Ugh..this was SO not the read I was expecting. Which is a bummer cause I really liked The Secret Bridesmaid, and was expecting the same sort of light-hearted, funny, rom com.

Instead, this was more of a self-discovery type of story, which is not my kind of thing.

I think others will enjoy this, but it wasn’t for me. Sorry..

This was cute. But not my favorite. Wedding romances are not my thing. I could do without them for now.

This fun tom com was a perfect summer read !
I overall really enjoyed this book
Thank you NetGalley for arc !

What an excellent surprise! This was such a sweet and meaningful book that is a perfect summer read. I really loved Freya as a character and watching her growth throughout the book as she reckons with her new life without Matthew. The concept of the Wedding Season tasks made the book fun and well-paced, and I loved Ruby and Leo as side characters. The writing in this was quick and funny and I laughed out loud a lot.

Read a couple chapters of this and couldn't get into it for some reason. Just seems like an unrealistic scenario and I get that it's a book but just couldn't get into it.

This was the perfect time for me to read this book because I have 5 weddings this year and am in 3 of them, plus have two more at the beginning of next year! Weddings are so stressful but this book was so fun. I loved the tasks for every wedding to help her get through them and I could see that being something I would need 🤣

The first like 20% was very slow and all over the place and I was pretty annoyed at Freya. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to finish but it got so much better after that point. The characters were great and hilarious plus I loved Jaime!

I would definitely recommend this one if you want a fun, entertaining book about weddings!

Thank you to @smpromance and @netgalley for the ebook in exchange for my honest review!

I can’t recommended this book enough! The story is fun, refreshing and different. I loved the main characters and their friends. The wedding settings were amazing and the challenges on point.

“FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL meets THE WEDDING PARTY...”

Synopsis: Freya Scott is getting married. Her wedding to Matthew, her long-term boyfriend, is the first of eight in her calendar this year, and as someone who prides herself on being meticulously organized, Freya is intent on making it the perfect day to remember. But when Matthew calls things off hours before they walk down the aisle, Freya’s entire life plan goes up in smoke. Humiliated and heartbroken, the last thing she wants is to attend a summer of other peoples’ nuptials on her own. Fortunately, her friends have an idea: together they devise a series of outrageous challenges for Freya to complete at each event, designed to distract her from Matthew and what might have been. By the time the final wedding arrives, she will discover that the road to a happy ending sometimes has unexpected detours, that “I do” is only the beginning––and that perhaps her own love story isn’t over just yet.

Personal review : 4 stars

This book was described like a glass of Prosecco - bubbly and fun, and I couldn’t agree more! Who doesn’t love a girl gang, cheering on their heartbroken best friend, as she completed a list of hilarious challenges meant to get her mind off a recent long term break up, while realizing her own love story “ain’t over yet!”

After Freya is dumped by her fiance on the day before their wedding, she is left distraught and with the prospect of seven weddings to attend over the summer. In order to make this a more bearable experience for Freya (and to help her get over her ex) her friends give her a list of tasks to do, one for every wedding she attends.

I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did, to be honest! I was expecting your run-of-the-mill rom-com but received so much more than that. There were so many fun moments that left me laughing or on the edge of my seat for more.

I think my biggest gripe about this book though is that it's advertised as a romantic comedy when the romance isn't even that big of a part of the story. I never really felt any chemistry between the romantic leads, because it seemed like Freya just went "oh no, I can't possibly like him!" and then her friends told her differently so she went with it. I genuinely wouldn't have found any issue with this, had this book not been marketed as a rom-com. Other than that though, it was a really enjoyable experience!

This book was an absolute delight. It was fun and cute and heart-felt. This isn't a romance book. The only love in this book is that between family and friends, and that's fine. It's great even! The love of your family and friends is sometimes what you need. It gives this book a nice change of pace. While, there is a small romance, it isn't the central story. This book is about Freya getting through seven weddings in one summer with the help of a survival list from her friends. The items on the list are cute and help Freya break out of her shell after being dumped the day before her own wedding. If you want a feel-good story pick this one up. This would also make a really cute Hallmark type movie.

This is categorized as romance, but I’m leaning more towards women’s life for us genre.

It was very much so opposite’s attract. It had quirky characters and super great dialogue between those characters.

This is a perfect summer read!

There was never a dull moment with The Wedding Season, and I had an absolute blast from start to finish. From the witty dialogue, engrossing writing style, and perfectly executed plot that encapsulated everything I love about an empowering feel-good rom com, I was fully locked into Freya’s delightful journey.
I truly have no complaints about this book. I loved Freya’s character and the growth she experienced throughout the course of the book. The balance between her development as an individual with the romance subplot was perfect, and I think the author really prioritized and fleshed out the character’s healing before anything else, which I appreciated. The pace of their growing affection was natural and respectful to what Freya had been through, and their dynamic expertly contrasted the interactions and flashbacks between Freya and her former fiancé.
I also enjoyed having casual queer representation through numerous side characters that were present and established enough to not feel like nothing more than token characters.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed The Wedding Season and would certainly recommend it!

I really enjoyed The Wedding Season. I found Freya to be so relatable and her story was easy to connect with. I laughed, cried, and overall had a great time reading this book!

The day before Freya's wedding, her fiancé Matthew calls off their pending nuptials, leaving Freya in a state of total devastation and shock.

Over the next couple of weeks Freya picks herself up, but struggles to move on. She tries several new hobbies to keep her mind off Matthew, who has cut off communication. She can't seem to move on and is holding out hope that Matthew will return. As she focuses on what was, she continues to dread the upcoming "wedding season". As she has several weddings to attend and now she must attend alone.

Her best friends Ruby and Leo devise the plan to distract her with challenges for each wedding she is attending. As the summer progresses and Freya finds herself completing the challenges she has been tasked, she finds her inner strength and confidence.

Ultimately she finishes wedding season by completing all the challenges, but she finds herself again.

The first part of the book felt heavy and sad as I followed Freya through her first weeks post her breakup. As I neared the middle of the book, the mood shifted to a more upbeat, fun rom-com feel. This was a quick read that I would suggest as a summer beach or vacation read.

The Wedding Season by Katy Birchall

#Katy Birchall #NetGalley #St. Martin's Press

I laughed so hard I cried several times.

Set aside some time and have tissues handy if you cry with laughter. This book, a lovely romantic comedy is a perfect summer read.

The story starts as Freya is about to be married. Her wedding is one of 8 in the "wedding season", and she is nervous but happily anticipating it.

Until....her fiance Matthew cancels just before the ceremony.

Of course Freya is stunned and shocked and hurt, wondering why, and how.

She has absolutely no idea how she will be able to be a bridesmaid or guest at the other weddings.

Her friends Ruby and Leo come to her rescue, sort of. They come up with a series of challenges, each to be completed by Freya at each wedding.

Well hilarity ensues of course.

The first chapter had me literally crying with laughter, not at the break up but other things.

The tasks were creative and this book was a breath of fresh air, a real gem.

I liked Freya's growth and transformation, I liked Jamie also.

This story was thoroughly enjoyable and a delight!

Of course since there was a break up the book isn't all fun and laughing, there are some heavy sad scenes in it also.

The author was new to me and I will be on the lookout for her backlist.

Who would I recommend this to? People who are looking for a romantic comedy with some substance to it, a nice beach read, but one where they might not read it in public unless the reader isn't afraid of people looking at them wondering what in the world is THAT funny??

4 1/2 *****

I received a copy via NetGalley and St Martin's press.

Thanks to Netgalley!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this book so much!

It made me laugh. It made me cry. I found it to be so relatable. I have experienced some of things Freya did and I just wanted to hug her.

I could not put this book down. I just loved her journey. Her wedding challenges were the absolute best. I loved how each one made her grow as a person.

This book was just everything. Everything!

BOOK REVIEW

BOOK: The Wedding Season
AUTHOR: Katy Birchall
FORMAT: eBook
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
PUB DATE: 5/3/22
RATING: 9/10
4.5 stars

the BIGGEST thank you to my friend @katybirchallauthor and her wonderful US editor @sarahcantin for sending me the most special book mail — a bound manuscript of THE WEDDING SEASON (before arcs were available) after loving THE SECRET BRIDESMAID so much, as well as a digital advanced copy from @stmartinspress and @netgalley

MY THOUGHTS

Katy, you’ve done it again! Another absolute knock out. Going a little deeper in content than TSB, THE WEDDING SEASON follows a “sturdy” and “level-headed” female MC as she navigates life, specifically wedding season, after the biggest ‘change of plans’ of her life. The struggles that Freya experiences are genuine and real & im sure a lot of readers can relate to her and her experiences to some degree.

There is something so special about the way Katy writes, how she portrays characters and the depth of her plot lines. This one was no exception! The wit, the clever banter, the humor laced through the seriousness of some of the content… it truly couldn’t have been better. It takes a lot of talent to hit both sides of that spectrum while remaining respectful and sensitive to the content. The plot itself was a blast to read. Weddings are SO FUN, and I love that both of Katy’s books have now been central to a wedding theme. It was also such an original story with likable characters and some pretty substantial character arcs.

I think I definitely picked this one up at a time when I wasn’t invested in what I was reading (a me problem) & it for sure affected my experience reading it which was a huge bummer. But as I finished, I did wish there was a little bit more about the weddings themselves. That was such a huge part of why I loved TSB so much; there was a lot of details about the weddings. I also felt like there was a loottttt packed into these pages, with several different plot lines, making the book itself a little bit long.

All in all, this was absolutely fantastic and I’m already counting down the seconds until Katy’s next TWO books that have already been contracted!!!!

I went into this book thinking it would be a typical romcom book, and while there was romance, the story is mostly about Freya finding herself and learning about love and family after being left at the altar.

3.5 cute stars. Freya is dumped the day before her wedding by her fiancée after 12 years of being together. To top it off, her wedding was the first of many during this wedding season. To help her focus on something else during those weddings, her best friends devise a plan of tasks for her to complete at each wedding.

The first half of the book dragged a little as I wanted freya to get over Matthew a bit quicker (he’s a selfish a$$) but I enjoyed her development through out the story. Her best friends are great and I was cheering during the restaurant scene.

ARC for unbiased review.

Though this book didn't start off well for our MC being broken up with the day before her wedding. With the rest of the year full of weddings, she's attending her friends have created challenges that she has to do at each.

Love good friends that try to distract and cheer you up even in the worst situations. There's also her mom that's been embarrassing her since she was young. The challenges were all designed to get her out of her head and to focus on a goal instead of her failed wedding.

The guy she met at the first wedding is in her extended friend group and he is also attending the other weddings. She keeps running into him and at first she was annoyed by him but they have more in common the more often their single selves get placed at the same table. She starts to look forward to him.

I liked the challenges and this was very funny. I love good banter then when it's an inner monologue. Her slowburn relationship with Jamie was def worth the wait. It would've been to soon to start a new relationship right after she was jilted at the altern had to take her time.

Recommend if you like:
💍 Slow burn and banter
💒 Challenges with increased difficulty
💍 Fun friend groups

Thank you stmartinspress and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.