e-Audio, 10:30:29
Narrated by: Emily Lawrence
Release Date: November 9, 2021
Published by: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
Read from: December 13-16, 2021
Stand-alone
Source: Library’s Overdrive
TW: Deadly Car Accident, Verbal Child abuse, Anxiety, Cheating
For Readers Interested In: Contemporary Romance, Rom Coms, Weddings, Besties, LOL, AdultA woman who wants nothing to do with love or friendship finds both in the unlikeliest ways in this hilarious and heartwarming debut by Kerry Rea.
Once upon a time, Willa Callister was a successful blogger with a good credit score, actual hobbies, and legs that she shaved more than once a month. But after finding her fiancé in bed with her best friend, she now spends her days performing at children’s birthday parties in a ball gown that makes her look like a walking bottle of Pepto Bismol. Willa dreams of starting fresh, where no one knows who she used to be, but first she needs to save up enough money to make it happen.
Maisie Mitchell needs something too: another bridesmaid for her wedding. After a chance encounter at a coffee shop, Maisie offers to pay Willa to be in her bridal party. Willa wants nothing to do with weddings—or Maisie—but the money will give her the freedom to start the new life she so badly desires.
Willa’s bridesmaid duties thrust her into Maisie’s high-energy world and into the path of hotshot doctor Liam Rafferty. But as Willa and Maisie form a real friendship, and Liam’s annoyingly irresistible smile makes her reconsider her mantra that all men are trash, Willa’s exit strategy becomes way more complicated. And when a secret from Maisie’s past threatens to derail the wedding, Willa must consider whether friendship—and romance—are worth sticking around for.
*MY THOUGHTS*
Since there is a Nikki buzz word in the title alone, I knew I would like this one. If there’s any book about weddings, I will at the very least add it to my TBR. And Lawd, that was the best decision. This was so good!
Willa was very comfortable in her life. She had it all; a great fiancé, an amazing best friend, and a successful blog. But then she finds her best friend in the bed with her fiancé. And she does what makes the most sense…. She runs. She goes to her sister’s house with the intent to never see them again. And then, she does. And she runs again. But this time she knows there’s not anywhere else she can go. So she just stays in her own little bubble for a while. This is when she meets a weirdly happy, charming girl named Maisie who wants to pay her to be her friend. Yes its weird. And it just gets weirder, but also more charming from there.
The BEST thing about this was the characters and the friendships. I LOVED Maisie from the moment we met her and I just knew she was going to be a delight. I was a little frustrated with Willa because I felt like she was letting them win. They were moving on together, spending holidays together and so much more, while she was in her sister’s house wasting away. I was so happy when she put on her big girl pants and recognized that. I was also a bit annoyed with her for how she treated Maisie. She took advantage of her and it was not ok. Two wrongs don’t make a right.
As for the writing style, I was in love. This is the first time in a long time where I actually laughed in something that was said to be a rom-com. It was Usually I only smile, but for this one I was actually laughing out loud. Especially in the beginning. I wouldn’t have laughed in front of her, but reading it, I laughed so hard I almost woke my kid. Definitely would have had to laugh to keep from crying.
The plot was ok, but I did find that the pacing was a bit off. There was some time when I was thinking that there was some repetition, but I liked the rest of the book enough to ignore it. The ending was quick, but well worth it. I wanted to see how they received her when she returned, but the Epilogue was ok so I was satisfied.
The romance was just okay. I LOVED the love interest and I thought he was hilarious. I was sad that Willa didn’t let him in, but I realized that wouldn’t make for a good story lol But although I was a little annoyed by the pacing of the rest of the story, I was ok with the pacing between the two of them. I could tell that she wasn’t ready for any type of relationship, so I was ok with them not being together except for like 10% of the book. She definitely needed more work on herself before she dragged someone else into it.
I was sure I was going to like this from the very beginning. From the illustrated cover, to the promise that it’s a rom-com, to the Nikki buzz word “wedding” in the title, I knew this was going to be something that I really enjoyed. And as it turns out, I did. I do wish this had been released during wedding season, but that’s not really a huge deal. Any season is wedding season. lol
Overall, I give this
