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The Good Bride Guide: A wise and moving laugh-out-loud feel-good story
A wise and moving laugh-out-loud feel-good story for fans of Sophie Kinsella, Mhairi McFarlane and Lindsey Kelk. Ben Grant is fed up with always meeting the wrong girl. Having just celebrated his 29th birthday by being dumped by his 29th girlfriend, he decides he can't go on like this. Why can't he be as blissfully happy as his best friend Ashif, about to marry the beautiful Prithi, a bride chosen for him by his parents? Suddenly Ben has a great why not ask his own parents to do the same for him? But while Ben's parents see this as the perfect opportunity to set their son on the right path to matrimonial bliss, it soon becomes clear that Ben's idea of the kind of woman he wants to settle down with is quite different from that of his somewhat traditional mum and dad. Following a series of disastrous dates, Ben starts to realize that he wouldn't let his parents pick him out a shirt to wear, let alone a woman to marry. But when Ben finally meets the girl he thinks might be 'the one', he realizes that maybe he does have something to learn from his mum and dad after all. Can he learn the art of romance from his parents and land the girl of his dreams?
388 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2009
35 people are currently reading
186 people want to read
About the author
Matt Dunn
23 books370 followersMatt was born in Margate, but eventually escaped to Spain to write his first novel (in between working as a newspaper columnist, and playing a lot of tennis). Previously he has been a professional lifeguard, fitness equipment salesman, and an IT head hunter, but he prefers writing for a living, so hopes people will keep buying his books.
Matt is the author of four contemporary romantic comedy novels; Best Man, The Ex-Boyfriend's Handbook (which was shortlisted for both the Romantic Novel Of The Year award, as well as the Melissa Nathan Award for Comedy Romance), From Here To Paternity, and Ex-Girlfriends United. He's also written about life, love, and relationships for various publications including The Times, Guardian, Cosmopolitan, Company, Elle, Glamour, and The Sun.
Several of Matt's novels have been translated for various European markets (he's big in the Balkans, apparently), as well as as far afield as Malaysia and Indonesia. He's a regular on the literary festival scene, and rates the recent lecturing stint he did on the Creative Writing degree course at London Metropolitan University as one of the most rewarding things he's ever done - and not only because of the number of ideas he was able to appropriate from his students for his books.
Matt is the author of four contemporary romantic comedy novels; Best Man, The Ex-Boyfriend's Handbook (which was shortlisted for both the Romantic Novel Of The Year award, as well as the Melissa Nathan Award for Comedy Romance), From Here To Paternity, and Ex-Girlfriends United. He's also written about life, love, and relationships for various publications including The Times, Guardian, Cosmopolitan, Company, Elle, Glamour, and The Sun.
Several of Matt's novels have been translated for various European markets (he's big in the Balkans, apparently), as well as as far afield as Malaysia and Indonesia. He's a regular on the literary festival scene, and rates the recent lecturing stint he did on the Creative Writing degree course at London Metropolitan University as one of the most rewarding things he's ever done - and not only because of the number of ideas he was able to appropriate from his students for his books.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
August 19, 2019
Wow. I don't know what to say about this book. Oh yeah, I do. This was terrible. A terrible main character who wants to get married for some really ridiculous reasons who seems to be stalking a woman who is tied to another character he knows. I didn't laugh once while reading this, though I was told this was supposedly humorous. The main character (Ben) really just needs to be by himself, because even though he is a struggling artist with a terrible place to live, he still sees there should be some higher standards concerning whatever women he fools into marrying him. I wish the book had ended with some self-awareness on his part, but Dunn ends things so you can tell what is probably going to happen next.
"The Good Bride Guide" has Ben Grant feeling thrown when his agent pops up engaged. He finds out that his agent has an arranged marriage and that he feels less stressful about his life because his parents ultimately picked the woman he is going to marry in a few months time. Ben who we already meet and who is dealing with breaking up with a woman who he says didn't like him for him and was not right for him decides all of a sudden that he should get married too. So the book follows Ben as his parents try to set him up with a variety of women while Ben sits back and criticizes each woman. There's even a creepy meet-up when he hangs out with a woman who back in college he and she drunkenly promised to marry each other if they didn't find other people. That whole scene was cringe inducing.
I didn't like Ben. I thought he was self absorbed and I never got a sense of why he wanted to marry. He's not a hopeless romantic. He doesn't watch romantic comedies. He's judgmental as hell.
