Jasmine Guillory is the New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding Date, The Proposal, and The Wedding Party. Her work has appeared in Cosmopolitan, Real Simple, OprahMagazine.com, and Shondaland.com. She lives in Oakland, California. You can find more of my reviews of Jasmine's books here.
Maddie and Theo have two things in common: 1. Alexa is their best friend. 2. They hate each other. After an "oops, we made a mistake" night together, neither one can stop thinking about the other. With Alexa's wedding rapidly approaching, Maddie and Theo both share bridal party responsibilities that require more interaction with each other than they're comfortable with. Underneath the sharp barbs they toss at each other is a simmering attraction that won't fade. It builds until they find themselves sneaking off together to release some tension when Alexa isn't looking, agreeing they'll end it once the wedding is over. When the wedding date is suddenly pushed up and they have only a few months left of secret rendezvous, they find themselves disappointed that the end is near. Two people this different can't possibly have a connection other than the purely physical, right? But as with any engagement with a nemesis, there are unspoken rules that must be abided by. First and foremost, don't fall in love.
Theo and Maddie have big, strong personalities, and are beyond stubborn. The ways they are similar stand out to me more than the ways they are different! But you really only do have one first impression, and it counts. The enemies-to-lovers trope in The Wedding Party is dependent on this first impression, and I love how it continuously plays into the story. Maddie is really attached to the first impression she had of Theo: that he's a condescending, pompous, spread-sheet loving jerk. Even when Theo proves himself otherwise, Maddie's first impression of him never truly leaves her. Not only does this speak to Maddie's stubbornness, but also to the power of first impressions. Was Maddie's first impression wrong? Or does she just learn Theo's true character and how his awkwardness and stubbornness just play into creating a bad first impression? Guillory really plays with identity and perception throughout The Wedding Party, to pretty disastrous levels for her main characters. It makes for a fascinating and engaging read, making it her best novel yet!
The beginning of the novel really focuses on these "oops, we made a mistake" moments between Theo and Maddie, but about 25% of the way through the novel, both of them are offered big career advancement opportunities. More so than her other books, Maddie's and Theo's careers get a larger focus. Guillory brings a balance of career life and romantic life with Maddie's and Theo's love story, which creates for a more dynamic love story. It feels more believable that they fall in love, just because of the depth in which they talk about their personal and career lives. It's clear that they both love their careers, and that their partner is going to have to love their career just as much as they do; Guillory builds that idea with these conversations, and the barbs they use to hurt each other. Overall, I enjoyed this focus on careers, because it allowed Maddie and Theo to feel more real, and to create a more dynamic and realistic romance.
A particular treat in reading Guillory's novels is the cameos of other characters! This was more subtle in The Proposal, but that idea takes a bigger twist in The Wedding Party, since Alexa is the main character of The Wedding Date, and is a big player in The Wedding Party. Alexa isn't just a cameo, but a pretty big condition for Theo and Maddie; in fact, she's how the two of them define how much time they spend together. It's really fun to catch up with Alexa and Drew, and to be reconnected to their love story and wedding journey while also following a whole new romance. Even Nik and Carlos make a few appearances, and seeing how The Proposal and The Wedding Party's timelines fit into each other's was also a fun perk of having read Guillory's previous novels. Guillory balances these cameos, and it still definitely feels like Maddie's and Theo's story. Readers who haven't read Guillory's other books won't feel left out, but fans of Guillory's will catch fun one-liners and jokes and smile, remembering the fantastic other novels Guillory has written.
The first three chapters of The Wedding Party pass super quickly through time. Each time Maddie and Theo hook up, it feels immediate because it reads that way, despite the weeks or months that have passed for them. For readers, this builds the idea that Maddie and Theo can't stop thinking about each other, despite what they think. Time is a pretty important factor in this book, because Maddie and Theo race against it in all aspects: their personal lives, their romantic lives, and their career lives. Maddie is racing towards a new job, Theo towards perfection at his beloved rally. Even their romantic arrangement faces time, and it is an antagonist for them once the date is moved up. Near the end of the book, it becomes clear who the real antagonist is, and it's each of their own stubborn natures. Either way, the way time factors into this novel is super intriguing, and literary in its own sense. I greatly appreciated Guillory's focus on it!
Guillory takes another one of her characters and gives us another romance in her fourth novel, Royal Holiday. Stay tuned for my review!
*This review can also be found on my Goodreads page*
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