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Always the Bridesmaid
LA romcom writer Mia Valentina has it all; money, success, a tanned and toned body, golden blonde hair and a string of sexy lovers. She’s almost forgotten her previous plain old Mia Harrison. Until a wedding invitation arrives requesting (demanding!) her presence as chief bridesmaid at her younger sister Belle’s upcoming nuptials.
Mia’s barely been back in England before she’s accidentally injured the groom, unintentionally ‘cursed’ the wedding and been caught in a compromising position with her sister’s soon to be brother-in-law!
With the wedding of the year going dangerously off the rails, Mia has no time to waste – especially with sexy fireman and best man Leo on hand to help… Will she use all of her expert romance knowledge to save the day or will she just walk away? No one ever said a bad girl had to turn good…
Previously published as Bad Bridesmaid.
Mia’s barely been back in England before she’s accidentally injured the groom, unintentionally ‘cursed’ the wedding and been caught in a compromising position with her sister’s soon to be brother-in-law!
With the wedding of the year going dangerously off the rails, Mia has no time to waste – especially with sexy fireman and best man Leo on hand to help… Will she use all of her expert romance knowledge to save the day or will she just walk away? No one ever said a bad girl had to turn good…
Previously published as Bad Bridesmaid.
Audible Audio
First published August 22, 2014
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About the author
Portia MacIntosh
50 books2,086 followersPortia MacIntosh is the bestselling author of over 30 romantic comedy novels.
From disastrous dates to destination weddings, Portia’s romcoms are the perfect way to escape from day to day life, visiting sunny beaches in the summer and snowy villages at Christmas time. Whether it’s southern Italy or the Yorkshire coast, Portia’s stories are the holiday you’re craving, conveniently packed in between the pages.
Formerly a journalist, Portia has left the city, swapping the music biz for the moors, to live the (not so) quiet life with her husband and her dog in Yorkshire.
Find out more at www.portiamacintosh.com
From disastrous dates to destination weddings, Portia’s romcoms are the perfect way to escape from day to day life, visiting sunny beaches in the summer and snowy villages at Christmas time. Whether it’s southern Italy or the Yorkshire coast, Portia’s stories are the holiday you’re craving, conveniently packed in between the pages.
Formerly a journalist, Portia has left the city, swapping the music biz for the moors, to live the (not so) quiet life with her husband and her dog in Yorkshire.
Find out more at www.portiamacintosh.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
November 6, 2016
I came back to this book, remembering how funny it was after a night of reading horror, it did not let me down second time around! I'm stunned this book hasn't got more traction. It's good laugh out loud chick-lit.
A rollicking funny read! Snort hilarious! Tremendous one liners! I read chick-lit rarely but when I do it's purposeful, it's my feel good stuff in between heavier reading. This book was exactly what I needed. I had so much fun reading this book and didn't for one moment lose interest.
Mia is a big shot script writer living in LA, doing the big time, she works with other writers and is famous for their string of romantic comedy film hits. The funny thing is Mia is not a romantic at all, in fact she doesn't believe in romance at all, she's a practical girl. Casual relationships? Can do!
Mia's family are all back in the UK and it's her sister, Belle's wedding coming up so Mia flies home to the family to be there for the big event. She is after all the Chief Bridesmaid. This is where the fun really begins. She's the scapegoat and black sheep of the family and cops an awful lot of bad press from them. She really does take a lot from them.
Amongst the guests staying at the huge beach house are some single MEN. A recipe for some fun as far as Mia is concerned. She's okay with the casual sex thing, she doesn't want a relationship, but her family are horrified with her ways, her prissy sister especially. She's told to pull her head in or else!
Poor Mia!
This book has some absolutely hilarious laugh out loud, rip snorting scenes, I was in hysterics with some of the moments in this book.
The dysfunctional family dynamics and the dramas are hysterical. It's a very witty and funny book. Mia is not short of attention from the luscious single men in this book and she's not backwards about coming forward either. She's a woman that goes for what she wants. Much to the family's sheer horror.
Mia is blamed for just about everything that goes wrong leading up to the wedding day, the scapegoat of the family indeed. She's frowned upon by too many family members, especially the women in the family but keeps up a strong front. I did want her to snap back and have a hissy fit at them all to be honest, but she was trying too hard in this book to keep the peace.
The laughs keep coming as we see the shenanigans going on in and out of bedrooms leading up to the wedding, some very funny scenes involving young children being allowed to watch Pulp Fiction. There are accidents just waiting to happen. I laughed my head off and smiled all the way through this book.
Will Mia change her casual ways with any of the men she meets? Will the woman who writes romance scenes that make women swoon and sob all over the world find love and let it in? Or will she just continue making the whole family angry and upset with her and wish to God the wedding was over so she can fly home to her life in LA away from them all.
Witty characters and likeable characters, and a few characters that you love to hate. A fun plot and interesting scenes makes this book a total winner in the chick-lit stakes. I highly recommend this one.
Oh, and don't read TOO deeply into Mia's exploits, it's fun fiction after all and girls just wanna have fun right? Will the wedding day go off without a hitch or will they just happily get hitched? You can read and see. A frolicking good read that totally took me to a happy place. Exactly what I was hoping for!
I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
A rollicking funny read! Snort hilarious! Tremendous one liners! I read chick-lit rarely but when I do it's purposeful, it's my feel good stuff in between heavier reading. This book was exactly what I needed. I had so much fun reading this book and didn't for one moment lose interest.
Mia is a big shot script writer living in LA, doing the big time, she works with other writers and is famous for their string of romantic comedy film hits. The funny thing is Mia is not a romantic at all, in fact she doesn't believe in romance at all, she's a practical girl. Casual relationships? Can do!
Mia's family are all back in the UK and it's her sister, Belle's wedding coming up so Mia flies home to the family to be there for the big event. She is after all the Chief Bridesmaid. This is where the fun really begins. She's the scapegoat and black sheep of the family and cops an awful lot of bad press from them. She really does take a lot from them.
