Reviews with content warning for Toxic friendship - So Happy for You

This book was surprisingly good - it was a quick read and a fun, silly time which I could have loved even more if we'd gotten more character development and the psychological aspect of the story had been more prominent. I enjoyed the commentary on the wedding and marriage industry and often found Robin to be deeply relatable to my own experiences, but I also thought she had a lot of internalized sexism & misogyny which was perhaps not addressed as much as I would've liked it to. There's also many instances of cultural appropriation, especially regarding yoga and meditation that you would think would be at least acknowledged by Robin - this to me suggests that her brand of feminism is a very white feminism, especially given that race and class as factors that deeply interact with gender are not even mentioned once, despite feminist commentary being such a core part of the story and of Robin's character. So I wish the conversations that the book prompted had gone a little deeper and been more complex, but overall this was a fun, quick read that I needed on the day of a not-so-fun dental surgery.

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callisto_ursus's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

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dark funny reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Robin and Ellie have been best friends since childhood but as they’ve gotten older their friendship has had its ups and downs and they no longer have a lot in common. But when Ellie is due to get married she really wants Robin by her side as maid-of-honour. And Robin, despite reservations about marriage in general and Ellie’s fiancé in particular, agrees.

While telling one cohesive story this book felt like a combination of at least three genres. Parts of it definitely fit the “women’s fiction” genre with Robin and Ellie’s backstories and their now complicated friendship. There is also a lot of satire in the sections focussed on wedding planning. If you’ve ever thought that too much time and money goes into weddings and all the associated events (showers, multi-day bachelorette parties, rehearsal dinners, post-wedding parties…), felt uncomfortable about the pressure to marry and some of the associated customs (brides being “given away” and wearing white to signal virginity), or laughed at the excesses of some bridezillas then parts of this book will have you simultaneously laughing and rolling your eyes. And then the story takes a darker turn veering into suspense/thriller territory when it takes the concept of a woman who will do anything to guarantee the success of her marriage to a whole new level. Add dystopian/speculative fiction into the mix as well, because this is set in society where the pressure to marry and stay married has become immense - women who have not married by a certain age are labelled “rotten”.

A thoroughly engaging and entertaining read, one that had me laughing, raging and perching nervously on the edge of my chair.

Content Warnings