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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-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
medium-paced
It had its moments.
Didn't hate it but wouldn't recommend it
Didn't hate it but wouldn't recommend it
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is adorable - a perfect little beach read. Because I’m predictable I was much more interested in the female friendship than the romance, and the book was also more interested in that! Willa was, also predictably, sometimes deeply embarrassing and grating
Our MC was supposed to get married but caught her fiance and best friend cheating so now instead of being a popular blogger and wife, she is living with her sister, sister in law, and their kids, barely making it out of bed aside from when she helps her sister's party planning business by dressing up as a princess for kid's parties. At the most recent one, she dropped the cake and broke her throne, then yelled at a guest who was laughing at her and ran away when she saw aforementioned former best friend. Unexpectedly, she meets a stranger who sits at her table at a coffee shop and asks her to pretend to be her best friend in front of here finance. The scheme snowballs and now MC is a hired bridesmaid for the wedding, where if then out laughing man from the party is the best man.
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mmm i didn’t really like this. i found the main character to be unbelievably annoying for a majority of the book and was not invested in the romance at all. the only thing i liked about this book was maisie and pippa. I liked how we got to see willa and maisies friendship but i thought this was a romance book
lighthearted
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book was recommended to me as a romance, and as a slump buster. After reading this book, I've decided that all books from Berkley will be treated as womens fiction and I'll just be pleasantly surprised if it's actually a Romance. I can see why people rave about the book, but it was just a solid read/ solid debut. I would read more from the author in the future.
The main character, Willa, was a bit superficial, but that might have been due to her last job, which was some sort of lifestyle journalist and blogger/influencer. After finding her fiance and best friend in the middle of coitus, her life basically falls apart. She's now living with her older sister and her wife and three kids, and is now a party princess for hire.
One day, while minding her own business at a coffee shop, Maisie, a perfect stranger, sits at her table at the local coffee shop, and pays Willa to pretend to be her friend. This leads to an offer of being Maisie's bridesmaid. The story truly centers around the friendship that blossoms between Maisie and Willa, and how this causes Willa to get out of her despondent funk. The things Willa is willing to do as what begins a paid position, but eventually because they are friends, for Maisie leads to a developing romance with Liam, the groom's best man. There are some cute moments that will help get over the first few bad impressions.
While not needed, I as a reader, would have liked a final confrontation between main character and her ex-best friend - like the why, and how long she had been cheating with the ex fiance. Also good for our main character to drop both of them and blame both (ex friend and ex fiance) equally, rather than take one back / blamed one.
The main character, Willa, was a bit superficial, but that might have been due to her last job, which was some sort of lifestyle journalist and blogger/influencer. After finding her fiance and best friend in the middle of coitus, her life basically falls apart. She's now living with her older sister and her wife and three kids, and is now a party princess for hire.
One day, while minding her own business at a coffee shop, Maisie, a perfect stranger, sits at her table at the local coffee shop, and pays Willa to pretend to be her friend. This leads to an offer of being Maisie's bridesmaid. The story truly centers around the friendship that blossoms between Maisie and Willa, and how this causes Willa to get out of her despondent funk. The things Willa is willing to do as what begins a paid position, but eventually because they are friends, for Maisie leads to a developing romance with Liam, the groom's best man. There are some cute moments that will help get over the first few bad impressions.
While not needed, I as a reader, would have liked a final confrontation between main character and her ex-best friend - like the why, and how long she had been cheating with the ex fiance. Also good for our main character to drop both of them and blame both (ex friend and ex fiance) equally, rather than take one back / blamed one.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
This was honestly such a sweet and endearing novel to read. While you may come into it thinking that it’s a romance (which this book also has), it’s actually more about a newfound friendship between the two characters, Willa Callister and Maisie Mitchell, that begins with an unusual request but blossoms into something special.
I have to admit that upon seeing the title, I immediately thought of the Kevin Hart and Josh Gad comedy film of the same name. And while both have an almost (but not really) similar plot, this book is different. It has a lot of depth and adds something new and refreshing to a story about female friendship.
I loved getting to know Willa and seeing her relationship with Maisie develop. The way they play off each other in pretending to be old friends (Willa coming up with a fake story about how brave Maisie was when they were kids at Camp Anawanna - nice 90’s Nickelodeon reference btw!) and how they naturally become really good friends (Maisie being there for Willa as they bond over tacos and later them singing and talking en route to Maisie’s bachelorette party) were all great moments to read. And after what is revealed and shared by both characters, they both needed each other more than they realized.
I also liked the relationship between Willa and Best Man / Dr. McDreamy - excuse me, Dr. Dreamboat, Liam Rafferty. Their story never felt like a Plot B substory and was perfectly balanced with Willa’s growth and her own friendship with Maisie. She needed both Maisie and this potential new romance with Liam to find herself again and let people in.
Maybe it’s too early to say, but this is my favorite read of 2022. It has a lot of heart and is perfect for those who need a little hope in times when it feels like you just want to run away. There’s always someone who cares and there are always people, whether they’ve been with you forever or you’ve just started a new friendship with, that will be there for you.