It’s a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, without luggage, alone. Everyone in the lobby mistakes her for one of the wedding people at an impending wedding on the site, but she’s actually the only guest at the Cornwall who isn’t there for the big event.
Phoebe is there because she’s dreamed of coming for years. She hoped to shuck oysters and take sunset sails with her husband, only now she’s here without him, at rock bottom, and determined to have one last decadent splurge on herself. Meanwhile, the bride has accounted for every detail and every possible disaster the weekend might yield except for, well, Phoebe and Phoebe's plan—which makes it that much more surprising when the two women can’t stop confiding in each other.
In turns absurdly funny and devastatingly tender, Alison Espach’s The Wedding People is a nuanced and resonant look at the winding paths we can take to places we never imagined—and the chance encounters it sometimes takes to reroute us.
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There is no such thing as a happy place. Because when you are happy, everywhere is a happy place. And when you are sad, everywhere is a sad place
I've been seeing this book a lot on social media in the past year, and I didn't really care about it since I already have a lot on my TBR pile. But then someone in my book club rated it 5 stars, so I was intrigued. I borrowed it on Libby, and when it was available, I decided it was time to read it to see what the hype is about.
I knew this was a contemporary romance, but I didn't have any expectations going into it. When I started the few chapters, I was surprised that it was very engaging. I found myself engrossed in the pages, wanting more out of the story. It was both depressing and funny.
That is why she has always preferred books—because to be alive is much harder.
I liked the characters from the get-go. I liked the newly formed friendships and the humorous dialogues. It was all so realistic, so witty, so relatable.
I did immersive reading, which made it more enjoyable. It was like watching a sitcom inside my brain. And moreover, the whole novel happened in just a span of 6 days!
The pacing was good. I liked how Phoebe's memories were interspersed naturally into her present as she navigated her new surroundings. I loved reading her perspective; she just has this curious viewpoint of life that I find so compelling that I just wanted to read more. It was very ... right place + right time + right people. Like serendipity.
“you can’t explain this kind of darkness to someone who has never felt it.”
I gave it a 4.75/5 rating because as much as I enjoyed it, there's just something missing that I couldn't point my finger at. Still, I am so glad I picked this book up, it was a worthy read.
The Wedding People - ⭐⭐⭐⭐.75
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