This was a cute, fun and lovely story. Although the main character wasn't my favorite person, I still enjoyed the book and the plot. 5 stars!

I enjoyed this new book by Jessica Hatch. This book is a funny and had a unique twist on the standard romcom formula. There are plenty of awkward situations and a cast of quirky characters that had me laughing through the whole book! Happy reading!


**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**

Unfortunately this one just did not resonate with me. First of all, the premise was annoying and even though I love a good deal as much as the next person, no way am I spending a single dollar on a wedding without a groom. Second, Bea is just a terrible main character who is very selfish and self centered and her friend Lucy deserves better. Third, no chemistry with anyone at all.

This is a rom com that has great bones and some fun moments but suffers from an unlikable main character. It makes it difficult to root for a good resolution for her. The premise is fun: winning a dream wedding is something most readers can get behind. However, when Bea wins, without a fiancé, she doesn’t give the prize to someone who could instantly use it. I suppose if she had, there wouldn’t have been a book. But that choice is just one of several selfish moves Bea makes. The scenes between Bea and her rightful partner spark, and I would have liked more of them. She also wasn’t very nice to people at times. In short, it was difficult to find anything redeeming about her. I still enjoyed the book, because the rest of it was lots of fun. I just wish Bea had been a little bit better. For more details, please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks. This review was written based on a digital copy of the book from Bookouture.

So much happens in this book! This book was so fun and kept me interested right until the end. It was hard not to root for Bea.

An unfortunately newly single Bea wins a contest for the wedding of her dreams. This is amazing news except for the fact that she has no one to walk down the aisle with. Should she go crawling back to her cheating ex? Should she fake the whole thing with her guy best friend? Should she finally shoot her shot with her office crush?

One thing she does know, is that she has to hatch a plan and she has to do it quickly because her wedding date is set no matter what.

This book was like a cozy, Hallmark movie-esque romcom with tons of twists and turns. Bea is a fun main character to root for, and the story has a great cast of characters you get to know throughout the book. Jessica Hatch sets up tons of avenues where the story could lead so that you are always guessing what will happen next. This book was written for you if:
-Your idea of a perfect night is a Hallmark movie and a glass of wine
-You love a book where the stakes lead to all sorts of shenanigans
-You like fun twists and turns in your romantic comedy

What an extremely entertaining, charming book, and I highly recommend if you are reading this to stop and go to your local bookstore and pick up this book - because it is so perfect! I believe that It is a truth universally acknowledged that anyone who reads this book will find it absolutely unputdownable! Jessica Hatch is a new author to me, but I now will read everything she writes, and I will continue to do so. Forever. What a wonderful, fun romance! I think everyone would enjoy the sweetness, funniness, the fun and spectacles of this book, while appreciating all the while the simplicity of true love and of this well-plotted love story. Entertaining, it never stops for a second but sweeps you along with it's original plot and sassy main character. Wonderful, captivating writing gives this novel the depth and ability to pull in any reader. Vivid, descriptive story-telling, with interesting characters that have depth to them, and are skillfully rendered. At the end of the book, they seemed more like friends than book characters to me. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough because I JUST HAD TO KNOW how it ended. I highly recommend this author and I can't wait to own this novel in print.

This is the first time I am struggling to provide a review because this read simply didn’t hit the mark for me! Bea was a leading lady I wanted to love, the book premise was promising but she was a character I could not relate to. Andrew seemed to balance her, until that too went south.

Looking forward to the authors next book, I liked the writing style but the story was lacklustre.

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for the ARC!

This was so fun! I loved the concept of the plot which made it a fast read for me. A very enjoyable rom-com!

This book was SO GOOD! omg I loved it. It was funny, and sweet and an amazing read through and through. I loved the 'fake wedding aspect of it which was super fun to read and a unique take to the fake dating trope. Overall, I would very much recommend this book to everyone. It was just so addictingly good!

I really wanted to like this book but somehow I didn‘t like it at all. The concept of the story itself was okay, but the execution wasn‘t good. I almost dnf‘d it but knew I pushed through hoping I would find something in this story that I liked, but, alas I did not. It‘s an okay read, and could be someone else's favourite book, but wasn‘t for me.

This was an enjoyable read and a heartwarming romcom. It was hilarious at times as well. I really enjoyed and related with the protagonist, flaws and all. Great read if you’re looking for a pick me up.

I really wanted to like this book but somehow I didn‘t like it at all. The concept of the story itself was okay, but the execution wasn‘t good. I almost dnf‘ed it but knew I had to review this book so I finished it. It‘s okay, but wasn‘t for me.

Holy references, Batman!

I could not make it through this one. The premise sounded fun, but it drowned in bland and dull writing. On top of that, the characters never started feeling real and the chemistry between the characters was just non-existent. Presumably because cardboard characters aren't capable of chemistry.

This author threw reference after reference at the reader. Movies, brands, apps, trashy reality TV shows,.. they were all just dumped onto the reader. I dare anyone to find me a page in this book that doesn't have a reference on it. Go on, I'll wait.

As usual, thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Well, this wasn't great :(

I really tried to look past the insanity the plot was based on – a woman who wins a wedding party and decides she will find a groom so she can keep it – and go along with it. But sadly, even so it wasn't a nice experience.

Bea, the main character, was extremely annoying and self absorbed. She was often acting so selfishly and being extremely inconsiderate towards everyone around her. It felt hard trying to root for her considering she didn't seem to care about anything other than her stupid find-a-groom plan.

All the potential love interests were ultimately boring and it was obvious from the start who she would end up with. Honestly, I felt absolutely no thrill at all regarding any of her romances. I couldn't care less about her or any of those man. She could've chosen any of those three and it would've been really meh.

And mostly: what a long book! It took me soooo long to read, I pretty much finished it out of spite. Overall it felt too ambitious and poorly planned.

It brings me no joy saying all those bad things about it, but I really disliked the experience.

I didn’t know what I was expecting going into this story but by the end of it… it didn't work it for me. I tried, but it was hard to continue with this story. Furthermore, I love books with weddings, but everything goes wrong. The characters had some potential, but in the end the dialogues were a little bit difficult to deal with.

Unfortunately I thought this was rubbish! The whole premise - accepting a dream wedding package without a boyfriend- was just ridiculous even for romcom books. I gave up after trying it twice.

I didn’t know what I was expecting going into this story but by the end of it…All I could think about was how silly and ridiculous this plot is.

Bea was driving to work one day when she received a call to congratulate her on winning a dream wedding contest. She thought it was a scam call and was about to hang up when she remembered that she had indeed joined this contest a year ago. Seems like a dream come true…the catch? Bea no longer has a boyfriend to marry but she panicked and took up the offer anyway AND PAID A DEPOSIT FOR IT! She decides her best option was to find a fiancé in 8 months’ time *cues Oliver and Andrew* Can Bea achieve the impossible?

Honestly, the premise of the book intrigued me enough to request for this and the blurb sounds fun right? I was very wrong! Bea is one of the silliest character I have ever read and any crazy decisions she made would have been acceptable had she been a likeable character. She is self-centered and whiny. She refused to listen to any advice and just makes one bad decision after another. I don’t even feel sorry for her.

I also don’t understand why this dream wedding package was such a big deal for Bea when she hasn’t even found someone she loved. What made her think it was an easier choice to put down a deposit for the wedding (which was non-refundable, mind you) instead of forfeiting the wedding and give the chance to another couple who could make use of it??? This was really ridiculous to me.

Then, there was Andrew, an office colleague whom Bea thought was a great option to be her groom. And indeed he was the perfect man for half the book until he decided he wasn’t? Ughh…so frustrating! In the end, the whole plot just seemed pointless and unnecessary.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the arc.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and the author for sending me this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Beatrice Corbin is a 29-year-old marketing professional feeling all of the horrible societal pressure to settle down and get married. I thought I would be able to instantly relate to her because that is essentially exactly where I am at in my life right now. Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong, and Bea is one of the most unrelatable insufferable main characters that I have ever read.

The first red flag came up in the first 10 pages or so when she gets a phone call and learns that she has been selected for this wedding package giveaway that she entered years ago while still in a happy relationship. It's a $50K wedding package that she only has to pay $2K for, and they already have her card on file to withdraw the nonrefundable deposit. The red flag I was referencing came up when she got this phone call and she's literally so consumed with herself that she stops her moving car on a 3-lane highway to have the conversation and causes a wreck. That was my first sign that this woman is so self-absorbed and genuinely thinks she is the only person living on the planet.

Anyways, after she causes this wreck and ruins her car in the process, she decides to go forward with this wedding that is eight months away. This girl is so desperate to have a wedding, the whole marriage part of it is a complete afterthought. Is Beatrice Corbin's character essentially what is wrong with the world today? Probably. Is she the reason why the divorce rate is so high? Probably.

Here's your dose of CRINGE second-hand embarrassment for the day: Bea's first thought is to call her ex-boyfriend to see if he wants to be her groom. This dude has DELETED her number and doesn't even know it's her calling. Also, come to find out that she dated this guy for 7 years and he cheated on her with a random one-night stand. She forgave him because she thought they were still trying to build a future together, but a week later, HE ended up dumping HER. All signs point to HE IS JUST. NOT. THAT. INTO. YOU. Okay so back to the phone call - she tells him about winning this contest and says something along the lines of "well, what do you think? we were headed in that direction right?" ummmmm I'm sorry excuse me what??? Did she hit her head in that car wreck that was completely her fault and lose her memory??!! Ladies pleaseeee let's have some self-respect and know our worth because DAMNNNN. (For anyone wondering, the ex-boyfriend obviously is super awk and says no and hangs up on her.)

