The Grooms Wore White

When I think about a good rom com, I think about stories like this one. Perfect meet cutes, great characters, a few laughs, and of course that HEA that checks all the feel good boxes. Never to hokey and definitely entertaining, I think any romance junkie would love this quick read.

3.7 stars
I appreciated that the story was more than just fluff cute romance. It went deeper to the issues surrounding non mainstream relationships. It also showed not just the cute happy marriage aspects but also the tough ones. I felt the issues in the book were important real ones. I just wish there had been a deeper story on Jason and his man as well. It seemed to focus more on others. I did enjoy this story and the way it was written.

Weaving the stories of three protagonists - wedding planner Jason, his partner's mum Mel, and his colleague Harriet - The Grooms Wore White is a heartwarming story of staying true to yourself and leaning on the support of your loved ones to find your happy ending. I really enjoyed the quintessential British feeling to the book, and definitely felt the desire to keep reading so I could find out what would happen to all the characters in the end.

I thought The Grooms Wore White did a good job of balancing the joy and sorrow of the lives of the main characters. My favourite character was Jason, and I was most invested in his storyline with Pete and standing firm in his convictions. I found Jason and Pete's relationship to be the gentle, heartwarming core around which the rest of the characters rotated, and I would be so keen to see how this author would approach a romance or romantic comedy, as I think his writing and storytelling has so much potential. TGWR leans more towards family saga, and while I very much enjoyed seeing the set-up of all the characters' situations, for my personal preferences I found myself hoping for a stronger emotional journey combining all three narrators towards the end.

Something I found interesting about The Grooms Wore White is that it shows compassion to characters who might otherwise be thrown under the bus. Harriet, in particular, I found quite unlikeable throughout the story (I didn't see the plot twist coming, and I was impressed at Jason's maturity in his response). Equally, I respected the creative decisions to humanise a character with attitudes like Harriet's, and to see her change and grow, and come to understand her pain too. Although I felt for Mel and was invested in her journey, sometimes I was not quite sure of her purpose in the story. All in all I found The Grooms Wore White charming and heartfelt, and I am very much looking forward to reading more from this author!

This is the story of three separate lives (Jason, Mel, and Harriet) and the way those lives interconnect.

It's difficult to pinpoint what it is about this one that reached out and grabbed me, but grab me it did, and didn't let me go until I read the final page.

This book is a journey. While it does not always plumb the depths of human emotion, the author manages to sketch a fairly detailed portrait of our three main characters so that the reader comes to know them intimately. And while not always fully explored, the author does hit on some heavy themes, like alcohol abuse, divorce, and homophobia. How the characters interact with these difficult issues is what drives the plot forward. And as I watched these characters face the challenges these issues presented, I became fully invested in their lives.

I flew through the back half of this book because I had to know where each character's journey would take them and how their story would end.

Setting this romance up with three interwoven plot lines gave it a nice flow and kept it from ever becoming tedious or trite. The characters are all believable and sympathetic and really pulled me into the story. I was rooting for all of them by the end! The English setting, flashes of humor, and realistic character development made for a modern, enjoyable novel that I would definitely recommend!

This was a cute, quick, easy and fun read that had me laughing out loud at times. The writing is good, the storyline is adorable and the charcaters are well developed and loveable. A really enjoyable read.

I really enjoyed reading this book, every rom-com lover will have great fun with this story! I was really invested in the characters and their journeys – although the book does cram a lot in! The LGBTQ+ narratives were refreshing and the book made a really good job of highlighting homophobia as well as other social issues like trolling – sadly I still couldn’t completely warm to Harriet even with her education through the novel!

The 3 main characters are Jason, Mel and Harriet – although their stories wove together well, I wanted to delve deeper into them all to the point I wondered if they should have had their own books. That said, it did create variety and kept me speeding through the chapters to keep up with everyone’s story. Jason’s story was definitely my favourite and the shining star of the book.

I did get confused a few times, as names were misprinted at least 3 times, mixing up the characters across each individual plot and it threw me until I realised! Also, some of the time jumps weren’t that clear, so I did have to re-read sections sometimes to realise that months had passed, otherwise this would definitely have been a 4 star read for me!

It was a really quick and easy read, and I’d definitely look out for more books by the author in future!

The Grooms Wore White follows three individuals; Jason, Harriet and Mel, as they go through difficult life changes. I loved the layout of this book, I always love books with multiple point of views and loved jumping between these three’s stories. I really fell in love with all of these characters and was glad to see how they all came together in the end. I was most shocked by Harriet’s growth and Mel’s strength. I loved watching Mel stick up for herself to Steve and found it so wonderful how she was able to find happiness and balance again. I was also shocked to watch Harriet better herself. I really wasn’t rooting for Harriet at the beginning because I thought she acted rashly and had a *cough* cold heart *cough*. But in the end, I am so thankful she had the power to better herself and grow as a person and as a friend to Jason.
Now Jason. He was by far my favorite. The way he was so selfless when it came to Mel and when he stood up for himself and all LGBT+ individuals. I know he got in trouble for “going crazy online”, but honestly, I was so proud. Like I would never want someone to drag my name, especially one online for millions to see. And the fact that Jason, granted he did it in a fit of rage, still stood up for equality made me to happy. And the power he held to then go and start his own business from SCRATCH and be so successful!?! It was like a big F you to everyone and made me so happy.

