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The verdict is in on IndyBest’s inaugural Book Club pick: The Wedding People by Alison Espach. A New York Times bestseller, the buzzy novel follows a woman who accidentally gatecrashes a Rhode Island wedding.
A huge hit across the pond upon its release in 2024, The Wedding People has enjoyed recent fame on TikTok and GoodReads in the UK, where it’s garnered an average of 4.1 stars. Our protagonist is Phoebe Stone, a professor who has found out her husband has been having an affair. Recently divorced and depressed, she decides to book into the coastal luxury hotel that she had previously dreamt of going to with her husband.
However, in a romcom-style comedy of errors, she realises upon arrival that the entire hotel has been booked out for a wedding party. As Phoebe is in her finest dress, she’s mistaken for one of the guests. While the bride fears this stranger could ruin her carefully planned big day, Phoebe worries that her solo trip and the secret reason behind it are entirely spoiled.
On paper, the novel has all the attributes for the perfect book club read: it’s funny, pacy and romance-fuelled, with a cast of interesting characters. On the shopping desk, we’ve got an eclectic group of readers, from ‘romantasy’ and historical fiction-lovers to non-fiction and horror fans. It’s a challenge to find one book that appeals to all tastes, but did The Wedding People manage to do just that?
Whether you read along with us or want a new book to dive into this month, here’s everything you need to know about The Wedding People – including the IndyBest team’s verdict.
Read more: Best new books to read in 2026, from David Szalay to Belle Burden
'The Wedding People' by Alison Espach, published by Orion
The consensus among the team was that Alison Espach’s The Wedding People is a novel that asks the reader to suspend disbelief slightly – a lot happens in just six days. Yet that week-long timeline is also part of the book’s charm. Set almost entirely in a grand hotel in Rhode Island during an elaborate wedding week, the story feels intimate and cinematic (it could easily translate to film). Through Phoebe’s interactions with various wedding guests, the novel weaves in extensive flashbacks. So, although the present narrative spans less than a week, the reader is gradually given decades of emotional history from Phoebe’s marriage and past life.
We loved the novel’s lively characters, particularly the young bride Lila. Unapologetically bold, her friendship with Phoebe often felt more interesting than the romance itself – we all agreed we’d love more scenes between them. As for Phoebe, she arrives at the hotel devastated after her husband leaves her, convinced she has nothing left to live for. But as the week unfolds, she begins to imagine a new version of herself. In small, symbolic moments – such as impulsively stripping off and joining strangers in the pool at a bachelorette party – she recognises how different she is becoming. The novel balances the darkness of her depression with flashes of humour.
While the emotional journey feels authentic, some of the plot developments stretch plausibility. Phoebe develops a connection very quickly over the course of the wedding week, raising questions about whether such feelings could truly replace the grief of a long marriage so soon. Yet Espach cleverly avoids a predictable romcom ending.
Meanwhile, around Phoebe, the wedding setting feels thoroughly relatable, with bridesmaids smoothing over chaos; the performative nature of a luxury wedding, and the sense that celebrations can feel superficial (particularly when one wedding ends and another begins at the hotel). The mother of the bride – who drew comparisons with Joanna Lumley’s character in the BBC’s Motherland – was also a riot.
Ultimately, The Wedding People balances dark themes with warmth, humour and observation about relationships and self-reinvention. Espach’s writing excels at capturing atmosphere, from fireworks exploding during emotional confrontations to the comforting background sounds of hotel life. It may read like a romcom at first glance, but it gently subverts the genre. Above all, it appealed to varied tastes across the team – achieving glowing reviews across the board.
Buy now £6, Amazon.co.uk
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