The other characters are barely developed though we spend the most with his family who you can tell Dunn tried to write as kooky but lovable, but ended up reading more ridiculous than anything to me.
The writing was so-so. I think if it had been longer, maybe he could have developed Ben more. As it was, this book felt rushed.
I was thrilled to get to the end.
"The Good Bride Guide" has Ben Grant feeling thrown when his agent pops up engaged. He finds out that his agent has an arranged marriage and that he feels less stressful about his life because his parents ultimately picked the woman he is going to marry in a few months time. Ben who we already meet and who is dealing with breaking up with a woman who he says didn't like him for him and was not right for him decides all of a sudden that he should get married too. So the book follows Ben as his parents try to set him up with a variety of women while Ben sits back and criticizes each woman. There's even a creepy meet-up when he hangs out with a woman who back in college he and she drunkenly promised to marry each other if they didn't find other people. That whole scene was cringe inducing.
I didn't like Ben. I thought he was self absorbed and I never got a sense of why he wanted to marry. He's not a hopeless romantic. He doesn't watch romantic comedies. He's judgmental as hell.
The other characters are barely developed though we spend the most with his family who you can tell Dunn tried to write as kooky but lovable, but ended up reading more ridiculous than anything to me.
The writing was so-so. I think if it had been longer, maybe he could have developed Ben more. As it was, this book felt rushed.
I was thrilled to get to the end.
April 12, 2025
It was fun but it could have done with a bit more of a storyline than just a guy trying to find a girl to marry. That was literally the entire book so I grew tired of it quite quickly and just wanted to finish it.
November 4, 2013
It's a 70/30 split (good/so-so) regarding my opinion of The Good Bride Guide. When author Matt Dunn was really firing, it was laugh out loud funny. In fact, I nearly choked trying to keep from laughing one night while my husband was trying to sleep in the bed beside me. At that point, I was a little worried that I may not survive the entire book.
Unfortunately, when the story wasn't zinging along it became a bit tiresome. I never thought I would say it about a book, but there was just too much dialogue. That dialogue came across like the author was using a story as an excuse to teach the reader a lesson about life through the wisdom of his peripheral characters.
But then the hapless and loveless main character, Ben, would get himself into a situation, or there would be a few funny lines, and that kept me reading. Overall, though, the balance between humorous action and dialogue just didn't quite work for me.
In spite of that imbalance, I actually liked the characters--all of them--and the premise for the story was a good one. Would you ever become so desperate to find a partner for life that you turned to your parents to find you one? If Ben's experience is anything to go by, I don't think so.
The story was very predictable, but in this case I don't think that really hurt. I was, in fact, delighted with the way it turned out (as expected).
If you enjoy British chick lit written from a male perspective, then give The Good Bride Guide a go. The humour is worth the read, and even though I found the "lesson" of the book a little forced through the dialogue, it was a lesson worth communicating.
Unfortunately, when the story wasn't zinging along it became a bit tiresome. I never thought I would say it about a book, but there was just too much dialogue. That dialogue came across like the author was using a story as an excuse to teach the reader a lesson about life through the wisdom of his peripheral characters.
But then the hapless and loveless main character, Ben, would get himself into a situation, or there would be a few funny lines, and that kept me reading. Overall, though, the balance between humorous action and dialogue just didn't quite work for me.
In spite of that imbalance, I actually liked the characters--all of them--and the premise for the story was a good one. Would you ever become so desperate to find a partner for life that you turned to your parents to find you one? If Ben's experience is anything to go by, I don't think so.
The story was very predictable, but in this case I don't think that really hurt. I was, in fact, delighted with the way it turned out (as expected).
If you enjoy British chick lit written from a male perspective, then give The Good Bride Guide a go. The humour is worth the read, and even though I found the "lesson" of the book a little forced through the dialogue, it was a lesson worth communicating.
July 15, 2021
It started off ok but then was just a constant marriage guidance kinda feel and not really getting anywhere. Disappointing really skipped a lot of pages to try and get to something meaningful in the story line!
June 30, 2013
Whilst I liked The accidental proposal, and the ex-girlfriends books, I found this one quite boring. We know how it's going to end, and the constant questioning by the hero is too recurrent.
April 24, 2022
Like Matt Dunn's book but didn't think this was as good as normal. The main character just came across as a feel sorry for yourself person
September 4, 2022
Didn't finish the book. The main character Ben is a misogynist, feels sorry for himself and is deeply unpleasant. His father is a ridiculous character. Got just over halfway through but just can't read anymore. Very disappointing book.
