Two grooms. One mother of a problem. Christie Durang has lived a very fulfilling life on her animal farm in a small town in Louisiana. The only thing she’s missing is her son who moved away after revealing that he’s gay but now, after years of being gone, he’s finally coming home. Christie is sure he’ll come with good news, ready to take over the farm so she can rest her tired bones. Instead, Barnard reveals a juicier secret that’s about to shake this small town to the core. He’s engaged—and wants to get married at the farm. What starts out as a simple wish to have a big gay wedding in a town that’s never seen anything like it before turns into a week no one will ever forget.
What a fun book! Lane’s voice reminded me of a fun mix between Fredrick Backman and Steven Rowley. At times, you didn’t know where a sentence or paragraph would go—would it absolutely destroy you with its ridiculously relatable commentary on life and love or would it make you laugh out loud for how over the top the characters were going to behave? Christie’s inner dialogue alone had me cracking up multiple times (while also rolling my eyes at some of the passive aggressive things she did which honestly only added to the fun of this book). Each paragraph proved to be mesmerising and for that writing talent alone, this novel is worth picking up.
The plot itself is of course as dramatic as you’d imagine with loads of big moments that make your heart hurt (and eventually heal). Lane doesn’t shy away from showing the tough truths of having to deal with your parent’s reluctant acceptance of who you are, of the sometimes long journey it takes for them to accept you for who you are. At times this novel was incredibly hard to read because you just wanted Barnard to feel loved and safe and it of course takes a while for that to come to pass. Yet each of the tougher moments is balanced well with hilarious interactions, over the top wedding plans such as Celine Dion in a dunk tank and of course the unconditional love for the animals on Christie’s farm.
While I admit that some of the things in the story didn’t work for me (I’m never a fan of someone behaving like a jerk for most of the book and them then being redeemed in what feels like a few pages just to make the ending work), I think that if you go into this knowing that it takes a while for everyone to jump on the love is love train and that growth will happen, if slowly, then you’re good to go.
Overall, if you’re looking for a drama-filled, laugh-inducing story filled with heart and characters that feel like coming home, then Big Gay Wedding needs to be on your TBR!
Big Gay Wedding is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of May 30th.
Will you be picking up Big Gay Wedding? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Two grooms. One mother of a problem.
Barnett Durang has a secret. No, not that secret. His widowed mother has known he was gay for years thanks to an unfortunate internet search history when Barnett was in high school.
The secret is Barnett is getting married. At his mother’s farm. In their small Louisiana town. She just doesn’t know it yet.
It’ll be an intimate affair. Just two hundred or so of the most fabulous folks Barnett is shipping in from the “heathen coasts,” as Mom likes to call it.
It’s no secret that the wedding will be the biggest, gayest event in town’s history, but what no one in town can predict is that after the whirlwind, glitter-filled week, nothing will ever be the same. Big Gay Wedding is an uplifting book about the power of family and the unconditional love of a mother for her son.
You’re all invited to the biggest, gayest wedding of the year. RSVP as fabulous, thank you very much.
