The Wedding Season by Katy Birchall
I can’t shout enough from the rooftops how much I loved Katy’s Birchall’s The Wedding Season! It is no surprise to me since I loooooved The Secret Bridesmaid. However, I’ve had experiences in the past when I’ve absolutely loved a book from an author and the following book they publish turned out to be not so great. I’m pleased to say that this certainly was not the case with The Wedding Season.
I absolutely adored the story’s main character, Freya who was recently dumped by her fiance the day before their wedding is forced to rejig her life sans Matthew (her ex) but she has several weddings still to attend over the next few months hence the term her friend pens, “the wedding season”. To assist in keeping Freya distracted from her current sadness, her best friends task her with hilariously funny assignments she must complete at each of the upcoming friends’ and family’s weddings. I also loved the supporting characters who were all fantastic and enhanced the story.
The flashbacks of memories Freya has with Matthew really added to bringing the reader into her shoes on why she was having such a hard time letting go. It also allowed us to see how her ex was already moving on and it was a bit heartbreaking to read/listen to but essential to the story.
The narration by Daphne Kouma was amazing and along with Birchall’s writing, had me laughing on my plane ride home from my vacation.
Katy Birchall’s superb writing brings out all the feels, with laugh-out-loud antics to lump in the throat moments as you’re going through Freya’s growth towards happiness. This is one of the books that I hugged with delight not only for the entertainment but also for the heartwarming laughs.
Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the advanced reading copy and Macmillan Audio for the advanced listening copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Book Description
Four Weddings and a Funeral meets The Wedding Party in Katy Birchall's The Wedding Season: when a recently jilted bride is forced to attend seven weddings in one summer, her friends devise a series of challenges as distraction.
Freya Scott is getting married. Her wedding to Matthew, her long-term boyfriend, is the first of eight in her calendar this year, and as someone who prides herself on being meticulously organized, Freya is intent on making it the perfect day to remember.
But when Matthew calls things off hours before they walk down the aisle, Freya’s entire life plan goes up in smoke. Humiliated and heartbroken, the last thing she wants is to attend a summer of other peoples’ nuptials on her own.
Fortunately, her friends have an idea: together they devise a series of outrageous challenges for Freya to complete at each event, designed to distract her from Matthew and what might have been. From getting stuck in an old church bathroom and needing to be rescued by the vicar to making out with a barman at a French chateau, Freya realizes that despite herself, she might just be having fun.
By the time the final wedding arrives, she will discover that the road to a happy ending sometimes has unexpected detours, that “I do” is only the beginning––and that perhaps her own love story isn’t over just yet.