So Bea's next target is her parents. She thinks that by lying to them and bringing a fake fiance to dinner with her that they will automatically believe this thing has been going on for a while and they will be on board with her wedding plans. She asks her best friend Oliver to do it and tells him that he will just be a "placeholder fiance" until she can get them on board. And then what was she gonna do after that? Just find someone to marry and switch the two without her family noticing? This literally sounds like logic used by my 6-year-old niece, not a grown-ass woman. Despite her stupid plan, her parents immediately see through it and know it's all a ruse. So even though now her family and friends are telling her that she is being absolutely insane and erratic about the whole thing, she still wants to go forward with it.

Still without a fiance, Bea is so obsessed with having this wedding that she goes to FaceBook to update a "Life Event" on her timeline to announce that she's getting married that Summer. Baby girl what???? What are you thinking??? You know your friends and family are going to see this status from a single-ass woman and be like ..... excuse me? The desperation in the air is so thick so tangible I am CHOKING ON IT.

So now onto plan B for Bea. She has her eyes set on her hot coworker Andrew whom she ends up drunkenly making out with at a bar. She thinks oh for sure let's string him along without telling him that he's a pawn in my master plan to get married in 7 months. After three dates, she finally tells him and after a few weeks he's like okay yeah sure let's do it. *You can't see me right now but my eye roll is going into the back of my head down my back and out through my butt.* This guy is the wooooooorst and is constantly keeping secrets from her, calling himself her boyfriend while they are literally making their upcoming wedding plans, AND telling her multiple times that she is "too much" and he needs breaks away from her. YALL I CANNOT MAKE THIS UP. How low does your self-esteem have to be to look at this man and be like wow yep I am hooked, he is the one I want to share the rest of my life with and have his children???? ICK to the EXTREME.

Bea is so obsessed with the wedding that there is absolutely zero romantic storyline. This was supposed to be a rom-com but there was zero chemistry, and not only was I not laughing, I was enraged by her behavior and immaturity the whole time.

The blurb on this book compared itself to The Love Hypothesis, Beach Read, and The UnHoneymooners, and to those beautiful gorgeous stunning authors I would like to extend a personal apology on their behalf. All I can say to that comparison is LOLLLLL and HOW DARE YOU.

If you are thinking about reading this book, might I recommend several better ways to spend your time: go on a hot girl walk, do a face mask, bake a cake, do your taxes, get a colonoscopy, wait in line at the DMV, watch paint dry, have a cavity filled, or pull out all of our hair strand by strand.

Thanks again to NetGalley and Bookouture but babyyyyy this book was NOT IT.

I'm really, really sorry to say this book was not for me. :(

I tried, I honestly really did. But the story, the characters, the writing, did not work for me. It had great premise and potential, but in my opinion, it didn't follow through.

Main problem? The heroine. What her friend said was pretty accurate:

"Oh, is there another problem going on in Beatrice Corbin’s world?” she demanded. “Oh, boohoo! Poor baby! Everything’s about you, and everything’s going wrong, isn’t it? And you won’t talk to anyone about it unless it can be a five-minute dramatic monologue.”

Second problem: (and I feel this is very personal, so don't judge the book by it -and I'm sorry) I work in the wedding industry (it's why I picked it up to begin with). I do love stories and wedding planning for a living, 12 hours per day, 6 days per week. So it frustrated me to no end that EVERYTHING HERE RELATED TO THE WEDDING WAS GOING ALL WRONG! I just couldn't relate, that's now how it works...

The heroine's fixation with the perfect day, making it like some work project she had to check things off a list for.. No. If it was supposed to be funny, it didn't hit the mark for me. :(

"She looked up at her new fiancé: handsome, confident, stable, with earning potential. He was a real catch. She decided, then and there, that she couldn’t have planned for better than him. When he grinned down at her, she returned the smile with relief and joy."

And the middle didn't bring some revelations or growth, it just felt like it dragged...

The ending was good though, so yay for that! Bonus points for the best friend getting their HEAs, nice touch on how things came full circle.

So let's edit, rewrite some parts, get rid of Andrew sooner (there really was no point in prolonging that 'perfect couple' phase, it was awkward), shake the heroine a bit sooner, and all is well. Oliver is a sweetie pie tho. I would marry him too.

Best quotes:

There’s this sense, nowadays, that everything has to be focused, planned, like a stupid Pinterest mood board, when really it’s not that way at all.” She leaned her arm on the back of her chair. “Now that I’ve learned that, I’m ready to get on with the hot mess of living.

But maybe that was why life was such a hot mess. People worked toward goals; they achieved them; they looked for new ones to replace them. People abandoned goals, found lesser ones that were easier to achieve, but they still poured one out for the ones they’d lost. It was okay to lose. Expected, even. Getting used to failure was part of the human condition, and Bea was determined to get better at it."

Rounding it up to the 3 stars because the writing is good enough and engaging, there's some life lessons in there and redeemable parts at the end...

*I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest opinion. Thank you (and sorry again lol I wish I loved it more)