The (Anti) Wedding Party by Lucy Knott was the best rom-com!
This superbly written story was such a fun read.
The characters were incredibly relatable and humorous.
The plot was fantastic and the writing was captivating.
This was a delightful read that held my attention from beginning to end.

Thank You NetGalley and Aria for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I had a love / hate relationship with this book. i didn’t really enjoy the FMC and just found her irritating. She constantly let her insecurities get the best of her and couldn’t even be happy for her best friend in the world to get married. Really enjoyed Alex though.

My favorite part of the book was how the author described all the food and scenery in Italy. It truly made me wish I was in Italy devouring wine and pasta.

I wish Owen and Andie had more chemistry,. It seemed like they just didn’t really like each other.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.


As someone who is not a wedding fan, but has been in 3 weddings (grooms woman, bridesmaid, and maid of honor) there are a fair bit of similarities to mine and Andi's thought process on the matter.

I found the book entertaining, although I was still easily distracted from, 4 stars for that reason. I liked it but could not get lost in the characters and story.

This is such a hard book for me to review because when it was good, it was SO GOOD. But there was just enough to keep it from becoming a next level rom-com for me.

If I was judging just by the book boyfriend, Owen would be a five out of five stars. He's interesting and complicated and kind. He hates love and weddings just as much as the protagonist, Andi, but it's easy to see his resolve crumbling a lot sooner than hers. He's lovable and sweet and giving, and I always appreciate a MMC that doesn't have an eight-pack. He's in a good percentage of the novel, and I honestly could have used more Owen. His scenes with Andi sparkle.

I won't say that I disliked Andi, because that's not true. I was rooting for her the whole time, even when she was putting her foot in her mouth or being a hot mess. But I almost think her anti-wedding attitude and the almost physical comedy of some of the scenes would have played better in an actual rom-com on the big screen rather than on the page. The whole premise of the book is that Andi hates weddings and now she's her best friend's maid of honor. I get that the situation was difficult for her. But it took far too long for her to get her head out of her butt and realize that her attitude was hurting her friend, and if that had just happened a little earlier, I think I'd be rating this book entirely differently.

It's still a fun book, and I recommend it! The Positano setting is incredible, the food is it's own character, and you will completely get swept away in this world.

The (Anti) Wedding Party by Lucy Knott

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

Andi hates weddings. So when her best friend Alex tells her she's getting married in Italy, and asks her to be her maid of honour, she knows she's the wrong woman for the job. But Alex won't take no for an answer, and so begins a week-long trip to a beautiful villa in Italy, full of potential disasters that it's Andi's job to avoid. But what if she's the one causing them?

Enter Owen, fellow wedding-hater, Best Man and also the worst person for the job. Tall, sexy and warm, Andi can't help but feel the ice around her heart begin to melt when he's around. But as Andi and Owen grow closer, the disasters begin to multiply, try as they might to keep them at bay. Together, can they put their feelings aside and pull off a successful wedding for those they love most?

My Opinion

Andi has always had doubts about marriage, can she put them behind her to be the maid of honour at Alex's wedding? This was a sweet read and I read over 280 pages of this in one sitting, The best man Owen is also against weddings - what can possibly go wrong? This is going to make for a great holiday read, or with the descriptions of the Amalfi Coast it will make you think that are on holiday.

If you are looking for an easy, light-hearted read then look no further.

Rating 4/5

Started and stopped - not sure why? Maybe a little too of a slow burn. Maybe not enough of the relationship? I did like the travel aspect and I did like the relationship with her mom. Maybe will pick up again - maybe not?

Thank you Netgalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review! As always, all opinions are my own.

“Andi hates weddings. So when her best friend Alex tells her she's getting married in Italy, and asks her to be her maid of honour, she knows she's the wrong woman for the job. But Alex won't take no for an answer, and so begins a week-long trip to a beautiful villa in Italy, full of potential disasters that it's Andi's job to avoid. But what if she's the one causing them?

