Bad Luck Bridesmaid

October 25, 2021
Debut author Greenberg pairs a marriage-averse woman with a man looking for forever in this bittersweet treat. After serving as a bridesmaid in three weddings that never actually culminated in marriage, advertising exec Zoey Marks is convinced she’s “the bad luck bridesmaid.” Despite witnessing her parents’ happy, decades-long marriage, Zoey has no interest in spending forever with one person. Then she meets Wall Streeter Rylan Harper III, cousin of Zoey’s bestie, Hannah, and against her better judgement, she falls hard. But Rylan is laser-focused on the future, and when he proposes after about a year of dating, it’s the end of the road. Zoey’s heartbroken—until Hannah’s destination wedding, at which Zoey is once again a bridesmaid, gives her the chance to break her curse. Still, compromise may not be in the cards for these complex protagonists. Zoey is a nuanced heroine whose skepticism of commitment may grate on some rom-com fans, but the narrative thankfully never punishes her for her stance. The clash of ideals makes for meaty romantic conflict, though it’s painful to read some of the more fraught scenes. This multilayered, skillfully plotted novel won’t be for all romance fans, but it’s still a celebration of love in all its forms.

December 1, 2021
After repeatedly serving as a bridesmaid in weddings that don't end up happening, a woman starts to worry she's cursed. Zoey Marks doesn't believe in marriage, because she's not sure it ever works out. At least, it doesn't seem to work out when she's involved. After being a bridesmaid for two brides who never made it down the aisle, she couldn't be less interested in getting engaged herself. Especially not when she has her high-powered job running a nontraditional advertising agency with her friend Sara (one of the brides whose weddings Zoey may have cursed). But then she meets Rylan, her lifelong best friend Hannah's cousin. Zoey quickly falls passionately in love with Rylan, enough to make her possibly think about questioning her anti-marriage stance. That is, until she's in yet another wedding that ends before it begins. When Rylan proposes right after Zoey gets back home from the third wedding that wasn't, Zoey turns him down, unable to promise a forever she can't truly believe in. Wallowing in heartbreak, Zoey's one comfort is that at least she won't have to see Rylan again...that is, until Hannah announces that she's getting married in Ireland, and she wants Zoey by her side. Rylan will be there, and now Zoey has to juggle seeing him, making sure Hannah's wedding survives Zoey's bridesmaid curse, and trying to figure out if she can commit to forever and the future she so desperately wants with Rylan. But the wedding weekend is full of secrets, betrayals, and a scheming best man, and Zoey's afraid that both she and Hannah might not be headed for a happily-ever-after. Zoey's narration is quick, clever, and full of zingers, but Greenberg often uses that narration to tell the reader things about Zoey's relationship with Rylan rather than showing their love develop, which makes it difficult to become invested in them as a couple. The story is much more surprising and boldly messy than the cute cover implies, and readers who aren't looking for a traditional romantic-comedy structure may relate to Zoey's quest for happiness and her understanding that it can be found in places other than wedding ceremonies. An unconventional love story for independent women.

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January 1, 2022
Is Zoey Marks cursed, or is the curse on the friends who ask her to be their bridesmaid? After two friends' weddings go down in flames, Zoey isn't looking for romance, but it finds her when her lifelong best friend, Hannah, introduces her to her cousin Rylan. As the relationship deepens and strengthens, Zoey starts thinking she will marry Rylan, until their bad break-up after she endures a third wedding disaster as a bridesmaid. When Hannah announces that she's getting married in a mere three weeks at a thirteenth-century castle in Ireland and wants only Zoey as her bridesmaid, Zoey vows to do whatever it takes to keep the curse from ruining this wedding. But Rylan is bringing a plus one, the sole groomsman is dead set on saving his brother from the perils of marriage, and there's falconry and boating to get through. Laugh-out-loud funny in places and heart-rending serious in others, Greenberg's debut is a unique romance strong on friendships and the importance of being true to oneself that also explores an alternate route to a different happily-ever-after.

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