A funny, entertaining and sometimes poignant book that I wanted to keep reading.
An ideal lighthearted holiday chill-out read. I had not read this author's books before this one but I will look out for future books.

The Secret Bridesmaid is a witty, whimsical, genuine feel-good read about Sophie. She's such a good bridesmaid that she starts a professional company offer a "fake" bridesmaid service where she's basically the personal assistant of the bride, supporting them and making their dreams come true, then sharing their big day with them.

She gets hired by the mother-of-the-bride of a massive society wedding... but Cordelia, the bride has other ideas and since she can't fire her, she's determined to make Sophie quit!

The Secret Bridesmaid has tons of silly moments, laugh out loud snippets of Sophie's communications with other brides and the companies she has to deal with, whilst also delving deep into why Cordelia is outwardly such a mean-girl. It's not long before Sophie sees past the front Cordelia puts on, and realizes deep down, Cordelia is really hurting. Can she be a professional bridesmaid and a real friend?

Well, just to add to that complication... enter a connection with Cordelia's brother, who has no idea that Sophie isn't Cordelia's real bridesmaid. He doesn't even know her real name! So how's that going to work out? Well I'm not telling you, I guess you'll just have to read it.

This book hits the sweet spot of genuine friendship, romance and drama. 5/5 from me!

I really liked this book and found it difficult to put down. Light hearted, happy read. brother too, how lovely. A really enjoyable book that is well written and made me smile a lot,

Sophie is a professional Bridesmaid, hired to pretend to be a bride's friend when they don't want a full blown Wedding Planner and / or don't have a best friend to fill the spot. She is taken on by a Marchioness to act as the bridesmaid for her daughter, who turns out to be the Bridezilla from Hell.
Wow. This book really hit the spot for me. The amusing little parts detailing the weddings that she is planning (I loved the Star Wars one) interspersed within the main story counterbalance the more serious parts with Cordelia and her outlandish demands. I'm certainly not as organised as Sophie and I certainly couldn't take the stunts that Cordelia came up with. Her enthusiasm in doing the best that she can for her clients, whilst being extremely discrete, is refreshing and then finding out Cordelia's secrets as they are gradually revealed definitely kept me hooked all the way through the book. Definitely recommended and an author that I will certainly be following.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book

Thinking that life would soon again allow us to meet up and be frivalous again I thought it only right that I treat myself to some chick lit! When I first started reading this book I nearly gave up, not because it is badly written rather I couldn't imagine the life and time it is celebrating - people having weddings with 400 guests! Despite this I read on and enjoyed seeing things through Sophie (or should that be Emily's) eyes. I wanted her as my bridesmaid! She is a very likeable character. This is an enjoyable, if not predictable in parts, read. A perfect weekend companion.

The Secret Bridesmaid is a brilliantly witty novel that emphasises the power of female friendship and in protagonist, Sophie Breeze, it also features a wholly relatable and down-to-earth lead character. Having turned thirty and known for her love of weddings, former PA Sophie has become a professional bridesmaid and now works as the right-hand woman every bride needs to make sure their big day goes off without a hitch. Ultra-reliable and efficiency personified, Sophie hasn’t fared so well in love, splitting from her boyfriend of nearly a decade only for him to swiftly move on and now about to marry. When Sophie lands her dream gig working on a big society wedding for the Marchioness of Meade it comes with one huge downside in the form of her uppity diva of a daughter, Lady Cordelia Swann, who is intent that she wants nothing to do with her hired bridesmaid!

The novel is narrated by Sophie and gives the reader a real sense of her character. Self-deprecating and passionate about her unconventional job, I found her sincerity charming and what she learns about herself along the way heartening. Whilst the novel has a side order of romance with Sophie drawn to Cordelia’s older brother and viscount, Tom, the central focus is on the true value of platonic female friendships. From Sophie’s relationship with her cousin, Cara, through to the friendships she has made in the course of her job and earning the trust and respect of Cordelia’s family, there is so much to enjoy but the toughest nut to crack awaits in the bride-to-be and Sophie is determined to see her newest client all the way down the aisle! Impressive characterisation and a lead character who I vied for from the off made for a refreshingly memorable blast of escapism.

A really fun read that had me laughing out loud!! This author is new to me and I look forward to reading more by her

What a wonderful book to settle down with. The synopsis gives a very good insight as to what this book is all about. A professional bridesmaid is not the same as a wedding planner. Sophie in her job as a bridesmaid is there for the bride, to help with arrangements, appointment and getting the hard to get items the bride requires.

When she lands a very high brow wedding contract, the bride doesn't want any help, she is as unfriendly and down rude as it is possible to be. How on earth Sophie has the patience to deal with the antics, temper and moods of Cordelia is quite beyond me. But this is the uniqueness of Sophie, her ability to deal with people, even when pushed to the limits.

The author has created a story that is a blend of two stories. Both the women in this book have a reason for being distrustful and past experiences do tend to muddy the waters. The author created a fabulous storyline that gradually revealed more about the women as well as coping with the manic wedding plans.

This is a story that has some drama, some heartwarming and also a lovely romantic thread. It shows that first impressions can be misleading, that people do deserve second chances and sometimes when someone is loud and obnoxious they are hiding behind a wall.

A wonderful story that I thoroughly enjoyed and would definitely recommend to readers who like a story with drama, secrets and romance, a great all-around chick-lit read.

Nice little easy read story, read it in an afternoon. There are some quite funny moments, that made me laugh out loud & wonder what a great idea for a business this would really be

Oh this was great! And why isn't this a business yet, surely people need it? Really fun and engaging and heartfelt, I raced through it.

