I didn’t know what to expect from this book. I’ve never read anything by the author before. In full transparency, I saw the cover and was like, “Ooh, this looks cute,” and I requested it when I was just about to get married and thought it might relate to what I was currently dealing with. I give out a lot of high ratings because if I genuinely just enjoy something despite how it’s written or if it is a serious book or just a fun book, it’s a five-star read to me. However, I feel like The Wedding People needs to be in its own tier of five-star reads. In fact, I wish I could give it 100 stars because it was just that good. I was so happy to learn that the rights for this book have already been acquired, and I might one day soon be able to relieve this incredible novel through the screen.

I finally picked it up one evening and began reading. I got through the first 14% as a sobbing mess. Not everyone might have the same reaction, but I could truly feel the pain and agony that Phoebe was dealing with as her marriage fell apart. Then along comes Lila, who is hilarious. Both women are approaching the next big journey of their lives, and through every interaction, I felt how much they needed the perspective of the other, even if they didn’t realize they needed it.

Overall, this was an amazing story about how friendship can come when you least expect it from the most unlikely people, second chances and not giving up when you’ve been dealt really shitty cards, and learning to embrace every new path life presents you. Not only was this story extremely profound to me, but it was also incredibly hilarious. While there were some very upsetting parts, it was a very joyful read overall.

I recommend everyone take a chance on The Wedding People. You never know what you may get.

I was not prepared for how emotionally invested I would become in the lives of the people in this book. The main character, Phoebe, has been suffering from depression and books a vacation to a pricey resort, only to discover that she is the only guest who isn't there for an upcoming wedding. She unintentionally becomes entangled in the lives of the guests of honor and their families, welcoming the escape from her own troubles. This book plays with the idea that guests at a wedding are often in forced proximity with people they either do not know, do not like, or have complicated histories with. All of the guests are there to witness two people make a monumental decision that they themselves likely have opinions on, or baggage related to. It can be a breeding ground for oversharing and introspection, or serve as permission for uncharacteristic behavior. This book is about expectations, new beginnings, and the bravery it takes to start over.

Also, what a stunning cover - perfectly encapsulates the tone of the book, and stands out from other illustrated covers by using this "watercolor-esque" style.

The Wedding People is one of those books that will stick with you long after have finished reading it.
Phoebe Stone enters the lobby of the Cornwell Inn and everyone there thinks she is one of the guests there for the weekend wedding.
Phoebe has other plans since so many things have gone in the wrong direction in her life. The weekend she has is full of things she never imagined and people she did not know she needed to come into her life and yet they did. The bride to be and Phoebe were meant to meet.
This book had a lot of topics that may be tough for some readers.
I enjoyed the book and can see many people spending time with the characters in the book and being glad they did.
Thank you NetGalley, Alison Espach and Henry Holt & Company for the ARC of The Wedding People. This is my personal review.

I have never read a book with a premise like that of The Wedding People - and given how much I read, that’s pretty rare. Phoebe is ready to end her life and chooses to do so at a picturesque resort on the shores of the Atlantic. When she gets there, she is surprised to find the entire hotel is rented out by a wedding party for the week and it’s a fluke that she has been able to book a room. Undeterred, she decides to go forward with her plan anyway, only to be met by the bride-to-be in the elevator who begs her not to ruin her wedding week by ending her life.

What ensues is a truly unique story winding the two women’s lives together for the week. It’s a story of finding yourself at any age, and what it even means to know who you are. I simply loved it and know I will think of it often.

I loved the lavishness of the wedding, with the atmosphere being typical Newport. But I struggled to connect with the characters, the writing was excellent and I enjoyed the story!

This book really surprised me! Our character, Phoebe, accidently crashes a wedding weekend. I thought this was a fun and pretty unique story and I couldn't put it down. I loved the characters. Lila, the bride, was a very entertaining character and I couldn't look away. Phoebe and Lila become friends and I loved watching their relationship develop. I loved reading Phoebe work through her struggles and everything else that happened in this book.

Thanks netgalley for the copy of the book.

This story was an interesting twist on crashing a wedding - a wedding you hadn't planned on crashing in a place you went because it was so beautiful in the brochures - the perfect place to kill yourself. Well, the spoiled rich bride wasn't having any of that. Then the fun begins.

The book was comedic in places, sad in places, raw and vulnerable in places but definitely not macabre. I was drawn into the story learning about the lives of the bride, the groom, their families and even the suicidal person. Fast paced and engaging, it was hard to put down.

I recommend this book for an easy summer read. A story of self discovery, love and renewal.

I was given this book by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

“The Wedding People” by Alison Espach is perfect. It’s the perfect story. I loved every second of reading it and felt the loss of the characters when I finished the last word. If you can handle the triggers – there are a few, this story will not disappoint.

Phoebe has hit rock bottom. Her marriage is over, her career is circling the drain and her beloved cat, a substitute for the child she can never have, is dead. She decides to hop on a plane and visit a place where she’d dreamt of vacationing with her husband. It's a one-way ticket. Once she arrives at the Cornwall Inn on the coast of Rhode Island, her little getaway becomes a lot more complicated when she meets the wedding people, especially Bridezilla Lila.

Just as she did with “Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance,” Espach so perfectly captures the essence of each one of her characters, they practically leap off the page and into your life. Within the first few pages, I was fully on board with Phoebe and ready to follow her wherever she decided to go. She is one of the best, most believable characters I’ve read in a long, long time. Maybe there’s a bit of mid-life crisis there that I’m identifying with, but I’ll give most of the credit to Espach. Each character here has an arc that is well defined, makes sense and comes to a satisfying conclusion.

You wouldn’t think that a novel that starts with suicide at a wedding would be charming, but it really is. The author’s use of humor and lighthearted banter is a great counterpoint to some of the darker themes explored here.

Because I read this as an ARC, I had a digital copy. I have already pre-ordered my physical copy which will be available on July 30, 2024, so that I can re-read it and underline just about every other page. This will probably be one that I return to again and again.

Thank you to Netgalley and Henry Holt & Company for the ARC in exchange for the honest review.

The Wedding People is so much more than a light hearted beach read and I am here for it. Phoebe Stone is completely sunk in despair after her marriage ends. She cannot imagine living any longer, alone and adrift so, for her last 24 hours of life, she books a beautiful hotel room and plans to pamper herself one last time. Upon checking in, she realizes there's a wedding going on at the hotel and meets the bride. The bride is adamant that there be no deaths at the hotel during her wedding week and invites Phoebe to join in the wedding celebrations. This book is a story of hope, finding your way and empathy. Beautiful story!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had high hopes for The Wedding People after loving the author's debut novel, Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance. I'm happy to say that The Wedding People did not disappoint. The flawed and unforgettable characters, the dialogue, and the storyline, made this a book I could not put down. I'm pretty sure I read it in a day! The beautiful Newport, Rhode Island setting makes this a perfect book for summer reading. Alison Espach is definitely on my auto-buy author list now.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC.

I had really high hopes for this book after reading reviews, and....it did not disappoint! I couldn't wait to find time to read this book. It really pulled me in and I felt so attached to Phoebe. READ THIS BOOK if you have ever felt adrift, lost or alone.

When I first started The Wedding People, I was expecting it to be a lighthearted book perfect to kick off my summer reading. This story is truly the definition of “never judge a book by its cover.” The main character Phoebe is struggling to find her way through life after divorce and she believes that nothing good will ever happen to her again. So, she spontaneously books a hotel room for a weekend. Phoebe decides she will spend her last 24 hours of life in a fluffy hotel robe, drinking expensive wine and ordering room service. But of course, life has other plans. There’s a wedding the same weekend, and the last thing the bride wants to deal with during her wedding is a death at the hotel. As Phoebe gets roped into being a part of the wedding celebrations, she realizes that every person has their own struggles going on, and that life is really freaking hard sometimes, but there is always a silver lining.

Phoebe and The Weddings People’s story was hilarious, sad, quirky, messy, beautiful - all wrapped up in 25 chapters.


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Words can't explain how much I LOVED Espach's The Wedding People.

After Phoebe hits rock bottom, she travels to Newport, Rhode Island to an inn she cut out of a magazine in hopes of visiting someday years prior. She's in her best dress, has rented the best suite with the best view, is going to order room service and... well, let's just say that a stranger's wedding week gets in the way of Phoebe's plans.

This was one of my favorite books of the year. The characters are engrossing, and Phoebe is a master class in complexity. You cannot help but fall in love with and root for her to figure it all out. Lila, the bride-to-be, was the perfect foil: delusional, comical and spoiled. Their weird, blossoming friendship highlighted how well Lila and Phoebe complimented each other.

Best of all was Espach's dialogue. I felt so immersed in the plot and the characters, the latter which had meaningful conversations sprinkled with humor and charm. I can't wait to come back to this one again.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Phoebe has always dreamed vacationing at a fancy hotel in Newport, Rhode Island. When her husband leaves her and she realizes she hates her life, she decides to go to Newport to kill herself. When she arrives, however, she finds that she is the only guest at the inn who is not there for a wedding. When the bride finds out that she has come to die there, she befriends her and wants to include her in the wedding events because she doesn't want the memories of a death at the hotel to be associated with her wedding. Such is the premise for an absurd situation that leads to meaningful relationships and Phoebe reconnecting with who she wants to be.

