The #2 New York Times bestseller
A Read With Jenna book club pick
‘UTTERLY CHARMING’ PANDORA SYKES
‘WICKEDLY FUNNY’ JENNY JACKSON
‘A PERFECT NOVEL’ CATHERINE NEWMAN
‘THE BEST READ OF THE YEAR SO FAR’ THE TIMES
It’s a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at a grand beachside hotel wearing her best dress and least comfortable shoes. Immediately she is mistaken for one of the wedding people – but she’s actually the only guest at the Cornwall Inn who isn’t here for the big event.
Phoebe has dreamed of coming here for years. She hoped to shuck oysters and take sunset sails with her husband but now she is divorced and depressed, and not sure how to go on. She’s not been sure how to do anything, lately, except climb into bed and drink gin and tonics and listen to the sound of the refrigerator making ice.
When the bride discovers her elaborate destination wedding could be ruined by this sad stranger, she is furious. She has spent months accounting for every detail and every possible disaster – except for, well, Phoebe . . . Soon, both women find their best-laid plans derailed and an unlikely confidante in one another.
Uproariously funny and devastatingly tender, The Wedding People is an irresistible novel about love, friendship, dysfunctional families, and the unexpected paths that lead to happiness.
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Reviews
The perfect holiday novel. Darkly funny, romantic, escapist- I was completely absorbed in its pages
Alison Espach! How does she do it? I mean, really - how? The Wedding People is so utterly, ringingly true it feels less like fiction than like a field guide to personhood. It's so funny and romantic that I sometimes laughed out loud and sometimes got actual goosebumps. I tore through it like I didn't have a disordered deficit of attention. It's a perfect novel. I loved it
The Wedding People is the perfect book to wrap up your summer reading. It is heartwarming, hilarious, it's a love story - it's about love, loss and the people who come into our lives and change it forever. You guys are going to love this book!
The the best read of the year so far
Fans of Sorrow and Bliss will, like me, adore The Wedding People, which is my book of the summer. As soon as I'd finished it, I wanted to read it all over again!
The Wedding People is my very favourite kind of novel - hilarious and witty with enormous heart and characters I fell in love with. I was delighted to be at this wedding, in the middle of the drama and gossip, watching the entanglements of friendships old and new. I haven't stopped talking about this book since I finished it, and I won't stop until I've made everyone I know read it . . . so read it! Now! You can thank me later
A novel that's by turn sad, wise and mordantly funny - I loved it
Brilliant . . . I don't think I've ever read anything so hilarious and profound and moving; I can't remember the last time I was so invested in a love story. While there are shades of Fleabag, Nora Ephron and Monica Heisey, the book sits in a unique space where the humour never feels like a deflection from the novel's emotional heart. I adored it and will be recommending it to everyone I know
Professor Phoebe Stone is going to steal the summer of 2024! Excellent . . . a perfect mix of hilarious, poignant and romantic
Espach is an immensely talented writer, and her prose unfolds with a devastating lightness of touch
Hilarious, moving and utterly brilliant
Alison Espach's sparkling social observations and deft prose make for a novel that's sharp, funny and a joy to read
The Wedding People is an absolute masterpiece - darkly, achingly funny, deeply moving and just bursting with energy and wisdom. I was unable to put this beautiful novel down and lost a great deal of sleep in the process. Perfection
I loved it I loved it I loved it. This is pure joy in book form. I want to live in it. I did live in it, in this hotel by the ocean with these people who felt real and made me laugh and ache and WANT things for them. I cannot understate how brilliant it is. Do yourself a favour. Cancel all your plans, and read it. It brought the love back into my reading life, and I suspect it'll have the power to bring love back into readers' normal lives, too, such is the power of a living, breathing, beautiful story like this
The Wedding People is the kind of book that stays with you long after you have read it, adding truths to your life that stay forever in your heart. It's a dark comedy with love bursting through every page. I wanted to stop and take in the magnificence of this book, and yet was desperate to know what happened. Alison Espach has captured her characters with such grace and mastery that they feel like they have been part of your life forever and you're sad to see them leave. The Wedding People touches on many of life's hardships but is never dreary, handling tough subjects with both grace and humour . . . The Wedding People is a masterpieceand I will eagerly wait for Alison Espach's next book
A wonderfully entertaining novel
The Wedding People is a wickedly funny and deeply satisfying novel about a woman with nothing to lose, armed with a green dress, some chocolate wine, and a coconut pillow, cut loose to cause delightful mayhem. It's a story of lovers who turn into strangers, strangers who turn into friends, and the weird and wonderful connections that make us feel truly alive. I loved it
A fantastic modern romance, smart, funny and humane, with beautifully-rendered characters . . . An intelligent, uplifting, wholly enjoyable read
Espach's writing reminds me of Katherine Heiny's - keenly observant, ruthlessly honest, quietly elegant and utterly charming, with the ability to make you quietly weep when you least expect it . . . Nothing turns out the way anybody plans - but exactly as it should. I loved it
I gulped down The Wedding People - I LOVED it! It's such a blast, so much fun to read and so funny, but also full of brilliant insights and heart-wrenching in parts - my favourite kind of book. A joyful reading experience