Sophie makes a living as a professional bridesmaid and she bends over backwards to ensure that even the most formidable of brides get their day. Dress up as Chewbacca? No problem! Speak with swans, you've got it!

This book was a light-hearted refreshing read, with a whole host of colourful and charismatic characters.

Thank you netgalley for the advance read copy, I loved it!

I really enjoyed this book it certainly cheered me up no end with all its funny moments throughout.
It was a feel good rom com of a story with characters I fell in love with I actually closed my kindle with a sigh and it has certainly left the door open for a sequel,,,I for one would love that .

Nice easy to read book on a slightly different subject, that of being a 'professional' bridesmaid. It's such a brillaint concept! You do all the things you would do itf you were being a bridesmaid to your best friend , but you get paid for it. It's fine until the worst bridezilla in the world comes along, dragged by her mother . Sophie has to use all her understanding and charm to get through the misery that is. Lady Cordelia.
Thank you for the chance to read this book. It's an easy and pleasant read for a cold day.

Thoroughly loved reading every single part of this book! Sophie is a brilliantly written character who can’t always see the benefits of playing it safe. I loved the friendship that developed between the Cordelia and Sophie. I felt that Cordelia needed a Sophie in her life.

Through all the dramas and fallouts, I really was just wishing for a happy ending for Sophie. I just wish we could have found out more!

A thoroughly enjoyed book. The characters are lovingly crafted and the main character is a joy- who wouldn’t want Sophie as a friend? The idea of a professional bridesmaid is inspired and Sophie fulfils that role perfectly, with just the right amount of personal angst to stop her being a bore. I love the fact that the main storyline is interspersed with snippets from Sophie’s other engagements- each one different in their own way and also email conversations with suppliers - I really feel I must see the stripper and his circus skills.... All in all a delightful book, which could easily have a sequel. Did Sophie take over Annabel’s wedding? Did she waltz into the next quiz night with a lord on her arm? Did she ever get an office bigger than a cupboard? A perfect feel good book for any time of the year.

The story - ⭐⭐⭐
The writing - ⭐⭐⭐
Overall - ⭐⭐⭐

This was an easy read, it was pretty predictable, but no less enjoyable for it. I do wish a couple of the side characters & relationships could have had more development (Tom, Jonathan, Lady Meade...) but the characters were likeable, there were funny moments and it's a definite feel good read.

Fave quote - 'Nobody in their right mind has ever eaten a burger and said, 'You know what? I wish this was an eighth of it's size''

Fave moment - Cordelia's spontaneous hen party, as she finally starts to open up

I loved this story about Sophie who is a professional bridesmaid supporting brides through their big day. The book has some laugh out loud moments but my favourites are the little extra added moments at the end of chapters which are in the form of emails or texts about some of the crazier aspects of weddings. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun summer read.

A really great story with laugh out loud moments, really enjoyed the developing friendship between the bride Cordelia and her professional bridesmaid Sophie.

An absolutely brilliant read, just what I needed today! The main character was a joy to follow, and all the other characters felt real and dynamic too. Honestly, if you love Rom-Coms, give this book a go, I absolutely could not recommend it enough.

This was a fun, easy-going read which held my attention all the way through. It was predictable but sometimes that's all you want from a book: a well-paced story which serves as pure escapism. The aspect of it that was the most relatable and enjoyable is how it is an ode to female friendship with the rom-com elements as more secondary. That I think will be the main draw as readers recognise the value of our close friends and the family members we effectively choose.
It was also a nice study in class dynamics and the negative perceptions of the main character Sophie's profession which I think many will also relate to.
A nice, diverting way to spend a few hours and get lost in a warm and cosy story with likeable main characters.

Absolutely brilliant.. A great story I loved it. What a job Sophie had. . .I loved the email exchanges. You did guess who did the leak but it did not spoil it.. Jonathan was a lovely character. As for Cordelia you must read the book. A must read

I loved this book so much. I love rom coms about weddings generally, but this was one of the best in that sub genre that I’ve ever read. It was so funny! And I loved the characters (even when Cordelia was being a diva). This reminded me of Lindsey Kelk’s writing so if you like her books, check this one out too. I will definitely want to read more from this author in the future. 4.5 STARS!

I really enjoyed this book. First book I have read by this author & will definitely read more. Thanks for the opportunity to read & review it.

Sophie is a professional bridesmaid, terribly organized, she excels at calming nervous brides, and keeping everything running smoothly as she keeps a low profile. Fortunately she loves her job, until she gets the client from hell. Lady Cordelia Swann is getting married. She has no friends, so her mother hires Sophie to be “Emily” a childhood friend and bridesmaid. Furious with her mother’s meddling, Cordelia makes it her mission to be so cruel to Sophie that she’ll quit. Sophie hangs tight,it doesn’t hurt that she’s madly attracted to Cordelia’s older brother. A fun romp with humorous wedding anecdotes. Likable characters and a happy ending.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

All the books that I review start off with the full 5 stars and this one is no different.

I've got the Kindle version of this book and I've only read a few pages, but I'm already confused with the dratted book... it goes straight from the copyright then literally on the next line, the story starts with no warning or even a chapter number or even a blank space... unless it improves rapidly I'm knocking the first star off unfortunately.

I'm even *more* confused now, 'cos there's a number 1 a page or so later, so what was the jumbled mess at the start of the book then?? According to my Kindle I'm only 1% of the way through and I've yet to find anything positive about the book, so the first star is coming off already :-(

I'm 2% in now and the text is all over the place, almost like the author has hit enter/return at the end of every line in her software as soon as she got to the end of a line instead of just letting the words flow from one line to the next naturally? There are frequent one or two words on a line which is really starting to wind me up already, unfortunately.

The emails are all mushed up together instead of being set out as properly aligned To and From and the subject... so that's the second star gone already - I was really looking forward to reading this book, but after only 2% it's already lost two of its five stars!

I hope the author has got written permission to use all these big celebrities and brands, otherwise she could get herself into really deep, hot water. The last couple of emails improved though, so that star is just about clinging on for dear life atm.

There's just been a phone call that was as jumbled as the emails, so that star has just lost its grip and fallen into the ether. Oh dear... 5% of the way through the book and it's already lost 3 stars :-( I've got 95% of the book left to read and there is only one star left to lose... it's not looking good, is it :-(

I'm in a positive mood, so the extra space within a word won't make me knock off a star at 8% and there's been 3% since the last mistake, so maybe, just maybe, I'll get beyond 10% before I knock off the final star and give up on the book?? Got 5 minutes to go before it's time for my last two pills of the day, so I'm hoping to get to the end of the chapter by that point.

Just finished chapter three, so time for my pills then I can keep reading until I hear my bed calling me.

Chapter four was good... a couple of little bits that should have been picked up in the editing before publication, but considerably better than the first couple of chapters!

Oooh! I'm liking chapter five... the best so far in terms of content, but there's still some little tweeks that should have been picked up during editing.

Chapter six has been good too... a few more minor mistakes, but they don't stop the flow of the story, thankfully, so I'm not taking a star off - yet.

Chapter 7 was good - the author is really in their stride now. Can't wait to keep reading the rest of the book now.

After a really good few chapters that had rekindled my hope for a good book, the first page of chapter 11 has let me down, so I'm knocking off the final star and giving up after only 26% of the book. Sorry. It has potential, but there are lots of things that could and should have been picked up with the first edit, waay before it was published.

Just simply fabulous. Silly, romantic, funny at times and all working towards a beautiful ending. The secret bridesmaid herself is loveable, she has odd moments, and wrestles feeling inadequate and unloved however is propped up by great friends, a great cousin and parents that you want for yourself! I read the book through all in one go and it was absolutely worth it!

I really did enjoy this book, especially in this bleak world at the moment it was a great escape! An uplifting and fun plot about a professional bridesmaid, it really was funny at times and I did really like and relate to the characters. A well written plot which is perfect for fans of Sophie kinsella and Paige toon.

This is the right book for these bleak times, highly entertaining and escapism at highest level.
I had a lot of fun, enjoyed the plot and rooted for the characters.
The plot is well developed and flows, the characters are likable and fleshed out.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I really enjoyed this book and i hope there willl be a series regarding the Secret Bridesmaid geeat read.

The Secret Bridesmaid by Katy Birchall an adorable five-star read. This will be one that will divide opinion, as lots of people wont like one of the main characters, and I don’t think we should until we get to know her, as she just isn’t a likeable person. But that’s what makes this such a great read, it is a romcom and it has some of the funniest moments, I snorted red wine and my husband thought I was dying as I was laughing so hard at one point. Each of the characters in the story played a great part, there wasn’t anyone there to just fill the page. Tom and Sophie's romance was so sweet, and charming and really added a levity to this story, but what I loved most was Cordelia, she played her part so well I honestly think she may be one of the best written characters I have ever come across, she was a brat, but I knew where she was coming from, then when we find the truth, it just confirmed what a great character she is. Sophie was adorable and simply a bridesmaid I would love to have, I did not have any and I wish I had a Sophie in my life back then. But most of all I would love Cordelia to be real, I would love to sit at a bar and discuss scandalous things like how hot her brother is. Do not miss this story as I am sure it will be one of the best reads of 2021.