This is just the romance book that I wanted. The story was so addictive! I finished it in one day. The romance and banter was top tier. I would highly recommend this book.

The (Anti) Wedding Party by Lucy Knott is a romantic comedy that turns wedding clichés on their head. Andi's aversion to weddings is met with a challenge when her best friend Alex insists on her being the maid of honour at an Italian wedding. The ensuing week is a rollercoaster of mishaps, and Andi finds an unexpected partner in crime in Owen, the equally wedding averse Best Man. The author weaves humor and romance as Andi and Owen navigate the chaos, leading to a heartwarming tale of love and celebration.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC!

I loved this quick and easy read. So cute! I loved it from page one. Such a good storyline and the characters are great.

United by a hate of weddings, disaster after disaster befalls their close friends’ wedding. Amongst trying to get the wedding in Italy off the ground and the party favours found, and the vegetarian meal sourced and the speeches written love blossoms. Amongst the growing romance there are beautiful descriptions of Italy and little restaurants and shops. The food descriptions made my mouth water and this all helps Andrea grow into someone she is proud to be but also someone who holds her own with Owen and knows she deserves a happy ever after.

After Andi catches her fiancee Hannah cheating with the maid of honour on their wedding day, her already tainted view of love is shattered. So, when best friend Alex announces her week long wedding celebrations in Italy, Andi is not on board. Lucky for her, the best man Owen also hates weddings! What could possibly go wrong?

What a fresh take on rom-com! This book goes to show you don’t always need the smut when you can have an epic romance. Lucy creates such colourful descriptions. from the warmth of the Amalfi Coast, the yellowest of lemons & the mouth watering food… I felt like I was dreaming of Italy at one point.

At times, it was a bit slow hence the 4 stars & closer to the end, I felt there was a rush to cram in details to back up Andi’s future work plans that could possibly have been introduced earlier but overall, this was a lovely, heart warming story.

Perfect to take on holiday, a book full of humour, chaos and celebration.

Thanks to Aria & Aries and NetGalley for the ARC! Well done Lucy Knott!

Really loved this laugh out loud, sexy, fun and emotionally thrilling journey filled with exciting and engaging charters, witty dialog, heart racing twist and undeniable passion. Was a great edge of your seat read from beginning to end.

I like how this is really a story about figuring yourself out first and then a rom-com. A bit slow in the beginning, but I ended up falling for the main characters. A lot of great side characters too.

I received an ARC from netgalley and the publisher!

This book was such a great read - a fun romcom. Andi does not like weddings and she is met with the challenge of being Maid of Honour for her friend, Alex. The following week is an exciting week to say the least - a series of mishaps that will make you lol. Andi finds a partner in her distaste with weddings with the best man, Owen. A fabulous read - you will not be disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Oh gosh, talk about a cute and fun read. I loved this book from page one. Such a fun story about a resistant maid of honor doing all the things for her best friend and watching it all fall apart.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this advanced book copy and letting me review it. The (Anti) Wedding Party by Lucy Knott is a new addictive, romantic novel that comes out July 16, 2024. The two main characters Andi (friends maid of honor) and Owen (friends best-man) who are a united duo together along with separate who share a strong connection of dislike for weddings. Both characters have their separate sides, and why they don't like weddings, especially the female main character Andi whose is ex-fiancé cheated on her with her maid of honor on their wedding day. Love blossoms throughout this humorous, romantic book. This was a 4 star read in my opinion with engaging characters, a good plot, and seeing a passionate love story unfold. I can't wait for people to read and like this book like I did.

If you have never been to Italy before, start packing.

First things first, this book is adorable!

After her own wedding day ended in spectacular disaster, Andi is now the founder and president of the ‘I hate weddings’ club, of which there are precisely two members, her…and Owen.

When Andi’s best friend gets engaged, she tries to be happy for her, but it’s not coming naturally to her. But as she is maid of honour, she needs to get over herself, and fast! Teaming her up with the man of honour Owen, who thinks even less of weddings that Andi does, can only end in disaster. Right?

The wedding is set in Italy and the stunning scenic descriptions had me dreaming of a getaway to the locations in the story, they were really beautifully written.

Andi and Owen are your typcial leading characters, although I actually liked that Owen wasn’t described in the way your usual leading man would be (abs, muscles, jaw you could cut your Christmas wrapping paper on) and was instead a far more realistic hero - think floppy hair and dad bod.

Overall, the story was very enjoyable and although I predicted the ending, it didn’t take away from the experience.

