Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Format: Audio/Physical

4.5🌟 - I really liked it!

Thank you @henryholtbooks for the #gifted ARC and @librofm for the complimentary audio!

This was so good! This was definitely a buzzy book this summer and for such a good reason!! @readwithjenna has been killin’ it with her picks this year!

This is the perfect balance of dark humor, tender moments, starting again, and heavy topics.

Our girl Phoebe was on such a journey!! I loved seeing her navigate with the “wedding people” when she arrives at a wedding in RI with alternative plans.

This is the epitome of a character-driven novel, and I loved these characters! It had such levity despite the deeper topics, and it was executed with perfection!

Nuanced, funny, and uplifting!

Love, love this book. Espach manages to take a very serious topic- thoughts of suicide- and weave it into a relatable, thought proving, and surprisingly uplifting story. It has the right amount of light and depth. The opening was great- we get to dive right in as she arrives to the hotel, The Newport setting jumps off the page, and I love that I could see myself in both of these characters. Highly recommend!

In this unputdownable read, Phoebe is the only uninvited guest at a resort that has been bought out for a million-dollar wedding weekend. She’s indulged in a luxury room rental to wallow in her misery and intends to remove herself from this plane of existence at the end of the weekend, until her encounters with the bride, groom, members of the wedding party, and other invited guests help her to begin to shift her narrative and goals.

Phoebe’s darkly funny insights and observations on the absurdity and chaos of weddings, the grief of loss, and the weariness of just wanting it all to come to a halt–not necessarily to die, but for the pain and sadness to ease–are palpable, authentic, resonant, and human. The Newport, Rhode Island setting is both swanky and raw in the way only the New England coastline can be. Espach’s writing is magnificent: all juxtapositions, lyric and highly quotable. She captures not only Phoebe’s unique voice, but those of the supporting characters, who are fully fleshed out and reveal to be equally weird, awkward, conflicted and human. The cover perfectly fits the narrative and I want to place my dumpster fire and everything’s on fire memes with the image of a woman drowning in blue waves, only her hands visible as one throws up a peace sign and the other clutches a bottle of champagne, in the ultimate everything’s fine/not fine gesture. Worth the hype, this riveting read straddles the spectrum of beach reads between Elin Hilderbrand and Anita Shreve beautifully.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #TheWeddingPeople via #NetGalley courtesy of #HenryHolt.

Incredible; absolutely worth all the hype and praise.

Espach manages to fit a whole universe into 6 short days surrounding a society wedding. Characters are so painfully alive, so fully real, as they tackle huge questions of love, grief, loss, and what it means to be alive.

This was something I never expected but I enjoyed it nonetheless. A great book club book but beware of trigger warnings!

I could NOT resist picking up The Wedding People by Alison Espach when I read the synopsis. Something about it was so intriguing. And the early reviews were glowing. I’m so very happy I didn’t let this one pass by. Deeply compelling, humorous and heartbreaking, I didn’t want this one to end.

This is one of those books that will be very hard to review without spoilers, but I recommend going into it as blindly as you can, just maybe checking out those content warnings before you start, if you’re someone susceptible to triggers. It contained a few of the triggers I typically try to avoid, but the author handles them with such care and humor, they didn’t bother me at all.

Phoebe arrives at the Cornwall Inn in Newport, Rhode Island, dressed in her most glamorous dress, not a piece of luggage in sight, and not expecting to encounter a crowd of wedding people arriving for a destination wedding. She’s quickly mistaken for a wedding guest since the entire inn has been reserved for wedding people only.

Phoebe’s reasons for booking the best room at the inn for one night only is rooted in grief, but as she encounters the wedding people, she can’t help being pulled into their lives, especially the bride, Lila, who has planned her perfect wedding down to the smallest of details.

If you’re picking this one up expecting a romance, there is romance, but this is a story about Phoebe pulling through the most difficult time in her life, with help from others, but also on her own. She learns that even though life doesn’t have ‘tied in a bow happy endings’, there is happiness to be found even in the hard times. And isn’t that the only way to really survive in this thing we call life?!

With a plethora of colorful characters—the inn being its own character, as well—like Phoebe, I didn’t want to leave this charming setting, but I knew I eventually had to. None of the characters are perfect, they are all fully flawed, but still lovable, which is also true about real life. Those around us who we might not like all the time, but we can find redeeming qualities, if we look hard enough under their tough exteriors.

And if you’re an Edith Wharton fan like me, you might know she had a house in Newport, Rhode Island, so I was happy to find some fun references to one of my favorite classic authors.

I was not surprised to see that this one has been picked up to be adapted with the beautiful setting, great cast of characters, and heartfelt storyline. I was equally excited to see this one had been chosen for the Today’s show’s #ReadWithJenna book club pick. The Wedding People deserves all the attention!

If I wasn’t already a fan of the author, I probably would've dnf-ed this book early on. I was blown away by Espach’s previous novel, but “The Wedding People” is comparatively empty. So much of it is light-hearted and jokey but missing much-needed depth and gravity. The protagonist is at the darkest point of her life, and I never felt it. And later when she does a sudden 180, I didn’t believe it—which subsequently dulled the better parts of the novel: The hopefulness and the soft vulnerability of the characters, who are reaching out to each other, trying to form connections, and surprised to find happiness and belonging.

This is a smart and moving look at a woman who is at a crossroads in her life. I think many will relate to this story about a point in life when some dreams are lost but new dreams haven’t emerged. Throw in a beautiful setting, the chaos of a wedding, and unexpected connections between strangers, and you have a very readable and compelling story.

I tried so hard to like this book. I kept putting it down and kept coming back until I just had to DNF it. Every time I picked up this book I got depressed and in a bad mood. Based off the blurb on the back I thought I would love this, but unfortunately just wasn’t for me.

5 stars
⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Wedding People by Alison Espach is a beautiful book that really pushed me out of my comfort zone and completely captivated me at the same time.

I went into The Wedding People thinking that it would be a fun, light, and fluffy beach read and I was extremely wrong. But what I got was so much more. It was hilarious, sad, heartbreaking, dark, a little absurd, and filled with a whole lot of soul. .

A big thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, Henry Holt & Company, and the author, Alison Espach, for this ARC

This was a unique book that was out of my comfort zone but I loved it more than expected. I know not everyone will love this book at my library but the uniqueness will be what others love. I loved how it had such range in the story- complex characters dealing with real life issues but also so much humor that reminded me of Gilmore girls writing for some reason.

I actually first heard about this book from a friend and thought why not and dove in. I actually had no idea what this book was about but I loved everything about it. I have absolutely no notes or critiques on this book is was just a perfect book for me. I love books about main characters who change their entire lives.

This was a tougher book to read than I expected. The heavy themes of infertility and mentions of suicide hit close to home for me but pushing through was so worth it. I loved Phoebe, even though her life is in shambles and she has the intent of ending her life, somehow she finds happiness and peace at someone else’s wedding. Lila is so full of life. The two are an unlikely pair and their friendship blooms in a beautiful way. Gary seems sweet and him and Phoebe strike up a friendship as well. The side characters bring humor to the book as well which I loved, mostly Juice.

The audio was really wonderful. I really enjoyed the structure of this one since it was broken out into each day of the wedding based on event. The fact that this is set in Newport and mentions so many local places made me so happy. I actually took a drive around Newport to see a few of the places mentioned and try to guess which hotel the wedding hotel was set after.

I can’t recommend this one enough.

if i'm not supposed to judge books by their covers, why do they have such beautiful ones?

and i have to call this installment of picking reads based on visual aesthetic a success. what a damn good time!
there is no medicine quite like the subgenre of book club fiction in which everything starts out completely terribly and then is incontrovertibly solved within a few hundred pages. it's restorative, like a good haircut, or a well-toasted bagel. keeps ya going.
this is a great example of that especially, because it's funny. books are rarely funny. i'm a really big fan of them (and i have the serial killer-adjacent level of meticulous goodreads history to prove it) but even i have to admit it. not exactly the go-to location to laugh any harder than when you kind of puff air out of your nose.
but this was funny, and restorative, and (although predictable in its plot points and its half-twists) pretty unique.
a pretty big win for judging by covers, i have to say.

A resounding 5 stars to the Wedding People. This melancholia turned heartfelt book will really tug at your heartstrings. It is a beautifully sad story to start (suicide warning) but becomes so full of life and love. I laughed out loud inappropriately and genuinely laughed at this book. It is unique + endearing + plain old fun. The friendships made in the book are everlasting and I am sad it is now over. This book and these characters will remain with me for awhile.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, Henry Holt & Company and the author Alison Espach for this ARC.

The book was released on July 30, 2024. It is a Read with Jenna pick and also a Book of the Month pick. Believe the hype, go purchase this book!

This was a great read to end my summer reading with. I enjoyed the story, most of the characters, it was funny, and poignant, and it made me think. Phoebe’s character was relatable, even though many people have not experienced her exact circumstances. I loved the theme of kindness. Especially treating strangers with kindness. In today’s world, kindness goes a long way. This book will stick with me for a while!

<i>thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!</i>

i totally understand the hype with this one - it's written beautifully and has that litfic melancholy that any book about a depressed main character would have. phoebe intends on taking a bunch of painkillers and leaving everything behind after her husband leaves her for another woman. the weekend she's made the decision to do so, she ends up getting involved and wrapped up in the shenanigans of an extravagant wedding at the hotel she's booked to spend her last days on earth.

but after the first third of this book, the suicidal narrative of the main character become almost absolute once she's involved - literally - in the wedding of a stranger she's become close with. phoebe and the bride to be end up confiding in each other about everything which results in phoebe stepping in to be the maid-of-honor.

there's humor, introspection, and a bunch of drama with the family members of the wedding party (even the start of a potential romance). again, written beautifully, and i really enjoyed the story, but i felt as if it kind of just dismissed the fact that phoebe was intending on ending her life in exchange for a sort of rom-commy type of plot with an open ending.

This is such an entertaining book. I was hooked with minutes. The characters are interesting as is the story line. I loved the entire story and cannot wait to read more from this author!

The Wedding People, this summer's much-talked about novel, is as funny as it is sad but ultimately an uplifting character study during one of the most stressful time in a person's life: their wedding. When Phoebe arrives at a famed hotel in Newport, Rhode Island, she has on thing on her mind-and it's not a wedding. As the only person in the hotel who is not part of the week=long wedding celebration, she is easily mistaken for a wedding guest. She has planned one-last (or maybe first) splurge just as the meticulous bride has accounted for every last detail in her wedding celebration-and she will not let anything or anyone ruin it. Alison Espach has created a character study that allows readers to peel back the layers of Phoebe's past and what led to her arrival in Newport. Lila, the heiress bride, is more than the one-dimensional persona she displays to most people. While the book felt a little lengthy at times I absolutely enjoyed meeting the wedding people and their journey along the way.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

The blurb said this one was “absurdly funny” and I disagree. For me it was a little sad, only a little funny and a little thought provoking. It’s a maybe for me. Don’t get me wrong, overall it was okay just really slow for me and not what I’m used to or expected.