I give 5 stars to this well-written, emotionally-satisfying book.The story opens with globe-trotting photojournalist Cass Coventry reluctantly returning to her Rhode Island hometown for her sister's engagement party. Despite being a member of one of Newport's oldest and most socially prominent families, Cass has been emotionally and physically distanced ever since she lashed out at "Polite Society" years ago when her family was forced to sell their landmark Gilded Age mansion. So it's a surprise when Cass decides to extend her stay, re-kindle a former romantic relationship, and involve herself in family dynamics. As long-held family secrets are revealed and Cass becomes a central focus, she begins to realize just how much she cares for and needs her family and Newport. It's in light of these discoveries that Cass re-examines her past choices and ponders her future. The author did a masterful job crafting a complex story--filled with real, multi-dimensional characters I cared about--which she brought to a very satisfying conclusion. The author really brought the geography and people of Newport to life, such that I look forward to visiting the area to see the spectacular "cottages" from a bygone era.

The endorsements from bestselling authors caught my eye, so I was eager to dive in. This novel is presented as a story of second chances set against the backdrop of high society and complex family dynamics. At least that's what I assumed I was going to read about. I love the idea of a wedding that the whole town is talking about, and the concept of an online gossip site was quite clever and added to the drama. But overall this novel does not present as advertised. There isn't a lot of tension woven into the scenes because the author spends way too much time telling the reader what's happening instead of showing. The sentences are quite wordy and the plot is hard to follow. I don't feel connected to the main character at all.
Thanks for the opportunity to read an early copy. Sadly, this one is not for me.

This is the story of a truly dysfunctional family and follows Cass as she goes home for her sister Maggie's wedding to the boy next door. Thing is, his mother owns the property that used to be her family's and his mother is trying to evict her family from a house on the property. Honestly, it's all kind of confusing which adds to the crazy.

Cass, a photographer, burned her bridges on her way out of town and now she's back trying to make nice, tell her parents they have to move, and help plan her sister's wedding.

We all have issues within our families, but this family's issues are major and the author skillfully brings their problems to the forefront. I liked the book and the author is excellent at telling a story and making the reader want to know more.

#WeddingoftheSeason #NetGalley #LaurenEdmonson #GraydonhouseBooks

As someone who does not care for much history, I really do love so much about the Gilded Age. And after visiting Newport a few years ago and seeing all the large, stunning mansions up close, it really sparked my interested for the time. Now, I want to read as much as I can about the Gilded Age and the mansions of the past. So I was very excited to see this new book by Lauren Edmondson, a new to me author. Her novel was focused around a wedding that involved two society families and homes from the past.

While I enjoyed Lauren Edmondson's description of Newport - in fact, it made me want to go back immediately - I felt that there was so much description through the book that it took away from the story. I often felt bogged down while reading this, it made the story seem longer than it was, and it didn't make for an overall enjoyable read. I even put the book down for a day or two and debated whether or not to come back to it.

One of my favorite parts of the story was Net-A-Newport, a fictional social media account spreading gossip throughout town. This gave the story a sense of feeling a bit like Gossip Girl, which I was totally here for! I didn't have a clue who could have been running this account until the end! I really enjoyed this aspect of the story.

This story mainly focused on the sister of the bride, but I think I may have enjoyed the story more if it was more centered around the bride directly. Overall, this book just didn't meet my expectations.

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Wedding Of The Season
Author: Laura Edmondson
Publication Date: Feb 21, 2023

Wedding of the Season by Lauren Edmondson celebrates life, love, home, land, and community. It is a good thing to have possessions as long as they don’t possess you to the detriment of having a fulfilling life. Our lead protagonist, Cass, comes home from a career in photojournalism in far-flung countries and places. She comes home for her sister’s wedding and only somewhat grudgingly since she left Newport more than ten years ago. But what would be a short time in town turns into more, and Cass finds a home and love combined. Let’s talk about a win-win for everyone. This is a story that oozes charm, class, and wit. The supporting characters are a hoot, and this large family clan learns many lessons. Happy Book Birthday since today celebrates the publication of this charming story. I hope you will hurry and purchase Wedding of the Season. Bravo, and well done. #womensfiction #literaryfiction #fiction #romance #compound #love #generations #life #future #WeddingoftheSeason lauraedmondson @harlequinbooks @graydonhousebooks @netgalley @mrslaurenedmondson
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I received a complimentary copy of this ARC. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to Graydon House Books, Harlequin Trade Publishing, NetGalley, and the author for the opportunity to read this book. Pub Date: Feb. 21, 2023.
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#book #books #bookaddict #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #bookstagramer #bookshelf #booksbooksbooks #readersofinstagram #reader #booklove #bookreader #reader #reading

Lauren Edmondson's "Wedding of the Season" brings the vibrant Newport society to life in this summertime romance, culminating in a much-anticipated wedding. With its sharp, witty dialogue and stunning sense of place, this novel of family and the true meaning of home is as delightful as a summer's day at its finest. It is sure to captivate readers with its charming characters and captivating story.

Cass Coventry is home for her sisters wedding and is dreading even getting out of the car. She is still upset that her sister is marrying into a family that sole their home a decade ago. Now Cass has to swallow her pride and play nice to keep everyone happy. Should be simple right? When long buried family secrets come to the surface, things get quickly out of control. Can Cass continue to bury her head in the sand or must she finally face her past and put things to rest?

Lauren Edmondson brings us a wedding filled with family drama, a look at an elite society along with some laughs and tears. I will admit it did take me awhile to get into the story, but when I did, it had all the ingredients for a great read. I loved the lessons the characters learned and how they interacted in the story. Thank you Harlequin Publishing for my advanced copy to read and review. My review is entirely my own and unbiased.

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. Thanks go to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, Graydon House.

Genre: General Fiction, Women's Fiction, Adult Coming-of-Age, Literary Fiction
Spice Level: 1 pepper (there's a scene with the door open—I skipped it but it wasn't too long to get too detailed.)

WEDDING OF THE SEASON has a languid pace much like sailing on a calm ocean. It the story of old money versus Nouveau Riche. It the story of that which is lost and that which is found. It's a story of secrets. And it's a story of love—lost, found, betrayed, broken, and settled. It's also a story of love for your family, for the past, and for the future. After all, it's set in Newport.

Cass is a photographer and ran when hard times hit her family. She's back and has to face her past. But also the burden of secrets and the weight of her family legacy. Her family is check to jowl in the cottage, while the woman who "stole" their ancestral home lords over them. And who's getting married? Of course it's the daughter of the old rich, and now impoverished family, to the son of the lord of the manor. There's plenty of tension there!

Who are they trying to fool? When the rich has already moved down in status to the cottage, I kept wondering why there's this big hubbub? That didn't make sense so me when Cass's family is already somewhat black-balled from polite (meaning rich) society. I don't live on the East coast, so maybe I missed the nuance of the situation.

All of the characters fell a little flat for me—and I feel terrible saying that. The dad, J.P., doesn't seem to know what's going on. Hope, the mom, is living in a different era. Archer seems defined by his previous illness. Maggie is one I never felt like I knew as well as Jack; that's the couple in love. And Susie, Jack's mom, is hard to decipher between her words and actions. That's not everyone, but enough for this review. I'm fumbling here trying to figure out what I didn't love about the story. I wanted to adore this book and the world, but it also fell a bit flat for me. Was that because I'd just attended a wedding full of love? I don't know. It seemed a bit convoluted for convolutions sake...

The part I liked the best is in the last 5% of the book where the Mom, Hope, is talking to her children. I felt the resolve at this moment. Something of the heart of the story. As always, I love to read the acknowledgments to see what the author used that was real or if the time was fudged on history—this book was no exception to that rule.

Since it just wasn't for me, I'm giving it 4 stars because I think others will connect to it differently. If I rated it purely for myself, I'd give it 3 stars.

This is going to be a hit with the right audience.

