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Wedding Planner's Daughter #1
The Wedding Planner's Daughter
Twelve-year-old Willa Havisham is a classics reader, a cherry-cordial eater, and quite possibly the world's worst wisher. But when she and her glamorous single mother, Stella, move to Bramble, Cape Cod, Willa's wishes begin to come true: She makes her first-ever best friend, Tina. She bonds with her hip, candy-making Nana. And best of all, steely Stella is falling for Willa's English teacher, Sam -- he's perfect dad material! But before Willa can marry off her mother, or dance with her adorable crush, Joseph, a pit gets stuck in the wishing well....
Can Willa undo the damage before Stella misses her chance to say "I do"?
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
73 people are currently reading
3330 people want to read
About the author
Coleen Murtagh Paratore
24 books233 followersI majored in English at The College of Saint Rose, in Albany, and after two internships in advertising and public relations, decided to enter the communications field, which is a place where writers can write and make a living too. I got married three months after graduation (my husband Tony and I will be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary next August ), and we moved to Connecticut. I worked at a large advertising/pr firm during the day and got my master's in English at Trinity College nights. When we moved back to the Albany, New York area a few years later, I took a job as a publicist for Russell Sage College in Troy and soon became Director of Communications for the Sage Colleges. Our son, Christopher, was born in 1989. Two years later I took out a small-business loan, left my "safe job" and founded Books Worth Writing, to develop and publish The Remembering Book, an heirloom-quality tribute to a loved one's life (created after losing my best friend to cancer and wanting to be sure the story of her life was remembered and celebrated). This book-product is now in its 3rd printing, 10,000 copies sold. Around that same time, I began teaching as an adjunct instructor in the English Department at Russell Sage, doing freelance public relations assignments for business and nonprofit clients, and leading public-speaking workshops for women. Our son, Connor, was born in 1992 and then our third son, Dylan, in 1994.
After Dylan was born, I hopped off the career train for a few years to chase after three boys under the age of 5. I wrote a song for each of my sons and sang their special songs to them as bedtime lullabies. I kept a journal (I have on and off since college), wrote poems, and "roasts" for friends' birthdays, planted a perennial garden, a vegetable garden, read tons of books, started a book club, cleared a walking trail in the woods behind our house…and with my three young sons in tow, I returned to my "library days."
We devoured books together, morning, noon and night. We'd fill an L.L. Bean sack full of picture books every week, snuggle up on the couch, and read, read, read. I didn't know it at the time, but in addition to it being enormously FUN, this was fabulous research. As I was devoting my best creative energy to my children and sharing my love of books with them, I was soaking in lessons in characterization and plot and structure and language... feeding my writer's voice in happy hibernation.
I still didn't know that I would write children's books, yet everything in my life was leading me on that path. Ironically, I'd meet former business colleagues out and about and they'd say, "you're writing children's books, right?" I can't tell you how many people asked me that. It wasn't my goal or my intention.
Breaking into this business was the hardest and longest race I've ever run. I wrote stories for four years before I felt the work was ready. And then, once my writing was of publishable quality, it took two years of submitting before I got a contract. 179 rejections later. You've got to want it badly. You've got to read, read, read, and write, write, write and revise, revise, revise, and listen to people who are wiser than you, and learn from your rejections, and take comments from editors very seriously, and be willing to catch the fireflies of inspiration before they fly off forgotten, and, most of all, you've got to BELIEVE in yourself. Believe, believe, believe.
Emerson said "nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm." Write on.
After Dylan was born, I hopped off the career train for a few years to chase after three boys under the age of 5. I wrote a song for each of my sons and sang their special songs to them as bedtime lullabies. I kept a journal (I have on and off since college), wrote poems, and "roasts" for friends' birthdays, planted a perennial garden, a vegetable garden, read tons of books, started a book club, cleared a walking trail in the woods behind our house…and with my three young sons in tow, I returned to my "library days."
We devoured books together, morning, noon and night. We'd fill an L.L. Bean sack full of picture books every week, snuggle up on the couch, and read, read, read. I didn't know it at the time, but in addition to it being enormously FUN, this was fabulous research. As I was devoting my best creative energy to my children and sharing my love of books with them, I was soaking in lessons in characterization and plot and structure and language... feeding my writer's voice in happy hibernation.
I still didn't know that I would write children's books, yet everything in my life was leading me on that path. Ironically, I'd meet former business colleagues out and about and they'd say, "you're writing children's books, right?" I can't tell you how many people asked me that. It wasn't my goal or my intention.
Breaking into this business was the hardest and longest race I've ever run. I wrote stories for four years before I felt the work was ready. And then, once my writing was of publishable quality, it took two years of submitting before I got a contract. 179 rejections later. You've got to want it badly. You've got to read, read, read, and write, write, write and revise, revise, revise, and listen to people who are wiser than you, and learn from your rejections, and take comments from editors very seriously, and be willing to catch the fireflies of inspiration before they fly off forgotten, and, most of all, you've got to BELIEVE in yourself. Believe, believe, believe.
Emerson said "nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm." Write on.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 425 reviews
April 15, 2020
Another favourite from my youth and the Scholastic Book fair is The Wedding Planner's Daughter. This is yet another book I had NO idea was a series and am now super sad I didn't get to pick up the entire series as a kid!
Willa is a 12 year old nerdy girl who is trying to help her Mom (a wedding planner) get hooked up and married with her English teacher. But disaster strikes, and this may not work out as well as Willa planned. Will it all work out?
This book is ridiculously cute and horribly addicting. I found it super quick to read and super fun. It's a relaxing book for sure. While the book is designed for middle graders, this book could easily be enjoy by an adult who just wants a fast, fun yet simple read. It's delightful!
Three out of five stars.
Willa is a 12 year old nerdy girl who is trying to help her Mom (a wedding planner) get hooked up and married with her English teacher. But disaster strikes, and this may not work out as well as Willa planned. Will it all work out?
This book is ridiculously cute and horribly addicting. I found it super quick to read and super fun. It's a relaxing book for sure. While the book is designed for middle graders, this book could easily be enjoy by an adult who just wants a fast, fun yet simple read. It's delightful!
Three out of five stars.
April 18, 2018
Cute story! Our heroine is a 12 year old girl who wants her mom to settle in one place and find a father for her. Her mother is a wedding planner who is still nursing a broken heart. Very adorable!
November 26, 2012
Reviewed by Harmony for TeensReadToo.com
Willa Havisham may be the only twelve-year-old who reads classics, eats cherry cordials, and just so happens to be the worst wisher in the world.
Her glamorous single mother, Stella, plans the most beautiful weddings and is constantly moving the two of them around. When they finally move back to Stella's childhood hometown of Bramble, Cape Cod, Willa begins to think her wishes are coming true. She's made her first-ever best friend, is bonding with her crazy Nana, and, best of all, Stella seems to be falling for Willa's English teacher -- who just happens to be perfect dad material.
But when, after a wedding disaster, Stella is ready to pack up and throw everyone out, how can Willa stop everything from going back to the way it was?
THE WEDDING PLANNER'S DAUGHTER was a book I'd been hearing about for awhile, so when the chance came up to review it, I was excited. It ended up being one of the most hilarious books I've read in quite some time. The characters, Willa especially, were so well-developed and real. I could understand Stella's hesitation but also Willa's determination. Everything in the book was well-thought out and easy to relate to.
I'll definitely be recommending this to my librarian and friends. Now I can't wait to read the sequel!
Willa Havisham may be the only twelve-year-old who reads classics, eats cherry cordials, and just so happens to be the worst wisher in the world.
Her glamorous single mother, Stella, plans the most beautiful weddings and is constantly moving the two of them around. When they finally move back to Stella's childhood hometown of Bramble, Cape Cod, Willa begins to think her wishes are coming true. She's made her first-ever best friend, is bonding with her crazy Nana, and, best of all, Stella seems to be falling for Willa's English teacher -- who just happens to be perfect dad material.
But when, after a wedding disaster, Stella is ready to pack up and throw everyone out, how can Willa stop everything from going back to the way it was?
THE WEDDING PLANNER'S DAUGHTER was a book I'd been hearing about for awhile, so when the chance came up to review it, I was excited. It ended up being one of the most hilarious books I've read in quite some time. The characters, Willa especially, were so well-developed and real. I could understand Stella's hesitation but also Willa's determination. Everything in the book was well-thought out and easy to relate to.
