Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Kindle ARC. This is the second book I've read by Allison Espach and enjoyed it just as ..edu or more. While the title .might seem to indicate a light,frothy read or a rom-com, The Wedding People is anything but. Phones is at the end of her rope with her career and her husband who has been cheating with their colleague. She travels to a seaside resort with the intention of killing herself but is spared that fate by meeting Lila, the bride-to-be. Alternately touching, tender, funny and insightful The Wedding Peop!e is one of my favorite books of the year.

Alison Espach’s novel, The Wedding People, reminds us that life is a series of unanticipated twists and turns influenced by our encounters with people we meet along the way. Phoebe Stone is at a crossroads when she makes an impromptu decision to book a room at a prestigious Newport hotel. She arrives to find herself the only guest at the sold out hotel not part of a large and extravagant wedding. Over the course of the weeklong activities, Phoebe connects with many of the wedding people, including the bride and groom. Those connections result in life altering decisions for Phoebe and her new acquaintances.

The best part of this book is the dialogue which is sharp and witty. The conversations are funny, brutally honest, and long overdue. The Wedding People is filled with great wisdom and unexpected tenderness.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Henry Holt division of Macmillan Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4 Stars! So, I almost stopped reading this book in the beginning but I’m glad I didn’t. This book kept me interested and invested the whole time and I enjoyed reading it. I was getting teary eyed on one page and smiling the next. The main character, Phoebe, was funny, real, sad yet witty, even through the sadness of her life & the secondary characters were, for the most part, lovable and I was rooting for all of them to have a happy ending. I wouldn’t say this was a romance, but the ending makes you think the romance is coming for 2 couples after the book ends. I would’ve liked an epilogue to hint at those relationships a bit more but all in all it was a fabulous read that I’d definitely recommend.
*I received this book at no charge & I voluntarily left this review.*

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Alison Espach for providing this ARC in exchange for my review.

I’m going to give this 3.5 stars. It took me a while to get invested in this book, because I couldn’t stand half of the characters. To be perfectly honest, once I was able to enjoy this book, I still couldn’t stand half of the characters, but it was so entertaining I couldn’t put it down.

As someone from Tiverton, Rhode Island, I was quite literally overjoyed at my hometown receiving multiple mentions in a book. This story being set in Rhode Island was one of the main reasons I requested this book.

However, I ended up finding the book much more enjoyable and introspective than I thought. I haven’t read very many books where the main characters life gets changed so drastically in so many ways outside of their control.

I had little to no expectations going into this book, as this was my first read by this author, but it was so gripping once we got to the third day of the wedding week.

An absolute gem of a read!

Phoebe is unequivocally broken. Her marriage is over, she's deeply depressed and emotionally depleted. So she decides to make a plan. She books a flight, boards a plane and checks into her dream destination, an iconic seaside hotel in Newport, RI, with the intention of never checking out.

At check in, she learns the hotel is hosting an opulent weeklong wedding extravaganza and she is the only non-wedding guest. Shortly thereafter, the wedding people start rolling in. They are stunningly beautiful, filthy rich and seemingly one dimensional.

...but things aren't always as they seem.

Outrageously fun, wickedly dark and full of raw, complex characters, this is one wedding celebration you won't want to miss!

Goodness, I really enjoyed this one! Phoebe was such an easy character to love and cheer for as you went about this wedding weekend with her. I was worried at times that it would be a bit predictable but the author took some turns and I was really happy with the overall ending of this book. I am looking forward to recommending this one when it comes out.

Thanks Netgalley and Henry Holt for the ARC!

What do we do when we’ve lost our way and can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel? The Wedding People answers this question in a lovely, touching, heartwarming way while also being humorous and witty. This is one of my favorite reads in a long while and I believe it will be a grand success!
Dealing with life (infidelity, infertility, unfulfilling job, divorce) has left Phobe depressed and ending it all seems the best option. She flies to Newport, RI to a luxiorious inn to spend her last night in a beautiful place. That’s when she meets Lila, bride to be and sheer force of nature. Phoebe is sucked into Lila’s life and bridal party before she knows it! It’s not what Phoebe expected but “if the last few years have taught her anything, it’s that you can’t ever know who you are going to end up becoming.”
We then get to follow Phoebe as she becomes herself! The characters are wonderfully drawn and so real as they engage in the wedding events amidst the messiness of life. I had all the feels as my heart ached for Phoebe and then cheered her on. I wanted to shake some sense into Lila, but also tuck her into bed and tell her she would be alright! Both Phoebe and Lila make brave choices to live their lives and I enjoyed every minute of it.
The Wedding People is an endearing
read and a testament to the notion that life really can be what we choose to make of it. Look for it July 30, 2024. Thanks so much to NetGalley and Henry Holt for the chance to read this arc and this is my honest review.

Phoebe is a lost soul, traveling far from her home to end her life in a luxurious resort, the place she wanted to vacation at before her husband left her. She meets lively wedding guests and through these connections is given a second chance at having the life she deserves. The characters were very real and I loved the way they interacted with each other. Funny moments, thoughtful and wise, this book hit all the right spots for me. I highly recommend and hope it is given the success it deserves.
Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a gem. There are a lot of wedding books out there in general fiction but this one manages to stand out amongst the crowd. I loved this redemptive character driven story. Highly recommend!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Wedding People by Alison Espach.

Okay Espach, you're on my radar girl, this is a two out of two. Apparently I gave Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance five stars, and I rarely hand those out.

This gets four, only because it got a touch slow in the middle, but that doesn't mean that I didn't savor every single page. What a gift this author has. I will tell you to approach with caution as there are triggering topics, however, Espach really knows how to use humor and the perfect amount of care to make it a perfect part of the story.

My favorite part (sorry, I'm not going to offer a synapsis, you just need to read it) was easily the dialogue. So many hilarious and beautifully subtle moments, the exact kind of interactions that I just live for, zero stakes, dive headfirst kind. Fantastic.

I’m so conflicted……part of me loved this book after I got past the first couple chapters. The other part of me thinks omg what is wrong with all these people.
All in all it turned out to be a good book with a nicely packaged ending.
Fair warning if you have triggers that it does deal with suicide and mental health quite a bit in the beginning.

I loved this author’s first title and her sophomore work was no different. It has heavy made-into-a-rom-com potential, but a smart one.

I am a big fan of Alison Espach and this newest novel is both a departure and a marvel. But fair warning - it is not a romp, it is not mad cap, and it is not laugh out loud. What it is is a witty and mature meditation on aging, work, marriage, and the people who come in and out of our lives and why. Phoebe ends up as a faux "guest" at a large wedding at a resort in Rhode Island. She forms connections with many of the key players of the wedding, particularly the bride and groom. Let this story unspool and allow yourself to be carried along with its wise, melancholic and wry tone. Trigger warning - suicidal ideation. Thank you to Henry Holt & Company and NetGalley for the e-ARC.

I wasn't sure what to expect going into reading this book, but I was soon pulled in by the writing! It is so hard to pull off semi stream of consciousness narration (although it was interspersed with action and dialogue) without it starting to all sound the same or becoming over thought or over done. But this author does it perfectly! I wasn't sure if this was a mystery so was waiting for a twist, but it ended up just being a very human, relatable story with funny, sad, and very genuine parts.

The characters all felt like real humans and the very specific ridiculousness of a big wedding was so well captured.

I can't wait to read more books by Alison Espach!

I honestly do not know why Alison Espach has NOT written more books, and the only conclusion I can come to is that perfection takes time. And Espach is PERFECTION.

I requested this book on Netgalley because my favorite book of all time is The Adults, by Alison Espach. I have read it about once a year, every year since I picked it up randomly at my bookstore in 2010. Alison Espach is the literal definition of a hidden gem!! This book was too!! When I saw it on the listings, I knew I had to read it.

Truthfully, with how much I loved her debut, I went into this with high expectations, and this book exceeded them greatly. Her prose is perfect. The way she captures being a human and the wisdom that her books share is perfect. I'm so glad I was given the opportunity to read this, and I can't wait to purchase the hard copy and for it to become a best seller.

I loved this book so much. I went into it with all of the wrong expectations. I thought it would be a funny rom-com, but it was so much more. Phoebe is the person I want to be, and I felt her pain and growth so much. Lila is every bride that you want to punch in the face, but love anyways. And together? They are so funny you almost pee yourself. (Or was that just me? Might've just been me.) Add in a few of my favorite places in Newport, RI, and it was also a bit nostalgic for me.

I could not put this book down, I enjoyed it so much and am now sad it's done.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, now I have to talk this book up to all of my friends until next summer before they can read it.

Loved this hilarious book about a wedding gone awry with all its crazy repercussions. Phoebe goes to the famed Newport Hotel to kill herself (not a spoiler) but meets an attractive man in the hot tub and then runs into the woman who's getting married in a week and has booked the hotel for all of the festivities. And so begins the snarky humor, the heartbreaks of attendees, and all of the fun watching the interactions of the "wedding people" as they each prepare for the exciting event. It's a great look at how ordinary (and extraordinary) people react to and anticipate celebrations that are for all the right (or wrong) reasons!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

It's funny how the best books seem to just fall into your lap right when you need them. I requested a copy of this simply because I liked the cover and needed an airplane book; didn't even read the synopsis. I was thrown off at first to find out the main characters wanted to kill herself and man, did the story unfold from there! I loved the rawness of the characters, tiny hidden wisdoms, and the overall plot. Putting the chapters as days of the week made for a fast read all while the story pulls you in and envelops you.

I really tried to like this book. It sounded, from the description, that it would be a story I’d like. I almost DNF the book. I had to push myself to finish it. I found it a little bit dark at times especially with the issue of suicide. It also did not feel at all believable.

The beginning was a gut punch. The story continued with kindness and care for the characters. I love how each one found a way to be honest with themselves and each other that was hopeful and real. I loved it.