Laughing it Up with The Secret Bridesmaid
The Secret Bridesmaid was the beacon of light amongst some dark books I’ve come across as of late.
This story of a professional bridesmaid, Sophie was a lovely romcom that described the chaotic world of event planning to a tee. It had a good balance of a character and plot driven narrative. You got to know the background of Sophie and also live through how she was able to handle Cordelia while keeping a cool head. Her character was such a relatable and endearing one that made me want to be her best friend.
I was slightly uncomfortable with the extent of how mean Sophie’s client, Cordelia was to Sophie, but it was nicely balanced out with the potential love interest of Cordelia’s brother. This definitely gave me Shopaholic vibes in a way and I’m all for that.
I do some event planning at work and so, I especially loved the email interactions included in the story such as, all the questions Sophie received from the invitees to an event she was planning. Instead of reading the email, which answered any possible questions they may have had, they would contact her directly instead asking her obvious and not-so-smart inquiries. I get those All. The. Time and it was hilarious to listen to it knowing I am not alone.
Also, the correspondence she had with various vendors and the mishaps she came across were not only relatable but made me smile while shaking my head in how they would try to upsell her their product or how she would respond to them with a sarcastic remark.
Overall, this book is full of well written, witty banter that fulfilled my love for British humour with a little added love story in the mix and narrator Nathalie Buscombe was superb!
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the advanced listener’s copy and St. Martin’s Press for the gifted finished copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Book Description
Sophie Breeze is a brilliant bridesmaid. So brilliant, in fact, that she’s made it her full-time job.
As a professional bridesmaid, Sophie is hired by London brides to be their right-hand woman, posing as a friend but working behind the scenes to help plan the perfect wedding and ensure their big day goes off without a hitch. When she’s hired by Lady Victoria Swann––a former model and “It Girl" of 1970’s London; now the Marchioness of Meade––for the society wedding of the year, it should be a chance for Sophie to prove just how talented she is.
Of course, it’s not ideal that the bride, Lady Victoria’s daughter, Cordelia, is an absolute diva and determined to make Sophie’s life a nightmare. It’s also a bit inconvenient that Sophie finds herself drawn to Cordelia’s posh older brother, who is absolutely off limits. But when a rival society wedding is announced for the very same day, things start to get…well, complicated.
Can Sophie pull off the biggest challenge of her career––execute a high-profile gala for four hundred and fifty guests in record time, win over a reluctant bride, and catch the eye of handsome Lord Swann––all while keeping her true identity a secret, and her dignity intact?
Heartwarming and hilarious, The Secret Bridesmaid celebrates the joys (and foibles) of weddings, the nuances of female friendship, and the redeeming power of love in its many unexpected forms.