew cancels their wedding. Completely distraught after their 12 year relationship Freya has no idea how she will get through all the weddings she has to attend this summer. Her friends devise a to-do list of tasks for each wedding and “put together” Freya must step out of her comfort zone a bit with each one.


This was a beautiful story about healing, friendship, and repairing family relationships. I felt Freya’s pain so deeply and I honestly loved a realistic timeline for her “getting back out there”.

Her 2 best friends Ruby & Leo (also engaged) made me yearn for such a close bond with found family. The way they supported her through everything was so pure.

Freya’s interesting relationship with her mom was a great addition - showing us that you can’t pick your family and further cemented her need for wonderful friends.

First, I am thankful for the advanced copy from the publisher.
This book will be made into a rom com on the hallmark channel. I found the relationships fresh and so funny.it was a easy read and great story!
4.5☆

Freya is getting ready for the Wedding Season, she will be attending a total of 8 wedding this summer starting with her own. When Matthew her boyfriend/fiancé of 12 years calls the wedding off just hours before, Freya is broken and humiliated. With the help of her best friends Ruby and Leo she decides to be brave and attend all the weddings. With a silly challenge for Freya to complete at each wedding (things from being the last person on the dance floor, to going home with a guys cufflinks, to running naked down the hall at the hotel) Freys is determined to make the best of her situation. When she meets Jamie another attendant at a wedding (the handsome guy’s cuff links she ends up taking home) she soon discovers that she is thinking less of Matthew and is actually having fun.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this cute tom-com. I thought this was such a fun story of finding a happily ever after that is unexpected. I thought it showed a lot to Freya’s character that she still wanted to be supportive to her friends even though she was jilted the night before her wedding. I thought the wedding challenges were funny and inventive, and thought Ruby and Leo were such good friends to help her find a distraction. The first half was so sad when she was mourning the loss of her relationship, and questioning everything she thought was sincere.

Thank you so much @netgalley and St Martins Griffin for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The pub date for this one is set for May 3, 2022 so be sure to watch for it!

4.5🌟 i really loved this! based on the cover, i went in thinking this was simply going to be a romcom about a woman left at the altar. it proved to be so much more than that. i loved following freya's journey through grieving her lost relationship and subsequently finding herself and her own individual value, repairing relationships that had been broken, and diving in with her friendships. i thought it had genuinely funny moments and the dialogue between freya and her friends felt like actual conversations friends would have. i had such a fun time reading this and would definitely recommend.

*thank you netgalley & st. martin's press for the eARC!

Who can't relate to having to endure wedding after wedding after wedding while as a single person? Add in the horror of being dumped in a dusty closet the night before your wedding and you've got Freya's story. While I would categorize this as more of a general chick lit story than a romance, you can't but help but love Freya's support system. I loved that Freya has incredible friends and family to help her through this difficult time. Because there is no "Three Months Later" skip to a happier time, you definitely feel Feya's heartbreak for about the first third of the book. Be prepared for that. It does tend to feel at times like it drags on. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend to friends.

I was so excited to get the opportunity to read THE WEDDING SEASON after loving THE SECRET BRIDESMAID (a 5 star read for me) from Katy Birchall. TSB was her adult fiction debut, so I was interested to see how this would compare, and I really enjoyed it!

This was so cute and is perfect to read on a warm, spring day. I love how Birchall writes her female leads. They are so relatable and genuine and it makes you want to be friends with them! Also, the friendships in this book. The main character, Freya, is surrounded by the best of friends and has such a great support system after living through the worst day of her life.

My only complaint is how long it takes for Freya to get over her loser ex fiancé. She compares every new experience to something she shared with him. Which, they were together for 12 years, so is understandable, but still.

Overall, THE SECRET BRIDESMAID is my favorite of the two, but I loved this one and neeeeed a sequel. There may be a certain guy with a beard that I need to get to know more!

Thank you to @stmartinspress @smpromance and @netgalley for the eARC!

Step aside Sophie Kinsella, Katy Birchall might dethrone you as the queen of British rom-coms. Ruby and Leo make the best of friends, sprinkled with Simone, Isabelle and a few other girlfriends that all band together to help Freya get over her heartbreak. Armed with a task list for each wedding, Freya finds out that her relationship with Matthew is better left in her past. There is a lot of funny one liners - how can you not love Ruby and Leo’s banter??? - a lot of flirtation with a certain guy, and a reconciliation among family. This book had it all.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins for the arc.

I very much loved The Wedding Season by Caty Birchall. It follows Freya as she tries to discover what her life will be like now since she was dumped the day before her wedding. She must also survive seven wedding over the next several months. Luckily, her two best friends have come up with a plan to help keep her distracted from her problems and enjoy the wedding season.

The story is so many things; laugh-out loud funny, sorrowful, and joyful. Reading about Freya learning who she is without her partner of twelve years was beautiful in that we feel every emotion, every pain, and every triumph along with her. She is a very relatable and empathetic character. The side characters are great additions to the story without overshadowing any of the main characters and the happily ever after feels appropriate and well-earned.

Freyas's adventure throughout the wedding season really immerse the reader into the story because you are immediately invested in what happens. The beginning could be considered slow by some, but it provides so much needed exposition to make Freya's journey more realistic. I highly recommend this book to anyone, but especially readers of women's fiction and romance.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Such a sweet and charming novel. It reminded me of the secret bridesmaid in all the best ways. Definitely will keep reading this author!

Freya and Matthew’s wedding was the start of the wedding season, with seven more weddings for them to attend, culminating in the wedding of Freya’s best friends Ruby and Leo in September. However, the day before the wedding, Matthew says he cannot go through it. They have been together for twelve years, and he chooses the day before the wedding to tell Freya that they are too different.

Freya is devastated, understandably, and wallows in self pity for awhile, as well as confusion about what has happened and why. However, she eventually has to get on with her life. She wants to celebrate her friends’ weddings, but is not sure she will manage. Ruby comes up with the idea for Freya to complete a task at each wedding — something that will be a challenge and distract her from thinking about Matthew and what might have been; tasks such as being the last person standing on the dance floor, getting a stranger’s cuff links, or running naked down a hotel hallway (with no witnesses).

Freya will complete these tasks, sometimes reluctantly and sometimes with humorous results. She will have multiple interactions with Matthew, some of which are quite painful, literally. She will also learn how to be single again, learn new things about herself, have a lot of fun along the way, and maybe even meet a new guy.

This book will make you laugh and smile.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

👰🏼‍♀️Review - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5👰🏼‍♀️

The Wedding Season takes place in London and revolves around Freya Scott. She has been in a relationship for over 10 years with her fiancé, Matthew, and they are getting ready to walk down the aisle. That is, until Matthew calls off the wedding hours before it’s set to begin.

When Matthew calls off the wedding, he tells Freya she is too “together” and her life is too organized, while he wants something a little more spontaneous and outgoing. This sends Freya into a spiral of questioning whether or not he’s right and if she should try to ease up a bit.

Freya’s wedding was supposed to kick off wedding season with another series of weddings to come over the next few months. While she’s obviously upset over her own wedding being called off, she isn’t going to miss out on the rest of her friends getting married. So, in order to make “the wedding season” a little easier, Freya and her best friends come up with a list for surviving the rest of the weddings.

This list contains a number of tasks Freya has to complete at each wedding. For example, at the first wedding, she has to be the last one out on the dance floor at the end of the night. Each task for each wedding is different, with the tasks increasingly getting harder or more challenging.

While completing these tasks, Freya meets new people and realizes Matthew may not have known her as well as she thought he did. She also begins to realize her and Matthew may not have been as perfect together as she thought.

Throughout Freya completing her tasks, a certain someone is always on her mind. By the end, she begins to wonder if her broken off wedding is one of the best things to ever happen to her.

I adored this story. I thought it was charming, sweet, and heart warming. I loved the sarcastic banter between characters and constantly found myself laughing out loud. This was one of my favorite rom-coms I’ve ever read.

The Wedding Season is scheduled to be released on May 3, 2022.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was not for me. I read the first eight chapters (20%) and grew bored with the repetitive dialogue and lack of character growth. I skipped ahead to chapter 25 and the friends were still having the SAME conversation about the main character's ex-fiance. I skipped ahead to the last chapter and it was lackluster. I had high hopes based on the description, so it's really too bad it couldn't deliver.