3.5* ( )

'Daughters of the Bride' is the third book of the 'Los Lobos series,' and I usually like reading series in order. I am almost certain that I will try to read the other books of the series. The truth I heard the audiobook through my Scribd app. I felt the book is long because it is the story of three sisters; if each sister had her own book, I would like it more than I did. On the other hand, I liked the storyline of all three daughters. There was growth and relatability in all of them.
The storyline was entertaining yet relevant and was comprised of characters with real-world problems. I reveled in the humorous and witty rapid-fire banter the characters engaged in, particularly Quinn and Courtney. I just adored them - individually and as a couple. I also found the book's premise to be unique, with the bride being a mature woman of adult daughters.
I Liked Susan Mallery's writing and looking forward to reading her other books. I have another of her books on my long physical TBR. ( )

I have read Susan Mallery's other works and for me the only one that I really do enjoy is the Blackberry Island series. Everything else has been hit or miss with me. This is a standalone novel and though I loved two characters from beginning to end (Charlotte and Quinn) everyone else was a meh (Sienna) and double meh to me (Rachel and the girl's mother (Maggie).

Daughters of the Bride revolves around the Watson family (Rachel, Sienna, and Charlotte) who are in the throes of the party planning for their widowed mother Maggie. Maggie has finally after decades alone found someone to fall in love with and marry. Her three daughters are happy for their mother and all are going through some changes in their lives as well.

Rachel is dealing with her fallout from divorcing her high school boyfriend Greg and joint parenting their son with him. Sienna is with a man that she knows that she feel more towards, but wonders if this is all she can expect in their relationship. Courtney is the black sheep of the family, she works as a maid in a boutique hotel with their family's long-time friend who owns the hotel.

So let's start with the good. I loved everything about Courtney's story-line. She's the youngest and seen as the screw-up due to her height and her inability to walk anywhere without knocking something over. Due to a learning disability school was hard and she quit as soon as she could and took up with some not great guys. Now she's working at a maid and is doing a lot to prove herself (in secret) to her family. Courtney definitely got things more than her sisters. And I liked that she finally stood up to her family and her mother regarding how they treated her for years.

Sienna I warmed up to in the middle of the book when you read more of her backstory and she starts to realize how terribly she treated her younger sister. Sienna knows that things between her and her boyfriend are not quite right, but she's still struggling through what is wrong.

Rachel I started out liking, but I really did hate what Mallery did with her character. To have a character who was cheated on and then have the whole thing end up being their fault because she ended up not showing her husband how much she needed him and oh she treated him like an overgrown child since he even admits that what he was doing, but still it's her fault? I hated the whole thing. I don't know why in romance novels we always punish the strong heroine unless it's in a regency romance novel and the same heroine is applauded for being ahead of her times and an Original.

Mallery doesn't spend much time with the mother of the group which I think was a missed opportunity. I really didn't care for her. Self absorbed throughout, and her immaturity when she realizes Courtney's secret was ridiculous. I also hated the fiancee too since he was overly indulgent with her and even rebukes Courtney when her mother is upset with her. Okay dude, not her dad, stay out of it. That's the other thing. The girls don't have a relationship at all with the fiancee which is weird. They all three think and talk about him in general terms.

Mallery chooses instead to include a male perspective into this read with the character of Quinn who is related to the owner of the hotel. I don't know why she did this, and know in retrospect get how odd it was since it breaks up the flow between the three daughters and then to have his POV included. Since Mallery doesn't do this with the other love interests (don't worry, not going to tell you who) it doesn't make any sense why she did this with him.

The other men in this book we don't get much to go by at all. I can honestly say I wasn't impressed with them at all.

The writing was good, I thought Courtney and Quinn's POV were more fun and also more real than the other two. Sienna doesn't really come alive til the middle/end of the book and I wish Mallery had shown her more at her job since I was more interested in her after we get to see how she does her job helping with battered women. I wish that Mallery had included more interactions with the three of them. I felt like I was reading three separate stories with a guy included until the very end.

The flow was good until as I noted above, Quinn's POV was included. It would have flowed better if the book had just stayed focused on the three sisters, with maybe some POV from the mother.

The setting of California was utilized a bit here and there. I guess I am just disappointed because Blackberry Island always reads like a real place with people. So far none of the books I have read (including Fool's Gold) touches that series.

The ending was a foregone conclusion. I wish that something had been changed up a bit, or it would have been great for the daughters as a whole to call their mother out on a lot of things that went on as they were growing up. ( )

4.5 stars.

Susan Mallery's newest release, Daughters of the Bride, is a charming standalone novel about three sisters preparing for their mother's upcoming wedding. In the three months leading up to the nuptials, each of the sisters deal with romantic issues that range from an unexpected engagement, a new relationship and a possible reconciliation with an ex-husband. It is an engrossing story that delves into the family's dynamics as each of the women examines how issues from their childhood still continue to define them.

Twenty-four years ago, Maggie Watson's world was completely upended when her husband unexpectedly passed away. With no life insurance or savings to fall back on, she lost their home but fortunately for her, local hotel owner Joyce Yates stepped in and offered them a place to live. This provided Maggie the opportunity to attend night classes while at the same time trying to keep her husband's faltering accounting business going. After years of struggling, she managed to find financial security but amid fears of losing everything again, she continued to work long hours. Never expecting to find love again, Maggie (with the help of with her three daughters Maggie, Sienna and Rachel) is happily planning the wedding of her dreams to fiancé Neil Cizmic.

Courtney is the youngest of the siblings and since she works at the hotel where the wedding is being held, she is most involved with the plans. She has a complicated history with her mom and while their relationship remains a little distant, she is quite happy to help with the wedding plans. Accustomed to her family underestimating her, she is still hurt by their continued doubts about her ability to successfully plan the wedding and reception.

Courtney is quite close to Joyce, her boss, mentor and friend, but she refuses to give in to Joyce's pleas for her to reveal the secrets she has been keeping. One of things she is keeping to herself is her new relationship with Joyce's grandson, Quinn. Since Courtney views their affair as a summer fling, she sees no reason to share the news with her family but it does not take long for everyone to figure out the two are involved. Once her family learns about the other secrets she has been keeping, Courtney is stunned by the varying reactions of her mom and sisters.

Oldest daughter Rachel married her high school sweetheart Greg and they have an eleven year old son, Josh. Divorced for two years, she is struggling to make ends meet while juggling her career and life as a single mom. Tired and still heartbroken over the divorce, Rachel is shocked when Greg becomes more actively involved with Josh. She is even more stunned when Greg admits to his role in the breakdown of their marriage and then begins asking her probing questions about the underlying reasons for some of her behavior during their marriage. With a better understanding of her knee-jerk reactions to certain situations, she gains a new perspective on how deeply her childhood is still affecting her but she remains unclear about what Greg wants from her. Courtney realizes she has never stopped Greg but is too late for them to salvage their relationship?

Middle sister Sienna is absolutely blindsided by her boyfriend David's proposal, but she cannot bring herself to turn him down. Wracked with doubts about their relationship, she begins to feel steamrolled by him and his family but he easily overcomes her objections. With two broken engagements behind her, Sienna is uncomfortable about breaking things off with David and she continually second guesses herself as she tries to sort out her feelings for him.

Written from multiple points of view, Daughters of the Bride is an engaging novel with a multi-layered, likable castt of characters. While there is a romantic element to the storyline, the plot mainly focuses on the growth of the characters and their individual relationships. Susan Mallery once again delivers a family-oriented story that is quite heartwarming, emotionally gratifying and incredibly uplifting.
( )

ARC Review: Daughters of the Bride by Susan Mallery

Daughters of the Bride is meant to be a classic. With each novel I read I fall deeper in love with Ms. Mallery's characters and her narrative style. She not only imparts sage advice, but creates stories that are a joy to experience. Daughters of the Bride is a story told with tenderness and nostalgia about the bonds of family. Devotion and understanding are essential to the dynamic of family BUT learning how to love enough to let go is one of the most important decisions a person can make.
With the help of surrogate mother Joyce, Sienna, Courtney and Rachel through self-examination discover the strength of love, forgiveness and healing. With a little bit of romance and a great deal of heart Susan Mallery has created an emotional masterpiece. ( )