The Wedding People: A Novel Hardcover – July 30, 2024

I initially picked this book for a kindle reading challenge. Out of the summer picks, this one seemed the most interesting to me. I’m so glad I picked this one. This book gave me all the feels and made my son give me some serious side-eye wanting to know why I’m crying into my iPad.TW’s for the book: infidelity, suicidal ideation, suicidal attempt, talks of all three, morbid jokes of both the ideation and attempt.*****Please, please, please check your mental health meter to ensure this will not overfill your cup. There were feels that were hard to feel. There were feels that were extremely relatable. There were so, so many feels. Please know that your mental health is very important. Phoebe’s struggles and realizations can be a hard pill to swallow if you’re currently fighting your demons.The realism of Phoebe’s depression is very relatable. I’m currently battling my demons as we speak. Reading helps me dissociate and allows me to not worry so much. Until I’ve finished the book, at least. I’m not to the extent as Phoebe, but she does make one realize how quickly and smoothly that slope can be once in that frame of mind. I’m glad Phoebe and Lila met. They didn’t realize how much they needed each other until it happened.The relationships that developed between the characters was both a joy to experience and an ache to feel. I loved the humor. I loved the depth of feelings. The realization that we are all actors on a stage; the monotony, the complacency, of being so malleable to force ourselves to fit into cookie cutter versions of ourselves to be who we perceive how others should see us, and yet losing ourselves within that transformation. The dichotomy of who are expected to be vs who we truly are.Also, side note… Jane Eye was the first book I read in its entirety, and the book that truly jumpstarted my love of reading, so this story hit harder and far deeper than I could have ever imagined.

The only reason this is not a five star rating is on me, not the author. I didn’t feel as though the vulgarity and the massive number of F-bombs were necessary all throughout the story; the didn’t lend anything to a masterful plot and storyline. The power of the identities of Phoebe and Lila both complemented and contradicted each other, creating a powerful dichotomy between the characters themselves and between the reader and the text. Who are you, authentically, when the mask comes off?

“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 don’t know how to rate this. There aren’t explicit spice scenes but there are a lot of explicit discussions about sex, sexuality, and sexual fantasies.I’ll also say - if you have triggers check trigger warnings. Otherwise you can just dive in head first without even reading the blurb and experience pure shock. It was an incredible exercise in my opinion. Also, I went in (again without checking) off pure vibes and thinking this was a contemporary romance but it’s really contemporary or literary fiction.All that to say The Wedding People was so unexpected. It was funny, dark, witty, and deeply human. Phoebe really captured my heart as she finds herself and takes a look at her life through a new lens.There isn’t a lot I want to say about this book except to read it if you want to experience one of those stories that connects to the real life. It truly captures the balance of happiness and sadness that life brings.*the audiobook of this is done SO well! The narrator really captures all of the personalities.

The Wedding People is a charming and humorous read, but I have to admit—it didn’t fully live up to the buzz I’d heard going in. While I found it enjoyable and even laugh-out-loud funny at times (especially thanks to the bride’s hilariously over-the-top moments), I ultimately walked away feeling a little underwhelmed.That said, the humor is sharp, the premise is fun, and there’s a lightness to the story that makes it a perfect weekend or vacation read. It’s one of those books that seems to divide readers—I personally found it just okay, but my mom read it right after me and absolutely loved it. Others I know who’ve read it had similarly strong reactions, either really connecting with the humor or finding it a bit flat.All in all, it’s a cute, breezy book that’s still worth a read—especially if you’re in the mood for something lighthearted with a bit of absurdist flair. It may not have wowed me, but I can definitely see why others are loving it.

The Wedding People is heartwarming, and eye-opening. The characters are entertaining, and while it seems light in nature, it’s all about living life and being your authentic self - once you figure out who and what that truly means; Living with purpose and being unapologetically yourself; making choices that you truly want rather than being who you think you should be. I would have given this 5 stars, but I felt the beginning was painfully slow. The first 60-ish pages were not relatable and long, I almost quit. I’m thankful I did not because after that, I could not put it down!