Vatner, Jonathan. The Bridesmaids Union. St. Martin’s Press, 2022. ISBN ‎ 978-1250762399 336 pp. $27.99

*

I put this down after one character referred to bagel chasers and another called someone a Hitler based on her unsavory behavior. This commentary coupled with the fact this is a novel written by a man about roles traditionally held by women (bridesmaid/maid of honor) made me drop it like a hot potato.

While the premise is fascinating–a 27 Dresses type with a maxed out credit card from too many bridesmaids duties has to compete to be the maid of honor in her own sister’s wedding, and hops on social media to start a venting and support group for all the poor unappreciated bridesmaids–the bridezilla bashing gets old fast. Part of the narrative is direct messages exchanged with an influencer and the only(?) gay dude in the cozy private group, and the recreation of posts complete with images of terrible bridesmaid dresses. It just didn’t translate well to ebook format, but given the content, I gave up on it 35% in.

I received an advance reader’s review copy of #TheBridesmaidsUnion from #NetGalley.