I'll definitely be recommending this to my librarian and friends. Now I can't wait to read the sequel!
September 18, 2012
Rating: 3.5/5
It’s one of those rainy, slow days in my part of the world. I thought I’d review one of my favorite books to read on a cloudy day when you can curl up with a cozy book. Granted this is for a younger audience but I still enjoy it.
THE WEDDING PLANNER’S DAUGHTER follows Willa the daughter of yes, a wedding planner. Willa is a bookish girl who moves with her mother to Bramble, Cape Cod, a picturesque setting. Mother doesn’t allow Willa near weddings as they might put silly, glamorous thoughts in her head. Being a dreamer in the heart, Willa adds that perfect ingredient to her perfect, closed-hearted mother’s weddings. Just a little love.
Crushing on a gorgeous boy nicknamed JFK while trying to get Sam the English teacher to sweep her mother into the land of love, it’s the perfect concoction of book love and romantic love.
There’s the beautiful ocean lovingly depicted, taffy you can almost taste, and classical stories that you’ll want to pick up after you finish this book. It’s just a sweet story that you’ll want to pick up again and again. Next time there’s the wind howling and the pitter -patter of the rain drums on your roof, curl up and read a good book.
~Tally
It’s one of those rainy, slow days in my part of the world. I thought I’d review one of my favorite books to read on a cloudy day when you can curl up with a cozy book. Granted this is for a younger audience but I still enjoy it.
THE WEDDING PLANNER’S DAUGHTER follows Willa the daughter of yes, a wedding planner. Willa is a bookish girl who moves with her mother to Bramble, Cape Cod, a picturesque setting. Mother doesn’t allow Willa near weddings as they might put silly, glamorous thoughts in her head. Being a dreamer in the heart, Willa adds that perfect ingredient to her perfect, closed-hearted mother’s weddings. Just a little love.
Crushing on a gorgeous boy nicknamed JFK while trying to get Sam the English teacher to sweep her mother into the land of love, it’s the perfect concoction of book love and romantic love.
There’s the beautiful ocean lovingly depicted, taffy you can almost taste, and classical stories that you’ll want to pick up after you finish this book. It’s just a sweet story that you’ll want to pick up again and again. Next time there’s the wind howling and the pitter -patter of the rain drums on your roof, curl up and read a good book.
~Tally
October 17, 2012
I read this book when I was 13, and some of the books of the rest of the series when I was 14 and 16, when I discovered it was part of a series. What I like about this book is that it can be read as a stand-alone book, as it doesn't end as a cliffhanger. I've read books where in order to entice the reader to read the rest of the series, the author will leave the book with a serious cliffhanger. I must say, sometimes this works, but if the book isn't four to five-star worthy, I won't buy the others. This book, on the other hand, does not end as a cliffhanger, but you end up wanting to follow Willa's life as she grows up. In this book, we get to read as Willa makes friends, crushes, mistakes, and happily-ever-afters. If you like teen romance, this book is the way to go—as well as the rest of Paratore's series.
March 23, 2018
In the book the wedding planners daughter the theme is to never give up on your dreams. this book is the perfect book because Willa the wedding planners daughter is so relatabale while reading this book i felt as if i was Willa because everything she did i felt a connection to.
February 24, 2020
2020 EDIT: Nostalgia can be a bummer.
Rereading 'The Wedding Planner's Daughter' as an adult, I think maybe it is one of those books that is strictly for children. It is cute, yes, but not much else.
There is no real plot; the pacing is slow; the descriptions of weddings, gowns, dresses, towns, the weather, and other meagre details get tedious quickly; the characters are barely two-dimensional; the main character Willa is annoying and an idiot (but she's a bookworm so that should automatically be a redeeming quality - not); a few characters are given harrowing tragic backstories that do not go with the frothy and saccharine aesthetic at all; the humour (kiddie humour, I mean, that thinks it's cleverer than it is) is forced; the books recommended by Willa are generic mainstream classics; and speaking of her as a narrator, she is very patronising (like she thinks none of her readers would know what a labyrinth is, so she describes it like she thinks she's a hero. Gag me), and presumptuous, coddling, repetitive, and twee; and did I mention that she's twelve?
Yeah, Willa is twelve. So why is she obsessed with having breasts? She believes she's too small and underdeveloped, and is flat as a board (her words), compared to her friends. This feature is prominent when the girls are at the beach wearing their bikinis. Willa calls having breasts and running around "bobbing", and one time she stuffs tissue paper down the front of her swimsuit for a boy's attention (then she stupidly jumps into a pool and the paper floats away around her, humiliating her. I don't feel sorry for her because seriously, what did she expect would happen? It's not the only time she's thick when it comes to the same prepubescent boy, either).
YOU'RE TWELVE! AND SO ARE YOUR FRIENDS!
And I swear if I have to read about the twelve-year-old boy's dimples one more time...
I'm not a fan of preteen romance. I mean, they're too young, and you know it's not going to last, so what's the point of getting invested in it?
But romance is EVERYWHERE in 'The Wedding Planner's Daughter'. I know I should have expected it from the title alone, but EVERYONE is paired up in this book. Nearly every adult is married, or is about to receive a wedding, even Willa's widowed grandmother. All women and girls are especially burdened with the expectation of a heterosexual whirlwind romance (as long as they're pretty, of course) - chocolates, flowers, jewellery, notes of poetry every day, and hugely expensive travels and gestures, you name it - and a perfect, fluffy fairy tale wedding fit for a princess. It's nauseating. And not good for already insecure young girls to read about.
In fact, romance is such a focal point that, in one page, where Willa talks about Anne Frank, she remarks that Anne was lucky in one aspect - she got to spend all her time with a boy she liked in the attic. Wow. I mean...wow. Willa, you thick, callous, insensitive, thoughtless prat. To you, Anne Frank, a teenage holocaust victim who spent most of her tragically short life living in fear of capture and death, was lucky compared to you because of a possible romance with a boy. Yeah, I'm sure THAT was Anne's number one priority back then! It's a small detail, but I feel I have to mention it.
I'm sure there are a lot of girls who are just entering puberty who are like Willa, but I don't have to like reading it. And I know that not all of them are THIS thickheaded and selfish!
Also, Willa flips between calling her mother "Mother" and "Stella" constantly, including on the same page. She even calls her "the wedding planner" on a few occasions. Willa's grandmother encourages her to call her mother "Stella". It is awkward and distracting.
So I'm not a fan, as it turns out. 'The Wedding Planner's Daughter' is one of my childhood reads that hasn't aged well. To me it's shallow, dumb, and not so sweet as it clearly thinks it is.
Final Score: 2/5
'The Wedding Planner's Daughter' is so sweet and cute. It's all different kinds of cordial.
Beaches, weddings, friends, future stepfathers, actors, labyrinths, shops - a great read for children on holidays. It's also a nice mother-and-daughter story.
And I love the cover art. Perfect fitting dress for the book.
Final Score: 4/5
Rereading 'The Wedding Planner's Daughter' as an adult, I think maybe it is one of those books that is strictly for children. It is cute, yes, but not much else.
There is no real plot; the pacing is slow; the descriptions of weddings, gowns, dresses, towns, the weather, and other meagre details get tedious quickly; the characters are barely two-dimensional; the main character Willa is annoying and an idiot (but she's a bookworm so that should automatically be a redeeming quality - not); a few characters are given harrowing tragic backstories that do not go with the frothy and saccharine aesthetic at all; the humour (kiddie humour, I mean, that thinks it's cleverer than it is) is forced; the books recommended by Willa are generic mainstream classics; and speaking of her as a narrator, she is very patronising (like she thinks none of her readers would know what a labyrinth is, so she describes it like she thinks she's a hero. Gag me), and presumptuous, coddling, repetitive, and twee; and did I mention that she's twelve?
Yeah, Willa is twelve. So why is she obsessed with having breasts? She believes she's too small and underdeveloped, and is flat as a board (her words), compared to her friends. This feature is prominent when the girls are at the beach wearing their bikinis. Willa calls having breasts and running around "bobbing", and one time she stuffs tissue paper down the front of her swimsuit for a boy's attention (then she stupidly jumps into a pool and the paper floats away around her, humiliating her. I don't feel sorry for her because seriously, what did she expect would happen? It's not the only time she's thick when it comes to the same prepubescent boy, either).
YOU'RE TWELVE! AND SO ARE YOUR FRIENDS!
And I swear if I have to read about the twelve-year-old boy's dimples one more time...
I'm not a fan of preteen romance. I mean, they're too young, and you know it's not going to last, so what's the point of getting invested in it?
But romance is EVERYWHERE in 'The Wedding Planner's Daughter'. I know I should have expected it from the title alone, but EVERYONE is paired up in this book. Nearly every adult is married, or is about to receive a wedding, even Willa's widowed grandmother. All women and girls are especially burdened with the expectation of a heterosexual whirlwind romance (as long as they're pretty, of course) - chocolates, flowers, jewellery, notes of poetry every day, and hugely expensive travels and gestures, you name it - and a perfect, fluffy fairy tale wedding fit for a princess. It's nauseating. And not good for already insecure young girls to read about.
In fact, romance is such a focal point that, in one page, where Willa talks about Anne Frank, she remarks that Anne was lucky in one aspect - she got to spend all her time with a boy she liked in the attic. Wow. I mean...wow. Willa, you thick, callous, insensitive, thoughtless prat. To you, Anne Frank, a teenage holocaust victim who spent most of her tragically short life living in fear of capture and death, was lucky compared to you because of a possible romance with a boy. Yeah, I'm sure THAT was Anne's number one priority back then! It's a small detail, but I feel I have to mention it.
I'm sure there are a lot of girls who are just entering puberty who are like Willa, but I don't have to like reading it. And I know that not all of them are THIS thickheaded and selfish!
Also, Willa flips between calling her mother "Mother" and "Stella" constantly, including on the same page. She even calls her "the wedding planner" on a few occasions. Willa's grandmother encourages her to call her mother "Stella". It is awkward and distracting.
So I'm not a fan, as it turns out. 'The Wedding Planner's Daughter' is one of my childhood reads that hasn't aged well. To me it's shallow, dumb, and not so sweet as it clearly thinks it is.
Final Score: 2/5
Beaches, weddings, friends, future stepfathers, actors, labyrinths, shops - a great read for children on holidays. It's also a nice mother-and-daughter story.
And I love the cover art. Perfect fitting dress for the book.
Final Score: 4/5
March 30, 2018
4.25~This book was one of the first series that I read in my childhood, and I realized how much this book has an impact on me. There were some parts that I cringed at, and some parts I understood more with age. I can't wait to continue the series as I go down memory lane for my love for these books.
July 10, 2017
This was a cute audiobook I listened to with my daughters on a road trip. A funny, sweet story of a girl trying to find and keep a home.
December 4, 2014
The Wedding Planner's Daughter was an okay book. In the beginning I found out that the main character's name was Willa, but her full name is Willafred. Her mom, Stella, is the only one that calls Willa by her full name though. We also find out that Stella is a single mom, not by choice. After Stella graduated college, she worked in New York City as a manager at a store. While working she met a poet, Billy, who she later married. During the engagement, Stella planned the whole wedding by herself. She found out that planning weddings was her new passion. The day after Stella and Billy got married, Billy had an amazing day planned out. They never got to see each other again though, because the hot air balloon that he was going to pick Stella up in crashed into the ocean. After this, Stella found out she was pregnant. After losing the man of her life, the two moved many times. The reason they moved was because once Stella thought she was falling in love with another man, she couldn't handle it. After many moves, they ended up in Bramble, Cape Cod; where Stella was raised. In Bramble, Stella's business was booming. The next door neighbor, Sam, always caught Stella's eye and his eye always caught Stella. After a Memorial Day picnic, Stella and Sam started dating. Then Stella found out he was going to ask her to marry him, so Stella and Willa had to move again. They were gone for a month when Willa ran away back to Bramble. After this, Stella moved back to Bramble to be with everyone. Once they were settled back in, Stella said, "Yes" to Sam's proposal. Next they got married, moved in together, and started a business together(a hotel & weddings).
I wouldn't recommend this book to people because it was kind of boring; even though some of the lessons were good to know. One of the lessons I took out of this book is that things happen for a reason, and don't push things to happen; if they were meant to happen they will. If I would recommend this book to anyone, it would be girls seventh grade and under because in seventh I would've probably liked this book. I also think this book would be a good lesson to younger girls.
This book was okay because it wasn't hard to understand, and some of the things that happened were unexpected to me. One thing I really took to heart in this book was that family will always be there for you, no matter what you've done to them or what they've done to you.
I wouldn't recommend this book to people because it was kind of boring; even though some of the lessons were good to know. One of the lessons I took out of this book is that things happen for a reason, and don't push things to happen; if they were meant to happen they will. If I would recommend this book to anyone, it would be girls seventh grade and under because in seventh I would've probably liked this book. I also think this book would be a good lesson to younger girls.
This book was okay because it wasn't hard to understand, and some of the things that happened were unexpected to me. One thing I really took to heart in this book was that family will always be there for you, no matter what you've done to them or what they've done to you.
April 10, 2019
The only reason I bought this book was because the main character’s name was Willa Havisham, who intended to set up her single, structured mother, Stella, up with a perfect man. I thought it was going to be a modern take on Great Expectations, or at least a modern spin-off, but imagine my surprise when besides the family name and a couple of references of Willa’s mother having “great expectations” of her academic career, the book had literally nothing else to do with Charles Dickens’s classic! Even with that great disappointment, this book turned out to be very cute and one I’d recommend to others, especially tweens, which are the target audience.
Willa and her wedding planner mother live on Cape Cod, and while Stella is unromantic and reserved, her daughter longs for a father figure in her life. As she tries to set up her mother up with one of her teachers, her mother plays extremely hard to get. She’s a widow and still very much in love with her husband. Willa is only twelve years old and doesn’t understand, but as the pages turn, she learns a little more about love, life, and family.
Not only is the main storyline interesting, but the side characters in this novel, as well as the setting, are very charming. With the large print and cutesy cover, I’m sure grown-ups won’t flock to read it, but it is a very sweet story. One of my favorite parts about it is a reading list included at the back of the book, ideal for young readers who are looking to broaden their minds with classic novels. Each chapter in The Wedding Planner’s Daughter starts with a quote, and each quote can be traced back to the reading list, so children’s interests might be peaked.
http://hottoastyrag.weebly.com/the-we...
Willa and her wedding planner mother live on Cape Cod, and while Stella is unromantic and reserved, her daughter longs for a father figure in her life. As she tries to set up her mother up with one of her teachers, her mother plays extremely hard to get. She’s a widow and still very much in love with her husband. Willa is only twelve years old and doesn’t understand, but as the pages turn, she learns a little more about love, life, and family.
Not only is the main storyline interesting, but the side characters in this novel, as well as the setting, are very charming. With the large print and cutesy cover, I’m sure grown-ups won’t flock to read it, but it is a very sweet story. One of my favorite parts about it is a reading list included at the back of the book, ideal for young readers who are looking to broaden their minds with classic novels. Each chapter in The Wedding Planner’s Daughter starts with a quote, and each quote can be traced back to the reading list, so children’s interests might be peaked.
http://hottoastyrag.weebly.com/the-we...
November 3, 2016
Love the quotes from classics at the beginning of each chapter.
eg
Nobody sees a flower – really it is so small –
we haven't time – and to see takes time.
Georgia O'Keefe
Before built a wall I'd ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out.
Robert Frost, Mending Wall
Love
Love the letter from Willa to her mother:
"Dear Mother,
I hope you like the cordials. I know Father used to send them to you. I know about the heart-shaped trunk. I know about the poems. I know why you're so afraid. I'm sorry I ruined your business, Mother. You were a wonderful wedding planner. But your weddings were missing something. Go ahead and try a cordial. Take the pit in your hard and look at it. I know it's small and ugly now, but if you plant it and water it, give it sunshine and space for roots, someday that seed will blossom. That's why Father sent you those cordials and poems every week. And even though it was a foolish idea, that's why he planned to pick you up in Poet's Park and whisk you off in a balloon the day after your wedding. He did it because he loved you. That's the thirteenth secret ingredient. Love. You can get away with wilted flowers or a wrinkled dress. Those twelve ingredients you so perfectly planned. You were right, Mother. They all matter so much on that one fairy-tale day. The next day, all that matters is the love."
Yours truly,
Willafred Havisham
The Wedding Planner's Daughter
Love this:
The secret is to write the truth and put your heart into it.
eg
Nobody sees a flower – really it is so small –
we haven't time – and to see takes time.
Georgia O'Keefe
Before built a wall I'd ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out.
Robert Frost, Mending Wall
Love
Love the letter from Willa to her mother:
"Dear Mother,
I hope you like the cordials. I know Father used to send them to you. I know about the heart-shaped trunk. I know about the poems. I know why you're so afraid. I'm sorry I ruined your business, Mother. You were a wonderful wedding planner. But your weddings were missing something. Go ahead and try a cordial. Take the pit in your hard and look at it. I know it's small and ugly now, but if you plant it and water it, give it sunshine and space for roots, someday that seed will blossom. That's why Father sent you those cordials and poems every week. And even though it was a foolish idea, that's why he planned to pick you up in Poet's Park and whisk you off in a balloon the day after your wedding. He did it because he loved you. That's the thirteenth secret ingredient. Love. You can get away with wilted flowers or a wrinkled dress. Those twelve ingredients you so perfectly planned. You were right, Mother. They all matter so much on that one fairy-tale day. The next day, all that matters is the love."
Yours truly,
Willafred Havisham
The Wedding Planner's Daughter
Love this:
The secret is to write the truth and put your heart into it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 29, 2012
I SO LOVE THIS BOOK! Ever since my friend in school lent me this book, I didn't want to put the book down even if my subject teacher is getting angry at me for reading the book. I read it like four times over and over again, reviewing the scenes and getting the same giddy happy feeling or the deep dark feeling in Willa's point of view. I like Willa very much. She's just like me but I wear glasses and I don't normally go to the library but the bookstore. I can relate to the main character of the story a lot like not having a father because of some complications and out to set a new one. I like the fact the Coleen Paratore made the story somehow relate able to the readers.
I like it when she gets all happy and giddy when she sees or talks to her crush, Joseph Francis Kennelly.
Plus, I related a lot to Willa Havisham since I read that book when I was 12.
I recommend for the any one of the readers out there to read this book because it is one of the books that are worth your time reading it. It really makes you relate a lot. But I mostly recommend it who are under the stage of puberty maybe around 8/9 to 16 years old. And like any other story, you just want to be there even as a small character as long as you witness the story.
I like it when she gets all happy and giddy when she sees or talks to her crush, Joseph Francis Kennelly.
Plus, I related a lot to Willa Havisham since I read that book when I was 12.
I recommend for the any one of the readers out there to read this book because it is one of the books that are worth your time reading it. It really makes you relate a lot. But I mostly recommend it who are under the stage of puberty maybe around 8/9 to 16 years old. And like any other story, you just want to be there even as a small character as long as you witness the story.
December 26, 2015
This is the second book I have read by this author in this series of stories. I like her habit of starting each chapter with a quote and I like the way her characters think throughout the book.
The characters she has created are real and likable. You can relate to them easily and feel as if you are part of the town of Bramble where they live.
I have enjoyed both stories in this series so far but actually liked this first story best of all. I feel like the writer puts out some important messages in this book through her characters and I believe Willa would be a very good role model for young girls. She has problems with her mom and problems talking to the boy she likes....she hasn't matured physically yet and yet she has a clear idea of what she wants and what path she should be on, she is smart and funny and you just know that she is going to grow up to be a very smart and talented young lady.
The characters she has created are real and likable. You can relate to them easily and feel as if you are part of the town of Bramble where they live.
I have enjoyed both stories in this series so far but actually liked this first story best of all. I feel like the writer puts out some important messages in this book through her characters and I believe Willa would be a very good role model for young girls. She has problems with her mom and problems talking to the boy she likes....she hasn't matured physically yet and yet she has a clear idea of what she wants and what path she should be on, she is smart and funny and you just know that she is going to grow up to be a very smart and talented young lady.
April 22, 2017
"The Wedding Planner's Daughter" is one of my favorite books of all time!! Ms. Paratore's writing catches on to the reader so fast that you MUST read on!!
Enter the world of Willa, a seventh grader who has moved so many times. As you read on, your reading area transforms into Cape Cod. You can hear the waves crashing and your toes wiggling in the sand as the story unravels.
