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Rent a Bridesmaid
Tilly can’t believe it when her best friend Matty is asked to be a bridesmaid. In Tilly’s favourite daydream, she’s kitted out in the most beautiful bridesmaid dress, walking down the aisle behind a beautiful bride. The one wedding she’d really like to attend is her own mum and dad’s. But as that’s never going to happen, it’s time for Tilly to make her own dream come true – and put her bridesmaid services up for hire . . .
A fabulous, funny and moving story about the power of friendship from the mega-bestselling author of Tracy Beaker, Hetty Feather and Katy. Full of beautiful illustrations by much-loved illustrator, Nick Sharratt.
A fabulous, funny and moving story about the power of friendship from the mega-bestselling author of Tracy Beaker, Hetty Feather and Katy. Full of beautiful illustrations by much-loved illustrator, Nick Sharratt.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published February 4, 2016
117 people are currently reading
927 people want to read
About the author
Jacqueline Wilson
399 books5,687 followersJacqueline Wilson was born in Bath in 1945, but spent most of her childhood in Kingston-on-Thames. She always wanted to be a writer and wrote her first ‘novel’ when she was nine, filling in countless Woolworths’ exercise books as she grew up. As a teenager she started work for a magazine publishing company and then went on to work as a journalist on Jackie magazine (which she was told was named after her!) before turning to writing novels full-time.
One of Jacqueline’s most successful and enduring creations has been the famous Tracy Beaker, who first appeared in 1991 in The Story of Tracy Beaker. This was also the first of her books to be illustrated by Nick Sharratt. Since then Jacqueline has been on countless awards shortlists and has gone on to win many awards. The Illustrated Mum won the Guardian Children’s Fiction Award, the 1999 Children’s Book of the Year at the British Book Awards and was also shortlisted for the 1999 Whitbread Children’s Book Award.
Double Act won the prestigious Smarties Medal and the Children’s Book Award as well as being highly commended for the Carnegie Medal. The Story of Tracy Beaker won the 2002 Blue Peter People’s Choice Award.
Jacqueline is one of the nation’s favourite authors, and her books are loved and cherished by young readers not only in the UK but all over the world. She has sold millions of books and in the UK alone the total now stands at over 35 million!
In 2002 Jacqueline was awarded the OBE for services to literacy in schools and from 2005 to 2007 she was the Children’s Laureate. In 2008 she became Dame Jacqueline Wilson.
One of Jacqueline’s most successful and enduring creations has been the famous Tracy Beaker, who first appeared in 1991 in The Story of Tracy Beaker. This was also the first of her books to be illustrated by Nick Sharratt. Since then Jacqueline has been on countless awards shortlists and has gone on to win many awards. The Illustrated Mum won the Guardian Children’s Fiction Award, the 1999 Children’s Book of the Year at the British Book Awards and was also shortlisted for the 1999 Whitbread Children’s Book Award.
Double Act won the prestigious Smarties Medal and the Children’s Book Award as well as being highly commended for the Carnegie Medal. The Story of Tracy Beaker won the 2002 Blue Peter People’s Choice Award.
Jacqueline is one of the nation’s favourite authors, and her books are loved and cherished by young readers not only in the UK but all over the world. She has sold millions of books and in the UK alone the total now stands at over 35 million!
In 2002 Jacqueline was awarded the OBE for services to literacy in schools and from 2005 to 2007 she was the Children’s Laureate. In 2008 she became Dame Jacqueline Wilson.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews
September 8, 2016
I feel like Jacqueline Wilson has a lot to answer to with this whole 'you can only have one best friend' stuff. This philosophy definitely reared it's ugly head a lot when I was in primary school more than ten years ago! You'd think the message would've changed by now so it's not as toxic and creates less drama. That's literally my only complaint about Jacqueline Wilson's stories, otherwise they're really great reads.
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September 5, 2016A cute plot clocking an underlying, extremely heart-breaking relationship between mother and daughter. Loved it!
