Getting Married

by Theresa Alan

You are not the first, and you are definitely not the last . . . And probably you are not the best. It's never a good idea to take messages scrawled in bar bathrooms personally. Eva Lockart knows this, really she does. Still, such things tend to take on a weird sort of significance when one is in the throes of a panic attack prompted by irrational jealousy of one's boyfriend's ex-wife. Something that's been happening lately-a lot . . . Not that Eva has anything to worry about, really. "X" (she has a name, but why dwell on details) is long gone, and Will loves Eva now-loves her enough, in fact, to want to move in and get married. So, she's got a guy she's crazy about, a thriving business, and "fun" wedding plans to make, including finding an affordable reception site that doesn't have dead animal heads hanging from the walls, a non-poofy dress that adequately corrals her cleavage; and a cake that isn't orange inside. Still, what's a little stress in exchange for wedded bliss? When Eva thinks of all the married people she knows, she's positive that this may turn out to be the biggest mistake of her life because all those "married people" are now either acrimoniously divorced, or seemingly on the brink. But once the bridal ball is rolling downhill, it's damn near impossible to stop it without getting crushed. And now, the fact that Will's done this once before has Eva running that much faster to make things perfect-and getting herself into more trouble than she ever dreamed possible . . . Theresa Alan is the author of The Dangers of Mistletoe, Girls Who Gossip, Who You Know, Spur of the Moment, and The Girls' Global Guide to Guys. She lives in Denver, Colorado, and is working on her next novel.

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction

309 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

My interests are women's fiction, literary fiction and nonfiction, humor, suspense, chick lit, health and fitness.

I became a bestselling author with my first novel, Who You Know (2003), and my novella Santa Unwrapped was in the New York Times bestseller Jingle All the Way (2004). I am the author of six additional Kensington novels, including Spur of the Moment, The Girls’ Global Guide to Guys, Girls Who Gossip, Getting Married, Spa Vacation, and The Dangers of Mistletoe. My work has also appeared in the anthologies I Shaved My Legs for This?! and Sex and the Single Witch. I was named the Colorado Romance Writer of the Year in 2004.

A graduate of the University of Iowa and the University of Colorado at Boulder, I live in Denver, Colorado. I'm a member of the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, Women's Fiction Writers Association Association, and Romance Writers of America.

http://theresaalan.net/

Reviews

[Leelee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I rated it 3 start because it was good but not overly exciting. Did have some surprising moments and had a pleasant ending

[Brittany · Rating 1 out of 5]

How I Came To Read This Book: I have a weird girly obsession with buying books on weddings and getting married. The cover & title of this one said it all - and I got it for cheap at Superstore.

The Plot: Eva is 31 and finally feels like she might just have it all - a successful career, great friendships, and a relationship with a man named Will she might just want to marry. Eva dips her toe in the wedding planning pool before Will even proposes (bizarrely) and goes in full force once he does, but an increasingly destructive risk to her and everything she deems important in life. Meanwhile, the book features about 15 subplots that showcase (however briefly) relationships of friends and family members surrounding Eva and how they are forcing her to really look hard at weddings, marriage, and commitment.

The Good & The Bad: This book is altogether not very well written. The dialogue is awkward and forced, the characterization is shallow and fleeting, and the prose & humour throughout is pedestrian. The plot suffers from not being focused enough, therefore offering no resolution for the many threads it tries to weave. Its only saving grace comes from the fact I was interested in seeing marriage and relationships analyzed from so many angles, however briefly. I didn't care about the main character or her woes, nor was I particularly interested in any of the subplots. The story is not at ALL about planning a wedding, despite the misleading jacket, and moreso focuses on how planning a wedding can ruin your life and apparently drive you to near-suicidal tendencies in Eva's case. Don't expect lots of laughs and cute aw moments, but do expect some harsh doses of reality in between lots of boring storytelling.

The Bottom Line: Although surprisingly realistic and relatable at times, Getting Married falls far owing to its lack of focus, poor writing, and complete abandonment of resolving the issues it brings up.

Anything Memorable: I got a concussion this week, and this book kept me company. At least it was light reading.

50-Book Challenge?: Book #6 in 2009.

[R · Rating 3 out of 5]

Um, this book was weird. I'm not the type to analyze prose or deconstruct characters and such. I did enough of that in undergrad. I'm a busy mom and wife and I read fiction 'for entertainment purposes only'. Once I started reading it I couldn't put it down...the story itself was just so strange! Eva is funny but also a basket case. I really didn't think she would be able to get herself together by the end. I like that the character playing her fiancee was so patient and calm...the ying to her yang. The other characters seemed to be pretty normal in my opinion. They say life imitates art, right? Overall I liked it. I don't know if I would read it again and I certainly wouldn't buy my own copy. But I didn't hate it. : )

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't say that I liked this book but I didn't dislike it either. Overall the message was a good one about accepting who we are and where we are and not to stress about the future. It really wasn't about planning a wedding throughout the book. It took several twists and turns to get to the end and I kinda of tuned out in the middle but it redeemed itself at the end. I don't think I would recommend it to anyone I know.

[Lorianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh, I wasn't crazy about this book. I thought the cover was a little misleading even though I know I shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. It was rather slow and boring at first. Some of the racy scenes were interesting. My only complaint is that the main character always complained and it got to the point where it was so annoying. That's the last thing I want to waste my time on. The other characters were good.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book as a whole but there were times in it where it was like 'is she seriously going on about THIS.' I feel it focused too much on her debate on marriage and eventually it got old.

Kind of annoying in a way but, again, it had alot of the 'chick-lit moments' so it was wroth reading.

[Jennie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't think I was going to like this book very much when I first started it. I was having a hard time with the style of writing. But I stuck with it and overall enjoyed it. I think the cover is a bit misleading, as there wasn't a lot about the planning of the wedding.

[Jesse L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent entry in the chick-lit field, featuring a protagonist who is just as dysfunctional but with a better sense of humor than most. The drug episode feels tacked-on, but everything is resolved satisfactorily by the end of the book.

[Literary Chanteuse · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was surprisingly good. It began with quite a lot of humor. Through the middle to the end it started to deal with some serious issues and began to take a slightly different attitude however in true chick lit form it regained it's happily ever after ending.

[Kashif S. Malik · Rating 1 out of 5]

The story-line progresses too slowly, so I gave up on this book. Also found the plot to be shallow and not to my liking. I do remember how I stumbled upon this book; but have no idea why I kept reading it.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has a very "sexy" scenes. It's a decent story.

[Nina]

I really didn't see the point to this book because in my opionion it didn't really have much of a plot. It just dragged.