The Weekend Before the Wedding: the most funny, warm and uplifting book for 2023
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Mamma Mia meets Bridesmaids in a laugh-out-loud, life affirming comedy
‘An absolute winner’ Celia Anderson
‘No-one depicts family life with more humour and wisdom than Tracy Bloom’ Katie Fforde
‘You will absolutely love Tracy Bloom… Heartfelt and wonderful’ Miranda Dickinson
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One weekend, one bride-to-be, what could possibly go wrong…
All Shelley wanted on her hen weekend was to enjoy three days of sun, sea and sangria. But instead of being surrounded by the A-team of her closest friends, she somehow ends up with a Golden Girls-meets-the-Spice Girls B-list that includes her mother, a rebellious teenager, and a best mate ‘on the verge’.
The squabbling starts at the airport, and on arrival in Spain, Shelley barely has time to unpack her suitcase before getting an unwanted text ̶ one that throws her wedding into doubt.
Shelley has got a BIG decision to make, but her unruly medley of nearest and dearest seem determined to confuse matters with their own problems.
Have they got what it takes to get her through the most important weekend of her life?
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‘A warm-hearted, wise and wickedly funny slice of family life’ Alex Brown
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Additional information
| Publisher | HarperCollins (29 July 2022) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| File size | 1338 KB |
| Text-to-Speech | Enabled |
| Screen Reader | Supported |
| Enhanced typesetting | Enabled |
| X-Ray | Not Enabled |
| Word Wise | Enabled |
| Sticky notes | On Kindle Scribe |
| Print length | 376 pages |
| Page numbers source ISBN | 000843431X |
by JJ mum
I’m a huge Tracy Bloom fan. She writes witty female centred stories that are often very poignant. The Weekend Before the Wedding is no different.
Shelly is engaged to the most eligible bachelor Colin. Shortly before the wedding she goes on her hen weekend to her Aunty Nancy’s villa in Spain with her nearest and dearest who happen to be a very motley crew. What follows is the most bonkers and hilarious few days told in only the way Tracy Bloom can.
This is the perfect book for popping in your suitcase for your beach holiday.
by jane B
You will laugh so much at this book, about a family going on a hen party to Spain .
A great holiday read which engages the reader
Highly recommend
by VB
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily and it reflects my personal opinion.
The story starts with Shelley about to get married but looking back at a hen party trip many years ago – I’m not sure this timeline trickery was necessary, it didn’t seem to add anything as the final twist became predictable during the story. The story of the hen party was funny, there were lots of comical moments and realistic relationship discussions. Shelley’s character was less credible to me; I’m not revealing any spoilers but her behaviour when seeing Colin in the nightclub and around the text was surprisingly low-key. That said this book as definitely a fun, light read nd I have no hesitation in recommending it as I’m signing up to follow this author on Amazon and Bookbub after reading this story.
by Caz
Actual rating 4.5 stars
Perfect poolside reading. That’s what I think of The Weekend Before The Wedding. And I mean that as a compliment. Inside the gorgeous cover you’ll find some wonderful characters all celebrating Shelley’s marriage which has been twenty years in the making! Moments away from taking her vows Shelley is reminiscing about the day in May 1999 when she met her future husband, both of them guests at a wedding being held at Priory Hall, Hampshire. Still single at 38, Shelley is convinced she’ll never be a bride herself when Colin literally stumbles his way into her life, the pair chatting nineteen to the dozen as they consume their bodyweight in bread rolls! The mainstay of this hilarious and heartwarming novel is Shelley’s hen weekend, a few days spent soaking up the Spanish sun as well as hangover inducing amounts of alcohol. It’s an eventful weekend to say the least, memorable for all the wrong reasons! I’m sure the majority of those reading this will have images of the film Four Weddings flashing through their minds which may then quickly morph into images from the tv show Benidorm. What a combination! At least those were the vibes I was getting! The storyline sparkles with silliness, fizzes with mischief and bubbles over with loveliness. All in all it is a glorious giggle!
