Book Review: The Wedding People by Alison Espach

Rating: ★★★★☆(4/5)

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Introduction:

I read this book back in March and it has sat in my drafts folder since then. I got busy with life and some loss and took a few months off from working on this blog. That being said, even 5 months after reading this, I would still recommend it. It is not your average beach read. It’s snarky, and dark at times with its comedy and I loved it.

Quick Facts

• Release: 7/2024 Read: 3/2025
• Reading Time: 8-9 hours
• Pages: 384 Pages
• Format Recommendation: I read this in print and zoomed through it.
• Perfect for: People who don’t want a typical romance novel.
• Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️
• Trigger Level:💀💀💀

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Summary: A Brief Overview (Without Major Spoilers)

From Good Reads: It’s a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in sight, alone. She’s immediately mistaken by everyone in the lobby for one of the wedding people, but she’s actually the only guest at the Cornwall who isn’t here for the big event. Phoebe is here because she’s dreamed of coming for years—she hoped to shuck oysters and take sunset sails with her husband, only now she’s here without him, at rock bottom, and determined to have one last decadent splurge on herself. Meanwhile, the bride has accounted for every detail and every possible disaster the weekend might yield except for, well, Phoebe and Phoebe’s plan—which makes it that much more surprising when the two women can’t stop confiding in each other.

In turns absurdly funny and devastatingly tender, Alison Espach’s The Wedding People is ultimately an incredibly nuanced and resonant look at the winding paths we can take to places we never imagined—and the chance encounters it sometimes takes to reroute us.

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What Worked for Me:

The odd bond between Lila and Phoebe: These two women are on opposite ends of the dating spectrum. One is getting married and the other just got divorced. And yet they are drawn to each other. It sparks a very quirky friendship that wasn’t expected.

The Premise: A hotel with all of the rooms booked for a wedding except for one… and that one is someone who is not in the wedding spirit. It’s quirky and humorous.

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What Didn’t Work for Me: Trigger Warnings and Criticisms

Matt: Fuck that guy. He was the one who left Phoebe and yet he acted like she should still be devoted to him.

Suicidal Ideology: I wasn’t prepared for this when I opened the book. I hadn’t read any reviews. It had just popped up under popular books on Goodreads and Libby for me. There are a lot of moments that center around this topic and I want to make sure that those who might be sensitive to it know.

Lost Parents: This is just a personal trigger for me. I lost my own father a couple of years ago. Lila deals with losing her own father and the idea behind trying to still make him happy from the grave. It’s a hard point for people.

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Final Thoughts: If you want a book with a dark comedy premise then this one is for you. I had no idea what I was getting into when I opened the book. I was pleasantly surprised.

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📚 Study Guide

• Discussion Questions:
  1. Discuss Phoebe’s relationship with Matt.
  2. Discuss Lila’s relationships with Gary and Juice.
  3. Who was your favorite wedding guest and why?
  4. How do the wedding guests affect Phoebe’s and Lila’s lives?
  5. What does The Wedding People say about society’s expectations about marriage?
  6. What does The Wedding People say about a wedding versus a marriage?
  7. What does The Wedding People say about parenting?