Some books let you know exactly what to expect from the cover, but others take you by surprise. The Wedding People by Alison Espach was one of those books that made me excited about books again.
This book is a combination of contemporary fiction, dark humor, complicated relationships, and emotional themes. The book deals with suicide, depression, infertility, pregnancy loss, grief, and divorce, so if those are topics that are too heavy for you, then approach this book with caution.
I like to go into books without knowing too much about them. Of course, that ends up with me having a certain view. I went into The Wedding People expecting a quirky wedding story, but it turned out to be a much more emotional and thoughtful book about what happens when life doesn't go according to plan.
1. What Is The Wedding People About? — Spoiler-Free
The main character of this book is Phoebe Stone. We get introduced to her when she arrives at a luxury hotel in Newport, Rhode Island. She is surprised by the entire hotel being occupied by a wedding party. Soon enough, she encounters the bride, Lila. Phoebe had completely different plans for her stay, and somehow she becomes entangled in the wedding festivities.
2. My Thoughts on Phoebe Stone
Alison Espach did an amazing job of portraying Phoebe Stone as a person that you can imagine actually meeting in real life. She has realistic characteristics that make you relate to her on a much deeper level. You can clearly see how her life circumstances affected the way she sees the world. From the first page of the book, you follow her on her journey of finding herself and what she wants from life.
3. The Emotional Side of the Story
This book deals with some heavier themes that might not be a good fit for some of you. I will say that Alison Espach did an amazing job showing both sides of each emotion.
Themes:
- Grief
- Loneliness
- Divorce
- Starting over
- Feeling stuck in life
- Expectations placed on women
- Marriage and relationships
- The pressure to appear happy
- Finding connection in unexpected places
- Figuring out what you actually want from life
The book particularly explores how people navigate expectations around love, marriage, and intimate relationships.
4. The Writing Style
This is the first book written by Alison Espach that I read. I was pleasantly surprised as her writing style is fast-paced and easy to understand. The writing felt emotional but not overly sentimental or cringeworthy. I was very surprised by the way she managed to build such a deep story from the experience of the wedding through the perspective of someone who doesn't really belong there.
Humor and wit are one of, in my opinion, the most important parts of any book. I personally like dark humor, and this book goes around it in such a lighthearted way.
5. What I Loved
Here is a short list of things that made me love this book:
- Complex and imperfect characters
- The unusual premise
- Dark humor
- Thought-provoking themes
- Unexpected friendships
- Atmospheric setting
- Alison Espach's writing style
6. Who Should Read The Wedding People?
You might enjoy it if you like:
- Character-driven contemporary fiction
- Women's fiction
- Dark humor
- Emotional stories
- Messy, complicated characters
- Books about starting over
- Stories about unexpected friendships
- Literary fiction with an accessible writing style
Maybe skip it if you want:
- A straightforward romance
- A purely happy/light wedding story
- Fast-paced plotting
- Perfectly likable protagonists
7. Final Verdict
I read this book on my summer vacation, and I'm glad I picked it up at a time when I could really dive into it. The Wedding People may look like a story about a wedding, but at its heart, it's about what happens when your life doesn't look anything like you thought it would, and how unexpected people can sometimes help you find your way forward.
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