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Book 70 - The Wedding People by Alison Espach

This book took a little while to grow on me, but once I was hooked, I loved it. Phoebe Stone’s life has imploded, and she goes to the Cornwall Inn to have one last hurrah and then kill herself. Her despair was difficult to read. She and her husband both teach at a university, but she watches her husband’s career grow while hers is stagnant. Fertility treatments wreak havoc on her hormones, and after rounds and rounds with no luck, Phoebe finally is pregnant, only to have a miscarriage. She’s heartbroken, mourning the loss of her planned family. Her own mother died during birth, and her father was depressed, so she was looking forward to creating a happy family unit with her husband. She’s numb, and he cheats, then leaves her. Even their beloved cat dies. Watching her figuratively drown was essential to the plot, but I had to muddle my way through it. 

Phoebe is the only guest at the inn who’s not there for a big wedding. The bride, Lila, befriends her, and Phoebe’s curiosity about the wedding propels her to not off herself. She meets a handsome man in the hot tub and they have an instant connection, which is a bummer because he’s the soon-to-be groom. I liked the humanity of the book. Watching Phoebe find her voice and create a new life for herself was touching. I wished it was longer or had a sequel. (9)

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