The Wedding Party (Wedding Date #3)
By: Jasmine Guillory
Published Year: 2019
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 351
Summary (Provided by Goodreads): 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” kiss, 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.
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.
First Impression
This cover is everything. Bright pink and gold glitter? Sold. It also is the 3rd book in the Wedding Date romance series and I loved the first two books, so that’s a solid first impression. However, I actually had read the fourth before reading the third one and that one was terrible, so I was a bit more apprehensive about this one.
What I thought
I am so glad that my friend Carly convinced me to give this series another chance.
Maddie and Theo are both Alexa’s best friends. Alexa is the OG protagonist from book 1. They dislike each other immensely because Maddie thinks Theo is a pretentious asshole and Theo thinks Maddie is a self-absorbed bitch. But that doesn’t seem to cancel out the pure physical connection that they have. They decide to have a physical relationship that will end when Alexa and Drew get married. Rules are set, but rules are always meant to be broken.
I loved Maddie and Theo. I also loved that this book started during scenes that happened in book one. It was a really fun overlap and I liked seeing Alexa and Drew again so early. I also am a big fan of hate to love tropes and fake dating tropes and this was almost a mixture of both. Maddie and Theo hid their relationship (that wasn’t really a relationship) from everyone. That made the banter extra fun. Also, their relationship is kind of my perfect relationship. Hanging out on the couch without any of the pretensions of having to go on dates and go to events together? Yes please.
My one issue with these books, and maybe it will become something that I can turn into enjoyment now that I’ve noticed it, is Guillory’s food obsession and repetition. I really started to notice it in the fourth book, Royal Holiday and it stuck out to me in this book as well. In Royal Holiday she mentioned “scones” so many times that I kept a tally (you can read my full review here). This book the only food that Theo and Maddie ever ate was pizza. To the point that there’s one scene where they even make an excuse to not order tacos and instead, end up ordering more pizza.
I did like that the conflict (because there’s always a conflict) came later in the book and was resolved relatively quickly.
This was the perfect like read that I needed. I had a smile on my face pretty much the entire time I read it. I enjoyed it significantly more than Royal Holiday and just as much as the first two books. It also made me look forward to reading the other books in the series again. I’m hoping Royal Holiday was a bit of a blip and the other books are just as enjoyable as this one.