This was a gorgeous LGBTQ+ read with sweet characters and a charming love story. I would highly recommend this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me free access to the digital advanced copy of this book.

I love a good queer romance. Always will. While i didn’t. Love this one, I certainly didn’t hate this one. Love certain aspects, and love the diversity.

Thank you so much for this advance copy of The Grooms Wore White. I'm always honoured to review LGBTQ+ books - they are important stories that need to be told! It took me a bit to get into this one but I'm so glad I did - a great read. I'll be looking for Charlie Lyndhurst's works in the future.

This book was so sweet! The romance and the characters were top notch! I absolutely loved it and I think a lot of people will love it! Highly recommend!

I decided to read this book as I fancied something nice and easy going, to read alongside a thriller book I was reading.
It was easy to read, although I wasn't expecting the awful homophobia, throughout the book which made me feel quite angry.
BUT I did enjoy the journey of the characters, and how people had changes of opinions from what they saw as 'traditional' in the sense of a wedding.

“He’s totally a diversity hire. No way she’d have given him the job if he wasn’t…” she waved, not wanting to say the word “you know.”

Publisher: Hera Books

Release date: 7th April 2022

Pages: 386

Representation: Gay men, Lesbians, mentions of Bisexuality..

Trigger warnings: Homophobia, online abuse, suicide mention, adultery, alcohol abuse.

Summary: Jason is a gay man. He’s also a wedding planner, set on making every couple's dreams come true. Mel hasn’t had a life outside of raising her children-and looking after her half-absent husband- for the past 25 years. Harriet ‘isn’t homophobic’-she just doesn’t think that gay people should be allowed to marry. Three different lives intertwine as they all try to figure out how to make their life what they want it to be. They’re about to learn the hard way that It doesn’t matter how much you plan something, it doesn't always go as you expected.

The grooms wore white promises us an invite to the wedding of the century, but falls flat before the ceremony ends.

Note: I am a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, so therefore feel able to talk about this book with such a critical eye.

Normally I start reviews like this by highlighting what I liked about them, but this one is a little difficult. It was lighthearted, cute and had some important messages thrown in. I wish I had words to describe it other than just okay. It was okay. The story was okay. The writing was okay. How was that book? It was okay, I guess. I didn’t hate it. I didn’t love it. It’s received two stars because just being okay doesn’t make up for the variety of issues I found with it.

It was wildly inconsistent; one scene characters were being openly homophobic and then the next they were progressive. Businesses went from being overrun with customers to having none because the next scene needed it, certain things were problems for a few chapters and then seemed to disappear from the book entirely, whilst other problems would appear and characters would claim it was one of the biggest issues of their life and they’d never been able to stop thinking about it. Age caps were also mentioned multiple times by the same character, and at one moment she found them disgusting but barely a chapter later she thought it was cute. It was a strange lack of secure characterisation for such a character-driven novel.

It feels like an LGBTQIA+ book written for the enjoyment of straight women, rather than representing members of the community. At every wedding-whether there were two grooms or two brides-one of them wore a skirt and the other a suit. Someone had to be walked down the aisle. They were regularly disappointed they couldn’t have the wedding in a church. Every couple was either extremely heteronormative, or the pink, glitter and rainbows gay man stereotype. Are there couples like that out there? Yes. But for a book that tries to preach love and tolerance, it sure likes shoving people into boxes. This is doubled down by Mel saying that she “knew” her son was gay since he was four, since “what other four year old boy asks for my little pony?”. Reading this made me want to throw my phone across the room-the “progressive, ally” mum doing nothing more than buying into homophobic, misogynistic, stereotypes, and it being played off as funny and adorable.

When I pick up a book marketed as an LGBTQIA+ romance-especially with that name and cover-I don’t expect to spend ⅔ of it reading about straight couples-especially not when one of these straight women is extremely homophobic. The wedding planning and LGBTQIA+ couple seemed to be nothing more than a subplot to the romantic lives of two middle aged straight white women.

