You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
Zoe has been the bridesmaid at 3 of her friends' weddings. All three have ended up not making it down the aisle to get married. She feels she is cursed when it comes to marriage and love. When she meets the man of her dreams, Rylan, it makes her re-think everything. When he proposes, her fear of marriage ruins her perfect relationship, not only breaking her heart but his as well. When Zoe's best friend Hannah gets engaged to her relatively new boyfriend, it takes everything in Zoe to help this marriage not become failure number 4. This book was a mixture of witty, funny, and steamy. I enjoyed every minute of it. Zoe was a great lead character who was a strong woman and such a breath of fresh air. Her acceptance of her differences was a great portrayal of what every woman should be. 4 stars. Thank you, NetGalley for the eARC.
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed this fun novel about all things weddings and bridesmaids. The main character, Zoey Marks, has built up a repertoire of bad luck. For every wedding that Zoey has been a bridesmaid, the bride has in some way or another not made it down the aisle. Zoey has convinced herself that she is the bad luck and resolves that maybe love just isn’t on her side. But when Zoey receives word that her best friend is getting married and wants Zoey to be her bridesmaid, Zoey is hesitant.
While I don’t possess Zoey’s perspective on life or her decision to give up on love, I still liked Badluck Bridesmaid for its quick pacing and realistic ending. I also appreciated the fact that Zoey isn’t quick to hide her flaws and that the author doesn’t attempt to wrap Zoey’s story up in a cute little bow at the end. If you’re looking for something fun and quick, I recommend this one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Infidelity, Sexual content
Moderate: Antisemitism
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think this is a solid debut novel and I will definitely check out the author’s future works. I enjoyed how flawed and messy the main character is, but I wished the characterization leaned less into the “not like other girls” trope. Don’t be fooled by the marketing or synopsis this is not a light romance with a traditional happy ever after. The main character is Zoey and this is story of her questioning and coming to terms with her beliefs about herself and marriage. I loved the friendship between Hannah and Zoey as it felt very real and grounded.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Late is better than never!
I initially had trouble getting into this book. Its curious narrative style, that I could only describe as a mix of info-dump and self-absorbed, but kind of funny and 'there' but not yet polished really put me off initially. Its plot is kind of silly, the heroine's hang-ups didn't convince me, but it was an interesting experiment in women's fiction and expectations.
The author is funny and writes sexy and straightforward dialogue that often sizzles-and great tension and love scenes, but it's just not polished to the extent I expect. It could've been a short book, but we need to be told often that the heroine is wide-eyed, and that she's a badass, so it took more trees than that.
This may seem scathing, but that's because I'm disappointed. The plot was catchy, it had a good hook, and I'm not upset for having read it.. However, I'm disappointed that I know it could have been more than it was, with a bit more refinement and discipline. With that I may have even seen a parallel to Mhairi McFarlane in so many ways, but without out it, it feels like a bit too much of a mess for even a glancing comparison.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.
I initially had trouble getting into this book. Its curious narrative style, that I could only describe as a mix of info-dump and self-absorbed, but kind of funny and 'there' but not yet polished really put me off initially. Its plot is kind of silly, the heroine's hang-ups didn't convince me, but it was an interesting experiment in women's fiction and expectations.
The author is funny and writes sexy and straightforward dialogue that often sizzles-and great tension and love scenes, but it's just not polished to the extent I expect. It could've been a short book, but we need to be told often that the heroine is wide-eyed, and that she's a badass, so it took more trees than that.
This may seem scathing, but that's because I'm disappointed. The plot was catchy, it had a good hook, and I'm not upset for having read it.. However, I'm disappointed that I know it could have been more than it was, with a bit more refinement and discipline. With that I may have even seen a parallel to Mhairi McFarlane in so many ways, but without out it, it feels like a bit too much of a mess for even a glancing comparison.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is such a refreshing book and a very promising debut novel from Alison Rose Greenberg! It is definitely firmly in the Women's Fiction genre and less of a romance. I was expecting something different given the the illustrated and cute cover but this book did not disappoint. .The book is about Zoey, a young woman in her 30s, who think's she's bad luck when she's the bridesmaid for three of her friends and none of them make it down the aisle. This acts as an impetus for Zoey to examine her thoughts and feelings about marriage when faced with the prospect of it herself. This book is a witty quick-read (yet memorable) that really explores the modern woman's relationship with commitment and her sense of self as it relates to marriage. There were moments where I laughed out loud and moments where I wanted to shake Zoey but I eventually cheered for her and her journey through the events of the book. The only reason I deduct a star is that while I appreciated the unconventional ending for a book of this genre, I felt like Zoey's motivations weren't completely explored for her decision to make sense (although I guess real life is hardly logical in how it turns out!).
This is such a refreshing book and a very promising debut novel from Alison Rose Greenberg! It is definitely firmly in the Women's Fiction genre and less of a romance. I was expecting something different given the the illustrated and cute cover but this book did not disappoint. .The book is about Zoey, a young woman in her 30s, who think's she's bad luck when she's the bridesmaid for three of her friends and none of them make it down the aisle. This acts as an impetus for Zoey to examine her thoughts and feelings about marriage when faced with the prospect of it herself. This book is a witty quick-read (yet memorable) that really explores the modern woman's relationship with commitment and her sense of self as it relates to marriage. There were moments where I laughed out loud and moments where I wanted to shake Zoey but I eventually cheered for her and her journey through the events of the book. The only reason I deduct a star is that while I appreciated the unconventional ending for a book of this genre, I felt like Zoey's motivations weren't completely explored for her decision to make sense (although I guess real life is hardly logical in how it turns out!).
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Overall this was a frustrating romance with a good message at the end. I couldn't help but feel that everything would've been avoided with a serious talk, but then there wouldn't be any tension in this story.
Zoey Marks calls herself the Bad Luck Bridesmaid. She has been a bridesmaid to 3 failed weddings. Because of this and other examples in her life, she believes that she will never settle down.
Then she meets Rylan and suddenly she finds herself in a relationship. However, it's not what it seems. To her, she's not really in it for the long haul (despite their two year relationship). He is in it for real. He treats her so well and she takes it all for granted.
I really wasn't expecting what this book became. I was hoping that there would be some redemption but it came much to late. There is no happy ever after and that threw me off. Romance books really are all about the HEA and this left me sad at the end. There is a little bit of hope at the very end but you never see it.
I think there were moments in this book that I enjoyed. There was some wit and some fun but I think that the other parts of the book where the conflict and drama came in left me really wanting more.
Then she meets Rylan and suddenly she finds herself in a relationship. However, it's not what it seems. To her, she's not really in it for the long haul (despite their two year relationship). He is in it for real. He treats her so well and she takes it all for granted.
I really wasn't expecting what this book became. I was hoping that there would be some redemption but it came much to late. There is no happy ever after and that threw me off. Romance books really are all about the HEA and this left me sad at the end. There is a little bit of hope at the very end but you never see it.
I think there were moments in this book that I enjoyed. There was some wit and some fun but I think that the other parts of the book where the conflict and drama came in left me really wanting more.
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced