Review: The Wedding Sisters by Jamie Brenner
IΒ enjoyedΒ TheΒ WeddingΒ SistersΒ moreΒ thanΒ IΒ expectedΒ to.Β ThisΒ isΒ notΒ aΒ typicalΒ romcomΒ weddingΒ story.Β ThereΒ areΒ manyΒ layersΒ toΒ thisΒ taleΒ thatΒ isΒ humorousΒ atΒ times,Β butΒ itΒ isΒ muchΒ moreΒ thanΒ that.Β BrennerΒ doesΒ aΒ wonderfulΒ jobΒ ofΒ slowlyΒ revealingΒ herΒ characters’Β personalitiesΒ andΒ complexitiesΒ toΒ weaveΒ allΒ ofΒ theirΒ storiesΒ togetherΒ intoΒ aΒ well-developedΒ storyΒ toΒ whichΒ readersΒ willΒ beΒ drawn. TheΒ biggestΒ appealΒ forΒ meΒ wereΒ theΒ charactersΒ inΒ thisΒ storyΒ (althoughΒ theΒ backdropΒ ofΒ NYCΒ drewΒ meΒ inΒ too).Β Meryl,Β motherΒ ofΒ theΒ brides,Β wasΒ theΒ oneΒ IΒ mostΒ identifiedΒ with.Β HerΒ struggleΒ toΒ keepΒ itΒ togetherΒ whileΒ planningΒ aΒ weddingΒ andΒ simultaneouslyΒ dealingΒ withΒ allΒ otherΒ aspectsΒ ofΒ herΒ worldΒ fallingΒ apartΒ evokesΒ sympathy,Β especiallyΒ beingΒ aΒ motherΒ myself.Β HerΒ daughtersΒ allΒ haveΒ distinctΒ personalitiesΒ leadingΒ toΒ aΒ battleΒ toΒ maintainΒ theirΒ individualityΒ andΒ stillΒ maintainΒ aΒ sisterlyΒ bond.Β WhenΒ allΒ threeΒ areΒ engagedΒ atΒ theΒ sameΒ timeΒ toΒ highΒ profileΒ fiancees,Β theirΒ struggleΒ forΒ individualityΒ isΒ putΒ toΒ theΒ test. MerylΒ notΒ onlyΒ hasΒ toΒ dealΒ withΒ weddingΒ planningΒ forΒ three,Β butΒ alsoΒ theΒ otherΒ complicationsΒ ofΒ life- specificallyΒ mid-life.Β InΒ theΒ midstΒ ofΒ beingΒ inΒ mother-of-the-brideΒ mode,Β MerylΒ isΒ strugglingΒ withΒ theΒ careΒ ofΒ herΒ “elderly”Β mom- whoΒ isΒ aΒ hoot,Β byΒ theΒ way- andΒ herΒ marriageΒ ofΒ thirtyΒ years.Β SheΒ hasΒ toΒ doΒ someΒ soul-searchingΒ alongΒ theΒ way,Β butΒ IΒ amΒ happyΒ toΒ sayΒ thatΒ all’sΒ wellΒ thatΒ endsΒ well! IfΒ youΒ haveΒ everΒ readΒ anyΒ ofΒ myΒ otherΒ reviews,Β youΒ knowΒ IΒ likeΒ aΒ happyΒ ending–orΒ atΒ theΒ veryΒ least,Β closure.Β IΒ wasΒ veryΒ satisfiedΒ withΒ theΒ wayΒ thisΒ bookΒ ended.Β IΒ trulyΒ feltΒ likeΒ everybodyΒ wasΒ goingΒ toΒ beΒ ok,Β andΒ IΒ wasΒ happyΒ aboutΒ that.Β IΒ hopeΒ youΒ readΒ thisΒ oneΒ andΒ comeΒ toΒ careΒ aboutΒ theseΒ characters as much as I did!