The Wedding of the Season is to be held in Newport, home for generations to the genteel Coventry family. Photo-journalist Cass Coventry-Gilford must attend. After all, it’s her sister, prima ballerina Maggie who is getting married and she wants Cass there. It helps that Cass is on a required leave due to a foreign disaster. It doesn’t help that Susie, Maggie’s future mother-in-law, bought the ancestral Coventry manor but let the displaced family move into the carriage house. And it really doesn’t help that Cass’s mother Hope, who defines the word “flighty”, has ignored the necessary upkeep of said carriage house. Oh, and Hope is a hoarder and Susie has a big secret that she has only shared with Cass. Add to the mix a hunky chef, a time capsule, Sotheby’s and a snarky gossip site and you have a quirky, captivating read!

Wedding of the Season is a guilty pleasure! Talented author Lauren Edmondson skews society mores and over-the-top wedding plans while dealing with family drama and relationships. Enjoy this 5 star read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Lauren Edmondson for this ARC.

Thanks to Graydon House and HTP for a copy of Wedding of the Season by Lauren Edmondson.

I wanted to love this book, with the Newport setting and comparisons of a Newport Elin Hilderbrand, but unfortunately this book wasn't for me. I couldn't get into the story and I didn't like any of the characters. I DNFd at 40% in.

Cass, a photographer, is back in Newport only for her sister Maggie's engagement party- or so she thinks. Life in Newport was and is complicated- her father sold their family "cottage," a Gilded Age mansion to Susie (mother of Maggie's fiance Jack) to pay for medical treatment of her brother Archer but retained a life interest (on a promise) in the carriage house on the property. And now Susie wants her parents, especially her mother Hope, out. Now. So the impending wedding which Maggie announces will be Labor Day weekend, also carries a deadline. This is much more than a novel about a wedding. Edmondson is a keen observer and documenter of the life of those who no longer have the large amount of money they once had- and she's put it to good use here. Yes it's privilege but she pokes at it constantly. Cass organizes a sale of the bits and bobs the family retained (Sotheby's!) to make enough money not only to pay for the wedding but also to move her parents. Maggie is in the corps of the NYC Ballet, her husband has quit his banking job, Archer has challenges resulting from his treatment but he's a TikTok star, and Cass wants to get back out there. But there's a second chance (of sorts) romance as well. I liked all of the characters (even Susie who was entertaining if rotten), the setting, and the instagram gossip interludes. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. I was a fan of Edmondson's debut (The Ladies of the House) and this one cemented my admiration for her. Great read.

A mix of wedding crazyiness, high society relationships and family dynamics. I found it entertaining even if a bit slow at time.
The characters are all on the snobbish side but I enjoyed them and all the drama.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

I really really wanted to love this book, but I just could not do it. It currently is a DNF. I am still giving it a 3 out of 5 stars because the author worked hard on it. I just could not find any of the characters likable. The book take place in Newport, and each of the characters are Snobs. The main character is of course edgy and hates her background, but she just is annoying. It also does not help that some of the details go into too way too much in describing every wall and the architecture. The book has potential of being amazing, but i believe it will need a 2 dn edit to condense and do some clarification.

A book about a wedding, crazy family and secrets should have been an amazing story, but I kept getting lost in all the details that didn't move the story along. I had trouble getting involved with the characters. I also got lost as to why Cass left Newport to begin with and what happened to her next assignment - did I miss something?

I really wanted to get lost in this book, but I found myself not really being drawn back to read it - maybe that is why I felt like it moved so slow.

Set in Newport, RI, Wedding of the Season is a story about a family who once was a part of high society, however, time and bad financial decisions has left them struggling to lead the lives of their ancestors. While the focus of the book is the wedding and the events leading up to it, the family’s history is interwoven throughout the book.

In the beginning, we’re introduced to Cass, a photographer, who comes back home to Newport, the hometown she could not wait to flee. Her sister is engaged to her parents’ landlord’s son, which brings about many interesting challenges.

Having recently visit Newport and the beautiful mansions, I was able to envision the characters in the various locations mentioned throughout the book.

