2.5/5
Thank you so much for the ARC. Sadly, this book was not for me. The female main character was really hard to connect with and I found her annoying and unbearable. She was self centered and that’s why I couldn’t look past it. It was sooo negative.

Andi, the main character of the story, catches her fiancée cheating on her on her wedding day. Understandably following this event Andi is anti weddings and love. When Andi's best friend is set to get married Andi becomes her maid of honor. Andi still has all these negative feelings about love and getting married but her relationship with her best friend means more so she agrees to being her maid of honor. Ironically, the best man has very similar views and is anti love and weddings as well. I am sure by now you have guessed but as Andi, the maid of honor and Owen, the best man spend time together they begin to catch feelings for each other.

I struggled with rating this story because overall I like the storyline but I could not get past my dislike for Andi's constant negative attitude. In some books unlikeable main characters work but for me in this story it did not,
Thank you to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing a copy of this book. I really enjoyed this one. It was the perfect read to get out of a reading rut. While Andi was an unlikeable character for the most part it didn't take away from the story.

I wanted to read this book and review because I loved the idea of it and the blurb really drew me in. However I just couldn’t get into this book. The chemistry between the 2 main characters just sort of came from no where and I didn’t truly believe in them. It might have been nice to have a different POV at times.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!! Lucy is the queen of Italian settings. I've been there and she still makes me dream of going back and being there, like yesterday! The descriptions are breath-taking, especially when it came down to the food! Oh, the food. I just want an outdoor table surrounded by lemons full of Italian food just for me. I don't need a wedding, just give me all the food please!!!
Like with all of Lucy's books, I found this story new and different. Andi is unlike any of Lucy's previous characters and I loved her for that. Yes, she had her moments where her sarcasm and hate for weddings got the best of her, but wouldn't you if something horrible hadn't happened to you on your wedding day? Lucy keeps her characters real and flawed, but even so Andi wasn't mean. She wanted to do her best despite her own feelings and she always checked in with her best friend and was honest. Her relationship with Owen was sweet and at times I found myself laughing out loud at their banter. It was cute seeing them grow and learn together and let each other in slowly.
The friendships were lovely too in this book, as well as the relationship Andi had with her mum. I enjoyed everyone.
Food, family, funny! My 3 F's for The Anti Wedding Party.
I absolutely loved it and highly recommend it!

Thank you to Aria & Aries and Lucy Knott for the chance to arc review The (Anti) Wedding Party.

I found it really hard to make my mind up about this book. I nearly DFN at the beginning as it is very slow to start and I found Andi a very negative character. I appreciate she went through something awful on what is supposed to be the most important day of her life, but she didn't charm me. I almost wished the book started when the Alex asks Andi to be part of the wedding. This ramp up to a rom com of disasters and character come into there element. Andi's chemistry with Owen is dynamic and entertaining as they navigate disasters to get the loving couple to the alter to say I do.

In opposite comparison to the slow drag of the start, the end was wrapped up too quick leaving it feeling rushed! A great story full of of the ups and downs of being part of the wedding party and dynamics of friendships supporting each other through big life events. Beginning and the end weren't as polished as they could have been, but the middle was entertaining, funny and showed some wonderful character relationships and charming moments which were lovely and heart warming.

The (Anti) Wedding Party by Lucy Knott is a great contemporary romance novel that takes you on a journey of love, self-discovery, and friendship.

I enjoyed Andi and Owen's banter and single's crusade of being *anti* wedding. I especially enjoyed Andi's relationship with her mother and Knott's beautiful description of the Italian countryside.

My only gripe, which seems that a lot of people agree with, unfortunately was the FMC. Andi at first came off as charming and relatable in her heartbreak but very quicky stood in her own way. Her selfish tendencies made my sympathize for her best friend, Alex, and I wasn't quite sure how I felt.

With a witty dialogue and cute storyline, this book is a great choice for a light-hearted and enjoyable read.

Thank you to netgalley and the Aria & Aries team for an eARC in exchange for an honest reivew.

The (Anti) Wedding Party is a cute, fast paced rom-com. I loved the setting for the wedding being in Italy and the way that the author was able to describe how beautiful Italy is. I also really liked Owen and how he was always there to help Andi. Overall a fun rom-com!
Thank you Netgalley and Aria & Aries for the ARC!

I’m glad I stuck with this book as it was nice to see the character grow.

I admit I nearly gave up as I found the FMC to be incredibly selfish. However, she did grow and realise herself how wrong her behaviour was.

