A review by abbysbookadventure
The Wedding People by Alison Espach

dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-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? Yes

4.5

For being a Bookstagram darling, I'll admit I was a bit startled by the tone of the first 30% of this book. It's a downer with a very sensitive subject matter. I knew about the subject matter going in (check TWs), but I didn't expect it to be the main focus of so much of the beginning of the book and spoken about so bluntly. I found the MC a bit grating for this section of the book and I was nervous I was going to not like it even though everyone else seemed to.

Thankfully, it takes a shift around that point and became so dang wonderful. It's laugh out loud funny and so deeply poignant in its study of what it means to be alive. I loved all the wedding shenanigans and the whole wedding party were such great characters. I laughed, I cried, I loved it. Half a star off because of the start, but I do see why setting that up was necessary context for Phoebe's character growth. If you're also struggling with the beginning, push through! I promise it's worth it. This was also great on audio, the narrator was perfect.

While my rating isn't a full 5, I actually think this is going to land on my favorites of the year shelf - it's one I've thought about lots since reading.