Review: Wedding Night

Wedding Night

By Sophie Kinsella

Published: April 23, 2013

Lottie just knows that her boyfriend is going to propose during lunch at one of London’s fanciest restaurants. But when his big question involves a trip abroad, not a trip down the aisle, she’s completely crushed. So when Ben, an old flame, calls her out of the blue and reminds Lottie of their pact to get married if they were both still single at thirty, she jumps at the chance. No formal dates—just a quick march to the altar and a honeymoon on Ikonos, the sun-drenched Greek island where they first met years ago.
 
Their family and friends are horrified. Fliss, Lottie’s older sister, knows that Lottie can be impulsive—but surely this is her worst decision yet. And Ben’s colleague Lorcan fears that this hasty marriage will ruin his friend’s career. To keep Lottie and Ben from making a terrible mistake, Fliss concocts an elaborate scheme to sabotage their wedding night. As she and Lorcan jet off to Ikonos in pursuit, Lottie and Ben are in for a honeymoon to remember, for better . . . or worse.

My review:

This book was not what I was expecting. Usually when I pick up a Sophie Kinsella book, I know what I am getting but I was taken by surprise with Wedding Night. At first I wasn't sure I would like it. Lottie is a flake in a big way and not the easiest character to like at times. Thankfully the book is told in alternating POV so we also get chapters featuring Fliss whom I liked a lot more.

Lottie has a history of making rash decisions anytime a relationship falls apart and while I felt bad for her when things didn't happen with Richard, I was annoyed by the way she decides immediately that Ben is who she should be with and marry. I did come to care for Lottie but she was so naive and immature in the way she clung to the past. 

Fliss for me was the star of the book. It is rather hilarious to read how far Fliss will go to prevent Lottie and Ben from being alone on their wedding night. She takes the overprotective big sister act to extremes.  At the same time all of this is going on, Fliss is dealing with her marital breakup and divorce and she wants to keep Lottie from the same pain she is feeling. Fliss may have gone a little overboard in her attempts to protect Lottie but she always had the best intentions.

Reading about Fliss and Lottie's childhood really helps the reader to understand the characters, especially Lottie. I think Lottie is a character that grew on me over time. There were glimpses of this person who could be really helpful and caring mixed in with all the whining and rash behavior. I think it was harder for me to connect with Lottie because I am more like Fliss.

The romance angle was different from the usual Kinsella book because the heroine has a break up and then gets married to someone else. Once the characters were introduced though it was obvious to me who belonged with whom. The characters just needed to realize it for themselves. I never felt really invested in the romance aspect of the book because it wasn't the traditional love story I was expecting.

In the end I liked this book though it didn't live up to my expectations because of Lottie. It did make me laugh out loud at times and I came to enjoy the sibling relationship and the character of Fliss. I appreciated the family relationships and humor but the romance was a letdown.  If you are a fan of Sophie Kinsella, be aware that Wedding Night won't be on the same level as her other books. 

Note: I received an ARC for review purposes courtesy of the publisher