Three narrators is a lot for a single book, so I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about this one. The main characters Harriet, Mel, and Jason (along with Jason’s boyfriend-fiancé-husband) lead the story of a pair of wedding planners that are polar opposite’s and a mother who is having to reveal her life. As a whole, the story was fantastic. An almost “Love, Actually” kind of vibe that sees many characters intertwine to come to a satisfying conclusion. While some of the storylines were a bit contrived and out there, I enjoyed the characters as a whole. My favorite being Mel, a mother who finds out her husband is stepping out and leaves her, battling a mortgage, children, and life as a single mom. Her chapters were dramatic with reason, unlike Harriet and Jasons that were needlessly so. The whole book could of been written from Mel’s perspective and I think that’s what would if pushed this into 5 star territory for me

Written in the 3rd POV, The Grooms Wore White is witty, fluffy and light.
It tells the story of forgiveness, friendship, love and how starting over can be done at any age.

I adored every character, especially Jason and Pete. They had my heart from the very beginning. Lyndhurst did such a great job at capturing the gentleness of their love, I wish I'd gotten more scenes of them just being together.
Honestly, Jason is SO much better than me, because if someone pulled a Harriet on me? I would have been serving JAIL TIME! It just goes to show that his heart is pure and I'm so happy he got the happily-ever-after he and Pete had been dreaming about. They more than deserved it. My babies.
I don't even want to start with Harriet because her entire storyline has me HEATED, but I'm happy she got a little bit of a redemption arc. She didn't really deserve one, in my opinion, but good for her.
I adored Mel from the moment she was introduced! I was willing to throw some hands at Steve for what he did. But alas, she too got her happy ending and my heart was extremely full when she did because I was really rooting for her. #1 Mel Stan Account.

After everything I read in February, this was fast-paced and soft and exactly what I needed. Charlie Lyndhurst drew me in from the very beginning. I was intrigued by the characters and their stories, I really wish I'd gotten more backstories on Pete and Jason, but everything else was so well done, I truly loved it. If Charlie Lyndhurst tries his hand at writing a rom-com, I have no doubt in my mind that he'd get all of my money!
10 out of 10 would suggest.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hera Books for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Look, you gave me a queer RomCom, what more could I really ask for? I love the characters in this story, and while it was humorous in some parts, I loved that there was lots of self reflection and character development within it as well!

I read this book in a day because it kept my attention that well. Love it!

Thank you Netgalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of a honest review.

This book manages to break the taboos of society where being male or female is only considered as a gender .
I liked the concept of the book and the characters couldn't be better than this .


Love has no limits

The Grooms Wore White is a heartwarming story which is woven together from three people's points of view. They are Jason, the wedding planner, Mel, his partners mother and Harriet his colleague. I always enjoy a story told from multiple viewpoints, it always makes me feel I get to know the characters so much more.
These are characters that are easy to fall in love with, well Harriet took a bit of getting used to but as the story unfolded we see her grow a little at least. Charlie Lyndhursts' characters are clearly very well drawn and they continue to develop as I have already mentioned with Harriet. Mel gained strength in herself and it was so empowering to see her stand on her own two feet and stick up for herself to Steve. I was so pleased when she discovered happiness again.
There are books where you usually only like one character,The Grooms Wore White is so different in that I was over the moon for all the three characters. Jason himself, I loved, he has the strength to stand up for himself and any LGBT+ person who needs it,to the point he goes out on a limb to help. The fact that he builds his own business from the ground made me feel all warm and fuzzy.
We see them all come together in the end and support each other.

Charlie Lyndhurst hooked me immediately and I was fascinated with these three people. So fascinated and intrigued, that I would be so happy to read more about them all in more books from this author. I look forward to see what Charlie Lyndhurst brings next.
Thanks to Hera books and Netgalley.

I found this such a cute story which has a romantic plot but is so much more than that. It is a story about starting over, looking at yourself and your opinions and standing up for what is right.
The story centres around 3 main characters and their personal arcs, which come together in different ways.
Jason is a wedding planner and has just managed to get fired from his new job, he is trying to get his own business off the ground and arrange his own wedding to Pete. I likes Pete and Jason and how they balanced each other. Jason was nervous and angsty whilst Pete was a little more level headed however when it came to the wedding Pete was more extravagant and excitable. They were very supportive of each other.
Mel is Pete’s mum and newly single after discovering that her husband was cheating on her. Mel was the hero of this story. Trying to hold her family together, keep her home (a little stubbornly) and find her way in the world as more than a wife and mother, whilst still supporting her children. She was far more capable and cleverer than she gave herself credit for.
Harriet was an interesting character and had more depth to her than the others, despite being very unlikable. Lyndhurst did a great job of creating a very realistic villain and her views and thoughts really made me angry. However, in many ways I felt sorry for her as we learned about her upbringing and deep down that she just wanted true love.
I flew through this book and couldn’t put it down. It was a light and easy read but in places thought provoking and emotional.
I would love to have more insight into Jason and Pete’s relationship and how they met and I think this actually would have worked well as a lined series, with a strong focus on a different character in each book, rather than three main characters in one. Sometimes it felt as though time was passing too quickly and there was more to explore about each character arc. This didn’t stop me from enjoying the book though – just me being greedy and wanting a little more.
A great and enjoyable read.

First, I want to thank Charlie Lyndhurst, Hera, NetGalley, and Rachel’s Random Resources for providing me with this book so I can bring you this review.

The Grooms Wore White by Charlie Lyndhurst sparked a lot of emotions in me! I firmly believe in love is love and anyone should be able to marry regardless of gender or body part! Many characters and situations had me fuming where I was literally yelling at my Kindle. I commended Jason for being true and sticking up when times got a little tough!

Charlie brought up some very important issues and messages in this book.

Steve really upset me by showing his true colors to both his kids and wife Mel! My heart went out to the family!

Jason’s career as a wedding planner made me smile ear to ear!

When Jason starts Extra Weddings – helping people marry whoever they like, in whatever way they want – he, Mel and Harriet find themselves coming together to help couples make memories to last a lifetime. But can they bridge their gaps, and be a unit when others need them most. The author wrote a story that was interesting and moved at a pace that kept me engaged.