The storyline may be cheesy and predictable but who cares when you’re in the company of such fabulous characters?? Tracy Bloom triumphs with this cast who shine so bright that in my opinion they tend to overshadow Shelley who just wants to please everyone as well as get down that aisle pronto before the groom has a change of heart.The group dynamic is absolutely delightful as young and old bicker over what constitutes typical hen weekend entertainment. When you can visualise each individual character then you know the author has done a stellar job in breathing life into these figments of her imagination. The oh so sensible Peggy, Shelley’s mum, is the complete opposite of her older sister Nancy who with her mobility scooter (almost a character in its own right) is simply PRICELESS! Despite her age, this geriatric gal just wants to have fun and by golly she steals the show hands down. No contest. I bloomin loved this woman. But I also enjoyed the dynamic between Shelley’s cousin Rosalind and her 18 year old daughter Chloe who are forever at loggerheads whilst the bride to be’s best friend Becca is intent on drowning her sorrows in a bid to forget she’s the world’s worst mother. A real mish mash of personalities but somehow they fit together perfectly, providing Shelley with a weird but wonderful family of loyal supporters.
The dialogue between the hens is full of good hearted banter, a few cruel and nasty jibes, some words of wisdom and a copious amount of love. There are, naturally, several stand out scenes that are off the scale hilarious. You’ll be left with visions of the Spice Girls as you’ve never seen them before!! There’s a great deal of singing, a whole lot of cocktail drinking, a fair bit of gyrating and a modicum of meddling and manipulation, not to mention a run in with the law. It’s always the quiet ones you need to watch but I blame the booze for that particular incident!
I loved every minute of this book. It’s just so joyful. This novel is pure sunshine. It made me smile, it made me laugh, it made me happy and it left me with a warm contented glow. As someone who hasn’t been abroad for a number of years it even made me want to go on holiday! For great summer escapist reading The Weekend Before The Wedding is hard to beat. Highly recommend.
by VB
The Weekend Before the Wedding was an enjoyable, light (in a good way!) read.
Set over two timelines: the present day as Shelley dresses for her wedding, and twenty years earlier on her hen party.
Shelleys’s best friend organises a weekend in Spain at Shelley’s aunts house, joined by her very serious mum, her other aunt and Shelley’s cousin.
It doesn’t get off to a great start from the moment they all meet at the airport, and it gets worse when they arrive in Spain.
Shelley’s very rich fiancé is staying in an exclusive hotel nearby, with his family and a friend. On their first night in Spain, Shelley gets a very strange text message from his phone.
This is a hilarious book with some great, relatable characters (particularly the aunt that uses a mobility scooter – she gave me Benidorm flashbacks!). It portrayed the importance of good friends and family who all support one another.
I’d definitely recommend this as a pick me up!
by Hayle Man
Good read with a twist at the end
by Mrs Sharon Norman
Could not put it down , had me guessing all the way through but an excellent read . Brilliant Tracy Bool
by Gilbster
It’s not often that a hen weekend occurs 20 years before the actual wedding but in Shelley’s case that is how it turns out.
We meet Shelley first in the present day, not long before her wedding ceremony is at long last due to start.
From there we are treated to reminisces of Shelley’s younger years, leading up to and including the hen weekend to Mallorca, which i think changed the course of everyone’s lives.
It’s not the most regular bunch of hens, from an 18 year old “third cousin”, to her aunty Nancy who she doesn’t know that well, but how has agreed to host various family members for the weekend.
It’s not the regular groups you getting going to Palma or Magaluf, that’s for sure. But that just adds to the hilarity of some of the images conjured up
For me reading this by a pool in Mallorca, getting to the bit where the ladies are dressed as the Spice Girls, and then hearing “Spice Up Your Life” being played poolside, made the book even more immersive for me.
This was funny, it was touching in places, it was life changing but above all this is one incredibly fun read that I adored.
Thank you to HarperCollins and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.