Old Maid of Honor

by Heather Horrocks

Part-time clown Amelia White has a detailed list of traits and accomplishments that make for her the perfect man and she won't marry anyone lacking even one of them. Perhaps that's why she's thirty and still unmarried.
Always a bridesmaid, never a bride seems to apply to both her and her roommate, until Stacy announces her upcoming and unexpected wedding. Now Amelia is feeling like an old maid of honor.

When she is introduced to Ben Adams and begins to spend time with him, she is delighted to check off all the items on her list and believes he might just be The One.
As she falls in love, she learns that she has assumed a great deal and Ben is not the man she thought he was.
Even so, could he prove to be the perfect man for her?

Genres: Christian Fiction, Romance, Lds, Chick Lit, Clean Romance, Fiction, Lds Fiction

292 pages, Paperback

First published June 3, 2010

About the author

I’m an author who had a somewhat unorthodox upbringing. I was raised in South America and the Middle East, and wrote my first stories as a teenager in Kuwait, where my sister and I proved it really is hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk. I wrote my first novel in three months on a typewriter when I was 21, I used every romance cliché possible (including amnesia — need I say more?), and never rewrote anything, which is why it’s so much fun to pull it out occasionally when I need a good laugh. I wrote sporadically until my youngest child (who is now 18) was two, when I decided it was time to either actually start writing, or to stop saying I was a writer. So I took a class and started doing the scary things that writing requires. Now I’ve written about twelve novels and several children’s books.

Reviews

[Katie (hiding in the pages) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amelia is a nurse by day and a clown by night--well, kind of. She is so good to use her sense of humor to cheer up the kids in the hospital, but not everyone enjoys her sense of humor. Her best friend and roommate, Stacy, recently got engaged, after only three weeks and wants Amelia to be the maid of honor. Nearing 30, Amelia is getting tired of always being a part of the wedding, but not really "in" the wedding. And then she meets Ben. Seemingly perfect for her, Amelia is devastated to discover that he doesn't really fit her list.

I can understand how keeping to that list was for a reason (she didn't want for her life to end up like her parents), but it was a little excessive for her to be so inflexible. Amelia was great with Frank the cowboy and worked so hard to help him. Ben was amazingly patient with Amelia, but it's no wonder he finally snapped.

I enjoyed this clean LDS romantic comedy and really enjoy the books I've read by this author!!

[Kim Dennis · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

More than anything, what I realized with this book is that my enjoyment of Heather Horrocks's books is very inconsistent. I really liked her Christmas books and the Snowed Inn book (the first one...I haven't read the others in the series yet). However, this book and the Bad Mothers Club not so much.

I've been pretty stressed, so I was looking for something light and fun and this just didn't do it for me. I almost gave this two stars because I was so frustrated and disappointed. I ended up rounding up because I liked it better than Bad Mothers Club and because I'm not sure how much of my feelings about the book are related to my mood.

I concur with what many other reviewers have said. I didn't thoroughly dislike Amelia, but her attachment to her list just didn't fit with so many of her circumstances. She's from California where surely she had known many people who weren't lifelong members of the church. That was a ridiculous sticking point. If I hadn't read Heather Horrocks Christmas books, I would be done with her books. After a little more time has passed I will give some of her others a try.

[T.K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fun and full of good messages. :)

[Cara · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF this book was sooooo boring! I got about 40% of the way through it and then read the end to see how it ended up.

[Lydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perfect telling of the dangers of a marriageable list. Heather delivered a fun, humor filled novel with lovable characters.

[Jodi E · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are some good messages in this book but it was a bit trite and very predictable. I became slightly bored with the book midway through but with nothing really going on (Covid-19) I decided to finish. It is a clean read which I appreciate and was one of the biggest reasons I listened to the book.

[Anoush]

Started reading and decided not to finish as it wasn't for me.

[Tamera Westhoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I almost think the name of this book should be the Petty Old Maid of Honor. It was well-written, but I was super irritated with Amelia. I mean, really? I understand making a list, I had one that I made when I was a teenager, but I was perfectly willing to concede on some of the qualities for the man that I married. And if I were crazy enough to assume that I NEEDED every thing on the list, I most assuredly wouldn't tell the guy! Yikes! I think Ben took it pretty well, all considering. Then you have the backstory of her mom and dad not getting married in the Temple and it was mostly due to pettiness over $30. I find that incredibly sad! I know it happens, but I still find it so very, very depressing. I really liked Frank, the old rancher. He was great. And I totally saw through the prank. Oh well! Still an enjoyable read!

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute, but I didn't find the main character that believable. I know there are women like her, with "lists" that keep them happily single, but I'm not sure the author actually knew any, because this girl seemed an odd mixture of judgemental and compassionate. She was unpredictable, and unrelatable. There wasn't enough explanation perhaps of why she is the way she is. Nor was there enough evidence as to why her main man loves her, other than he finds her attractive for reasons he can't define. I finished the book, but overall couldn't really get into it.

[Emmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a standard LDS romantic love story. As the story progresses things are just going all too well and you know something is going to go wrong. And predictably it does. A very light read where it is easy to figure out where things are going to go.

But still a very fun read with likable characters that you want things to work out for. Filled also with the ideas of forgiveness and realizing our life's list might be getting in the way.

But if you want a quick, cute, makes you feel happy romantic comedy then you will enjoy this.

[Rachael Eliker · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had higher hopes for this book but found myself cringing in too many places to really find it enjoyable. The character's opinion of converts, people who hadn't served a mission, divorced people, people of other faiths, etc, was incredibly shallow, which I suppose caused a lot of the book's heartache, and rightfully so. Amelia was too self-righteous to really sympathize with, so I couldn't really get into the story. Anyway, it did have a happy ending, which I appreciated but for me, it was only an okay read.

[Christina Tarbet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It was cute and entertaining. I didn't totally disagree with the list making and trying to find her perfect match. I totally understand because I am a list maker. I don't want to spoil anything but I thought there was a plot hole at the end at the company party. I felt there could have been more there. I felt like it was a big jump from unhappy to happy in the story line. I think there could have been more. It was a quick, fun read.

[Jeni · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't like to give bad reviews on books. This book was almost hard to finish. I did finish though. It attracted me initially because it is an LDS romance novel set in Palo Alto and on the peninsula- where I've lived. It's okay for an LDS romance novel- but the main character just really got on my nerves. I really hope there aren't people out there that are as petty as she is. I also felt like the author hadn't ever even been to the Bay area, and that kind of bugged me.

[Alisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun read, but I found the main character really annoying - both because of her pranks (when everything becomes a prank, it is no longer surprising or funny) and her list-making. I am a list-maker myself, and I really couldn't relate to how judgmental and unbending she was with her list! But I did like how the author had her learn what was really important, and how she was able to admit she was wrong and make it right in the end.

[Richelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one wasn't as good as her other books. The love interest got his feelings hurt and turned totally mean. On top of that everyone was trying to get the main character to lower her standards. I got the impression that they thought her wanting a returned missionary as a spouse was ridiculous, I'm sure that wasn't what Horrocks was trying to say, but that's what came across. I couldn't understand why she continued to like the love interest after his continuous "tantrum".

[Paula Bothwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

PG rated, but only because a little kid would get bored because it's about a woman who is always a bridesmaid. She has a list of attributes that her prospective husband should have, but meets someone without all the attributes she thought she should have. I liked it, but I am not impressed with this author (didn't feel very interested in the characters, wasn't amused by characters), so I probably won't read another of her books. Definitely for a Latter-day Saint audience.

[Joella · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were a few things that bothered me about the writing. It just had some major plot flaws that were screaming at me. However, it was a good LDS romantic comedy. And I tend to love reading those. They are like book candy for me.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute fun read.. Amelia's character is hard to believe at times, but this book was the perfect light hearted thing to read when I needed a break from another book I was reading that was a little too intense.

[Jennefer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book although it took a little while for me to really get into it. Maybe because I was listening to it as an audiobook (which by the way I've discovered I don't like). It was predictable, but cute and uplifting!

[Belen Bradford · Rating 5 out of 5]

IT WAS SOOO GOOD!! And the best part is I actually could focus and comprehend on the story without needing an audiobook to help! I recommend this book. It's a light, fluffy, LDS book with a killer romance that makes you crave a relationship. This is definitely a must read!

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the Kindle edition of this book. I liked the story. Sometimes making lists is ok, but not always.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute fast read.

[Hanna Bair · Rating 3 out of 5]

The LDS cliches were rolling out of this one at vomit speed, but she still made the story interesting enough to keep me reading.

[JulesQ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was silly. And not in a good way.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so insanely cute. If you are looking for a cute, light-hearted, romance then read it!

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book a lot. It was funny and sweet, and just what I needed to read on a rough day. :)

[Jeri Larsen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Soooo lame.

[Tressa (Wishful Endings) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute read. I thought there needed to be some more development in the plot and characters. Parts were a little overly dramatic and unrealistic to me, but otherwise a fun book.

[Sami · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[The Flipped Page (Susan K) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute fun read. Some interesting twists. Not sure all of them were beliveable, but the book hit the spot