In the snowy perfection of Aspen, the White family gathers for youngest daughter Rosie’s whirlwind Christmas wedding. First to arrive are the bride’s parents, Maggie and Nick. Their daughter’s marriage is a milestone they are determined to celebrate wholeheartedly, but they are hiding a huge secret of their own: they are on the brink of divorce. After living apart for the last six months, the last thing they need is to be trapped together in an irresistibly romantic winter wonderland.
Rosie’s older sister, Katie, is also dreading the wedding. Worried that impulsive, sweet-hearted Rosie is making a mistake, Katie is determined to save her sister from herself! If only the irritatingly good-looking best man, Jordan, would stop interfering with her plans…
Bride-to-be Rosie loves her fiancé but is having serious second thoughts. Except everyone has arrived—how can she tell them she’s not sure? As the big day gets closer, and emotions run even higher, this is one White family Christmas none of them will ever forget! (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads)
From page one, A Wedding in December had a unique storyline right from the get go. The fact that Maggie and Nick have to play nice in Aspen and pretend to be happily married, despite living apart for months, I wasn’t entirely sure how that scenario would play out for them, or for those around them. It’s this “can they pull it off?” vibe that makes the reader really wonder what sort of potential drama will ensue, and whether it will ruin Rosie’s wedding.
On top of that are excruciatingly painful moments that surface with Katie. While I appreciated her addition to this family, I had a really hard time with her as a character. It feels as if she is constantly trying to sabotage her sister, even if deep down, that is not her intent. She made me mad during quite a few scenarios, but that touch of chaos really added depth to this story, and even though she can be obnoxious, I’m glad that she was there. After discovering some of her own secrets that lead into why she is the way she is, it really helped in better understanding her motivation.
My favorite character is Jordan. What you get is what you see, and he doesn’t pull punches or try to sugarcoat his feelings or how he views the world. It was such a great contrast to Katie’s borderline neurotic behavior, providing a nice “opposites attract” scenario for those two. He’s also the voice of reason, pinpointing character flaws that at times are subtle, but they are there, just the same. I imagine his own flaw is that he doesn’t have much of a filter, a much-needed addition for a family who tries their hardest to keep what’s going on in their private lives under wraps.
Amidst the craziness that can stem from wedding preparations on top of chaos within a family, we discover that Rosie has a lot of growing up to do, and even when she attempts to do so, there are people all around her who don’t know how to allow her to do it. It felt real- much like what we’d hear or witness in a friend’s life or in our own lives. It’s hard to see our loved ones as someone other than who we’ve always known them to be, and while everyone within A Wedding in December changes in some way, I think Rosie had the biggest leaps and bounds out of everyone. Overall, this was a sweet read with plenty of challenges and hurdles along the way, which made it all the more appealing.
Thanks to Harlequin for the book in exchange for an honest review.
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