While the title leads the reader to believe the focus of the book is on a wedding, I felt as though the wedding was secondary to the family’s financial struggles.

We’re told that Cassie fled Newport because of an ‘event’ that occurred and yet, the reader is kind of left hanging. One needs to read between the lines and decipher what that event was.

Early on we’re introduced to Spencer, Cassie’s former love and a successful restauranteur. I would have enjoyed more development of their story and less of the family drama.

I believe the overall theme of the book is family and our connection to them. While there are times we want to run away from the craziness, at the end of the day, it’s family who are our rock. It took the events of the wedding for Cassie to realize that her heart really is in Newport.

Thank you @netgalley, @graydonhousebooks, @harlequinbooks and @htpbooks for approving me for an ARC.

#WeddingoftheSeason #NetGalley

I was anxious to read this book because it had many elements that interested me: a society wedding set in Newport involving dysfunctional families. The plot started off well, with the protagonist dropping family secrets, along with all of the characters becoming involved in gossip and drama.
The pace was quick initially, but became overly descriptive which slowed down the story. I couldn’t connect with any of the superficial, two dimensional characters with first world problems. There was a lot of name dropping, as if to remind the reader how important their family was at one time. More character development would have helped this book a lot.
Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Grayson House for the ARC!

Who doesn’t love a wedding? Especially a society wedding with dysfunctional families in a Mansion with a beautiful backdrop. Secrets are everywhere in this story, slowly unfolding. A prodigal daughter returns home for her sisters wedding to a town where she really doesn’t want to be. As with any wedding, there is drama thanks, in part, to an Instagram Gossip site, mothers who can’t get along and adult children who try to make things work.

For me, this story was overly descriptive, which took away from the storytelling. I found myself skimming some sentences. The details of some situations were not fully explained. I found the characters lacking in depth and fairly one dimensional, self centered.

Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing andNetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone

Four and a Half Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭒
Wedding of the Season by Lauren Edmondson is a look at dysfunctional families preparing for a wedding in the exclusive city of Newport, Rhode Island.

Story Recap:
Cass Coventry left Newport as fast as she could, and her plan was to never return. But, when her sister is getting married, she returns for the engagement party and ends up staying for the entire season until her sisters’s wedding.

Life back in Newport is anything but ordinary. Cass finds her parent's home has not been kept up and is deteriorating fast. Her mother has unrealistic ideals for the wedding and Cass is having to keep her mother’s lofty ideals in check. Her parent’s landlady is threatening to evict her parents from the only home they have ever known. And Cass’s sister, the bride, has secrets of her own.

My Thoughts:
I love a book with family drama, and Wedding of the Season is full of drama. I thought it might have a bridezilla theme, but it doesn’t. It’s more about the families and how they will adjust to the wedding and the wedding preparations.

Cass has a complex relationship with her hometown of Newport as well as with her family and their legacy in Newport. Cass doesn’t realize her value to herself or her family.

I was surprised at the complexity of the story and the relationships between the characters. The author did a great job of making these characters sympathetic. Especially as the story is set in one of the wealthiest places in the United States.

Recommendation:

I highly recommend Wedding of the Season to anyone who enjoys women's fiction. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Cass left Newport for college and never returned to live there; she has been a freelance journalist. Her family is old Newport who sold their family home years ago and now live in a carriage house on the property. Cass's sister Maggie is marrying the current owner's son. Jack and Maggie are trying to plan a wedding and Cass is in town for a short time period. Jack's mother Susie tells Cass her parents have to move from the carriage house; and Cass has to be the one to tell them.
Cass ends up spending the summer at Newport and meets up with her old boyfriend Spencer. Can Cass and Spencer make it work this time?
This book seems to be really long, and I struggled to read the whole book. I have never read this author before and not sure if I will again.

Based on the cover I was expecting a lightweight, fun story. However I struggled with the pacing of the story and stopped reading about 15% of the way through. Thank you for the opportunity to review the ARC in exchange for an honest review.