The Wedding Party: An irresistible sizzler, 'as essential to a good summer holiday as SPF' (Grazia)

by Jasmine Guillory

From the author of THE PROPOSAL, a Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick!

A fun and flirty novel from New York Times bestselling author Jasmine Guillory, author of THE PROPOSAL and THE WEDDING DATE, one of Cosmopolitan's 33 Books to Get Excited About in 2018.

For fans of Jo Watson, Sarah Morgan and Holly Martin, the next charming romance by The New York Times bestselling author of THE PROPOSAL.

Maddie and Theo have two things in common:

1. Alexa is their best friend

2. They hate each other

After an 'oops, we made a mistake' night together, neither one can stop thinking about the other. With Alexa's wedding rapidly approaching, Maddie and Theo both share bridal party responsibilities that require more interaction with each other than they're comfortable with. Underneath the sharp barbs they toss at each other is a simmering attraction that won't fade. It builds until they find themselves sneaking off together to release some tension when Alexa isn't looking.

But as with any engagement with a nemesis, there are unspoken rules that must be abided by. First and foremost, don't fall in love...

'What a charming, warm, sexy gem of a novel' New York Times bestselling author Roxane Gay on THE WEDDING DATE

• ISBN10: 1472265009
• ISBN13: 9781472265005
• Publish Date: 16 July 2019
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Headline Publishing Group
• Imprint: Headline Eternal
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 352
• Language: English

Reviews

[FranJessca @ A Book Lovin' Mama's Blog]

I’ve had The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory on my TBR since last summer and finally got a chance to read it. I read it for the #Romanceopoly2020 Challenge, and it completed one of my Library squares for the challenge. 

I was happy to be able to read the third book in Jasmine Guillory’s The Wedding Date series since it was Theo and Maddie’s book. These two were introduced in the first book since they’re Alexa’s best friends. These two are supposed to hate each other until they end up kissing. Now they can’t stop thinking about each other. They end up hooking up further than a kiss in the book, and they want to make sure their best friend Alexa doesn’t ever find out about them. They make a pact not to tell Alexa and also not fall in love. Unfortunately, these two characters are going to end up falling for each other. It’s inevitable. They both were apart of Alexa’s Wedding party and would end up seeing each other more than they wanted in the story. 

I was excited that this book was an Enemies-to-Lovers book because it’s one of my favorite tropes, although Theo and Maddie drove me crazy in this book. They hated each other, but not really. I’ve read so many Enemies-to-Lovers that their relationship was not the hatred kind. I felt their connection with each other was more of an annoyance, not hatred. Although I did feel the tension at the end of the book when Maddie ended up overhearing a conversation with Theo and his brother, Ben, it was not a pretty scene at all. 

Although this book only got 3.5-stars, I did still enjoy some aspects of the story. I loved that Jasmine Guillory had this story be involved with Alexa and Drew’s wedding. I enjoyed those two in their book, which was the first book in the series. Alexa and Drew played a big part in this book, and I loved the ending of this book. Nope, not spoiling the conclusion of the book, but I will say it was the best part of the book. I knew it was going to happen. 

I’m looking forward to diving into the next book in the series when I have some time to sneak in with my other books I need to read. 

[Sam@WLABB]

Both Maddie and Theo adored their mutual best friend, Alexa, but they only tolerated each other. Maddie thought Theo was a condescending mansplainer with a stick up his butt, while Theo though Maddie was a shallow party girl only interested in her appearance. The two, however, agreed that they were physically attracted to one another, and when a one night stand turned into more, no one was more surprised than they were.

I became an instant Guillory fan after reading The Wedding Date. I have no problem becoming attached to her characters, and her tales are always the perfect combination of fun, flirty, and fabulous. Once again, Guillory has gifted me with a story, that had me hooked and happy from beginning to end.

It was great being back in this world, and I loved how Guillory took me full circle. I got to see Drew & Alexa get together in The Wedding Date, get engaged in The Proposal, and now, I finally got to see them say "I do". I liked how they, and their romance, was the common thread in all three books, but I also absolutely adored seeing this couple find their HEA in The Wedding Party.

The beginning of the book starts with a few flashback-snapshots. These were moments from the previous books, where Maddie and Theo gave into their attraction. I thought it was fantastic the way Guillory took me back, and showed me where it all began.

But, there was so much more to Maddie and Theo than steamy hookups. It was easy to see they were falling for each other. There were all these small and sweet things they did for each other, as well as these bigger moments of need, where I saw how much they cared. I won't pretend that their insecurities about each other didn't drive me batty, but I accepted it, and was happy with the way it all played out.

I also really liked both Maddie and Theo. They, at first, seemed so mismatched, but they had much more in common than they anticipated. Both had some great ambitions, and they were working hard to make them come to fruition. They also shared a love of pizza, reality shows, and quiet nights at home. I had no problem embracing their homebody life, though, because it was in those quiet moments, that they revealed so much of themselves, and I fell in love with them both individually and as a couple.

I am definitely giving the author a round of applause for those final pages, as well. She made the wedding day and the conclusion to this romance a lot of fun. I smiled and laughed, and the whole thing was just perfect.

I really hope I get to attend Theo and Maddie's wedding, because I think they are my favorite of Guillory's couples.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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