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Un-Bridaled
call her crazy
With half her immediate family having been committed -- mentally speaking -- why can't Chloe Sachs commit? After all, she's always been considered the sane one in the family. But seconds before becoming Mrs. Mark Hutchinson, Chloe leaves her handsome, successful fiancé at the altar and tears down Interstate 505 in her red Ford Frontier. Maybe it was the heat of a California June wedding. Maybe it was when a family tradition went awry before hundreds of shocked guests. Or maybe it was because she heard a voice telling her in no uncertain terms, Run!
but just call her...
Now Chloe has no Plan B, two kooky dogs, one angry ex, and a truckload of wedding gifts to return. Taking refuge at her grandmother's, Chloe helps her renovate a bungalow that's been in the family for years -- and unearths some surprising secrets. She also discovers that leaving her heart open may invite some very intriguing guests -- like the beguiling veterinarian she can't get off her mind. And with her family and friends' help, Chloe realizes she's truly free...to follow her heart wherever it takes her.
With half her immediate family having been committed -- mentally speaking -- why can't Chloe Sachs commit? After all, she's always been considered the sane one in the family. But seconds before becoming Mrs. Mark Hutchinson, Chloe leaves her handsome, successful fiancé at the altar and tears down Interstate 505 in her red Ford Frontier. Maybe it was the heat of a California June wedding. Maybe it was when a family tradition went awry before hundreds of shocked guests. Or maybe it was because she heard a voice telling her in no uncertain terms, Run!
but just call her...
Now Chloe has no Plan B, two kooky dogs, one angry ex, and a truckload of wedding gifts to return. Taking refuge at her grandmother's, Chloe helps her renovate a bungalow that's been in the family for years -- and unearths some surprising secrets. She also discovers that leaving her heart open may invite some very intriguing guests -- like the beguiling veterinarian she can't get off her mind. And with her family and friends' help, Chloe realizes she's truly free...to follow her heart wherever it takes her.
288 pages, Paperback
First published March 7, 2006
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226 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
March 17, 2008
I had actually read this book once already, but I completely forgot, so I guess that shows you how memorable the book is or it just shows how horrible my memory is. Anyways, I still enjoyed it a second time. The main character is likable and real and the storyline is pretty plausible.
May 28, 2008
Very silly book...I picked it up at the grocery store on the way to the lake. A quick and fun read! Although...its not quite the kind of book you want to read 10 days before your wedding as I did...haha!
March 22, 2018
My first DNF of the year.
I picked this up because it looked like a light-hearted, cute, fun, rom com. I had a few consecutive depressing days, where I couldn't even concentrate on books(new for me, and awful) and I thought this would break my slump. It actually depressed me further.
I read straight through to page 73. I was bored out of my mind, couldn't connect with the MC, didn't like being in her perspective. She had no personality.
I really didn't like her dysfunctional, messed up family. I couldn't keep track of the names, because so many were thrown out. Her dad's been married three times, her mom twice, she has a brother, a half sibling, and maybe more, I don't remember.
I wasn't interested in the slightest in this barely-there plot.
When I read the synopsis I figured she left him because they weren't meant to be together or something. Not just because the glass didn't break during the Jewish wedding ceremony. When the bartender says maybe it meant they wouldn't have a life of sorrow, and the MC goes I didn't think of that, I was thinking did you seriously ruin your wedding because of the glass?! And hearing a voice telling her to run is just too ridiculous to me.
I didn't find it funny to joke about her family being institutionalized. Her mom in rehab twice, her dad with manic-depression, Jennifer with an eating disorder, and Rafe going to a detention facility once. I found none of this relatable, and this is not reading material to me.
I have a dysfunctional family too(not the funny kind), and I couldn't write about them either, because no one would want to read it, and they probably wouldn't believe people could really be like that. It seemed like the author must have a family like this, because I don't know why you'd write about it otherwise.
The only thing I related to was Chloe not being comfortable in social situations, and not liking her dad's anger, even if it wasn't directed at her. She got the shakes when he yelled at anyone, cuz he has a big voice.
It's not exciting listening to someone renovate a house, eat leftover wedding food, hear about her crappy parents, and her dogs snipping at each other(very repetitive btw.) I just feel bad for Aziza. Just find a good home for her already.
The next day I skimmed to around 106, simply looking for the veterinarian, because he seemed to be making no appearance in this book. I wondered if he was ever gonna show up. He doesn't make an appearance until pg 103. That's a ridiculously long amount of time to wait for someone to show up in a book, especially when he was referenced on the back of the book. I've never seen someone introduced so late like that before.
He shows up for two pages, and then disappears with no warning. Literally one second he's talking, and the next he's gone:
'"I'm Jewish. My mother thinks the world rises and sets with me."
Back home, Asiza galloped out to meet us and jumped into the truck.'
Then she's suddenly home! Wth was that?
All Chloe does it eat, interact with her dogs, read some letters, piddle at renovation, and talk about her family. 'This reminded me being shuffled back and forth between parents, standing in front of the front door waiting on someone to open it, because it really wasn't our house, only temporarily.'
'I'm neat and tidy, probably because of being shuffled back and forth between parents, who didn't keep track of their own stuff.'
Those aren't direct quotes, but close enough. I got the impression she'd be making comparisons like that about her family throughout the entire book.
I wasn't interested in hearing of her parents, her life as a kid, or any of it. It was way too whiny, and I got tired of hearing it real quick.
The comment about "don't think we were abused, cause we weren't" just hit me the wrong way. Abuse isn't something to be flippant or dry about, and I didn't think that, FYI. Then she said her parents didn't care enough about them to inspire abuse. What kind of comment is that? You think abuse is about caring or not caring about a person? What a bizarre thing to say, and if you don't know about abuse, I probably wouldn't be writing about it like that.
The little sub-plot with the trashy bartender, and her brother hooking up with her was distasteful to me and yet another thing about this book I didn't care to read about.
Just no to this whole screwed up family.
Today, I skimmed some more, and checked out the ending.
At pg 295 there’s a lil confrontation with the ex, Mark, (probably thrown in to add some drama to the 'plot' because idk why he'd show up wanting her back), and then Daniel the vet shows up, saying he’s her bf. And then says he thought about saying lover but they haven’t slept together yet. And that's when I knew sex wasn't in this book, Daniel seemed to barely be in here, and her family and huge cast of characters I couldn't begin to keep up, and don't care to, took up the majority of this. There were so many new names later in the book.
There's comments about someone being underweight, who's possibly the same woman who's pregnant.
Chloe chokes on a jolly rancher right at the end of the book. How random. I really don't like writing with no purpose like that. What is the point of her choking?
She's doing the dishes, Daniel kisses her, leads her to the bedroom. That’s it, folks.
Cut off the book right at the--I think--first romantic scene. And it's that writing I hate, like some YA authors that just say 'he kissed me' not how it felt, or anything descriptive at all. Just he kissed me on the lips, boom its over.
I don't like this author's style of writing. It's incredibly boring. Even worse than a bad/annoying book is one that's boring, because it just has nothing going for it, and you're just not interested in it. That was the case here. Writing about mundane things, and characters that are just not likable or interesting in any way is not a book I'm gonna like.
You would think that leaving your wedding, and taking off to live in a bungalow, renovating it, meeting a veterinarian would be exciting. But it wasn't. And finding the love letters was like another 'plot' tacked onto this. Like a Nicholas Sparks novel or something. I wasn't even interested in the letters. I really couldn't care less about anything in here.
I wouldn't be interested in reading this author ever again. Boring writing, and doesn't write romance.
When I got on goodreads to mark that I read this(or DNF it, as was the case) I saw it wasn't a romance book, and I was incredibly regretful that I didn't check this book out beforehand, because I wouldn't have read this had I known. Romance is my genre, and I don't read plain fiction because I find books without romance boring.
So now I'm also upset with the volunteer that shelved this under romance, leading me to grab it in the first place. The only positive is that this was free, because they were going to trash it, and I took it home instead. At least there was no money lost here.
This is going right back to the bookshop where it came from, and I think I'll personally make sure this gets into the fiction section where it belongs, and not romance.
I picked this up because it looked like a light-hearted, cute, fun, rom com. I had a few consecutive depressing days, where I couldn't even concentrate on books(new for me, and awful) and I thought this would break my slump. It actually depressed me further.
I read straight through to page 73. I was bored out of my mind, couldn't connect with the MC, didn't like being in her perspective. She had no personality.
I really didn't like her dysfunctional, messed up family. I couldn't keep track of the names, because so many were thrown out. Her dad's been married three times, her mom twice, she has a brother, a half sibling, and maybe more, I don't remember.
