‘Brilliant’ ebook with near-perfect 4.1 ranking named ‘greatest’ of 2024 | