I really enjoyed this book. I have enjoyed all the books set in the Matson world. I really loved not only the formate of this book but also the entire family and the various situations that occurred. I loved the relationship between bill and charlie and just wish we saw a bit more of it throughout the novel. I just love all the high jinx that came from the wedding and all the problems that need to be solved. I thought it also tackled harder issues super well. I really loved the tie backs to her other novels. And it was a prefect summer read! ( )

I really enjoyed this book. I have enjoyed all the books set in the Matson world. I really loved not only the formate of this book but also the entire family and the various situations that occurred. I loved the relationship between bill and charlie and just wish we saw a bit more of it throughout the novel. I just love all the high jinx that came from the wedding and all the problems that need to be solved. I thought it also tackled harder issues super well. I really loved the tie backs to her other novels. And it was a prefect summer read! ( )

It is incredibly ironic that a book about a family with big parallels to a fictional family would have huge parallels to a family I know. Insanely weird. Overly strange.

Spoiler alert: The dog does not die.

I loved this one. It was jolly and merry and at times romcomesque (a wedding!) but deals with growing up and accepting change and understanding one's place and it made me feel very warm and fuzzy and it had the PERFECT amount of romance and the way both romances resolved was absolutely splendid.

Though I could not keep Siobahn and Brooke straight and that caused me some confusion. ( )

1.5 Stars rounded up to 2

Well it started off okay but just became more and more ridiculous.

How many things can realistically go wrong at a wedding! It just grew more and more implausible and therefore less and less entertaining. Its a shame because there were a couple of enjoyable elements such as the cartoon strip storyline. However, I ended up with quite a bad attitude whilst reading this and found myself shouting "Come on! Seriously!" in every chapter. The main character was also a little bit immature for her age. A bit of a miss for me. ( )

Maybe this is the perfect coming of age book for people who are middle-class, teens or pre-teens, and possibly white. I remember being 11 and feeling that the worst thing that could ever happen to me was moving to a different neighborhood [ok we didn’t have mobiles and wide usage of the internet back then in Greece, but still]. I remember wanting to read about big families whose members made mistakes but deep down where good hearted, sort of like the first seasons of 7th Heaven. Feeling entitled, afraid of change, in a loving bubble, overwhelmed by every single aspect of daily life, unable to distinguish what was really important.

Well this book is like that. Filled with descriptions of inane little things, explanations of everything, lovable, wholesome, cliché character types, peppered with specks of realism. It reminded me very much of the movie Dennis the Terrible, but for a slightly older audience. It’s not really a bad book, and it’s not badly written. Like Gilmore Girls and Sex and the City, it lacks perspective and should you encounter it in a time where your perspectives match, you’ll enjoy it. But if you add some nuance, hardships, and experience to yours, it becomes boring if not obnoxious.

Ultimately I think I couldn’t relate because it’s written only for one type of person. This isn’t bad per se, but awfully limiting. I’ve read much YA in recent years, and even though it’s rare that I find one that I love, I’ve found myself relating with characters, being vastly emotionally invested in the story and eventually -with titles like [b: Binti |25667918|Binti (Binti, #1)|Nnedi Okorafor|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1433804020s/25667918.jpg|45491127], [b: Bonjour Tristesse|61672|Bonjour tristesse|Françoise Sagan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1346107613s/61672.jpg|1708708] and [b: Kamikaze Girls|759772|Kamikaze Girls |Novala Takemoto|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347770907s/759772.jpg|745873], coming to even love them. So since it can be done, I can’t say that it’s not a flaw this one choses the alienating approach –although without meaning to, as far as I’m aware.

However, its greatest fault is that it’s written as a movie, hence the similarities it brings to mind mostly with movies and series rather than other YA novels. It doesn’t utilize its medium and keeps describing comedy scenes that would shine when viewed but are boring and lackluster when described [like the capture the flag game, or any such physical game really.] I understand this may be strategic, so as to feel relatable to its young target audience and their daily lives but we really could do without the meticulous narration of their everyday chores.

I doesn’t feel quite like I’ve lost my time, but the feeling is similar enough to deter me from ever wanting to read the writer’s other works.
Would recommend for preteens and teens of affluent families though. ( )