Becky's Great Book Reviews The Wedding People by Alison Espach

Alison Espach is a new author to me, and this reviewer is an instant fan. The Wedding People was undoubtedly one of the most enjoyable books this reader has come across this year.

Phoebe Stone comes to a boutique hotel in Rhode Island to end her own life. Her husband has left her for her best friend. Phoebe and her husband have endured years of unsuccessful efforts to have a baby, and Phoebe feels lonely and depressed.

Enter Lila, a bride-to-be having her wedding at the hotel that weekend. When she learns that Phoebe has planned her suicide to happen at her wedding venue on that same weekend, she is justifiably worried that it will put a damper on the festivities. Phoebe plans to do it anyway.

The novel takes us through the wedding weekend almost hour by hour, from the moment Phoebe and Lila connect as friends to the culmination of the event.

What this reader wasn't expecting was the level of humor that went right alongside the poignancy of the narrative. Phoebe's witty interactions with the people there for the wedding were pure joy. As readers, we get to witness Phoebe come out of her depression, fall in love with a man, and yes, find herself.

This darkly humorous novel spills over with hope and romance. The supremely developed characters are not to be forgotten. Neither will this book be. I give The Wedding People by Alison Espach five stars out of five.