A review by Nalini Haynes
Solange Pereira is not quite a wedding crasher: she’s helping out her wedding planner cousin when she overhears the bride talking to man – not the groom – in a stairwell. Shocked, she can’t decide what to do.
Then she hears Dean’s, the groom’s, personally written wedding vows. She can’t stay silent, she speaks up DURING THE CEREMONY.
The bride bursts into tears and declares she can’t marry the groom. Game over.
Or is it?
Dean’s career rests in the hands of a boss who wants partnered professionals schmoozing together. Dean begs Solange for help.
Meanwhile, Solange’s Brazilian mother boasts to a family member living in Brazil that Solange has a steady boyfriend. Then the family member decides to visit. AND ARRIVES EARLY. It seems malicious, as if she set out to uncover the lie.
So Solange pretends to be Dean’s girlfriend for his work and Dean pretends to be Solange’s de facto for her family.
Nothing could go wrong, right?
Yeah, right.
A familiar trope
I’ve lost track of the number of books and movies I’ve consumed with this storyline but Sosa’s The Wedding Crasher is one of the finest. With a rom-com like this, it’s about the journey not the destination. And oh what a journey!
Feminism
You would be forgiven for thinking this trope may be anti-feminist but Solange and her cousins were raised by three single women who are smart, driven and successful in their chosen business.
Solange herself is highly ethical and burns to do good in the world. And her cousins vary from the impending mother (cue pregnancy lols) to the wedding planner and more, all loving, fighting with, and caring for one another.
Solange plans to move interstate. I was Team Washington (the place where Solange’s family is based) even more than Team Dean because it’s possible for a lover to pick up and move. Not so easy for an entire family. And OMG I love Solange’s family.
The verdict
This is a truly hilarious and romantic comedy of an extremely high caliber. Sosa uses the tropes you’d expect in a rom-com with this elevator pitch but OMG she OWNS them. It’s not often that I actually laugh out loud when reading but I did, repeatedly. Solange’s family is ADORABLE. And aspirational, but not in the “I want that much money” way; in all the ways that really matter. The Wedding Crasher is my favorite romance and rom-com for the year so far, and it’s September! I highly recommend!
If you enjoyed The Wedding Crasher, you’ll probably enjoy No Hard Feelings by Genevieve Novak.
Book details
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
ISBN: 9780062909893
ISBN10: 0062909894
Imprint: HarperCollins
Released: 2022
Format: paperback, 400 pages
Category: romance, romantic comedy
