Save the Date by Mallory Kass

 

Summary (from the publisher): A romantic comedy of manners about a lavish wedding weekend gone very, very wrong with the slow-burn romance of Emily Henry and the fizzy humor of Sophie Kinsella.

The Bride: Beautiful, seemingly carefree Marigold, is tired of being treated like a shallow it-girl. That’s one of the many reasons she’s excited to marry Jonathan—the handsome, kind, respectable doctor of her dreams. So, when a shocking secret from her past threatens to ruin her wedding, she’ll do anything to make it disappear...even if it means tracking down a man she vowed to avoid forever.

The Maid of Honor: As the bride’s best friend, all Natalie wants is for this wedding to go off without a hitch. There’s only one problem: Natalie has secretly been in love with the groom since college. When Marigold disappears, Natalie is forced to ask whether she can keep burying her feelings for the sake of friendship...or if she’s ready to risk everything to pursue her own happy ending.

The Sister: Olivia has spent her life cleaning up Marigold’s messes. So, she’s determined to keep the wedding on track for the sake of their mother, who’s battling cancer and longs for one last perfect weekend. But when Jonathan’s best man—a prickly academic with a heart of gold—ropes her into a fake dating scheme, sparks unexpectedly fly. Will Olivia sacrifice her own happiness again, or could this fake relationship turn into the truest choice she’s ever made?

Heartwarming, hilarious, and sparklingly romantic, Save the Date will have you cheering for love in all its messy, unexpected glory.

Review: Thank you to Atria books and NetGalley for an ARC!

This novel takes place over one whirlwind wedding weekend and follows three women: the bride Marigold who seems to be marrying the dream man despite a secret from her past, the maid of honor, Natalie who has secretly been in love with the groom since college, and the sister, Olivia, who finds herself in a fake dating scheme with the best man. 

This had a slow start but it does have so many charming moments and scenes that made me feel positively giddy in the way only rom coms can. I really liked all three of the stories and relationships and the way they played out. 

BUT. The problem is that this follows three couples' love stories. It simply felt like too much for one book. While I eventually caught on to who everybody was, I struggled to keep them all straight until the very end. There were frequent chapter jumps and every single time I would have to pause and think, wait, which one is Natalie again? I also felt like I didn't get to know any of the characters as in depth as I would have wished. This truly felt like it should have been three interconnected novels and not one novel all smooshed together. This also felt like way too much to happen all over one weekend. Each of them ties up their love story with a neat bow by the end of the weekend and it just felt implausible.

Stars: 3