Scan barcode
zooloo1983's review
5.0
All I can say is Ms Stoneley and her books never fail to make me smile. I loved being surrounded by Jane and her friends. I loved I knew exactly where this story was going to go for each character but having them discover their own path. I loved Louie the most though lol. And allllllllllll the secrets!!
I wanted to read this in one sitting because I was thinking about this book when I wasn’t reading it. I started it Monday evening and made a dent before I fell asleep so early because of a hectic week, and then Tuesday I stayed up until just before midnight finishing it. I then took to Twitter just to let Zara know she totally knocked it out of the park with Bridesmaids.
The story was cute and one that was so easy to lose yourself in. It is a book, to read in sun savouring the words written in front of you. I must say that wedding sounds like the best ever! I wish I had an invite and it had me cackling when I read it.
This is Janes’ story as we watch her grow from someone who has been cruelly dumped on her hen party, with no self-worth, dictated too by an “influencer” to a woman who was self-assured, albeit a little bit dappy at times. In some cases, she reminded me of…Well me! Slightly dappy, quick to go off on a tangent in her head, not always letting people finish their sentences and jump to the wrong conclusions as they can’t finish their sentences!! However, when I was reading this, I was so quick to tell her to stop and slow down. She did make me chuckle and I also had hair envy, I just loved her. All the women were so down to earth and likeable in their own way, yes even Sal!
I found myself smiling at my kindle a lot especially at how down to earth and real this book truly was. The friendship of the girls, despite not living in each other's pockets was lovely. And did I mention the secrets, it was funny that everyone turned to Jane and she got herself in a right old tizz about it all. Plus where can I meet a man like Freddie???
I would love there to be a sequel to this book as I don’t think we are quite done with all these ladies. Plus I need to know what happens on the honeymoon!! And I need more Louie!
Bridesmaids is definitely a story that will make you smile and make you love a little bit more and it has left me with all the feels for sure! I stand by my statement that Ms Stoneley has so knocked this out of the park. That’s three in three for me. Loved them all!
daydreamer1983's review
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Impulse for an electronic Advanced Readers Copy of "Bridesmaids" by Zara Stoneley in exchange for an honest review.
"The funniest laugh out loud rom com of 2019 – the perfect beach read!"
Jane, Rachel, Maddie, Sally, Beth, and the men in their lives have provided a true laugh out loud romantic comedy. This novel could easily be made into a movie! While there are some difficult moments for each of the characters to overcome, they do so in hilarious, and believable ways. There were moments where I found Jane to be annoying or wildly overthinking a situation, but overall, she was a likeable lead character. This story is a perfect beach read, though you may get some looks your way if you're reading it out in public because it is a story that will make you laugh!
"The funniest laugh out loud rom com of 2019 – the perfect beach read!"
Jane, Rachel, Maddie, Sally, Beth, and the men in their lives have provided a true laugh out loud romantic comedy. This novel could easily be made into a movie! While there are some difficult moments for each of the characters to overcome, they do so in hilarious, and believable ways. There were moments where I found Jane to be annoying or wildly overthinking a situation, but overall, she was a likeable lead character. This story is a perfect beach read, though you may get some looks your way if you're reading it out in public because it is a story that will make you laugh!
leslie_books_and_socks_rock's review against another edition
4.0
This is a new author to me, the cover and description sounded fun. I feel like the first half is pretty boring, I pushed myself to finish it to do my netgalley review. But once I got to the middle and as the reader, you know some of the secrets and how tangled this group of friends are, you have to finish to see how it all plays out. And wow, does it go out with a bang. The author is British and its written for a UK audience, some references I didn't get but it was fun. I wasn't sure about the timeline of events, was this whole thing within a few weeks? It was predictable, a few small typos (and that's after accounting for British spelling).
I loved Jane, she's pretty annoying at the beginning, but as you follow the wedding planning, you see her grow. And I loved Freddie, the book needed more of him but he kept running off, which was getting weird. Some of Jane's issues at the beginning don't seem very important that she holds onto, like Coral. I loved Rachel's character from the start and how the wedding played out. Read it, push through and the ending is highly satisfying. I'll need to check out other books from this author. I received this book in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley
I loved Jane, she's pretty annoying at the beginning, but as you follow the wedding planning, you see her grow. And I loved Freddie, the book needed more of him but he kept running off, which was getting weird. Some of Jane's issues at the beginning don't seem very important that she holds onto, like Coral. I loved Rachel's character from the start and how the wedding played out. Read it, push through and the ending is highly satisfying. I'll need to check out other books from this author. I received this book in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley
justinestu's review against another edition
3.0
At first this was a very hard book to get into. The conversations didn’t hold me and I was often confused about who was talking, when they were speaking or thinking, and what they were even saying. I even took a break, read another book, then came back to this one. Although I was still often confused about the dialogue, it was still a good book that I am glad I was able to finish. At time the actions seemed a bit far fetched but I guess that added to the humor and drama.
prdgreads's review
4.0
This book was absolutely hilarious, lots and lots of laugh out loud moments that had people looking at me like I had lost the plot.
5 best friends that have barely seen each other since they left school all get together for the wedding of Rachel.. what could possibly go wrong?
The story is told from the perspective of Jane, who we quickly find out was dumped by text on her hen night, her fiancée just couldn't commit, it's been a year or so since that happened and she is trying to get her life back together, she has a job taking photos for someone else's Instagram & the only good thing in her life is Freddie, her housemate.
Rachel is the bride to be and just wants everything to be perfect, her and Michael have had an on/off relationship, but they're back together & he's promised he's changed.