October 17, 2020
I've never self-identified as a fangirl, but after reading quite a few of Wilson's novels to my daughter, I suppose I may as well admit to being a Jacqueline Wilson fangirl. Especially after this book.
Unlike the books starring Hetty Feather, this one has a contemporary setting. The main character, Tilly, lives with her dad because her artist mother has flown the coop. She doesn't see her mother much, her parents had never been married in the first place, and she gets obsessed about being a bridesmaid and weddings. My mother gagged when I told her about Tilly and I could not convince her that Tilly and her story were good. When my daughter picked it out and I saw the pink cover and read the blurb, I groaned, but Tilly's friends are tomboys and put up with her and so might you. She rents herself out as a bridesmaid and there are a few slow moments but if you're a fangirl like me, you'll probably love it. Otherwise, you may want to pick up the first Hetty Feather book.
Unlike the books starring Hetty Feather, this one has a contemporary setting. The main character, Tilly, lives with her dad because her artist mother has flown the coop. She doesn't see her mother much, her parents had never been married in the first place, and she gets obsessed about being a bridesmaid and weddings. My mother gagged when I told her about Tilly and I could not convince her that Tilly and her story were good. When my daughter picked it out and I saw the pink cover and read the blurb, I groaned, but Tilly's friends are tomboys and put up with her and so might you. She rents herself out as a bridesmaid and there are a few slow moments but if you're a fangirl like me, you'll probably love it. Otherwise, you may want to pick up the first Hetty Feather book.
April 8, 2020
Review to come.
May 6, 2016
May Wilson Never Stop Writing.
April 13, 2017
A review from my ten year old daughter:
Rent a bridesmaid was a smashing book, it was very funny but I liked the part where
Rent a bridesmaid was a smashing book, it was very funny but I liked the part where
June 19, 2021
4.5 ⭐
Come sempre Jacqueline Wilson riesce a raccontare con dolcezza e ironia le fatiche delle sue giovani protagoniste.
Ho deciso di non dare le 5 stelline perché la parte centrale è un po' ripetitiva, anche se piacevole da leggere.
Come sempre Jacqueline Wilson riesce a raccontare con dolcezza e ironia le fatiche delle sue giovani protagoniste.
Ho deciso di non dare le 5 stelline perché la parte centrale è un po' ripetitiva, anche se piacevole da leggere.
June 18, 2018
My favourite part of 'Rent a Bridesmaid' would have to be the Flowers wedding as they are such a sweet couple. I love it when her Father lets her do it and is so nice. What I have written is a bit complicated as I don't want to spoil it for anyone but if you see a book you think will be good then read it! And by the way, this is one of those books!
June 9, 2023
This book reminded me why Jacqueline Wilson is my favourite middle grade author. The way she gives her young main characters such complex and real emotions is very powerful.
January 25, 2025
I loved this book so much! I loved Michael (Tilly’s dad) so much that I fell in love with him. Also Jacqueline Wilson is my childhood!
February 19, 2025
jacqueline wilson’s family dynamics are so tasty
December 28, 2018
Really loved this book!!
January 29, 2022
Love this book! The idea of being a rent a bridesmaid is very cool and could not put this book down.
February 26, 2019
My name is Tilly. I put a notice up saying im a bridesmaid for rent. I became a huge sucess. But problems cant help escaping and heading straight for me only...
I loved Tillys story and I soon wanted to be a bridesmaid too!!!
Poor Tillys mam is dead ( i think ) and her father is a drunk impatient man.
She has to deal with her own problems. I loved the way she did it.
Total reccomendation.
I loved Tillys story and I soon wanted to be a bridesmaid too!!!
Poor Tillys mam is dead ( i think ) and her father is a drunk impatient man.
She has to deal with her own problems. I loved the way she did it.
Total reccomendation.
January 3, 2017
Nine-year-old Tilly's dream is to be a bridesmaid at her Mum and Dad's wedding. Living alone with her Dad trying to make the best of their fresh start after Tilly's Mum left, this doesn't seem possible. After Tilly's new best friend Matty gives Tilly her raspberry pink bridesmaid dress, Tilly decides to take matters of being a bridesmaid into her own hands. Advertising in her local newsagents a rent a bridesmaid service without her Dad's knowledge, Tilly soon gets replies. Being elderly Mr and Mrs Flowers bridesmaid, and teacher Simon and book shop owner Matthew's bridesmaid enables Tilly and her Dad to properly settle into their new start and begin to enjoy their new life. All this is put at stake when an old face turns up from their past.
This is a heartwarming story of a young girl fulfilling her dream of being a bridesmaid. 'Rent a Bridesmaid' is a story about growing up, adapting to life as it changes, and about the separation of parents and the breaking up of families. But mostly it is about the power of friendship between people of all ages. I thoroughly enjoyed this book even though I'm twenty one and this book is aimed at children aged eight and upwards. I've been a fan of Jacqueline Wilson since I was a child. I've been wanting to read this book ever since I heard her read an excerpt of it when I saw her in Dublin at the Dublin International Literature Festival. I'd recommend this book to Jacqueline Wilson fans of all ages who adore stories about friendship.
This is a heartwarming story of a young girl fulfilling her dream of being a bridesmaid. 'Rent a Bridesmaid' is a story about growing up, adapting to life as it changes, and about the separation of parents and the breaking up of families. But mostly it is about the power of friendship between people of all ages. I thoroughly enjoyed this book even though I'm twenty one and this book is aimed at children aged eight and upwards. I've been a fan of Jacqueline Wilson since I was a child. I've been wanting to read this book ever since I heard her read an excerpt of it when I saw her in Dublin at the Dublin International Literature Festival. I'd recommend this book to Jacqueline Wilson fans of all ages who adore stories about friendship.
May 21, 2017
Tilly or Matilda is a young girl of nine living with her dad but dreaming always of her mum coming home and being a bridesmaid at their wedding.
Matty is her best friend she meets at school and sets off her bridesmaid dreams even more when Matty has to wear a special raspberry pink girly dress and be a bridesmaid which she doesn't want to do. Matty is more rough and tumble!
We learn throughout the book, the hope that Tilly has held since her mum left as she started drawing angry and blacked out pictures which meant she ended up in a clinic with an anorexic girl who gave her a tip to getting out, faking happy.
Through her daydreams, becoming bridesmaid by advertising herself as a rent a bridesmaid! She does get happier but soon her mum arrives back with a shock and her dad is acting strange around Miss Hope, her teacher's phone calls after they met at a wedding. As well as dealing with Marty becoming friends with Matty too and them hanging out a lot now as well.
Tilly is a great character that shows the epitome of typical issues and how they face young children growing up. Many people could be oblivious that children pick up on things and how they effect them differently not just on the surface. Anything can be faked but this book isn't faking anything true to the title embodies a great story dealing with relevant issues.
Matty is her best friend she meets at school and sets off her bridesmaid dreams even more when Matty has to wear a special raspberry pink girly dress and be a bridesmaid which she doesn't want to do. Matty is more rough and tumble!
We learn throughout the book, the hope that Tilly has held since her mum left as she started drawing angry and blacked out pictures which meant she ended up in a clinic with an anorexic girl who gave her a tip to getting out, faking happy.
Through her daydreams, becoming bridesmaid by advertising herself as a rent a bridesmaid! She does get happier but soon her mum arrives back with a shock and her dad is acting strange around Miss Hope, her teacher's phone calls after they met at a wedding. As well as dealing with Marty becoming friends with Matty too and them hanging out a lot now as well.
Tilly is a great character that shows the epitome of typical issues and how they face young children growing up. Many people could be oblivious that children pick up on things and how they effect them differently not just on the surface. Anything can be faked but this book isn't faking anything true to the title embodies a great story dealing with relevant issues.
February 18, 2021
meh. Nice that JW is finally moving on from all her books being exactly the same (i.e based on her own childhood), although this one was still very predictable.
The problem is that she so obviously tries to include political correctness and diversity - three weddings, so lets do an old couple, a gay couple, and then make the conventional wedding in the story be less fun anyway (but there is only one non-white person) - it just irks me. I don't know how to explain this! She just has to reference Frozen, YouTubers, Inside Out, and have characters say OMG. You can show when a book is set by much more subtle methods than this - it's like she still writes exactly the same stuff, then inserts different relevant pop culture to show it's set in 2016.
Oh well I liked how Tilly had a bit of depth, with her drawings and whatnot.
The problem is that she so obviously tries to include political correctness and diversity - three weddings, so lets do an old couple, a gay couple, and then make the conventional wedding in the story be less fun anyway (but there is only one non-white person) - it just irks me. I don't know how to explain this! She just has to reference Frozen, YouTubers, Inside Out, and have characters say OMG. You can show when a book is set by much more subtle methods than this - it's like she still writes exactly the same stuff, then inserts different relevant pop culture to show it's set in 2016.
Oh well I liked how Tilly had a bit of depth, with her drawings and whatnot.
May 20, 2024
A lovely offering from my beloved Jacky - light-hearted and pleasing. Lacks the gravitas of Katy, Lola Rose, or Midnight, but not the less for it - it was easy to love the characters and I love a happy ending. I also thought it was a great portrayal of trauma in young children, albeit that wasn't the primary focus of the novel. I was also delighted to see a gay couple featuring heavily in the plot, as it's so important to normalised queer relationships in children's literature.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 25, 2017
Jacqueline Wilson was my favourite author when I was younger so I couldn't resist picking this book up in the library when I saw it. Just like all her books, the book has great illustrations, is funny, heartwarming, and also a deeper underlying message. I really enjoyed it, especially the bridesmaid parts! Even though I may be too old for her books now, I'll continue to look out for them.
August 6, 2025
this is actually so much more melancholic than i remembered. wdym tilly's parents never married but tilly spends the entire book playing bridesmaid because she dreams about being one for her parents' hypothetical wedding. and when her mum shows up it's completely askew. ok jacky
December 2, 2016
A very fun exciting book. I was sad to have finished it. I recommend it to everyone, children and adults alike.
July 26, 2020
DNF.
Yes, you read that right.
I did not finish this book.
*le gasp*
I hardly ever do this. It's extremely rare that I won't stick with a book until the bitter end, whatever it may be.
But honestly, Jacqueline Wilson, you just had me really bored. I'm sorry to say it so bluntly, but I really do need to explain my highly questionable action of not actually finishing a book.
When I was younger, Wilson's books never appealed to me for some reason. I read 1, or maybe 2, I can't really remember. I do remember that I was thoroughly bored by the books back then, too.
SO WHY were you reading a Jacqueline Wilson book at the ripe old age of 19, Sarah?
Well, my job as a librarian has many, many perks. One of which is that I get to take home damaged books with me to keep, sometimes. This one was marked as decidedly doomed and its library days were over. So, I took it home. I like to stay reasonably up-to-date with children's fiction so I can give genuine recommendations.
But honestly, it turns out that I am still as little of a Jacqueline Wilson fan as I've ever been. I love to read exciting, interesting, moving stories. These books (from the few I've read) seem to be repetitive and unimaginative. They're just too real.
If you would like to read a story about a young girl who goes to school and has exactly 1 best friend at school and then has to deal with social issues at school and then comes home to deal with family issues at home, then Jacqueline Wilson is your gal.
Maybe it's because I've always been homeschooled. Maybe it's because I tend to enjoy reading about extraordinary things rather than ordinary things. Whatever it is, I am not going to bother finishing this book. And I'm not even sorry.
Yes, you read that right.
I did not finish this book.
*le gasp*
I hardly ever do this. It's extremely rare that I won't stick with a book until the bitter end, whatever it may be.
But honestly, Jacqueline Wilson, you just had me really bored. I'm sorry to say it so bluntly, but I really do need to explain my highly questionable action of not actually finishing a book.
When I was younger, Wilson's books never appealed to me for some reason. I read 1, or maybe 2, I can't really remember. I do remember that I was thoroughly bored by the books back then, too.
SO WHY were you reading a Jacqueline Wilson book at the ripe old age of 19, Sarah?
Well, my job as a librarian has many, many perks. One of which is that I get to take home damaged books with me to keep, sometimes. This one was marked as decidedly doomed and its library days were over. So, I took it home. I like to stay reasonably up-to-date with children's fiction so I can give genuine recommendations.
But honestly, it turns out that I am still as little of a Jacqueline Wilson fan as I've ever been. I love to read exciting, interesting, moving stories. These books (from the few I've read) seem to be repetitive and unimaginative. They're just too real.
If you would like to read a story about a young girl who goes to school and has exactly 1 best friend at school and then has to deal with social issues at school and then comes home to deal with family issues at home, then Jacqueline Wilson is your gal.
Maybe it's because I've always been homeschooled. Maybe it's because I tend to enjoy reading about extraordinary things rather than ordinary things. Whatever it is, I am not going to bother finishing this book. And I'm not even sorry.
September 17, 2024
I liked this one a lot. It deals with the theme of losing your parent- specifically mother because they leave you and they occassionally visit but through the eyes of a 9 year old child. She meets a new friend and becomes really clingy but refuses to tell her where her mother is or talk about her mother in general. She also has this fantasy of being a bridesmaid for her dad when he and her mom eventually meet again and get back together - she gets gifted a bridesmaid dress that her best friend wore and she decides to put and ad out in the newspapers about being a bridesmaid for rent. She ends up in a newspaper and on tv after attending three weddings - and her mom comes back after seeing her on tv- but Tilly soon realises that her mother is not the same person anymore and that she is not this amazing fairy she still sees in her head and she realizes that maybe her mother isn't the best person in the world after all. It's a silly book with a silly topic but it also touches on some topics that are very important for young kids.
October 16, 2017
I'm not in the target age range for Jacqueline Wilson books but I grew up reading them and still read them as new ones come out, they are a nice easy read for me now
I enjoyed this book but felt that the ending was rushed slightly, I think it would have been good to leave as a cliff hanger when the surprising part happens, and do another book, or that it should have happened earlier so that there was more story following on from it
I really liked the characters and that the children are best friends even though they are very different. I was pleased to see different types of couples being married, young and old, gay and straight, relaxed and uptight. It was done in a way that didn't feel like a tick box exercise trying to include a variety of situations
I think that the teacher character will be a big hit for children because it's so odd the thought of your teacher actually having a life outside of the classroom!
I would aim this at around 8+ ages
I enjoyed this book but felt that the ending was rushed slightly, I think it would have been good to leave as a cliff hanger when the surprising part happens, and do another book, or that it should have happened earlier so that there was more story following on from it
I really liked the characters and that the children are best friends even though they are very different. I was pleased to see different types of couples being married, young and old, gay and straight, relaxed and uptight. It was done in a way that didn't feel like a tick box exercise trying to include a variety of situations
I think that the teacher character will be a big hit for children because it's so odd the thought of your teacher actually having a life outside of the classroom!
I would aim this at around 8+ ages
December 28, 2017
Rent a Bridesmaid is certainly not up there with her best books but it's sweet nonetheless. As all Jacqueline Wilson books do, this one covers the current 'hot' social topics; mainly gay marriage and dads as single parents.
I loved the use of Tilly's drawings throughout the book which subtly mocked psycho-babble about children's drawings showing suppressed feelings; all at the same time as her drawings being a completely accurate representation of her feelings. I think (I hope) the point was that while her drawings might have just been a monster, or yes, were sometimes showing something more sinister, children's emotions run deeper than anything that we can analyse from a piece of paper. Tilly's conflicted feelings at the end of the book when her mum came back is a case in point here.
I will be donating Rent a Bridesmaid to the library at the school I work at and I am looking forward to hearing what the pupils think of it!
I loved the use of Tilly's drawings throughout the book which subtly mocked psycho-babble about children's drawings showing suppressed feelings; all at the same time as her drawings being a completely accurate representation of her feelings. I think (I hope) the point was that while her drawings might have just been a monster, or yes, were sometimes showing something more sinister, children's emotions run deeper than anything that we can analyse from a piece of paper. Tilly's conflicted feelings at the end of the book when her mum came back is a case in point here.
I will be donating Rent a Bridesmaid to the library at the school I work at and I am looking forward to hearing what the pupils think of it!
February 10, 2023
A lovely, if rather sad story (as per usual). I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would, and it took me a while to get through. Tilly's dad is pretty great though; I felt he came out of his shell in a very endearing way and tried to be there for Tilly as much as he could. Tilly herself is not my favourite protagonist but all her realistic character traits stem back to her early loss and trauma. Miss Hope is the usual sweet and understanding teacher character we often see in these books, and I'm never tired of reading them; these characters are a point of reassurance and kindness for such young kids going through rough times. Overall there are some lovely bits in this, but it failed to grab my attention as much as I expected.
July 7, 2024
This is a good book, I would recommend. This girl makes a new best friend who shared the same name as her. They have a few minor fall outs but always forgive. The girl sees her best friend’s bridesmaid dress and falls in love with it. After the wedding of her friend’s aunt, her friend gives her the dress. She loves it but has no weddings to wear it to. They both create a poster to go in a shop window saying you can rent a bridesmaid. She gets a couple of weddings and makes some good friends and then, at her third wedding, the tv crew show up and she becomes famous for being a rent a bridesmaid. In the end, her dad and teacher think of being together, her mom visits, and she gets loads of wedding requests.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 12, 2020
I've been fairly lukewarm about most of the Jacqueline Wilson books published in recent years - partly because I'm well outside the target audience now, but mostly because a lot of them seem to...stop, rather than end. Fortunately, this one isn't in that camp. It's by no mean Wilson's best, but it's a sweet little story with a nice message and a quirky premise. I like that Tilly is neither wholly girly-girl nor completely tomboyish, and I like that Wilson avoided the trope of having the friend go off with someone else. The ending was still slightly abrupt, but it felt like Tilly went on a proper arc. Her relationship with her dad was lovely. A nice read, probably best for 8-12 year olds.
July 21, 2023
2023 EDIT: Part of my 2023 clear-up, of books I no longer like, or am no longer interested in, or remember well as standing out, or find as special anymore, or I otherwise will not miss.
[In this case, it is me letting go of all of Jacqueline Wilson's books; ultimately decided after rereading 'Hetty Feather'. A lot of them have not aged well, in my opinion, or are just baffling, shocking. I cannot abide the author's child abuse-excusing, fatphobic, internalised misogyny-filled, and sometimes ableist books for children. There are often other other problematic tropes and clichés, too. It doesn't matter if they're childhood favourites, or are "cute and harmless". If I can let go of 'Harry Potter', then I can do the same for these books, no problem. Goodbye, Jacqueline Wilson.]
Final Score: 3.5/5
Original Review:
I've read five of the "newer" Jacqueline Wilson books this week (they are quick reads for kids), with another one planned soon, and 'Rent a Bridesmaid' is a story I especially like and adore. It's cute, pink, girly, frothy and sweet - just what I hoped for.
With a great, plausible premise for modern England - a little girl working as a "bridesmaid-for-hire" for various weddings (well, three at the moment) - and lovely, believable, and relatable and flawed characters and scenarios, 'Rent a Bridesmaid' is delicious fun.
Nine-year-old Matilda "Tilly" Andrews is given her new best friend's bridesmaid's dress as a present, a raspberry-coloured, cakey delight of a dress, that the friend, Matty, hated wearing. But Tilly loves it so much that she wants a chance to wear it for a wedding immediately. But no one she knows is getting married yet, least of all her dad and her estranged mum, and she'll soon outgrow the dress, and then it will be too late. So she and Matty come up with an ad for a shop window that says she'll rent herself as a bridesmaid to anyone's wedding, free of charge even.
Little Tilly meets some lovely people this way, and forms new connections with others, including a closer bond with her wonderful but nervous and standoffish dad.
'Rent a Bridesmaid', like nearly all of Wilson's books, is like a soap opera for children, and I mean that as a positive. It is a positive and charming girls' book that deals with serious issues that any child, including myself as one, can instantly relate to. Such as separated parents, dealing with disappointment, anxiety and expressing anger, letting children draw and imagine whatever they want without so much fuss from well-meaning but misguided adults, rocky and changing friendships, supportive school teachers (as they need to be), and love overcoming any prejudices.
The first wedding Tilly attends is that of an elderly couple, the sweetest, kindest people you could meet, and the second wedding is for a gay couple, also fantastic people. Such sincere and important messages for children are presented, and it is probably the best depiction of queer people that Wilson has ever written (she's made some serious muckups in her past books so that isn't saying much, but still, credit where it's due: at least the gay men here are not one-note tokens with gay as their only characteristic, and they are happy. Still waiting for at least one canon LBGTQ female now, Wilson).
I could relate to Tilly on a lot of accounts from when I was a child; I like her not just because of her name. Let her draw dinosaurs and monsters! Let her play "Warrior Princesses" with her friend Matty. Let her express herself. I think that her dad's and her teacher's concerns over her "violent" imagination has less to do with them thinking that this is how she copes with her mum leaving her, than it is about plain old sexism. Tilly was even sent to a clinic at one point in the past, where she met an anorexic girl. She likes "girly" things as well.
She's just herself. Suppressing her creativity is unhealthy. It will only make her worse. Let this child be.
Despite this drawback on his part, I love Tilly's dad, who tries hard despite working so much. He worries about her, but he'd do anything for her, and he even saves her from drowning in a pool (Wilson's protagonists, as well as a tendency to draw, also seem to be very timid swimmers for some reason). Tilly also starts off having a nanny figure, before being practically adopted by Matty's family, and it is in this instance where perhaps the funniest line I've ever read in a Jacqueline Wilson book comes:
“Dad said Aunty Sue was a godsend. If that was so, I wasn’t surprised. God was probably happy to have got rid of her.”
That is hilarious.
'Rent a Bridesmaid' also includes cameos from another Jacqueline Wilson book, 'The Worst Thing About my Sister', which I haven't read.
There are references to 'Inside Out' and 'Frozen'. 2016 publication!
One more side note: Wilson's books contain A LOT of descriptions about food and what the child characters are eating, so it's usually sweet things. And this book is about weddings. And baking. I tend to read these books before and after I've eaten, so I'm already full up by the time these huge food portions show up in the story. It is thanks to this that, ironically, I may have lost my appetite as of this moment. Or at least my sweet tooth.
Do I hear wedding bells? What about friendship bells? Daddy bells? 'Rent a Bridesmaid' is a touching, heartfelt, big strawberry-cake-with-icing treat. It's a cute and updated version of Wilson's stories for young girls, containing realistic events and characters, and modern social morals.
Final Score: 4/5
[In this case, it is me letting go of all of Jacqueline Wilson's books; ultimately decided after rereading 'Hetty Feather'. A lot of them have not aged well, in my opinion, or are just baffling, shocking. I cannot abide the author's child abuse-excusing, fatphobic, internalised misogyny-filled, and sometimes ableist books for children. There are often other other problematic tropes and clichés, too. It doesn't matter if they're childhood favourites, or are "cute and harmless". If I can let go of 'Harry Potter', then I can do the same for these books, no problem. Goodbye, Jacqueline Wilson.]
Final Score: 3.5/5
Original Review:
I've read five of the "newer" Jacqueline Wilson books this week (they are quick reads for kids), with another one planned soon, and 'Rent a Bridesmaid' is a story I especially like and adore. It's cute, pink, girly, frothy and sweet - just what I hoped for.
With a great, plausible premise for modern England - a little girl working as a "bridesmaid-for-hire" for various weddings (well, three at the moment) - and lovely, believable, and relatable and flawed characters and scenarios, 'Rent a Bridesmaid' is delicious fun.
Nine-year-old Matilda "Tilly" Andrews is given her new best friend's bridesmaid's dress as a present, a raspberry-coloured, cakey delight of a dress, that the friend, Matty, hated wearing. But Tilly loves it so much that she wants a chance to wear it for a wedding immediately. But no one she knows is getting married yet, least of all her dad and her estranged mum, and she'll soon outgrow the dress, and then it will be too late. So she and Matty come up with an ad for a shop window that says she'll rent herself as a bridesmaid to anyone's wedding, free of charge even.
Little Tilly meets some lovely people this way, and forms new connections with others, including a closer bond with her wonderful but nervous and standoffish dad.
'Rent a Bridesmaid', like nearly all of Wilson's books, is like a soap opera for children, and I mean that as a positive. It is a positive and charming girls' book that deals with serious issues that any child, including myself as one, can instantly relate to. Such as separated parents, dealing with disappointment, anxiety and expressing anger, letting children draw and imagine whatever they want without so much fuss from well-meaning but misguided adults, rocky and changing friendships, supportive school teachers (as they need to be), and love overcoming any prejudices.
The first wedding Tilly attends is that of an elderly couple, the sweetest, kindest people you could meet, and the second wedding is for a gay couple, also fantastic people. Such sincere and important messages for children are presented, and it is probably the best depiction of queer people that Wilson has ever written (she's made some serious muckups in her past books so that isn't saying much, but still, credit where it's due: at least the gay men here are not one-note tokens with gay as their only characteristic, and they are happy. Still waiting for at least one canon LBGTQ female now, Wilson).
I could relate to Tilly on a lot of accounts from when I was a child; I like her not just because of her name. Let her draw dinosaurs and monsters! Let her play "Warrior Princesses" with her friend Matty. Let her express herself. I think that her dad's and her teacher's concerns over her "violent" imagination has less to do with them thinking that this is how she copes with her mum leaving her, than it is about plain old sexism. Tilly was even sent to a clinic at one point in the past, where she met an anorexic girl. She likes "girly" things as well.
She's just herself. Suppressing her creativity is unhealthy. It will only make her worse. Let this child be.
Despite this drawback on his part, I love Tilly's dad, who tries hard despite working so much. He worries about her, but he'd do anything for her, and he even saves her from drowning in a pool (Wilson's protagonists, as well as a tendency to draw, also seem to be very timid swimmers for some reason). Tilly also starts off having a nanny figure, before being practically adopted by Matty's family, and it is in this instance where perhaps the funniest line I've ever read in a Jacqueline Wilson book comes:
“Dad said Aunty Sue was a godsend. If that was so, I wasn’t surprised. God was probably happy to have got rid of her.”
That is hilarious.
'Rent a Bridesmaid' also includes cameos from another Jacqueline Wilson book, 'The Worst Thing About my Sister', which I haven't read.
There are references to 'Inside Out' and 'Frozen'. 2016 publication!
One more side note: Wilson's books contain A LOT of descriptions about food and what the child characters are eating, so it's usually sweet things. And this book is about weddings. And baking. I tend to read these books before and after I've eaten, so I'm already full up by the time these huge food portions show up in the story. It is thanks to this that, ironically, I may have lost my appetite as of this moment. Or at least my sweet tooth.
Do I hear wedding bells? What about friendship bells? Daddy bells? 'Rent a Bridesmaid' is a touching, heartfelt, big strawberry-cake-with-icing treat. It's a cute and updated version of Wilson's stories for young girls, containing realistic events and characters, and modern social morals.
Final Score: 4/5
December 31, 2020
A cute story about a child bridemaid, although I would flower girl. The illustrations were just too cute, makes me sad that Nick Sharritt will no longer be illustrating Wilson's books.
Books like these make it clear that Wilson has the talent to adapt her writings with the changing times by including gay couples in this book, something she wouldn't probably been allowed to do when she first started writing. I think the book does a brilliant job in explaining adult relationships to children/tweens.
Books like these make it clear that Wilson has the talent to adapt her writings with the changing times by including gay couples in this book, something she wouldn't probably been allowed to do when she first started writing. I think the book does a brilliant job in explaining adult relationships to children/tweens.
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