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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
Zoey Marks is a career-obsessed woman with a mission to chart her course regardless of the naysayers. As a fellow marketing professional, I loved her zeal for connecting brands with experiences and could relate to how the antiquated views and opinions of stuffy male-dominated management can stifle creativity.
I salute the author for penning such a highly relatable character. Zoey isn't just challenging the status quo of women in the workplace, but also their role in society. Too often romance novels pen marriage as the ideal, the end goal, the be-all of a woman's life, and I cannot tell you how satisfying it was to read about a woman who wanted love but not marriage. The author forces readers to ask the question, "Why must marriage be the ultimate form of commitment?"
I was impressed with how the author describes the union of marriage, not so much as a prison but as giving of a part of yourself over to another person. There is a vulnerability in giving someone the power to hurt you and we need to normalize the fears and anxieties associated with this.
What's really powerful about Bad Luck Bridesmaid is the fact that Zoey isn't just a character in a book, she's given a voice to the insecurities plaguing some women, "When the world tells you you're difficult, at some point, a little voice creeps inside and you start to ask yourself, Am I the mountain? Am I the very thing standing in my own way? Am I good enough"
Bad Luck Bridesmaid not only contained powerful lessons on female empowerment, independence, and love but featured some stellar characters. While I admit the beginning was slightly slow, once it picked up I laughed at Zoey's quirky dialogue and her impossibly hilarious life situations. I liked the different iterations of love- love at first sight, love lost and heartache, familial love, love of a lifetime, and love that burns you from the inside out.
Zoey Marks gave me everything I want to see from my female MCs in the romance genre for 2022 and I was 100% here for it! Here are the top things I have learned from Zoey when reading Bad Luck Bridesmaid:
- There is nothing wrong with jumping headfirst into your career or life if it ignites your soul, as Zoey says, "I do not need fixing, there is nothing wrong with a badass woman who didn't believe in mapping out her future."
- Embrace your individuality, don't ever let someone else control your fate, "There was comfort in knowing that by coloring outside the lines, I was in control of where I wanted my pen, and it was not where someone else told me to put it."
- Normalizing the fact that not all women want to get married, " want to wake up every day and make a decision to love you, without something wrapped around my finger telling me I'm supposed to..."
- You can be in love and not want marriage- Marriage was simply not for me, I wanted love, but I wanted choices."
- Your relationship with your parents as a child can affect your adult relationships. "The belief that everything bad surrounding me was my fault was a childhood trait"
- Love does not always make sense, "I don't want him back....I just- I don't want him to be happy with anybody else. And I want his body, like....all over my body"
- Chart your course and screw the world's perception of you, "How do you move forward with your head held high when the world tells you you're not living up to your potential as a woman?"
- It's ok to break a relationship even if you're engaged if your heart and soul aren't into it
Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin for providing me with an arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own
I salute the author for penning such a highly relatable character. Zoey isn't just challenging the status quo of women in the workplace, but also their role in society. Too often romance novels pen marriage as the ideal, the end goal, the be-all of a woman's life, and I cannot tell you how satisfying it was to read about a woman who wanted love but not marriage. The author forces readers to ask the question, "Why must marriage be the ultimate form of commitment?"
I was impressed with how the author describes the union of marriage, not so much as a prison but as giving of a part of yourself over to another person. There is a vulnerability in giving someone the power to hurt you and we need to normalize the fears and anxieties associated with this.
What's really powerful about Bad Luck Bridesmaid is the fact that Zoey isn't just a character in a book, she's given a voice to the insecurities plaguing some women, "When the world tells you you're difficult, at some point, a little voice creeps inside and you start to ask yourself, Am I the mountain? Am I the very thing standing in my own way? Am I good enough"
Bad Luck Bridesmaid not only contained powerful lessons on female empowerment, independence, and love but featured some stellar characters. While I admit the beginning was slightly slow, once it picked up I laughed at Zoey's quirky dialogue and her impossibly hilarious life situations. I liked the different iterations of love- love at first sight, love lost and heartache, familial love, love of a lifetime, and love that burns you from the inside out.
Zoey Marks gave me everything I want to see from my female MCs in the romance genre for 2022 and I was 100% here for it! Here are the top things I have learned from Zoey when reading Bad Luck Bridesmaid:
- There is nothing wrong with jumping headfirst into your career or life if it ignites your soul, as Zoey says, "I do not need fixing, there is nothing wrong with a badass woman who didn't believe in mapping out her future."
- Embrace your individuality, don't ever let someone else control your fate, "There was comfort in knowing that by coloring outside the lines, I was in control of where I wanted my pen, and it was not where someone else told me to put it."
- Normalizing the fact that not all women want to get married, " want to wake up every day and make a decision to love you, without something wrapped around my finger telling me I'm supposed to..."
- You can be in love and not want marriage- Marriage was simply not for me, I wanted love, but I wanted choices."
- Your relationship with your parents as a child can affect your adult relationships. "The belief that everything bad surrounding me was my fault was a childhood trait"
- Love does not always make sense, "I don't want him back....I just- I don't want him to be happy with anybody else. And I want his body, like....all over my body"
- Chart your course and screw the world's perception of you, "How do you move forward with your head held high when the world tells you you're not living up to your potential as a woman?"
- It's ok to break a relationship even if you're engaged if your heart and soul aren't into it
Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin for providing me with an arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own
Zoey Marks: “Complicated women. We sure are fucking magical.”
Zoey Marks is a mess. She has been a bridesmaid multiple times and turned down a proposal. When her best friends gets engaged and asks Zoey to be a bridesmaid, she accepts and decides that she's done with her constant bad luck. Zoey plans on going to the wedding in Ireland then getting her ex back. Because it is absolutely what she wants and needs...right?
While Zoey seemed disastrous at times, many times, you couldn't help but feel her internal pain and struggles. Her development throughout the story wasn't pretty or how one would think it should be-she was messy and real- which is refreshing. Bad Luck Bridesmaid is humorous, witty and at times spicy, but it is not your typical romance. I feel readers would classify it more towards women's fiction.
I truly enjoyed this debut novel and will be listening to Taylor Swift for the rest of the morning.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the advanced copy.
Zoey Marks is a mess. She has been a bridesmaid multiple times and turned down a proposal. When her best friends gets engaged and asks Zoey to be a bridesmaid, she accepts and decides that she's done with her constant bad luck. Zoey plans on going to the wedding in Ireland then getting her ex back. Because it is absolutely what she wants and needs...right?
While Zoey seemed disastrous at times, many times, you couldn't help but feel her internal pain and struggles. Her development throughout the story wasn't pretty or how one would think it should be-she was messy and real- which is refreshing. Bad Luck Bridesmaid is humorous, witty and at times spicy, but it is not your typical romance. I feel readers would classify it more towards women's fiction.
I truly enjoyed this debut novel and will be listening to Taylor Swift for the rest of the morning.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the advanced copy.
I had a great conversation with a co-worker about this book yesterday. I had been in the mood for a romance novel, so I went to my Libro.fm account and searched the available librarian ALCs to find one. My search for a romance turned up this book. The problem is that this IS NOT A ROMANCE NOVEL! It's a perfectly fine novel, but it didn't give me the warm squishy feelings that I was looking for. I suppose as I was reading it should have become obvious to me much sooner that this wasn't a romance novel, but I didn't. The relationship that seems like the primary relationship of the novel is not what you think it is. I can find my way to saying the ending is "happy for now". It's the relationship thing that is the sticking point.
2.5 ⭐️
It’s more of a rant that a review, but:
Bad Luck Bridesmaid was an emotional rollercoaster, but definitely not a good one. It’s messy and not to mince words, but the main character Zoey is awful and I kind of hate her
It’s more of a rant that a review, but:
Bad Luck Bridesmaid was an emotional rollercoaster, but definitely not a good one. It’s messy and not to mince words, but the main character Zoey is awful and I kind of hate her
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
“Always a bridesmaid, never a bride.”
Zoey is cursed. In the three weddings in which she has been a bridesmaid, zero brides have walked down the aisle. Being the common denominator, she begins to wonder if her uncertainty toward marriage and happily ever after is rubbing off on those around her.
Enter Rylan, the textbook definition of prince charming. Zoey and Rylan are ooey gooey for a time…until Rylan proposes, and Zoey slams on the breaks.
This was such a fun one. I loved Zoey's personality and snarky inner monologue. There were several times I actually laughed out loud.
Without saying too much, I wasn't sure I'd end up liking it overall until the very end.
Zoey is cursed. In the three weddings in which she has been a bridesmaid, zero brides have walked down the aisle. Being the common denominator, she begins to wonder if her uncertainty toward marriage and happily ever after is rubbing off on those around her.
Enter Rylan, the textbook definition of prince charming. Zoey and Rylan are ooey gooey for a time…until Rylan proposes, and Zoey slams on the breaks.
This was such a fun one. I loved Zoey's personality and snarky inner monologue. There were several times I actually laughed out loud.
