I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.
Publisher: Orion Dash
Published: June 2021
Pages: 183
Summary
As the owner of a second-hand bridal boutique in the little village of Alfriston, Paige Alby has seen too many tear-stained owners bring in wedding dresses that signal collapsed dreams to believe in happily ever after. So being the maid of honour at her mother’s fourth wedding isn’t exactly something she’s looking forward to… Nor is the prospect of working with Cy, her mother’s admittedly handsome but far too forward wedding planner.
Cy Thorpe has spent the last few years building a wedding empire in London catering to the rich and famous. On a trip home to see his family, he takes on a small private wedding on a whim. The last thing he expected to find was love, but the more time he spends with Paige, the more he sees past her defences to the woman who has dedicated her life to saving the things others have neglected. The hopeless romantic to Paige’s sworn cynic, can Cy get Paige to give him and happily ever after a chance?
My Thoughts…
Sometimes a cute, easy story is all you need, and The New Beginnings Bridal Boutique was exactly what I needed to tide me over a book hangover. This is a light, easy read that does exactly what it says on the tin.
Paige owns a second-hand bridal boutique in a small English town. She loves giving things a second life and brides a happy day, but she herself doesn’t believe in love, not one bit. Enter Cy, a handsome and charismatic wedding planner who has taken on the task of planning Paige’s mother fourth wedding. This is a romantic book, so you can pretty much guarantee how the story will develop and end and there were certainly no surprises there. But, as they say, joy is to be found in the journey, not the destination.
The romance itself was cute enough, especially the one between Paige’s mother and her fiancé. In contrast, I wasn’t all too keen on our main characters. Cy, in particular, rubbed me the wrong way with his manipulative behaviour, lying straight off the bat and engaging Paige in a bet to win a date with her. The whole thing just got worse from there, in a series of half-truths, unreasonable and immature behaviour, and incomprehensible choices coming from both of them.
Both characters have loads of emotional baggage which, if handled correctly, can be extremely interesting and add nuance to any romance. But here they both appeared to be extremely one-dimensional, both letting one traumatic incident define them entirely in their personality and life choices. Their banter was good and pretty much the only thing I enjoyed about their relationship.
Overall, a quick and easy read with some potential. It definitely was light-hearted and heartwarming but lacked enough nuance to engage me. Cute, but not the best romance I have read.
Rating: 2.5/5
Book for Thought 