I wasn't interested in the slightest in this barely-there plot.
When I read the synopsis I figured she left him because they weren't meant to be together or something. Not just because the glass didn't break during the Jewish wedding ceremony. When the bartender says maybe it meant they wouldn't have a life of sorrow, and the MC goes I didn't think of that, I was thinking did you seriously ruin your wedding because of the glass?! And hearing a voice telling her to run is just too ridiculous to me.
I didn't find it funny to joke about her family being institutionalized. Her mom in rehab twice, her dad with manic-depression, Jennifer with an eating disorder, and Rafe going to a detention facility once. I found none of this relatable, and this is not reading material to me.
I have a dysfunctional family too(not the funny kind), and I couldn't write about them either, because no one would want to read it, and they probably wouldn't believe people could really be like that. It seemed like the author must have a family like this, because I don't know why you'd write about it otherwise.
The only thing I related to was Chloe not being comfortable in social situations, and not liking her dad's anger, even if it wasn't directed at her. She got the shakes when he yelled at anyone, cuz he has a big voice.
It's not exciting listening to someone renovate a house, eat leftover wedding food, hear about her crappy parents, and her dogs snipping at each other(very repetitive btw.) I just feel bad for Aziza. Just find a good home for her already.
The next day I skimmed to around 106, simply looking for the veterinarian, because he seemed to be making no appearance in this book. I wondered if he was ever gonna show up. He doesn't make an appearance until pg 103. That's a ridiculously long amount of time to wait for someone to show up in a book, especially when he was referenced on the back of the book. I've never seen someone introduced so late like that before.
He shows up for two pages, and then disappears with no warning. Literally one second he's talking, and the next he's gone:
'"I'm Jewish. My mother thinks the world rises and sets with me."
Back home, Asiza galloped out to meet us and jumped into the truck.'
Then she's suddenly home! Wth was that?
All Chloe does it eat, interact with her dogs, read some letters, piddle at renovation, and talk about her family. 'This reminded me being shuffled back and forth between parents, standing in front of the front door waiting on someone to open it, because it really wasn't our house, only temporarily.'
'I'm neat and tidy, probably because of being shuffled back and forth between parents, who didn't keep track of their own stuff.'
Those aren't direct quotes, but close enough. I got the impression she'd be making comparisons like that about her family throughout the entire book.
I wasn't interested in hearing of her parents, her life as a kid, or any of it. It was way too whiny, and I got tired of hearing it real quick.
The comment about "don't think we were abused, cause we weren't" just hit me the wrong way. Abuse isn't something to be flippant or dry about, and I didn't think that, FYI. Then she said her parents didn't care enough about them to inspire abuse. What kind of comment is that? You think abuse is about caring or not caring about a person? What a bizarre thing to say, and if you don't know about abuse, I probably wouldn't be writing about it like that.
The little sub-plot with the trashy bartender, and her brother hooking up with her was distasteful to me and yet another thing about this book I didn't care to read about.
Just no to this whole screwed up family.
Today, I skimmed some more, and checked out the ending.
At pg 295 there’s a lil confrontation with the ex, Mark, (probably thrown in to add some drama to the 'plot' because idk why he'd show up wanting her back), and then Daniel the vet shows up, saying he’s her bf. And then says he thought about saying lover but they haven’t slept together yet. And that's when I knew sex wasn't in this book, Daniel seemed to barely be in here, and her family and huge cast of characters I couldn't begin to keep up, and don't care to, took up the majority of this. There were so many new names later in the book.
There's comments about someone being underweight, who's possibly the same woman who's pregnant.
Chloe chokes on a jolly rancher right at the end of the book. How random. I really don't like writing with no purpose like that. What is the point of her choking?
She's doing the dishes, Daniel kisses her, leads her to the bedroom. That’s it, folks.
Cut off the book right at the--I think--first romantic scene. And it's that writing I hate, like some YA authors that just say 'he kissed me' not how it felt, or anything descriptive at all. Just he kissed me on the lips, boom its over.
I don't like this author's style of writing. It's incredibly boring. Even worse than a bad/annoying book is one that's boring, because it just has nothing going for it, and you're just not interested in it. That was the case here. Writing about mundane things, and characters that are just not likable or interesting in any way is not a book I'm gonna like.
