The Almost Wife by Jade Beer (Book Review)

Today, I am thrilled to take part in the Blog Blitz for The Almost Wife by Jade Beer. Huge thanks to Kim from Bookouture for organising the tour and Happy Publication Day to Jade Bear.

The Almost Wife by Jade Beer: 

 

An absolutely gripping page-turner that will make you laugh and cry, and will stay with you forever! A perfect summer book-club read.

Jessie has always known she doesn’t belong, but she thought that would change when she met Adam. But pretending to be someone you’re not isn’t easy… and she’s already cracking under the pressure of keeping her past a secret from Adam’s uptight family.

Dolly works hard to keep up appearances – but what’s the point of only eating salad when her boyfriend Josh always seems distracted. Dolly is sure he’ll change once they’re married with a family; Josh did say he wanted those things… didn’t he?

Emily couldn’t be happier: she’s got funny, loving parents and a job she looks forward to. And then her boyfriend Mark proposes… just as some shocking news sends her life spiralling out of control.

Perfect strangers on the first page, Jessie, Dolly and Emily’s paths will cross in the most unexpected of ways. And as their stories collide, their lives will take a turn you’ll never predict.

An unforgettable book-club read about love, heartbreak and life’s unexpected second chances. If you love Jojo Moyes, Nancy Thayer and Mary Alice Monroe, you will adore this unputdownable summer page-turner.

Amazon Purchase Link

My Review

Everyone loves a wedding…. so how does three sound?

I thought the wedding theme may be overkill, after all, there is Helen who owns the wedding shop then the three brides-to-be Jessie, Dolly, and Emily…but I couldn’t have been more wrong!. I loved every page, and this book stirred up emotions I didn’t even know I had.

Jessie comes over as the bride from hell, but she is actually completely out of her depth and desperately trying to hide her past from her well to do future in-laws.

Dolly wants nothing more than for her wedding to be featured in Brides magazine, she’s so preoccupied she can’t see what is staring her in the face.

Emily’s whole family are involved in the planning of her wedding, with her dad giving out instructions with military precision.

So what do these three brides have in common?

All three women go to the same boutique wedding shop to choose their bridal gowns. It is owned by Helen, a widow, who still grieves for the husband she lost and makes it her life’s work to make every bride look spectacular on their big day.

I loved how different each woman was but each story was equally as engaging. I found myself emotionally invested in each bride from early on and it was hard to leave the book until I knew what happened to them all.

There’s no doubt that Jade Beer knows the wedding industry inside out but what comes over in Jades writing is how much she understands women. So many issues are covered, overwhelming grief, loneliness, physical insecurities, lack of trust …it produces raw emotion and touches on subjects that all women can relate to.

A beautiful book with words that really resonate and an outstanding debut.

Thank you to the author and Bookouture for supplying me with a copy, which I have reviewed honestly.

About me by Jade Beer:

 

I’m Jade. I’m a novelist, mother to two young daughters and the editor of Conde Nast Brides. 

I love writing about women and all the challenges we face in our daily lives. I’ve been lucky enough to work with some incredibly talented women throughout my career as a journalist and editor – ones who juggle the most all-encompassing careers with family and friendships and everything else that life throws at them. They often make it look so easy. But we all know it’s not. And that need to present one version of yourself to the world, while keeping the grittier, less polished reality under wraps, is a thread that runs strongly through my debut novel, The Almost Wife. 

In my day job as the editor of Conde Nast Brides, I share my working life with editors of some of the glossiest, luxury brands in the world – Vogue, Tatler, Glamour – and I have the enormous priviledge of travelling the world and sitting front row at beautiful fashion shows and working with the world’s leading florists, cake makers and stylists. But I also take a daily peek into the lives of young women who are engulfed in one of the most exciting times of their lives – planning their wedding days. This, above everything else, is the really fun bit. Being on the front line if you like. Hearing their thoughts, fears, worries and ambitions for the future. This really powerful cocktail of glamour and reality dances across every page of The Almost Wife and is currently being poured into my second novel which is due out in October this year.

I’m not sure I could have written The Almost Wife without making it personal too, feeding some of my own quiet fears into the mix. I’ve sat in important meetings, dropping huge clangers that years later still make me cringe. I’ve got more than my fair share of self-doubt and suffer like many other women from the dreaded imposter syndrome. I worry constantly about my family. How much time I have left with them. Am I doing any of it right? Will I be riddled with regret in later years? Will my daughters be critical of the choices I made? Am I failing the people I love the most?

Although work places me full time in London, my heart is in the countryside where I live with my husband and our two daughters. The Cotswolds is where my husband and I used to spend romantic weekends plotting our future together long before children came along and is now where I watch them both run free, hoping I will keep them close for many years to come. 

Take a peek inside my life on Instagram @jadebeerbrides