Without saying too much, I wasn't sure I'd end up liking it overall until the very end.
Picture this: you've been a bridesmaid at not one, not two, but three weddings that didn't actually happen. It's the curse of the bad luck bridesmaid, and Zoey Marks just hopes she won't jinx the wedding of her BFF Hannah. Add in Rylan, her ex and Hannah's cousin, and you have a recipe for chaos...and love?
I really enjoyed the beginning of this book - Zoey's wedding misadventures were really entertaining, and I loved seeing her relationship with Rylan develop before their breakup. However, the narrative started dragging once we got to Hannah's wedding - it just seemed to go on forever. I also couldn't identify with Zoey and Rylan's issues - I just wanted to scream at these two to go to couples' therapy and work it out!! If you like your rom coms on the silly/slapstick side, you may like this one more than I did. I will say, the falcon storyline advertised in the blurb did not disappoint.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Review posted to Goodreads 9/11/21, to be posted to Instagram closer to pub date.
I really enjoyed the beginning of this book - Zoey's wedding misadventures were really entertaining, and I loved seeing her relationship with Rylan develop before their breakup. However, the narrative started dragging once we got to Hannah's wedding - it just seemed to go on forever. I also couldn't identify with Zoey and Rylan's issues - I just wanted to scream at these two to go to couples' therapy and work it out!! If you like your rom coms on the silly/slapstick side, you may like this one more than I did. I will say, the falcon storyline advertised in the blurb did not disappoint.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Review posted to Goodreads 9/11/21, to be posted to Instagram closer to pub date.
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was an excellent rom com that alternated between being steamy, hilarious, and quite sad. The main characters have amazing chemistry and banter, and the real winner of the story is female friendship, and we love to see it. This book will make you think a lot about love and also society’s expectations for women to conform to wanting to get married and have children.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility
I really enjoyed this debut novel. This is the story of one quirky woman who lives life to the beat of her own drum. It is also a celebration of working through what life brings your way and coming out the end being stronger than ever.
The relationship between our protagonist Zoey, and her best friend Hannah is one that most women would love to have. They’ve known each other most of their lives and each of these women brings out the best in the other. They take in the world quite differently but have high respect for the other’s point of view.
The relationship between Zoe and Rylan is also very well developed. They are so passionate about one another and this relationship is so well written that the reader can feel the intensity of their love. When Rylan proposes marriage to Zoe near their second anniversary of being together she cannot say yes. The heartbreak of this decision is devastating yet meaningful.
This brings me to reveal what I appreciated about this book. The author does a great job of communicating Zoe’s inner conflict. That being, determining her comfort level for romantic relationships. But let me make it clear - while there is romance in this book, it is not a romance novel. It is a book that celebrates a woman coming into her own that will leave you wanting more.
4.5 stars
The relationship between our protagonist Zoey, and her best friend Hannah is one that most women would love to have. They’ve known each other most of their lives and each of these women brings out the best in the other. They take in the world quite differently but have high respect for the other’s point of view.
The relationship between Zoe and Rylan is also very well developed. They are so passionate about one another and this relationship is so well written that the reader can feel the intensity of their love. When Rylan proposes marriage to Zoe near their second anniversary of being together she cannot say yes. The heartbreak of this decision is devastating yet meaningful.
This brings me to reveal what I appreciated about this book. The author does a great job of communicating Zoe’s inner conflict. That being, determining her comfort level for romantic relationships. But let me make it clear - while there is romance in this book, it is not a romance novel. It is a book that celebrates a woman coming into her own that will leave you wanting more.
4.5 stars
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Only the sex was good
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I feel like I don't want to be a bridesmaid at all. From all of the movies, I have seen and the books I have read so far, being a bridesmaid does not look so fun. I already know the main character is going to be in a world of pain while she is a bridesmaid.
Zoey is tired of being a bridesmaid for the past years. Everyone is getting their happiest day except for her. It's not her lack of trying. She was just scared of commitment. And it does not help that she is going to see her ex, Ryan, again.
I feel like I was lied to. This is certainly not a romance book. It's more of a women's fiction book. And it's fine that it is. Just be honest about it. I would have not felt so disappointed about the lack of romance in this book.
Zoey is tired of being a bridesmaid for the past years. Everyone is getting their happiest day except for her. It's not her lack of trying. She was just scared of commitment. And it does not help that she is going to see her ex, Ryan, again.
I feel like I was lied to. This is certainly not a romance book. It's more of a women's fiction book. And it's fine that it is. Just be honest about it. I would have not felt so disappointed about the lack of romance in this book.