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The One with All the Bridesmaids
Nora Dervan is ready for her dream Happy Ever After – a gorgeous wedding with fiancé Harry waiting for her at the altar, surrounded by friends and family. But with her four bridesmaids hiding more secrets than bottles of champagne, her big day is in danger of being remembered for all the wrong reasons!
Four bridesmaids vying to be the chief. Four secrets threatening to overshadow the Bride. Can Bea, Cleo, Daisy and Sarah come together for better, not worse, and help give their friend the wedding day of her dreams?
With her wicked sense of humour and refreshingly honest voice, Erin Lawless brings to the life the romance (and horrors!) of wedding season.
Four bridesmaids vying to be the chief. Four secrets threatening to overshadow the Bride. Can Bea, Cleo, Daisy and Sarah come together for better, not worse, and help give their friend the wedding day of her dreams?
With her wicked sense of humour and refreshingly honest voice, Erin Lawless brings to the life the romance (and horrors!) of wedding season.
- GenresChick Lit
384 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 17, 2017
3 people are currently reading
68 people want to read
About the author
Erin Lawless
15 books331 followersErin Lawless would probably love to be your Goodreads friend.
Although she's predominantly on here with her reader hat on, she's published a book of short stories and flash fiction - The Last Train Home & Other Stories - and two bestselling British contemporary romances for HarperCollins' award-winning romance imprint Harper Impulse, The Best Thing I Never Had and Somewhere Only We Know .
Her most recent release, The One With All The Bridesmaids , follows one bride and her four bridesmaids from proposal to altar - and according to one review is like the film Bridesmaids, but funnier..!
Outside of Goodreads (and the third person) she blogs about dreadfully interesting things at www.erinlawless.co.uk and chats rubbish / spams pictures of her baby on Twitter and Instagram as @rinylou.
Although she's predominantly on here with her reader hat on, she's published a book of short stories and flash fiction - The Last Train Home & Other Stories - and two bestselling British contemporary romances for HarperCollins' award-winning romance imprint Harper Impulse, The Best Thing I Never Had and Somewhere Only We Know .
Her most recent release, The One With All The Bridesmaids , follows one bride and her four bridesmaids from proposal to altar - and according to one review is like the film Bridesmaids, but funnier..!
Outside of Goodreads (and the third person) she blogs about dreadfully interesting things at www.erinlawless.co.uk and chats rubbish / spams pictures of her baby on Twitter and Instagram as @rinylou.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
October 3, 2017
I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for my review.
I honestly loved this book!
I especially loved the anecdotes at the beginning of each chapter. I really liked the chemistry between all the characters and I appreciate the kind of relationships they had with each other. It was very real. I found the book to be a little slow, but I loved everything else. I can't believe I hadn't come across this book before. This book is perfect for a bit of lighthearted fun in the evening.
I honestly loved this book!
I especially loved the anecdotes at the beginning of each chapter. I really liked the chemistry between all the characters and I appreciate the kind of relationships they had with each other. It was very real. I found the book to be a little slow, but I loved everything else. I can't believe I hadn't come across this book before. This book is perfect for a bit of lighthearted fun in the evening.
July 15, 2017
This is the perfect pick-me-up, I spent so much of the first bit of the book laughing at various aspects of wedding planning, and then as the story progressed I found myself really involved with all four bridesmaids lives, as the big wedding approaches.
For this book is far more about Bea, Cleo, Daisy and Sarah and their lives, than about Nora, the bride, so we really get to see things from many perspectives, and there are multiples romances to hope for, or to deal with difficulties with.
Some of the wedding party, including the groomsmen, have all known each other since school days, and others are more recent additions to the gang. It really is a story of female friendships and I loved seeing how the girls dealt with the four major events in the planning of a wedding - engagement party, wedding dress shopping, hen party and of course the big day itself.
At the start of some of the chapters there are real life anecdotes from real weddings, which fit into the book really well. As I read them I was reminded of the off cuts in When Harry Met Sally when every now and then you would get real people talking about relationships, this had a similar feel to me, and I loved reading them as much as I enjoyed the book itself.
There are so many characters and threads of story in this book that even if you aren't too keen on one of the bridesmaids, there are plenty of others to keep you going. Wedding dress shopping had some hilarious moments, as did the hen party. I don't want to say much about them as I would probably spoil things.
I'm not sure I can properly explain how much I enjoyed this book, it was a pleasure to read, with a great sense of humour, and it was so refreshing to read a story about a wedding and its planning but from the perspective of those all important bridesmaids.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Harper Impulse for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
For this book is far more about Bea, Cleo, Daisy and Sarah and their lives, than about Nora, the bride, so we really get to see things from many perspectives, and there are multiples romances to hope for, or to deal with difficulties with.
Some of the wedding party, including the groomsmen, have all known each other since school days, and others are more recent additions to the gang. It really is a story of female friendships and I loved seeing how the girls dealt with the four major events in the planning of a wedding - engagement party, wedding dress shopping, hen party and of course the big day itself.
At the start of some of the chapters there are real life anecdotes from real weddings, which fit into the book really well. As I read them I was reminded of the off cuts in When Harry Met Sally when every now and then you would get real people talking about relationships, this had a similar feel to me, and I loved reading them as much as I enjoyed the book itself.
There are so many characters and threads of story in this book that even if you aren't too keen on one of the bridesmaids, there are plenty of others to keep you going. Wedding dress shopping had some hilarious moments, as did the hen party. I don't want to say much about them as I would probably spoil things.
I'm not sure I can properly explain how much I enjoyed this book, it was a pleasure to read, with a great sense of humour, and it was so refreshing to read a story about a wedding and its planning but from the perspective of those all important bridesmaids.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Harper Impulse for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
September 15, 2017
Taking place over the year from engagement party to wedding day, this is ostensibly Nora and Harry’s story, but becomes so much more as friends (the bridesmaids and groomsmen) and festivities never end. Additionally, in a supremely clever twist, Lawless inserts anecdotes from actual couples in introductions to several chapters: providing a ‘this happened” moment that adds to the story.
Truly, almost from the first, the story becomes more about Nora and her relationships with her bridesmaids (Bea, Cleo, Daisy and Sarah) and their lives and interactions with one another: interactions and friendships that started in school, years ago. Far from being a happy-happy-all-the-time story, each of the women has favorites among their group, difficulties with others, and all are trying, for Nora’s sake, to move past those issues, or sort them. On the other side of the coin, there are the groomsmen, not quite obstructionist, but certainly in need of actual direction (and occasional strong hands) to keep them on track.
What emerges is the wonderful sense of timing and description that Lawless brings to the story: anyone who has planned a wedding will empathize with and understand the complex decisions and plans that need to be addressed, not to mention managing expectations and even reining in the ‘must be exactly what I dreamed of at six’ hopes from the bride. Moments of laugh out loud situations, others that will have you wincing in empathy – this was a fun story and read that kept me engaged and happily tuning each page.
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.
Review first appeared at I am, Indeed
Truly, almost from the first, the story becomes more about Nora and her relationships with her bridesmaids (Bea, Cleo, Daisy and Sarah) and their lives and interactions with one another: interactions and friendships that started in school, years ago. Far from being a happy-happy-all-the-time story, each of the women has favorites among their group, difficulties with others, and all are trying, for Nora’s sake, to move past those issues, or sort them. On the other side of the coin, there are the groomsmen, not quite obstructionist, but certainly in need of actual direction (and occasional strong hands) to keep them on track.
What emerges is the wonderful sense of timing and description that Lawless brings to the story: anyone who has planned a wedding will empathize with and understand the complex decisions and plans that need to be addressed, not to mention managing expectations and even reining in the ‘must be exactly what I dreamed of at six’ hopes from the bride. Moments of laugh out loud situations, others that will have you wincing in empathy – this was a fun story and read that kept me engaged and happily tuning each page.
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.
Review first appeared at I am, Indeed
July 23, 2017
The thing that attracted me to this book was of course that stunning cover that I absolutely adored. The colours and everything is just perfect for the story itself and also very eyecatching.
After waiting for this story to be released as a full book I was delighted as it was definately worth the wait having all the parts together as I could not put this down.
The One with All the Bridesmaids is full of humour with lots of parts that just leave you laughing out loud and I found I read this with a huge smile on my face. I had plenty of giggles at the stories at the start of the chapters of peoples experiences at weddings I thought they where great.
The story is about Nora and Harrys wedding and the run up to it that includes the hen, dress shopping etc it also gives us the stories of each of the bridesmaids. I loved hearing of each bridesmaids story and their own love lifes. Of course when it comes to a group of girls theres always a scandel and there is in this group.
Each of the characters I loved and I wish they where my real life friends as I loved their relationship with each other they just had lot's of fun. Characters like these just make a book and im sad to leave them however I really feel there is potiental for a follow up book set in the same style, I would absolutely love to hear more from the girls.
My book of the year so far! A very easy 5 stars!
After waiting for this story to be released as a full book I was delighted as it was definately worth the wait having all the parts together as I could not put this down.
The One with All the Bridesmaids is full of humour with lots of parts that just leave you laughing out loud and I found I read this with a huge smile on my face. I had plenty of giggles at the stories at the start of the chapters of peoples experiences at weddings I thought they where great.
The story is about Nora and Harrys wedding and the run up to it that includes the hen, dress shopping etc it also gives us the stories of each of the bridesmaids. I loved hearing of each bridesmaids story and their own love lifes. Of course when it comes to a group of girls theres always a scandel and there is in this group.
Each of the characters I loved and I wish they where my real life friends as I loved their relationship with each other they just had lot's of fun. Characters like these just make a book and im sad to leave them however I really feel there is potiental for a follow up book set in the same style, I would absolutely love to hear more from the girls.
My book of the year so far! A very easy 5 stars!
August 3, 2017
All reviews can be found on my blog at https://thewritinggarnet.wordpress.com
Oh my god, I’ve just realised that I have never read an Erin Lawless book before! I know I have purchased a few of her previous novels, but unfortunately they’ve been sitting on my TBR for far too long, shamefully! After reading Erin Lawless’ new release, I now have the urge to buy every single book of hers and binge read them.
I don’t usually read the tag lines on blurbs before I read a novel because I sometimes think that they’re forcing me to think a certain one. However…..the tagline on this blurb is absolutely bang on. If I were to describe this novel with a movie reference, I would 100% say that it’s like Bridesmaids….except funnier.
Once again this review will have to be vague due to the amount of spoilers that could be written. Don’t worry, I won’t spoil, but this is why I need to keep it brief as I can talk for England…no, really, I can.
It didn’t take me long to find my favourite bridesmaid! Despite the other characters reservations about their friendships with this particular bridesmaid, I absolutely LOVED her. Her mouth ran away with her. Her facial expressions got her in more trouble than Lee from Blue’s womanising ways. Her cold exterior rivalled Elsa’s from Frozen, yet she came across as the more ‘real’ one of the group. Who am I on about? Bea of course! I think I gelled with her more than the others because I saw myself in her character. Being totally honest, there were a couple of the characters I found myself disliking. I won’t say which ones as everyone’s opinion is different.
I adored the whole music reminiscing for playlists and such, felt like I was being transported back to my youth. Well, I say transported…maybe hiding my face in embarrassment as I realised that I could have easily have joined the ‘cool club’ too at that wedding.
I LOVE how Erin Lawless isn’t afraid to delve into the nineties, bringing them into the present and into her storylines. It’s so much fun and completely relatable. I just loved her. Erin Lawless has such flawless, side-splitting humour which, instead of laughing because it’s so funny, you end up laughing going ‘omg I totally did that!’ or ‘she’s bang on!’, if that makes any sense!
‘The One With All the Bridesmaids’ is a fun, modern and addictive tale about weddings and then some. This book really is the perfect antidote to any bad day, bad mood, or blah feeling, because as soon as you lay your eyes on Nora’s story, your frown will have turned upside down before you can even say ‘Spice Girls’.
Brilliant, brilliant book.
Thanks Harper Impulse.
Oh my god, I’ve just realised that I have never read an Erin Lawless book before! I know I have purchased a few of her previous novels, but unfortunately they’ve been sitting on my TBR for far too long, shamefully! After reading Erin Lawless’ new release, I now have the urge to buy every single book of hers and binge read them.
I don’t usually read the tag lines on blurbs before I read a novel because I sometimes think that they’re forcing me to think a certain one. However…..the tagline on this blurb is absolutely bang on. If I were to describe this novel with a movie reference, I would 100% say that it’s like Bridesmaids….except funnier.
Once again this review will have to be vague due to the amount of spoilers that could be written. Don’t worry, I won’t spoil, but this is why I need to keep it brief as I can talk for England…no, really, I can.
It didn’t take me long to find my favourite bridesmaid! Despite the other characters reservations about their friendships with this particular bridesmaid, I absolutely LOVED her. Her mouth ran away with her. Her facial expressions got her in more trouble than Lee from Blue’s womanising ways. Her cold exterior rivalled Elsa’s from Frozen, yet she came across as the more ‘real’ one of the group. Who am I on about? Bea of course! I think I gelled with her more than the others because I saw myself in her character. Being totally honest, there were a couple of the characters I found myself disliking. I won’t say which ones as everyone’s opinion is different.
I adored the whole music reminiscing for playlists and such, felt like I was being transported back to my youth. Well, I say transported…maybe hiding my face in embarrassment as I realised that I could have easily have joined the ‘cool club’ too at that wedding.
I LOVE how Erin Lawless isn’t afraid to delve into the nineties, bringing them into the present and into her storylines. It’s so much fun and completely relatable. I just loved her. Erin Lawless has such flawless, side-splitting humour which, instead of laughing because it’s so funny, you end up laughing going ‘omg I totally did that!’ or ‘she’s bang on!’, if that makes any sense!
‘The One With All the Bridesmaids’ is a fun, modern and addictive tale about weddings and then some. This book really is the perfect antidote to any bad day, bad mood, or blah feeling, because as soon as you lay your eyes on Nora’s story, your frown will have turned upside down before you can even say ‘Spice Girls’.
Brilliant, brilliant book.
Thanks Harper Impulse.
July 14, 2017
I received a free digital copy of this book from the publishers/author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
When Nora gets engaged to her childhood friend turned love of her life, it’s only natural that she gets some of her best friends together to be her bridesmaid. The only problem is, while all the girls love Nora, they don’t always get on with each other. This book follows the bridal group from engagement to wedding day and involves a lot of wedding dress shopping strops, secrets revealed and problems shared.
This book was just a great big heap of light-hearted refreshment and I really, really enjoyed reading it. It didn’t take me too long into the book to be able to separate out all of the girls from Nora, the bride-to-be, Bea, the childhood bestie, Cleo, the college bestie, Daisy, the back packer friend and Sarah, the one who married into it all. All the girls soon had their own unique voices and I was able to fall into each part of the story with not much difficulty in knowing straight away who I was following. The only few stumbles i had was between Cleo and Bea and only because for some reason, my mind sometimes felt like their names were the same.
I will say that as a 25-year-old, I’m not yet in the friends getting married years of my life so I have never been part of a wedding party, so I have never had to deal with the woes of being a bridesmaid, organising hen dos and potentially dealing with wedding day disasters. This book did sometimes make me hope I would never have to be a bridesmaid because it was slightly overwhelming how much they were doing, even though it all seemed like great fun.
I loved the chemistry the group had together, especially near the end of the book and the night before the wedding. Even though they started out a bit so-so with each other, the girls really ended up becoming a solid unit and being there for each other and I absolutely loved it. By the end of it, I wanted to be their friend. I didn’t really want the book to end to be honest, and just wanted to follow their lives forever.
While the main relationships in this book are the girls’ friendship, there are obviously some romantic debacles in this book too and I totally was a sucker for them. My favourite character was Cleo and I really loved her romantic storyline, and Bea’s made me very happy by the end too.
I’m also calling out for a Nora and Harry getting together for the first time novella, because that would be the cutest. Or just more novels about all of the girls because yes please!
When Nora gets engaged to her childhood friend turned love of her life, it’s only natural that she gets some of her best friends together to be her bridesmaid. The only problem is, while all the girls love Nora, they don’t always get on with each other. This book follows the bridal group from engagement to wedding day and involves a lot of wedding dress shopping strops, secrets revealed and problems shared.
This book was just a great big heap of light-hearted refreshment and I really, really enjoyed reading it. It didn’t take me too long into the book to be able to separate out all of the girls from Nora, the bride-to-be, Bea, the childhood bestie, Cleo, the college bestie, Daisy, the back packer friend and Sarah, the one who married into it all. All the girls soon had their own unique voices and I was able to fall into each part of the story with not much difficulty in knowing straight away who I was following. The only few stumbles i had was between Cleo and Bea and only because for some reason, my mind sometimes felt like their names were the same.
I will say that as a 25-year-old, I’m not yet in the friends getting married years of my life so I have never been part of a wedding party, so I have never had to deal with the woes of being a bridesmaid, organising hen dos and potentially dealing with wedding day disasters. This book did sometimes make me hope I would never have to be a bridesmaid because it was slightly overwhelming how much they were doing, even though it all seemed like great fun.
I loved the chemistry the group had together, especially near the end of the book and the night before the wedding. Even though they started out a bit so-so with each other, the girls really ended up becoming a solid unit and being there for each other and I absolutely loved it. By the end of it, I wanted to be their friend. I didn’t really want the book to end to be honest, and just wanted to follow their lives forever.
While the main relationships in this book are the girls’ friendship, there are obviously some romantic debacles in this book too and I totally was a sucker for them. My favourite character was Cleo and I really loved her romantic storyline, and Bea’s made me very happy by the end too.
I’m also calling out for a Nora and Harry getting together for the first time novella, because that would be the cutest. Or just more novels about all of the girls because yes please!
July 5, 2018
This review was originally posted on Star Crossed Reviews I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.Thank you to HarperImpulse for my copy of this book via Netgalley. This is a wrap up of 4 short stories on these characters. I'm at that age where weddings are the thing. I have 3 this year and 2 hen dos, so this book is perfect for my life right now.
Nora has just got engaged and the story is the build up to the wedding and the day itself. The story is told from the women's view and its about the four main events, the engagement party, finding the dress, the hen party and the day itself.
There were a lot of characters to get to know. Nora has a big friendship group as does the groom, Harry. Nora picked four bridesmaids, Cleo, Bea, Daisy and Sarah. Cleo was my favourite, especially Drunk Cleo. She was funny and didn't take herself too seriously.
The Hen do was my favourite part of the book. I loved the fancy dress, the games and the presents. It's really got me excited for the hen do's I have this year.
Some of the chapters started with wedding anecdotes which I LOVED! They were so funny.
While there are some love interests in this book it is really a story of friendships.
This book is funny, romantic and real. From what I hear planning a wedding is stressful and Erin really captures all the elements of this process.
I loved Erin's writing style and will definitely be reading more of her books soon.
Nora has just got engaged and the story is the build up to the wedding and the day itself. The story is told from the women's view and its about the four main events, the engagement party, finding the dress, the hen party and the day itself.
There were a lot of characters to get to know. Nora has a big friendship group as does the groom, Harry. Nora picked four bridesmaids, Cleo, Bea, Daisy and Sarah. Cleo was my favourite, especially Drunk Cleo. She was funny and didn't take herself too seriously.
The Hen do was my favourite part of the book. I loved the fancy dress, the games and the presents. It's really got me excited for the hen do's I have this year.
Some of the chapters started with wedding anecdotes which I LOVED! They were so funny.
While there are some love interests in this book it is really a story of friendships.
This book is funny, romantic and real. From what I hear planning a wedding is stressful and Erin really captures all the elements of this process.
I loved Erin's writing style and will definitely be reading more of her books soon.
August 6, 2017
What's not to love about a book detailing friendships, wedding planning and fraught hen party activities. It's great to lose yourself in the whirl of organisation and the wedding itself with love in the air. The bridesmaids all have their share of life's dramas going on you really feel a part of it- down to planning the outfit you want to wear!!!!!!!
Erin has such a lovely writing style that you find yourself totally immersed and turning the pages enjoying being a part of the celebrations.
Highly recommended.
Erin has such a lovely writing style that you find yourself totally immersed and turning the pages enjoying being a part of the celebrations.
Highly recommended.
May 4, 2018
A fun lighthearted novel about bridesmaids preparing for their friend's wedding. Some drama but the craziness is presented in a fun way that shows what it takes to plan a wedding from proposal to wedding and all the fun and craziness in-between.
Pub Date 14 Jul 2016
I was given a complimentary copy from HarperCollins UK, HarperImpulse through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.
Pub Date 14 Jul 2016
I was given a complimentary copy from HarperCollins UK, HarperImpulse through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.
August 9, 2018
This in essence is a great book, centre on Nora the bride, her friends and bridesmaids, Cleo, Bea, Daisy, and Sarah. Added to the mix are the respective fiancées, husbands, boyfriends, men friends, it is a great mix of different perspectives, individual issues, and several romances. So much of the activity around the wedding planning is hilarious, and the ‘bridezilla effect’ is there at least in part. I really liked Cleo, who quite honestly could have done with a book all to herself, and I felt a lot of sympathy for Sarah.
The book is good, and I have no hesitation in recommending it. For me though, there were just too many characters with their own stories, some of whom I just couldn’t become invested in. Occasionally I lost track of who was who, and what was what. It was like a giant buffet where you walk along trying to decide what to eat, but by the time you get to the end you’ve forgotten what was at the beginning. More depth on fewer stories would have suited me better. That said, it was enjoyable, and I particularly loved the real life anecdotes that started some of the chapters. Seriously, you couldn’t make some of that stuff up!
So in the end I do recommend reading it.
The book is good, and I have no hesitation in recommending it. For me though, there were just too many characters with their own stories, some of whom I just couldn’t become invested in. Occasionally I lost track of who was who, and what was what. It was like a giant buffet where you walk along trying to decide what to eat, but by the time you get to the end you’ve forgotten what was at the beginning. More depth on fewer stories would have suited me better. That said, it was enjoyable, and I particularly loved the real life anecdotes that started some of the chapters. Seriously, you couldn’t make some of that stuff up!
So in the end I do recommend reading it.
November 26, 2017
Erin Lawless has the knack of capturing life events in a humorous and sensitive way that makes everything you read believable and so easy to visualise and empathise with.
The One With All The Bridesmaids is the complete story of Nora and Harry's wedding year, from Engagement party to Wedding day. However it's the Bridesmaids, Cleo, Bea, Daisy and Sarah and their lives who are the stars of this story. Their friendship with Nora and each other makes this an absorbing fun read and its easy to identify with parts of their lives and some of their adventures whatever age you are.
The female characters are realistic and recognisable and make this a page turning read. Enjoyable as individual stories, reading them again as a complete book is a delight that perfectly captures the romance and craziness of getting married.
I received a copy of this book from Harper Impulse via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
The One With All The Bridesmaids is the complete story of Nora and Harry's wedding year, from Engagement party to Wedding day. However it's the Bridesmaids, Cleo, Bea, Daisy and Sarah and their lives who are the stars of this story. Their friendship with Nora and each other makes this an absorbing fun read and its easy to identify with parts of their lives and some of their adventures whatever age you are.
The female characters are realistic and recognisable and make this a page turning read. Enjoyable as individual stories, reading them again as a complete book is a delight that perfectly captures the romance and craziness of getting married.
I received a copy of this book from Harper Impulse via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
March 10, 2018
I really do not know where to start with this book apart from the fact that I loved it!
Last week I was getting ready to go on my best friend's hen party and couldn't decide which book to start reading in our downtime, until I saw this little gem. I have recommended this to the whole hen party. It is such a fun, feel good, entertaining read especially as real life and the book at times crossed over!
This is a story of Nora and her four bridesmaids (Bea, Sarah, Daisy and Cleo), it starts with the announcement of Nora's engagement all the way to her wedding night. Although the wedding is about the bride, this book changed that and made it about the bridesmaids. You learn how the bridesmaids know the bride and their opinions of each other, and the focus was on them and their lives and perceptions. I thought I had a favourite with the bridesmaids but then I just kept changing my mind with each chapter and decided I loved them all equally.
Reading about Nora's wedding day, made me think of my own which in turn made me emotional. The morning conversation with Bea and the wedding speech by her mum completely reflected my own wedding morning and day, I did have to take a moment when reading that. (I won't spoil it here, but those who know me will know what I mean)
The book is written in a way where it flows perfectly and I was not bored at any point of the book, or wishing for chapters to hurry up so I coud move on. What I loved about this book (and told the author so) was how realistic it felt, the conversations that were held, the treatment of the bride when dress shopping, the nicknames they had for each other, we all felt could be applied to us. When I got to the hen party section of the book, we all had to giggle as we were in the same city!! (surely this book couldn't be based on us) I loved the references to Whats app chats and Instagram as we were all doing the exact same thing, and when reading this book you feel as though the author is there with you and is writing your story....or maybe we just thought that as we were on a hen party. (Side note not everything that happened in the book happened in our life!!) We spent our time trying to figure out who was Bea, Sarah, Cleo or Daisy, I think we have got it down to a tee! (I was Sarah by default) The inserts at the beginning of most of the chapters were lovely, reading true stories of other women and they set up the chapters perfectly.
The chapters were to the point with no long played out scenes that were unnecessary, however a couple of times i do wished they were a little bit longer but at the same time I viewed it that in real life you won't be there for every minute of the day so why would you in the book.
This book was an absolute delight to read, it had me laughing and crying and agreeing with everything all the way through.
Definitely a perfect read for anyone especially in wedding season!
*I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in return for my review*
Last week I was getting ready to go on my best friend's hen party and couldn't decide which book to start reading in our downtime, until I saw this little gem. I have recommended this to the whole hen party. It is such a fun, feel good, entertaining read especially as real life and the book at times crossed over!
This is a story of Nora and her four bridesmaids (Bea, Sarah, Daisy and Cleo), it starts with the announcement of Nora's engagement all the way to her wedding night. Although the wedding is about the bride, this book changed that and made it about the bridesmaids. You learn how the bridesmaids know the bride and their opinions of each other, and the focus was on them and their lives and perceptions. I thought I had a favourite with the bridesmaids but then I just kept changing my mind with each chapter and decided I loved them all equally.
Reading about Nora's wedding day, made me think of my own which in turn made me emotional. The morning conversation with Bea and the wedding speech by her mum completely reflected my own wedding morning and day, I did have to take a moment when reading that. (I won't spoil it here, but those who know me will know what I mean)
The book is written in a way where it flows perfectly and I was not bored at any point of the book, or wishing for chapters to hurry up so I coud move on. What I loved about this book (and told the author so) was how realistic it felt, the conversations that were held, the treatment of the bride when dress shopping, the nicknames they had for each other, we all felt could be applied to us. When I got to the hen party section of the book, we all had to giggle as we were in the same city!! (surely this book couldn't be based on us) I loved the references to Whats app chats and Instagram as we were all doing the exact same thing, and when reading this book you feel as though the author is there with you and is writing your story....or maybe we just thought that as we were on a hen party. (Side note not everything that happened in the book happened in our life!!) We spent our time trying to figure out who was Bea, Sarah, Cleo or Daisy, I think we have got it down to a tee! (I was Sarah by default) The inserts at the beginning of most of the chapters were lovely, reading true stories of other women and they set up the chapters perfectly.
The chapters were to the point with no long played out scenes that were unnecessary, however a couple of times i do wished they were a little bit longer but at the same time I viewed it that in real life you won't be there for every minute of the day so why would you in the book.
This book was an absolute delight to read, it had me laughing and crying and agreeing with everything all the way through.
Definitely a perfect read for anyone especially in wedding season!
*I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in return for my review*
January 8, 2018
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the Publishers, Harper Impulse for this review copy given in exchange for an honest review.
This book has also been released into the four separate parts – The One with the Engagement Party, Wedding Dress, Hen Weekend and The White Wedding. This book is all four parts in one book. I have previously read the first two parts, but then was given the opportunity to read the book as a whole, so started back at the beginning!
The book follows one bride and her bridesmaids from proposal to marriage and all the bits in-between. The stages of the wedding planning are described perfectly and flow nicely right from the engagement party to the wedding dress shopping to the hen weekend. Ending up with the main show and the actual wedding finished off the story so nicely!
I have to admit that I did prefer reading the book all in one go – I don’t really like having the book split into separate parts. I was easier to remember the characters as I did find it confusing when reading the first two parts as there are a lot of characters in the book! For ease though, there is a list of all the characters at the beginning of the book – which was very useful! Whilst there are a lot of characters, it does give you chance to have a favourite as there are so many to choose from – and not just from the bridesmaids either as the groomsmen/boyfriends all play an equal part!
The best part of this book though was how brilliant Erin’s writing was. It was written so well, with plenty of humour along the way. Not only was this a funny book, it was also a book of love and friendships and it was great to lose yourself in the planning and participation of the wedding of the year! Oh and before I forget, I loved the little real life anecdotes at the beginning of every chapter – fantastic!
This book has also been released into the four separate parts – The One with the Engagement Party, Wedding Dress, Hen Weekend and The White Wedding. This book is all four parts in one book. I have previously read the first two parts, but then was given the opportunity to read the book as a whole, so started back at the beginning!
The book follows one bride and her bridesmaids from proposal to marriage and all the bits in-between. The stages of the wedding planning are described perfectly and flow nicely right from the engagement party to the wedding dress shopping to the hen weekend. Ending up with the main show and the actual wedding finished off the story so nicely!
I have to admit that I did prefer reading the book all in one go – I don’t really like having the book split into separate parts. I was easier to remember the characters as I did find it confusing when reading the first two parts as there are a lot of characters in the book! For ease though, there is a list of all the characters at the beginning of the book – which was very useful! Whilst there are a lot of characters, it does give you chance to have a favourite as there are so many to choose from – and not just from the bridesmaids either as the groomsmen/boyfriends all play an equal part!
The best part of this book though was how brilliant Erin’s writing was. It was written so well, with plenty of humour along the way. Not only was this a funny book, it was also a book of love and friendships and it was great to lose yourself in the planning and participation of the wedding of the year! Oh and before I forget, I loved the little real life anecdotes at the beginning of every chapter – fantastic!
August 5, 2017
This is absolutely perfect for the summer wedding season .. Erin Lawless captures the whole shebang, who knew there was so much to arranging a wedding! The One With All The Bridesmaids follows the journey of the marriage between Nora and Harry.
It’s almost like a girls v boys story .. the hens are all super duper involved and take it SO seriously and the boy partners tend to tag along and do as they are told lol.
There is a small group who have been friends since school days so the feelings run deep, as other people join the ‘friendship’ group there is inevitably a few squabbles, jealousy etc
Thankfully I have only been a bridesmaid twice, when I was ‘young and single’ so I have never had to endure the whole organisational marathon that this seems to be. When I got married I was (sensible) and eloped! As a story this is fabulous, witty, sarcastic, jaw-dropping entertainment. I love the way the girls all bond and give a sense of pure indulgence .. but quite honestly if I had to be a part of this I would freak!
I really enjoyed getting to know the bridesmaids and began to feel involved with the whole group by the end. This is a wonderful, well written, easy to read book that will make you smile. And to top it all a ultra cute cover.
Thanks to Erin, Harper Impulse and Netgalley for my copy which I read and reviewed voluntarily.
It’s almost like a girls v boys story .. the hens are all super duper involved and take it SO seriously and the boy partners tend to tag along and do as they are told lol.
There is a small group who have been friends since school days so the feelings run deep, as other people join the ‘friendship’ group there is inevitably a few squabbles, jealousy etc
Thankfully I have only been a bridesmaid twice, when I was ‘young and single’ so I have never had to endure the whole organisational marathon that this seems to be. When I got married I was (sensible) and eloped! As a story this is fabulous, witty, sarcastic, jaw-dropping entertainment. I love the way the girls all bond and give a sense of pure indulgence .. but quite honestly if I had to be a part of this I would freak!
I really enjoyed getting to know the bridesmaids and began to feel involved with the whole group by the end. This is a wonderful, well written, easy to read book that will make you smile. And to top it all a ultra cute cover.
Thanks to Erin, Harper Impulse and Netgalley for my copy which I read and reviewed voluntarily.
August 8, 2017
Thank you to NetGalley, HarperColliins UK and the author Erin for allowing me too read this book in exchange for an honest review!
First things first, I love this book. To give this a bit of context; I have been a bridesmaid four times and a bride once so I think I am fairly qualified to say that this book really does hit the nail on the head when it comes to all things wedding!
This book evoked lovely memories for me of buying my wedding dress, going on my hen weekend, my actual wedding day but most importantly it reminded me of my friends and how much I love them. Although I don't see my bridesmaids and best friends half as much as I used to........ we really did have a scream planning my wedding and this book bought all of those memories flooding back.
I would recommend this book to anyone planning a wedding, give it to your bridesmaids and insist they read it, if not for the laughs then definitely for the tips they can gain... especially for the hen weekend!
One tiny criticism would be that because this book has quite a lot of characters and you are introduced to them quite quickly, it took me a long time to remember who was who and where they fitted in. I had to keep going back to the beginning to remind myself of how they were related to the main character.
Other than that, this book was surprisingly gorgeous.
First things first, I love this book. To give this a bit of context; I have been a bridesmaid four times and a bride once so I think I am fairly qualified to say that this book really does hit the nail on the head when it comes to all things wedding!
This book evoked lovely memories for me of buying my wedding dress, going on my hen weekend, my actual wedding day but most importantly it reminded me of my friends and how much I love them. Although I don't see my bridesmaids and best friends half as much as I used to........ we really did have a scream planning my wedding and this book bought all of those memories flooding back.
I would recommend this book to anyone planning a wedding, give it to your bridesmaids and insist they read it, if not for the laughs then definitely for the tips they can gain... especially for the hen weekend!
One tiny criticism would be that because this book has quite a lot of characters and you are introduced to them quite quickly, it took me a long time to remember who was who and where they fitted in. I had to keep going back to the beginning to remind myself of how they were related to the main character.
Other than that, this book was surprisingly gorgeous.
July 25, 2017
Erin Lawless has a fresh and unique writing style that makes me so quickly absorbed in the storyline of her books. The One with.. is such a fun, witty and appealing story that has a touch of phenomenal Friends series vibe.
I loved following the group of girls ( Nora, Bee, Daisy, Cleo and Sarah) as well as boys on their journey leading up to Nora's wedding. It definitely wasn't a smooth ride! There are secrets, drunken faux pas, wild nights, jealousy but also wonderful friendships and most of all everlasting love. It was so one fabulous journey that I enjoyed being part of, and I must say that I felt incredibly sad when I finished the last page.This book perfectly depicts the romance of this season.
I loved following the group of girls ( Nora, Bee, Daisy, Cleo and Sarah) as well as boys on their journey leading up to Nora's wedding. It definitely wasn't a smooth ride! There are secrets, drunken faux pas, wild nights, jealousy but also wonderful friendships and most of all everlasting love. It was so one fabulous journey that I enjoyed being part of, and I must say that I felt incredibly sad when I finished the last page.This book perfectly depicts the romance of this season.
August 3, 2017
I’ve seen positive things said about Erin Lawless’ books so often that I just had to try one for myself! ‘The One With All the Bridesmaids��� is a warm, witty, enthralling story that grabbed me in the first couple of pages, and I was really sad when I reached the end. During the preparations for Nora’s wedding, the focus is on her four bridesmaids - Cleo, Daisy, Sarah, and Bea - as they all have secrets which gradually come out one by one. I’m so glad that there are more books in the wedding/engagement series, as I’ll definitely be reading more from Erin. I’d highly recommend this book for anyone who is getting married, being a bridesmaid, or going to a wedding this season… or anyone who just likes reading about them!
August 16, 2017
*This book was given to me by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review – all opinions are my own.*
A funny and light-hearted novel about a group of bridesmaids preparing for a friend's wedding. I enjoyed some of the romantic arcs and especially the real life funny anecdotes about weddings. I'd recommend this book if you feel like a light wedding-based read, perfect for a summer holiday.
A funny and light-hearted novel about a group of bridesmaids preparing for a friend's wedding. I enjoyed some of the romantic arcs and especially the real life funny anecdotes about weddings. I'd recommend this book if you feel like a light wedding-based read, perfect for a summer holiday.
August 23, 2017
This was a lovely read and perfectly captured the fun and headaches that can be all part of planning a wedding. Having been a bridesmaid and a bride it was lots of fun to read this book and I definitely found it amusing how the girls were all taking it more seriously than the boys were. A stereotype maybe but a pretty spot on one.
This is a great summer read and I enjoyed it a lot.
I was sent a copy of this book by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is a great summer read and I enjoyed it a lot.
I was sent a copy of this book by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 28, 2018
The One with All the Bridesmaids is a fun read. Following bride to be Nora as she plans her wedding to Harry surrounded by her bridesmaids, Cleo, Bea, Sarah and Daisy. Featuring secrets and champagne, funny and heartwarming parts and a good all round sense of female companionship, love and fun. I read this book in just over a day and look forward to more from this author.
Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Impulse and the author for the chance to review.
Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Impulse and the author for the chance to review.
May 14, 2018
A wonderful story of friendship, bridesmaidzillas, finding love, getting married.
The story, as the title says, is about the bridesmaids. About their relationship to each other and also about their relationships.
The story, as the title says, is about the bridesmaids. About their relationship to each other and also about their relationships.
October 30, 2017
Good story which was easy to read. Plenty of drama. Perfect for relaxed reading anytime.
May 26, 2018
Too confusing, too many characters, terrible. Tried but I stopped reading with no regrets. No wedding is worth putting up with this group.
June 17, 2018
I really enjoy this author's writing, it's highly readable, but unfortunately this time the story and characters weren't my cup of tea. I look forward to something different in the future.
September 22, 2021
It was slow and didn't have much substance.
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