You would think that leaving your wedding, and taking off to live in a bungalow, renovating it, meeting a veterinarian would be exciting. But it wasn't. And finding the love letters was like another 'plot' tacked onto this. Like a Nicholas Sparks novel or something. I wasn't even interested in the letters. I really couldn't care less about anything in here.
I wouldn't be interested in reading this author ever again. Boring writing, and doesn't write romance.
When I got on goodreads to mark that I read this(or DNF it, as was the case) I saw it wasn't a romance book, and I was incredibly regretful that I didn't check this book out beforehand, because I wouldn't have read this had I known. Romance is my genre, and I don't read plain fiction because I find books without romance boring.
So now I'm also upset with the volunteer that shelved this under romance, leading me to grab it in the first place. The only positive is that this was free, because they were going to trash it, and I took it home instead. At least there was no money lost here.
This is going right back to the bookshop where it came from, and I think I'll personally make sure this gets into the fiction section where it belongs, and not romance.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 26, 2019
A very fun and entertaining book.
March 9, 2023
Good book, kinda boring tho
May 4, 2011
The main character runs away from her wedding in the opening chapter, and the rest of the book is about how she figures out what she's going to do now. She moves in to her late great-aunt's house while it's being renovated, and spends time returning wedding presents. She discovers some old letters of the aunt's, about a WWII romance, and begins reading them. She interacts with her sister, and brother, and parents and step-parents. She has encounters with a hot, really nice veterinarian, and a motorcycle cop who seems to spot her every time she comes to town. She gets a part time job at the local bar, where her brother starts dating one of the other bartenders. This sounds episodic--and it kinda is, but it's not. It's all about family and relationships and how previous generations affect their children, and their children's children, and stuff. I like Rendahl, and I liked this. It was a GoodRead
June 20, 2010
They had reached the point in the wedding where the glass should be stomped on and broken. As the glass skittered off unbroken, a little voice said, "Run" and she did! This was the beginning of a book about Chloe, whom everyone in her small town had heard of once she joined the wedding "track team". If a poster was made of a "dysfunctional" family Chloe knew that her family would be on it. As the book continues Chloe learns some interesting things about her family and discovers that people can change what they thought would surely be their destiny - a journey to continuing a long line of dysfunction.
I found this book at the Dollar Store and it was indeed a pleasant find. I will be adding other titles of Rendahl's to my "To Read" list.
I found this book at the Dollar Store and it was indeed a pleasant find. I will be adding other titles of Rendahl's to my "To Read" list.
February 8, 2013
It was one of those books that you don't quite remember that you have other things to do...you just want to read. This book had everything! Gorgeous setting, quirky and funny characters, two very interesting pets and one fixer-upper bungalow.
And this is where Chloe comes to sort through things. This is also where she finds a stack of letters. Love letters between her aunt and her lover. She discovers a big family secret, which makes a lot of sense and gives her a different perspective towards her relationship with her mother, which is stressed to say the least.
I found that the story was about Chloe growing into the person that she's always wanted to be. Without the approval of her mother or the manipulations of her ex-fiance.
4.5/5
And this is where Chloe comes to sort through things. This is also where she finds a stack of letters. Love letters between her aunt and her lover. She discovers a big family secret, which makes a lot of sense and gives her a different perspective towards her relationship with her mother, which is stressed to say the least.
I found that the story was about Chloe growing into the person that she's always wanted to be. Without the approval of her mother or the manipulations of her ex-fiance.
4.5/5
May 5, 2008
Cute. Maybe it's just that I'm used to reading things where the "resolution" involves good vampires saving the world from evil vampires, or someone uncovering the killer of four minor plot characters... but this book and the last one I reviewed seemed to wander a bit. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be anticipating. Yeah, she leaves a guy at the altar, and then tries to get her life settled. And she has dogs. It was a pleasant read, and just what I needed this weekend, but nothing spectacular.
August 24, 2009
Rendahl's characters are so vividly real that I lost my grip on reality while reading. I forgot that what was playing out so easily in my mind wasn't a true story happening in some remote part of the world. This book is such a poignant mixture of heartache and happy endings. It rings true to the joys and distresses that the normal person faces in everyday life. Definitely an unforgettable book.
Read
July 30, 2011Breezed through this one pretty quickly - a fun story! Chloe was believable and not too ditzy although like most chick lit stories I've read it takes her a while to figure out what she really wants. I probably would not have confronted my family to the degree she did after learning dark family secrets but to each his own. Liked the central California setting and the dysfunctional family kept it interesting.
January 22, 2012
Chloe is a runaway bride. She didn't plan on it, she just realize that the relationship just wasn't right until her groom-to-be, Mark, was unable to break the glass during their Jewish wedding ceremony - and she took that as a bad sign. Even though she left Mark at the altar, she's still a very likeable character and as the story continues we learn about her extremely disfunctional family - making you wonder that she's so "normal".
May 16, 2008
I loved this book. It's a great summer read. This is a great book about a girl who runs out on her wedding and comes into her own. It's about her family and the ways our family contributes to the decisions we make sometimes. It's especially about how choosing to ignore our past can cause us to make serious mistakes in the future. Really thought provoking & funny...a great combination.
October 23, 2009
Chloe runs from the middle of her wedding, takes a temporary job at the local bar, and moves into a house that is undergoing massive remodeling. And she considers herself the normal one in her family.
This book is all about family and how to cope with it.
In some ways this reminds me of Jennifer Crusie's romances, but not quite so fluffy. I liked it 3.5 stars worth.
This book is all about family and how to cope with it.
In some ways this reminds me of Jennifer Crusie's romances, but not quite so fluffy. I liked it 3.5 stars worth.
November 14, 2009
This is totally fluffy chick lit about a woman who runs out on her wedding and what follows, including her interactions with her dysfunctional family. I rate this a cut above some other chick lit, as the main character is interesting and intelligent and a scientist. Also, there are some nice dogs in the story, and a hot veterinarian.
November 28, 2009
I was quite surprised that this book was as good as it was! This story is about a woman who leaves her fiancee at the altar and then has to deal with moving on and living her life on her own. The writing was great, the characters were complex, and the story was sweet. I will definitely read more from this author.
August 16, 2014
So I'm only giving 2 stars because, although I loved the book while I was reading it, every time I picked it up I realized I had forgotten everything I'd previously read! A good story, a cute story, and an entertaining one while reading. But I'll be damned if I could tell you what it's about 3 days after finishing it. :S
March 9, 2008
Wow, I really do read too much chick lit.
A woman leaves her husband at the alter and must learn to redo her life from this point forward.
This just felt like something I'd read before. Nothing stood out.
A woman leaves her husband at the alter and must learn to redo her life from this point forward.
This just felt like something I'd read before. Nothing stood out.
April 17, 2008
I have been a member of good reads for about a month and when I was adding books I have read, I completely forgot about this one. I read it a couple months ago and I remember liking it but I do have to agree with the comment made by Michelle when she said it is forgettable.
June 14, 2009
This book is OK - an easy read. I really liked the characters, and the author writes dialouge in an exceptionally realistic fashion. But, I was a bit disappointed at lack of good climax and the resolution at the end was weak. I wouldn't read it again, but I didn't dislike it.
July 10, 2009
Just a quick "chick-lit" read. Local author and local landmarks (lots of Davis)make it fun. It's yet another take on the runaway bride theme with a "nutty" family to boot. Ties in with Claire Cook-type of writing--large family, pets, and laughs. Note: heroine is also a scientist.
July 31, 2013
Although this book was fairly predictably I really liked it. It did include a bit a twist towards the end which made it interesting. I read it in a day, so it's a quick read. It kept me busy while the cable company was installing stuff (and I was without cable or internet to keep me busy).
February 22, 2011
I enjoyed reading this book though I think the fact that I lived in the area that it takes place may have added charm. Good light, chick-lit read. I liked the characters and the fact that they are real characters. :)
August 15, 2007
mostly predictable chick-lit with some moving emotional stuff at the end. an easy read.
January 24, 2008
More fun wedding books
February 5, 2008
so funny! a book about nothing that cracked me up! i loved the quotes at the beginning of each chapter and will quote them forever!
April 21, 2008
Love Chic Lit.
June 4, 2008
This was cute book. Very easy read, goes by quickly. Very predictable chick lit, but also humorous and entertaining.
September 27, 2015
Good chick lit~ interesting enough to keep me reading. Would give 3 1/2 stars.
August 23, 2008
This was all right. Fun for the summer, and I didn't have to skip gobs of objectionable stuff. Maybe see if your library has it if you're in the mood for something really light.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews