This was a cute romantic comedy novel involving two characters who have been hurt by love in the past. Forced proximity, a grumpy-sunshine/enemies-to-lovers trope.

I did find that the main protagonist was a character that I couldn't connect with. She was ignorant and a few events in the novel made me dislike her. The plot was good, but on the slower side of things. Concept was definitely there, but I don't think it was executed properly.

Overall, a 3-star read for me unfortunately. There were definitely aspects of the book that I enjoyed, but overall, it wasn't for me.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of The (Anti) Wedding Party.

I was immediately drawn in with the cover - it is wedding season after all! Andi and Owen are averse to weddings, but can't avoid being the maid of honor/best man in their best friends' wedding. They get up to lots of shenanigans throughout and it was fun to see them come together in the end! ⭐️⭐️⭐️

When Andi finds her fiancé screwing her maid of honour right before they’re about to walk down the aisle, that’s it for love and romance for her. She’s not interesting in finding someone else or ever even contemplating marriage again.

So when her best friend gets engaged and plans the perfect wedding in Italy, as her maid of honour, there’s nothing she can do but go along with it. And when the wedding hating best man just happens to begin to melt the ice around Andi’s heart, can she possibly see a future with someone else?

⭐️⭐️⭐️

It took me a while to get around to this one, but I really enjoyed the concept. I thought the time frame for the wedding was a bit rushed and maybe that could have been drawn out a bit more to build more of the story. But overall it was a good novel!

Thank you Netgalley, Lucy Knott and Aria for this advanced reader copy of The Anti-Wedding Party in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for my earc of this book. Though I liked the premise, this didn’t deliver and I found the characters very difficult to enjoy so I DNF

It was just way too slow and boring for me. I was looking forward to reading it but even the writing style didn’t mesh with me; I thought it was flat and hard to read.

Closed door romance, with a very much ‘me me me’ main character. which also fell a bit flat for me.
but the story wasn’t a bad one. i enjoyed it for the most part!

This one fell a bit flat for me. The female main character was too self centered, too “me, me, me” and made it a struggle to finish the book. There also wasn’t believable chemistry between the two main characters. I really wish that there had just been a few personality changes with the female main character and I think that would’ve made all the difference in the world with this book.

The (Anti) Wedding Party was my first read from Lucy Knott, very light and easy to read, likeable characters and a dreamy setting!

This was a cute closed-door Rom-Com starring 2 jaded, anti-love characters who have been burned in the past. Forced Proximity, strangers to friends to lovers, found family, grumpy/grumpy-sunshine.

Andi is pretty grumpy/grumpy in all aspects except Owen who is kinda grumpy/sunshine. They fit well together, but it wasn't really explained. It seemed pretty Instalove/lust that brought them together besides them finding solace in the other's also anti-love/wedding points of view.

I was in love with Owen from the beginning. He's a sweet, lovely, caring, man who is the perfect best friend to Charlie. Lucy didn't really go into his past much so all the cryptic phone calls with his brother (who we never meet) about his past and such never really get answered. We don't really know what happened in his past relationships that turned him so cynical (besides the one he briefly mentions).

Good book, loved the scenery and the food so much. Italy reads like a dream. Positano has to be the most dreamy place ever and I could see it. The book was so descriptive and I loved the characters and the relationships too.
This was a really great book. Rink you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a first time read for me by this author so I didn't have any particular expectations going into it. I always love finding new authors to read, so I was excited to try this. It's a cute, closed-door romance with two characters who have had past disappointments. Andi and Owen are perfectly matched, both are wedding haters yet are forced to take part in a wedding for their loved ones. As they both set about trying to pull off a successful wedding, they also grow closer.
I would've liked to see a little more growth for the characters, especially Andi. The chemistry between Andi and Owen could also have been a little stronger. That said, overall, it was a light and enjoyable read and I did find it to be entertaining.
I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review

The cover and blurb of this book grabbed my attention and I thought I was in for a fun light rom-com. However what we got was a FMC who was so unlikable that I couldn't push my thoughts aside to finish this book.

Unfortunately, this is a DNF for me after 3 attempts to pick it up and keep trying.

I was pleasantly surprised to start this book and discover our heroine is bi. But unfortunately this book just couldn't grab my attention.

I tried to pick it up several times and just didn't care.

Sadly not for me.

I .hate givinga a books a little stars rating, but what can I say I just didn't feel this one.
I didn't connect to the MCs, to the storyline.
It was cute, but not for me.
2.5 stars

This was a light hearted, fun, romantic getaway read. I especially enjoyed the LGBTQ+ representation, and really liked that the main character was bisexual.

However, I would have liked more around the opening break up scenes, to learn to inner workings of how this effected her and why exactly it made her friends wedding difficult to experience. Like, was Hannah having an affair this whole time? Was it a fling? I feel I really wanted more here.

I liked the friendship dynamic and the relationship with her mother, this was heartwarming to read however I did find our main character to be quite selfish at times and negative and her constant moaning really made me want to put the book down.

The chemistry between the her and the love interest was a little lacking and I found their initial conversations to be really odd and confusing. Why were they talking about cheese? Why did she blush about it? I kind of found myself cringing inside and not because I think the author intended it this way.

Sadly this one missed the mark for me.

Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read the ARC for an honest review.

I figured this would be a light read with two people coming together and having some fun on the side of a friend's wedding. I expected starting non-traditional little side quests (like having a drink when something cheesy happens).

Ugh. not true.
A lot of reviews praise some of the food writing but I found even that quite basic.

The main character was annoying and didn't even have a great character arc.

The plot was confusing and very difficult to discern timelines. I felt the writing was very clunky and seemed to need another round of editing. I found this very flat, tough to get through, and I forced the finish.

thank you Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you're a fan of destination romances, then you'll likely enjoy the The Anti Wedding Party. The Italian setting really drew me in and I loved feeling immersed in the food and culture. Owen was a good hero, although he has his issues with relationships and weddings, I still was able to connect with him and root for him. Andi, our heroine, was unfortunately not likable at all. She was very selfish and had almost narcissistic tendencies. There also was a lack of chemistry between the two leads that made the book drag.

This was a refreshing read! But my god - it should come with a craving warning! The desperation I felt for Italian food whilst reading this, with all its intensely vivid description of it, was ridiculous 😂 This is a delicious love story in every sense of the word - a celebration of food, Italy and love. Owen was a top tier, beyond lovable book boyfriend.

What to expect:

- lqbtq rep
- Italian wedding - best man and made of honour
- they both hate marriage
- forced proximity

A new twist on an old trope! This book is a lighthearted and fun read for your next beach vacation (or destination wedding)!

Lucy always hits the mark with her books and this was no exception. A story that left me wanting to keep reading to see what would come next. Set against a sunny back drop with a wonderful storyline and a wonderful friendship