Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for this amazing ARC. All opinions are my own.

The Wedding People is the uniquely original tale of Phoebe Stone, adjunct professor of nineteenth century literature—think Jane Eyre, Pride & Prejudice—adoring wife, wannabe mother—or so she thought. She arrives to the Cornwall one day with plans that are quickly interrupted by... the wedding people.

Now that is how you write a blurb/summary/synopsis/whatever-you-want-to-call-it for a book! I was totally taken aback by this book, and so quickly I might add. Just instantly hooked. Quickest I finished one of these books in a while. May need a trigger warning for certain readers, but other than that, it was truly something to witness. All these characters are filled with such life and it's told in the third person!

I really resonated with Phoebe and her struggles and her decisions. It was like the author was reaching out a hand to me and saying, "See...it isn't just you." Even the aftermath, in the ways she was thinking was incredible to me. She has become one of my favorite book characters in a while.

I'm pleased there will be a screen adaptation of this book because I could totally picture it as I was reading the book. Can't say enough good things about this book. Truly special. Now...not everyone may have the same experience reading this book. I was thoroughly entertained and that's all that matters in the end.

THANK YOU for this ARC! I ADORED this book. Without a doubt, this is going to be one of my top 10 reads of 2024. I loved how quirky and funny it was, while also having moments of seriousness (especially and mainly towards the beginning). Plus, the setting??? I want to go to the magical, stunning Cornwall Inn in Rhode Island! Oh, to be a fly on the wall during this wedding week.

I can't wait to see this novel get all of the attention it deserves!

4.5 stars

Phoebe Stone is lost. Figuratively. She is lost in the shambles of her life, her broken marriage, the career she sticks with because she’s too afraid to reach for anything higher. So she books a flight to Rhode Island to spend a night at The Cornwall Inn and end her life. But things, as they do, go awry and her plans are disrupted due to the appearance of Lila and her week-long wedding. Along with Lila comes the groom, the entire bridal party, and the wedding guests, also known as “the wedding people”. These people and their interactions end up changing the trajectory of Phoebe’s life (and maybe mine too).

I always say I love a character study when it’s done well. This was done well. But I'll be perfectly honest and say that when I started The Wedding People a little over a week ago, I wasn't convinced that I was going to like it. I wasn't yet connecting with Phoebe and I was having a hard time with her newfound friendship with Lila because I found Lila to be the epitome of a bridezilla. However, once I gave myself a little time with it, I realized that Lila being a bridezilla was the point and my mindset altered. After that, I almost couldn't put it down.

“She didn’t understand how she could love herself. She didn’t understand what people even meant when they said they loved themselves. She honestly didn’t believe them. How could you love yourself?”

I've said it once and I'll say again that contemporary fiction is really hit or miss with me. Alison Espach managed to completely change my outlook on her version of contemporary fiction because The Wedding People is a work of art. After my initial issue connecting with her, Phoebe became one of my all-time favorites because she’s exactly who she is. She may have had trouble expressing herself and letting herself be known to others but that is more relatable than I can say (clearly). I loved every moment of her character growth and the massive amounts of development we went through together less than 400 pages.

“And maybe they are all lonely. Maybe this is just what it means to be a person. To constantly reckon with being a single being in one body. Maybe everyone sits up at nights and creates arguments in their head for why they are the loneliest person in the world.”

Phoebe is not the only character that had an impact on me. Espach has the masterful gift of creating characters that stick with you. Every person in this book, major or minor, had a role. It did not matter what the role was - it was important to see all of these characters contrasted against each other. Gary, Lila, Jim, Marla, Juice, the list goes on but they were all crucial to their own development. I’m not sure I’ve ever before read a book that takes this dynamic of each person being important and having it work so well.

“‘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.’ This sounds true to Phoebe. This sounds like exactly what she wants, what she has secretly always wanted. To read books when she wanted to read books. To be sad when she was sad. To be scared when she was scared. To be angry when she was angry. To be boring when she felt boring.”

Not only are the characters captivating, the writing was on a planet of its own (if you couldn’t tell by the amount of quotes in this review - and this is only a handful of them). Writing style is an important factor of any great novel and Espach’s lyrical and humorous yet matter-of-fact style is the glue of this story. She made me laugh and cry and sometimes both of those things took place within the span of one sentence. Every topic, heavy or otherwise, was handled with such grace and delicacy but still managed to give me an eye-opening reaction every time. Contemporary fiction authors, look this way for inspiration because Alison Espach has it in spades.

“I think we talk about happiness all wrong. As if it’s this fixed state we’re going to reach. Like we’ll just be able to live there, forever. But that’s not my experience with happiness. For me, it comes and goes. It shows up and then disappears like a bubble.”

I could blabber about The Wedding People for hours if you let me. But I will instead say this: whatever you do, whoever you are, whatever situation you’re going through, read this book. There is so much more to it than meets the eye. I can foresee this being one of the most-loved books on my shelf and I can’t wait to share it with everyone I know.

Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Co. for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

A woman who plans to kill herself changes her mind when she accidentally gets swept into a destination wedding and all the people involved in it. As the woman finds herself interacting with the bridge, groom, and others over and over again, she realizes that maybe life is worth living after all. Author Alison Espach brings humor and heft to a serious topic in her latest book The Wedding People.

On a weekday morning when she should be teaching a class in St. Louis, Phoebe Stone has made a decision to leave everything behind. Her dreams to be a mother have failed along with the latest IVF treatment, her marriage has fallen apart after her husband confessed to an affair, and it’s clear to Phoebe that she’s probably going to be an adjunct for the rest of her life. There’s clearly nothing left to live for.

Phoebe can’t take it anymore. On a whim, she puts on the fanciest dress and shoes she has and boards a flight to Newport, Rhode Island. During the pandemic, Phoebe and her husband, Matt, had scoped out the Cornwall Inn online. They talked about staying at the place, paying its ridiculous prices, and indulging in all sorts of luxury. Now Phoebe figures she deserves a little bit of that luxury before she kills herself.

As soon as she walks into the Cornwall, though, everyone from the receptionist at the front desk to random people assume she’s here to attend the wedding of Lila and Gary. All the other guests, it seems, are at the Cornwall to watch the couple say “I do.” Phoebe politely explains she’s here alone and would prefer to stay that way.

Unfortunately, her plans go awry right away when, in a frank moment with Lila, Phoebe states her intentions to end her life. Lila makes it clear that Phoebe absolutely can’t do that; not this week, at least. Lila has gone above and beyond to plan the perfect wedding week: six days of extravagant activities followed by a magazine-worthy, Instagrammable ceremony. After everything she’s gone through to put the event together, there’s no way Phoebe can ruin it. To her deep surprise, Phoebe agrees to postpone her plan.

The postponement eventually becomes a complete change as Lila starts introducing Phoebe first as an attendee and then a member of the wedding party. With her outsider’s view, Phoebe spends the week observing all of the people who have shown up for Lila and Gary’s nuptials. These include Gary’s sister, Marla, who clearly doesn’t approve of Lila, and Melanie, Gary’s tween daughter from his first marriage.

Between insisting she wants to be called “Juice” now and throwing dagger looks at Lila, the girl finds herself warming up to Phoebe in a way that surprises Phoebe even as it makes her feel better about herself. Through the entire week, Phoebe begins to gain a new perspective and realizes she didn’t want to die after all. She just needed to find a new way to live.

Author Alison Espach makes Phoebe a relatable, sympathetic character. While the subject of suicide might be a trigger for some, Espach approaches the topic with respect and care. The result is that even if readers may not agree with what Phoebe wants to do, they’ll have a better understanding of why she wants to do it because Phoebe’s sadness and heart-disappointment feel completely real.

Espach also takes care with the other characters—the wedding people, as it were. Lila’s naivete is balanced by startling moments of clarity that come right when Phoebe needs them. Gary’s struggle to be a good dad and a good fiancé all at the same time ring true. The other supporting characters, too, fill their roles well, even those who appear only for a handful of scenes.

The one major drawback to the book is the frequent discussions about sex, which can distract at times from the main narrative. Some mentions seem to make sense within the context of the scene; others feel as if they’ve been forced into the moment for the sake of titillation. In all reality, many of these instances could have been edited out and the book would have been just as strong.

Random discussions of intimacy aside, the book does what it sets out to do: it comforts and entertains by turns. While some writers, editors, and publishers have started to shy away from the label “women’s fiction,” this book is a shining example of what that genre gets right.

An especially good book with strong characters and easy banter. The main character checks into a resort where a week of wedding festivities is taking place she becomes immersed I the wedding party and leads about herself along the way. Sexy with literary references throughout make this a fun but thoughtful romp through some sound pearls of wisdom. Enjoy!

Copy provided by the publisher and Netgalley

What happens when one woman’s desperation collides with another’s celebration?

Phoebe’s life has been unraveling, and the college English professor has finally hit rock bottom. Her doctoral dissertation is nowhere near ready for presentation, the isolation of COVID still weighs upon her, her sixth and final attempt at conception via in vitro failed, her husband Matt had an affair with her best friend Mia and has left her, and now even her cat has died. She decides that it is time to stop trying and just end things, but wants to do so with a measure of elegance. She books a room at the high end Cornwall Inn in Newport, RI, arrives in a fancy dress and heels, and plans to kill herself after a fabulous dinner. She is stunned to find out that, with the exception of her room, the hotel is completely booked out by the guests for the wedding (a week long extravaganza) of Lila and Gary. Lila and Phoebe find themselves together in the elevator, and Phoebe lets Lila know that no, she is not here as a guest at the wedding, she is here to kill herself. Lila has no intention of a dead body interrupting the perfection of this very expensive, highly orchestrated celebration of what should be the happiest event of her life. And so begins an unusual relationship between these two women, one who desperately wanted a child she was unable to conceive, the other with a mother to whose expectations Lila tries to rise but often can not. The two find that they can confide things to one another that they haven’t been able to share with others, and impact one another’s lives in unexpected ways.
This is a novel with so much sadness and pain woven throughout, although there is humor as well. It is well written, and the characters are certainly well-developed, but I found it hard to connect with either Phoebe or Lila. Based on other reviews that I have read, I know that many readers have absolutely loved this story, so my reaction is not necessarily typical of what others might feel. I would definitely recommend that others give it a try, there were definitely moments that made me laugh and think….I just couldn’t get over my impatience with the two women whose stories are told. (To give it perspective, when I read “Eat, Pray, Love”, a book which so many absolutely adored, I just kept wanting to give the author a quick shake or take my cue from Cher in the movie “Moonstruck” with a slap and a “Snap out of it!!”. ). Fans of authors like Elinor Lipman, Julia Glass and Elizabeth Strout should especially consider adding this to their TBR pile…others have certainly found the characters more endearing than I did, and so they might too. My thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for allowing me early access to The Wedding People.

Smart, funny, and wise! I loved this novel. Alison Espach writes beautifully and with great humor. I loved how even some of the most despicable characters became layered and nuanced and not only understandable by the end of the novel but loveable too.

It is rare to find a book that is both fun and serious at the same time. I laughed and felt moved. I am so glad that Jenna picked it for her book club so that it can find more readers.

4.5 ~ This book is really hard to review for me. In the end, it was really good, great actually - however the beginning and premise rubbed me so wrong that it took me a bit to get past that and I came close to putting it down.
Phoebe arrives at a Newport, RI mansion inn dressed to impress to end her life just as Lila's wedding guests have descended upon the inn for her 6 day wedding event. Phoebe has dreamt of visiting this inn with her now ex-husband and takes it upon herself to choreograph this ending of her life. Lila is not at all happy she is there, everyone was supposed to be with her wedding party and how in the heck did Phoebe get the best suite? Phoebe spills the beans on why she is here (I really am not spoiling anything, this is all in the first pages of the book) and Lila is even more annoyed that this too will spoil her wedding. This premise is what almost caused me to stop reading. I was disturbed about the somewhat flippant discussion of suicide and that once Phoebe told Lila, she did nothing to stop her immediately.
However, continue I did and my gosh, this book is wonderful. Phoebe starts to mix in with the wedding people as she and Lila develop a comical yet very sweet friendship and Espach's writing shines. The absolute tongue in cheek mockery of today's wedding industry made me laugh repeatedly with gathering after gathering and complete understanding of the money pit in which it has become. The tender relationship that develops between Phoebe and Juice, the groom's daughter, was a lovely welcome surprise and shows Espach's versatile understanding of characters.
Please don't miss the afterword either, it was moving.
Favorite quote - “Nobody can take care of you the way you need to take care of yourself. It’s your job to take care of yourself like that.”
Upon reflection, I still think the abrupt start of the book was just a bit too shiny, if that makes sense? I do understand it a bit better now but I almost missed out on a gem due to that.
Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Co for an advanced copy in exchange of my honest opinion. The Wedding People is now available.

There’s a reason that this book is all over booksta right now and is the @readwithjenna August pick. It really is that good.
The author did a phenomenal job addressing dark topics with wit and humor because Phoebe was F U N N Y! She was one of the most endearing characters that I’ve read in a long time.

Favorite quotes:

“There is no such thing as a happy place. Because when you are happy, everywhere is a happy place. And when you are sad, everywhere is a sad place.”

“you can’t explain this kind of darkness to someone who has never felt it.”

“Little do they know the truly heroic thing is somehow… taking a shower and getting yourself to the grocery store.”

“But life is strange, always thinking this one thing is going to make you happy, because then you get it, and then maybe you’re not as happy as you imagined you would be because every day is still every day. Like the happiness becomes so big, you have no choice but to live inside of it, until you can no longer see or feel it. And so you start to fixate on something else”

Everything in this book made me think and it made me feel. It made me turn inward a lot and I think that’s why people are loving this book so much. This is easily one of the best books of the year!

The coconut spray…. Iykyk

A huge thank you to @henryholtbooks for my copy!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an advance copy of The Wedding People by Alison Espach in exchange for an honest review. I especially appreciated getting both the audiobook and the print copy so I could go back and forth.

I almost gave up on The Wedding People. The characters were annoying and flawed - and that is precisely what made me love them and want to know what happened to them. The narrative takes place over the course of six days at a historic hotel in Newport, Rhode Island, where Phoebe Stone, an adjunct professor of 19th century literature, comes on what she thinks will be a quick solo trip and finds herself deposited in the middle of a week-long wedding celebration - the only non-wedding guest in the entire hotel. As Phoebe, the bride, the groom, and the guests all interact, they become a community caught up in one another's drama. The author does a terrific job at painting the characters in many layers, exploring their motivations, dreams, fears, and in the end, asks one of the most universal questions: what is true happiness, and how do we find it?

Four stars for this surprising and enchanting novel.

The Wedding People was the perfect summer read. This book felt like a cross between Emily Giffin and Elin Hilderbrand, a story of female friendships and a beachy backdrop. English professor, Phoebe Stone checks into the Cornwall Hotel to escape a failed marriage and a myriad of other problems. She quickly realizes that she is the only guest at the hotel who is not a wedding guest of the very privileged Lila Winthrop. Phoebe is mistaken for a wedding guest and she quickly forms friendships with several key Wedding People including the bride and the groom. The author does a great job with character development in this book. If you enjoy literary fiction or female fiction you will want to add this book to your summer reading list. Thank you to the publisher and #netgalley for an advanced readers copy of this novel, in exchange for an honest review.

First thank you to Henry Holt books and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ 3.75 stars

Synopsis: phoebe checks into the luxurious hotel and is mistaken for a guest of a wedding being held there. She strikes up an unlikely friendship with the bride that changes both of their lives.

What I liked: this book really catches you in the feels. It starts out on a very dark note(check trigger warnings) which leads to phoebe's great arc. I really loved the growth of phoebe and Lila the bride and how they used each other to work through their grief and issues. There is so much wit and dry humor which I loved. I also loved how it wasn’t all wrapped up in a bow and more realistic. Overall there was so much depth to this story and it gives you so much to think about after reading.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it now in your local and online bookstores and libraries.

YOU NEED THIS BOOK!!! I cannot believe I've had this in my kindle library since February and I waited until now to read it. Truly kicking myself! Although this started off a bit more morbid than I had bargained for, it quickly became a humorous and heartwarming story of self-discovery, friendship, loss and love.

Phoebe arrives at a beautiful Inn she considers to be her "happy place" with a rather depressing plan. Upon arrival she realizes she's amongst an entire hotel of wedding guests and her attendance was a slip up on the hotels behalf. After a run-in with the bride, Phoebe is catapulted into the wedding affairs and embraced by the wedding people in a way that will forever change her life. What started off as a mistake just happens to be exactly where Phoebe was always meant to be.

I'll be recommending this book to everyone for quite some time. I loved the unlikely friendships, the quick witted humor, the direct and heavier conversations, and the tremendous growth throughout this uncommonly wise novel.

Pub. Date: July 30, 2024
Huge thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for my advanced copy!

One of the most excruciating experiences for the freshly divorced, a wedding brings out the fears, joys, and memories of Phoebe's newfound single life in THE WEDDING PEOPLE. Told over the course of the week before the wedding, the story is rich in details and presents the many dimensions of all relationships, friendships and family and friends drawn together for one emotion and event packed occasion. I felt as if I were in Newport, on the Cliff Walk, spotting the strained and loving moments. I empathized with Phoebe and enjoyed spending the week with her. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for the ARC of this book!

I'm not sure I've ever read a book that so deeply explores the nuances of the human condition. The character development was just outstanding. This cast of (mostly) loveable and quirky characters were full of personality and complex emotions. I think every single person in this book was going through something and they all could have used a little therapy!

Our FMC, Phoebe unintentionally crashes the poshest Newport wedding and unexpectedly befriends the bride. The two form a strange friendship that ends up being more impactful than either could possibly imagine.

The Wedding People is a testament to the relationships that see us through our biggest emotions. Espach peels back the many layers of each character and gets down to the raw and real. She deals with issues like depression, insecurity, loneliness, divorce, death, and infidelity. I adored Phoebe and the dark comedic spin of this book. I wavered with my rating because the beginning started so slow and it took me quite a bit to get into. But the tension-filled ending more than made up for the glacial start. I completely understand why it's Jenna's pick for August!

This review was SO hard for me to write. I wrote and deleted it like five times because conveying a feeling a book gives you can be hard!! I’ve never read a book that made me feel so… human.

It was the best and worst of human kind, all wrapped up in a must read for the summer. I cried, laughed, blushed, cringed, smiled and sobbed. The writing was beautiful, if not haunting at times. The characters, deeply flawed, still I saw myself in all of them.

Phoebe has hit rock bottom and escapes to a hotel on the ocean. Until she realized she unknowingly crashed a wedding that has booked the hotel for the week. The journey for Phoebe and Lila, the bride, and so many others brought tears to my eyes. I felt myself rooting for the characters the whole time. And I don’t think I’ve properly felt closure in the ending of a book like I did with The Wedding People. 🥹

Now that I’ve raved!!! The first 25% was hard to get through. Just a fair warning, check your trigger warnings or message me & I can fill you in. There was times when it can get pretty heavy but I promise, it gets so much lighter and softer as you go. Life’s hard right? But there’s a place for you always.

Thank you @henryholtbooks for the advanced EARC! 🫶🏼🥹💕

It's a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in sight, alone. 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 dreamt of coming for years―she hoped to shuck oysters and take sunset sails with her husband, only now she's here without him. Meanwhile, the bride has accounted for every detail and every possible disaster the weekend might yield except for, well, Phoebe―which makes it that much more surprising when the women can’t stop confiding in each other.

Phoebe and Lila end up forming the most unlikely of friendships and Phoebe suddenly finds herself in the middle of this wedding party. They are a messy bunch, each bringing their own set of issues. I found them all relatable and enjoyed the storyline of all the side characters along with the main ones. This book dealt with what starts as a very serious issue, but somehow manages to handle it in a way that was at times, laugh out loud funny as well. I didn't think that would be possible, but this author pulls it off in spectacular fashion. I was totally entertained the entire way through and was rooting for a happy ending for everyone. This was also a @readwithjenna book club pick, and I have had pretty good luck with her choices. Overall, a great Summer read for me with the perfect seaside setting, a wedding and a great story with substance and humor. I look forward to reading anything Alison writes in the future too!

Thank you to @henryholt&co, @netgalley and the author @alisonespach for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Wonderful read from start to finish! The main character was delightful and so was the rest of the cast. Wonderful story and message and I loved it!