Book Review: ‘The Wedding People’ a break from the real world

If you want to escape reality for a bit, read The Wedding People (Henry Holt and Company, 2024) by Alison Espach.

The lead character, Phoebe, finds herself the only hotel guest not part of the wedding celebration. She is there for very personal reasons. Of course there is a bridezilla and a compliant groom.

I found many of the characters predictable and guessed the storyline in short order. Still, I wanted to keep listening because the book is funny, tender, absurd and entertaining.

The writing is so descriptive it’s easy to imagine the scenes without any actual visuals to aid you. While there isn’t a ton of depth to the book, there is a plot and a message.

It’s like a soap opera in word form. It’s also a bit like a Hallmark movie—so that should be a big giveaway for those who know what that means. People who like soaps and/or Hallmark are likely to enjoy this book.

If I were to bet, I’d say men are not going to like this book. But go ahead and prove me wrong.

Warning: For those who are triggered by any mention of suicide, this is not the book for you. Flip side: If you like happy endings, keep reading it.