This book is gorgeous, and funny, and true. It’s White Lotus meets My Best Friend’s Wedding, with a side of Sally Rooney. Filled to the brim with so many beautiful ideas and acute observations that I would have to backtrack to read a second time. Get your highlighter ready, it will be doing a lot of work! I found myself putting off picking it up so that I could delay finishing it. I can’t wait for this to come out so that I can force it into people’s hands and then force them to talk about it with me after they read it.

This book was not at all what I was expecting. I thought rom-com or romance but this was really a book about a woman’s own struggles through life, love, and relationships.

Life is hard! And sometimes we forget that it ok for life to be hard. We need to speak our thoughts rather than hide ourselves. We need to go after what we want because nobody else will do it for us.

I thought Lila was a great bride and I completely understood her reasoning and thoughts for trying to make the wedding happen. Same with Gary, great groom and wanting to have someone give him a second chance at life makes total sense. I’m just so happy they saw what they needed in the end and chose happiness over doing what is expected.

Would recommend this.

When I started this book, I had moments where I was skeptical about the plot and if I would enjoy it. But when I say I wanted to clap at the ending, I mean it! What a beautiful story with important life lessons woven throughout without being clichè. Loved it all and wouldn’t change a thing!

Thank you to NetGalley for this opportunity to read and review this book.
First the book takes place in Newport RI and I live in RI, I am intrigued and who doesn't like a book describing the golden age of the Newport mansions. Second didn't realize the author is a professor at Providence College which is my Alma Mater.
The story follows Phoebe whose life takes an unexpected turn that leads her to this mansion in Newport where a wedding is taking place for a whole week. The book follows how her life takes a different path after meeting the bride Lila and the groom Gary.
I did like this book but wished the ending was slightly different on how it got wrapped up but overall good story.

The dry deadpan humor in this had me cackling. I feel like this was such a good balance of dark, heavy emotions with dry humor without making light of the heavy topics. It was so well done and written in that regard. I do feel it dragged in the middle where I wasnt particularly gunning to crack open my kindle, but the later half got exciting because I truly could not tell how this would end.

This is the first book I've read by the author and it certainly won't be the last. The story focuses on Phoebe, who runs away from a broken marriage in order to commit suicide. The hotel she chooses is the scene of an upcoming wedding. As Phoebe becomes more involved with the people at the wedding, her perspective and future change. I read this book in one sitting. Well done.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley. I think this book will be a huge success. I loved every single page, character, and plot point. I purchased Espach’s first novel right when I finished this.

There are obviously a lot of trigger warnings in this, but it reminded me a little of A Man Called Ove but with more plot… exceptional novel!

I really enjoyed this novel! I love a book with loads of character studies/development - The Wedding People did just that! It was incredibly heartfelt and touching. This will be the perfect beach read this summer for those that want to get lost in a novel where you're truly rooting for all the characters to have a happy ending.

This is why I read books: to feel all those emotions, to experience such brilliant writing and original stories. Just a wonderful story. It made me laugh and cry. I hope this author gets the recognition they deserve. Read this!

“I didn’t want to be saved from myself. Nobody does! All we want is permission to stand there naked and be our damned selves.”

The Wedding People is a deep, cutting look at the expectations placed on women by society, by each other, and by ourselves. It takes place over the course of one week in Newport, Rhode Island when Phoebe Stone shows up at at the Cornwall Inn with the intent to end her life. She had long dreamt of a vacation at the Inn with her husband - now ex-husband. But she does not expect to be the only person staying at the Inn who is not part of the The Wedding. She and the bride have a chance encounter in the elevator during which Phoebe shares her plans for the weekend, which the bride takes as a personal affront to her perfect wedding week. Over the course of the book, Phoebe is drawn into the wedding activities and develops a confidante-type relationship with the bride. This book was surprisingly funny in a way you wouldn't expect from the heavy subject material - infertility, divorce, depression, anxiety, suicidality, parental death. It is about the small moments and interactions in our lives that help us find meaning and a way forward.

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

This book surprised me in the best way possible. The characters are messy and real and vulnerable. The writing is raw and funny. The plot was incredible. I can't say enough about this book.

The relationships between the characters are the best parts of the book in my option. We have Phoebe and her ex-husband, Phoebe and her new best friend Lila, Lila and the wedding people, Lila and Gary, and so on and so forth. The way the relationships changed throughout the book was beautiful. They also felt so real. Nothing was perfect with the characters, which is what makes them so perfect.

The characters themselves are so fun. They all had amazing character arcs and gave me something to hate and root for at the same time. I felt like a proud parent watching them stumble through life.

This is a book about love, loss, and the impact you can have on other people. I recommend this book for people who prefer character driven books, raw and funny writing, and book clubs.

The Wedding People was, quite simply, a delightful read. The author did an amazing job at creating characters I felt like I knew - I just *got* them, particularly Phoebe and Gary. For me, the one discordant note in the whole thing was the late in the game appearance of the ex-husband - but even then, it felt ok. This was a lovely fun read about self-reinvention that I will certainly be recommending.

Alison Espach is one of my favorite authors -- it's official! 5/5 stars.

I'm consistently obsessed with her writing and will be revisiting this book later in the year once it's released. First and foremost, I am a sucker for anything with an ensemble cast and this was the epitome of the genre. Similar to Cat Shook's If We're Being Honest.

I love Phoebe so dearly. The story was about her, but at the same time, I didn't feel like she monopolized it. Lila, Gary, Marla, etc were all characters that had just as high stakes as Phoebe (well, after the first few chapters). And I loved it. I was rooting for all of them at different points.

The Cornwall Inn was also a character in this story and I'd love to see this as a movie. It would be stunning.

•Plot: 4/5 (A depressed woman arrives at a posh hotel just in time for a week long wedding celebration of two people she’s never met.)

•Characters: 5/5 (I really loved Phoebe’s growth and journey of self acceptance. Juice is a champ and I might have a crush on Gary AND Jim.)

•Writing: 5/5

•Ending: 4/5 (A little open ended.)

I realllly enjoyed “Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance” and this book definitely follows in its footsteps with honest characters navigating complex situations. This one deals with some heavy subject matter (depression, infertility, suicidal thoughts), but Espach is adept at handling it all with grace, humor, and compassion. I really enjoyed this one. Special thanks to the author and Henry Holt and Company for this ARC.

This plot was absurd in the best way possible and unlike anything else I’ve ever read! The characters were so vivid and well-developed, it was a joy to see them ebb and flow throughout the novel! I also loved the satire about the wedding industry. Quirky and laugh out loud funny at points, I’ll be recommending this to friends! Thank you for the ARC.

After a slow start an uplifting story of finding yourself and your way, and sometimes one another.
Quirky, surprising and humorous.
Bonus points for both settings.

With thanks to NetGalley & Henry Holt and Company for this e-ARC.

Expected Publication July 30 2024

First off, I want to thank NetGalley for giving me access to this ARC. I will be thinking about this book for a while.

Not gonna lie. This book took me a hot minute to get interested in, but once I was hooked I was in it for the long haul. The Wedding People was so near to perfect, but fell just shy of that sweet spot for me. The ending felt rushed (would have also liked a time jump style epilogue also but beggars can’t be choosers).

Character driven stories aren’t usually something I find myself reaching for, but this one did it for me. No character is perfect in The Wedding People, and I feel that’s what makes this story more human. (Side note: y’all will LOVE Gary!!)

I do also feel that more “things” should have either been not included or were given purpose (i.e. THAT car scene, IYKYK).

CW for suicidal ideation, infertility, miscarriage

P.S. This ~kinda~ gave The Midnight Library vibes if that’s something that would interest you also!

Phoebe has booked a hotel room and finds herself in the middle of a wedding party. Lila and soon to be husband Gary have rented out the whole hotel complex for their friends and family to celebrate a week prior to their big day. When Lila is finally met with Phoebe, she does everything in her power to make sure that her dream wedding goes as planned. I love the parts where Lila and Phoebe are together, how they are honest with each other, and this helps both of them. I found the beginning to be fairly slow when speaking of Phoebe’s reasons to booking this hotel room.

I liked this book. Phoebe has been left by her husband, Matt after yet another failed IVF procedure. He left her for their friend Mia, another professor at the University where they work. Then she discovers her cat Harry dead in her basement and this was the last straw. She decides to take off to stay at The Cornwell Inn in Newport for one night wearing a special green dress, her gold shoes and carrying nothing but her handbag complete with Harry's painkillers so she can kill herself. When she get to the hotel she is told that the hotel is completely booked for a wedding party but there is one suite that will be hers for the night. As she stands in the lobby, watching the wedding party arrive, she hears greetings and sees the bride, Lila arrive. Phoebe is given a welcome wedding bag and goes into the elevator to get to her room. As she is trying to close the door, Lila puts her hand in to try and reopen the door, drawing blood, and so the relationship between the women begin. Lila starts to question Phoebe and realizes that she is not there for the wedding. Phoebe then blurts out the she is there to kill herself and will not be in the way of the six day wedding celebration. Well that just does not work for Lila and somehow the two women start a unique friendship. In the meantime, Phoebe still plans to kill herself and wants to order a special last supper, but room service is suspended for the wedding. So she puts on a fluffy robe and goes down to the hot tub in her black lace underwear. Soon she is joined by an in interesting man and they have a fairly long conversation with Phoebe telling him that she wants to "f**k" him. He tells her he's sorry but he's taken. And so starts what is a maze of a story with lost loves, family dramas and the question of will the marriage actually happen. There were points in the book where I just wanted them to get on with it, but the basic story is quite good and it wraps up making you wonder what will happen next.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to preview this ARC.

Phoebe goes on a journey to to end things but winds up at a hotel as the only occupant not involved in an over the top wedding. Genuine connections ensue as she and others let their guard down and learn about each other as they walk through a process of personal growth. I did struggle to connect to many of the characters and didn't love much of the (for lack of a better term) overwrought introspection. But I loved the premise and the character growth and development. The novel seemed a mix of literary deep thought and a modern romance but I did find it enjoyable overall.