This book was pitch perfect. It was not as silly as I'd feared but written in such a way that you love and understand the characters. I was afraid it would be just another wedding story, but it wasn't that. It was more of a midlife crisis story for a few characters. I loved how all the wedding people were written and thought it had a lot to say about the nature of love, forgiveness, letting go, and dreams. I didn't love the cover, but don't let that put you off.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review. I can't wait for everyone to read this gem.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Some parts of this novel were so hard for me as someone who struggles with infertility and mental health. I am so, so glad I pushed through any discomfort I had to read this thoughtful and witty book. I laughed, I cried, I empathized with Phoebe (sometimes more than I wanted to). This novel truly is a love letter to people that are at the very end of their rope and still find a way to make it through the day. Kudos to the author for writing such an amazing story and real characters.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️From publisher Henry Holt and Company: It’s a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn. She's immediately mistaken by everyone in the lobby for one of the wedding people, but she’s actually the only guest at the Cornwall who isn’t here for the big event. Phoebe is here because she’s dreamed of coming for years—and determined to have one last decadent splurge on herself. Meanwhile, the bride has accounted for every detail and every possible disaster the weekend might yield except for, well, Phoebe and Phoebe's plan—which makes it that much more surprising when the two women can’t stop confiding in each other.

In turns absurdly funny and devastatingly tender, Alison Espach’s The Wedding People is ultimately an incredibly nuanced and resonant look at the winding paths we can take to places we never imagined—and the chance encounters it sometimes takes to reroute us.
*************
My review: Phoebe was depressed and lonely and she decided to check out of her life. She escapes to a fancy hotel and gets swept up in an over the top wedding. The bride and Phoebe seem drawn to each other and soon are dependent.
I admit o was drawn to Phoebe and Lila and what would happen with both of them.
At times I laughed out loud, I worried, I felt Phoebe, Lila, Gary, Jim and Juice's pain. In a wedding full of sad people, all looking for something else, the light at the end of the tunnel seems iffy. Phoebe was always considered "the smart one" and it turns out that's true.
I enjoyed the book more than I thought, it drew me and I needed to know how everyone would come out at the end of the tunnel.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Thank you to to NetGalley and Henry Holt Publishing for an advance digital copy in exchange for my review.

Thank you to Henry Holt & Company and NetGalley for this advance copy. This started off a little rocky because of the dark nature of the topics combined with the light irreverent tone. It was off putting for me in the beginning, but possibly because it dealt with topics that are sensitive for me. I liked how Phoebe and Lila’s relationship evolved and I enjoyed the humor once the subject matter became somewhat lighter. This was ultimately sweet and funny but at times I was annoyed with what felt like too much rambling.

eARC Henry Holt & Co
This book surprised me in so many ways. I am not always the biggest fan of literary fiction, but this worked so well for me. I loved the characters. They were richly developed, unique, and so easy to imagine. Phoebe was a character I just wanted to hug and sit with and get to know better. I also loved the set up here. The wedding and Phoebe being the only person not attending made for such an interesting way to create a temporary community. There were so many tender and vulnerable moments that had me feeling so many different emotions - I teared up while reading this book and also laughed at some of antics. It was such a relatable story in some ways, and it will definitely be a favorite of the year.

The cover and title suggest that this book will be a funny, lighthearted read. The promise of "funny" is upheld after the first 15% or so, which are a big downer (TW for suicidal thoughts). But this book, while a good beach read, remains bittersweet in its outlook on life, even as the humor makes for enjoyable reading. The main character finds herself at a hotel at which all the other guests are there for a wedding, and soon, she and the bride have each other questioning the plans they thought they had. I'd urge fellow readers to press on past the depressing opening to get to a book that is a humorous summer read, one that I looked forward to opening each night.

Thanks to Netgalley and Henry Holt for the Advanced Reader's Copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Book Review: The Wedding People by Alison Cochran

Trigger Warning: This book contains discussions about suicide, suicidal thoughts, and references to these topics throughout the narrative. Please read with caution.

I was thrilled to receive an ARC of The Wedding People and eagerly dived into its pages. Alison Cochran has crafted a remarkable novel that deftly balances a heavy subject with a light, engaging narrative. From the very beginning, it’s clear that Cochran has a unique talent for addressing serious issues without diminishing their importance, while also weaving in humor and hope.

The story centers on a woman in midlife who is at a crossroads, prompting her to re-evaluate her life and make significant changes. It begins on a rather somber note, but soon evolves into a delightful roller coaster of relationships, experiences, and profound reflections. Cochran’s ability to transform a seemingly hopeless situation into a comical and heartwarming journey is truly impressive.

What stands out most in The Wedding People is the brilliant writing. The banter between characters is sharp and witty, adding a layer of enjoyment that keeps the reader engaged. The vivid descriptions of coastal towns are particularly enchanting, making me long to visit these picturesque locales.

While the book has a light-hearted tone, it is far from a superficial read. It is filled with hope, valuable insights, and an invitation to think differently about our lives and the choices we make. Cochran's storytelling is both entertaining and thought-provoking, making it a perfect read for those looking to find depth beneath the humor.

The Wedding People is set to be a summer hit, ideal for beach, lake, or poolside reading. It’s a book that not only entertains but also uplifts and informs, offering a fresh perspective on the preciousness of life. I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a read that is both light and substantial, filled with heart and humor.