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Women's Fiction

Always the Bridesmaid

Always the Bridesmaid

List Price: $13.00
Your Price: $10.40
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Somewhat entertaining........
Review: "Always the Bridesmaid" by Whitney Lyles deals with Cate, a kindergarten school teacher, who seemed to be involved in all her close friends' wedding. As their bridesmaid, Cate was expected to handle all sorts of emergencies on their wedding days such as the wedding drunk, the disgruntled mother of bride, the ex-boyfriend who wished to crash the wedding, etc. After being the bridesmaid for the third or fourth time, Cate was in fact sick of it. At the same time, Cate was feeling left out that her friends seemed to be getting hitched while her own relationship with her boyfriend, Paul seemed to be going nowhere.

I think it's quite interesting to read about Cate's account as bridesmaid and the things she had to go through, from the bridal shower to the actual wedding day. However, I wouldn't say that this is the best chick-lit I have ever read because I think it's only slightly better than the average. The pace is a bit too slow, and there isn't a lot of plot in it. That being said, it's still a rather fun and easy read.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Please read before being in a wedding...
Review: ...even if you're not the bridesmaid. Though this book is a romantic comedy it shows the harsh reality of modern day weddings. Bridezillas, feuding families, horrible drunk dancers, and freakish relatives. Reading this book could save a lot of weddings from snowballing into a stressful disaster. Seriously, I can think of five bridezillas I know who should've read this before sending incessant, spine tingling e-mails and racking up the bills for their "special friends" they refer to as bridesmaids. Lyles covers it all is this book of matrimonial bliss gone awry. I couldn't believe how funny and truthful it was. Cate is always the bridesmaid because she is such a good friend, and should be awarded a medal for her patience. Loved it, and plan to subtly suggest to anyone I know who is getting married.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Very sweet
Review: Always the Bridesmaid had me sucked in from the first page. Cate Padgett is a considerate, loyal friend with a good heart. It's no wonder why she is chosen to serve as a bridesmaid so many times. Aside from being laugh out loud hilarious this book has a very charming, sweet style and a great message about choosing boyfriends. Chick lit with a moral to the story. Hope to see a sequel.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Must Read Book
Review: Always the Bridesmaid is a hilarious story about what to expect as a bridesmaid...comedy! I found the book hysterical and romantic all wrapped into one. The characters in the book are so real and you can put yourself in their shoes. Great and quick read with lots of comedy, romance, and never boring. Right from page one I knew I would love it!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A must read for any bridesmaid!
Review: Always the Bridesmaid is a hilarious well-written book that will make many people think twice about the way they act at the next wedding they attend. This novel does a very good job at showing the reality of a modern day wedding. The very likable main character Cate Padgett, shows us the readers through the many experiences she goes through as the bridesmaid.

While dreaming of her own wedding with her boyfriend Paul, Cate suffers through many weddings to fulfill her friends' dreams. Not only does she have to give up a lot of her personal time, but must also sit through endless photographs, and spend thousands of dollars on dresses, hairdos and presents. All this makes her wonder if someday she will be the happy, soon to be married one.

Paul, Cate's boyfriend doesn't seem to be looking in the future any time soon. He is continuously on business trips and will go for days with out talking to Cate. Even though they have been dating for a year, he has yet to mention anything about the future of their relationship. Cate then runs into a childhood friend Ethan at one of the weddings. Ethan's good qualities shine and Cate begins to compare him to Paul. This starts to draw confusion in Cate's mind. While she is getting ready for four weddings, a trip to Hawaii with Paul and a trip to Las Vegas all she can think about is their relationship and where it is heading. Is Paul really Mr. Right for Cate?

Always the Bridesmaid is author Whitney Lyles's first novel. She does an excellent job at showing the realism of a bridesmaid's experience. This book will make you want to keep reading to find out if Cate will ever get to experience her own wedding day.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Always The Bridesmaid makes bridesmaid's dresses fun
Review: As engrossing, amusing, and surprisingly heartfelt as Trista and Ryan's Wedding and with not nearly as much pink, Always the Bridesmaid makes the satirical point that in our Pottery Barn society, where Britney Spears' fifty-five hour marriage is gleefully dissected in detail, we're more concerned with the veil and the boutonnieres than with our actual vows, as the near-50 percent divorce rate proves.

Cate Padgett, resourceful teacher and professional bridesmaid, can handle wedding disasters from collapsed cakes, ex-boyfriends and bad toasts, but she can't get her own love life together with her never-the-boyfriend Paul.

Do we really need to be reminded that we're commitment-phobic and that there are plenty of sweet, romantic guys out there like Cate's endlessly patient more-than-friend Ethan Blakely?

Yes, considering that most of us convince ourselves after the Pottery Barn casserole dish has acquired a tad too much stuck-on food that we're bored with the nice guy/girl we married, who picks up the kids and still remembers the name of our favorite teacher back in grade school. Yes, considering that we tuned in to see Trista and Ryan happily wed. Just say "I do" to Cate's finally getting a clue.


Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Laugh Outloud Funny
Review: Cate Padgett is surrounded by friends who are getting married. Meanwhile Cate has an almost non-existent boyfriend she refers to as No Call Paul and a growing collection of hideous bridesmaid dresses taking over her apartment.

Cate begins to reassess her life and relationship with Paul and it doesn't take long to figure out that Paul just isn't cutting it. Before she gets the chance to break up with Paul, he beats her to the punch. Shocked by the dumping, Cate surrounds herself with good friends to help her feel better.

She surprises herself when she begins to realize she's developing feelings for her long-time friend Ethan. Cate is worried that acting on these feelings will ruin their friendship.

With a growing mountain of hideous dresses and dyed shoes, Cate must decide if her friendship with Ethan is worth the risk. If she doesn't take the risk could she be passing up on the possibility of ever finding happiness and marriage for herself?

Anyone who has ever had to deal with the hassle of being a bridesmaid will appreciate and relate to Cate Padgett. Always a Bridesmaid is full of comedy, style, wit and romance.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Cheers to Always the Bridesmaid!
Review: First of all, I must say that I read a lot of chick lit and this now reaches the top of my list for an all time personal fav. It was absolutely brilliant from start to finish and Cate is the kind of gal anyone would want in their wedding. Though there are other books by the same title I found them to be pretty run of the mill. I would gladly pass this book along to any woman looking for lots of good laughs, a load of fun and an amazing read. I noticed another reviewer rasied an issue about Cate's drinking. Maybe that reviewer needs to learn a little from Cate - lighten up, live a little and have a drink. Sounds like they could really use one. Cheers to Cate!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Painful, but diverting
Review: For anyone who has ever been a bridesmaid, this book has a handful of entertaining moments. When you could not admit to anyone at the wedding that your dress was hideously expensive and uncomfortable, the bride was a self-centered, irrational witch, and you didn't want to be there at all, it's nice to read someone else's horror stories.

None of this, however, makes up for the dully repetitive sentence structure, the painfully clumsy dialogue, and the lifeless characters. Books like this make me want to sit down a write a novel, because if this can get published, anything can.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Never Fear, Cate is here!
Review: How refeshing to finally read a book that I can relate to about crazy wedding stories. I've never laughed so hard except for the times that I have had to wear the ugly bridesmaids garb, and sport the concrete hair. Cate is such a likable character. A previous reviewer said this book is apparently selling really well, and I can see why. This is going to be a hit for bridesmaids, and anyone who has been to or particated in weddings for a long time to come.


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