November 2, 2023
Ben is fed up with always dating the wrong girls. When his best friend Ashif announces he is getting married to someone chosen for him by his parents, Ben decides to allow his parents to find him a wife too.
July 26, 2018
I liked this book but it could have had a faster pace. Occasional laugh out loud moments but more thought provoking and curious. Great ending.
April 5, 2022
For sequel, would like to see the ruckus Terry and Amy would produce.
March 31, 2026
For a bloke the main character was really
soppyyyyyy and soft but the writing itself was great and the author has a really good sense of humour:
soppyyyyyy and soft but the writing itself was great and the author has a really good sense of humour:
November 16, 2009
Ben Grant has just been dumped by his 29th girlfriend. Not only that but he is also having to face his thirtieth birthday which is rapidly approaching. Desperate to find the perfect woman, like his friend Ash who is having an arranged marriage with Priti, Ben sets out to find himself his perfect bride. He enlists the help of his parents in his bid to find his perfect bride but soon finds out that the women his parents pick out for him just aren’t for him. His parents, however, love the idea and set about their task with gusto. After a bunch of disastrous dates, Ben calls off his search for the perfect bride. But what will happen when Ben meets his ideal woman?
I’m a huge fan of Matt Dunn and have enjoyed two of his previous works: The Ex-Boyfriends Handbook (an oustanding read) as well as From Here to Paternity (which I enjoyed, too). So when Simon and Schuster offered me the chance to read Matt’s new one The Good Bride Guide, I jumped at the chance.
I absolutely loved The Good Bride Guide. I thought the plot was brilliant and incredibly unique. Matt is excellent at tapping into the male mind and giving us incredibly enjoyable reads. I loved Ben’s quest to find himself the perfect bride and laughed out loud on many occasions. It was very amusing seeing all of the girls Ben’s parents picked out for him and you could see a mile off that none of them were really what Ben was looking for.
I liked Ben as a character and enjoyed reading of his conflict regarding marriage. In one way, to Ben, marriage is the perfect commitment but also could it all just be a ruse? Do relationships really have to come down to marriage or can you live in perfect harmony without it? I thought it added an interesting insight. I could understand completely Ben’s cynicism regarding marriage but I could also see the flip side – after all, his parents were (and continue to be) happily married even after thirty years.
Ben’s parents were a huge part of the book and I thoroughly enjoyed their presence. Their relationship came across as an incredibly easy one yet there was a secret lurking in their past that, while I wondered of it, I didn’t really see it coming. The scenes between parents and son made the book a pleasure to read and their relationship didn’t seem at all forced. His dad was hilarious particularly when Ben and himself went clubbing. It’s definitely a bad idea to take your parents clubbing.
I also liked Ash, who was Ben’s best friend and “manager” (Ben is an artist). Their friendship was believable and I enjoyed the banter between the two. I also liked how easy Ash agreed to his arranged marriage and how open-minded he was regarding the whole thing. I thought Priti, his bride to be, was his perfect partner and she was also incredibly nice. The scene where Ben meets Priti for the first time was really funny: Ben mis-hears Priti and thinks she lives in Dhundi, India when in actual fact she comes from Dundee, Scotland.
Another constant in the book was Seema, Ash’s sister. She wasn’t a huge presence and was only in a few times really but whenever she was she lit up the book. The constant banter and teasing between Ben and Seema was great to read and very well done by Matt.
Ben also attends writing classes and my favourite member of those classes was Terry, a cabbie. His observations regarding relationships were priceless yet totally unhelpful to Ben.
The Good Bride Guide was a really great read and one I wholly recommend. One word of caution though, NEVER let your parents pick you out a bride.
I’m a huge fan of Matt Dunn and have enjoyed two of his previous works: The Ex-Boyfriends Handbook (an oustanding read) as well as From Here to Paternity (which I enjoyed, too). So when Simon and Schuster offered me the chance to read Matt’s new one The Good Bride Guide, I jumped at the chance.
I absolutely loved The Good Bride Guide. I thought the plot was brilliant and incredibly unique. Matt is excellent at tapping into the male mind and giving us incredibly enjoyable reads. I loved Ben’s quest to find himself the perfect bride and laughed out loud on many occasions. It was very amusing seeing all of the girls Ben’s parents picked out for him and you could see a mile off that none of them were really what Ben was looking for.