Willa will make friends, lose friends, and face the ordeals of a tween/teen. She also faces the challenges of a mother, a different kind of mother. A business mother.
Meet the characters of her quaint town. Meet the friend you had in seventh grade, the perfect Nana (sweet as candy :)), the amazing teacher you had, the snotty kid in the cafeteria you wished would just go away, and all in this wonderful village.
Laugh with Willa, cry with her, and jump into the waves of this amazing book!
I am so excited to read the next book!! Thank you Ms. Parartore for this book!!!!!!!
Enter the world of Willa, a seventh grader who has moved so many times. As you read on, your reading area transforms into Cape Cod. You can hear the waves crashing and your toes wiggling in the sand as the story unravels.
Willa will make friends, lose friends, and face the ordeals of a tween/teen. She also faces the challenges of a mother, a different kind of mother. A business mother.
Meet the characters of her quaint town. Meet the friend you had in seventh grade, the perfect Nana (sweet as candy :)), the amazing teacher you had, the snotty kid in the cafeteria you wished would just go away, and all in this wonderful village.
Laugh with Willa, cry with her, and jump into the waves of this amazing book!
I am so excited to read the next book!! Thank you Ms. Parartore for this book!!!!!!!
April 25, 2008
The Wedding Planner's Daughter, is a typical embarassing, stumbling, bumbling, teenage love story. The whole book is about this girl's summer and trying balance meeting the perfect guy, doing household chores, helping her mom, and babysitting! I learned that (and this is kind of an odd lesson), that the best guy for you will always come in time, you just have to wait. I just found mine a little more that a 4 days ago!!!! Love takes time! Read the book you'll understand what I mean.
May 30, 2019
I love this sweet, sweet book! Just so closely aligned with how I feel in my soul. I remember reading this book when I was the same age as Willa & loving how she seemed to get the way I felt! It still holds up - I want to live in Bramble & visit Sweet Bramble Books!! “Mum always says the only prayer you ever need is just two words. I’ve said ‘thank you’ so often now it must be written on my heart.”💕
February 10, 2008
This is so pretty and sweetIf you think dreams are importat read this, it's sweet all she wants is a father when she relize that's not what she wanted. if you want to know more R.E.A.D IT. You'll think it's sweet it would be a great chick flic.
December 9, 2009
it is really good and it just good to take a break from a mystery and have a nice fun to read book
June 28, 2011
I thought that the book was a very romantic because nothing is more romantic than a man speaking poetry to young women.
November 19, 2014
I like this book because she knows the 13 ingredients because her mom is a wedding planner she goes to the beach parties girl drama just a little her mom getting mad at her
Read
September 3, 2015i think the book was awesome and romantic
June 17, 2017
This book is amazing 😎.
I just a door this book.
I just a door this book.
May 3, 2023
Randomly remembered that this was my favorite book when I was in 5th/6th grade. I even wrote a book report on it for the book fair that year haha.
March 26, 2021
Alright, tell me why I was ready to punch this book every chapter but end up rating it 5 stars? Who knows, but I am confused on why there are 5 other books in this series when we already got our happily ever after, and the conflict on Willa's "I need a father right this instant" has been solved. But I am pleased so I guess I am not mad about it.
January 10, 2025
Stella is a piece of WORK…… but she finally saw the light in the end. i read this book when I was a kid but i am now enthralled in the series once again. The author never wanted to write middle grade books so im so glad she did
January 31, 2023
Love that love
December 21, 2020
Probably one of my favorite books as a child. I rarely cry when I read, even if it’s a sad scene or ending. This book made me cry and was the first book I connected my life to. As an adult, I would pick it up and read it again.
December 12, 2021
the sweetest antidote to that end-of-year book-slump feeling 🌸
May 18, 2017
The wedding planners daughter is one of my favorite series. The books follow a young girl named Willa, named after a willow tree, and her single mother who is obviously a wedding planner. Throughout this story, we see Willa grow up, get closer to her mother, and be accepting of having another person in her mother's life. This is a wonderful book for girls of single mothers, or mothers that are remarrying, because of the characters in the story. In addition to this, it is a girly book but also has that taste of adventure within it. I loved re-reading these books and I know there are many out there that love this series too.
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