All of the girls quickly fall back into the roles that they played in the friendship group when they were younger, Rachel being the confident one, Sally the competitive one, Maddie the shy quiet one, Beth is the wind up merchant and Jane is the barrier that stops them all from killing each other.
This was a heartwarming read about how friendships can survive the test of time and that no matter what happens girls stick together, it was such a lovely story that I will recommend to everyone
5 best friends that have barely seen each other since they left school all get together for the wedding of Rachel.. what could possibly go wrong?
The story is told from the perspective of Jane, who we quickly find out was dumped by text on her hen night, her fiancée just couldn't commit, it's been a year or so since that happened and she is trying to get her life back together, she has a job taking photos for someone else's Instagram & the only good thing in her life is Freddie, her housemate.
Rachel is the bride to be and just wants everything to be perfect, her and Michael have had an on/off relationship, but they're back together & he's promised he's changed.
All of the girls quickly fall back into the roles that they played in the friendship group when they were younger, Rachel being the confident one, Sally the competitive one, Maddie the shy quiet one, Beth is the wind up merchant and Jane is the barrier that stops them all from killing each other.
This was a heartwarming read about how friendships can survive the test of time and that no matter what happens girls stick together, it was such a lovely story that I will recommend to everyone
elizmarie's review
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
kitsune's review
3.0
Having previously read The Wedding Date by the same author, I was looking forward to this one.
Now, don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the story - however, the book didn't have the same polished feel that I was expecting. Aside from the grammar issues and inconsistencies (loos and loo's used on the same page!), there were a few times I found myself skipping pages because there was too much detail about something that wasn't really pertinent to the story. It seemed to ramble in a few places!
All that being said, I really enjoyed the different characters, and it's a great feel-good book. I don't know about anyone else, but I love to read this type of book as a palate cleanser in between the other kinds of books I like, and this did the job very well!
Now, don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the story - however, the book didn't have the same polished feel that I was expecting. Aside from the grammar issues and inconsistencies (loos and loo's used on the same page!), there were a few times I found myself skipping pages because there was too much detail about something that wasn't really pertinent to the story. It seemed to ramble in a few places!
All that being said, I really enjoyed the different characters, and it's a great feel-good book. I don't know about anyone else, but I love to read this type of book as a palate cleanser in between the other kinds of books I like, and this did the job very well!
seadaz's review
3.0
I enjoy Zara’s books. i did enjoy this book - the ending was hilarious...but I don’t do too well with books that have a LOT of conversations in them, and this one was nearly all conversation (actual and inside Jane’s head), that being said I did still enjoy it.
alstrath's review
4.0
Rachel gets engaged and asks her best friends to be her bridesmaids, as one usually does. Jane, her chief bridesmaid and narrator of the story, hasn't seen the other three since school days.
The three bridesmaids plus the one who doesn't want to be a bridesmaid all have a history with each other from school days and are hiding various secrets from each other and of course the bride-to-be.
Sally is now married to Madison's high school sweetheart, Jack, who may or may not still be in love with Madison but neither Sally nor Jack are happy in their marriage and neither will admit it or do anything about it.
Beth, doesn't want to be a bridesmaid, has a baby whose father is kept a secret from everyone.
Madison, still in love with her ex, knows who the father of the baby is.
And then Jane. Who is keeping a massive secret about the groom from the bride. Thinks she knows who Beth's baby's father is and who is secretly in love with her roommate, Freddie.
Oh and her ex, who dumped her via text message during her hen party, is an usher at the wedding and may still have the hots for her.
What could possibly go wrong??
I found this an hilarious story. I particularly loved the confusion and chaos when the hen-do and the stay-do inadvertently meet up - poor Jack!
"Act Three - The Big Day" is the best section of this book. Its a hilarious culmination of events and the revelation of secrets. The scenes described in it are wonderful - as you read you see the events playing out in your mind's eye. And Rachel and Jane's mums are priceless. I just loved them to bits even though they are minor characters.
All is well that ends well in the end.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this wonderful book. I really enjoyed every moment of it.
The three bridesmaids plus the one who doesn't want to be a bridesmaid all have a history with each other from school days and are hiding various secrets from each other and of course the bride-to-be.
Sally is now married to Madison's high school sweetheart, Jack, who may or may not still be in love with Madison but neither Sally nor Jack are happy in their marriage and neither will admit it or do anything about it.
Beth, doesn't want to be a bridesmaid, has a baby whose father is kept a secret from everyone.
Madison, still in love with her ex, knows who the father of the baby is.
And then Jane. Who is keeping a massive secret about the groom from the bride. Thinks she knows who Beth's baby's father is and who is secretly in love with her roommate, Freddie.
Oh and her ex, who dumped her via text message during her hen party, is an usher at the wedding and may still have the hots for her.
What could possibly go wrong??
I found this an hilarious story. I particularly loved the confusion and chaos when the hen-do and the stay-do inadvertently meet up - poor Jack!
"Act Three - The Big Day" is the best section of this book. Its a hilarious culmination of events and the revelation of secrets. The scenes described in it are wonderful - as you read you see the events playing out in your mind's eye. And Rachel and Jane's mums are priceless. I just loved them to bits even though they are minor characters.
All is well that ends well in the end.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this wonderful book. I really enjoyed every moment of it.
readingwithrebs's review
3.0
I enjoyed this one! It’s everything you expect from a rom-com... romance and comedy, obvs! But also the cheesiness that comes with it and the bundles of girl power vibes it gives.
Stoneley gives us all the characters in a friendship group that are absolutely real, and would fit into your own. I really became fond of them!
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 - a light and heartwarming read about friendship and love.
Stoneley gives us all the characters in a friendship group that are absolutely real, and would fit into your own. I really became fond of them!
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 - a light and heartwarming read about friendship and love.