RomCom

The Wedding Arrangement by Zoe Allison

Title: The Wedding Engagement

Author: Zoe Allison

Genre: Romcom

Rating:

Source: Netgalley

Blurb: Planning a wedding with the man you’re secretly in love with… what could go wrong?

Liv Holland has a secret: she’s been crushing on Arran Adebayo, her brother’s best friend, for years. They’re ‘just friends’ but she can’t help the butterflies in her stomach whenever she’s around him.

When they’re asked to help plan festivities for Liv’s brother’s wedding, Liv and Arran can no longer deny the sparks between them. But with both having their own chequered romantic history, risking everything for love could mean losing each other forever…

As the wedding bells ring, will Liv and Arran finally find their own happy ever after?

Review: I tend to be leery of single parent romances, because when the ex is around (as opposed to dead) they’re usually painted as being awful. Especially when it’s an ex-wife. Internalised misogyny, am I right?

Thankfully, The Wedding Arrangement mostly avoids that trope. Arran’s wife is about and can be a pain at times, but Allison makes her an actual character. I liked that she remained involved in her son’s life even while Arran was moving on.

But to our couple! Liv is a preschool teacher with the biggest crush on her brother’s best friend. Arran is an up-and-coming painter who, when Liv starts to be around a little more, notices her. I half expected the old “not my sister” rubbish from the brother, but the story didn’t go there.

As well as getting more involved in Arran’s life, Liv is working with him on her brother’s upcoming wedding. This could have come across as Liv being conniving but, while she definitely knows what she wants, she genuinely wants to help Arran. And given that their mutual friends set them up, they’re obviously seen as a good match.

Their group of friends are lovely. Allison really does a great job at showing how tight-knit they are. The romance is also solid, with Liv and Arran connecting as friends first and lovers second. I finished the book with the sense they’d be together forever.

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