Enter Owen, fellow wedding-hater, Best Man and also the worst person for the job. Tall, sexy and warm, Andi can't help but feel the ice around her heart begin to melt when he's around. But as Andi and Owen grow closer, the disasters begin to multiply, try as they might to keep them at bay. Together, can they put their feelings aside and pull off a successful wedding for those they love most?”

Andi came across as excessively self-absorbed, which proved to be quite vexing. She seemed to constantly be preoccupied with herself and frequently emphasized her own virtue, citing her attendance at her best friend's wedding despite having been cheated on during her own nuptials. Unfortunately, these qualities left me with a negative impression of her. While I sympathize with the emotional turmoil she endured after being jilted by her fiancé on their wedding day, it is unjust to project her negative energy onto her best friend who is tying the knot. Rather, she ought to be a pillar of support for her friend during this momentous occasion. Being there for a friend should not pose a challenge.

Also, the pacing of the narrative was notably slow, to the point where the plot was scarcely discernible. In all candor, I am uncertain as to the intended direction of the plot. Was it centered around the wedding? If that was the case, then it concluded well before reaching the midway point. Alternatively, was it a tale of romance? If so, the characters appeared disconnected, lacking any significant chemistry or interaction with one another.



2.5⭐️
1.5🌶️ (closed-door)

Tropes :
* Italy
* Gastronomy
* Forced Proximity
* Grumpy/Grumpy
* LGBTQ+
* Found family

Andi hates weddings because of a traumatic experience from her past. Yet, she has to be the maid of honor for her best friend.

This book is somewhere between three and four stars for me. Andi has strong opinions about weddings, opinions that she reluctantly accommodates during their week in Italy. I wasn't a fan of some of her actions, but she didn't quite irritate me enough to hate her. Owen, the best man, supposedly hates weddings as well. However, I didn't quite believe that based on his actions. He was sweet, helpful and will make you swoon. The two worked together really well, I liked their interactions and the way they built their relationship. The descriptions of all of the food they ate were delicious, I was hungry for most of the book because of them. Sometimes it felt like the food was talked about more in comparison to the main couple, though. I loved all of the side characters, and I enjoyed the writing style.

A fun, easy and romantic read with only a hint of spice but a lot of tension. I would recommend reading it, but keep in mind that you might not be crazy about the main character!

Pretty good book of you try to look past the mcs attitude. Was hard to do, but it did end up getting better

This was such a difficult read, not because of its storyline but because of the main character. I think this is the first time ever I hate a main character in romance book. The main character is unsufferable, annoying and has a lot of negativity. I get that she have trauma due to her ruined wedding but it did not excuse her horrible actions toward her best friend who is so excited and happy to get married. The least thing she could do is to be happy for her friend. I just don't care about the romance anymore when I'm so annoyed by her character.

One thing I genuinely enjoy is the wedding location. It's perfectly described and atmospheric.

Thank you to Netgalley for the review copy.

DNF @ 16%. The MC was insufferable and couldn't put her feelings aside for even her best friend.

Also I was so confused on the timeline? Did her wedding get screwed, then days later her best friend announces hers and within a week they're in Italy for that wedding??

Thanks to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for an advance copy.

4 stars ... This story on location for a friends wedding had some parts that were fun to read and others that seemed a bit juvenile in the telling. I appreciate that it gets better as you go and our leading couple have good connection that was shown more effectively as the story progressses. I reeived ann early copy of this story from NetGalley in return for my thoughts on the tale.

Getting into the story was difficult for me. The main character Andi is unsufferable, she's annoying and has a lot of negativity. I get that her wedding was ruined but at least she could be happy for her friend's wedding. The Italian setting was beautiful.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me.

2.5
My rating mostly has to do with the main character. I couldn't get past how unbelievably selfish and self centered they were. I understand they went through something traumatic but it does not excuse their horrible actions. I also felt no chemistry between the two main love interests. One thing I did enjoy was the destination wedding part. The author did a great job of setting up the scene. Overall, this one was not for me at all. The pacing was all over the place and I couldn’t care about the romance when I despised the main character. I hope others love it though!

