Well this is a bit bonkers! Robyn, the ultimate feminist, is asked by her best friend Ellie to be her maid of honour which quite frankly is the stuff of her nightmares. She reluctantly agrees. The book centres around the week leading up to the wedding when some seriously ominous events start to occur.

If you're alright with your thrillers being on a scale of 0 - not likely to happen, completely off the charts then this is for you!

Despite its ridiculousness I actually found myself quite gripped by this crazy, dark but humourous tale. I've recently learned that I probably need to stop taking all the books I read so seriously and to start embracing the madness. It is fiction after all!

I really struggle to get through this book. I just could not get on board with the characters. They’re written to be hated. I pushed on through but sadly this just didn’t do it for me.

I really liked this book. It was fresh, and exciting. It had me intrigued from the very first page, and then I could not put it down! So so good.

I have just finished this book.

This book had such a great vibe at the beginning. I loved the dystopian feel at the start and was looking forward to seeing how this was going to be developed throughout.

What I will say is that the main character is very unlikeable. Robin had an immoveable mindset and she applied her standards to everyone, which didn’t fit with Ellie. She presents an unpopular point of view for many things despite coming across as a more open minded person and despite wanting to be inclusive, her own views mean that a lot of the time she is judgmental and a bad friend. This comes across as intentional. I enjoyed the polarising views of the two best friends, but they were clearly an example of ‘sometimes you’re friends with people because of experiences and history and not because of shared ideals’.

I got the clear impression that these two should not be friends. At all. Ever. They should have parted ways at the beginning of the book and everyone would have been saved the drama.

Again, another book that has animal harm in that I wasn’t expecting and I have been shocked by. I understand that this is dystopian and to show the extremes people may go to, but I found it jarring and the narrative could have been exactly the same without that scene.

Overall, I understood the view point and why this scenario gave itself to a dystopian setting, but it missed the spot for me.

I didn't like the book from the start and it was a struggle to finish it. Robin's attitude from the start made me see her as the enemy and I couldn't wait for the end of the book.

The book is told from Robin’s perspective; a woman who has been asked to be maid of honour for her high school best friend Ellie. I didn’t like Robin, she was so argumentative, what’s wrong with just letting people have their own opinions? And Ellie, well she was just bridezilla to the max.
Some of the wedding charms were just whacky, I didn’t see the issue with the sage and garlic bouquet though since herbal bouquets were used before flowers became more romanticised.

This was quite a surprising read! When I chose it I wasn't expecting it to be a dystopian alternate universe story of America, although it's sadly not as dystopian as it seems! It was a nice surprise though and quite liked the social commentary aspect, although there were some bits that were too surreal. Overall a good read!

The story is set in a dystopian alternate universe, it's present-day but not quite today as we know it. There are whispers of The Handmaid's Tale in some of the themes the author has chosen to shine a light on, specifically relating to weddings and the expectations on women to conform to expectations by society / friends & family / themselves.

None of the characters are especially likeable, but I think that's the point - everyone is flawed and in this flaws are laid bare. While elements of the story are clearly exaggerated for the purposes of the story, there is a fair amount that goes on that had me chuckling or shaking my head.

There are some rough edges and parts that didnt work so well for me - for example it's mentioned at one point that Ellie was a twin, and then never mentioned again. There's an anti-vax character, again briefly mentioned but never really fleshed out. Men are very much peripheral characters, sketched at best and Ellie's Mum and Robin's partner are never really developed as much as I would have liked.

The story does get very surreal in parts and the plotting gets more outlandish as we hurtle towards the finale - overall though I enjoyed this, not earth shattering but definitely a quirky and fun read!

This is set in an alternative America, but one that unfortunately seems quite plausible - with the decrease in marriage, the Government have brought forward a number of measures to encourage people to get married. Everyone has a "marriage rating" - at 35, women are considered "rotten" if they're still single. Abortion clinics are closing countrywide. Women will do anything to find a husband - even if it means sacrificing everything else.

I can kinda see what the author was doing here. I hate to just call it "biting social commentary", but it is. It's a satirical look at the old-fashioned customs and traditions of marriage, a witty point-and-laugh exercise dressed up as feminism. The lead character, Robin, is insufferable. She's a lesbian - a fact that she drills home repeatedly. She's a staunch feminist with a loud mouth who has great difficulty accepting any viewpoint that doesn't line up with her own. She would start an argument in an empty room, and I found her utterly exhausting and wholly unlikeable (even though I share many of her views). She's just awful and I couldn't figure out why anyone would want to be friends with her. When her on-off best friend from childhood, Ellie, announces her engagement, Robin doesn't even try to hide her disdain. She makes no effort whatsoever to help Ellie have a good day. So when the wedding and Ellie's behaviour begins to border on lunacy, I found it hard to muster any sympathy for Robin. Actually, I was hoping she'd get her comeuppance for being a shitty friend and an intolerant loudmouth.

The book contradicts itself frequently - at one point, Ellie's mother is talking about how overjoyed she was when she "found out I was having a girl" - we had been told that Ellie was a twin, so why is this never mentioned again? Another instance sees Robin talking about an experience in which "it was the first time I had felt my life was in danger" but an earlier incident had seen her being certain she was going to die. When Robin encounters a woman who hasn't vaccinated her children, she spends $40 on science books for the woman just to prove a point, and in the next breath laments having to spend so much money on the bachelorette party and wedding.

Whoever compared this to Bridesmaids has clearly never seen Bridesmaids. Unless they meant the copious references to shitting? Because, reader, they mention shitting A LOT.

This could have been great - but as someone who has no interest in weddings even I found myself getting oddly defensive of them. Interestingly, the anti-vaxxer came across as the most tolerant character in the entire book. I didn't like the way feminism was portrayed, and I didn't like the way women who wanted to get married were mocked while the men were barely mentioned.

Also, what the hell was the point of the Beth story?!

I just really didn't like it. Thanks to the publisher for the Netgalley ARC, I'm sorry I couldn't be more positive with this one.

A great, fun read with lots of twists and turns. Imagine you are invited to be chief bridesmaid at your best friend's wedding and you can't think of anything worse. Little could Robin have imagined how badly the event could turn out for Ellie to have the wedding of her dreams.

If there's two words to describe this book it's these; caustic and utterly surreal. The writing is phenomenal, so witty and hilarious, reaching levels of great intellect and philosophical rhetoric over a different kind, subjects that could definitely be discussed at a sophisticated dinner party, without having an end result. However, the absurd plotting, seems to drag on a little bit, especially towards the end, so much so that it prevents the reader to fully appreciate the irony of it all. Engrossing for its surreal dialogue and out of this world concept, this is overall an entertaining read, that will make you chuckle quite a bit. Check for TW: (animal harm especially).

This is an original novel with links to other books which are expressly noted within it such as The Handmaid’s Tale. While there are some themes in common, there is no danger this is a copy and it looks at a very specific part of society in order to explore wider issues. Although dystopia, you can see the author is critical of at least aspects of today’s society and the traditions of weddings and meaning this holds for women. I don’t think any characters are particularly likeable which is clearly not the point (or rather, clearly IS the point) so this is something to be aware of as you start reading. I enjoyed the way all the characters flaws were examined rather than setting one up with the moral high ground. As irritating as Robin is, let’s hope we never stoop to murder!

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately for me, this wasn't what I was hoping it to be. For that reason, I DNF'd it at 53%.

I tried so hard to keep going with this book, as I knew the pay off would hopefully, eventually come. Sadly, the characters, in my opinion, were so annoying that I couldn't get behind either of them. There was no reason, no connection, for me to continue reading.

I think the concept is a really clever one, which had a lot of potential. But, for me, the execution didn't hold up to what it could have been.

‘So Happy For You’ is the latest book by Celia Laskey.

Robin and Ellie have been best friends since childhood. They’ve been through everything together, from Robin coming out to the death of Ellie’s dad. But when Ellie asks Robin to be her maid of honour, Robin is reluctant. It’s not that Robin isn’t happy for Ellie; she just hates everything about weddings and marriage—plus the guy Ellie’s engaged to. There’s also the matter of the crazy (not to mention dangerous) wedding rituals that couples are resorting to in the hope of securing a lifetime of happiness. Despite her misgivings, Robin finally says yes. But as the wedding day approaches, she gets the feeling that everyone in the bridal party is out to get her. And it seems Ellie is willing to do anything for the perfect day. After all, marriage is about sacrifice.

Nothing could have prepared me for the twists and drama in this book, which I thought was initially a quirky spin on ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, but it really was quite the comedic and dark story.

Robin and Ellie have been best friends since childhood living in each other’s pockets but as they become older. They become polar opposites, Ellie becomes obsessed with finding the one and getting married whilst Robin, an outspoken feminist hates the concept of marriage and sees it as an antiquated tradition and is content living with her girlfriend Aimee.

But despite their differences, when Ellie finally becomes engaged, she asks Robin to become her maid of honour and under Ellie’s pressure and guilt, Robin reluctantly agrees. As the big day gets closer, Ellie becomes more unhinged and manic determined to have the perfect day, no matter the cost.

I loved this story, it’s witty, it’s dark and really focuses on societal pressures to settle down but giving it a bit of spin with the clever storyline. I initially didn’t like Robin, I found her brash and outspoken but as the story progressed, I loved her.

She was fun, committed and even though she doesn’t believe in marriage, she supported Ellie. Ellie was an astonishing character, taking the term ‘bridezilla’ to a whole new level, she was manipulative and manic with her behaviour and quite regularly through the story, her actions shocked me!

This story is a great book that I highly recommend. It’s dark, witty and really delves into the incredible pressure that women are put under to have the perfect wedding and marriage.

From strange traditions and charms, ‘So Happy For You’ is a story of friendship, drama and forgiveness and I loved every second of it!

You can buy ‘So Happy For You’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.

This was an easy 5 star book for me. It was fast paced and so interesting throughout.
It was like our real world but with very slight but impactful differences, like these insane wedding charms people perform to ensure their marriages are successful.
It's slightly dystopian in the way that the world is brainwashed by the government into believing they need to get married in order to be happy. Adverts targeted to you which not-so-subtly remind you how you aren't going to be fertile for much longer or that you are X-amount of years away from being considered 'rotten'.

The characters were the most interesting to me, and I felt that there was so much depth to them. Even Ellie I felt was so easy to understand despite her insane behaviour. Because the author explained the reasoning behind people's thoughts and actions so perfectly, everyone was so complex, not just black or white / good or evil.

I thought the MC Robin was a bit obnoxious in the way she is always looking down at others for the things they enjoy (weddings, having children, even TV shows). It seems like whatever is mainstream she hates, and people like that have always bothered me.
She is obsessed with the idea of people with the exact same opinions as her and only surrounds herself with people who are like minded, which is a big reason some of the most major relationships in her life have fallen apart.
I liked that over the course of the book she comes to terms with this fact about herself and is actively trying to grow.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes thrillers!

I absolutely devoured this book! It honestly felt like an episode of black mirror. It is gripping from the beginning to end and the pacing of this is perfect and just enough to keep you on your toes!

If you're a fan of black mirror or The Hands Tale I would really recommend picking this one up!

I felt like the author broach the topic of marriage really well and found the sexism behind it baffling as shockingly some of the "rituals" would be considered fine. As someone recently married and having a friend recently marry herself I found the question of how far someone is willing to go to ensure the "perfect wedding" really interesting

The more I think about "So Happy For You", the more layers I discover.

This novel by Celia Laskey reminded me of the wedding portrayed in the first short story of "Someone Who Will Love You in All Your Damaged Glory" collection by Raphael Bob-Waksberg. For me it was such a spot-on observation of the wedding industrial concept that puts so much pressure on the bride that it results in establishing newer and darker superstitions. "So Happy For You" explores what happens when these superstitions and made up traditions are taken either too seriously or internalised "just in case".

I enjoyed the witty comments, the non-friendship/toxic friendship dynamic between Robie and Ellie and the awareness of the social aspects and issues that Celia Laskey clearly displays. The novel is also mild enough that I wouldn't be surprised if it gets turned into a screenplay.

So Happy For You - Celia Laskey

I love a thriller that’s based on flawed yet real people who have been affected by a very real society. How we can all be only a few influences in the wrong direction, away from murder. The future, and the past, have always been manipulated by economic gain, dressed up as being in our best interests. Using shame, financial influence and not being ousted (oh the desire to belong) from the masses by going against the status quo. Marriage is big business, huge. We are supposed to be happy for our friends when their dreams come true. Even if they are not our dreams, even if they turn them into psychotic murderous products of a manipulative society. Right?

Just how much are we actually evolving as human beings? Society has a lot to answer for.

Not quite what I had hoped for, but I believe dystopian readers would enjoy this book. I went in expecting more of a humorous crime novel less handmaids tale.

“If you want to know the story of how my best friend and I ended up trying to kill each other, I should probably start with the night she asked me to be her maid of honor.”

As a recent bride myself, I found this book set in an ever-so-slightly dystopian future hilarious. In a world where marriage is touted as the only way forward, with penalties for those who remain single, our cynical narrator is asked to be a Maid of Honour. She accepts so she has the opportunity to write about the fiasco in an aim to become a published author.

I enjoyed this book - it’s light-hearted with a current of seriousness running through it and the first line really put me in the right frame of mind to whizz through to the end. It’s definitely a page turner.

I will say though that as much as we the reader are conditioned not to like the bride character, I wasn’t overly enamoured by the narrator either,
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