Welcome to Litsy!

#DynamicDs Day 2: #DoubleLetterTitle and it happens to be DD too! Awesome. I am still disappointed this did not win over James, but c‘est lavie. 💕

Finally got around to this one for #TOB25

I assumed this would be total fluff (not that there‘s anything wrong with that) but it was pretty deep albeit in a fluffy way. I liked what it had to say about taking care of yourself, finding the true you as you get older, loneliness, and grief. I loved how the author handled the pandemic. It made me laugh too.

Not my favorite short list title, but I can see why so many people love it.

A suicidal divorcee arrives at a hotel and ends up being the catalyst for a weeklong wedding extravaganza. Recommended for anyone whose ever felt lost in their own life.

It was to be expected that The Book Censor‘s Library didn‘t stand a chance against The Wedding People. So we‘re left with two very popular books left in the #LitsyToB25: TWP and James (James is a finalist in #ToB25 too).

Please vote one more time for your favorite and I‘ll see you on Monday for the final match! Have a good weekend. https://forms.gle/QksJX14ZcJMmmYij7

Happy birthday Jen 🎈!

Another very hard choice in the #LitsyToB25: The History of Sound vs The Wedding People, two absolute favorites. An almost equal score, but The Wedding People has won in the end.
It's not the end though, for The History of Sound. It will return as a zombie!
I'll annouce both 🧟 🧟‍♀️ shortly - along with another GForm for you to vote.
In the #ToB25 we were facing Irena vs Margo and again Irena wins. What‘s happening?

Today we had another obvious winner: The Wedding People. It is remarkable popular on Litsy and it's the #LitsyToB25 favorite of Myra, Care & Theresa. However, many will be sad to see Margo go (Chelsea & Carolyn's favorite book).
Fortunately, Margo advances in the #ToB25 where it knocked-out Liars.

🚨It is time to vote for the Semi Finals! 🚨Please fill in the form today as the tournament continues tomorrow! https://forms.gle/crtE6SZcqVW1fkid9

Definitely my favorite read this year so far . Imagine your life couldn‘t get much worse , husband gone, nothing going right , can‘t imagine moving forward.Phoebe is feeling she should end it all, go out in style, visit an elegant inn she always hoped to visit under happier circumstances. Come to find out everyone there is for a wedding, when Lila discovers Phoebe, who is this person who might ruin the wedding? Dark ,smart,funny & wise,grt story!

Thanks to @Bookwormjillk George got a vote, the rest of us, without knowing which book it would be, all voted for the winner of the Play In round. Three strong containers and yes, many of us despised George. So we‘ll see The Wedding People again in the next round of the #LitsyToB25. George leaves our tournament because he didn't get any Zombie votes.
In the #ToB25 too the play-in winner advances, which means Liars in their case!

⬇️read further⬇️

Loved loved LOVED this one!! It just all came together for me. The premise was unusual but never went too depressing & the storytelling was superb! I found it extremely funny, not LOL funny but I chuckled & enjoyed it a lot. And the serious bits were good and even wise. Loved the characters despite their flaws. I found the style of writing unique, not in an annoying pretentious way but enough to notice. Just a great book that I‘m sad to see end 🥲

I loved this book. I think it just got me out of my reading slump.

I‘m 100 pages in. Smart, witty ,and engaging! Plus , Phoebe might finish Mrs. Dalloway ! Sshh , no spoilers please 😁

I was lukewarm about picking up this book because I thought it would be a typical madcap rom-com about a glitzy wedding in Newport. It was not at all what I expected—and that is a very good thing. It‘s funny and over the top, yes. But it has way more depth than I expected. It‘s more reflective and insightful and introspective than I expected. I couldn‘t put it down, and when I finished I immediately texted a friend: “You need to read this!”

This was one of those serendipitous times when I browse the Kindle for a book people have been racing about and it's a wonderful deal!

