Freya is a great character- I loved seeing her develop through the course of "the season" from the emotional mess of the jilted bride to the woman determined to enjoy every minute of life.
With the crazy challenges set by her friends she makes it through the many and varied weddings and comes out the other side in a much better place.
There is great humour in the writing (trapped in the church toilet anyone?) and gentle fun poked at the more bridezilla bride (white, or almost white for the table linen!) with the expected simmering romance undercurrent throughout the weddings.
a lovely holiday read.

Freyas wedding is the first out of her friends whose weddings are following over the course of the year but she has been dumped the day before the wedding. With the help of her 2 best friends Ruby and Leo whose wedding is the last one they come up with challenges Freya must meet at each wedding to help get her through them and hopefully be able to move on
A fun read

I loved this!!! Right from page three's tongue-in-cheek send up of the ridiculousness of weddings and deciding between "white or almost white or cream" for napkins, I knew that this was going to be funny. And it was - really truly funny from getting dumped in a broom cupboard to getting stuck in a toilet and spoiling a bride's big church entrance. Some have said there wasn't enough romance but I much prefer a smattering of romance alongside female friendships because as bestie Ruby says "there's nothing like the friendship kind of love". And I really loved great dynamics and banter between leading lady Freya and her friendship group.

In this case "the wedding season" also added a fun element and the whole storyline from miserable jilted bride to sassy single lady ready to embark on a new chapter that could "turn into something or nothing at all" was really authentic and relatable to anyone who's been through a break up. I also recognised the "laughing trick" as something I do on the dance floor. Having absolutely loved Katy Birchall's previous wedding-themed book #TheSecretBridesmaid I was almost scared to read this in case it wasn't as good but I needn't have worried and can not wait for her next one.

The book features a classic romcom trope with a bride dumped just hours before her wedding. Though common and classic, this rendition still hits all the right bells and the author brings loads of depth and understanding to the characters, making for a rich and enjoyable read.

Freya, compulsively organised, is checking the last minute details for her perfect wedding when her intended, long term boyfriend Mathew summons her to the under stairs cupboard and breaks it off with an explanation so lame and humiliating she can’t function, let alone believe it. How then, is she supposed to face a season of seven weddings and all those happy ever afters? To cope her friends set her tasks for each wedding and through these tasks Freya learns much about herself, her relationships and others in her life. The story is richly told, but also littered with some light humour and fun. A fun, lovely summer read.

Oh, I loved this! Read it in one huge gulp, laughing out loud so many times. I didn’t think anything would top The Secret Bridesmaid but The Wedding Season really did. Freya was such a loveable protagonist and alongside the humour I thought her emotional arc was brilliantly written. Once again I found myself utterly in love with the big, perfectly imagined extended cast and I so enjoy the way Birchall writes about friendship and allows that to take centre stage. Freya’s friends and family really shone and I was so sad to finish the book and leave them behind. Loved the romance too and would have loved even more of Jamie and their excellent banter.

Just delicious, a big hearted, romantic treat.

Absolutely loved this story it is such a fun and light read and definitely the perfect read for this upcoming summer season!

I absolutely devoured this book, I could not put it down. Freya was such an amazing woman and obviously, my heart immediately went out to her. I could not stop reading, I needed to know how she would cope with all of these challenges. This book made me laugh and cry, it was such a joy to read. I adore Birchall's writing anyway, but this truly was what I needed to lift my mood and shake off the dreary winter feeling. I read this in two days, as iI really needed to know what would happen now and I wanted to find out how it ended.

A happy, funny, and emotional book that left me with a positive feeling that kept me going for a good week afterward. I highly recommend this book and will be suggesting it to friends and family.

This was a really uplifting rom-com, a bit different to the “usual” happily-ever-after type book, but it was just so joyful and positive throughout.

The friendly relationships in this book trumped the romantic ones for me. There are some real friendships here, ones from school, university, work, family - they are so close and so natural that it’s really warming.

There’s such a spirit of love, laughter and happiness above all troubling times in this book. Whilst there are some sad moments, it’s very much a book full of optimism.

All the feelings were dialled up. If the characters are sad, then they’re devastated, if they’re happy, they’re overjoyed, if they’re angry then they’re raging - it is over the top, which I don’t usually like but it worked in this scenario.

This is a run read and would perfectly suit a group of girlfriends on a summer trip or experiencing their own wedding season trauma.

Such good fun. A real laugh as Freya works her way through a lot of silly things she has to do at each wedding that she has over a season. We love her as she is dumped, and tries to get up again whilst still feeling so hurt and bruised from Matthew dumping her the day before the wedding, Freya and her friends a a good laugh and really endearing, you wish all of them happiness as you read quickly on to find out how it all ends.

Freya is getting married, it’s the first wedding of the season and its all going to be perfect, she is absolutely all over everything except her long term partner Mathew turns up a few hours before it’s all due to kick off, pulls her into the broom cupboard and tells her he can’t go through with it. Shocker. In an attempt to help Freya get her life back on track and get her through the rest of the wedding season her friends come up with a list of challenges she must complete at each shin dig.
This was a lot of fun, it’s light and breezy and doesn’t take itself too seriously. The structure of the book makes it slightly episodic in nature and there are a couple of anecdotal little scenes that have been written in but don’t particularly add to the plot but I liked it. I liked trying to work out how Birchall was going to shoe horn in meet cutes to push the romance along. It was fun and funny 👍

Freya is dumped the day before her wedding. And despite being humiliated and heart broken, she still has several weddings to attend over the months that follow, so to help her move on her friends give her a series of challenges to undertake during the "Wedding Season".

This book was so well written, with really outstanding characters and a message about self love. I was laughing out loud all the way through, and will genuinely miss Freya now it's finished.

The only thing that stopped it being a 5 star read was the introduction (spoiler) of a potential new love interest. It definitely felt too soon to even be thinking about a new relationship!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Life is definitely a rollercoaster. This book had ups and downs and a strong female lead even if at points she probably didn't think she was so strong.

I did crack up at the Bridgerton vibes from talks of the Wedding Season but that is probably because I just finished season 2.

I think most weddings could do with challenges like the ones Freya gets given just to spice up the events.

At one point I didn't think it was going to have the ending it did. It definitely was about Freya finding out about who she actually was as a person and not just one half of a couple. The relationships that had served her and she no longer needed and the ones that had caused her pain and needed a new lease of life.

Let me start off by saying this is not really a rom com which I thought it would be. That does not mean it's bad in any way, just go into it with the right expectations. Freya's fiance, Matthew, calls off their wedding very suddenly and only a day before the celebrations are due to begin. Freya is, understandably, absolutely distraught and it was genuinely heartbreaking reading about how she felt. Even though all her friends have weddings that year, they decide to hatch a plan to cheer Freya up and distract her by assigning her a secret task to perform at each of the weddings.

I loved the characters, I love stories with strong, wholesome friendships and this definitely fit that description, Freya's family is also fantastic and it was just lovely reading about all the non romantic relationships she had and how important those can be!

Another win from Katy Birchall, I really loved the Secret Bridesmaid and this also did not disappoint!

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin’s Griffin, and Katy Birchall

This is a real feel good read, perfect for a holiday read or just if you want something light and enjoyable.
Freya is getting married after being with Matthew for more than a decade. Theirs is the first of several weddings that are happening this year within Freya’s circle of connections. So when Matthew calls it all off just hours before she was due to walk down the aisle, Freya had to not only deal with her own devastation, but she also had to put a face on it and attend all these other weddings.
Ultimately what propped her up to start with was her friends, but in the end it was her relationship with herself that was her source of strength.
My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review.

This was a fun read! For a book with so many weddings, I expected a little more romance than we actually got but I did really enjoy the focus on Freya's character growth and all of her different friendships. And the romance was very sweet. Overall, this book was light and joyful, a true delight to read on a sunny afternoon.

This is such a fun, feel good book. It was funny and joyful and romantic. I really enjoyed it. It reminded me of 27 dresses the romcom movie. It was well written, with great characters and a feel good storyline.

I really enjoyed this book and didn't want to put it down. I loved Freya's relationship with her friends all the way through the book as well as the sometimes complicated relationship with her family which just added another element to her character but didn't draw away from the overall story.
Although this is a standard romcom in some ways it also focuses on Freya's journey and self growth rather than being solely about the romance. Personally, this is something that I'm enjoying seeing more of recently and doesn't detract from the fact that it's a great read. The Wedding Season highlights the importance of great friendships and Freya's development throughout felt realistic. There aren't really any particularly heavy moments but there were some funny points that had me laughing which made it a nice, easy story to cosy up with.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the ARC.

Loved this book. Freya is getting married to Matthew. Then the day before the wedding Matthew calls it off and says they're not right for each other even after 12 years together. Freya has loads of weddings to go to. Her friends Ruby and Leo set her challenges for everyone of these weddings.

Katy Birchall returns to weddings for the follow-up to last year's wonderful 'The Secret Bridesmaid'.

Freya Scott's life is turned on its head after her boyfriend Matthew calls off their wedding, which would've marked the start of 'wedding season' the first of eight weddings.

Luckily she has her friends to support her through her heartbreak by giving her a series of challenges to complete at each wedding.

It's through these challenges which allows Freya to shine and grow. Importantly it gives her a chance to examine her decade long relationship and see where it was deficient.

As with TSB, the real romance is really the heroine's romance with herself, and with her friends. I absolutely adored Freya's relationship with Ruby and Leo - together and seperately.

While Birchall gives us a swoony love interest for Freya, the story's focus is on Freya's development.

The Wedding Season is a charming and delightful examination of loving oneself, friendship, and learning when to let go of relationships that don't serve us well.

3.5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC.

Another fantastically funny read by Katy - I was one of the biggest champions of The Secret Bridesmaid last year and I loved The Wedding Season just as much.

It's emotional, laugh out loud, well written fiction that I read in one evening because I didn't want to leave the story. I loved Freya (and Ruby and Leo, we all need our friends) and laughed at Freya's exploits like she was a pal of mine.

Overall a great read that I'll definitely be recommending to others.