Thank you so much to the author and publisher for my gifted copy on #netgalley All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I had a really hard time getting into this one and didn't really feel like it was worth it in the end. I wish I had connected with the characters a bit more.

Wow, what a brilliant novel! Highly reccomend.

Andrea is surprised when her best friend asks her to be her maid of honour in her Italian Wedding. After all Andrea hates weddings and all things wedding related. With good reason of course. At her own wedding Andrea found her fiancé in a very compromising position with her maid of honour. Needless to say since then she hasn't much believed in love. But as best friend of the bride she has a duty to make it the best day ever. Even with all her own fears and anxieties at the forefront of her mind. But she knows she can get through this day and put all that away for a while. Cue Owen, Andrea's double in terms of beliefs of love and weddings. It's one thing for Andrea to hide her feelings about love but when Owen constantly reminds her, how is she ever going to stay positive about all this. Add to that the fact that everything she is planning for the wedding is seemingly going wrong. But is true love really a myth? Surely not. She see the way her best friend Alex and her Fiancé Charlie are with each other. So if true love does exist, then can Andrea ever find it? Is it out there somewhere or is it right here in Italy?

I am obsessed with this book. This has to be the best ARC I have had the privilege of reading. So cosy and comforting and immediately draws you in. I loved it that much I actually didn't pick it up for a few days as I just did not want it to end. This is a must read!

I was so excited to get an opportunity to read this one and while some aspects of the book fell flat for me, I still enjoyed it!

HIGHLIGHTS
- a destination wedding
- grumpy/grumpy ( a nice change from grumpy x sunshine)
- the writing style
- the plot line!

STRUGGLES
- The main character (I get she dealt with some trauma but she didn't strike me as a girls girl)
- The romance didnt seem to connect the main characters enough

My thoughts





Narrative and Plot





Some books have titles that make sense with the overall theme or that one particular moment. The Anti-Wedding Party definitely stays true to its name. It's a rom-com about a jaded maid of honor and best man who are reluctantly part of their respective best friend's wedding.
















Coming from a completely different culture and a country where if you are broke, you can never think of affording a visa for Europe no matter who is paying for the whole trip, I can totally see the main leads who shouldn't have been dragged into this wedding party in the first place if they didn't want to. I say this because a lot of the reviews for this book were about the unlikeable protagonist who couldn't be nice to her generous friend. Maybe I am as cynical as Andi. If you are someone who feels disillusioned by the idea of romance but is still a closet hopeless romantic, this book is for you.




















Characters and Conflicts






The Anti-Wedding Party is more about character arcs and finding yourself again than the plot. It is as much about friendship as it is about romance. Alex and Andi have a lifelong friendship. Whether it would stand the test of time and their separately evolving life is one of the many conflicts of the story.

Towards the second half, the book meanders a bit to set up the final conflict. However, the story takes its time to realistically resolve the same rather than bringing it all to a crescendo at some final event.
















Also, Owen is like the ray of hope at the end of a dark tunnel. The chemistry between the leads shone throughout like an Italian sunshine. The ensemble cast complements the leads just right. The picturesque location and exotic food only add to the charm. 
































Conclusion







I enjoyed reading this unconventional love story of two cynics. It is meant for those people who have felt heartache in any form at some point. It reminded me of the Chris Evans - Michelle Monaghan movie Playing it Cool, where the leads hate the cliched rom-com tropes but end up starring in their own whirlwind rom-com. If you are looking for something like that in your next romance rather than the giddy HEA, give this one a try.

Andi has some very personal reasons as to why she dislikes weddings and romance. As soon as Owen steps into the picture she relaxes a bit and focuses on her best friends wedding. Lots of funny moments that will try to derail the wedding and how Andi and Owen try to move forward to make the wedding happen. The writing is a little on the wordy side, too much explaining in between character dialogues.

A struggled to finish this book as from the very start the main character Andi just didn’t sit well with me, she’s strongly disliked, the overall story would be amazing if written with a character people could get on board with