Amongst the guests staying at the huge beach house are some single MEN. A recipe for some fun as far as Mia is concerned. She's okay with the casual sex thing, she doesn't want a relationship, but her family are horrified with her ways, her prissy sister especially. She's told to pull her head in or else!
'I'm not saying you're not likeable,' my sister explains as she admires her underwear-clad body in my bedroom mirror. 'Just that you need to try harder to make people like you.'
Poor Mia!
This book has some absolutely hilarious laugh out loud, rip snorting scenes, I was in hysterics with some of the moments in this book.
The dysfunctional family dynamics and the dramas are hysterical. It's a very witty and funny book. Mia is not short of attention from the luscious single men in this book and she's not backwards about coming forward either. She's a woman that goes for what she wants. Much to the family's sheer horror.
You know what? I'm actually proud of myself for finally taking my role as bridesmaid seriously. Well, by taking it seriously I mean I have had sex with the best man - that's practically a wedding tradition. At least that's how I'll explain it to Belle if she finds out.
Mia is blamed for just about everything that goes wrong leading up to the wedding day, the scapegoat of the family indeed. She's frowned upon by too many family members, especially the women in the family but keeps up a strong front. I did want her to snap back and have a hissy fit at them all to be honest, but she was trying too hard in this book to keep the peace.
The laughs keep coming as we see the shenanigans going on in and out of bedrooms leading up to the wedding, some very funny scenes involving young children being allowed to watch Pulp Fiction. There are accidents just waiting to happen. I laughed my head off and smiled all the way through this book.
Will Mia change her casual ways with any of the men she meets? Will the woman who writes romance scenes that make women swoon and sob all over the world find love and let it in? Or will she just continue making the whole family angry and upset with her and wish to God the wedding was over so she can fly home to her life in LA away from them all.
Witty characters and likeable characters, and a few characters that you love to hate. A fun plot and interesting scenes makes this book a total winner in the chick-lit stakes. I highly recommend this one.
Oh, and don't read TOO deeply into Mia's exploits, it's fun fiction after all and girls just wanna have fun right? Will the wedding day go off without a hitch or will they just happily get hitched? You can read and see. A frolicking good read that totally took me to a happy place. Exactly what I was hoping for!
I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
November 30, 2014
I would like to begin by thanking Net Galley and Carina UK for an ARC of this book for my honest review.
I would like to say that if I could give this book 10 stars I would! I enjoyed this book so much. I was laughing all the way through and loved every bit of trouble Mia was getting into. I felt that Mia's life really mirrored my own life in a way. I have always felt like the black sheep of the family because I have not chosen the same path as my sister and she can seem to do no wrong.
Mia leaves LA to go to England for her younger sister Belle's wedding. As soon as she steps into the beach house where she is staying things seem to go completely wrong. The list of things that go wrong are endless it seems. From her letting her young cousins watch Pulp Fiction, to climbing in to bed one night with her soon to be brother in law to sitting on her sister's priceless wedding cake. If something can go wrong it will go wrong for Mia.
Mia also has long stated that she will never fall in love, never get married and she will just date for the rest of her life. That also goes completely wrong for her and leads her down a crazy path of emotions.
I have never laughed so hard with a book and it left me wanting another book about these amazing characters!
I would like to say that if I could give this book 10 stars I would! I enjoyed this book so much. I was laughing all the way through and loved every bit of trouble Mia was getting into. I felt that Mia's life really mirrored my own life in a way. I have always felt like the black sheep of the family because I have not chosen the same path as my sister and she can seem to do no wrong.
Mia leaves LA to go to England for her younger sister Belle's wedding. As soon as she steps into the beach house where she is staying things seem to go completely wrong. The list of things that go wrong are endless it seems. From her letting her young cousins watch Pulp Fiction, to climbing in to bed one night with her soon to be brother in law to sitting on her sister's priceless wedding cake. If something can go wrong it will go wrong for Mia.
Mia also has long stated that she will never fall in love, never get married and she will just date for the rest of her life. That also goes completely wrong for her and leads her down a crazy path of emotions.
I have never laughed so hard with a book and it left me wanting another book about these amazing characters!
March 19, 2022
I really hated her family, and I hate that thing that authors do where some people are horrible throughout a book and suddenly at 95% of the book they have some reason that justifies their terrible behavior and now everything is Kosher.
The book had a couple of laughs but more often than not I was distracted by really shitty behavior of her family to really get into the story, I didn’t really love the characters in general and they all seemed a bit too two-dimensional for my tastes. This is not my best book by the author and it certainly pissed me off more that it made me laugh. This is a book I wouldn’t recommend
The book had a couple of laughs but more often than not I was distracted by really shitty behavior of her family to really get into the story, I didn’t really love the characters in general and they all seemed a bit too two-dimensional for my tastes. This is not my best book by the author and it certainly pissed me off more that it made me laugh. This is a book I wouldn’t recommend
April 26, 2021
A humorous book with heart.
July 5, 2021
Discovered on Amazon Prime. A laugh out loud chick-lit that I just couldn’t put down. Just when you think Mia has outdone her self once again you soon discover this is not the case. Following the ups and downs of family life, wedding planning and finding love in unexpected places, I struggled to put the book down (also the insomnia helped with that...) Would recommend and looking forward to reading another Portia MacIntosh novel as I add her to my list of TBR Authors!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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January 30, 2023I’m all
Over the place with this one - funny moments, yes, but lots of unlikeable characters….the ending was rather sudden and there wasn’t enough depth with the romance. I did, however, stay up wayyyyy too late to finish reading this, so that says something as well :)
However, WMS - probably skip this one :)
Over the place with this one - funny moments, yes, but lots of unlikeable characters….the ending was rather sudden and there wasn’t enough depth with the romance. I did, however, stay up wayyyyy too late to finish reading this, so that says something as well :)
However, WMS - probably skip this one :)
July 23, 2025
Mia was massively unlikeable
October 20, 2025
Of all Portia's books, this one may be the most chaotic. Mia has a dysfunctional family and has to go on a week long holiday with them for her sister's wedding. She nearly sleeps with 3 guys and falls in love with one, all while nearly losing her job, consoling her 15 year old pregnant cousin, being accused of sleeping with her uncle, and letting her child cousins watch Pulp Fiction. #what
The last couple chapters are always cute and make it all okay
The last couple chapters are always cute and make it all okay
December 29, 2020
4.5 estrellas porque me hizo falta un epilogo 😂
August 9, 2025
I struggled with just how horrible Mia's family were to her and how she never told them off.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 28, 2015
I got this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review....
O.K. I have mixed signals about this book. It ended up being a really good book, BUT.... you have to really, I mean really push through a lot of it.
This story follows a woman named Mia. She lives In L.A living the dream. She writes scripts for romantic comedies. She gets paid great money, but her only down fall is her family. She is like the outcast. Now she is flying back to the U.K. to be a bridesmaid for her sisters wedding.
Now here is where I can start to hate on the book. Mia used to be a fat girl. She was smart and shy and was a "yes lady" well, she was tired of getting bullied by her sister and her friends that she lost all her weight, changed how she looked, and made a career of herself. Her family has totally acted that she was not there. I mean her parents had a wedding fund for both her and her sister. When she arrived off the plane her mother made it known that she used her half of the money on her sister because they knew she would never get married.
Her mother also makes it known that she is almost 30 with no husband and that she is jealous of her sister because she is 24 and starting a family. Her aunt think she is sleeping with her husband because she will find them alone and having weird conversations. Also, to make matters worse Mia is a whore. really, she will sleep with anyone because she does not believe in love and likes one night stands.
This story has a lot of "pity me" because Mia's family is hard on her. Also her sister goes out of her way to make the rest of the family hate her. Mia will put herself in situations which are funny and could possibly ruin the wedding. The whole family is staying at a huge beach house.
Mia will find herself stuck between 2 men and then also a third. this three men will each have their own funny stories of how they meet and what will happen. I will not ruin it for you because it is the only thing that the book has going for them.
Moral of the story is Mia will find herself and fix the wrongs in her family. She does not believe in love, but one lucky guy might actually change her mind. To make matters worse on top of her constant family drama her boss is not happy with her vacation and her lack of work so to speak. This will be another problem that Mia will have to solve or boo hoo about!
O.K. I have mixed signals about this book. It ended up being a really good book, BUT.... you have to really, I mean really push through a lot of it.
This story follows a woman named Mia. She lives In L.A living the dream. She writes scripts for romantic comedies. She gets paid great money, but her only down fall is her family. She is like the outcast. Now she is flying back to the U.K. to be a bridesmaid for her sisters wedding.
Now here is where I can start to hate on the book. Mia used to be a fat girl. She was smart and shy and was a "yes lady" well, she was tired of getting bullied by her sister and her friends that she lost all her weight, changed how she looked, and made a career of herself. Her family has totally acted that she was not there. I mean her parents had a wedding fund for both her and her sister. When she arrived off the plane her mother made it known that she used her half of the money on her sister because they knew she would never get married.
Her mother also makes it known that she is almost 30 with no husband and that she is jealous of her sister because she is 24 and starting a family. Her aunt think she is sleeping with her husband because she will find them alone and having weird conversations. Also, to make matters worse Mia is a whore. really, she will sleep with anyone because she does not believe in love and likes one night stands.
This story has a lot of "pity me" because Mia's family is hard on her. Also her sister goes out of her way to make the rest of the family hate her. Mia will put herself in situations which are funny and could possibly ruin the wedding. The whole family is staying at a huge beach house.
Mia will find herself stuck between 2 men and then also a third. this three men will each have their own funny stories of how they meet and what will happen. I will not ruin it for you because it is the only thing that the book has going for them.
Moral of the story is Mia will find herself and fix the wrongs in her family. She does not believe in love, but one lucky guy might actually change her mind. To make matters worse on top of her constant family drama her boss is not happy with her vacation and her lack of work so to speak. This will be another problem that Mia will have to solve or boo hoo about!
August 22, 2014
I would like to thank author Portia MacIntosh for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Again I love this cover and when I had seen it couldn’t wait to read the book, the only thing missing would have been an orange bridesmaid dress (read the book to find out why).
We first meet Mia in a compromising position with a work colleague, this set the tone for Mia as we get to catch her in plenty of compromising positions, the bit with the beach, her thong and two 10 year old boys is hilarious.
I loved Mia’s character from the start, she is a bitch but in a good way and doesn’t intentionally set out to cause problems for her sister or curse her wedding, things that usually happen to a number of people all seem to happen to her. I can see why Mia really doesn’t believe in love
From the very first page I loved Portia writing style it’s engaging and it is like reading someone else’s diary or watching a film of their life. Mia is convinced her family hate her and you can certainly see why with some of the things that they say to Mia. Enter Leo, he is a hot fireman that tells Mia he isn’t looking for love either.
This is laugh out loud funny in places, I also groaned and rolled my eyes in others, you need to read this to find out why. I can’t believe half the outrageous things Mia gets up to and she doesn’t do them to hurt her sister it just seems that way and maybe Bella is a little over sensitive with the stress of the wedding.
This is the first of Portias books that I have read but I will definitely read the other two, this is great fun that I loved from page one and couldn’t put down, I ended up staying up to 3.30am finishing it (the 3 cups of coffee the day before didn’t help me feel like sleeping so this made a perfect read).
Again I love this cover and when I had seen it couldn’t wait to read the book, the only thing missing would have been an orange bridesmaid dress (read the book to find out why).
We first meet Mia in a compromising position with a work colleague, this set the tone for Mia as we get to catch her in plenty of compromising positions, the bit with the beach, her thong and two 10 year old boys is hilarious.
I loved Mia’s character from the start, she is a bitch but in a good way and doesn’t intentionally set out to cause problems for her sister or curse her wedding, things that usually happen to a number of people all seem to happen to her. I can see why Mia really doesn’t believe in love
From the very first page I loved Portia writing style it’s engaging and it is like reading someone else’s diary or watching a film of their life. Mia is convinced her family hate her and you can certainly see why with some of the things that they say to Mia. Enter Leo, he is a hot fireman that tells Mia he isn’t looking for love either.
This is laugh out loud funny in places, I also groaned and rolled my eyes in others, you need to read this to find out why. I can’t believe half the outrageous things Mia gets up to and she doesn’t do them to hurt her sister it just seems that way and maybe Bella is a little over sensitive with the stress of the wedding.
This is the first of Portias books that I have read but I will definitely read the other two, this is great fun that I loved from page one and couldn’t put down, I ended up staying up to 3.30am finishing it (the 3 cups of coffee the day before didn’t help me feel like sleeping so this made a perfect read).
August 16, 2014
I received a copy of this book by the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Mia, a successful romance film writer, has left her family behind to pursue her new flourishing career and escape her former life. Living alone, Mia enjoys a somewhat young bachelor style life with no commitments or strings attached. This lifestyle is demanding and at times harsh but Mia loves it. After being called by his younger sister, her former aggressor, and asked to be head bridesmaid at her wedding it seems like things are going from bad to worse. Mia has no intension of settling down at the ripe age of 29 and to be honest, she doesn't really believe in love, but her family just can't understand her feelings. Being a bridesmaid is about to completely change Mia, but will the wedding survive with Mia on board? You're just going to have to read to find out!
This book was absolutely hilarious and I haven't laughed at a book so much in so long. It was really refreshing and entertaining to read! Some of the incidents that Mia ends up involved with are brilliantly funny and embarrassing. Macintosh has made each and every character witty, interesting and realistic and they all have substance and are important parts of the plot. I'm bursting to talk about some of the things which happen to Mia but I'm keeping my mouth zipped shut, no spoilers!
I'm someone who doesn't normally tend to read a lot of romance books, though they can be entertaining I'm normally much more into science-fiction and mystery. This just proved me wrong, if romance books can be as fun to read as this was I'll certainly be reading more in the near future. I really want to read more books by Portia Macintosh as well - deservedly five stars.
Mia, a successful romance film writer, has left her family behind to pursue her new flourishing career and escape her former life. Living alone, Mia enjoys a somewhat young bachelor style life with no commitments or strings attached. This lifestyle is demanding and at times harsh but Mia loves it. After being called by his younger sister, her former aggressor, and asked to be head bridesmaid at her wedding it seems like things are going from bad to worse. Mia has no intension of settling down at the ripe age of 29 and to be honest, she doesn't really believe in love, but her family just can't understand her feelings. Being a bridesmaid is about to completely change Mia, but will the wedding survive with Mia on board? You're just going to have to read to find out!
This book was absolutely hilarious and I haven't laughed at a book so much in so long. It was really refreshing and entertaining to read! Some of the incidents that Mia ends up involved with are brilliantly funny and embarrassing. Macintosh has made each and every character witty, interesting and realistic and they all have substance and are important parts of the plot. I'm bursting to talk about some of the things which happen to Mia but I'm keeping my mouth zipped shut, no spoilers!
I'm someone who doesn't normally tend to read a lot of romance books, though they can be entertaining I'm normally much more into science-fiction and mystery. This just proved me wrong, if romance books can be as fun to read as this was I'll certainly be reading more in the near future. I really want to read more books by Portia Macintosh as well - deservedly five stars.
September 3, 2014
Thanks to the publishers and netgalley for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is a hilarious, yet heartbreaking romcom, which explores familial relationships, assumptions and attitudes - how these are reinforced and how they can, with honest dialogue and love, hopefully become happier and healthier for all concerned.
Mia has made a great financial success of her life as a scriptwriter working in LA but feels obliged to return home to England to be a bridesmaid at her sister's wedding. That may well sound boring, but don't be fooled, it is the initial ingredients in a recipe for a superb story. Mia is an ex-fatty who was bullied as a teenager by her younger sister and her sister's friends - who are the other bridesmaids at the wedding. They are all present in the days leading up to the wedding and what could go wrong seems to do so - and it is always Mia that seems to be responsible far all the mishaps according to her family and their friends. To be honest, I don't know how she managed to put up with almost everyone's dreadful attitude to her, I suspect most folks would have returned back to LA asap and abandoned her bridezilla of a sister! How they react to each other and to Mia make this a romcom to remember and certainly a great one to enjoy. I will certainly look out for other books by this author!
This is a hilarious, yet heartbreaking romcom, which explores familial relationships, assumptions and attitudes - how these are reinforced and how they can, with honest dialogue and love, hopefully become happier and healthier for all concerned.
Mia has made a great financial success of her life as a scriptwriter working in LA but feels obliged to return home to England to be a bridesmaid at her sister's wedding. That may well sound boring, but don't be fooled, it is the initial ingredients in a recipe for a superb story. Mia is an ex-fatty who was bullied as a teenager by her younger sister and her sister's friends - who are the other bridesmaids at the wedding. They are all present in the days leading up to the wedding and what could go wrong seems to do so - and it is always Mia that seems to be responsible far all the mishaps according to her family and their friends. To be honest, I don't know how she managed to put up with almost everyone's dreadful attitude to her, I suspect most folks would have returned back to LA asap and abandoned her bridezilla of a sister! How they react to each other and to Mia make this a romcom to remember and certainly a great one to enjoy. I will certainly look out for other books by this author!
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November 6, 2021DNF-ing for a while.
My problem with this book is that it's really not funny. All the good reviews, I thought I'd like it. Mia's family are dreadful. They are emotionally manipulative and abusive, they have misogynistic views and no one seems to give a damn about Mia except her cousins.
It just made me sad. She deserves so much better. The only positive I can think of is her character, its genuinely refreshing to see a female character sexually active and not fussed with marriage or children. I love it. I do wish she'd just explode at her family though because I'd have strangled Belle within 4 minutes of meeting her.
The romance came out of no where and I feel it could've been so good had it have been paced better. I don't see an ending in which I can be satisfied. Unless all of Mia's family die in a tragic fire :)
My problem with this book is that it's really not funny. All the good reviews, I thought I'd like it. Mia's family are dreadful. They are emotionally manipulative and abusive, they have misogynistic views and no one seems to give a damn about Mia except her cousins.
It just made me sad. She deserves so much better. The only positive I can think of is her character, its genuinely refreshing to see a female character sexually active and not fussed with marriage or children. I love it. I do wish she'd just explode at her family though because I'd have strangled Belle within 4 minutes of meeting her.
The romance came out of no where and I feel it could've been so good had it have been paced better. I don't see an ending in which I can be satisfied. Unless all of Mia's family die in a tragic fire :)
November 27, 2014
A really funny book.
Mia flies back to the United Kingdom to attend her sister’s wedding as she’s the Chief Bridesmaid. She’s the black sheep of the family and when things start to go wrong she gets the blame!
She’s a scriptwriter in LA but returns home for this wedding. Some of her family attitudes towards her would have had me catching the first flight back!
She enjoys a casual approach to the opposite sex and also towards the care and nuture of ‘young children’- her young relations being allowed to watch Pulp Fiction not being her finest moment!
Real fun throughout the pages. My first by this author- but already looking forward to discovering more of her work.
Many thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for a copy of this book.
Mia flies back to the United Kingdom to attend her sister’s wedding as she’s the Chief Bridesmaid. She’s the black sheep of the family and when things start to go wrong she gets the blame!
She’s a scriptwriter in LA but returns home for this wedding. Some of her family attitudes towards her would have had me catching the first flight back!
She enjoys a casual approach to the opposite sex and also towards the care and nuture of ‘young children’- her young relations being allowed to watch Pulp Fiction not being her finest moment!
Real fun throughout the pages. My first by this author- but already looking forward to discovering more of her work.
Many thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for a copy of this book.
May 25, 2021
Funny & HEA
It’s a fun story and Mia ever the human disaster is hilarious in causing all manner of accidents. It’s got a lot of rather spectacular moments that honestly follow the idea of “What can go wrong will go wrong” but also some sweet moments too.
The only real issue I have with the book is her family and the all is forgiven attitude at the end. They aren’t particularly nice to Mia but that’s not to say Mia is uber nice either though.
It’s a fun story and Mia ever the human disaster is hilarious in causing all manner of accidents. It’s got a lot of rather spectacular moments that honestly follow the idea of “What can go wrong will go wrong” but also some sweet moments too.
The only real issue I have with the book is her family and the all is forgiven attitude at the end. They aren’t particularly nice to Mia but that’s not to say Mia is uber nice either though.
January 3, 2021
Meh
Mia is jaded, selfish and emotionally distant. Through most of the book she pushes people away, behaves badly and fails to consider anyone's feelings. It was very difficult to feel any empathy for such a flawed character and it wasn't until the last portion of the story that she began to catch a clue.
It also wasn't funny, the signs were more pathos than comedy. Meh.
Mia is jaded, selfish and emotionally distant. Through most of the book she pushes people away, behaves badly and fails to consider anyone's feelings. It was very difficult to feel any empathy for such a flawed character and it wasn't until the last portion of the story that she began to catch a clue.
It also wasn't funny, the signs were more pathos than comedy. Meh.
August 14, 2021
These people are despicable Ive never read about more unlikable mean nasty humans
October 25, 2014
Originally posted on http://beccasbooooks.blogspot.co.uk/
THIS-WAS-INCREDIBLE.
Firstly, a huge thank you to Portia Macintosh for inviting me to read her newest title Bad Bridesmaid. I was over the moon when I saw the email from Portia sitting in my inbox, and felt honoured that she had taken the time to get in touch with me and personally ask me if I wanted to read it. Hell to the bloody yes I wanted to read it, and I am OVER THE MOON that I did, because readers, let me tell you, this is THE funniest, naughtiest, and at times cringiest (made-up word) book that I have read this year. I was laughing. I was snorting. I was shaking my head. I was scrunching my face up. It was just EVERYTHING that I hoped it would be, and then so much more. Seriously, Portia, I cannot rate Bad Bridesmaid enough. *Cue the rambling review where I make no sense whatsoever*
In Bad Bridesmaid, we meet Mia Valentina. Living in a swanky pad in LA, and a script-writer for rom-com movies, she has it all. The money. The looks. Her life is pretty much perfect, until she is invited back to England for her younger sister Belle's wedding. She may write some of the most romantic moments for the big screen, but Mia is so not into romance and love and relationships, it's not even funny. She doesn't believe in love at first sight, she doesn't believe in settling down and having children, and she cannot believe that her younger sister is choosing to do just that. Love? No thank you.
Cut short, because I just really want to get to the part where I go on and on about how much I loved Bad Bridesmaid, Mia heads back to England to attend the wedding of the year, but from the minute she steps off the train and is greeted by her sister and her sister's husband-to-be, things begin to very swiftly go downhill. No, in fact, they begin to ROCKET downhill. And it is, without a doubt, one of the most enjoyable plots that I have had the pleasure of reading.
Firstly, the humour. MY GOD. Out of all of the books that I have read (and that's a lot), I do not think that I have found an author that can really make me laugh the way Portia did with Bad Bridesmaid. I'm not talking about a little titter here and there, I am talking about full-on, tears in the eyes, laughing so hard that my stomach began to hurt kind of laughter. Mia's character has the exact same sense of humour as me. It's sarcastic, sometimes inappropriate, and left to fall flat a lot of the time, but I swear to God, I was sobbing into my pillow at 2 o'clock in the morning because it was that funny. It's not just Mia's character that got to me, it was the entire scenario. Let me paint the image. Mia hasn't always been a glamorous, hot young woman. In fact, before she moved away to LA, she was fat and boring, and her younger sister Belle grabbed all of the attention, and she still does to this day. When Mia moved away, she decided to recreate herself. She lost weight. She ate healthy. She dyed her hair. And basically readers, she became 100% HOT. Mia's family all seem to have a problem with her, and when things begin to go terribly wrong in the lead-up to the big day, all blame is thrown in poor Mia's direction. Everything, and I mean everything, is blamed on her. The things that Mia came out with, the things that she did, I just couldn't believe it, and therefore, I laughed, and no matter how hard I tried, I could not stop. It's also Portia's writing style. It's just immense! She is out-there, and genuine, and straight to the point, and it added heaps to Mia's character. There were scenarios where I could just imagine the scene perfectly in my head. For example, girls. If you have long hair, then you can probably agree with me that sometimes, going to the hairdressers for a simple cut can turn into an absolute nightmare. For Mia Valentina, this is also true. I'm going to just use a tiny extract from the book to show you what I mean by the style and humour used. I'm sure we can all relate. This is Mia's trip to the hair salon. She tells her mother time and time again on the way there that she does not need anything doing to her hair, but her mother insists that Mia goes along with it, just to keep the bride-to-be happy. I was crying. Tears from laughter were streaming down my face at this point.
'It's a bit... orange,' I say, my manners getting the better of me. What I want to do is hit her over the head with that mirror she's holding and yell: 'you stupid bitch, you've given me clown hair!'
Hahaha, I'm giggling again as I'm reading it back to myself. There are just so many brilliant parts to touch upon in this story! The wedding cake, the groom getting a late-night treat, Mia being a bad-influence, a sex ban, the hen-do, the bridesmaid dress. It really was a fantastically f****d-up ball of wedding madness and I cannot put into words how much I freaking enjoyed it.
Mia's character herself is not normally someone that I would get along with. Let's face it. She's a b****, she even admits it herself, countless times. She sleeps around, she walks around half-naked most of the time, and she kicks men out of her the bed faster that you can say the word, 'orgasm,' but do you know what? Despite all of that, I could not help but to love the girl. When she first talks about heading home for Belle's wedding, I really didn't get why she was being so damn negative about it, and I wanted to shake her up and force her to smile and be happy, but from the minute she arrived home and her family began to cut into her, that was it. I was on her side completely. You begin to understand why Mia is the way she is, and I couldn't help but sympathise with the girl. She isn't actually all that bad. In fact, she is an absolute barrel of laughs. The things she has to put up, I am totally not surprised that she acts and talks the way that she does. She has one hell of an attitude problem but she pulls it off effortlessly. She's cheeky, flirty, sarcastic, and very, very naughty, and all of that combined made for one hell of a read.
If that isn't enough to make you want to read Bad Bridesmaid, then let me reel you in a little bit further. In the big beach house that everyone is staying in for the big day, not only including Mia's family, but the groom's family, as well as other family members, there are a number of mischievous wedding guests to be introduced to. Mia's disapproving mother and Gran, Dan's snobbish mother, Belle's friends that once bullied Mia when they were back in school, Mia's aunty and uncle, and her younger cousins too. And how on earth could I forget the absolutely GORGEOUS Leo, who just so happens to be a fireman? Holy hot damn. He was fiiiiiiiiine. He had the body of a God, all muscles and huge biceps, and of course the sizzling chemistry between Leo and Mia just added another layer of fun and naughtiness to entire story.
Readers, I am not kidding you when I say this split my sides. I could not contain the bubbles of laughter that arose almost constantly. My love for the main character was one that I really did not expect to exist, but by the end of it, I wanted to be Mia's best-friend. She drew me into the story of her little sister's wedding and despite the constant bickering and fighting between the two of them, you could tell that there was also love. There are a whole heap of exciting things going on in this story, not just the wedding, but other characters lives are pulled up by the author for you to get a glimpse into. It's fast-paced, it's enjoyable, I just couldn't stop reading. I was dragged into Mia's world and forced to feel everything that she felt. Weddings make a plot fun anyway, but Mia made this wedding a whole lot naughtier, and I just loved watching her sticking her foot in it repeatedly.
Without a doubt, Bad Bridesmaid by the brilliant Portia Macintosh is receiving FIVE cupcakes from me. I adored everything about it. Mia Valentina, I freaking love you!
THIS-WAS-INCREDIBLE.
Firstly, a huge thank you to Portia Macintosh for inviting me to read her newest title Bad Bridesmaid. I was over the moon when I saw the email from Portia sitting in my inbox, and felt honoured that she had taken the time to get in touch with me and personally ask me if I wanted to read it. Hell to the bloody yes I wanted to read it, and I am OVER THE MOON that I did, because readers, let me tell you, this is THE funniest, naughtiest, and at times cringiest (made-up word) book that I have read this year. I was laughing. I was snorting. I was shaking my head. I was scrunching my face up. It was just EVERYTHING that I hoped it would be, and then so much more. Seriously, Portia, I cannot rate Bad Bridesmaid enough. *Cue the rambling review where I make no sense whatsoever*
In Bad Bridesmaid, we meet Mia Valentina. Living in a swanky pad in LA, and a script-writer for rom-com movies, she has it all. The money. The looks. Her life is pretty much perfect, until she is invited back to England for her younger sister Belle's wedding. She may write some of the most romantic moments for the big screen, but Mia is so not into romance and love and relationships, it's not even funny. She doesn't believe in love at first sight, she doesn't believe in settling down and having children, and she cannot believe that her younger sister is choosing to do just that. Love? No thank you.
Cut short, because I just really want to get to the part where I go on and on about how much I loved Bad Bridesmaid, Mia heads back to England to attend the wedding of the year, but from the minute she steps off the train and is greeted by her sister and her sister's husband-to-be, things begin to very swiftly go downhill. No, in fact, they begin to ROCKET downhill. And it is, without a doubt, one of the most enjoyable plots that I have had the pleasure of reading.
Firstly, the humour. MY GOD. Out of all of the books that I have read (and that's a lot), I do not think that I have found an author that can really make me laugh the way Portia did with Bad Bridesmaid. I'm not talking about a little titter here and there, I am talking about full-on, tears in the eyes, laughing so hard that my stomach began to hurt kind of laughter. Mia's character has the exact same sense of humour as me. It's sarcastic, sometimes inappropriate, and left to fall flat a lot of the time, but I swear to God, I was sobbing into my pillow at 2 o'clock in the morning because it was that funny. It's not just Mia's character that got to me, it was the entire scenario. Let me paint the image. Mia hasn't always been a glamorous, hot young woman. In fact, before she moved away to LA, she was fat and boring, and her younger sister Belle grabbed all of the attention, and she still does to this day. When Mia moved away, she decided to recreate herself. She lost weight. She ate healthy. She dyed her hair. And basically readers, she became 100% HOT. Mia's family all seem to have a problem with her, and when things begin to go terribly wrong in the lead-up to the big day, all blame is thrown in poor Mia's direction. Everything, and I mean everything, is blamed on her. The things that Mia came out with, the things that she did, I just couldn't believe it, and therefore, I laughed, and no matter how hard I tried, I could not stop. It's also Portia's writing style. It's just immense! She is out-there, and genuine, and straight to the point, and it added heaps to Mia's character. There were scenarios where I could just imagine the scene perfectly in my head. For example, girls. If you have long hair, then you can probably agree with me that sometimes, going to the hairdressers for a simple cut can turn into an absolute nightmare. For Mia Valentina, this is also true. I'm going to just use a tiny extract from the book to show you what I mean by the style and humour used. I'm sure we can all relate. This is Mia's trip to the hair salon. She tells her mother time and time again on the way there that she does not need anything doing to her hair, but her mother insists that Mia goes along with it, just to keep the bride-to-be happy. I was crying. Tears from laughter were streaming down my face at this point.
'It's a bit... orange,' I say, my manners getting the better of me. What I want to do is hit her over the head with that mirror she's holding and yell: 'you stupid bitch, you've given me clown hair!'
Hahaha, I'm giggling again as I'm reading it back to myself. There are just so many brilliant parts to touch upon in this story! The wedding cake, the groom getting a late-night treat, Mia being a bad-influence, a sex ban, the hen-do, the bridesmaid dress. It really was a fantastically f****d-up ball of wedding madness and I cannot put into words how much I freaking enjoyed it.
Mia's character herself is not normally someone that I would get along with. Let's face it. She's a b****, she even admits it herself, countless times. She sleeps around, she walks around half-naked most of the time, and she kicks men out of her the bed faster that you can say the word, 'orgasm,' but do you know what? Despite all of that, I could not help but to love the girl. When she first talks about heading home for Belle's wedding, I really didn't get why she was being so damn negative about it, and I wanted to shake her up and force her to smile and be happy, but from the minute she arrived home and her family began to cut into her, that was it. I was on her side completely. You begin to understand why Mia is the way she is, and I couldn't help but sympathise with the girl. She isn't actually all that bad. In fact, she is an absolute barrel of laughs. The things she has to put up, I am totally not surprised that she acts and talks the way that she does. She has one hell of an attitude problem but she pulls it off effortlessly. She's cheeky, flirty, sarcastic, and very, very naughty, and all of that combined made for one hell of a read.
If that isn't enough to make you want to read Bad Bridesmaid, then let me reel you in a little bit further. In the big beach house that everyone is staying in for the big day, not only including Mia's family, but the groom's family, as well as other family members, there are a number of mischievous wedding guests to be introduced to. Mia's disapproving mother and Gran, Dan's snobbish mother, Belle's friends that once bullied Mia when they were back in school, Mia's aunty and uncle, and her younger cousins too. And how on earth could I forget the absolutely GORGEOUS Leo, who just so happens to be a fireman? Holy hot damn. He was fiiiiiiiiine. He had the body of a God, all muscles and huge biceps, and of course the sizzling chemistry between Leo and Mia just added another layer of fun and naughtiness to entire story.
Readers, I am not kidding you when I say this split my sides. I could not contain the bubbles of laughter that arose almost constantly. My love for the main character was one that I really did not expect to exist, but by the end of it, I wanted to be Mia's best-friend. She drew me into the story of her little sister's wedding and despite the constant bickering and fighting between the two of them, you could tell that there was also love. There are a whole heap of exciting things going on in this story, not just the wedding, but other characters lives are pulled up by the author for you to get a glimpse into. It's fast-paced, it's enjoyable, I just couldn't stop reading. I was dragged into Mia's world and forced to feel everything that she felt. Weddings make a plot fun anyway, but Mia made this wedding a whole lot naughtier, and I just loved watching her sticking her foot in it repeatedly.
Without a doubt, Bad Bridesmaid by the brilliant Portia Macintosh is receiving FIVE cupcakes from me. I adored everything about it. Mia Valentina, I freaking love you!
July 28, 2025
I really like Portia MacIntosh. This book didn't disappoint.
Mia returns home to England from LA for her baby sister's wedding. We find quickly that that her family, including extendeds, blame her whenever something goes wrong, like her sister's fiance throwing out his back lifting Mia's suitcase. Mia's a bit "flirty" and after having sex with the Best Man, her sister demands she not have sex with anyone while she's here. Hard to do when her sister puts her in Leo's bed when she confiscates Mia's room for her fiance! Anyway, lots of emergencies and loads of opportunities to blame Mia. She and Leo have become friends and she finally has a champion. When his mother warns her off and she breaks Leo's heart, we see some realizations that could mend some relationships.
I like Portia Macintosh's writing and yes - using a term I heard today - "Paperback Trash" affectionately, I enjoy the dialog, characters and the storyline. I get them through Hoopla, if you're interested, although I think most are also avail on Amazon. If you're looking for a palate cleanser that isn't too sweet or too simple, but they definitely do the job!
Mia returns home to England from LA for her baby sister's wedding. We find quickly that that her family, including extendeds, blame her whenever something goes wrong, like her sister's fiance throwing out his back lifting Mia's suitcase. Mia's a bit "flirty" and after having sex with the Best Man, her sister demands she not have sex with anyone while she's here. Hard to do when her sister puts her in Leo's bed when she confiscates Mia's room for her fiance! Anyway, lots of emergencies and loads of opportunities to blame Mia. She and Leo have become friends and she finally has a champion. When his mother warns her off and she breaks Leo's heart, we see some realizations that could mend some relationships.
I like Portia Macintosh's writing and yes - using a term I heard today - "Paperback Trash" affectionately, I enjoy the dialog, characters and the storyline. I get them through Hoopla, if you're interested, although I think most are also avail on Amazon. If you're looking for a palate cleanser that isn't too sweet or too simple, but they definitely do the job!
December 3, 2024
I’ve read a decent amount of this author’s books and this was by far my least favorite. The MC’s family is just awful and the attempt at redemption/justification at the end still didn’t excuse everyone’s crappy behavior.
I spent the majority of the time reading this being pissed off at the characters in the book especially when the pregnancy came up and everyone just assumed it was the MC even with the character she had recently slept with thinking it was his. This book takes place over like a week and a half and I just couldn’t believe how stupid all the adults were about length of time between conception and a positive test. The male characters I guess can be forgiven in their ignorance but the women being clueless about it just really rubbed me the wrong way.
I would skip this if you’re considering it even if you’ve liked other books by this author, just reread one of those or pick an different book
I spent the majority of the time reading this being pissed off at the characters in the book especially when the pregnancy came up and everyone just assumed it was the MC even with the character she had recently slept with thinking it was his. This book takes place over like a week and a half and I just couldn’t believe how stupid all the adults were about length of time between conception and a positive test. The male characters I guess can be forgiven in their ignorance but the women being clueless about it just really rubbed me the wrong way.
I would skip this if you’re considering it even if you’ve liked other books by this author, just reread one of those or pick an different book
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 16, 2021
Mia Valentina has a glamorous albeit empty life. She is a former fat kid who reinvented herself and jetted off to LA never to return again. Only one thing could bring her back... and that is her little sister's wedding. Within minutes of landing back in the UK she is reminded of why she stayed away so long. Her insufferable family blames her for anything and everything. Her sister is a spoiled brat who whines and cries when things aren't perfect, her uncle is a sleaze, her aunt is a drip, and her mother and father are aloof and cold. The only people on her side are her cousins, and they can't even vote yet let alone drink!
July 24, 2022
Really fun book. Really easy read.
The characters had something about them. The sister (or the bride) was very funny and your stereotypical bridezilla. Mia (the main character) gave off that care free sleep with anyone kind of vibe but it was funny that it came back to bite her. Her family where awful towards her in the beginning and blamed her for everything that went wrong leading up to the wedding. But they all turned it around in the end (which I found very predictable) oooh and she got the sexy guy because it had to happen.
All round a really enjoyable quick read, just wish it was less predictable about hating love and then falling so quickly for someone.
The characters had something about them. The sister (or the bride) was very funny and your stereotypical bridezilla. Mia (the main character) gave off that care free sleep with anyone kind of vibe but it was funny that it came back to bite her. Her family where awful towards her in the beginning and blamed her for everything that went wrong leading up to the wedding. But they all turned it around in the end (which I found very predictable) oooh and she got the sexy guy because it had to happen.
All round a really enjoyable quick read, just wish it was less predictable about hating love and then falling so quickly for someone.
September 9, 2021
Read this in a couple of days while on holiday. Mia's family are almost deliciously awful but she just can't seem to get anything right! This was a great light read with lots of humour. Only reason for four, rather than five stars is that I found the sheer number and pace of the screw ups slightly unrealistic- I would have liked her to get away with a couple of things!
November 21, 2021
4.5! i really adored reading this in mia's pov, she's actually one of the best main characters i've had the pleasure of meeting yet and this entire book was such a train wreck but in such a great way?? although i didn't really think the ending did the whole book justice, the last few chapters were a lil rushed but otherwise such a fun read!
January 12, 2026
3.25⭐️
Dude? THIS FAMILY? Like, are you joking? Honestly, it was like everything she did was just wrong and then all of a sudden they’re like “it’s just because blah blah blah” like no. There HAS to be a better reason they treated her like that. But, Leo was so stinking sweet, standing up for her, being by her side, helping her. Like, yes, he was there.
Dude? THIS FAMILY? Like, are you joking? Honestly, it was like everything she did was just wrong and then all of a sudden they’re like “it’s just because blah blah blah” like no. There HAS to be a better reason they treated her like that. But, Leo was so stinking sweet, standing up for her, being by her side, helping her. Like, yes, he was there.
July 21, 2020
Started way too slow for my liking however I am glad I didn’t give up it was an ok read. Made me laugh out loud in some parts and think really? in others. Wasn’t too impressed by the ending however. It felt unfinished.
October 25, 2020
Hilarious
Mia tries in vain to stick to who she is whilst seeking approval from her family but the series of unfortunate events at occur at her sister's wedding do nothing to improve their perception of her
Mia tries in vain to stick to who she is whilst seeking approval from her family but the series of unfortunate events at occur at her sister's wedding do nothing to improve their perception of her
January 24, 2021
It had some funny parts but honestly the main character whose name is Mia is quite the alley cat and so it was kind of hard to like her. I wanted to root for her but honestly about 3/4 of the book I stopped rooting for her because she’s just not that likable.
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