I liked Ben as a character and enjoyed reading of his conflict regarding marriage. In one way, to Ben, marriage is the perfect commitment but also could it all just be a ruse? Do relationships really have to come down to marriage or can you live in perfect harmony without it? I thought it added an interesting insight. I could understand completely Ben’s cynicism regarding marriage but I could also see the flip side – after all, his parents were (and continue to be) happily married even after thirty years.
Ben’s parents were a huge part of the book and I thoroughly enjoyed their presence. Their relationship came across as an incredibly easy one yet there was a secret lurking in their past that, while I wondered of it, I didn’t really see it coming. The scenes between parents and son made the book a pleasure to read and their relationship didn’t seem at all forced. His dad was hilarious particularly when Ben and himself went clubbing. It’s definitely a bad idea to take your parents clubbing.
I also liked Ash, who was Ben’s best friend and “manager” (Ben is an artist). Their friendship was believable and I enjoyed the banter between the two. I also liked how easy Ash agreed to his arranged marriage and how open-minded he was regarding the whole thing. I thought Priti, his bride to be, was his perfect partner and she was also incredibly nice. The scene where Ben meets Priti for the first time was really funny: Ben mis-hears Priti and thinks she lives in Dhundi, India when in actual fact she comes from Dundee, Scotland.
Another constant in the book was Seema, Ash’s sister. She wasn’t a huge presence and was only in a few times really but whenever she was she lit up the book. The constant banter and teasing between Ben and Seema was great to read and very well done by Matt.
Ben also attends writing classes and my favourite member of those classes was Terry, a cabbie. His observations regarding relationships were priceless yet totally unhelpful to Ben.
The Good Bride Guide was a really great read and one I wholly recommend. One word of caution though, NEVER let your parents pick you out a bride.
February 26, 2017
This was a really enjoyable book. Very interesting to see things from a male perspective! I did think the ending could have been a bit better. I would have liked to see what progressed between the two of them (mentioning no names as I don't want to spoil it!). All in all a good read though.
May 14, 2013
I love men who write chic-lit. Their personalities really do shine and it's lovely to see the romance and opinions from the other sex.
The Good Bride Guide is the only Matt Dunn book I have read and I was pleasantly surprised. I will be purchasing more of his work.
The storyline was excellent, very original. The characters are well balanced and charming.
Ben, Is very likeable from the start. His Parents on the other hand stole the show for me. They are hysterical! The dates they set him up on are seriously bizarre. This Making for a fantastic read.
Ash, bens friend and manager is a big teddy bear and the bromance between them both blossoms throughout the pages.
I definitely wouldn't be allowing my parents to pick my husband. Saying that though, the lessons Ben learns from their advice, interference at times, and their own relationship allow him to realise himself and his own mind.
I recommend this book to anyone who's looking for something new and charming. It's a right laugh. It does have serious parts too, but in my opinion, it was just page after page of giggles.
4/5
Will read again eventually
The Good Bride Guide is the only Matt Dunn book I have read and I was pleasantly surprised. I will be purchasing more of his work.
The storyline was excellent, very original. The characters are well balanced and charming.
Ben, Is very likeable from the start. His Parents on the other hand stole the show for me. They are hysterical! The dates they set him up on are seriously bizarre. This Making for a fantastic read.
Ash, bens friend and manager is a big teddy bear and the bromance between them both blossoms throughout the pages.
I definitely wouldn't be allowing my parents to pick my husband. Saying that though, the lessons Ben learns from their advice, interference at times, and their own relationship allow him to realise himself and his own mind.
I recommend this book to anyone who's looking for something new and charming. It's a right laugh. It does have serious parts too, but in my opinion, it was just page after page of giggles.
4/5
Will read again eventually
June 8, 2014
I liked *A Day at the Office* fairly well, and was interested to try another Matt Dunn. Ugh. I give him a star for showing up and a star for decent plotting and characterization (can't give a star for witty writing, as a continuous drily-delivered succession of puns does not humorous writing make, IMO), but overall I really disliked this book. The protagonist/narrator is entitled and sexist and whiny, to the point where I kept reading because his bad qualities are so over-the-top I figured he must get some kind of comeuppance eventually, but no. Nope. By the end I wouldn't have been happy with anything less than his getting put out to sea on a raft by a band of rightfully-angry women who want one fewer guy around to objectify them. And (spoiler alert!) that doesn't happen. So boo. Disrecommend.
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November 30, 2012Ben Grant has just been dumped by his 29th girlfriend, now he thinks his life can't get any worse.
His parents then offer to find a bride for him and so they get a list of possible women for him to date.
If i was in Ben's shoes i wounldn't let my parents find me a groom. I dread to think what they would come up with.
I was surprised with the ending as i didn't expect that to happen and i thought Ben would get together with one of the women that his parents picked for him. All in all it was a really good book and i couldn't put it down. I'm very much looking forward to reading his next book.
His parents then offer to find a bride for him and so they get a list of possible women for him to date.
If i was in Ben's shoes i wounldn't let my parents find me a groom. I dread to think what they would come up with.
I was surprised with the ending as i didn't expect that to happen and i thought Ben would get together with one of the women that his parents picked for him. All in all it was a really good book and i couldn't put it down. I'm very much looking forward to reading his next book.
April 19, 2011
Artist Ben Grant has been dumped by his 29th Girlfriend on his 29th
Birthday.
Ash (Ben’s best friend) announces he is getting married to Pritti, it
is an arranged marriage. Bens Mum and Dad volunteer to do the same for
him, there are a lot of hilarious disasters but does Ben finally find
the girl of his dreams?
This is the second book I have read by this Author it was really funny,
I loved this book, I couldn’t put it down and read it in a few hours, I
would definitely recommend.
Birthday.
Ash (Ben’s best friend) announces he is getting married to Pritti, it
is an arranged marriage. Bens Mum and Dad volunteer to do the same for
him, there are a lot of hilarious disasters but does Ben finally find
the girl of his dreams?
This is the second book I have read by this Author it was really funny,
I loved this book, I couldn’t put it down and read it in a few hours, I
would definitely recommend.
February 9, 2012
It's guy lit ... a story written by a guy about a guy looking for love, an interesting concept.
The story was good and I was cheering for Ben in his quest as he meets some ... er ... interesting women his parents set him up with. There are some funny misunderstandings ... you see them coming and you go along for the ride.
The characters are likeable ... Ben's parents would be a hoot to have a beer with.
Blog review: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2011/06...
The story was good and I was cheering for Ben in his quest as he meets some ... er ... interesting women his parents set him up with. There are some funny misunderstandings ... you see them coming and you go along for the ride.
The characters are likeable ... Ben's parents would be a hoot to have a beer with.
Blog review: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2011/06...
October 4, 2012
When I picked this up out of the chicklit bookbox, I wondered if "Matt" was short for Mattie or Mathilda or something. Can't say I've read a lot of chick lit written by men, but this pretty much works.
This being said, the Ben in the story is incredibly lame, in a somewhat endearing way. I suppose self-deprecation is a genre too (think Bridget Jones), but one starts to wonder what woman in her right mind could possibly find this guy appealing. I can only suppose that he underplays (or never mentions) whatever assets he may actually have. I think this one will travel on with the box.
This being said, the Ben in the story is incredibly lame, in a somewhat endearing way. I suppose self-deprecation is a genre too (think Bridget Jones), but one starts to wonder what woman in her right mind could possibly find this guy appealing. I can only suppose that he underplays (or never mentions) whatever assets he may actually have. I think this one will travel on with the box.
March 30, 2011
This is the first book I have read that was written by Matt Dunn. There were a few laugh out loud parts I just can't make up my mind if I really enjoyed the book. Will just have to read another of his books and see where it goes from there.
September 2, 2014
So good!!! A guy finds himself 29 and not married. Decides that an arranged marriage might be the way to go. So he asks his parents to set him up. What they come up with doesn't meet his expectations.
Lot of insight into the dating/commitment/marriage world. Plus a lot of humor as well.
Lot of insight into the dating/commitment/marriage world. Plus a lot of humor as well.
November 4, 2009
Ok sort of male-biased chick lit.a rather unbelievable plot full of total weirdo women. full review at http://ourbookreviewsonline.blogspot....
August 22, 2010
This book such a fun read. It was a little boring at times but it made me laugh out loud more ^^ Ben was a little unbelievable but I loved his parents. Particularly his father was hilarious!
September 1, 2011
it made me think of my life that i kept finding the wrong guy but then many years later i find the one.a great read.
December 21, 2011
Funny! Got a little draggy towards the end though.
June 1, 2012
another good read
April 21, 2010
It's a lil dull for me.
April 23, 2017
This book tells the story of Ben, a 29 year old artist who can't seem to make a decision about what he wants. He bemoans the fact that he hasn't been able to find a woman that he likes enough to marry and spends the entire book whining about it. He is given to periods of introspection that are painful to read. There are some good lines in this that made me laugh but I really disliked Ben's character. I just wished someone would either give him a slap or tell him to get a grip.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews