wow I really wanted to like this book. It was very preachy about modesty. Also I noticed that payless shoes was brought up ...not in business anymore. There was some romance . Also about social media and all of the harms that come from it. Iris is a single mom who is raising her son and having issues and also in wedding's as a bridesmaid's. She starts this group to rant privately and also it becomes public and her life is in shambles. She flirt with sister's fiancé . It was an okay book but the politics was a bit much and I really like that in the book.

It was funny and enjoyable when it started, but by the end I just wanted it over. It's got crazy internet people, influencers, backstabbing bridesmaids, insane bridezillas, lots of family drama, some sexual harassment in the work place, a kid that bites, etc - there is a whole lot going on in this story.

The basic storyline is a fed up bridesmaid starting a Facebook group for fellow bridesmaids to complain about the horrible things they're being forced to do by crazy brides. However, it derails when it's opened up to the public and the brides start finding out what's being said about them. And all the other background stories get tied in along the way.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

Highly recommend!! This book is a definite page-turner! You'll be left thinking about the story long after you put the book down. First book to read by this author but definitely not my last!

This book was a fun and quick read. I thought the writing was interesting and the characters were engaging. I did not love all of the politics or religion in the book though. Overall it was just an okay read.

This was cute and fun but it had discussed too much politics for my taste. Like many I try not to remember the American election of 2016 and the 4 following years

The Bridesmaids Union
by Jonathan Vatner

I enjoyed reading this fiction novel.
This book was a fun, quick read with great characters to boot.
The story line was so different that it kept my attention throughout.
I was expecting the story to be more plot-driven than it turned out to be, but despite the slower pace, the plot was still well-executed and kept me on my toes all the way through.

St. Martin Press,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review closer to pub date.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

Cute chick-lit, with family, wedding and social media taking a some lighthearted jabs in the feels. Nothing earth shattering, but fun. 3.5 rounded up

“The Bridesmaid Union” by Jonathan Vatner wasn’t quite the light fluffy book I expected it to be. In this book, we follow Iris Hagarty who has HAD IT with her so-called friends getting married and turning into ungrateful bridezillas. She posts her frustrations on a Reddit forum and gains comments from others feeling the same way. Iris then starts a closed Facebook group for some semblance of control (and privacy), asking others to join the group to continue the griping. When Iris’s sister decides to marry, Iris discovers that her sister wants, basically, an Influencer wedding filled with hot new trends (or future trends). There’s family drama, there’s backstabbing, there’s a lack of communication, and - at times - this book seemed a lot “all over the place.” It does all wrap up nicely in the end - and even the bits that seemed a bit out there do have a tie back into the main story. The writing was engaging and I found the concept interesting.

However, negatives for me included a lot of politics … a lot of religious discussions … and lot of side stories that seemed tossed in there (such as Iris’s boss storyline and the photographer - who accused Iris of destroying his work/life … and Iris deciding to give control of the group to someone who was going off the rails). Also, the sister’s comment about the guest list (and one person in particular who wasn’t invited) I found incredibly rude and clueless (and I would’ve bailed on the entire thing, but then there wouldn’t’ve been that story). I guess if one wants to read a book about the dangers of social media (and possibly too much screen time in general) this book is interesting. But at times I found this book to be too scattered with side threads and straying too far from the horror stories about brides for my taste.

The Bridesmaid Union by Jonathan Vatner is perfect for every girl who's ever bought an overpriced wedding registry item after buying a ridiculous one wear dress. I loved reading this book. It was fun to see main character Iris grow fed up and grow as well. It reminded me of Hey Ladies in the best way!