Wedding Night

Wedding Night
by Sophie Kinsella
Published by The Dial Press
464 pages
Genre: chick lit
Thanks to edelweiss for the preview
3 / 5

I'm going to preface this by saying that I've only read one Sophie Kinsella book prior to this one, and it had nothing to do with any shop-a-holics. I enjoyed Can You Keep a Secret, but still never pursued her writing beyond that one. I'm not sure I can claim that Wedding Night will persuade me to read more, but it didn't destroy my opinion of her, either.

Sisters Lottie and Fliss are opposites, as sisters can be. Fliss, the eldest, is a single mother and infinitely practical. She works for a travel magazine, tends to her son, and frets over Lottie. Rightfully so, as it happens. Lottie has been dating her boyfriend for a while now and is convinced that he's going to propose. By "propose," she hoped to hear "will you marry me," not "let's go to San Francisco." Crushed, Lottie heads off to lick her wounds. But before she can succumb to grief and misery, ex-boyfriend Ben gives her a call. Remember that pact we made in which we promised to marry each other if we were both still single at thirty?

Impetuous, flighty Lottie calls Fliss to spread the good news. Her cheer fails to infect Fliss, however, who is determined to stop this sham of a marriage. She calls Lorcan, Ben's business partner, and joins up with him to keep the wedding from happening. As suspicious as Fliss is of Ben's motives, so is Lorcan about Lottie's. Together, along with Fliss's son, they head to Ikonos to split asunder the happy couple. And oh, hi! It's Richard, Lottie's would-be fiancé! He's here too!

Kinsella switches between Lottie's and Fliss's points-of-view, which helps us get to know the two women but turns out to be dully repetitive. You will read the same thing twice, albeit from different perspectives. The problem is that it wasn't all that interesting to begin with, so this is not a case of doubling the fun. Yet the story engages you, and the characters are likable, if not a bit over the top. We've seen these people before, in other books. They are not original or unique, although some surprises do come our way, plot-wise.

What the book lacks in originality it makes up in sheer enjoyability. You can't help but like everyone, even Richard, and you will find yourself wanting to find out what the two sisters will do next. As beach reads go, this makes a fine option.