Four Bridesmaids and a White Wedding

Rose, JoJo, Sal and Wendy have been friends for decades: meeting their freshman year at University, while the calls and visits may have slowed as they pursued their own adult lives, their connection has always been strong. Now, the colorful and boisterous bestie Wendy is due to wed in a rather whirlwind romance, and the girls are coming together for the hen weekend to end all, away at a resort for pampering, posh surroundings and a real catch up. The only woman in the group of four we don’t hear about in her own voice is Wendy: see at university she was all in a relationship with Steven, and when he toddled off to Australia without a thought to her, she fell apart. And now, years later she’s found a posh solicitor (Frederick)who thinks her colorful and clashing clothes, loud personality and dancing on tables freedom is just what he wants. But she’s scared. And worried that she isn’t what he wants. And the girls are there to cheer her on, support her in her questions, and reassure her that she is making the right choice. Even when their own visions of happy ever after didn’t quite turn out how they expected. From Sal who has a knack for finding a man, and ditching him as soon as she finds a fault to JoJo who spends her time creating bridal fantasies for everyone else, using the need to work and a failed relationship with her daughter’s father to keep her single, these two need some changes. Then there’s Rose with her 3 daughters, a husband who spends more time in Hong Kong then home, and even calls her “mate”, the bloom is off her rose as well. So everyone is in need of a supportive shoulder to lean on, a push in the right direction toward claiming something more, and a touch of silliness to reaffirm their own sense of selves. When you add in workaholic Tamsin, sister of Frederick is joining the party – her first EVER hen party – and while the girls are welcoming, there’s a sense that she and JoJo really need to prioritize themselves in their lives. A PERFECT story for fans of chick-lit reads: each character has a story and issue to work through, and each moment comes to them differently: from learning to just enjoy the “health and fitness” schedule that was mistakenly booked instead of the pamper they expected, to getting giggly over a poorly led meditation session and horribly inappropriate yet required ‘uniforms’ the women grumble and giggle their way through the moments, reaffirming their own connections and banding together to keep the bride on track. Deceptively deep as the issues and concerns are real with all of them, the pure honeyed tones of humor, love and acceptance, bolstered by the desire to change and have lives more in line with their younger and idealistic selves, you can’t help but worry, smile, and laugh out loud. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.