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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
Alexa, play Champagne Problems by Taylor Swift.
I could NOT put this book down! It was funny and had some swoony moments, but be warned this is NOT a rom-com. I do think the title and cover are misleading - the tone of the book was not at all what I expected, but actually better. While in line with the illustrated cover trend, I think this one does the book a disservice. I would classify this book more as general Women's Fiction than a romance. I've heard that this has been optioned for a film adaptation which I am ALL for - I think it would make a fantastic movie, especially if filmed on location in Ireland!
All in all this book is much more about Zoey living her life on her own terms and the pressure on women to fulfill certain milestones in their life. You can feel the bond between Zoey and her friend Hannah and how at the end of the day the most important relationships in your life do not have to be romantic.
The book is actually laugh out loud funny one moment and then soul crushing. Thanks to Alison Rose Greenberg's writing I was so engaged with Zoey and her ups and downs. To be honest I'm shocked this is her first novel - I'm ready to read what she does next!
Thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin's Griffin for the advanced e-book!
I could NOT put this book down! It was funny and had some swoony moments, but be warned this is NOT a rom-com. I do think the title and cover are misleading - the tone of the book was not at all what I expected, but actually better. While in line with the illustrated cover trend, I think this one does the book a disservice. I would classify this book more as general Women's Fiction than a romance. I've heard that this has been optioned for a film adaptation which I am ALL for - I think it would make a fantastic movie, especially if filmed on location in Ireland!
All in all this book is much more about Zoey living her life on her own terms and the pressure on women to fulfill certain milestones in their life. You can feel the bond between Zoey and her friend Hannah and how at the end of the day the most important relationships in your life do not have to be romantic.
The book is actually laugh out loud funny one moment and then soul crushing. Thanks to Alison Rose Greenberg's writing I was so engaged with Zoey and her ups and downs. To be honest I'm shocked this is her first novel - I'm ready to read what she does next!
Thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin's Griffin for the advanced e-book!
I read and listened to Bad Luck Bridesmaid and I am thankful that my friend told me that this is a women’s fiction novel and now a romance. I truly believe knowing that helped me go into this story with eyes and my mind open and in the end I really enjoyed this tale of a woman who believes she brings bad luck to her friends who are brides every time they ask her to be a bridesmaid. Because when they do, they never seem to make it down the aisle.
Zoey is unconventional and she doesn’t want to fall in love but she does when she’s introduced to her best friend’s cousin, Rylan. However, Zoey has sworn off marriage for herself and is reluctant to commit forever to any one person, which poses a problem in her relationship with Rylan.
I appreciated that Zoey kept true to herself and it’s a fault of many real life relationships where people ignore certain parts of themselves in order to conform to what life or their partner’s needs are, which can lead to heartbreak. This message is a realistic one and I liked how different it was to other novels I’ve read.
This was a well written book and the pace was steady so that I was kept engaged the entire time. I was always wondering what would happen next and although it’s the ending that I would have loved, it was good enough that it made sense. The narration was also great and I really enjoyed listening to this story.
As long as you know that this isn’t a romcom, I think you’ll like this book as much as I did.
Thank you Macmillan Audio for the alc and to St. Martin’s Press for the arc. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Zoey is unconventional and she doesn’t want to fall in love but she does when she’s introduced to her best friend’s cousin, Rylan. However, Zoey has sworn off marriage for herself and is reluctant to commit forever to any one person, which poses a problem in her relationship with Rylan.
I appreciated that Zoey kept true to herself and it’s a fault of many real life relationships where people ignore certain parts of themselves in order to conform to what life or their partner’s needs are, which can lead to heartbreak. This message is a realistic one and I liked how different it was to other novels I’ve read.
This was a well written book and the pace was steady so that I was kept engaged the entire time. I was always wondering what would happen next and although it’s the ending that I would have loved, it was good enough that it made sense. The narration was also great and I really enjoyed listening to this story.
As long as you know that this isn’t a romcom, I think you’ll like this book as much as I did.
Thank you Macmillan Audio for the alc and to St. Martin’s Press for the arc. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
3.5 rounded up.
Zoey thinks she is cursed when for the third time a wedding she’s in fails to end in a marriage. This gets into her head so much it ruins her relationship with her boyfriend. When her best friend asks her to be a bridesmaid for wedding number 4 she is determined to make it happen so her friend can find happiness and she can see for herself love lasts.
Other than way too much backstory at the beginning of the novel (five chapters
Zoey thinks she is cursed when for the third time a wedding she’s in fails to end in a marriage. This gets into her head so much it ruins her relationship with her boyfriend. When her best friend asks her to be a bridesmaid for wedding number 4 she is determined to make it happen so her friend can find happiness and she can see for herself love lasts.
