Review: The Worst Wedding Date by Pippa Grant

Note: An advance reader copy (ARC) was provided by the author via Give Me Books Promotions.

"Please go away." 

I lick my  lips. "Do you want me because I'm convenient or because you want me?" 

"You are not convenient." 

That wasn't complimentary. Don't think he meant it to be.

How dare Pippa Grant create a male character to challenge Hayes Rutherford and Cooper Rock for (shared) top spot as my favorite PG (that's Pippa Grant, not parental guidance) hero! Now, Hayes and Cooper are going to have to share space atop that list with Theo Moore, loving older brother, promoter of fun and dares, kitten wrangler, presumed screw-up, and knitter extraordinaire with a twist. He's paired with Delaney Kingston, devoted daughter, loyal best friend, rule follower, beauty with a brain, and babysitter of a certain (accidental) troublemaker during his sister's (aka her best friend's) wedding in Hawaii. Their book may be called The Worst Wedding Date, but it very well may be every romance reader's best weekend romance read date. And I suspect it's a series starter, too!

There's just something about seeing a main character's layers get peeled back one at a time as their story progresses that makes a reader like me become even more emotionally invested in that journey towards a happily-ever-after. Those missteps and stumbles--even the ones that make me want to smack them upside the head--and watching them as they get back up and figure out how to right the wrongs endear them even further. I don't expect perfection from my main characters; being flawless would make them rather boring. In Laney, we have a heroine who's never crossed any sort of proverbial line, not even getting close to skimming it. All these expectations lined up one both sides so as to keep her on the straight and narrow. Then there's Theo, a hero with assumptions stacked up against him, people judging him for follies of youth. She thinks she's too plain and straight-laced for him; he believes he isn't worthy of someone like her.

I go into a Pippa Grant read knowing I'm going to, at the very least, laugh out loud a number of times. But there was something about this newest book of hers that caused a pinch in my chest, reminding me that my heart wasn't all that cold after all. Maybe it was because there were bits and pieces of both Laney and Theo that reminded me of myself and experiences that I went through as well. Grant delivers her usual combination of heart, heat, and humor, but this felt like it had an extra dash of oomph. This also felt like a series starter, what with Laney's besties being as standout supporting characters as they were, plus I wouldn't mind getting to know a particular set of triplets better (just putting it out there). All in all, The Worst Wedding Date has turned out to be one of my most adored romance reads for 2023 (I'm sure Hayes and Cooper concur). Five-plus stars!

Release Date: 13 April 2023

Date Read:10 April 2023

Learn more about Pippa Grant.

Purchase The Worst Wedding Date on Amazon.