The Bridesmaid’s Survival Guide by Hannah O’Donnell (our own wonderful LadetteM) is one that I really wasn’t sure about before I delved in. We know I love Hannah so I’d be positively biased, but at the same time I do not read contemporary, and I do not read romance, so I was nervous going into this… I LOVED it!!
I read this book in almost one sitting (I read 20 pages, and then came back to it the next day), and I spent the whole time smiling and laughing at this amazing little book! I totally hadn’t expected to love this book so much!
It’s predictable in the best way possible, you know how it’s going to turn out in the end. Or at least you know the vague concept. And so you can just enjoy the ride, and it’s a great ride!
This book contains one of the best possible book boyfriends I’ve ever seen? As in he is essentially perfection, dear Christ, poor blokes having to live up to this. And it also tackles fatphobia head on, showing the purposeful and incidental discrimination that young fat girls are subjected to.
It’s also just such a realistic portrayal of teen-hood. Yeah sure there are parties, yeah sure people drink. But that’s not everything that’s happening in their lives. The parents are still involved, they still make silly and awkward mistakes that aren’t worldending but feel like it. Hannah captures this perfectly and I could 100% see this happening in the Sixth Form common room of my own high school.
On CAWPILE I rated this: Characters: 7, Atmosphere: 6, Writing: 8, Plot: 7, Intrigue: 7, Logic: 8, Enjoyment: 9, which gives a score of 7.43 and a 4* rating!
I really expected to only enjoy this because it was written by a friend, but instead I’ve found a contemporary that I’ll more than happily recommend to everyone and I’m so so excited to read more from Hannah in the future! Please go and buy this book, I’ve given you the link and everything! It’s an absolutely fantastic British RomCom-esque read.
Highlight here for trigger warnings: fatphobia, mysogyny.
Abi of Pellinor 