If you love a flawed character I believe you will enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lucy Knott, and Aria & Aries for the arc. As soon as I saw the cover of the book it reeled me in and I thought it was going to be really cute. It was a quick & light read. Though, I hated the protagonist. She was super annoying and there was no real chemistry built. The book fell flat for me, but Owen’s character and Italy being the setting kept me going. 2.75 stars.

I absolutely loved this book from start to finish. Andi and Owen's rocky start when they are thrust together as probably the two most cynical and reluctant Maid of Honour & Best Man in history for their respective best friends, is raking up bad memories for both of them that not even the allure of the Amalfi coast can obscure. Despite all of their hang ups about marriage, weddings and love in general, they soon find out that things don't always happen how you expect.
Andi was a breath of fresh air to me, it's refreshing to read an honest, unapologetic female character in romantic fiction that breaks the mold and is forceful in her determination to protect herself. It naturally leads to a character arc and realisation of how growth and change are intertwined, but even when she's being difficult and defensive you can see her raw vulnerability after all.shes experienced, and why shouldn't a character be written that way, it's honest and well developed, and I found it fascinating to read.
Owen's own cynicism and honesty perfectly matches Andi's and so sparks fly because in spite of everything, to everyone else they're clearly so well matched. The drama, the setting in a Positano villa, the endearing characters in Andi's Mum, Alex & Charlie, and most of all the mouthwatering food mentioned gives this story all the ingredients for a feelgood, uplifting & charming romantic fiction.

Fairly predictable rom com but it was still a good read that I enjoyed. I love the wedding aspect of the story.

The (Anti) Wedding Party is a cute and fun read, set in Italy, which is so lovely. However I had a hard time connecting with the characters. I may give this another read in the future.

This was an #arc from #netgalley and is available for preorder and is released on the 14th March!
I hate not to give a higher rating but I think I’m being generous because the book just was not for me and I nearly DNF at 20% … the couple went from engaged to flying to Italy in like 5 days then bought expensive boutique dresses and got them in 48 hours. by this point I was lost tbh but it was an arc and I wanted to love it. The FMC was annoying and she couldn’t even be happy for her best mate getting married.
By the second half I’m pretty sure the author wanted to remind us it was a Rom com because the phrase was used a hundred times! Everything was repetitive and I heard more about the chip shop and the food ingredients in Italy than I did about the wedding.
I hope of you pick it up you love it, because it has all the traits of a cosy read but I just couldn’t gel with it. Sorry

Thank you netgalley for the chance to read this. After Andi catches her fiance Hannah cheating on their wedding day, she clearly hates weddings and the concept of love. She is forced to celebrate her best friends wedding in Italy, coupled with an equally uninterested in love best man.

I want to say: I am NOT anti-grumpy female. I actually typically enjoy the female leads that you aren't supposed to like. But man...Andi is REALLY hard to like. I felt she lacked any real growth in the story which would offset how awful she can be. The pacing of the story was too slow to give Andi any real grace, and she's frankly JUST an awful friend. I liked Owen but he didn't provide enough counterbalance.

The descriptions of italy are beautiful though

This was such a cute, fun, easy read! Thoroughly enjoyed it!

Was Andi self centered and selfish some times? Yes, but I think that's what I like about this book that many other had a problem with. It's real life, no one is perfect or selfish 100% of the time, but I really liked Andi and Owen's growth while allowing love back into their lives.

Some side characters were top notch and I wanted some more interactions with them.

Delightful romcom, I do recommend it!!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I thought this was a cute, romantic read. It’s fun that it’s set in Italy! I loved the banter in this book, but I overall felt it was a little flat and It was hard to get behind Andi’s character.

Thank you to Netgalley and the published for an ARC in exchange for a review.

I wanted to love this so much but it fell flat. The premise has been done before but I feel like it could always be done better but this book wasn't it.

I struggled with staying engaged and focused on the characters. Andi was self-centered and woe me for the majority of the novel. Owen was a place holder. I could connect with either.

The description of this book sounded interesting and I had high hopes. Unfortunately I had a hard time getting though this book. I couldn’t relate to the characters and just didn’t really feel the connection between the main characters. I liked Owen’s character and felt like I was in Italy. I think I would have liked to see a more confident FMC. I like when a main character shows vulnerability but I felt like Andi was insecure throughout most of book and she let it get in the best of her. This book wasn’t for me, but if you like lighthearted romance books, banter, and the Italian countryside, you may like this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Aria & Aries for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion. This book will be published on March 14, 2024.

This was cute, sweet, charming and adorable. This was pretty predictable though which sort of took away from my overall experience in the book.

It was cute, but nothing you haven't already read.