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eimearo_c 's review for:
The Wedding People
by Alison Espach
challenging
emotional
funny
tense
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
This book really took me by surprise in the best way! When I first started reading, I wasn’t sure I’d connect with the main character. She came across as a bit distant, and I worried the story was going to be overwhelmingly bleak. But as the plot unfolded and she entered that hotel, it felt like a space suspended from her reality in a way. The book became something much more than a story about a suicidal woman choosing her final moments.
What really struck me was how the main character interacted with the other guests. There was a kind of raw honesty to her, like someone who had nothing to lose. That attitude, I think born from her belief that she shouldn’t even be alive, made her not hold back anything in her conversations. I think everyone felt so drawn to her because she contrasted so starkly with the guests around her who were constantly concerned with appearances and expectations.
I also really enjoyed how her personal history, particularly the background of her marriage, was gradually revealed, even as she was building this very natural, subtle connection with the groom. Their relationship didn’t feel forced, and just seemed to grew through shared understanding and quiet moments away from the tension of the event.
The pacing did lag slightly in the middle. The book relies heavily on Phoebe’s internal monologue, and at times it slowed things down a bit. The ending, though, was beautiful. I loved how everything was contained within the hotel, and how symbolic it was for the main character’s journey. When she finally stepped outside—without even looking back—it felt like such a powerful, poetic act of letting go. She was ready to move forward. This was a really unexpected and great read for me.
What really struck me was how the main character interacted with the other guests. There was a kind of raw honesty to her, like someone who had nothing to lose. That attitude, I think born from her belief that she shouldn’t even be alive, made her not hold back anything in her conversations. I think everyone felt so drawn to her because she contrasted so starkly with the guests around her who were constantly concerned with appearances and expectations.
I also really enjoyed how her personal history, particularly the background of her marriage, was gradually revealed, even as she was building this very natural, subtle connection with the groom. Their relationship didn’t feel forced, and just seemed to grew through shared understanding and quiet moments away from the tension of the event.
The pacing did lag slightly in the middle. The book relies heavily on Phoebe’s internal monologue, and at times it slowed things down a bit. The ending, though, was beautiful. I loved how everything was contained within the hotel, and how symbolic it was for the main character’s journey. When she finally stepped outside—without even looking back—it felt like such a powerful, poetic act of letting go. She was ready to move forward. This was a really unexpected and great read for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Cancer, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy