I got an ebook copy of this book for a review from NetGalley. My Best Friend’s Wedding is a feel-good rom-com novel by Tilly Tennant. I haven’t read other works written by Tilly Tennant before, but the description of this novel intrigued me from the get-go.
My Best Friend’s Wedding follows the story of a girl named Libby. She works ( runs) a shop that makes custom suits for men. At the beginning of the novel, Libby is excited and is all set to get married to her boyfriend Rufus. Everything is in place for the wedding until her cousin Kylie shows up, and Libby learns of Rufus’s and Kylie’s affair. This ultimate betrayal turns her world upside down. A few months later, she is the chief bridesmaid at her best friend Willow’s wedding. She is extremely happy for her friends, but she is worried that Rufus might show up because he got an invitation to the event when they were still together. He has been trying to talk to Libby again for a few days.
At the wedding, Libby feels an attraction towards one of the guests Noah. He is an old friend of Willow’s husband, who now lives in LA. Once the festivities begin, and the drinks start flowing, Libby and Noah spend some time together and hit it off well. Meanwhile, the weather keeps getting worse. The wedding is at a hotel in the countryside, and when it starts snowing like anything, it looks like everyone is going to be stuck there for the night. Noah is charming, interesting, and easy to talk to, but Libby is aware that, she shouldn’t get carried away because she barely knows the guy. Even Rufus shows up.
This book is Libby’s story. From the first chapter itself, even when she is gushing about her upcoming wedding, they are hints that maybe Rufus, and she is going through something. The full effect of that emotional turmoil is revealed slowly throughout the story. The characters are interesting and realistic. They don’t seem like unattainable human beings; they are grounded. I loved Libby. She is funny, smart, caring, and organized. She underestimates herself sometimes about the way she needs order in everything because Rufus called her on it, but she remains true to herself.
Noah is sweet. Looking at him completely from Libby’s perspective was a good choice I feel. She is smitten by him but she is also realistic about it. She understands that at times, he just pulls away a little bit and doesn’t talk about his life back in LA a lot. They spend the better part of their stuck time together, he even helps her arrange things for guests. The reveal of Noah’s secret is not completely out of the blue, but it did have the desired emotional effect on Libby and the reader. Rufus lurking in the background was so irritating at times, but in the end, Libby handles it well.
The setting of the story plays a huge part in bringing together the characters of the story. The book is set in England. In the beginning, the descriptions seemed a little too much, but it helps create the world this story is set in. Tilly Tennant’s writing is fresh and uncomplicated. The novel from start to finish is from Libby’s point of view. The ending is happy enough but is a little open-ended. The only complaint I have about the story is that I wanted more of Libby and Noah together. They had limited time together as such in the story, and it wasn’t enough for me.
My Best Friend’s Wedding is exactly how it is described, a feel-good romantic comedy. It is paced well, and there isn’t too much unnecessary drama in the story. It has interesting characters, a cute love story, and a good story. I enjoyed reading this book.
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