A review by beckykphillips
The Wedding Date Disaster by Kate Mathieson

emotional lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Gemma Evans is a hard working editor at Peacock Press, who has just been passed over for a promotion over her work nemesis, Ben McDonald. To top it all off, her sister, Lulu, is getting married at a luxurious villa in Italy and her long-term, very practical partner, Adam, decides not to join Gemma at the wedding as he's trying to prepare for his new job. Gemma enlists her friend to help her find a fake date for the wedding who could stand in as Adam to avoid further disdain from her family. Gemma is beside herself when none other than Ben shows up to be her +1. 

The Wedding Date Disaster has fake dating, family strife, and workplace rivalry, all while Gemma works to transform herself from an emotional doormat into a self-assured whole person. 

I had some challenges with the book at the beginning where there was an intense focus on the designer clothing that was going on at Peacock Press, which felt a bit out of place, but I think was there to show Gemma's general discomfort and feeling like she didn't fit in. However, I really had some challenges with the events with Lulu and some of the tasks and ways Lulu and Gemma's family treated her were just excruciating. It made the resolution at the end feel too quick for a lifetime of being put last in everyone's eyes. 

I did appreciate seeing Ben pull Gemma out of her shell and the enemies to lovers romance absolutely sucked me in. However, there are some HP references in there that I really wish had been replaced by something else just given how JK has fully tainted that franchise.

Overall, this is a fun, quick book with a lovely romance element, but some challenges meant it wasn't quite a home run for me. Thank you so much to HarperCollins One More Chapter and NetGalley for the advanced copy.