I loved this book - it was so much fun! I genuinely laughed out loud in several places, especially the email and WhatsApp exchanges. The characters were well rounded and (mostly) likeable.
I'd thoroughly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a rom-com.

Not sure if this profession is real or not but it made for a great read! Good characters, an enjoyable story that didn't leave you confused... my kinda book to read for enjoyment. Definitely a book to cheer you up any time of the year.

Following a lifetime of attending weddings, and a number of bridesmaid roles, Sophie Breeze has carved out a niche for herself as a professional bridesmaid - someone who will work with a bride, often in secret, in order to help her achieve the wedding day of her dreams with as little stress as possible. Able to avert disasters and smooth over any issues with a light touch, she is in high demand, but is so busy working - could she be passing up the chance at her own happily ever after? Sophie gets the chance to work on the society wedding of the year, but the only problem is... the bride doesn’t want her, and will go to any lengths to make her quit. However maybe Sophie is exactly what the bride needs.

This is a light, fun read, with a bit of a different concept. I’ve never read any book with a professional bridesmaid before and I can definitely see the benefits of having one! I enjoyed this story, the characters were nice and it was quite a comforting read. It’s not a massively stand out story, but it’s engaging enough and the tension is kept in the story until the finale which is good.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed all of the individual characters in this story. Sophie was a worthy leading lady for the story, particularly for me as I found I could relate to some of her more neurotic tendencies (like overthinking and enjoying organising); she was a good mix of vulnerable and sassy. My favourite character was Cordelia, she was the perfect yin to Sophie's yang. It was obvious from the start that there was something more to her than met the eye, but I enjoyed the slow discovery that explained why she was cold, distant and mean with those outside her family circle - it provided many comedic moments throughout the book if nothing else!

I picked this book up expecting it to be a fairly stereotypical rom-com novel, and while I wasn't disappointed on that front, I was pleasantly surprised by the focus that was given to Sophie's friendships. Her relationships with Cara and Cordelia stuck with me far more than any romantic elements in the story; they gave the story a different type of warmth and made it even more charming to read through.

Adding further charm to the book was the mix of formats that was used throughout. While most of the book was written in first person present tense as we followed Sophie through her nuptial escapades as a bridesmaid, the occasional snippet of an email thread with some random wedding business or glimpse of a bridal party group text message sprinkled moments of light comedy throughout the story and bought a fullness and realism to Sophie's world for me as a reader. Some of the things that were discussed in those threads were absolutely genius and will feel humorously familiar to anyone who has ever been involved in a wedding party as a friend of the bride, or indeed as the bride herself. At first some of them seem far-fetched and have you laughing out loud (hello Chewbacca) but it only takes a split second for you to realise that they are indeed the very commonplace ridiculous requests made at many a wedding year in year out.

It didn't have me gripped as other books in this genre often do but it was a charming, entertaining read nonetheless and provided the light-hearted comedic romance that it promised.

A very silly book. I was very tempted to stop reading half-way through, but the writing is actually fine and there are some funny moments, so I did manage to finish it and smile. That's all, not a memorable story, not particularly exciting, not even a brand new idea... just a very easy read for a lazy Saturday afternoon.

Absolutely fab. A real easy read, entertaining, with page turning quality. Characters were interesting, and the storyline kept me hooked. So glad I got a chance to read this one.

Sophie Breeze has turned her bridesmaid skills into a full-time career. Not your average wedding planner, Sophie can be hired as a professional bridesmaid.
Hired as the bridesmaid for society's biggest wedding of the year, Sophie quickly finds that the bride, Lady Cordelia, is hell-bent on ensuring Sophie has nothing to do with the wedding. Despite being set near impossible tasks, Sophie finds herself breaking into a studio at night and wading into St James' Park lake to talk to the swans, she is determined to see the job through.
A happy mix of humour, chick lit and romance, I adored this book!

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. This was a great story with great characters, lots of humour and a nice story to read.

I absolutely loved this charming, fun romantic comedy. I sat and read the book all in one go over a nice evening of self pampering. The writing was brilliant, witty and light making sure to cover all of the stress and joys of weddings. Sophie was a relatable character with a slightly unusual job but remained engaging and responsive to all of her brides no matter the situation. The development of her friendship with Cordelia and the celebrations and feelings of togetherness that were interwoven within the book were an absolute delight.

What a fabulous book!
Honestly, I was hooked from the start and had I not been in the midst of a week from hell at school resulting in me falling asleep way too fast, I would have finished this in one sitting!
Sophie has found herself the perfect job - a professional bridesmaid. Each wedding she cultivates a secret identity and pretends to be a close friend of the bride, who will have hired her to make their special day perfect, under the guise of a best friend bridesmaid.
It's all going swimmingly, until she ends up with a job she never thought she would, ever, be considered for: Bridesmaid to Lady Cordelia Swann, a socialite Sophie followed and tried to emulate, as a teen.
But this is one tough cookie of a client, determined to relieve herself of this new 'friend'.
Oh, and it doesn't help that she has a HOT brother who doesn't know her real identity, but is keen to get closer to his sister's 'friend'.
I can't explain how much I enjoyed the whole book. Sophie is an interesting character, who puts the needs of others way ahead of her own. A great quality in a bridesmaid, but not so great for herself.
Cordelia is a character you probably want to slap initially, but she grows on you, then you find yourself with. soft spot for her.
And Tom, the HOT brother? Well, I think I'll be surreptitiously checking out men's forearms more often, now, thanks to Sophie's obsession with his.
Highly recommended, and such fun!
Many thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.