Slight Spoilers in this section: The book never actively dismissed her views, instead letting her get away with being a bigot until she changed her mind. I understand it was from her POV, so it was the character and not the author believing these things, but there were no consequences for the character. She woke up one day, decided she wasn’t homophobic anymore and that was that. Even the members of the LGBTQIA+ community in the book shrugged it off after she’d been directly and personally abusive to them about their sexuality. She was offered a redemption arc that involved no effort on her part, and belittled the struggle victims of homophobia face. It’s a common rhetoric that people should “be the bigger person” and forgive their abusers, and this book follows that; acts as if we could solve our problems by letting those that hurt us back into our lives.

Despite the happy ending, the entire thing left me feeling uneasy. It was definitely a cute, easy read, but it tried to jam its way into a representation that felt flat.

Its shining glory: At moments it was rom-com worthy, and gave us the idea that everyone can find love no matter what. No matter how bad a person you are-or think you are-there’s someone out there for you.

Its fatal flaw: Nothing seemed to weave together correctly; it was both stagnant and abrupt. Lots of different things happened, a lot that were never mentioned again; but at the same time the plot didn’t seem to move anywhere and the characters didn’t seem to be evolving.

Read this if: You like romance books that centre around personal development and growth, but you also want an easy read. You like books with extremely varied POV’s.

Skip this if: You want a book that deals with consequences and authentic representation. You don’t like books with multiple POV’s.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

I had to DNF it as I really really struggled to engage with the story and found the homophobia element a struggle.

I tried reading this on a number of occasions and couldn't get into it.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of a honest review.

This book manages to break the taboos of society where being male or female is only considered as a gender .
I liked the concept of the book and the characters couldn't be better than this .


Love has no limits

This is definitely for a fan of rom-coms, especially those with meet-cutes. Following the interwoven lives of the three mains kept this book at a good pace and wanting you to know what would happen next. The characters felt really developed and the book delves into some really prominent issues, without getting too serious. If you want a cute read with laugh out loud moments, then this is the one for you.

I received an advance copy of this book free in exchange for an honest unbiased review.

I blew through this booking record time, even though I didn't especially enjoy it. There were three main romance arcs in the book, a gay wedding planner Jason and his long term partner, a straight female wedding planner Harriet and her lack of romantic relationship, and a divorcing single mother of four Mel. Uncharacteristically, it was Mel's plot that kept me reading until the end.

The book was obviously in response to Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission but the pervasiveness of the Masterpiece Cakeshop attitude in the industry felt inflated, and somewhat unrealistic, at least to someone coming from outside the industry. On the plus side, it didn't quite read like an essay indicting the wedding industry. There was enough plot to keep it firmly in the realm of fiction. Though the industry stuff did at times feel a little heavy-handed, and could have used a bit more showing than telling. Most of the characters were reasonably likable, which also allowed me to keep pushing through to the end.

A book centered around queer weddings was a nice idea, but I don't think this one really delivered, at least not in the way that I wish it had. It celebrated the idea of weddings that were "extra" or eccentric, while centering and celebrating a heteronormative view of marriage. Harriet struggles with homophobia throughout the book, and while her homophobia is treated as unacceptable by the author, her sexism and championing of heteronormativity are quietly validated. There seemed to be this presupposition that of course marriage should remain traditional, and of course all couples will strive toward church weddings, with aisles that parents walk them down, someone in a suit and someone in a dress. I'm not sure the author ever manages to dispense with their own conception of binary marriage customs which were played with a bit, but never truly transgressed.

I expect others may find something else in the text, and will be curious to read other reviews.

THANK YOU NETGALLEY AND HERA BOOKS FOR THE ARC!

I was expected more from this book. I am a bit disappointed. This seemed a book I only could love. And I like it, part of it. It’s a coral story about three different characters. Their lives get tangled together. This is one of my favourite trope in contemporary literature.
The main characters are really interesting. Jason is my favourite, but I also like Mel and Harriet. But I am quite disappointed by their characters developments. They have none.
Jason is always the same. He’s not evolving. His relationship with Pete is very cute and I love to read an age gap relationship (15 years of age age!) so healthy and sane! Love it love it love it! But they also don’t evolve as a couple. They are the same during the whole book.
Mel have an arch, but it’s very confuse. Most of her scenes seem disconnected. I don’t watch her growing, I just find her growth. That’s it.
The same happened with Harriet. Her omophobia is really confused and she just stops to be an omophobic. Just like that. What’s the point? What happens? I don’t know.
The book is amazing for the first part, but in the second part there are lots of scenes that seem just slices of life without a guideline and the timeline is very confusing. What a pity! The writing is very good, the characters have so much potential!
I give it three stars because this is a debut, but I really hope to read something more consistent with the next book of this author!

Thanks to NetGalley and Hera Books for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Look, you gave me a queer RomCom, what more could I really ask for? I love the characters in this story, and while it was humorous in some parts, I loved that there was lots of self reflection and character development within it as well!

I read this book in a day because it kept my attention that well. Love it!

The Grooms Wore White is a heartwarming story which is woven together from three people's points of view. They are Jason, the wedding planner, Mel, his partners mother and Harriet his colleague. I always enjoy a story told from multiple viewpoints, it always makes me feel I get to know the characters so much more.
These are characters that are easy to fall in love with, well Harriet took a bit of getting used to but as the story unfolded we see her grow a little at least. Charlie Lyndhursts' characters are clearly very well drawn and they continue to develop as I have already mentioned with Harriet. Mel gained strength in herself and it was so empowering to see her stand on her own two feet and stick up for herself to Steve. I was so pleased when she discovered happiness again.
There are books where you usually only like one character,The Grooms Wore White is so different in that I was over the moon for all the three characters. Jason himself, I loved, he has the strength to stand up for himself and any LGBT+ person who needs it,to the point he goes out on a limb to help. The fact that he builds his own business from the ground made me feel all warm and fuzzy.
We see them all come together in the end and support each other.

Charlie Lyndhurst hooked me immediately and I was fascinated with these three people. So fascinated and intrigued, that I would be so happy to read more about them all in more books from this author. I look forward to see what Charlie Lyndhurst brings next.
Thanks to Hera books and Netgalley.

I found this such a cute story which has a romantic plot but is so much more than that. It is a story about starting over, looking at yourself and your opinions and standing up for what is right.
The story centres around 3 main characters and their personal arcs, which come together in different ways.
Jason is a wedding planner and has just managed to get fired from his new job, he is trying to get his own business off the ground and arrange his own wedding to Pete. I likes Pete and Jason and how they balanced each other. Jason was nervous and angsty whilst Pete was a little more level headed however when it came to the wedding Pete was more extravagant and excitable. They were very supportive of each other.
Mel is Pete’s mum and newly single after discovering that her husband was cheating on her. Mel was the hero of this story. Trying to hold her family together, keep her home (a little stubbornly) and find her way in the world as more than a wife and mother, whilst still supporting her children. She was far more capable and cleverer than she gave herself credit for.
Harriet was an interesting character and had more depth to her than the others, despite being very unlikable. Lyndhurst did a great job of creating a very realistic villain and her views and thoughts really made me angry. However, in many ways I felt sorry for her as we learned about her upbringing and deep down that she just wanted true love.
I flew through this book and couldn’t put it down. It was a light and easy read but in places thought provoking and emotional.
I would love to have more insight into Jason and Pete’s relationship and how they met and I think this actually would have worked well as a lined series, with a strong focus on a different character in each book, rather than three main characters in one. Sometimes it felt as though time was passing too quickly and there was more to explore about each character arc. This didn’t stop me from enjoying the book though – just me being greedy and wanting a little more.
A great and enjoyable read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hera books for the ARC of this.


Unfortunately this was not for me, based on the cover and synopsis I thought it was going to be more queer romance. This follows three POVs that interact with each other - Jason, a queer wedding planner dating Pete, Mel, mother of Pete who is reeling after catching her husband cheating on her, and Harriet co-worker of Jason as a wedding planner. I didn’t really enjoy reading any perspective and it was very heavy, which I think comes down to me expecting rom-com when it wasn’t. Jason deals with a lot of homophobia at work, Harriet’s internal monologue about him for most of the book is homophobic, and Mel is going through it trying to make the money to keep the house her kids grew up in, placing so much importance on something I really couldn’t understand. I definitely think there is an audience for this, but don’t go in expecting romance.

First, I want to thank Charlie Lyndhurst, Hera, NetGalley, and Rachel’s Random Resources for providing me with this book so I can bring you this review.

The Grooms Wore White by Charlie Lyndhurst sparked a lot of emotions in me! I firmly believe in love is love and anyone should be able to marry regardless of gender or body part! Many characters and situations had me fuming where I was literally yelling at my Kindle. I commended Jason for being true and sticking up when times got a little tough!

Charlie brought up some very important issues and messages in this book.

Steve really upset me by showing his true colors to both his kids and wife Mel! My heart went out to the family!

Jason’s career as a wedding planner made me smile ear to ear!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Hera Books for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

I’m sorry to say, this was not for me. I found myself disappointed. I had assumed, from the cover and the jacket blurb, that this was going to be (a) a romance and (b) a love story mostly focusing on the two men. I was surprised to find that it was actually more of a drama/saga about three more-or-less connected characters: two straight women and one gay man. There was very little romance and I never felt more than mild attraction from either Mel or Harriet, and only a contented connection between Jason and Pete. Not one spark, from any of them.

The plot narrative, setting and timeline were all very disjointed. It was hard to tell who was where and when. Time went by but sometimes a day and sometimes weeks or even months. Issues came up, such as money, career indecision, and alcoholism, that were suspiciously quickly and painlessly rectified. I never saw Harriet volunteering with the youth group, or witnessed much of anything between Pete and Jason other than a little arguing, some dinners, and a wedding. Mel’s whole life was her kids but I guess her ”new life” consists of going out and leaving them home alone, or having others watch them, all the time…? Why not ask the childrens’ father to pick up more slack? (I, personally, would not have been so calm and accepting of Steve as Mel was, but I appreciate that she prioritized a peaceful transition for the kids.) If Pete and Jason are SO time-crunched that they’re having fights about never seeing each other, how are they finding time to pick up Mel’s kids from school and babysit them in the evenings? I don’t know. I found a lot of things to be very inconsistent. I also found myself questioning why, for a novel with such a woke stance on the issue, the acronym used was “LGBT”. Perhaps in England Q, I, A, +, are not used? IDK.

Writing-wise, I felt there was a lot of telling and very little showing. Harriet and Pete seemed like fairly flat characters to me. Mel was very relatable at first but as she expanded her horizons, less and less time was spent on her feelings, emotions, or growth and her storyline seemed to be reduced to a synopsis of her actions. Jason had a lot of potential and a very interesting story line (and to be honest, I had initially assumed the entire story would be about him) but the major conflict brewing in the beginning off the story was basically headed off and avoided. Nothing really ever came of it, which was disappointing. <spoiler>I mean, Harriet declined the payoff money, so she was free to discuss the events or share her evidence, but if she did anything about it (or if Jason did), I missed it entirely.</spoiler>

This concept had a lot of promise, but unfortunately as written it didn’t really work for me. I think either Mel or Jason had very good story concepts, but they really deserved their own fully fleshed out stories rather than sharing incomplete narratives.

I feel like the cover is a bit misleading because I was expecting something different from what the cover shows still I liked it tho I didn't loved it.
I liked the layout although the time line felt disjointed and a bit confusing, and the multiple pov was fun but I didn't connect with the three narrators, especially Harriet. She felt spoiled and bratty.
The ending was my least favorite part because it felt like it all wrapped up rather easily also I thought the wedding planning business was going to be the main focus of the story but it wasn't
Overall I think there were some good ideas bit the execution was a bit disappointing.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

DNF @ 47%

Reminiscent of something like Clare Chambers's Small Pleasures, this one read like a bottom rung entry from a Women's Prize list. (I don't mean this as an insult to the Women's Prize. I just mean that other - read as: more male-dominated, more "prestigious" - awards wouldn't allow something of this subject matter told in this way near this list.)

The biggest issue here that led me to quit the book was a lack of character. Not a lack of characters, trust me that there are plenty of those here, but a lack of any real oomph or heart. Especially in terms of dialogue, characters seem to be ticking off a lot of hot topics conversation boxes.

On top of that, there are some drastic tonal shifts that happen with characters between their point of view chapters. This is especially true of Harriett, who swings with abandon between severely homophobic to ally without any rhyme or reason for attitude shifts.

I didn't have the severe distaste that some DNF reviews I've seen of this one have taken on, but it was a relatively weak offering.