Always the Bridesmaid

Lindsey Kelk

May 2015 · HarperCollins UK

About this eBook

The hilarious new novel from Lindsey Kelk, author of the bestselling I Heart series

Everyone loves a bridesmaid – except Maddie, who’s perpetually asked to be one.
Everyone loves a wedding – except Maddie’s best friend, who’s getting divorced.
And everyone loves the way Maddie’s so happy behind the scenes – except Maddie herself.
One best friend is in wedding countdown while the other heads for marriage meltdown. And as Maddie juggles her best chance at promotion in years with bridezilla texts and late-night counselling sessions, she starts to wonder – is it time to stop being the bridesmaid?

Ratings and reviews

I found this to be a perfectly acceptable example of the genre - wow, that really is damning with faint praise (and pretentious to boot) isn't it. Sadly, it is true. There is nothing here to lift this above the serried ranks of chick lit but it was an undeniably fun read. Not laugh out loud funny but amusing in places. Maddie might feel like the perpetual bridesmaid but it was more her encounters with her boss that lit the book up for me. I've had a boss like that, not quite so extreme, but close enough to make me wince and cheer Maddie on in her rebellion. The friendship ups and downs between Maddie, Lauren and Sarah are well realised and their falling outs and avoidance of each other are very true to life. For once friendship takes centre stage rather than romance and that was quite refreshing. Maybe this is as well because the plotting of Maddie's romantic life was rather predictable and dull. The characterisations are rather sparse and although we get to know Maddie she is still quite flat on the page and I never really felt like I got to know her. Lauren is a mere cipher and Sarah is definitely a cardboard cut out. Both girls are defined by their marital status - Sarah about to become divorced and Lauren about to be married and there is little else about them. Maddie is defined by her job more than anything else, even her disastrous relationship with the two timing Luke (?) and her obliviousness in the face of Tom's rather olde worlde courtship. I did enjoy reading the book but it wasn't a gripping page turner (yes, chick lit can be that - see Heidi Swann and Trisha Ashley) and was quite easy to pick up and put down at odd points during the day. This makes it ideal for the commute or for grabbing a few pages during your lunch break - or desperately slow night shift. I am now convinced that there is a whole genre of chick lit devoted to event and wedding planners. We are only 4 months in to the year and I have read as many books with the heroine in that profession. Not necessarily a bad thing as it is a genuine job but I am starting to ponder on the propensity of authors to use this as a tool to bring love in to the equation.

Read every single one of her books. I can never put them down and I always find myself waiting impatiently for the next one.

This was everything I have come to expect from Lindsey Kelk and more. Laugh out loud funny.

About the author

Lindsey Kelk is an author, journalist and prolific tweeter. Born and brought up in the UK, she worked as a children’s editor before moving to New York and becoming a full-time writer. She now lives in LA.

Lindsey has written ten novels: I Heart New York, I Heart Hollywood, I Heart Paris, I Heart Vegas, I Heart London , I Heart Christmas, The Single Girl’s To-Do List, About a Girl, What a Girl Wants and Always the Bridesmaid. You can find out lots more about her here: http://lindseykelk.com and by following her on Twitter.