I’d recommend this for a cosy, curl up in your comfies, easy read. Word of warning though, make sure you have adequate snacks as the food content in this book is truly mouthwatering!

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the chance to review The (Anti) Wedding Party. This closed-door romance was a pleasure to read from the very start! Struggling restauranteur Andi is a bit of a curmudgeon, and rightly so, after finding her almost-wife cheating on her just minutes before the wedding ceremony. Having been burned, it is hard for her to put that aside and enjoy being the Maid of Honor at her best friend’s wedding in Italy. The Best Man, Owen, had a similar distaste for weddings, so they should get along well.

Funny and charming. I loved the role that food played in this sweet romance!

What a cute read! I loved the main character Andi, her journey and rediscovering love. What a fun feel good read!

The (Anti) Wedding Party takes romance novel tropes and turns them on their head. The main character has to deal with her distain for weddings to participate in her friend's Italian wedding. It was light, fun, and a quick read.

This is an easy five stars from me. Lucy Knott has written a relatable and flawed heroine who I fell in love with immediately, then whisks her off to Italy for a transformative week at her best friend's wedding.
I loved the supporting characters, I loved the relationships between Andi and her mum. I loved how evocatively Lucy described the settings and I loved the food - I was so hungry after reading this. Mostly, I loved Own and Andi and their exchanges were a highlight for me.
A lovely, funny, romantic romcom with all the feels. LOVED it.

4 stars-
This is just going to be a quick review. The (Anti) Wedding Pact is my first Lucy Knott book and I did not disappoint it delt with topics such as friends changing over time and it's okay. Love after loss was a very big theme in this novel Communication is something that is also heavily pressed upon.

The romance in this book is cute. It's between Alex and Owen whose friends are getting married, and they have to plan the wedding. Over time a connection between the two grows harder for them to ignore. Owen's love for Alex has no bounds.

The number of sweet moments between them, had me giggling and kicking my feet. They're communication greatly improves throughout the book. Overall I really enjoyed this book.

Thanks so much to Lucy Knott and Aria & Aries for the Digital ARC copy of this book. This is such a quick and easy read with a great story line and characters. Lucy did an amazing job of telling Andi and Owen's Story. This book took me a couple chapters to get into it but after the first few chapters it really hooked me in

I really enjoyed this book- I felt transported to Italy and the descriptions of food woven through the book made me constantly hungry! Andrea was very likeable and I was glad she had such incredible friends who whisked her away to enjoy herself for the first time in years. Owen was very likeable too and I found myself rooting for them to lose their cynicism about love very early on! Very easy to read and thoroughly enjoyable. Thanks!

Thank you to netgalley and Aria & Aries, Aria for allowing me to read this book. This was such a laugh out loud cute romance. I loved the character development and the relationship they shared.

A perfect read for long winter nights. The rain is pouring outside and I’m transported to beautiful sunny Italy. A place I’m very familiar with and kinda wish I was there now. This book was engaging and funny and I really enjoyed it.
Thank you

This is a lovely read. I found it so easy to imagine being there the way the author described everything was fantastic. Great storyline.

This was such a wonderful and enjoyable read!!!! I loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys this genre. Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was amazing! I love the setting and the characters! I would definitely recommend this book to another romance lover.

This was such a cute, fun, easy read! Thoroughly enjoyed it!

Was Andi self centered and selfish some times? Yes, but I think that's what I like about this book that many other had a problem with. It's real life, no one is perfect or selfish 100% of the time, but I really liked Andi and Owen's growth while allowing love back into their lives.

Some side characters were top notch and I wanted some more interactions with them.

