The Secret Bridesmaid By Katy Birchall

‘The Secret Bridesmaid’ is the first adult novel by Katy Birchall.

As a professional bridesmaid, Sophie is secretly hired by brides to be their right-hand woman, ensuring their big day goes off without a hitch. From wrangling rowdy hen dos to navigating last minute portaloo cancellations, there’s no problem she can’t solve. So when she’s employed by an actual Marchioness to help plan the society wedding of the year, it should be a chance for Sophie to prove just how talented she is. Of course, it’s not ideal that the bride, Cordelia, is rude, difficult and determined to make Sophie’s life a nightmare. It’s also a bit inconvenient when Sophie finds herself drawn to Cordelia’s posh older brother, who is absolutely off limits. And when a rival society wedding is announced, things get even more complicated.

Although Katy has been an author for years, her previous books have been Young Adult and ‘The Secret Bridesmaid’ is her first step into romantic comedy and it’s a triumph of a debut.

The story is seen through the witty narrative of Sophie Breeze, who’s taken her love of organisation and weddings to a new level with becoming a secret bridesmaid, who’s there to help to relieve the bride of all the wedding stress. Although Sophie loves weddings, she’s single and has just received a wedding invite to her ex-boyfriend’s wedding. Heartbroken, she decides to throw herself into her work and become completely distracted with one of her most prestigious and demanding clients, Cordelia Swann, who’s like a character from ‘Made In Chelsea’. Cordelia hates the idea of Sophie being her bridesmaid and is determined to drive her away with insane requests and high demands, but this makes Sophie even more adamant to do a great job.

I loved this story, it’s fun, warm and has some lovely moments that make for tender reading. Sophie is a lovely character, she’s kind with a big heart and is determined that every one of her brides have the day that they always dreamt off whether that’s perfecting the Chewbacca roar or becoming swann whisperers. Cordelia is a great character, she’s witty and has a hard shell that’s difficult to crack. But underneath the tough exterior, she’s actually quite a sweet and kind person.

The story flows at a lovely pace that makes for enjoyable reading. The interactions between Sophie and Cordelia are both funny and tender as they become friends and Cordelia begins to warm to Sophie. As Sophie is a wonderful bridesmaid, it’s funny to read her dedication to her brides, reading emails of their needs and demands.

‘The Secret Bridesmaid’ is an uplifting story that is fresh and fun story and is perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella.

You can buy ‘The Secret Bridesmaid’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.