This is a good drama with lots of serious elements and dark humor. I enjoyed reading it, but it's important to know it's definitely not a romance novel. :) Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I almost passed on the Wedding People. The synopsis, while intriguing seemed a bit morbid and sad and not the type of book I like reading by the pool.

I’m glad I was wrong and picked this one. Phoebe is struggling- her marriage has just ended, and she’s struggling in her job as as an adjunct professor ( where she also has to work around her ex and his new girlfriend). This is at the end of the pandemic and so she decides to take a last vacation to a fancy resort.

Upon arriving, the entire resort has been rented out for the wedding except for her room somehow. A few chance encounters with the bride and a Maid Of Honor who cancels due to COVID, lands her a spot among the wedding guests and as she gets to know the family and friends of the bride and groom, she unexpectedly gets a new perspective of life and her future.

I enjoyed getting to know Phoebe Lila and even Gary. I found this book refreshing and at times laugh out loud funny. This book does touch on some tough themes (in fact most of them)- depression, suicide, infertility, infidelity, cancer, death of parents. You name it and Phoebe has encountered it in some way, but I think that it was presented in a very realistic way. There is pain, but there is also life that goes on and people that continue living. This is not the most lighthearted read, but it is really good and well-written and not too heavy with all those trigger-warning topics.

When I read Alison Espach’s most recent novel NOTES ON YOUR SUDDEN DISAPPEARANCE, I was blown away by its emotionality and uniqueness. It was devastating and funny and propulsive, so much so I thought it was a thriller at first. When I wrote my review, didn’t have any books to compare it to.

And well, I guess now I do. Because while THE WEDDING PEOPLE is very different, it has the same sharp edges complemented by humor and beautiful, self-reflective writing. The story follows Phoebe, a professor who’s going through the lowest point in her life and decides to escape at to a fancy Rhode Island hotel. When she gets there, she realizes the majority of the hotel’s been booked for a wedding, and immediately has a run-in with the bride, who she’s both deeply annoyed and compassionately intrigued by.

The magic of this book is in its humanity. It’s about friendship, marriage, infidelity, infertility, loneliness, death, and disappointment. And while it packs a lot into its pages, at no point did it feel overwhelming; it just feels relatable, the characters people you’ll want to root for.

I would like to thank Henry Holt and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this as an ARC. This was a hard book to read, for me at least. When a blurb uses the words-uproariously funny, I think it will make me laugh. It did not. Phoebe is an adjunct professor in St. Louis. Prior to the pandemic,she and her husband Matt,( also a professor) were trying to have a baby. After the the IVF failed, he had an affair with a fellow professor and Phoebe's friend, Mia. Now Matt and Phoebe are divorced and Phoebe is depressed. She flies to Rhode Island to a big hotel she wanted to visit when she and Matt were married. She checks into the hotel, with no luggage , wearing a long green dress. Her plan is to commit suicide. Then she meets the wedding people. Every one else at the hotalis pa=rt of the wedding. And, almost against her will, she is drawn into the bride's orbit. The book is well written, and has very interesting characters. However, the central story line is extremely depressing and may be triggering. I see that a lot of people really like it, but it is not my cup of tea.

The Wedding People is supposed to be funny but I didn't see the humor in it. Instead, I find it dark, depressing and negative. Too much focus on death. I didn't like Phoebe or Delilah. Far from a fun or entertaining read.

The Wedding People is full of themes - of life, death, love, redemption, recovery and happiness. A thought-provoking read that goes by quickly but dramatically and with much needed humor.

Thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for the opportunity to read this ARC.

The Wedding People is like a warm hug. Phoebe books a room at a high end boutique hotel fulling intending to end her life. What she didn't count on was having the entire hotel full of wedding guests for the upcoming nuptials of Lila and Gary. What follows is a heartwarming look at what happens when things don't turn out exactly how you planned, but they turn out exactly the way they should. It's a great summer read when you're looking for something with interesting characters, charming wit and a lot of heart.

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.