Take a photo of a barcode or cover
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Animal death, Cancer, Death, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Terminal illness
Minor: Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Buckle up friends and let’s take a drive in a car some dude really loved enough to put his 🍌 in…..
“Becoming who you want to be is just like anything else. It takes practice. It requires the belief that one day, you’ll wake up and be a natural at it.”
We are what we consistently do. And phoebe, like many of us, is great at pretending to be a person. Go through the motions and do the things you’re supposed to do until you crack up one day and realize you never really chose any of it. You were just kinda propelled forward. This is the deepest takeaway from the book. The realness that saved it from one star.
Apart from the deep thoughts I may have had while reading this book, the book itself was obnoxious. It made me ask if I’ve ever been so in my head like this that I was sleepwalking through life. An uncomfortable thought but I doubt I ever took it to phoebes extreme.
The bride? Ridiculous. Like I could drop her down a well in a fairytale and it would’ve made the story better. That woman needs some meds/therapy with all that money instead of 159 lemon palette-cleansers.
Not that anyone else was super redeeming.
Her bridesmaids? Also ridiculous. I was convinced little worm was a dog or lizard.
A maid of honor that doesn’t show up.
A mother in law that really is so self centered it hurt to read.
Insufferably mean sister in law that is practicing sexting post affair?
A preteen full of angst in doc martins adding a tamagotchi to the bottom of the ocean? But don’t worry she likes the random stranger.
The absolutely trust all these humans have in a stranger who was just suicidal is just wild to me. it made me question the sanity of them all that this just rolls with it.
Plus all these vague mentions of phoebe wanting some BDSM action but then falling for Gary whose bad back means he definitely isn’t gonna crack a whip. Jim would’ve probably been down to clown thou. We’re just gonna pretend she’s gonna forget about that. But hey I bet Gary is into anal given his profession. He’s intimately familiar 💩
Also….panda sex. Yup. Panda sex. Because a 6 day wedding week wasn’t weird enough we had to throw that in. And a cooking spice wielding tarot cards.
—-spoilers—-
I think the most frustrating part of this whole novel was the dirtbag cheating husband crawling back and getting a hookup. Followed quickly by neither guy (Jim/gary) getting the girl (the bride), and phoebe not getting to take the honeymoon with Gary even though it’s already paid for and she’s got nothing else to do.
Also, she kept talking about getting Frank, but left him in his shelter while she went back to St. Louis. Where is the justice for FRANK?! Ok. Review over. I’m going to adopt Frank.
“Becoming who you want to be is just like anything else. It takes practice. It requires the belief that one day, you’ll wake up and be a natural at it.”
We are what we consistently do. And phoebe, like many of us, is great at pretending to be a person. Go through the motions and do the things you’re supposed to do until you crack up one day and realize you never really chose any of it. You were just kinda propelled forward. This is the deepest takeaway from the book. The realness that saved it from one star.
Apart from the deep thoughts I may have had while reading this book, the book itself was obnoxious. It made me ask if I’ve ever been so in my head like this that I was sleepwalking through life. An uncomfortable thought but I doubt I ever took it to phoebes extreme.
The bride? Ridiculous. Like I could drop her down a well in a fairytale and it would’ve made the story better. That woman needs some meds/therapy with all that money instead of 159 lemon palette-cleansers.
Not that anyone else was super redeeming.
Her bridesmaids? Also ridiculous. I was convinced little worm was a dog or lizard.
A maid of honor that doesn’t show up.
A mother in law that really is so self centered it hurt to read.
Insufferably mean sister in law that is practicing sexting post affair?
A preteen full of angst in doc martins adding a tamagotchi to the bottom of the ocean? But don’t worry she likes the random stranger.
The absolutely trust all these humans have in a stranger who was just suicidal is just wild to me. it made me question the sanity of them all that this just rolls with it.
Plus all these vague mentions of phoebe wanting some BDSM action but then falling for Gary whose bad back means he definitely isn’t gonna crack a whip. Jim would’ve probably been down to clown thou. We’re just gonna pretend she’s gonna forget about that. But hey I bet Gary is into anal given his profession. He’s intimately familiar 💩
Also….panda sex. Yup. Panda sex. Because a 6 day wedding week wasn’t weird enough we had to throw that in. And a cooking spice wielding tarot cards.
—-spoilers—-
I think the most frustrating part of this whole novel was the dirtbag cheating husband crawling back and getting a hookup. Followed quickly by neither guy (Jim/gary) getting the girl (the bride), and phoebe not getting to take the honeymoon with Gary even though it’s already paid for and she’s got nothing else to do.
Also, she kept talking about getting Frank, but left him in his shelter while she went back to St. Louis. Where is the justice for FRANK?! Ok. Review over. I’m going to adopt Frank.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Vomit, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Death of parent
funny
hopeful
inspiring
Six stars. A story that is somehow serious without taking itself too seriously. The characters were all so well written and the setting was so gorgeously written, I felt like I was right in Newport with all the wedding people. This book makes me want to book a last minute trip to a hotel and spill all my secrets to a hot stranger.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Death of parent
Minor: Vomit
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
At first, I thought this book was a bit hard to get into, but after a few chapters, I was hooked.
This is definitely not a light read, as it goes into some hard/ heavy topics. Despite that, the book didn't feel to heavy and definitely made me chuckle a few times.
The ending felt a bit incomplete. I know Phoebe moves onto a new "era" of her life and all that, but I wished we got to see what that looked like. Perhaps a time jump to her job as a winter keeper? Or a little jump a few years into the future to check in with some of the main characters, Phoebe, Matt, Lila, Garry and Juice to see how they ended up.
This is definitely not a light read, as it goes into some hard/ heavy topics. Despite that, the book didn't feel to heavy and definitely made me chuckle a few times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide
Moderate: Miscarriage, Suicide attempt, Death of parent
Minor: Vomit, Pandemic/Epidemic
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide
Moderate: Cancer, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Pregnancy, Pandemic/Epidemic
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Love the writing and really liked the MC for a big chunk of it, but then it felt like it started to head toward rom-com territory, which made me feel a distance from the story, making the ending feel super weak compared to how strongly it started.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Pandemic/Epidemic
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-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
This is such a wonderful, heavy, beautiful book. If any book can be about the human condition this would be it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Pandemic/Epidemic
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What an amazing book. I loved every page of this story. I laughed out loud so many times. I truly couldn't put this book down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Sexual content, Alcohol
Minor: Drug use, Miscarriage, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Vomit
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
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
Finally, a romance that is not cringy, extremely predictable, or a mere delivery vehicle for unadulterated smut. If I learn one thing from life experience and getting older, it's that the fairy tale love story that ends with "... and so they live happily ever after" rarely, if ever, comes true.
[book:The Wedding People|198902277] delivers the other side of the love story veil incredibly well. She brought up issues that usually are hard to discuss, like suicide, infidelity, and divorce, in such a way that doesn't undermine their seriousness and yet is not uncomfortable or awkward to read.
Towards the end, I was worried that it would resort to overly manufactured conflict and clichéd ending. I was pleasantly surprised when these were not the case. The ending was beautifully wrapped and satisfying in a way that is sweet but not cloying. It deserves all five stars and probably even more.
[book:The Wedding People|198902277] delivers the other side of the love story veil incredibly well. She brought up issues that usually are hard to discuss, like suicide, infidelity, and divorce, in such a way that doesn't undermine their seriousness and yet is not uncomfortable or awkward to read.
Towards the end, I was worried that it would resort to overly manufactured conflict and clichéd ending. I was pleasantly surprised when these were not the case. The ending was beautifully wrapped and satisfying in a way that is sweet but not cloying. It deserves all five stars and probably even more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Vomit