Review: The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory

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, agreeing they would end it once the wedding is over. When it’s suddenly pushed up and they only have a few months left of secret rendezvouses, they find themselves regretting that the end is near. Two people this different can’t possibly have a connection other than the purely physical, right?

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. 

2.5 STARS
 
When I read the description of this book, I was eager to read it. Because books are not just my hobby, but my job, sometimes I like to set aside the middle grade and young adult, and pick up a cozy romance read, and if the main character migrate from enemies to lovers, all the better!!

The Wedding Party had great bones. We've got two people who can't stand each other, but they share a best friend (never read a book with that particular twist). Maddie, a personal shopper, thinks that Theo is pompous and conceited. Theo knows that he didn't portray himself in the best light when he met Maddie, but doesn't think there's much he can do about it now. When Maddie and Theo end up in bed together, they're both kind of horrified. After a second "encounter" they decide that they can continue their sexual realtions, as long as they don't tell their best friend Alexa (who is the protagonist in Guillory's first book in this series The Wedding Date).

As expected, the more time Theo and Maddie spend together the more their feelings for each other grow. Then begin to spend time together as friends, not just lovers. I loved the concept, it's like... the bullet points of the this book were LOVELY. Meet at birthday party, meet at engagement party, margaritas in the backyard, wedding dress shopping for the best friend, lost keys with no one else to call, this book rang all the right bells.

My struggle with the book was the writing. And let me say I'm not a writer. I have no aspirations of publishing my own book, I'm a Librarian and that's all I want to be. But the writing was... all over the place. I felt like I was reading the first draft of a book and the author didn't do any proof reading. There were passages such as "Refill? My mom insists on doing a toast, so everyone needs some champagne to be prepared." It just doesn't roll of the tongue, it doesn't feel organic. Something like " 'Refill? My mom insist on doing a toast,' Alexa sighed rolling her eyes and reaching for another bottle of champagne."(Again, not a writer) Or how about "They kissed, and kissed, and kissed..." I mean there had to have been another way, even if we stopped after the first kiss. There's a section in the book where (spoiler) Theo gives Maddie a key to his apartment and tells her she's welcome to let herself in. Her response is "Okay, sure, I anticipate a lot of 'I need to get into Theo's apartment or else the dinosaur on the loose might capture me' emergencies." I understand what was suppose to happen here, that was suppose to be a quirky, sassy, cute comment, but it just didn't work for me.

Like I said above, I did get this book from Netgalley, so it hasn't been published, but this is the first Netgalley book I've ever gotten where I read sentences like the ones I mentioned above. There was a section of the book where a protest got out of control and someone was attacked. Maddie, our main character, has with random mental aside, amidst the chaos that immediately takes me out of the action of the scene. It didn't fit, it wasn't appropriate

I recognize that I might be one of the few people who didn't fall head over heals for this author and book series, but trust me, I wanted to.  I want nothing more than a cozy romance with two black characters. Roxanne Gay reviewed a book in this series and gave it a high star rating, so feel free to ignore this review if you want to, but I was give a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, and this is what I've got.