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audriss's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
alekswhite's review against another edition
3.0
Here’s the thing: I think this genre is so self indulgent sometimes. Why can’t you have a good romance novel without feeling the need to peddle really base narratives about relationships?
So you have Chloe, right, the main character who after a decade long mediocre relationship to a tool gets stood up at the aisle. The woman has zero self awareness and yet is said to be ambitious and organised? I’m not clear on why she doesn’t use those personality traits in her relationship. She’s locked up her heart because she got jilted. It’s... plausible. I’ll give it that.
Then you have obvious love interest Vaughn who for reasons unbeknownst to himself or the author he makes a promise to his long dead first love that he’ll never love anyone again. Which, first of all, his first love sounds like an absolute selfish crazy but also is ridiculous!? And so he’s spent his life being arrogant and withdrawn. Apparently these traits make him appealing to women (I actually don’t know why) but are really armour that he hides his masculinity behind because he’s really a (not so secret) marshmallow
Several times I asked myself why I was reading this and then I remembered that I’m alone on Valentines Day and why the hell not but I also asked myself why there couldn’t be a LITTLE more originality and whether my eyes were bleeding or it was just my lack of self worth instructing me to keep reading.
Granted I gave it three stars because the show down at her friends’ wedding was hilarious and uncomfortable and then the subsequent drama with her ex at her apartment bursting in on her with his cousin and her in bed was actually kind of great.
(...I also read the sequel so that says more about me.)
So you have Chloe, right, the main character who after a decade long mediocre relationship to a tool gets stood up at the aisle. The woman has zero self awareness and yet is said to be ambitious and organised? I’m not clear on why she doesn’t use those personality traits in her relationship. She’s locked up her heart because she got jilted. It’s... plausible. I’ll give it that.
Then you have obvious love interest Vaughn who for reasons unbeknownst to himself or the author he makes a promise to his long dead first love that he’ll never love anyone again. Which, first of all, his first love sounds like an absolute selfish crazy but also is ridiculous!? And so he’s spent his life being arrogant and withdrawn. Apparently these traits make him appealing to women (I actually don’t know why) but are really armour that he hides his masculinity behind because he’s really a (not so secret) marshmallow
Several times I asked myself why I was reading this and then I remembered that I’m alone on Valentines Day and why the hell not but I also asked myself why there couldn’t be a LITTLE more originality and whether my eyes were bleeding or it was just my lack of self worth instructing me to keep reading.
Granted I gave it three stars because the show down at her friends’ wedding was hilarious and uncomfortable and then the subsequent drama with her ex at her apartment bursting in on her with his cousin and her in bed was actually kind of great.
(...I also read the sequel so that says more about me.)
mboutlaw's review against another edition
3.0
This book was fine. It just felt too predictable for me, but there were cute moments and moments that made me chuckle.
daisyknox's review against another edition
5.0
All reviews posted at Tales of Love, Life, and Murder
This is an enemies-to-lovers jilted bride story with loveable characters and plenty of laughs. When Cassie is left at the altar, she shoots the messenger by attacking Vaughn Brooks, the best man who came to break the news that the groom had run off with her best friend. Not only does this break her heart and destroy two of her most important relationships, but Cassie’s epic humiliation-fueled tantrum practically destroys her popular wedding planning business. Before her almost-wedding, she’d been turning down jobs but now she hardly has any customers at all.
If it was just her, Cassie would simply get a job and go on with her life but her family’s livelihood depends on the business. Her widowed sister handles the floral arrangements and needs the flexible hours to look after her toddler, while their mother makes a living creating custom bridal gowns and clothes for the wedding parties so Cassie’s in no position to refuse working with Vaughn.
She loathes him almost as much as her cheating ex and the feeling is mutual, but soon the sparks fly. That should be a good thing but there are so many complications, not the least of which is that Cassie no longer believes in love and Vaughn promised his heart to his first love years ago.
I enjoyed Cassie and Vaughn immensely although I felt the ending was a tad rushed. There’s a fun supporting cast and I’m very interested in her sister’s story, but Cassie and Vaughn were certainly the stars of the show. This was a fun read and I highly recommend it.
reading_goat's review against another edition
4.0
pretty fluffy, but a fun read. not particularly well written.
kcsplash's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
4.25
melindamoor's review
3.0
3,25 stars for this better-than-the-average & better-than-expected chick-lit/romance.
This was a kindle freebie which I downloaded & then promptly forgot about it until a few days ago.
I did not have great expectations, especially as I hadn't fared well with this genre for a while (growing old or what?) so I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book.
The story as you can see from the blurb, is rather trite: Chloe Cassidy, wedding planner, is jilted at the altar, on her BIG DAY. The bad news - which she, understandably, takes very badly- is delivered by the best man, who also has to bear her fury: "...a man who everyone thought she’d tried to disembowel with white roses, silver pine cones and a delicate but not overpowering smattering of heather."
Of course this affects not only her personal life, but also her business. She's trying to get back on her feet and make something of the business which she runs with her mother and widowed younger sister, when the aforementioned best man gets back to town and they are thrown into each other's path again...
Despite the run-of-the-mill plot, this story has more humour and yet more depth to it than most, though sometimes it gets a bit more convoluted than strictly necessary.
It is refreshingly down-to-earth with imperfect, but perfectly likeable characters and it handles some more serious topics -like loss of loved ones through death- with feeling & understanding but without dragging you down too much.
There are some steamy, explicit sex scenes involved, so not recommended for clean-romance fans.
This was a kindle freebie which I downloaded & then promptly forgot about it until a few days ago.
I did not have great expectations, especially as I hadn't fared well with this genre for a while (growing old or what?) so I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book.
The story as you can see from the blurb, is rather trite: Chloe Cassidy, wedding planner, is jilted at the altar, on her BIG DAY. The bad news - which she, understandably, takes very badly- is delivered by the best man, who also has to bear her fury: "...a man who everyone thought she’d tried to disembowel with white roses, silver pine cones and a delicate but not overpowering smattering of heather."
Of course this affects not only her personal life, but also her business. She's trying to get back on her feet and make something of the business which she runs with her mother and widowed younger sister, when the aforementioned best man gets back to town and they are thrown into each other's path again...
Despite the run-of-the-mill plot, this story has more humour and yet more depth to it than most, though sometimes it gets a bit more convoluted than strictly necessary.
It is refreshingly down-to-earth with imperfect, but perfectly likeable characters and it handles some more serious topics -like loss of loved ones through death- with feeling & understanding but without dragging you down too much.
There are some steamy, explicit sex scenes involved, so not recommended for clean-romance fans.
bananatricky's review against another edition
4.0
Gah, someone recommended this and I can't remember who!
Chloe Cassidy is a wedding planner, unfortunately after being dumped by proxy at the altar (the best man, her fiance's cousin, broke the news) because her fiance and her bridesmaid were a couple, she went a leetle crazy and ended up plastered all over the local newspaper. Three months later the wounds are still raw, her business is failing and she has a widowed sister and depressed mother to support.
When she finds out that her ex-fiance's best man, the despicable Vaughn Brooks, has opened a new restaurant right on her doorstep, she thinks things can't get any worse - then she finds out that her ex-bridesmaid is pregnant and the two of them are invited to a wedding that she is planning! As we all would, Chloe breezily announces that she too is bringing a Plus One to the wedding and immediately embarks on a series of disastrous dates with scary men using a dating website.
In a twist of fate, Chloe ends up helping Vaughn with managing his restaurant and they start to actually enjoy each other's company - but it can't get serious right?
I really enjoyed this but I could have done without the irritating family. Also, was Chloe really so unlikable that no-one wanted to remain friends with her after the wedding debacle? Even though she was the one who was publicly humiliated at the altar?
Anyway, a great Summer read, set in London.
Chloe Cassidy is a wedding planner, unfortunately after being dumped by proxy at the altar (the best man, her fiance's cousin, broke the news) because her fiance and her bridesmaid were a couple, she went a leetle crazy and ended up plastered all over the local newspaper. Three months later the wounds are still raw, her business is failing and she has a widowed sister and depressed mother to support.
When she finds out that her ex-fiance's best man, the despicable Vaughn Brooks, has opened a new restaurant right on her doorstep, she thinks things can't get any worse - then she finds out that her ex-bridesmaid is pregnant and the two of them are invited to a wedding that she is planning! As we all would, Chloe breezily announces that she too is bringing a Plus One to the wedding and immediately embarks on a series of disastrous dates with scary men using a dating website.
In a twist of fate, Chloe ends up helping Vaughn with managing his restaurant and they start to actually enjoy each other's company - but it can't get serious right?
I really enjoyed this but I could have done without the irritating family. Also, was Chloe really so unlikable that no-one wanted to remain friends with her after the wedding debacle? Even though she was the one who was publicly humiliated at the altar?
Anyway, a great Summer read, set in London.
eve_boobies's review against another edition
4.0
Quite enjoyed this one. Loved the buildup in the relationship, though, I wished Chloe would have waited a bit longer before the swarm of butterflies came along. Not to mention that I thought it went a bit too quick before the confession of love. They were ‘together’ for what - two, three days? - before she confessed. I shan’t accept that my friends. Otherwise though, I had a great time. Love the whole jilted lover thing, thought that was great, especially seeing how Chloe fest with everything. And how she reacted with Vaughn compared to Jason was really interesting.
jenilyn's review against another edition
2.0
I feel like there was too much going on, but not in a good, organized way--More like it could have used another good edit.
Characters weren't clearly developed--Is Chloe a mess? Is she a volatile person? What did she actually DO to make her mom mad?
Also--depression isn't anyone's fault and I don't like that Chloe got blamed for her mom's "bad time" when there were clearly other things that led to her taking to her bed.
eh. Obviously I have strong feeling about this book, but I will not be reading the next one.
Characters weren't clearly developed--Is Chloe a mess? Is she a volatile person? What did she actually DO to make her mom mad?
Also--depression isn't anyone's fault and I don't like that Chloe got blamed for her mom's "bad time" when there were clearly other things that led to her taking to her bed.
eh. Obviously I have strong feeling about this book, but I will not be reading the next one.