I originally was going to DNF this book. The beginning did not grab me and the characters were a bit caricature-ish. However, I received the audio and was buddy reading with two friends which kept me going. And holy heck I'm glad I kept going!

This book is not easy to read. There is so much homophobia. There is so much discomfort. But there is so much good and hope and love. And humor! The scene when the mom eats the chocolates had me cackling!

I really appreciated that Lane dropped hugely impactful thoughts throughout in the middle of seemingly normal scenes. There were multiple times I had to pause the book to let something that was said sink in.

I definitely would recommend!

I had very high hopes for this book. It had a lot of potential to be campy and funny but it fell short of expectations. I think it relied too much on stereotypes, the conservative mom, the hip grandfather, the city slicker friends. I thought the characters fell a little flat and the POVS unrelatable

"𝘐𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘻𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥? 𝘖𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘞𝘪-𝘍𝘪 𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨? 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯, 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦?"

I went into 𝗕𝗜𝗚 𝗚𝗔𝗬 𝗪𝗘𝗗𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 low expectations after not loving the author's first book and was pleasantly surprised. When a gay man returns to his mom's farm in rural Louisiana to come out and announce he's engaged, hilariously fabulous shenanigans ensue. There are hints of Schitt's Creek in the culture clash between the city-slicker wedding guests and the locals, but this book is a love story, not only about the grooms but also a mother and son.

If you're looking for a beach or Pride Month read with a mix of humor and heart, look no further.

Thanks to @henryholtbooks for the copy to review.

Big Gay Wedding is a big gay comedy! Think Green Acres meets Will and Grace, only bigger and gayer!

It's the story of Barnett Durang who returns home to Mayer, Louisiana to tell his mother that he's engaged—to a man! His widowed mother, Chrissy, has known for a while that Barnett is gay, but she's not happy about it.

His father was not very accepting of it either, and they do live in a small town. So like many religious, small town, small-minded folk, what will the neighbors think?

When Ezra, Barnett's fiancé, shows up to meet Chrissy, she immediately grabs her pen and notepad and starts making a list of pros and cons about Ezra. And there are more cons than there are pros! Soon, Ezra's family shows up on the farm to plan the engagement dinner and all hell breaks loose as Ezra's sister lays out plans for the biggest gayest wedding ever.

Lane is a pro at writing comedy and creating over-the-top characters from drunkard Victoria, Ezra's mom, to Barnett's grandfather who is much more accepting of his grandson than Chrissy is, and even had a best friend at his senior center who was gay.

But the book is not without it's more poignant moments as Chrissy struggles with accepting Barnett and his life that has suddenly disrupted her world. The family even faces homophobia as someone spray paints a crude message on the side of the barn just days before the wedding. Chrissy turns to her church for guidance, but its a lesbian neighbor who provides the epiphany that Chrissy needs to open her heart and mind.

Though the title of the book might suggest a stereotypical gay romance, this book is far from that. Lane presents a clear message in regards to religion, homophobia, and even death, but it's the comedy and lovable characters that keep the pages turning and make this an irresistible summer read.

Big Gay Wedding was released today from Henry Holt.

Terrific book! Time to make the movie. Yes, it gets quirky in certain parts but that is the fun of this book. It's called "Big Gay Wedding" after all, not demure little gathering. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll shake your head. Enjoy the ride.

"Maybe love isn't just patient and kind, maybe it's magical, too."

Thank you to Henry Holt Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I started reading Big Gay Wedding while I was dog-sitting adorable Chester last weekend. I happened to have grabbed a bookmark from an alpaca farm my best friend visited, which felt very appropriate, considering the main character’s mother runs a farm.
I was excited about this book's premise - a gay man returns to his rural Louisiana home to his close-minded mother's farm to tell her about his engagement and plan the wedding at the farm - but I had no inkling the book would move me the way it did. From discussions of religion and family to bigotry, compassion, and community, I absolutely loved it. I cried multiple times - some tears of joy, some tears of sadness. This book put me through the wringer (in a wonderful way), just like it does for the mother's character. Now I wish the characters could be my friends in real life!
I laughed so hard at one point because there is a puppy named Sh!thead in this book - and that was Fat Tire's name when I rescued him! So if you think Fat Tire (or Fatty or FT) is a ridiculous cat name, it's definitely better than Sh!thead! The pup in the book gets a new moniker, too 😻

Chrissy Durang loves her peaceful little life as the owner of the Polite Society Ranch, a refuge for misfit animals. When her only son Barnett comes home for a visit from Los Angeles (which Chrissy calls Looney Tunes), with something to talk about, she hopes he’s going to tell her he’s coming back to take over the farm. She definitely didn’t expect him to say he’s engaged to a man named Ezra. Before you know it, not only has Ezra joined Barnett at the farm, but Ezra’s wacky family follows soon after, and planning is underway for the biggest gayest wedding rural Louisiana has ever seen.

I was expecting a lighthearted, amusing, feel-good story, and those adjectives definitely describe parts of the story, but Big Gay Wedding is so much more than that. It’s a deep exploration of a mother’s journey toward acceptance. A story of small-town homophobia. A story of romantic love and familial love. Unflinching, tender, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, and sometimes heartbreaking (I cried my way through the entire last chapter), this is a story that will stay with me for a long, long time.

I’m so grateful to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

This was so funny! I loved the cast so much and thought the pacing was fantastic. The imagery was brilliant and the comedy was top tier. I cannot wait to read more from this author!

What a charming book. Small town Louisiana is really different from my life lol. Parts where what I was expecting (silly and fun with over the top moments) but other moments were profound and thought-provoking. Chrissy's pro and con list was so infuriating but also super relatable as it is something I would do. Ezra's parents were amazing and had me cracking up. This is a quirky story perfect for pride month!

I thought this was going to be silly and campy… I wasn’t expecting it to be so complex.

This book spans fear, rejection, love, determination and acceptance, but also more… When Chrissy’s beloved son comes home to their Louisiana ranch, she is sure he is telling her he’s coming home for good and leaving LA behind, besides she could never understand why he spent so much time there anyway. Instead, he reveals that he is getting married… to the man he loves.

While Chrissy refuses to understand or accept her boy Barnett’s lifestyle, she is determined to love her son, through all of it… even if it means ultimately reevaluating her beliefs.

Through a turbulent series of events, Chrissy finds herself hosting not only an impromptu engagement party for Barnett and his fiancé Ezra, but a big gay wedding at her Polite Society Ranch.

This entire cast of characters were incredible. Barnett and Ezra are perfectly perfect for one another, Ezra’s parents and sister and off the wall and lovable in their whackiness, and Chrissy was such a fun character to watch grow and learn.

This book really was touching and funny at the same time and I loved it.

This is such a sweet book, full of heart. It took me a bit to get into it--I didn't like some of the characters' perspectives on gay marriage and it bothered me. But I know it's real and out there, and I understand why the author wrote it this way. Once you realize that, I think you will like this book. The characters are quirky, but lovable. Hijinks ensue on this Louisiana farm as Barnett comes home to visit his beloved mother...and introduce her to his fiancee, Ezra. Even though Barnett's mom has trouble understanding his love for Ezra, she agrees to host their wedding on her farm. Throw in talking animals (a hilarious scene when Chrissy accidentally eats some edibles), zany family members (Ezra's NYC family), and a mom and son who truly love each other, for better or worse, and you have a book that will make you cry and smile and hug the book when you are done!

Thank you @henryholtbooks @macmillan.audio for a copy of this book. Set in a small town in Louisiana, this was a charming story about a gay wedding. I was expecting a fun full of laughs and fluff story but it was so much more. It's about a mom coming to embrace her son's sexuality and his partner. It's always about a town coming together as well. I love the references to 90s sitcom with all the animals on the farm.

The narration was well done and brought all the characters to life.

This book is a love story, but it’s not your typical love story. Based on the title you’d probably surmise that it’s a love story of a gay couple, but it’s actually a love story of a mother and her child.
Chrissy Durang is Farmer Mom of the Polite Society Ranch. Her life is spent taking care of misfit animals who don’t fit in anywhere else and giving tours to school age children. When her grown son, Barnett, calls to say he’s coming home, Chrissy is certain he’s coming to tell her he’s ready to take over the farm. She’s thrown for a loop when her introduces her to his fiancé, Ezra, and tells her they want to get married at the farm. Chrissy has to reconcile her homophobia with her love for her son and learns what loving unconditionally truly means.
The writing of this book is so beautiful, mixing poignancy with humor and lightheartedness with deeper moments. I learned that Byron Lane is married to one of my favorite authors, Steven Rowley I absolutely loved feeling like Barnett and Ezra were based on Byron and Steven. The love and compassion the two men have for each other jumps off the pages and brings this book to life and the love Chrissy has for Barnett is so real; any parent will be able to relate. This is the first book by Byron Lane I’ve read, but it won’t be my last!
Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for an advanced copy of this book. This charming novel hits the shelves on May 30.

This story was so full of heart- it wasn’t at all what I thought it was going to be in all the best ways.

Seeing Chrissy come to terms with her life and her son and the growth she exhibits as she starts to question everything she knows and becomes ready to face the future was really beautiful and human and had some really relatable moments. I felt like the setting- a small farm in Louisiana- was perfect for this story and for her growth. I loved the exploration of what it truly means to love and accept someone unconditionally.

Even though the book tackles some really heavy topics- grief, homophobia, closed-mindedness, it does so empathetically and with a dynamic cast of characters who are deep and human and keep the overall tone really light and accessible.

I can’t wait to read more from Byron Lane!

Big Gay Wedding by Byron Lane is a queer contemporary fiction novel with romance elements.

Barnett Durang is coming home to visit his mother Chrissy at her farm for misfit animals in small town Louisiana. She thinks he's finally come home to tell her he wants to follow in her footsteps and take over the farm. In just a few weeks, they'll throw the biggest gay wedding their town has ever seen.

I read this book very quickly over the course of a few sittings. It made me both laugh out loud and sob multiple times. The book is written in third person present tense and follows widowed mother Chrissy more so than her son. We follow her lovely growth arc in regards to acknowledging that Barnett is gay and learning how to support him unconditionally.

Some of this book goes really over the top, which you might expect in a book called "Big Gay Wedding." But the relationships between Barnett and his fiancée Ezra, between mothers and sons, and between other family members still felt very authentic. The family at the core of this book is great. There are layered characters here on all sides. Barnett's grandfather, Paw-Paw, was probably my favorite character.

CW: humane animal death, homophobia, homophobic slurs, bigotry, grief, drug use

This story felt like I was living in a different time and place, but maybe parts of conservative, rural Louisiana are like this, still? Like the “Big” in the title, this book aims to be over the top, and it succeeds. Imagine Hee Haw meets Moulin Rouge. The plot is straightforward: grown-up son returns to his mother’s rural farm to announce he’s marrying a man, and she disapproves (as do others in the community). Will she (and they) find their way to acceptance, or even, approval? (What do you think?)

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I had a hard time with this book, and I wanted to love it, so so much. Especially since it had Schitt’s Creeks vibes and was set near my hometown. Especially because OF THE LGBTQIA storyline.

I just couldn’t love it though. For me the third person present Omni viewpoint was hard, and really made the story drift. It was difficult to get a read on the main characters because of the insights coming from every angle.

The story at the heart of this was good, but the execution just never really drew me in. Barnett is an only child returning to his rural roots to tell his Catholic Southern Mother about his engagement… to a man. Then when Barnett’s mom Chrissy meets Ezra, Barnett’s flashy fiancé, she struggles with the relationship, and their wish to get married at Barnett’s childhood home and family farm. Then Ezra’s very big city eccentric parents descend, and the small gay wedding Chrissy was already struggling to accept, turns into a big gay wedding.

There were parts I enjoyed, especially Ezra and Barnett, but some of it just felt so forced and the characters came across very one dimensional. Chrissy’s turnabout felt a little forced and the church scenes threw me off. I also finished the book feeling melancholy at some of the events, and not enjoying the journey these characters took us on.

I think maybe the style or quirkiness of this book was just not for me, as I did struggle so badly with the POVS.

One last nitpick since the author is from New Orleans, I expected this to be accurate to the city. The airport is in Kenner, not Metairie, and it wouldn’t take tanks of gas to get to the farm from the airport if a birthday party can also get there from Mandeville. And please don’t get me started on the fact that they catered food from New Orleans and expected to reheat beignets and fired po’boys, sorry I know that’s picky, but I think that is where I disconnected from the book in the first place.

I really was excited to read this, and I do think it could make an enjoyable read for people, I’m just not one of those people.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC and the chance to read this story.

This book wasn't bad, but there were some parts that I wasn't a fan of. And the parts that bugged me were primarily bothersome just because they were unexpected, not because they weren't well-written. I thought this would be a lighter, beach-read kind of rom-com, with some goofy and/or over-the-top drama. But a not-small amount of the book was much, much heavier. Sure, there's plenty of comedic relief and a bit of absurdity, but I'm not sure it was quite enough to compensate for the rest (at least not for how this title is being marketed).

Far outside New Orleans, Miss Chrissy runs the Polite Society Ranch. Before her husband passed on it was a functioning farm, but since it’s gotten a facelift and turned into a sanctuary for misfit animals and regular field trip venue.

Her son is coming for a visit, says they need to talk, and when he adds that he doesn’t have a return flight yet, she jumps to assume he’s moving back from LA to stay and run the farm for her. Instead he’s there to announce his engagement to Ezra.

While her reaction to Barrett’s (objectively awful) outing had not been as volatile as her late husband’s, it was not any more supportive and she’s made it clear she “doesn’t accept the gay thing” and hoped it would all go away 
So you can imagine how this reveal went down (and how strained their relationship has been)

Still, she wants her son to stick around longer, so she agrees to have Ezra come down and meet him. Soon Ezra’s force of nature mother, silent father and frankly terrifying sister join them and before you know it there’s going to be a wedding in the farm in less than two weeks. 
-
Going in I had expected this was going to be a book about a fun wedding in an unexpected place, and for the first half the book I kept thinking this was Not It. Homophobia and bigotry are a big theme - even more so at the start - BUT as the story continued, the wedding was more in focus. And what a wedding it was. 

Overall though, this story is just as much about the broken complicated relationship between a mother and her son. Throughout the book I had many unkind thoughts about Chrissy. It wasn’t until she had some eye opening revelations about herself and the people she surrounded herself with that any of that changed. And things didn’t get magically all better, but there was So Much Growth.

(And yes, I totally cried by the end)

Thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt Books for the ARC

Review to appear on Smexy Reviews:

Big Gay Wedding is like a romance novel that starts at the epilogue. Instead of the meet cute, the inciting action, turning point, and so on, we jump to right after the proposal. The focus of the story moves around almost the entire wedding party: the grooms, the moms, the grandfather and the sheep. Yes, the sheep. And when I say it moves around, I really mean it. This book is written with an omniscient narrator that knows the thoughts and feelings of almost everyone involved in this rural Louisiana wedding. It’s written not in the weighty style of Anna Karenina, but with a sort of swooping and sometimes bitey humor that makes you both empathize, scorn and snort-chortle at the same time. I am not the best audience for humorous books, but I really enjoyed this book and I think I can thank the original and acerbic writing for that.

Barnett Durang comes home to tell his mother that he’s getting married. But before he even enters the scene, we are introduced to his mom, Chrissy Durang or “Farmer Mom.” A widow, she exerts tight control of her bright blue farm of rescued animals, called “The Polite Society Ranch.” Schoolchildren visit on carefully orchestrated visits and Chrissy tries to keep everything in order with her lists and schedules. Children who throw tantrums are a reality she tries to bribe away with a $5 bill.

When Barnett arrives from California and lets her know that he’s getting married to his boyfriend of three years, we learn that although Barnett came out to his parents some time ago, Chrissy has been avoiding that reality for years. She is caught up in what others think – the townspeople, her pastor, even her late husband, who she believes was slowly killed by the revelation that their son is gay. In fact, she is so delusional and avoidant, that she thinks Barnett is returning home to take over the farm.

Barnett’s visit is a little bit of a set-up. He’s got his grandfather on his side, and his fiancé, Ezra is posed and ready to fly out from California to meet his mom. Next thing we know it, Ezra’s family has arrived, and we are barreling toward a country wedding on the farm. It’s evidently the push Chrissy needed – and we get to tumble with her through a series of revelations about her life and the people around her. They didn’t always add up to me, and I wasn’t ready to completely forgive her, but it’s clear that it was more than Barnett expected.

My favorite part of the book is the “pro” and “con” list Chrissy keeps in her back pocket about Ezra starting from his arrival on the farm. As she observes him, she adds new characteristics. We see how she can take anything and twist it into negative – “smiles too much” for example – but also through the list, we see how hard it becomes for her to hold onto her scorn and stereotypes.