he Wedding People by Alison Espach

All I’ve seen is positive reviews for this book and here’s another one. I started off a bit unsure as it’s quite dark and I was nervous I wouldn’t get it - character driven fiction is not usually my favourite. But this one continuously surprised me with wit and so much heart.

I knew nothing about the story really, and liked it that way so won’t describe it, but check trigger warnings, and I can say that it’s about a woman who becomes incredibly invested in a stranger’s wedding.

This book had such perfect social commentary, amazing look at life through completely different perspectives. I never tired of hearing someone rant and how complicated all the different relationships were. It really captures how the same situation can be different depending on a point of view, and how life looks and feels different for everyone.

This was a fresh, beautiful and smart story.

I have to say audio is THE way this book should be consumed. It captured the humour, sadness and wit perfectly. I don’t know if it would crackle with spark the same way in print, and I doubt a movie would ever live up to it.

Thanks to @macmillan.audio for my audiobook, this one is out on July 30th!

🥂THE WEDDING PEOPLE🥂
𝒽𝓊𝓂ℴ𝓇ℴ𝓊𝓈/𝓌ℴ𝓂ℯ𝓃𝓈 𝒻𝒾𝒸
𝙿𝚞𝚋 𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎: 𝙹𝚞𝚕𝚢 𝟹𝟶, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟺
𝕄𝕪 𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘: 𝟝 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕤!★★★★★∞︎︎

🤏𝚃𝚎𝚎𝚗𝚢 𝚝𝚒𝚍𝚋𝚒𝚝...Phoebe is in her darkest days & has decided to end her life at her dream vacation spot only to realize she is the only guest NOT there for the weeklong wedding. The bride & Phoebe become the unlikeliest of friends….

🌻𝙼𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜...This is officially my fav book this year!! 🙌Guys, this one is absolutely life changing or it was to me! I just loveeeeddd it! 🩵I laughed out loud so much…the audio version was practically perfect in every way! 👌 I purposely would stop myself so I could keep this one going as long as possible! 🥰The characters are so well developed & I loved them all in their different ways! The humor is def dark humor & covers some big-ish topics(check TW if you do that..I do not 🙃), but everything was beyond relatable & the wit that came with it just made me smile so much! 😁I am a better person after I finsished this book..not even kidding. Please please please give this one a read/listen too asap! 🍾 @macmillan.audio
@henryholtbooks thanks for my gifted copy and @alison.espach you are such a fav! 🩵 Bravo👏🌺

This was my first book by the author and I went into it without reading the synopsis but immediately felt drawn into the story. I really liked the author’s writing from the start and found myself not wanting to put the book down!

I found the characters interesting and well developed and found myself really caring about what happened to each of them! Phoebe was such a great character and I found myself really feeling for her as the story unfolded and we found out more about her past and what has led her to where she is now. The premise of this book is really unique and I liked going in blind and finding out what was happening as the book went along.

The wedding setting was really fun and there was a lot of humor mixed in with some pretty heavy topics. I highly recommend this one!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc!

As Phoebe Stone arrives at her happy place, the grand Cornwall Inn, she quickly realizes she is surrounded by The Wedding People. As the only non wedding guest in attendance, she and the bride quickly cross paths and a unique relationship forms. This book is a great mix of humor, and some pretty heavy life topics as well, but they are interwoven by Alison Espach in such a way that I didn't want to stop listening to this book. I really enjoyed this book and felt like it served as a great reminder that even at our worst times, you never know what opportunities could be just around the corner for you. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this advanced copy, all opinions are my own.

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.

I loved this book so much. So much so that I’m ordering a physical copy now. I went into this novel blind, and I am so happy I did because I am not sure I would have chosen to read it otherwise. I will be reflecting on this story for awhile; it is a story about love, friendship, and life. Mostly life. I loved the characters and pleasant pace of the story as well as the plot’s balance between living through the hardest parts of life and the comedic relief. So very well done. I will certainly want to reread this in 5, 10, 20 years.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

The Wedding People is a fantastic read- even if you’re someone like me, and don’t enjoy weddings. Filled with dark and absurdist humor, heartwarming and poignant moments, heartbreak and mental health issues, family drama and unexpected friendships, this book really has it all. And I loved every minute of it. So much so that I expect I’ll re-read it sooner rather than later. It’s just that delightful.

Helen Laser did a pitch-perfect job narrating the audiobook.

Thank you Alison Espach, Henry Holt Books, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

4.5 stars! This book was so enjoyable and unexpected! Phoebe was likable and even if you can’t relate to why she visits the hotel, she is relatable as someone who is figuring out themself. This is a book about new beginnings, friendship and loss. I listened to the audio version in which I found the narrator pleasant to listen to.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the audio ARC.

People come into our lives for a reason, & this book is a beautiful showcase of that & the connection we all crave. I listened to an advanced copy of the audiobook & loved every second. Thanks to NetGalley!

I went into this story not knowing the premise & drawn by the cover, and wow I could not have been more pleasantly surprised!
Phoebe arrived at a Rhode Island hotel on her own without any luggage and with a specific plan in place. What she doesn’t expect is to end up in a lobby full of people gathered for a wedding that week where she’s the only guest not a part of it. She soon meets the bride and the two find confidants in one another as Phoebe regains a sense of her life.
Such a beautiful refreshing novel full of humor and heartache. The narrator Helen Laser was wonderful and conveyed both women so perfectly.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to MacMillan Audio & NetGalley for providing an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It's not like this book will need my glowing review since it's now a "Read with Jenna" selection, but here it is nonetheless. I was surprised to find this book so charming, since I read Espach's earlier novel and ... didn't love it (started strong, finished weird). But now she seems to have gotten a bit more, well, realistic is not the word, because this book is not exactly that - let's say clearer. The characters' movements and intention are more relatable and understandable.

Don't get me wrong; I was being emotionally manipulated pretty much the entire time, but I was a willing participant. This novel takes place in the aftermath of the pandemic, but (thank Christ) this information is only background window dressing, mostly presented as a "it was a crazy time" kind of explanation for the life-rollercoaster that FMC Phoebe has been riding since her husband had an affair with a coworker (of both of theirs! cringe) and left her to deal with his personal possessions (I would've pulled a dumpster, but Phoebe is a kinder, or perhaps more inert, sort), their house, and their dying cat. All this leads Phoebe to a beautiful and expensive hotel, where she plans to off herself using her cat's pain meds (for a researcher, she kind of sucks at, you know, doing research, but this is a minor quibble) while wearing a gorgeous emerald green dress that she never got to wear out.

This sounded really not entertaining to me, but Espach does a nice job with it. Phoebe is free to stop caring about how she will be perceived, which leads her to make choices she ordinarily would not. Occasionally, it makes her sound like the Dalai Lama in late-stage transcendent wisdom, but, again, a minor quibble.

Overall, the book is affecting, interesting, and maybe even fun (there's some comic relief tossed in that is surprisingly not terrible and doesn't try too hard). Helen Laser is a gifted voice actor and distinguishes between voices easily (and even does a good man's voice). Don't let Jenna and her minions keep you from enjoying this.

This book took me on an unexpected loop from the very beginning. I loved how it all played out giving us just enough information while also leaving us to our imagination.

"The Wedding People" by Alison Espach offers a deep dive into the complexities of relationships and personal struggles. Espach's writing is insightful, with well-drawn characters and a thoughtful narrative. However, the heavy subject matter, particularly the discussions on infertility, may not be enjoyable for all readers. While the book addresses important issues, its somber tone and intense themes might not suit those looking for a lighter read.

The Wedding People, by Alison Espach, is a story that begins with despair but morphs into a myriad of possibilities. Phoebe Stone has been left behind by cheating spouse Matt and best friend Maya. Her book, which is necessary to get a full professorship, is going nowhere. Her adjunct professor job is a dead end. And her dreams of motherhood have been dashed for all time.

With such a bleak future, Phoebe reaches the end of her rope, books a very expensive ocean view suite, flies to the coastline, and prepares to end her dismal life, a plan that is doomed for failure as soon as she encounters high maintenance bride-to-be Lila when she accidentally catches the young woman’s hand in the elevator door, cutting her hand. Once Lila has linked herself to Phoebe, the young woman’s brash, outgoing personality overwhelms Phoebe and draws her in on a special adventure. And what a wild ride it is!

This is a wonderful, thoughtful read treating many sensitive subjects in a respectful manner and is done so with heart and humor. It did take me a bit to get swept up in the story, but once that happened it was difficult to put down. I did enjoy this book and do recommend it!

After adjunct professor Phoebe Stone fails to complete the dissertation she has been working on for the last 10 years as well as her husband leaving her for a co-worker following multiple failed IVF procedures, Phoebe arrives at the luxurious grand Cornwall Inn with no bags, just an elegant green dress, intending to commit suicide. There she is mistaken as a guest at a wedding party. For the next week, Phoebe questions her intended plan and what she truly wants out of her life.

The pacing of the book was really good, and I enjoyed the writing style, structure, and flow. I think the writer succeeded in writing characters that I could follow along on their journey and find them likable enough to root for them, specifically the main character who could easily come off as pretentious and elitist. I took off a star because I found it to be unconvincing and annoying how much the author seemed to create a world that people would find an English Professor at a random university to be some godlike genius. The writer’s need to create a character that explains the history of crows or some random insignificant fact to push a narrative that she was brilliant and special was a bit annoying to me. But overall, enjoyable read that kept my attention. 4/5

I would like to thank Net Galley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to give an honest review of The Wedding People, out for publication on July 30th.

As Phoebe’s life is turned upside down, she decides to take what she plans to be a short trip to Newport, Rhode Island. She decides to book an expensive room at an exclusive hotel, one where a week-long pre-wedding celebration is about to take place.

This is, Phoebe realizes, the one problem with falling in love with strangers. You don’t get to keep them. Phoebe, who knows not one of “the wedding people”, becomes the most important “wedding person”, connecting to some of the bridal party members who need her wit and honesty the most. The rich, spoiled bride-to-be, Lila, was a likable character who is trying to fulfill the wish of her late father. Lila instantly takes to Phoebe. These two women needed the fast-tracked friendship to save each of them in different ways.

I absolutely loved the characters! Phoebe, Lila, “Juice”, Gary, Jim, Patricia…. Phoebe unearths the gift of self-reflection in many of the characters, which was life-changing for each of them in their own way. I loved Phoebe Stone more and more as she supported her new found friends. I respected her smarts, humor, life experiences, patience, passions, knowledge, caring nature, and friendship. She was a character I just couldn’t get enough of!

What an entertaining audiobook! Helen Laser did a great job narrating the story. This brilliant novel had many humorous parts, heart-warming moments, and forced the reader to self-reflection at times. I highly recommend including this on your summer reading list for this year! An incredible story that would be great watching it come to life on the big screen! Is it in the works yet??

This book is out for publication on July 30th, so pick it up before summer comes to an end. Find a cozy reading spot, mentally travel to Rhode Island, pour some champagne, listen to some ocean sounds and ENJOY!

#netgalley #summerreadinglist #summerreading #theweddingpeople #macmillanaudio #alisonespach

I needed a book like this to spice up my summer reading. Summer means weddings. Summer means boat rides. Summer means surfing. It doesn't necessarily mean death though. Phoebe might think that it's a good time to kill herself but she could not do that when there was a wedding going on in the hotel she checked in, right?

Phoebe was having a crisis after her husband's infidelity. She thought way to make things right was committing suicide. When she found herself in the middle of wedding people and the bride threw a fit when she heard her purpose to be there, Phoebe got a new chance to think about life. her decisions, what she missed, and what she could recover.

While it was such a light read, it was also so deep. It had a woman finding herself after infidelity and miscarriage. It had a woman learning about how not to be like her mother. It had a young woman processing her mother's passing. Women in different ages and from different walks of life supported each other in "subtle" ways without making each other feel like burden to others. Totally loved this book!

"The Wedding People" is a story about a depressed woman who decides to splurge on an expensive night at a hotel she and her estranged husband were supposed to go to together, where she intends to commit suicide. What she didn't anticipate was the entitled bride who refuses to let her carry out her plans, not for any altruistic reasons, but because it would ruin her wedding.

There is a lot of navel-gazing that takes place in this story, from multiple characters, where no one is really living the life they thought they'd be living. They're just each being pulled along a track they don't know how to escape from, until suddenly, someone does.

If you're looking for a comical or uplifting story, this is certainly not it. If you don't mind reading a story about the futility of life and characters who give their power away, you might find this one interesting. Unfortunately, I found it dispiriting and tedious after a while.

Thank you to Alison Espach, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

Phoebe Stone's life is crumbling, her husband left her for another woman and her cat just died. Escaping to the Cornwall Inn in Newport, Rhode Island, Phoebe finds herself in the midst of a wedding party. In hopes for isolation to spend her last night on earth, it is interrupted by a pushy bride who ends up saving her life and giving so much more than she had anticipated.

I was able to access this title through Netgalley and am so grateful for the opportunity! It definitely exceeded my expectations!

Thank you MacMillan for the wonderful audiobook, Helen Laser was perfect for narrating this nuanced book. I want to say that I loved this book so much earlier this year that it was a special treat to return to the book and hear it performed in a way that made the writing even more powerful. Alison Espach's book is a wonder for how darkly funny it is while tackling a complex set of themes (and the humor works without dismissing the significance of topics covered)... Laser nails the slightly edgy tone with the hints of hopeful and quirky optimism that permeate this read. To say more is to take away the joy of reading or listening to this amazing read. It will be a top ten for me this year for sure.