Review: THE WEDDING RINGER by Kerry Rea
The Wedding Ringer by Kerry Rea 
Published by Berkley Books on November 9, 2021
Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Romance, Women's Fiction
Pages: 368
Source: Netgalley
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FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
The Wedding Ringer by Kerry Rea is a hilarious and heartwarming story about finding love and friendship when you least expect it. It’s Kerry Rea’s debut novel and she really knocks it out of the park with this gem of a story. It has that perfect balance of humor and weightier topics. I laughed a lot but then there were also some sadder moments that made me want to wrap up these characters in a big hug.
After finding her fiancé and her best friend in bed together, Willa Callister has decided that she is done with both love and friendship and would rather just be alone. This betrayal hasn’t just dampened Willa’s enthusiasm for companionship, however. It has also killed her writing mojo, which is problematic since she makes her living as a blogger. What Willa really wants to do is make enough money to move away and get a fresh start, but until that happens, she finds herself living with her sister, licking her wounds, and occasionally playing Princess Sparkle Fairy at children’s parties for a little cash.
I adored Willa from the moment we meet her at a disastrous children’s party where she accidentally drops the birthday cake after coming face to face with her cheating ex-bff. Humiliated, Willa storms out of the party, flings her plastic throne to the ground, and dubs her character Princess Effing Sparkle Fairy. Although it’s clearly a comical scene, I’m a sucker for an underdog and I could easily relate to and sympathize with Willa’s extreme frustration. She’s lost her best friend and the love of her life in one fell swoop, betrayed by the two people she cares about most in the world. The author does a wonderful job of creating a scenario that immediately had me rooting for Willa to get the fresh start she so desperately needs.
Willa’s chance comes in the form of another character I fell in love with, Maisie Mitchell. Maisie is getting married and unexpectedly finds herself down a bridesmaid. Rather than rearranging everything with an uneven number of people, she decides to hire a professional bridesmaid. A chance encounter with Willa at a coffeeshop convinces Maisie that Willa is the perfect person for the job. Even though Willa doesn’t really want to do it, Maisie offers her a sum of money that is too big to refuse. What neither Willa nor Maisie realizes is that this business arrangement is actually the start of a beautiful, potentially life-changing friendship. Even though Willa is determined that she doesn’t need anyone, there’s just something about Maisie that makes her heart open no matter how hard she tries to distance herself and keep it from happening. I especially adored how protective Willa becomes of Maisie when it becomes apparent that she’s marrying into a family that looks down on her.
There is also a lovely side romance for Willa, featuring a sexy pediatrician named Liam. While I loved this relationship and thought Liam was perfect for Willa in every way and that they had tremendous chemistry, it’s truly the friendship between Willa and Maisie that makes The Wedding Ringer such a special book.
About Kerry Rea
Kerry Rea lives in Columbus, Ohio with her husband and their small army of dogs. She grew up in Youngstown, Ohio and graduated from The University of Notre Dame. She believes that a happy ending is always possible. Visit her at authorkerryrea.com and on Instagram at @authorkerryrea, and on Twitter at @kerrymrea.
Review: THE FASTEST WAY TO FALL by Denise Williams
The Fastest Way To Fall by Denise Williams Also by this author: How to Fail at Flirting
Published by Berkley Romance on November 2, 2021
Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Women's Fiction
Pages: 384
Source: Netgalley
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FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
Denise Williams’ How to Fail at Flirting was one of my favorite reads from last year so I was excited to get my hands on a copy of her latest novel, The Fastest Way to Fall. Williams has a knack for creating wonderful protagonists that you just find yourself wanting to be bffs with, and Britta Colby, the protagonist of The Fastest Way to Fall is no exception.
Britta works as an editorial assistant for a popular lifestyle website. She likes her job well enough, but her passion is actually to write so she would love to be promoted to the writing staff. At a staff meeting, Britta goes out on a limb and pitches an idea for a story and is thrilled when the bosses actually give her a chance to write it. Her task is to join a hot new body fitness app that includes a virtual personal coach and to write about her experience with it. Although Britta’s primary reason for joining the app is to secure that promotion, she does like the idea that the program focuses on overall fitness rather than weight loss. She likes it even more when she starts chatting with Wes, her virtual coach, and they quickly become friends.
I immediately liked Britta. She’s warm and funny, and I also loved her determination to make something happen with her career. We get to read some of Britta’s posts as she goes through this fitness journey and I loved how authentic and real she comes across and I also loved the focus on body positivity. Even though she’s clearly the underdog here, she shines like a star and I was excited to see the number of comments on her posts grow as more and more people became invested in her journey.
Wes Lawson is actually the CEO of the Fit Me app Britta is reviewing. Even though he has enjoyed tremendous success with the app, he’s feeling out of sorts these days and is dealing with a lot of family issues. He decides he needs to clear his head and the best way to do that is to get back to what he really loves, the coaching. He selects one of the app’s new clients to coach; that client of course turns out to be Britta. Britta’s sense of humor wins him over from the start and he finds himself wanting to interact with her more and more, and not just to talk fitness.
I really enjoyed watching their friendship grow. I loved how Wes gently challenges Britta to up her fitness game, and I loved that Britta helps him escape everything that is weighing him down. My heart truly broke for Wes when it’s revealed exactly what kind of family issues he is dealing with, so I was all the more glad he had someone like Britta to talk to. Their chemistry is so intense that when an accident leads to them meeting in person, I was immediately rooting for them to get together even though it would clearly lead to some sticky situations at work for them both. Britta dating the CEO of the app she’s reviewing is not a good look for either of them even if the relationship started innocently enough. Each of them has some tough decisions to make, both personally and professionally, and I thought Williams did a wonderful job realistically portraying how such a situation would play out.
The Fastest Way to Fall is the perfect read for anyone who enjoys warm and engaging characters with personal journeys you can’t help but become invested in, along with a healthy serving of both romance and family drama.
About Denise Williams
Denise Williams wrote her first book in the 2nd grade. I Hate You and its sequel, I Still Hate You, featured a tough, funny heroine, a quirky hero, witty banter, and a dragon. Minus the dragons, these are still the books she likes to write. After penning those early works, she finished second grade and eventually earned a PhD.
A diversity trainer and co-creator of a women’s empowerment group, she is dedicated to developing flawed, multidimensional characters who struggle with those issues impacting real women. After growing up a military brat around the world and across the country, Denise now lives in Iowa with her husband, son, and two ornery shih-tzus who think they own the house.
Denise was a 2019 Romance Writers of America ® Golden Heart Finalist and How to Fail at Flirting is her debut novel.
Reviews: CHRISTMAS IN PEACHTREE BLUFF & ALWAYS, IN DECEMBER
Happy Friday all! I don’t know about you but I’m so ready for the weekend. I’m really hoping to get in some quality reading time. First though, I’m thrilled to share my thoughts on two absolutely lovely books I finished this week. I’m like retail – finish up the spooky season reviews, then immediately start posting the Christmas ones, lol.
Christmas in Peachtree Bluff (Peachtree Bluff, #4) Goodreads Author: Kristy Woodson Harvey
Publication Date: October 26, 2021
Publisher: Gallery Books
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
I’m a huge fan of Kristy Woodson Harvey’s books, especially her popular series, Peachtree Bluff. I fell in love with the smalltown Georgia setting and with the women of the Murphy family. Ansley and her daughters Caroline, Sloan, and Emerson found their way deep into my heart to the point that they felt like dear friends, so I was beyond excited to discover that the author has gifted her readers with Christmas in Peachtree Bluff, a new installment of the beloved series.
I couldn’t wait to see the Murphy women again and the Christmas backdrop was such a bonus. Christmas in Peachtree Bluff is every bit as charming, magical, and full of rich traditions as I expected it to be, and also as expected, the Murphy women are a force to be reckoned with. I loved watching them come together to celebrate the holidays and to face head-on any and all challenges that come their way, whether those challenges come in the form of a 15-year-old headstrong and rebellious teenager, or in the form of an out-of-season hurricane that is bearing down on Peachtree Bluff and threatening to wreck the holidays.
I don’t want to give away any spoilers, so I’m going to keep it brief. It was just so delightful to be back in this world and with these characters, and I thought the story was the perfect mix of drama and holiday cheer. Between the tension created by the family drama and the suspense regarding the dangerous storm, I was glued to the pages and devoured this book in a day.
I also think Christmas in Peachtree Bluff would work beautifully as a standalone even though it’s technically part of a series. Woodson Harvey gives just enough background detail for each character, that I think the story is quite easy to follow along with even if you haven’t read the first three books. I do highly recommend those first three books though, especially if you enjoy southern fiction, small town settings, and strong women.
If you’re looking for a heartwarming holiday read that focuses on the importance of family and forgiveness, Christmas in Peachtree Bluff is the book for you. 5 STARS
Always, in December Goodreads
Author: Emily Stone
Publication Date: October 12, 2021
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine , Dell
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
Always in December by Emily Stone is a somewhat difficult book to classify. Even though it does feature two people who are attracted to one another, I wouldn’t necessarily consider it a romance. And in the same vein, even though December and Christmas are both featured in the story, it’s not what I think of when I think of a holiday read. At its heart, Always in December is a story about love and loss.
The story follows a young woman named Josie whose parents were killed on Christmas night years ago. Still struggling with such a huge loss, Josie tends to avoid most of the Christmas festivities, only clinging to one holiday tradition. Every year she writes and mails a letter to her parents, letting them know how much she misses them and still thinks about them everyday. She has no idea when she ventures out to the post office that she is quite literally going to run into someone who will change her life forever.
Enter Max, the handsome stranger Josie runs over with her bicycle. Like Josie, Max is avoiding the holidays for his own reasons. We don’t know exactly what is going on with Max when we first meet him, but he definitely seems a bit out of sorts, although Josie wins him over pretty quickly and they decide to spend the holidays together. It seems to be going splendidly and Josie starts to envision a future for them, but then Max disappears without saying goodbye and her hopes are dashed. That is, until they keep randomly crossing paths over the course of the next year. It feels like so much more than just coincidence, although Josie can’t understand why Max keeps pulling back from her. It’s an emotional roller coaster for them both and I found myself frustrated with Max at times, although when we ultimately find out the reason for his reluctance, it’s a truly heartbreaking moment and I cried my eyes out.
I adored both Josie and Max from the first moment we meet each of them. Josie is so sweet and vulnerable, and it crushed me to think of how lonely she must have been to grow up without her parents. The loss has clearly shaped her and I was so happy when she and Max seemed to hit it off so well during that first meeting. I was just as frustrated and heartbroken as Josie when he disappeared and then elated each time they crossed paths again, only to be heartbroken all over again each time they parted ways. Max was a sweetheart too, although he clearly has some things weighing him down, and those things are in the way of him finding happiness with Josie.
I really loved how the author has Josie and Max’s relationship unfold. The fleeting happiness, followed by heartbreak and confusion each time they met felt very authentic, and I also loved the idea that they were destined to keep finding each other, to force each of them to be brave, live in the moment, and embrace love since we never know what the future holds.
Always in December is a quietly beautiful story about how our lives are shaped by love and loss. It’s a poignant story that I won’t soon forget. 4.5 STARS