The Wedding People

The Wedding People Alison Espach Book Review

This book was so fun. In both a good way and a train-wreck kind of way. 

The Wedding People by Alison Espach was a book I couldn’t tear myself away from. It’s not the best book I’ve ever read, but it was indulgently entertaining. 

The whole book revolves around Phoebe Stone, a thirty-nine-year old recently divorced professor who has hit rock bottom.

She decides to go to Rhode Island and stay at the Cornwall Inn, a decadent hotel that she had always dreamt about, but her ex-husband and her never traveled to. 

She leaves everything abruptly behind without any notice, plans to sip the finest champagne on her luxurious balcony, eat expensive room service food, and…end her own life. 

That is—until she meets the bride and her entourage of wedding people. 

Phoebe becomes embroiled in the wedding, so much so that ending her own life becomes a thing of the past and she decides instead to live fully, speak her mind, and go after what she wants for the very first time in her whole life. 

This book hit me at just the right time. As someone who is also getting married, it punched me in all the feels. Phoebe was inspiring—her mentality of going after what she desired and being true to herself for the first time really struck me.

It’s not easy to do and Phoebe showcases that after almost 40 years of life. 

This was a rare case where this book wasn’t the best written and the characters weren’t utterly fascinating, but it affected me all the same and I devoured it in two days. It was also incredibly funny.

Like my other most recent read, Unlikely Animals by Annie Hartnett, it wasn’t a book I anticipated being funny due to its serious subject matter, but the juxtaposition of the wedding people compared to the seriousness of Phoebe's mental state was the perfect concoction for humor, inspiration, and gratitude. 

Recommendation: This book is a riot. If you are getting married like me, or attending a wedding, or just want a charming, yet comical time this book is an absolute treat. 

Score: 8/10