J-30

by Melissa Senate

C'est dans l'univers grandissant de la "chick lit", que Melissa Senate, auteur de Célibataire à New York et de Trois soeurs à New York, met en oeuvre tout son talent de romancière. Sa plume alerte et drôle ne cesse de séduire de plus en plus de lectrices à travers le monde.

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary

281 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 24, 2004

About the author

I'm the New York Times bestselling author of more than fifty novels, including my debut, SEE JANE DATE (also available in cute TV movie form to stream). I write emotional, heartfelt romances for Harlequin Special Edition. I've also had two novels published under a secret pen name, but I will happily share if you message me to ask. I also wrote seven Special Edition novels under the pen name Meg Maxwell.

I'm a proud mom and animal devotee who lives on the southern coast of Maine. 4 new Harlequin Special Edition novels are coming in in 2026 starting with The Rancher's Famed Triplets, part of my Dawsons Family Ranch series (out now). Look for The Cowboy's Surprise Baby in July.

Reviews

[Ginger Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dnf

[Meghan Moore · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stupid.

[Elusive · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?’ features Jane’s best friend, Eloise from the book ‘See Jane Date'. Eloise and her colleague Philippa are getting married and courtesy of Wow Weddings magazine (which belongs to the company they work in), they’ll be granted their respective dream weddings for free but of course, nothing is ever really free.

Soon they learn that their so-called dream wedding is based on what would sell the magazine as well as which concept and role they’re meant to represent such as Modern Bride and Classic Bride. Their boss Astrid is in charge and they find themselves preferring each other’s wedding theme. Meanwhile, Eloise is confused about marrying her fiancé Noah. Despite her feelings for him, she feels apprehensive regarding marriage and discovers that it could have something to do with her father who abandoned their family.

There’s plenty of humour especially involving Astrid’s choice of outfits for their weddings and their reactions. I really liked Astrid even though she’s supposed to be somewhat of an antagonist. She’s bossy and demanding and I liked how she made everything work out for their mutual benefits. The serious parts are mainly about Eloise tracking down her father and analyzing how living life without her father could be having an impact on her fear of getting married.

Eloise’s brother, Emmett was a very compelling character. He was quite grumpy and distant most of the time yet he clearly had a sense of humour and I found him to be charming overall. While the focus of the story is on the weddings, there are also underlying messages revolving around family and friendship which are conveyed very well without coming across as preachy or overdone. The ending was predictable but the journey was definitely worth it.

Overall, it’s a great book filled with humour, meaningful messages and interesting characters.

[Rebekah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Is your wedding ever really your own. If you have already planned a wedding you know that everyone wants their ideas for your big day to be heard (and some are pushy enough to plan it for you – think My Big Fat Greek Wedding).

Usually these people are family but in this book, a sequel to "See Jane Date", Eloise’s magazine is paying for her wedding as long as she goes along with everything they want. She is deemed the alternative bride and they want her to walk down the aisle in a yellow dress complete with feathers but what she really wants is a traditional ceremony

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was all right - I'd actually been expecting it to be a lighter read than it turned out to be: a funny wedding story. However, a lot of the story revolved around how being abandoned by their father deeply affected the main character and her brother, and how the cycle was continuing with her brother's girlfriend expecting a baby. As a new mom who is always worried, this just made me a little depressed. At this point in my life, I am just looking for fun, relaxing books to read before I fall asleep at night....

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though you can see from the start just where the main plot of this book is going, the process and sub-plots along the way are still fun. I enjoyed every bit of it, particularly the realization that it's a story that ties in with one of the author's other books, which I have not yet read but have seen the TV movie. I definitely enjoyed it. Very much a roller-coaster ride exploring what life experiences make us who we are, vs. those we choose to let affect us.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It's the sequel to "See Jane Date", and this one is told from the perspective of Jane's best friend, Eloise. She get's a magazine deal that will pay for her entire wedding as long as she goes along with what the magazine wants. Hilarious, and I loved getting all the character updates from "See Jane Date."

[Tomalika · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spoiler Alert
The ending was disappointing. The way the story built up nicely at the beginning about Eloise’s father, her worries about Noah, and Emmett being... well...Emmett, it did not end that well. And the plot about the 'wedding from hell' really blows out. I know it was a fun read, but the book could be so well written.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eloise and her co-worker Phillippa agree to have their weddings featured in the bridal magazine they work for in exchange for a $100,000 wedding. Sounds great except they aren't able to have their dream wedding.
Easy, amusing read.

[Aprile · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, I got this book in a 4/$10 pile, and I totally understand that you get what you pay for. This book dragged on and on, and although had a good concept, was very poorly written. I guessed the REALLY obvious ending within the first few chapters. I was really disappointed in this book.

[Kirsten Schlewitz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I remember liking See Jane Date much more than this one. It seemed the author was trying to add too many plotlines in not enough space. The secondary plot (abandonment) was well-done, but the primary plot of a hellish "fantasy" wedding required too much suspension of disbelief.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Woman who works for a bridal magazine agrees to let the magazine select everything for her wedding in exchange for getting a free wedding. About what you would expect from such a premise - predictable and somewhat silly, but mindless fun, and with a little bit of heart thrown in.

[Abi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A crazy story of the Classic Bride vs the Modern Bride. It was a fun read, probably more suitable for a day at the pool or beach. It shows that things aren't always what they seem. Sometimes the girl that looks more like one thing can completely surprise you and be someone totally different.

[jen8998 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story has many plot lines that are pretty interesting as the heroine deals with tracking down her father, reuniting with her estranged brother and cold feet. Should have been a bit longer since the happy ending didn't feel earned - a little too pat.

[Laine · Rating 3 out of 5]

i liked how the story goes although you can predict what happens in the end. although the ending was predictable it has that nice feeling when you get to read it. eloise and noah's relationship is a bit odd, but i liked how eloise wrote her article why she said yes to noah, noah is home.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up for a dollar at a used bookstore, not expecting much. I was surprised to find that I liked it. Is it the best I have read? No, but I thought it was a fun and heartwarming quick read.

[Charity · Rating 4 out of 5]

A spin-off from Senate's See Jane Date. Heroine agrees to let a magazine plan her perfect wedding as a 'modern bride' with wacky results. Very good read.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review forthcoming.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this while I was wedding planning - good quick easy read. Just for fun, nothing brain busting

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really funny book!

[Tammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, good beach book, not too much thought needed, but will keep you entertained.

[Karin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Held my interest. Not realistic but a fun read. I found glaring errors in the story itself as well as in the text though. Where was the proofreader?!

[Jessica]

I loved this book. Well paced, cute and fun while still dealing with life's serious questions and issues. A page turner!

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first book by Melissa Senate and I'm glad to say I was not disappointed! I'm only giving this 3 stars for the unrealistic-ness of some parts. Can't wait to read more from her.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was okay for what it was- an escape from thinking! Am I any smarter? no.. but you can't exactly expect that from chick-lit.

[Rachel Gioia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I rarely do not finish a book....but I didn't finish this one, unfortunately....it wasn't moving anywhere, and I was getting fed up...will not recommend.

[Jenn · Rating 2 out of 5]

https://jenninsf.wordpress.com/2009/0...

[Rivkah · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an okay novel. Pretty interesting but sort of predictable story line.

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

It started off slow, but it got better.

[Derek Marx · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lacking in substance and incredibly discriminatory, but oddly satisfying.