★★★★☆ (4/5)

Phoebe arrives at a Newport inn alone, with no luggage, only wearing gold heels and a green dress, after her life crumbled. She's clearly not a wedding guest, though everyone assumes she is. And then, she unexpectedly bonds with the bride, developing an unlikely friendship.

This book is a humorous yet deeply emotional exploration of love, marriage, unplanned connections, and even heavy themes like suicidal thoughts, all set against a backdrop of a chaotic wedding.

I loved the character development. Everyone felt so real, flawed, and imperfect, with secrets and struggles that made them relatable. The way their paths crossed at this one place, at this one time, felt so organic. The main character, Phoebe (the only stranger to the wedding party), gets to have these revealing conversations with the guests, and through their dialogues, you feel their emotions like you're right there with them (maybe it's easier to confess to a stranger?)

It's an easy, compelling read, but also made me reflect on how people want different things at different stages of life, and how that's okay. The writing really pulled me in!

My fav quotes:

"I just mean, a story can be beautiful not because of the way it ends. But because of the way it's written."

"This is exactly what Phoebe has always hated and loved about life - how unpredictable it is, how things can change in an instant."