Synopsis: Phoebe takes a trip to her dream hotel in Newport, Rhode Island during her absolute lowest. She didn’t expect week long wedding festivities to be occurring at the same time as her stay, but it ends up being the best thing for her.

Thoughts: This is not a lighthearted book, as it deals with some very tough and real topics (e.g., depression, divorce, infertility), yet the author sprinkles in humor, joy and wedding antics to make it a perfect summer listen. The writing was beautiful, the dialogue made me feel like I was in the middle of all the conversations and the characters slowly became my friends. There were so many times my heart was aching for Phoebe, but at the same time I loved her journey of self-discovery and how by the end of the book all I wanted to do was cheer her on. Definitely a read that looks at how messy life can be and what it looks like to come out on the other side. On audio, I was could not stop listening to Helen Laser’s beautiful narration. She truly made me feel all the emotions. Thank you Libro.Fm for the gifted copy.

I loved this! Ate it up! Couldn’t put it down! It is one of my most favorite books this year and will be recommended many times to others in the future. Outstanding narrator as well. Recommend for fans of A Man Called Ove

I listen to the audio version of The Wedding People and I enjoyed it immensely. This was a story about chance encounters and finding a new path. I enjoyed the story, the narration and grew to love the characters.

I was really excited for this book and the premise, but it did not do it for me. The narrator was great, but it took too long for the story to really be established. The writing was too pedantic.

This is my first novel by Alison Espach. I really enjoyed this creative contemporary story. Phoebe (FMC) shows up to a hotel that is fully booked with “Wedding People”. What happens next is a very honest and entertaining story. Highly recommend.

Helen Laser does a great job narrating.

Thank you McMillan Audio and NetGalley for an early copy. All opinions are my own.

4.5 ⭐️

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

I absolutelyyyyy adored this book and found the writing and storytelling to feel cinematic - super excited to see that a film company acquired the rights to the novel. The book covers a lot of themes but it never felt overwhelming or underdeveloped. At the root of it all it's a story about girlhood and the impact strangers can have on you. In one chapter it's fun and light-hearted and then next thing you know you're sucker punched with all the feels. I will say, this books covers some topics that could be triggering so definitely proceed with caution.

This is a perfect summer read and a great book club choice. Highly recommend and will continue to read more books by Alison!

I’m so sad but this was a DNF for me. I started it as soon as I received it because it’s been on my wish list for summer releases. The premise is so original-a woman going to a hotel to complete suicide is intercepted by the wedding party and befriended. What wacky hijinx could ensue! What a redemptive, hopeful tale it could be. It started out good, giving some background on what lead to the woman’s depression. I loved her snarky commentary on the wedding guests and it was so relatable that she made up names for them. She meets the bride in the elevator and I think this is where it’s going to take off. Nope. It dives deeper into why her life sucks and uses the word fuck so many times that I forget what we are talking about. Admittedly, I’m not a smut reader, but this was not sexy. At this point, I’m 14% into the book and it’s dark and not going anywhere and done hearing about people fucking.

What an amazing read! There are definitely triggers as in suicide, depression, divorce, affairs, and death off the page. However, this book is funny, relatable, happy, raw, and honest and talks about being an adult and all the baggage of finding yourself and staying yourself in such a beautiful way. I highly recommend this book to anyone!

I really, really wanted to love this audiobook, but I just couldn’t get into it after a certain point. I found myself really not caring what happened.

I absolutely loved The Wedding People! This book follows Phoebe as she arrives at a hotel, and she is the only guest that isn't a part of a giant wedding. I expected a chick-lit/rom-com based on the description, but I did not expect the DEPTH! Phoebe is in a dark place at the beginning of this book, and if you are someone who needs trigger warnings, please look up what those are for this book or message me. As I am in the beginning stages of one of the hardships Phoebe faced, I could feel her pain. I could see how she got to the beginning of this book, and what an absolute joy it was to see her journey to the end of the book.

All my love and all the stars.

I received an ALC from Macmillan Audio via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Narration was excellent.

Five stars! More stars! Loved this book so much. I immediately became invested in the story because of its rich characters and witty dialogue. The exploration of family, friends, finding yourself, and recognizing what you want from your life made the story meaningful and enjoyable. The setting was amazing! The narration was superb. I believe this audiobook will be well-received. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.