I loved it so much. It gave me a lot to think about regarding my own depression, suicidal thoughts and divorce. It made me think about my current love and the kind of life I want. I loved all the themes she touched on lightly, like asking for what you want. I can see why everyone loves it so much!

When Hubby is working overnight and the wind is howling outside and you have the bed to yourself and you can hunker down with your pile of books. 🥰

I adore this book. But oh my word, how did the editor miss this?

#LitsyToB25 We have started and it won‘t come as a surprise that The Wedding People is our winner in the play-in round. There has been so much love for this book on Litsy!
Not in the real #ToB though, where Liars wins!
Among us Liars got only 4 votes (by Charity, Chelsea, Helen and Kristy) and is definitely out: it has no zombie votes.
All Fours got 4 votes too (by Sarah, Sue, AnneCecilie and Barbara), but will it be enough? We‘ll soon find out!

I want to shout from the rooftops about this book! It was sad, funny, inspiring, emotional - I don‘t often say “all the feels” but this gave me ALLLLL the feels ♥️♥️♥️ #readyourkindle

#UkKindleMonthlyDeal

99p

I have seen a lot of people reading this on here is it a good book should I get it?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I didn‘t love “The Wedding People” as much as I thought I would, but it‘s still a good book. I enjoyed the humor and many of the characters that are found in these pages. If there‘s any one thing I would change, I would have loved an epilogue as the ending found me wanting more.

I read so many books this month, but Wedding People was still the winner! Some of the others might pop up in the bonus spaces ☺️
I had fun making this bracket template - feel free to use if you like it!

I really enjoyed this book. It's dark, but humorous. A woman who learns to live authentically. I don't want to give any spoilers so I'll just say... I think it's worth the read. I'll gladly check out other books written by Alison Espach.

#TheWeddingPeople #AlisonEspach #SeriesLove2025

A propulsive and uncommonly wise novel about one unexpected wedding guest and the surprising people who help her start anew. Phoebe comes to the Cornwall Inn to kill herself. When she shows up there is a wedding about to happen. The bride, Lila, tells Phoebe she cannot kill herself as it will ruin her wedding. Phoebe and Lila become great friends and Phoebe is asked to be Lila's maid of honor.

☀️&📖
February 23, 2025

A shelfie of some of my favorite reads of 2024. 📚😍🎧

I really enjoyed this book. It was funny and lighthearted, but also surprisingly thoughtful and reflective. The setting at a destination wedding, and the characterization of the group of guests as “the wedding people”, will ring true in a fun, humorous way for anyone who has been to an over-the-top wedding weekend.
#Pantone2025 #DejaVuBlue @Lauredhel

#FeelinTheLove Day 18: Look at all those #Hearts in this understated book cover. Finished reading this last night. Definitely one of my #ToB25 favorites, thus far. What a delight. Review is forthcoming.

#FeelinTheLove Day 17: #GalentinesDay feels especially during the bridal shower bonding of the women and the revelations that ensued. Nearly finished with this #ToB25 title - why wasn‘t this novel given more love last year? It‘s brilliant!

This book was EVERYTHING!! 😍😍😭😍😍
At times darkly hilarious, witty and biting, at times heartfelt and piercing, in either case this writing was so hard-hitting and cut deep into my thoughts and my soul. It was simultaneously a genius universal social commentary and an intimate portrait of these very unique characters. I was cheering them on!!
I aspire to be this good of a writer 🥹
And once again, Helen Laser on audio was sensational👏🏻👏🏻

#FeelinTheLove Day 16: Quite the #LoveHatePairing with this #ToB25 title with Phoebe‘s cheating ex-hubby. I can see this being made into a series. Set against the desert last night as husband and I watched a Chinese concert pianist and Chinese dancers perform with the Jebel Hafeet Mountain (UNESCO heritage site) as the backdrop. Perfect post Valentine and CNY celebration. A good open-air wedding venue too. My sky cashmere shawl matches book cover.

Gary and Phoebe were by far my favorite parts of this book. I did not annotate this book and regret that I did not. What a beautifully crafted story. The messy, the ugly, the pain, the recovery from the pain, the beauty in realizing this isn‘t the end but maybe the beginning, and that perhaps it‘s ok the person we are with isn‘t right for us and walking away won‘t kill us. Highly recommend!

#WeeklyFavorites @Read4life

A little delayed, but here I am with the best of the week. February is going much faster than January so far.

Phoebe, on the run from her old life, finds herself in a posh hotel in Newport, where everyone else is there for a wedding. She begins to see beyond her depression and learns important lessons about how to live from the wedding people.

It's a soft pick for me. I may have read too many glowing reviews of this before reading it. It has charm and humor and poignant moments, and it's a bit of a readalike for A Man Called Ove.

#fiction

Two very different #WeekendReads - about halfway through the tagged one and enjoying it; just starting the other one. Working today; hoping for more reading time tomorrow!

@rachelsbrittain

I have been very much enjoying novels centered around middle-aged women reevaluating their relationships. I especially like that this one doesn't focus on the hormonal stuff. Normalizing perimenopause rocks, but it fatigues me when a person is reduced to biology. Of course, this MC is a little young for perimenopause, which might be why it's not a main character. The novel is a little too perfectly laid out, but it feels honest, and I like that.

Audiopuzzling this very shiny puzzle that my brother-in-law and his wife got us for Christmas.

Today was our in-person book club day! This was my fourth one and it‘s become so special to me! We‘ve formed friendships over our shared love of books and everyone is so *kind* and amped to be geeky about reading. My people. 💖

Next one up. I'll need to hurry with this one because it's due back to the library soon; hope it's a quick read!

7/100 💍🥂💒
#goodreads #goodreadsreadingchallenge #readinggoal

#WeeklyFavorite

Really loved the tagged book. Phoebe has decided her life is sh*t and there is nothing left to live for. As her plans get waylaid she is given a chance to find her true self. Great book!

@Read4life

This book glued together my broken heart. It was definitely the right book at the right time. The storyline and FMC were just soo relatable. Each character had such a unique presence. This book is so relatable to real life. It had me hooked and was an incredible way to start the year. I‘m sure it‘ll be among my fave books of the year! Thank you soo much @LiteraryinPA for the amazing recommendation! #auldlangspine

I enjoyed this more than I expected to. Setting aside the somewhat frank discussions of suicide (bc that theme prevails throughout and if that‘s too much for you, maybe avoid this book) - the realistic portrayals of human vulnerability was really well done and heartfelt.

It reminded me a lot of The Midnight Library. I feel like if you liked this and haven‘t read that one, you should. 💖

I am still trying to decide what all I feel about this one. 💙🩷🤍

If, for whatever reason, you need a hug in book form today, I‘ve got you covered!
https://ifyoulovethatreadthis.substack.com/p/if-you-love-a-book-that-feels-like

My favorite book of 2024! The audiobook was perfect. Great narrator. Great story. Lives up to the hype. 🩷🤍🩷

But we can‘t always be what we want every second. And that‘s okay. That‘s just life, you know? 💍💔

I liked this so much more than I expected! Despite the plot line, it‘s not at all cheesy or sappy even though it‘s such a heartwarming reading experience. I loved the dry humor throughout and the characters are fantastic. I honestly related to Lila‘s predicament so deeply, and was rooting for Phoebe the whole time. 🩵

Moving on to my in-person book club pick. We meet the first weekend in Feb. BOTM audio referral credit coming in clutch for me! 😅

It feels like everyone‘s reading this book right now. ☕️💅🏻

Oh, the joys of families in enforced proximity for a celebration! All the ways they can provoke, irritate and misunderstand each other without being bad people, just people with different outlooks and personalities. I enjoyed the story. I would have enjoyed it even more if it had taken a less obvious direction towards the end. But at least it wasn‘t tied up in too neat a bow.