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A review by cozycritiques
The Secret Bridesmaid by Katy Birchall
lighthearted
medium-paced
”But I’ve never been in a situation where the bride is so determined to attack me personally every chance she gets. I will not let her defeat me, though. Lady Cordelia Swann is my biggest challenge yet, and I’m going to face it head-on.”
- The Secret Bridesmaid
Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, for the e-ARC.
Tropes: Bridesmaid for Hire, Wedding Planning, Mistaken Identity, Texts on the Page
Spice Scale: 🫑
CW: Overdose
The Secret Bridesmaid was a delightfully unexpected novel. When I picked it up, I just expected a cute story about a bridesmaid-for-hire trying to juggle a secret identity while wooing a difficult bride’s brother, but what I got was so much more than that, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I liked so many things about this book, one of which was how deep of a look we get into Sophie’s life as a professional bridesmaid. Scattered throughout the book, we get glimpses of the other weddings Sophie is working through emails with vendors, bachelorette party group texts, and meetings with other brides, all of which are laugh-out-loud funny. Sophie’s job is truly chaotic, and I admire the hell out of her for being able to do it. I also loved Sophie’s cousin Cara, who is such a great book best friend. But I think the thing that I liked the most was Sophie’s relationship with Cordelia.
Although The Secret Bridesmaid is classified as a romance—and the romance is definitely there—the story’s main focus is about Sophie (or Emily as she goes by) and Cordelia’s reluctant friendship. The story arc that would usually happen between a protagonist and their love interest—you know, the whole inciting incident, pivotal moments that bring them together, the “all is lost” moment thing—all happens between Sophie and Cordelia. Tom and Sophie do have their own mini-arc, which was a delight, but honestly, I would have enjoyed the story regardless of it being there. Sophie and Cordelia go on a journey of enemies to reluctant bridesmaids to friends to real bridesmaids, and I wish more stories focused on female friendships like this one.
- The Secret Bridesmaid
Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, for the e-ARC.
Tropes: Bridesmaid for Hire, Wedding Planning, Mistaken Identity, Texts on the Page
Spice Scale: 🫑
CW: Overdose
The Secret Bridesmaid was a delightfully unexpected novel. When I picked it up, I just expected a cute story about a bridesmaid-for-hire trying to juggle a secret identity while wooing a difficult bride’s brother, but what I got was so much more than that, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I liked so many things about this book, one of which was how deep of a look we get into Sophie’s life as a professional bridesmaid. Scattered throughout the book, we get glimpses of the other weddings Sophie is working through emails with vendors, bachelorette party group texts, and meetings with other brides, all of which are laugh-out-loud funny. Sophie’s job is truly chaotic, and I admire the hell out of her for being able to do it. I also loved Sophie’s cousin Cara, who is such a great book best friend. But I think the thing that I liked the most was Sophie’s relationship with Cordelia.
Although The Secret Bridesmaid is classified as a romance—and the romance is definitely there—the story’s main focus is about Sophie (or Emily as she goes by) and Cordelia’s reluctant friendship. The story arc that would usually happen between a protagonist and their love interest—you know, the whole inciting incident, pivotal moments that bring them together, the “all is lost” moment thing—all happens between Sophie and Cordelia. Tom and Sophie do have their own mini-arc, which was a delight, but honestly, I would have enjoyed the story regardless of it being there. Sophie and Cordelia go on a journey of enemies to reluctant bridesmaids to friends to real bridesmaids, and I wish more stories focused on female friendships like this one.