Review: "The Wedding Girl" by Madeline Wickham

Milly can't believe her luck. She's engaged to be married to Simon, a wonderful man who is perfect for her, despite the fact that he thinks that she's slightly more serious than she actually is. Her mom is thrilled because Simon's father is a prominent and wealthy member of society, and she can brag about this fact to all of her friends. The wedding is in less than a week and everything in place. Except for one thing: Millie has failed to share one tiny detail with her future hubby- she's already married.

When she was eighteen and carefree, Milly met up with and befriended Rupert and his American lover, Allan. The two seemed so in love that when Rupert suggested that Milly and Allan got married so that he didn't have to leave the country, Milly didn't hesistate and the two tied the knot. The problem is that now Milly isn't sure if she's still married or if she's divorced, having never seen Rupert and Allan again after that summer, so when the truth comes out just days before she's set to walk down the aisle, her carefully constructed life comes crashing down around her. Milly and Simon must figure out if they can weather this storm together, or if they are better off going their seperate ways before their marriage has even begun.

Madeline Wickham (also known as Sophie Kinsella) has created an adorably flawed, yet infinitely lovable character in Milly. One may ask: isn't the fact that someone is already married kind of an important detail to share with one's future husband? It certainly is, but Milly is convinced that by not thinking about it, this tiny, unimportant detail just may not exist, and no one needs to be the wiser. She's so innocent, and instead of getting angry with her for being so naive, you really just want to give her a hug.

The Wedding Girl was uplifting, fun, and entertaining. It certainly has its predictable parts, but that's what I love about reading as an escape. There's nothing taxing about reading a story that you know will have a happy ending. Wickham's smooth writing style makes this one a pleasure to read.

Stars: 4 stars out of 5
Recommended to: Chick lit lovers, fans of Sophie Kinsella/Madeline Wickham's previous books
If you liked anything by Jill Mansell, you may enjoy this one
Challenges: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge, 2010 Chick Lit Challenge, RYOB Challenge 2010