Secret Bridesmaid

This book was so cute! As a former wedding photographer, I can fully attest to some of the craziness that happened in this story. It felt like I was back in the business and I found myself laughing hysterically at things that Sophie was asked to do because I had been asked to do so many of those things myself, yes, as the photographer. This story was believable because when you are there with someone on their big day, you do whatever is necessary to make sure it goes off without a hitch, that is why this plan to hire a bridesmaid is such a great idea!Sophie is a bridesmaid for hire, an event coordinator, a wedding planner, a helper and a friend, all in one. She will do whatever it takes to make sure you have the day that you imagined. When Lady Victoria comes to her and asks her to help her daughter Cordelia, she doesn't know what she is in for. Sophie knows that doing this wedding could be great for her carreer, but she doesn't know that Cordelia will be the most trying bride she has ever encountered, and that is an understatement.Sophie is introduced to the family as Emily, a friend Cordelia met at an art gallery and they just hit it off. Oddly enough, no one questions this friendship, even Cordelia's brother Tom. Cordelia thinks she doesn't need help planning her wedding and she really doesn't need a fake friend, so she goes to a lot of trouble making Sophie's life a living you know what. Sophie is not a quitter though and will stick this out till the very end, no matter what.Too bad she's falling for Cordelia's brother in the meantime. The only problem with the bridesmaid for hire gig is that you have to lie to everyone and meeting someone like Tom under false pretenses is surely not going to go over well when he finds out.This book was adorable and had just the right amount of hijinks and fun mixed with a little romance.

5 starsTW: mention of drug overdoseThis was my first book by author Katy Birchall and it will not be my last!This book is about Sophie, who is a professional bridesmaid. She makes a living being the perfect right-hand "friend" of the bride to help them plan for and to make certain their big day happens without any missteps.Sophie is hired by Lady Victoria Swann, the Marchioness of Meade, in order to help Lady Victoria’s daughter, Cordelia plan her perfect day. While thinking this job will help her to prove how talented she really is, Sophie is excited to take on this bride. But Cordelia is not the typical bride and wants nothing to do with Sophie and her "help," and sets out to make Sophie's job a living nightmare. Not only does Sophie have to content with a bridezilla in Cordelia, but she also finds herself oddly attracted to Cordelia's older brother Tom. As Cordelia's big day is pushed up due to another high profile wedding planned for the same day, can Sophie pull together a dream societal wedding for a reluctant bride, while keeping things professional with Lord Swann?This book was such a brilliant read! I loved the heartwarming feelings, the joys and mishaps of weddings, friendships, and unexpected love.The book centered more around the development of Sophie's and Cordelia's relationship than the romantic relationship between Tom and Sophie. So I would not really classify this book as a rom-com, but more of a chick-lit comedy. I was so rooting for the friendship between Cordelia and Sophie. They both were wonderful characters and had a lot of growth throughout this book. I was really unsure about Cordelia at the beginning of this story, but as Sophie and Cordelia continue to work together planning the big day, they both begin to open up to each other and find a true friend in the other. I found myself not excusing Cordelia's behavior, but more understanding her actions due to the betrayals by her friends in the past. Sophie had a wonderful support system in both her family and her other friends. They really helped Sophie to stick with Cordelia and her shenanigans. I really enjoyed seeing how much Cordelia and her fiancé loved each other. 'The other weddings were such fun to read about. There were some really outlandish requests made by the brides, but Sophie was willing to accommodated them, which made for some laugh-out-loud moments.Sophie and Tom were such an adorable couple. They both had some really sweet yet dorky moments, especially on Sophie's side. I would have liked to see their romance play out a little more. The text messages between the chapters were a great addition to the story. There were defiantly some facepalm test messages sent that had me cringing as well as laughing at the same time. Overall, this book held my interest from start to finish. I would highly recommend this book to those who ever thought planning the big day would be easy! I am looking forward to reading more books by this author!