As some of you might know, either from my blog or from here on The Nerd Daily, I’m new to the whole romance genre. I started getting into it about a year ago and I still have much to learn on what makes a romance novel a good one, but I am not new to the world of rom-coms on the big screen. I know what I look for in a great movie and Avery Flynn’s latest novel, The Wedding Date Disaster delivered. It was funny, well-written, and the two main characters played off one another with all the heat and fire, worthy of an enemies to lovers trope promised in this book. This was the first book I’ve ever read by her, but I definitely think I’ll be checking out her other books just based off her incredible writing.
The romance is HOT, HOT, HOT in here. This has probably been my most vivid and graphic romance novel to date, which definitely came off as an unexpected surprise from a rom-com. There is absolutely no denying the fact that Will Holt is definitely an ass man. There are many instances where he appreciates a well fitted bottom… that’s all I’ll say about that one. But for romance fans out there, this is definitely one that has steamy scenes and graphic depictions. This is not complaint either for those of you reading this, this merely serves as a warning for those who might not be ready to dive into something so hot and heavy like this one.
I will note that although having similar names is something that is somewhat common amongst identical twins or even siblings, Web and Will was just too hard to keep straight. I don’t know if it’s because they both happen to start with the same letter or that they’re both short names to begin with, but for some reason I kept getting confused as to who was talking or who they were talking about because descriptions were useless (because hello they’re twins!). Although their personalities were slightly different and Hadley’s reactions to each of them were on opposite ends, it was hard if you forgot who she was talking about. This is especially the case when she already told her family that it would be “Web” joining her as her date for her sister’s wedding. Will does correct them early and quite often when the mistake is made, but if you aren’t closely following the plot, you might become confused and a little lost. This rom-com definitely needs your undivided attention and when you give it, you see this amazing chemistry come to life for the two leads, Will and Hadley and you won’t be disappointed.
“Hadley Donovan was going to murder her best friend’s evil twin brother. Okay, not really murder, but there wasn’t a jury who would convict her if she did. The man was just that awful. Too full of himself. Too obviously hot. Too rich. Too everything that gave the city’s most eligible billionaire bachelor Will Holt an ego the size of Toledo and a hard-on for purposefully ruining Hadley’s day every time he spotted her. Well, not today, Satan.”
I found Hadley’s hatred of Will a little strong for how few reasons she had behind those said feelings. You could tell she hated him with every fibre of her being, but as I read, I was confused as to why she hated him that much. He didn’t seem to play the villain that she makes him out to be. I liked the conflict between the two I just wish there was a little more substance to get me on Hadley’s side. I couldn’t see where she was coming from enough to understand her, especially in the beginning. It’s revealed that he sees her as only a gold digger (this isn’t much of a spoiler as it is said early on) who is only out for his brother’s money, which we learn from Will’s perspective. Yes this would make me understand where Hadley was coming from, but he didn’t tell her that that was why he hated her until after Flynn established the enemies plot between Hadley and Will. I think some reordering of the story could have been beneficial where Hadley actually mentions that he calls her a gold digger or something, that way Hadley’s severe dislike of Will makes sense when she describes how much she loathes him. She lays it on a little too thick to put it simply. This might have been a case of tell rather than show the reader in order to establish the relationship between the two main characters, but something so strongly negative I think a scene would have set the tone a bit more realistically for the story. Her hatred for Will started long before he got her fired after their awkward make-out scene in a certain coat closet at a business event.
“This wasn’t Web. It was Will. She stopped breathing, the world stopped spinning, and every one of the forty bazillion people in the crowded airport disappeared. It couldn’t. They wouldn’t. Holy fuck, her stomach was knotting up at the realization that she was now in hell.”
All that being said, I found Hadley’s voice exceptional. She has personality and it leaps off the page with a self-deprecating humour, which matched the theme of an enemies-to-lovers story perfectly. Her hilarious observations and witty comebacks went toe to toe with Will’s that produced a balanced pairing, which is paramount to making a great rom-com. This produced fiery dialogue and spontaneous bursts of out of character scenes just to prove themselves right and the other wrong. There’s no mistaking the passion these two have and the lengths they go to deny it.
“Shoving the unease down with an extra dose of forced confidence, he strutted over to the bull. He put one foot in the stirrup and pulled himself up, then threw one leg over to the other side. Fucking A, he’d lost the plot. He was supposed to be destroying Hadley’s plan to fleece his brother, not riding a motorized cow.”
Most novels seem to choose the woman’s perspective, especially in romance novels, but I was glad to see Will’s voice so direct and candid. He was a simple beast to understand, but for Hadley he was the most complicated person on the planet and it was her hatred of him that blinded her which I believe is the reason this pairing worked so well on the page. You were privy to their feelings and their vulnerabilities that for obvious reasons the other character was oblivious too. It made it dramatic and binge-worthy. I read this book in two days and for me that’s almost setting a record. Incredible novel!
Something I especially love with stories set in the modern world, especially for romantic comedies like this one, is how much further the story really goes. On the surface you might just see two people who loathe one and another and are one step from murdering each other but then you see that there’s a lot more to it than that. One reason I love romance novels is the depth in which the characters explore themselves and how others make them open up. There’s tons of character development to be seen and to me that’s a hidden gem that the romance genre has nailed (no pun intended). It’s an unexpected surprise to these beautiful love stories and it makes it so much more satisfying when finished. The Wedding Date Disaster had me falling in love will all of its characters and their stories, which to me is a sign of a great book. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves romantic comedies because it was a great love story from start to finish!
The Wedding Date Disaster is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
Will you be picking up The Wedding Date Disaster? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Hadley Donavan can’t believe she has to go home to Nebraska for her sister’s wedding. She’s gonna need a wingman and a whole lot of vodka for this level of family interaction. At least her bestie agreed he’d man up and help. But then instead of her best friend, his evil twin strolls out of the airport.
If you looked up doesn’t-deserve-to-be-that-confident, way-too-hot-for-his-own-good billionaire in the dictionary, you’d find a picture of Will Holt. He’s awful. Horrible. The worst―even if his butt looks phenomenal in those jeans.
Ten times worse? Hadley’s buffer was supposed to be there to keep her away from the million and one family events. But Satan’s spawn just grins and signs them up for every. Single. Thing.
Fine. “Cutthroat” Scrabble? She’s in. She can’t wait to take this guy down a notch. But somewhere between Pictionary and the teasing glint in his eyes, their bickering starts to feel like more than just a game…
