The Wedding People

Bookseller recommendation

“The Wedding People hits the absolute sweet spot of compulsively fun to read while asking serious questions about life, love, and a lavish destination wedding. Alison Espach’s mix of light and dark makes for deeply authentic characters.”

— Nina Barrett • Bookends & Beginnings

Bookseller recommendation

“I absolutely love this book, it was funny, touching, and relatable. I would never have guessed that a book that started with a suicidal woman would end up being this heartwarming. I understood Phoebe’s pain, and frustrations with the world. I even understand why Lyia is the way she is. This book is about friendship and discovering people in your life at the most unsuspecting time. I’d like to think that Phoebe gets everything she has longed for. Juice I love you. Absolutely incredible.”

— Sarah • Parthenon Books

Bookseller recommendation

“I just finished this audiobook and want to start it all over again! Despite the heavy topics (depression, suicidal ideation, infertility), the raw honesty and empathy between the characters adds a surprising light to the dark humor. Bold, engaging, and memorable - this one easily moves up the list of best books I’ve read this year!”

— Chelsea • Bromley's Books

Bookseller recommendation

“Things I did not anticipate saying this year #435: 'This book that begins with a woman set on committing suicide at a seaside hotel in Newport was a really fun read!' Of course, that sentence massively oversimplifies Alison Espach’s newest novel; The Wedding People is a book that begins with our narrator, Phoebe, traveling to her pre-booked super fancy ocean-view deathbed, but that is only the beginning. It is her happenstance meetup in the elevator with The Bride (who was under the impression she had booked the entire hotel) that begins an unlikely friendship based on the radical honesty of people who feel they’ve reached the finish line. Espach navigates the difficult topics of suicide ideation, depression, infertility, economic uncertainty, and infidelity with incredible empathy, managing to impart a dark comedy without ever mocking mental health or the incredible struggles faced by millions every day. As a lifelong Rhode Islander who works in Newport, it was such a treat to see our city written well: our city by the sea really gets to shine through the eyes of Phoebe as she visits for the first and (she assumes) last time. Each character is richly and realistically drawn, in their beauty and idiosyncrasy; people who have come together, willing or not, to celebrate moving forward in one way or another. ”

— Amy • Charter Books

Bookseller recommendation

“Loved this story! Phoebe has come to a luxury hotel, with the intention of killing herself, following the breakup of her marriage and the death of her cat. Her plans are interruped with the arrival of Lila the bride and her entire wedding party, gathered for a weeklong celebration. Before she realized what has happened, Phoebe is entrenched with the group. A great cast of characters, wonderful dialogue, bittersweet and laugh out loud funny. Could not put down!”

— Nona • CoffeeTree Books

Bookseller recommendation

“Phoebe wants to kill herself. Phoebe goes to a Gilded Age Nantucket hotel to do it. One last lobster and champagne kind of night before she offs herself. Fortunately, her plan gets derailed as she becomes entangled in a wedding party, specifically with a needy yet loveable bridezilla. Phoebe is a curious depressive who realizes it's not too late to start over and careen headfirst into a new life filled with people, both fallible and fascinating. ”

— Lissa • Book Club Bar

Bookseller recommendation

“Alison Espach's newest novel hits pretty hard pretty fast, with suicidal ideation attempted suicide (but make it "let's not take ourselves too seriously.") I wasn't sure how to take this cavalier attitude toward such a heavy topic but I'm happy I stuck with it. At first glance, the titular "Wedding People" appear self-absorbed and typical of a certain sect of entitled Northeasterners (i.e., the target market for preppy coastal shops like Brooks Brothers and IZOD). Once exposed to main character Phoebe Stone's jarringly laissez faire energy, however, "The Wedding People" soon find that life will never be quite the same. I feel the same. ”

— Mary G-B • River Bend Bookshop

Bookseller recommendation

“I read this before a Newport vacation, not knowing that it would end up as a 2024 favorite for me! The book’s content is heavy. The reader bears witness to the main character’s deep pain as she checks in to a fancy Newport hotel to kill herself. Instead, she crosses paths with the attendants of a wedding, and everyone’s lives are changed. What comes next is a story of connection. A celebration of the ways that we can reach out to other people, the ways that we can drop the artifice, be ourselves, and communicate honestly and meaningfully. Espach writes with raunchy humor at times, and I laughed out loud more than once. But mostly she writes with incredible insight and empathy about the human journey, a journey that will inevitably contain grief and loss but can also be full of joy and love. ”

— Colleen • Read Between The Lynes

Bookseller recommendation

“Captivating, beautifully written, and unexpected.”

— Emily • Capricorn Books

Bookseller recommendation

“This book was one of my favorites this year. It has wonderful characters, mixed with heartbreak, laugh out loud humor, found friendship, and a classic comeback story to boot. I loved it! ”

— Avery • Duck's Cottage

Bookseller recommendation

“Not your typical rom-com. Humorous, gritty and compelling. I really enjoyed the contrasting personalities of all the main characters and the subtle but strong message that in all dark situations, there is always hope. ”

— Shelley • Hummingbird Books

Bookseller recommendation

“A unforgettable and moving read. We bear witness to the main character’s deep pain as she struggles with pregnancy loss, depression, loneliness, and divorce. She checks in to a fancy Newport hotel to kill herself. But instead, she crosses paths with the attendants of a week-long wedding celebration, and everyone’s lives are changed. What comes next is a story of connection. A celebration of the ways that we can reach out to other people, the ways that we can drop the artifice, be ourselves, and communicate honestly and meaningfully. Espach writes with raunchy humor at times, and I laughed out loud more than once. But mostly she writes with incredible insight and empathy about the human journey, a journey that will inevitably contain grief and loss but can also be full of joy and love. This book will be one of my top books of the year. Despite its tough content, I believe it is a celebration of human resilience and a reminder that the choice to love is always one we can make. ”

— Colleen • Read Between The Lynes