Book Review: My Best Friend’s Wedding (ARC)

Author: Tilly Tennant

Falling snow, sparkling champagne and an ex that Libby would rather forget…

Everything was in place for Libby’s own wedding day – the ancient church with roses around the door, the frothy white wedding dress of her dreams… That is until her Mr Right, Rufus, turned out to be Mr Wrong and dumped her out of the blue. For her cousin.

Six months later, Libby is the chief bridesmaid for her best friend Willow in a Christmas Eve wedding at stately home Lovage Hall. Despite having to wear an enormous fuchsia dress, Libby knows she has to look her best, as the wedding is the first time she will see Rufus again…

As the guests sip champagne at the beautiful reception, and Libby does her best to avoid her ex, the snow outside falls faster and faster, making it impossible for the guests to leave. Snowed in at Lovage Hall, Libby is charmed by American Noah with his dark cropped hair and dimpled cheeks, and the two of them share their dreams and a very passionate kiss.

But when the morning comes, and the snow melts, a shocking revelation about Noah comes to light and Rufus reveals a devastating secret. Can Libby trust her heart to make the right decision for her own happy ending?

My Best Friend’s Wedding was a cute feel-good romance. As it was my first novel by Tilly Tennant, I did not know what to expect. It was an adorable read with a holiday feel as the wedding takes place near Christmas in a lovely snowy backdrop. The story follows Libby, a manager for a local tailoring shop. She is very excited to marry the man of her dreams, Rufus, but, unfortunately, it will not be a happily ever after. Instead, Rufus has been cheating on Libby with her cousin, Kylie. With all this devastation around her, Libby must pull herself together to be a bridesmaid for her best friend since childhood.

The story takes place at the best friend, Willow’s, wedding to her fiancé, Tomas. Libby is excited to make Willow’s day as perfect as possible and prays that Rufus, who was an invited guest, will stay away knowing that Libby is there. While at the wedding, she meets Noah, a friend of Tomas and is visiting from California. The two are attracted to each other and begin to get to know each other at the wedding and reception. While Noah seems interested in Libby, he seems to be holding back. Things become more complicated for Libby when Rufus shows up and wants to reconcile. Libby must now work through her feelings to see what she wants from either man and if things could work out between them.

For me, Libby was both likable and unlikable as a character. She was likable for the most part, but it was difficult to get over her obsession with Rufus. While it was understandable to be around the man that broke your heart, it felt a little overboard with the self-pity as it seemed repetitive. Noah is a sweet character and his personality worked great with Libby’s.  The snowstorm that keeps the characters together was a unique device to create a locked door style romance; however, it did feel slow in some moments as it is a full length story over the course of a few days.  The characters, though, were enjoyable and the story was a nice easy read. Overall, the secret revealed about Noah was a deal-breaker for me, unfortunately. As much as I wanted to love the story, I just could not connect with this element.   Without this part, for me, the story would have worked better; however, every reader is different, so each should give it a try to see how they feel.

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Bookouture, for the opportunity to read this enjoyable novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**