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"From the author of Carnegie Hill, comes Jonathan Vatner's The Bridesmaids Union, a captivating novel of family, Facebook groups, and bridesmaids gone rogue. Iris Hagarty has just about had it with weddings. After witnessing one too many meltdowns over flower arrangements, she takes to the internet to vent about the trials and tribulations of being a bridesmaid to her usually reasonable friends-turned-bridezillas. She finds she is not alone, and soon becomes the moderator of a Facebook group full of other bridesmaids, eager to share their own horror stories. Enter Iris's own estranged sister Jasmine, the golden child and their parents' obvious favorite, who reemerges after several years, newly engaged and wanting none other than Iris to be her maid of honor. Knowing full well that Jasmine doesn't need a wedding to bring out her spoiled side, Iris buckles in for a bumpy ride. At least now she has an outlet--one full of new online friends hungry for juicy details. But as the Bridesmaids Union grows, Iris finds it harder to keep under control. And she even has some doubts about whether there will be a wedding after all. While Jasmine's fianc�, David, seems smitten with his bride-to-be, Iris is less sure about her social-climber sister's intentions. Though that could just be because Iris is having trouble keeping her eyes off of the groom herself. Brimming with family drama, and set in the ever-encroaching world of Instagram DM's and Facebook comments, The Bridesmaids Union shows the power and limits of alliances we form on social media, and how to make the most of the ones we're born into"--… (more)
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This book was filled with family drama. I didn't like Iris's parents at all and it was easy to dislike Iris at times. She had a real problem making decisions and standing up for herself. She's also a bit naive - she seemed to have no filters when she was complaining in her facebook group and never worried about the possibility of the group becoming public and the bride's becoming aware of what was said about them. She also became good friends with one of the posters in the group and we all know how risky that is.
I did enjoy many of the parts of the book but didn't appreciate all of the mentions of politics - her parents and sister were Trump supporters and she was an anyone but Trump voter. Similar to many people in the country, Iris and her sister became estranged over the election and lack of understanding of each other's views. I also enjoyed Iris's relationship with her son. She had such bad parents that it was good to see she didn't inherit their way of parenting. This book was also a bit too long. I think that some of the side stories could be left out to make the book more interesting.
Overall, I thought that this was a good book and despite the reservations that I've mentioned, I'm glad that I read it and look forward to future books from this author.
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
What you
I didn’t have to deal with destination weddings or showers in faraway cities so it was far easier (and cheaper) to be a bridesmaid for friends and family. Iris, on the other hand, the heroine of this novel deals with far more weddings and showers than I ever had to.
The novel details her trials as the always a bridesmaid trailing after very demanding brides. This leads her to start an online support group that gets just a little out of hand. I won’t write more than that so as to not spoil the book. But know that that it’s a fun read for anyone who has ever been a bridesmaid.
I read this on my train ride from Brattleboro to Philadelphia and the time flew by and I was very entertained the whole way. It’s a novel that follows a typical pattern but the characters within are well developed and fun. I enjoyed it and the miles flew by as I traveled to visit my family.
"The Bridesmaid's Union" is about a woman who can't express how she feels to anyone in person so puts it all in to a Facebook group she starts. Normally, I don't like this kind of thing, but I fell into it somehow, and I came to appreciate Vatner's approach to what it means to be female. Oh, and guess what? The closest thing to a villain in this book is a gay guy. And it's a type of gay guy that I have totally encountered in my life, and boy, did it ring true. "The Bridesmaid's Union" is a great poolside read that won't make you hate yourself in the morning. I'm currently listening to Vatner's first book, "Carnegie Hill",so check in to see how that goes.