Other than way too much backstory at the beginning of the novel (five chapters
2 stars // one star for me somehow managing to read the entire thing and another star for all the taylor swift references.
this is definitely one of the best worst books i have ever read. i don’t mean that in the sense that it’s actually good, because it’s kind of terrible, i just mean that it was entertaining to say the least. like a car crash i couldn't look away from, if you will. i started 2021 with a book with those exact vibes as well, so i guess i know what my new tradition is.
right from get go, i got weird vibes. the first third, at least, was simply a recap of the past. imo, could've been condensed a hellll of a lot, or split across flashback scenes (which still sprinkled in later on anyway?). it felt very Telling, rather than Showing me the story. it gave me a full insight into zoey's past experiences with weddings, as well as the deep nature of her and rylan's relationship, but i think it could've been done better.
tbh, i don't even wanna delve too much into the characters themselves because, well, no one really left much of an impression on me. if anything, i wanted hannah to realise she deserved better than zoey as a best friend and ezra to find someone to love who will actually treat him well. speaking of, had a feeling that pairing was in the making, and yet still couldn't believe it happened the way it did. like, zoey, girl, you literally JUST got (somewhat) closure from your ex minutes ago, yet you're already off kissing someone else? ok.
i will say, i fully planned on giving this at least three stars til about, maybe, two thirds of the way in when BOOM. hello sudden cheating plot line where the characters barely showed any remorse and didn't really face any appropriate consequences. i kept reading in hopes of something And Yet. i was rooting for rylan at first. i felt for him after the breakup because that must’ve been an awful situation, but bringing a date to the same destination wedding three months after the breakup and then spending the whole time cheating on said date? nahhhh. he’s fucked.
this entire story was a mess from start to finish, but i read the last third this morning simply because i couldn't put it down and see what ridiculous behaviour came next. and, let me tell you, stealing a lifeboat on a yacht and getting pushed around the waters by some creature they claimed to be the loch ness monster, even though they were literally in ireland, was not something i had predicted.
i have so much more i could ramble on about this book, considering the attempt it made at talking about infertility and women not needing to marry to be whole, but it was just... Not Worth It. sadly, not even the many mentions of taylor swift's red album, as well as a gilmore girls and dawson's creek reference, could save the day.
this is definitely one of the best worst books i have ever read. i don’t mean that in the sense that it’s actually good, because it’s kind of terrible, i just mean that it was entertaining to say the least. like a car crash i couldn't look away from, if you will. i started 2021 with a book with those exact vibes as well, so i guess i know what my new tradition is.
right from get go, i got weird vibes. the first third, at least, was simply a recap of the past. imo, could've been condensed a hellll of a lot, or split across flashback scenes (which still sprinkled in later on anyway?). it felt very Telling, rather than Showing me the story. it gave me a full insight into zoey's past experiences with weddings, as well as the deep nature of her and rylan's relationship, but i think it could've been done better.
tbh, i don't even wanna delve too much into the characters themselves because, well, no one really left much of an impression on me. if anything, i wanted hannah to realise she deserved better than zoey as a best friend and ezra to find someone to love who will actually treat him well. speaking of, had a feeling that pairing was in the making, and yet still couldn't believe it happened the way it did. like, zoey, girl, you literally JUST got (somewhat) closure from your ex minutes ago, yet you're already off kissing someone else? ok.
i will say, i fully planned on giving this at least three stars til about, maybe, two thirds of the way in when BOOM. hello sudden cheating plot line where the characters barely showed any remorse and didn't really face any appropriate consequences. i kept reading in hopes of something And Yet. i was rooting for rylan at first. i felt for him after the breakup because that must’ve been an awful situation, but bringing a date to the same destination wedding three months after the breakup and then spending the whole time cheating on said date? nahhhh. he’s fucked.
this entire story was a mess from start to finish, but i read the last third this morning simply because i couldn't put it down and see what ridiculous behaviour came next. and, let me tell you, stealing a lifeboat on a yacht and getting pushed around the waters by some creature they claimed to be the loch ness monster, even though they were literally in ireland, was not something i had predicted.
i have so much more i could ramble on about this book, considering the attempt it made at talking about infertility and women not needing to marry to be whole, but it was just... Not Worth It. sadly, not even the many mentions of taylor swift's red album, as well as a gilmore girls and dawson's creek reference, could save the day.
Ok. So this book was a whirlwind. I thought it was going to be amazing based off of the synopsis! It was hard to get into and was a little too “poor me” “feel bad for me” kind of vibe. The main character, Zoey, falls in with Rylan and talks about him the whole book. It doesn’t end in a happy place, seemed rushed, and overall not my type of book.
HOWEVER, the audio to the book was spectacular and was the best part of the book! I did also enjoy the premise of the book about how Zoey was the “bad luck bridesmaid” that when she was a bridesmaid, the couple didn’t get married. Thought it was different and interesting in that aspect. I would try this author again! The writing was well done!
Rating: ⭐️⭐️
HOWEVER, the audio to the book was spectacular and was the best part of the book! I did also enjoy the premise of the book about how Zoey was the “bad luck bridesmaid” that when she was a bridesmaid, the couple didn’t get married. Thought it was different and interesting in that aspect. I would try this author again! The writing was well done!
Rating: ⭐️⭐️
This book was not at all what I expected it would be. I really enjoyed reading it, but for a romcom, the ending was quite different than your typical romance.
I found Zoey’s character to be pretty likable, however she really is a hot mess for the majority of the book. This added to the drama, and made for quite a few hilarious moments and memorable quotes!
One of the points I really liked about this book, was that it drew attention to the idea of marriage, and how that may not be everyone’s cup of tea. It seems like society pushes the idea that couples have to get married eventually, and that’s the end all be all. Zoey (in all her bad luck bridesmaid glory), really brings to light that there are actually other options out there, and couples can be happy together without getting married.
There were many funny moments throughout this book, and a lot of them occur once Zoey is in Ireland for her best friend’s wedding. Let’s just say, there is a sassy falcon named Karen, and the locals pronounce the word ‘lake’ funny (if you listen to the audiobook like me, this point is made even more hilarious throughout the book).
I’d recommend this book to anyone who wants to laugh, and wants an unordinary romance read.
I found Zoey’s character to be pretty likable, however she really is a hot mess for the majority of the book. This added to the drama, and made for quite a few hilarious moments and memorable quotes!
One of the points I really liked about this book, was that it drew attention to the idea of marriage, and how that may not be everyone’s cup of tea. It seems like society pushes the idea that couples have to get married eventually, and that’s the end all be all. Zoey (in all her bad luck bridesmaid glory), really brings to light that there are actually other options out there, and couples can be happy together without getting married.
There were many funny moments throughout this book, and a lot of them occur once Zoey is in Ireland for her best friend’s wedding. Let’s just say, there is a sassy falcon named Karen, and the locals pronounce the word ‘lake’ funny (if you listen to the audiobook like me, this point is made even more hilarious throughout the book).
I’d recommend this book to anyone who wants to laugh, and wants an unordinary romance read.
Generously giving a star because I liked Karen the falcon, which I considered the most intriguing character in the book, with the mama dog and her pups as the next best character.
It doesn’t matter how many times the main character describes herself as complicated, it’s not convincing when everything about her shows she’s merely a shallow, immature woman who is dishonest about her issues with commitment. I finished the book hoping to learn some redeeming, deep, hidden truth for any of the characters, and instead found my prediction of the ending was spot on.
It doesn’t matter how many times the main character describes herself as complicated, it’s not convincing when everything about her shows she’s merely a shallow, immature woman who is dishonest about her issues with commitment. I finished the book hoping to learn some redeeming, deep, hidden truth for any of the characters, and instead found my prediction of the ending was spot on.
I wanted to like this, because it's a pretty funny premise, but it was a letdown and a bummer. This is clearly written in a millennial voice for a millennial audience, but it comes across a little like a parody of what millennials are. I don't care about the brands of her clothes! Or that she's ~ quirky~ because she has ~ tattoos ~. Everything was really chaotic, and most of the characters were kind of unlikeable and kept doing stupid things. The parts of the book that were silly were overshadowed by how annoying everyone was.
At first, I wasn't sure where this was going. Zoey was hard to relate to at first and it seemed odd that she found herself responsible for the failed weddings, but as the book progressed I realized why she felt that way. Zoey became someone that I could relate to and understand as the book progressed. I wanted her to be happy and I was glad that she understood herself.
I think I benefitted from going into this knowing that it wasn't a rom-com, as it altered my expectations. This was a journey of self-acceptance and understanding so much more than it was one of romance.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I think I benefitted from going into this knowing that it wasn't a rom-com, as it altered my expectations. This was a journey of self-acceptance and understanding so much more than it was one of romance.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I honestly can't tell if I like or hate this book. New and original idea, but wow, the author really writes about Rylan a lot. There are too many inner thoughts of Zoey throughout the whole book and it really dragged on in some parts. I was left not thrilled with the ending and thought it just fell flat. Some parts were funny and good and I loved the friendship between Zoey and Hannah.