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A Bridesmaid to Remember
USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR
This bridesmaid’s been blacklisted…
So why is he risking everything for her?
It was the perfect wedding—until the groom spontaneously announces he’s in love with bridesmaid Bonnie Windsor! Now Bonnie’s being ostracized by the entire town. The only person willing to stand up for her? The bride’s superhandsome brother, Aaron Cole. And he’ll risk everything—including his family—to prove that this pretty woman deserves a happily-ever-after of her own.
This bridesmaid’s been blacklisted…
So why is he risking everything for her?
It was the perfect wedding—until the groom spontaneously announces he’s in love with bridesmaid Bonnie Windsor! Now Bonnie’s being ostracized by the entire town. The only person willing to stand up for her? The bride’s superhandsome brother, Aaron Cole. And he’ll risk everything—including his family—to prove that this pretty woman deserves a happily-ever-after of her own.
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 7, 2020
6 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
About the author
Amy Vastine
79 books654 followersAmy Vastine has been plotting stories in her head for as long as she can remember. An eternal optimist, she studied social work, hoping to teach others how to find their silver lining. Now, she enjoys creating happily-ever-afters for all to read. Amy is an empty-nester living outside of Chicago with her high school sweetheart-turned-husband and their two sweet but mischievous pups. Visit her at amyvastine.com
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 13, 2021
So, this had a pretty interesting premise. Bonnie, our sweet and overly nice heroine, is the maid of honor at her best friends wedding, when during the ceremony the groom decides to not only call off the wedding, but declare his undying love for Bonnie. Both Lauren and Bonnie are shocked, but Lauren immediately turns on Bonnie without pausing for half a second to hear her side. Which was that Bonnie had no idea he had feelings for her. The only person to believe that Bonnie is innocent, is Lauren's brother Aaron.
Lauren and her dad are awful. Seriously, they completely ruin Bonnie's life. Fire her dad after working for their company for 20+ years, prevent anyone in town from having anything to do with Bonnie, including restaurants, the grocery store, friends, etc. Not only do they go after Bonnie, but Aaron as well. Blacklisting both of them.
I was really waiting to see how Lauren could redeem herself. She has spent her whole life using and abusing Bonnie. And even when, deep down, she knows Bonnie is innocent, she still attacks her and encourages everyone else to as well. She had some MAJOR groveling to do and I was curious to see what changes she would make or big effort she would do to make things right and admit she was wrong. But, nothing happens. Sure, she sort of apologizes, but it is so anti-climatic it made me mad. Lauren should have LOST Bonnie's friendship. I'm sorry, she went waaaay over the line and needed some serious groveling and serious self-reflection and growth. She was awful and her last-minute 180 did not feel believable. At all. I was really disappointed in how that played out. And the storyline with Lauren's dad, who was just as awful, felt anti-climatic and no remorse for how he treated Aaron, Bonnie or her dad. And keep in mind, Bonnie has been like a sister for Lauren since they were really young kids. And the way that family treated her was near unforgivable. Bonnie should have nothing to do with any of them, including Aaron.
As for the romance. Not feeling it for Aaron. I actually wanted Bonnie to meet someone else. I just didn't like how Aaron handled everything, didn't like how he treated Bonnie. Didn't like how he let Lauren manipulate him and the false guilt he felt for things that he didn't do wrong. I would have liked if Aaron quit his job *because* of how his family was treating Bonnie. But he didn't. I would have liked if he stood up more to his dad and Lauren. Sure, he does a few little things at first to be on Bonnie's side, but then bails on her and pushes her away and just hopes that Lauren will eventual come around "cause he knows she has a good heart"...but we never did not see Good Lauren. Lauren and Daddy got by with all the awful things they did. They did not learn a thing from their mistakes. I wish Bonnie wouldn't have taken Lauren back so quickly, or all her other "friends" saying she just wants a clean-slate. No Bonnie, dump them all, they showed you their true colors.
Overall, I did like the premise of the story. I like a story I can get lost in and get all worked up over too, lol. I wish things had been tweaked a bit though.
Content: Clean, mild kissing, no language or violence.
Lauren and her dad are awful. Seriously, they completely ruin Bonnie's life. Fire her dad after working for their company for 20+ years, prevent anyone in town from having anything to do with Bonnie, including restaurants, the grocery store, friends, etc. Not only do they go after Bonnie, but Aaron as well. Blacklisting both of them.
I was really waiting to see how Lauren could redeem herself. She has spent her whole life using and abusing Bonnie. And even when, deep down, she knows Bonnie is innocent, she still attacks her and encourages everyone else to as well. She had some MAJOR groveling to do and I was curious to see what changes she would make or big effort she would do to make things right and admit she was wrong. But, nothing happens. Sure, she sort of apologizes, but it is so anti-climatic it made me mad. Lauren should have LOST Bonnie's friendship. I'm sorry, she went waaaay over the line and needed some serious groveling and serious self-reflection and growth. She was awful and her last-minute 180 did not feel believable. At all. I was really disappointed in how that played out. And the storyline with Lauren's dad, who was just as awful, felt anti-climatic and no remorse for how he treated Aaron, Bonnie or her dad. And keep in mind, Bonnie has been like a sister for Lauren since they were really young kids. And the way that family treated her was near unforgivable. Bonnie should have nothing to do with any of them, including Aaron.
As for the romance. Not feeling it for Aaron. I actually wanted Bonnie to meet someone else. I just didn't like how Aaron handled everything, didn't like how he treated Bonnie. Didn't like how he let Lauren manipulate him and the false guilt he felt for things that he didn't do wrong. I would have liked if Aaron quit his job *because* of how his family was treating Bonnie. But he didn't. I would have liked if he stood up more to his dad and Lauren. Sure, he does a few little things at first to be on Bonnie's side, but then bails on her and pushes her away and just hopes that Lauren will eventual come around "cause he knows she has a good heart"...but we never did not see Good Lauren. Lauren and Daddy got by with all the awful things they did. They did not learn a thing from their mistakes. I wish Bonnie wouldn't have taken Lauren back so quickly, or all her other "friends" saying she just wants a clean-slate. No Bonnie, dump them all, they showed you their true colors.
Overall, I did like the premise of the story. I like a story I can get lost in and get all worked up over too, lol. I wish things had been tweaked a bit though.
Content: Clean, mild kissing, no language or violence.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 24, 2021
Reviewed at Happily Ever After Romance
A Bridesmaid to Remember begins the Stop The Wedding! series with a story that certainly grabbed my attention from the first chapter and then put me through a wringer of emotions throughout Bonnie and Aaron’s romance. Intense, oh yeah, but also so emotional as in disbelief, anger, loathing of one, no two secondary characters who actually play a very big part in this story. Talk about entitled, spoiled rotten so she doesn’t make a scene and encouraged to act this way by her parents who only want to “keep Lauren happy no matter the cost to anyone else” — I have nothing good to say about “bad Lauren”. Did she redeem herself by the story’s closing… kind of, but not really because she got away with horrible actions with no need to make any kind of amends. One lame apology just didn’t cut it for me.
But, let me backtrack because I just had to get that out of my system.
On Lauren’s wedding day, during the vows, her groom decides to drop a bombshell on not only his intended but on her best friend as well by declaring that he couldn’t marry Lauren as he was in love with their friend, Bonnie. Oh. My. Goodness. For that moment, that fraction of time I felt bad for Lauren – but that feeling only lasted a moment because she immediately turns on her friend, the woman who has been her best friend since childhood and believes Bonnie has been having an affair with Mitch behind the bride’s back. Nothing could be further from the truth, and Bonnie will try to explain that she has no idea what Mitch is doing, why he’s saying such nonsense because he is only a friend. But bridezilla isn’t listening and Lauren is about to set out to totally destroy not only her now former best friend but her family as well.
The only person who believes Bonnie is Lauren’s brother, Aaron. And he will try to smooth the waters between them, but Aaron has no clue what he is up against this time. Not to mention that he has his own parental issues going on as he breaks free of working for his father to set up his own house-flipping business. And, maybe he’s also beginning to see Bonnie in a different light than simply his sister’s best friend – but how in the world is he going to navigate the storm that his sister has enveloped Bonnie in. This isn’t just anger, this is vicious, shunning, brutal bullying — and Aaron is falling in love with the woman at the center of this storm.
This review for A Bridesmaid to Remember has gone on too long, yet I’m guessing you can tell that I was emotionally invested in Bonnie and Aaron’s story and situation. I absolutely adored burly, biker Sasha – please, let there be a story someday with Sasha’s romance, I just loved this guy. I don’t believe I’ve recently read a story that whipped up my ire for a character’s actions like this one did. And the townsfolk… don’t get me started on those people. I enjoyed it, the story is certainly worth 4.5 stars, and I really don’t know if I could read a story one day of Lauren’s happy ending. Am I holding a grudge? Maybe…
I own a Kindle edition of this title.
A Bridesmaid to Remember begins the Stop The Wedding! series with a story that certainly grabbed my attention from the first chapter and then put me through a wringer of emotions throughout Bonnie and Aaron’s romance. Intense, oh yeah, but also so emotional as in disbelief, anger, loathing of one, no two secondary characters who actually play a very big part in this story. Talk about entitled, spoiled rotten so she doesn’t make a scene and encouraged to act this way by her parents who only want to “keep Lauren happy no matter the cost to anyone else” — I have nothing good to say about “bad Lauren”. Did she redeem herself by the story’s closing… kind of, but not really because she got away with horrible actions with no need to make any kind of amends. One lame apology just didn’t cut it for me.
But, let me backtrack because I just had to get that out of my system.
On Lauren’s wedding day, during the vows, her groom decides to drop a bombshell on not only his intended but on her best friend as well by declaring that he couldn’t marry Lauren as he was in love with their friend, Bonnie. Oh. My. Goodness. For that moment, that fraction of time I felt bad for Lauren – but that feeling only lasted a moment because she immediately turns on her friend, the woman who has been her best friend since childhood and believes Bonnie has been having an affair with Mitch behind the bride’s back. Nothing could be further from the truth, and Bonnie will try to explain that she has no idea what Mitch is doing, why he’s saying such nonsense because he is only a friend. But bridezilla isn’t listening and Lauren is about to set out to totally destroy not only her now former best friend but her family as well.
The only person who believes Bonnie is Lauren’s brother, Aaron. And he will try to smooth the waters between them, but Aaron has no clue what he is up against this time. Not to mention that he has his own parental issues going on as he breaks free of working for his father to set up his own house-flipping business. And, maybe he’s also beginning to see Bonnie in a different light than simply his sister’s best friend – but how in the world is he going to navigate the storm that his sister has enveloped Bonnie in. This isn’t just anger, this is vicious, shunning, brutal bullying — and Aaron is falling in love with the woman at the center of this storm.
This review for A Bridesmaid to Remember has gone on too long, yet I’m guessing you can tell that I was emotionally invested in Bonnie and Aaron’s story and situation. I absolutely adored burly, biker Sasha – please, let there be a story someday with Sasha’s romance, I just loved this guy. I don’t believe I’ve recently read a story that whipped up my ire for a character’s actions like this one did. And the townsfolk… don’t get me started on those people. I enjoyed it, the story is certainly worth 4.5 stars, and I really don’t know if I could read a story one day of Lauren’s happy ending. Am I holding a grudge? Maybe…
I own a Kindle edition of this title.
January 5, 2020
I chose this for my first read of the new year and I'm so happy I did-- I LOVE that I started out with a 5-star book!! This was the ultimate sweet romance. We opened on a LOT of drama, and I was almost worried that I was going to be stressed out the whole time I was reading... but Vastine handled it beautifully, with the perfect balance of humor and heart cushioning the more intense moments.
I fell for Bonnie immediately, and was drawn to her integrity and genuine goodness. I was absolutely delighted when she ran into Sasha-- I knew right off the bat that he was going to be my favorite character, and I hated saying goodbye to him when the book ended. The dialogue between the characters was realistic and oftentimes hilarious, and I felt like I was right there with them through their journey. I was rooting for Bonnie and Aaron the whole way, and rooted for "Bad Lauren" to come to her senses, too.
"Heartwarming" is definitely the best description of this wonderful book, and I walked away from it feeling warm and fuzzy inside and oh-so-satisfied. This was my first read by Amy Vastine but I have already added a stack of her books to my TBR list, and can't wait to spend more time with her work.
I fell for Bonnie immediately, and was drawn to her integrity and genuine goodness. I was absolutely delighted when she ran into Sasha-- I knew right off the bat that he was going to be my favorite character, and I hated saying goodbye to him when the book ended. The dialogue between the characters was realistic and oftentimes hilarious, and I felt like I was right there with them through their journey. I was rooting for Bonnie and Aaron the whole way, and rooted for "Bad Lauren" to come to her senses, too.
"Heartwarming" is definitely the best description of this wonderful book, and I walked away from it feeling warm and fuzzy inside and oh-so-satisfied. This was my first read by Amy Vastine but I have already added a stack of her books to my TBR list, and can't wait to spend more time with her work.
January 8, 2020
First in the Stop the Wedding! series and a winner I couldn't put down. In this tale, bridesmaid Bonnie Windsor is shocked when her best friend's groom declares his love for Bonnie (and NOT the bride!) at the altar, thus humiliating the bridezilla who then takes out her angst against Bonnie, a realtor, and her father, who's been working with the bride's father for years.
The only person who stands up for Bonnie is Aaron Cole, older brother of the bride. When he throws off the traces, characterized by working for his father, and decides to exercise his passion by flipping houses, he hires both Bonnie (to help him buy and then sell a house) and her father, who is a master carpenter and construction whiz. This places him in direct conflict with both his sister and his father, but he discovers another passion, too--this time for Bonnie.
Then the ex-groom comes home and creates all manner of craziness just about the time that first house to be flipped is ready for an open house and, hopefully, an offer. How this all works out is not without considerable angst, but several of the characters introduced in this title deserve stories of their own, in particular the giant biker, Sasha, with a heart of gold. A hint to the author... or has she already figured this out? Fingers crossed.
The only person who stands up for Bonnie is Aaron Cole, older brother of the bride. When he throws off the traces, characterized by working for his father, and decides to exercise his passion by flipping houses, he hires both Bonnie (to help him buy and then sell a house) and her father, who is a master carpenter and construction whiz. This places him in direct conflict with both his sister and his father, but he discovers another passion, too--this time for Bonnie.
Then the ex-groom comes home and creates all manner of craziness just about the time that first house to be flipped is ready for an open house and, hopefully, an offer. How this all works out is not without considerable angst, but several of the characters introduced in this title deserve stories of their own, in particular the giant biker, Sasha, with a heart of gold. A hint to the author... or has she already figured this out? Fingers crossed.
September 14, 2020
I loved this book. It’s not my first book by this author. Ms. Vastine writes with heart.
What is a bride to do on her wedding day when the groom decides to object at the alter?
To top it off he’s in love with her best friend. Yikes! Even she’s surprised to say the least.
What happens next is just heartbreaking. One thing after another the whole town blackballs Bonnie Windsor. The brother of the bride steps in to try and help. It’s not an easy thing when his sister is one not to be crossed.
My favorite scene well one part anyways was when a man Bonnie didn’t even know paid for her coffee and donuts. A biker named Sasha. He stood up for her.
But the other was when Aaron help Bonnie and her father.
Buy the book and see what happens because there’s so much more to come. You will laugh and cry a bit.
What is a bride to do on her wedding day when the groom decides to object at the alter?
To top it off he’s in love with her best friend. Yikes! Even she’s surprised to say the least.
What happens next is just heartbreaking. One thing after another the whole town blackballs Bonnie Windsor. The brother of the bride steps in to try and help. It’s not an easy thing when his sister is one not to be crossed.
My favorite scene well one part anyways was when a man Bonnie didn’t even know paid for her coffee and donuts. A biker named Sasha. He stood up for her.
But the other was when Aaron help Bonnie and her father.
Buy the book and see what happens because there’s so much more to come. You will laugh and cry a bit.
February 4, 2021
When I need a pick-me-up, I pick up an Amy Vastine book.
The story she tells us, of Aaron and Bonnie, made me smile so big the entire time. Because even while Bonnie was going through torment and being shunned, I knew in my heart, Aaron had her back. In a town full of socialites who "do as their told" by the spoiled daughter of a powerful man, love still conquers all in this absolutely fantastic tale of following your path in the midst of chaos.
Love me some Aaron Cole. And Sasha. I want a Sasha in my life. Sometimes losing a friend leads you to finding the best ones.
The story she tells us, of Aaron and Bonnie, made me smile so big the entire time. Because even while Bonnie was going through torment and being shunned, I knew in my heart, Aaron had her back. In a town full of socialites who "do as their told" by the spoiled daughter of a powerful man, love still conquers all in this absolutely fantastic tale of following your path in the midst of chaos.
Love me some Aaron Cole. And Sasha. I want a Sasha in my life. Sometimes losing a friend leads you to finding the best ones.
January 2, 2020
A Bridesmaid to Remember by Amy Vastine. I was happy for the way this story progressed but sad because it was over. It takes you on a beautiful journey, full of emotions. There are so many wonderful things to say about this story, but I don't want to give it away. Read it. It'll make you laugh, it'll make you cry (hard), but it'll also remind you to live life to the fullest, and do what makes you happy.
January 17, 2020
This was a good story with many twists and turns. The characters were interesting, mean and eventually nice. The author wove the story together very well.
May 31, 2020
Fun, light romance.
January 7, 2020
4.5 stars. I really enjoyed this heartwarming romance, and I appreciated that it had substance — that it wasn’t just two people immediately falling in love. I also liked the unique storyline of it starting with a wedding being called off. The characters were well-developed, and I was emotionally involved in the story. I hated Lauren and wanted to knock some sense into her.
A Bridesmaid to Remember is an engaging, romantic, entertaining read! I read it in one sitting, and I’m excited to go read more of Amy Vastine’s books!
A Bridesmaid to Remember is an engaging, romantic, entertaining read! I read it in one sitting, and I’m excited to go read more of Amy Vastine’s books!
December 25, 2019
Talk about a neat story to read. Its neat that Bonnie Windsor has a sweet personality and is caught in the middle. Its extra special that Aaron Cole the bride's brother stands by you. I love the way Amy wrote this story. If anyone has been blackballed they will understand. For its never easy to swim against a current. I really enjoyed how Amy made Bonnie and Aaron realize that they were in love. Its a story of determination and of devotion to get a job done. Its also a story about a love discovered. Its definitely worth a read. I'm looking forward to the next book maybe the bride, Lauren Cole, will be next with a new attitude? J
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January 2, 2020Categories
Family Life Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Wholesome Romance
Miniseries
Stop the Wedding!
Family Life Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Wholesome Romance
Miniseries
Stop the Wedding!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews