Stephanie Sullivan: Review - The Wedding People

TITLE: The Wedding People (audiobook)

RATING: ★★★★

Summary (from Goodreads): A propulsive and uncommonly wise novel about one unexpected wedding guest and the surprising people who help her start anew.

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.

REVIEW: For the past year or so I’ve been hearing such great things about The Wedding People, so I decided to give it a listen, and I’m so glad I did. What a wonderful story! When I first started listening to it, I initially thought “Oh no. This is going to be very depressing”, but the more you get into it you realize it’s a finely layered story about a woman discovering who she’s truly meant to be. I adored the main character, Phoebe, and my heart ached so much for her through her struggles. But then I rejoiced with her once she started feeling stronger and more sure of herself. I cheered for her with each hurdle she overcame, and I knew in the end that she would truly be okay. The narrator, Helen Laser, is incredible! The way she read this book reminded me a lot of Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory. I don’t know how to describe it other than a deadpan dry sense of humor. It was PERFECT! I honestly don’t see how she didn’t read this book without laughing out loud. There was one scene in particular with a certain vintage car (if you know, you know), and I laughed SO hard I was literally in tears. I hope that Alison Espach and Helen Laser team up for many more books in the near future. I feel like I should forewarn my readers that there are some pretty heavy topics in this book, including suicide, infertility, death, adultery, and pet loss. But trust me when I say that if you just hang on through the tough parts you’ll find the rainbow at the end, and you’ll be SO glad you took a chance on this beautiful story of resilience and self-discovery. I know I am.