Delightful romcom, I do recommend it!!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I absolutely loved this book from start to finish. Andi and Owen's rocky start when they are thrust together as probably the two most cynical and reluctant Maid of Honour & Best Man in history for their respective best friends, is raking up bad memories for both of them that not even the allure of the Amalfi coast can obscure. Despite all of their hang ups about marriage, weddings and love in general, they soon find out that things don't always happen how you expect.
Andi was a breath of fresh air to me, it's refreshing to read an honest, unapologetic female character in romantic fiction that breaks the mold and is forceful in her determination to protect herself. It naturally leads to a character arc and realisation of how growth and change are intertwined, but even when she's being difficult and defensive you can see her raw vulnerability after all.shes experienced, and why shouldn't a character be written that way, it's honest and well developed, and I found it fascinating to read.
Owen's own cynicism and honesty perfectly matches Andi's and so sparks fly because in spite of everything, to everyone else they're clearly so well matched. The drama, the setting in a Positano villa, the endearing characters in Andi's Mum, Alex & Charlie, and most of all the mouthwatering food mentioned gives this story all the ingredients for a feelgood, uplifting & charming romantic fiction.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!! Lucy is the queen of Italian settings. I've been there and she still makes me dream of going back and being there, like yesterday! The descriptions are breath-taking, especially when it came down to the food! Oh, the food. I just want an outdoor table surrounded by lemons full of Italian food just for me. I don't need a wedding, just give me all the food please!!!
Like with all of Lucy's books, I found this story new and different. Andi is unlike any of Lucy's previous characters and I loved her for that. Yes, she had her moments where her sarcasm and hate for weddings got the best of her, but wouldn't you if something horrible hadn't happened to you on your wedding day? Lucy keeps her characters real and flawed, but even so Andi wasn't mean. She wanted to do her best despite her own feelings and she always checked in with her best friend and was honest. Her relationship with Owen was sweet and at times I found myself laughing out loud at their banter. It was cute seeing them grow and learn together and let each other in slowly.
The friendships were lovely too in this book, as well as the relationship Andi had with her mum. I enjoyed everyone.
Food, family, funny! My 3 F's for The Anti Wedding Party.
I absolutely loved it and highly recommend it!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing a copy of this book. I really enjoyed this one. It was the perfect read to get out of a reading rut. While Andi was an unlikeable character for the most part it didn't take away from the story.

The (Anti) Wedding Party by Lucy Knott is a great contemporary romance novel that takes you on a journey of love, self-discovery, and friendship.

I enjoyed Andi and Owen's banter and single's crusade of being *anti* wedding. I especially enjoyed Andi's relationship with her mother and Knott's beautiful description of the Italian countryside.
I really enjoyed this one. It was the perfect read to get out of a reading rut. While Andi was an unlikeable character for the most part it didn't take away from the story.

With a witty dialogue and cute storyline, this book is a great choice for a light-hearted and enjoyable read.

Thank you to netgalley and the Aria & Aries team for an eARC in exchange for an honest reivew.

* Updated Review*

I've read every one of Lucy's books and think she is an amazing writer.

This is a good story, I enjoyed reading it and loved the way the themes were covered.
It took me a while to warm to Andi, but on second reading, I think I understand her better
I thought Owen was an adorable, fun character, and he cheered me up no end. The humour in the book is very well represented and honest - I loved that about it, and I enjoyed the book.

3.5 ✨️

Thanks to Netgalley.co.uk and Aria & Aries for a copy in return for this review. I have pre-ordered this book for my collection from Amazon

The (Anti) Wedding Party is so lighthearted and fun, and had me absolutely rolling. This was fantastic!

I have not read anything by this author before, but I will definitely be looking out for their work in the future. I loved seeing the story unfold and seeing the characters grow.

"The (Anti) Wedding Party" by Lucy Knott is charming and witty. Knott's humor, relatable characters, and a touch of unexpected romance make this novel a fun and heartening escape into the world of love and self-discovery.

This is such an easy digestable read. Oh the teeming chemistry of the characters even the bestfriends are one of a kind. this is like a road to discover of the Andi's heart of taking a shot at believing in life and love again. What I love the most is how much her anxiety and problems are all realistic that I actually relate to her, the pressure and anxiety to keep your family afloat, missing out on a lot of things cause financially you couldn't afford to, being so stoically anti-love cause of what happened to you, feeling left out even with love, feeling guilty of being in a vacation and not learning to settle back and enjoy life, gosh I can name a few more but I love how honest this book is. Glad I read this, thank you. NETGALLEY and ARIA and ARIES / house of zeus PUBLISHER for the trust on reviewing this book, oh to be published on my bday as well? Love it! will add review on my Good reads and IG!

A typical cute romantic story.
Andi`s fiancée cheated on her with the maid of honour on their wedding day which left her with a lasting effect of hating marriages, so when her best friend Alex wants Andi as a maid of honour at her wedding in Italy she refuses but is persuaded to finally go.
In Italy she meets the best man Owen another wedding hater so they start to bond, but are they bonding too much?
I good romance that you know what is going to happen but is still good to read and I enjoyed it.

This is a great contemporary romance novel about love, self-discovery, and friendship.

Andrea and Owen's banter is the best thing in this book. They are so fun while trashing everything during their best friends' wedding. Both Andre and Owen had bad experiences while in a relatioship, so they have sworn off everything that's connected to love and marriages.

Andrea was not one hundred percent on board with being her best friend's maid of honor, with everything that the title entails, but she tried her best to help her friends, even ewhen things did not turn out the best.

And maybe I'm a bit biased being Italian, but the way Lucy describes Italy and the Italian food is perfect!

Thank you to @netgalley and the Aria & Aries team for an ARC for an honest reivew.

#arc #arcreader #arcreviewer #theantiweddingparty #lucyknott #netgalley #ariaandaries #andrea #owen #wedding #positano #italy #food #romcom #closeproximity

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I enjoyed this romantic story.

After her own wedding day didn’t go as expected, Andi doesn’t like weddings.

She’s asked to be maid of honour by her friend Alex, she’s getting married in Italy. Andi informs her that she’s not going to do it, but she’s taped round and goes to Italy.

Owen, who is the best man, Andi meets in Italy and she feels they have something in common and begin to get to know each other.

I recommend this book.

This was a lovely book to read and it was a lot of fun. There was nothing to dislike and everything to like about this story. Recommend this with 5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley, author and publisher for this ARC

Super fun and very touching. This is a love story on very subtle layers of acceptance and knowing. Warm tender and kind, funny, silly and moving. It’s quite a journey!
This is the story of Andrea which starts with her wedding to Hannah and ends somewhere completely different via Positano and Italy! Her everyday life is working hard in the family fish and chip shop near Manchester. Living in the flat above it is her world, being very close to her mum. Her best friend Alex always has her back, with understanding and love.
A touching story with some great lovable characters, great Italian food and ambience. I want to go to Positano!!!
Thoroughly enjoyed this latest from Lucy Knott, and very different from her other books.
Thank you NetGalley for the early read. Loved it!

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!

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.

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!

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 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.

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

This is such a cute romantic read and i so loved the main characters and the banter between them, Fab!

This book had me sold with the title, and the description was the cherry on top. It exceeded my expectations and was so much fun to read!

Andi is not a fan of weddings, and when her bestie Alex asks her to be her MOH in Italy, she is less than thrilled. She’s determined to put her past behind her and make Alex happy, even if she’s convinced she’s not the right person for the role. Enter the best man, Owen, who also hates weddings and is a breath of fresh air in the love-filled trip. As disasters begin to pop up, it’s up to them to work together to make their best friend’s wedding perfect… and keep their growing attraction to each other out of the way.

I found it hard to stop reading and was constantly thinking about it. I loved the shenanigans between Andi and Owen, their shared dislike of weddings and love made me laugh. When the characters who don’t believe in love end up falling in love, it’s such a swoony moment! The ending and epilogue were so perfect.

I absolutely loved Alex and Charlie, they were adorable and the cutest friends to Andi and Owen. All of the side characters were great, and I honestly felt like Italy was a character as well. The descriptions of the landscape and food in Italy made me want to travel so badly! I felt like I could see it in my mind, and that’s great writing in my opinion.

My one dislike was that I felt like Andi wasn’t a great friend to Alex for how close they should have been. I get that the trauma from her own wedding day was awful, but I just feel like she could have tried harder for her best friend. I know she has a change of heart in the book, but it threw me off and Alex should have stood up to her sooner.

A fun and sweet romance set in an Italian villa. A love letter to food, so get ready to be hungry while you read!

This was a cute book of two anti-marriage people who end up being the best man and maid of honor for their friend's wedding and trying not to ruin the wedding with their cynicism. Super cute story, lovely backdrop (I added new places to visit and activities in Italy), and dialogue that actively discussed some big issues with moving on, the feeling of home, and what it means to have relationships.

So funny this book, I really enjoyed all of it! The cover is so good as well
Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for this book

Read from March 11th, 2024 to March 13th, 2024. Written on March 14th, 2024.

NEW BOOK RELEASE ALERT!!!

What a fun read and not what I was expecting at all! Well written, amazing characters and a great storyline, this book has it all. Now, I do have to say: the relationship felt a bit rushed (I mean, less than a week isn't really realistic, I think) but aside from that it was a great page-turner and an awesome way to spend my time. I could barely put it down!

Definitely recommend if you like fast-paced, funny, not really spicy (it was a 1 out of 5 in spiciness) rom-com. It's out and I am so so happy that I got to read it before it came out!

Signing off.
B.

(Free ARC from NetGalley and Aria & Aries that I chose to review after reading)