SYNOPSIS
Olivia can’t believe it when her boyfriend, Teddy, proposes out of the blue. She loves him (of course she does!) BUT it does seem sudden, especially when they don’t even live together yet.
There is only one place that Olivia has ever wanted to get married - a gorgeous venue on the Cornish coast, built by her grandfather. The problem is they only have one date available - and it's only a few weeks away! Olivia isn't so sure about rushing but Teddy jumps at the chance to be married within the month.
Thrown into a whirlwind of wedding planning, alarm bells start to ring for Olivia. Are they doing this for the right reasons? Why is Teddy in such a rush? And when he fails to help with any part of the preparations, Olivia must find help elsewhere, with unexpected results.
As the countdown begins, will the wedding go ahead? Or will Olivia find that her future happiness lies elsewhere...?
Title: Better off wed
Author: Portia MacIntosh
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Publication date: April 10, 2023
Portia MacIntosh is the bestselling author of over 20 romantic comedy novels. From disastrous dates to destination weddings, Portia’s romcoms are the perfect way to escape from day to day life, visiting sunny beaches in the summer and snowy villages at Christmas time. Whether it’s southern Italy or the Yorkshire coast, Portia’s stories are the holiday you’re craving, conveniently packed in between the pages.
Formerly a journalist, Portia has left the city, swapping the music biz for the moors, to live the (not so) quiet life with her husband and her dog in Yorkshire.
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REVIEW
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Better Off Wed is the 13th book by Portia MacIntosh that I read (and I still have many more left) and that has to mean something. If I feel a bit down her stories always manage to lift my spirits up with their fun and cute plots, her realistic heroines and the charming cast of characters she usually creates. Better Off Wed was not the exception.
Olivia’s boyfriend Teddy proposes out of the blue. Even though she thinks it’s a bit soon, after dating for nine months only, she says yes as her dream is to get married in a dream location with family ties. The only available date is a few weeks away, and she will find herself in a whirlwind, planning a double wedding as she starts questioning if she’s marrying for the right reasons and why Teddy’s proposal was so sudden.
Although the start was a bit of a slow burn, once the wedding preparations get underway, the story picked up its rhythm and I read it in two sittings. I like it when there’s some Bridezilla character, as it’s always so much fun to see the lengths to which some people can go to get their dream wedding. Add that said Bridezilla is an influencer and you have a time bomb in your hands! The author takes the opportunity to take a dig at influencers who do everything for the views and the likes. Despite all her drama it was nice to see her redeem herself at the end.
Liv’s arc was a pretty interesting one. It took her a while to speak up for herself, but once she did, nothing could stop her. She was going with flow, living for others instead of living for herself, so it was great when something made click in her head and she started going for what she really wanted or needed instead of whatever others wanted to impose. The story really makes you reflect about your true desires, what you really want, and points the finger at how sometimes we agree with decisions we’re not 100% sure about just because we’re scared of what might happen in case we say NO.
At first Teddy sounds like the perfect man, but after the proposal he does a complete 180º, showing a complete different side. I predicted the why and I may or may not (definitely MAY) have called him names. Although I didn’t like him, I think his conversation with Olivia was really mature and honest, not blaming one another and just coming to realize they simply were at different points in their lives, with different goals and future’s expectations.
The chemistry between Olivia and Hugo was fantastic but, based on his description and how he acted with Liv, who wouldn’t have chemistry with him???
A few days ago I was thinking about the romcom genre and its happy endings, and how we usually equal a happy ending with ending up with the love interest. I’m the first one that likes when things go well at the end, a happy ending is always welcome, but life isn’t always like that. I liked how the ending here felt pretty realistic, although I missed an epilogue a few months later to see where they were at.
Better Off Wed was a light read that had some interesting reflections and a great add to Portia’s body of work.
Thanks to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Rachel’s Random Resources for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review and my spot on the Blog Tour.
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