The Wedding People
A Novel
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The Wedding People
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Narrated by:
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Helen Laser
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Written by:
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Alison Espach
About this listen
Long-listed, Library Journal Best Books of the Year, 2024
Winner, Goodreads Choice Awards, 2024
Long-listed, Time Magazine Best Books of the Year, 2024
Long-listed, Audible.com Best of the Year, 2024
Long-listed, CPL: Chicago Public Library Best of the Best, 2024
Long-listed, Amazon.com Best Books of the Year, 2024
"As narrator, the terrific Laser, an actress and puppeteer, only enhances the swoon-worthy quirks and romance."—Vulture
A Today show #ReadwithJenna Book Club Pick, A Goodreads Choice Awards 2024 Winner, and long-listed in many Best of the Year 2024 picks!
A propulsive and uncommonly wise novel about one unexpected wedding guest and the surprising people who help her start anew.
It’s a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in sight, alone. She's immediately mistaken by everyone in the lobby for one of the wedding people, but she’s actually the only guest at the Cornwall who isn’t here for the big event. Phoebe is here because she’s dreamed of coming for years—she hoped to shuck oysters and take sunset sails with her husband, only now she’s here without him, at rock bottom, and determined to have one last decadent splurge on herself. Meanwhile, the bride has accounted for every detail and every possible disaster the weekend might yield except for, well, Phoebe and Phoebe's plan—which makes it that much more surprising when the two women can’t stop confiding in each other.
In turns absurdly funny and devastatingly tender, Alison Espach’s The Wedding People is ultimately an incredibly nuanced and resonant look at the winding paths we can take to places we never imagined—and the chance encounters it sometimes takes to reroute us.
A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt & Company.
©2024 Alison Espach (P)2024 Macmillan AudioYou may also enjoy...
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What the critics say
A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice
The #1 Indie Next Pick for August 2024
One of The Washington Post’s 10 Noteworthy Books for July and August
Named a Best Book of Summer 2024 by People Magazine, Bustle, Star Tribune, Goodreads, and LitHub
“The Wedding People is the perfect book to wrap up your summer reading. . . . heartwarming [and] hilarious.”
—Jenna Bush Hager, The Today Show's #ReadwithJenna
“The Wedding People is so much more than a funny story (though it is very funny). Espach has penned a keenly observed novel about depression, love, the ways women make themselves small, and how one woman got over it. Fully realized and completely memorable.”
—Booklist (starred review)
“Espach’s wit and warmth deliver a gratifying story about how people who have given up might find a reason to start caring again.”
—Becky Meloan, The Washington Post
Editorial Review
What listeners say about The Wedding People
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Hannah
- 2025-01-17
Very well read
This book surprised me with how much I loved it. It was read so well I could not stop listening. This story felt so touching and so real. Going from that immensely dark heartbreak and pain to her finding her light again felt like I was going through it right along with her.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2024-12-31
engaging story
I really enjoyed this and could not stop listening. it's a good story and while not overly surprising it's still enjoyable. I'd recommend it if you are looking for a continuous listen of sorts.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Valentyna
- 2024-12-25
Not predictable
This book was surprisingly….surprising! It should come with a trigger warning that the main character is suicidal at the start and the theme is raised throughout but the story is not dark. The characters are entertaining and often more complex than they seem at first.
I’ve been reading a lot of fluffy books lately to fill the time, and this one was a nice change. Easy listening but with more depth. Highly recommend.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jess Christie @shelfworthywords
- 2025-01-28
Weddings, Heartbreak & the Truths In Between
The Wedding People was January's book club pick and it’s rightfully received high praise from our crew.
The story begins with Phoebe, who arrives at a grand hotel where a wedding is set to take place. She is mistaken for one of the wedding guests, since every other person there is for the wedding. As she befriends the bride, the plot dives into the lives of a group of individuals connected by this event.
Phoebe is someone who is grappling with her unfulfilled desires and complicated relationships, and really not in a position to be celebrating love. As she navigates the chaos of wedding planning, she must also confront her own complicated emotions, relationships, and personal desires. The novel explores themes of love, loss, and jealousy, in a dark yet comedic way. I really loved how entertaining the story was. I didn’t want to put it down - but needed to because there was a lot to sit and reflect on. This is another really good example of how a work of fiction can provide you with more introspection than a nonfiction book can.
Read if you like:
• Character-driven stories
• moments of introspection
• complex relationships
• navigating adulthood
• dark & humorous reads
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Brit
- 2025-01-10
Pretty good!
This story was very interesting to read. I enjoyed it, but at times it was easy to tune out. The first half was exciting, and then it gets a little more predictable as you get to know the characters. I think a lot of people will be able to relate to the characters in different ways. Al in all, a good read :)
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Bonnie Macdonald
- 2025-02-15
A story with depth, warmth and humour
I love Phoebe. She is so vulnerable and strong and wise and also sometimes a real dumbass. The cast of characters that surrounds Phoebe are equally loveable and weird and surprisingly real, considering that they’re fiction.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Carol Anne Shaw
- 2024-09-03
An Empowering Novel That WIll Make You Laugh & Cry
What can I say? I absolutely loved everything about this book. (I listened to it on audio.)
Phoebe is 40, and after her life comes apart at the seams, she decides it's time to end things. Permanently. For real. So, she packs a nice dress, books a flight to Newport, Rhode Island, and books herself into a fancy hotel. She tells no one. Not her ex-husband, not the university where she works as an English professor. She simply runs away.
When she gets to the very grand Cornwall Inn (chosen for no other reason than it "looks nice"), Phoebe discovers that a wedding party has taken over the entire hotel. When "Bridezilla," Lilah learns of Phoebe's plans to off herself that evening, she is mortified. There is no WAY that Phoebe can ruin her costly 6-day wedding event like this.
What follows is a rich, character-driven, honest expose of a bunch of people (mostly family, and we all know how THAT often ends up) thrown together for a week. There are conflicts, clashes, and some pretty big secrets, too. And sooner or later, all those things come to light. But what comes to light most of all is Phoebe's surprising, out-of-the-blue epiphany that tells her she should really stick around. Through growing relationships with members of "the wedding people," Phoebe learns a lot about who she is, what she wants, and, more importantly, what she DOESN'T want.
I loved all the characters, and narrator Helen Laser performed each of them SO so well. The novel deep dives into complex relationships, blending sharp observations with fast-paced storytelling.
The ending was lovely-- not an ounce of cheese, but a tie-up that left me a little swoony about Phoebe's future but mostly thrilled with her newfound sense of self. Her story is very empowering—five big stars.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Andrea Krebs
- 2025-02-07
A good story and message, overall
Author’s treatment of sexuality is very basic and casual. Narrator’s r’s are overdone and her voices for a few of the supporting characters verge on annoying.
The redeeming quality: I like the message of overcoming and holding on for unpredictable blessings.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Carrie ann bostjancic
- 2025-02-20
started off better than it ended up
this felt long. I had a hard time connecting to characters. I wanted to like it but it just didn't hit the spot.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Carol W.
- 2024-09-06
Dark humour with a love story
The humour and the characters were written so well. The plot moved well and enjoyed the setting.
Wonderful book
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