Book Review: The Wedding Sisters by Jamie Brenner

Pages: 320

Genre: Adult Fiction

Pub. Date: June 7, 2016

Publisher: St. Martin's 

Source: Publisher for review

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Goodreads says, "Meryl Becker is living a mother's dream. The oldest of her three beautiful daughters, Meg, is engaged to a wonderful man from one of the country's most prominent families. Of course, Meryl wants to give Meg the perfect wedding. Who wouldn't? But when her two younger daughters, Amy and Jo, also become engaged to celebrated bachelors, Meryl has to admit that three weddings is more than she and her husband, Hugh, can realistically afford.  The solution? A triple wedding! At first, it's a tough sell to the girls, and juggling three sets of future in-laws is a logistical nightmare. But when Hugh loses his teaching job, and Meryl's aging mother suddenly moves in with them, a triple wedding is the only way to get all three sisters down the aisle. When the grand plan becomes public, the onslaught of media attention adds to Meryl's mounting pressure. Suddenly, appearances are everything - and she will do whatever it takes to keep the wedding on track as money gets tight, her mother starts acting nutty, and her own thirty year marriage starts to unravel.  In the weeks leading up to the nuptials, secrets are revealed, passions ignite, and surprising revelations show Meryl and her daughters the true meaning of love, marriage and family. Jamie Brenner's The Wedding Sisters invites readers to the most unpredictable wedding of the year."

Meryl Becker appears to have it all. She's been married for thirty years to Hugh, who is a dedicated teacher at one of New York City's best private schools; plus, he is an author.  Her daughters are doing well, especially her eldest daughter, Meg.  Meg is engaged to Stowe who is the son of a prominent US politician and a member of an elite family.  Her younger daughters, Amy and Jo, also become engaged this year to sons of powerful American families. This normally would be cause to celebrate, except how can they afford three separate and extravagant weddings? Meryl is insistent that they pay for it themselves since she wants to make it a bonding experience and have control of every detail, but how will this work? Things start to unravel for Meryl though. Her husband loses his teaching position, her mother starts falling apart, there's media attention, and she has the pressure from her future in-laws, not to mention the regular complications while planning a wedding.  The Wedding Sisters is a frothy tale that's an indulgent read while on vacation or for a lazy Saturday.  

Meg is a type-A kind of gal and one I could sympathize with in The Wedding Sisters.  She wants to plan her wedding with her mother, but is feeling the stress from Stowe's family to use their event planner amongst other things.  Plus, there's her father-in-law's political career to consider. Everything must be perfect. However, the stress starts to get to her as the wedding planning continues, especially when her younger sisters get engaged as well. 

Amy is sort of a mess in The Wedding Sisters. She really isn't ready to be married, but is feeling the pressure since she has been with her boyfriend for five years.  Now that her older sister is engaged, she wants her boyfriend, Andy, to pop the question as well. This is how Amy works as she has always been competitive with Meg and tries to keep up with her.  Obviously, this is a bad reason to rush into a marriage. 

Then there's Jo who is also a bit of a mess in The Wedding Sisters. Not only is she rushing into a marriage as well, she isn't quite sure if she is attracted to women, to men, or to both.  Again, cue all the drama.  Plus, she is heartbroken after her girlfriend breaks her heart and then gets engaged to someone else rather quickly.  Jo figures she has the chance to do this as well, but rushing into an engagement to her best friend won't fix her problems.

Lastly, there's Meryl. Brenner jumps from each Becker girls' perspective and I'm glad she included the mother. I felt badly for her as she just wants to plan a perfect wedding for her daughters, but she is caught up in all the details. She is forgetting what marriage is all about and focusing on the "show" aspect of the wedding. I guess it is easy to fall into this trap when she has paparazzi following her family around! With her husband's scandal at work and the deterioration of her mother's mental health, things are tough for Meryl in The Wedding Sisters. The stress was mounting for sure.

But things aren't all stressful in The Wedding Sisters. Some of the situations are pretty laugh out loud hilarious and if you have ever planned a wedding then you will appreciate some of the fiascos.  

The Wedding Sisters is a perfect vacation read if you want something fun.  Although I felt there were some unbelievable moments, I enjoyed this book overall. It felt like I was reading my favorite gossip magazine, which is exactly what I wanted when I was on vacation.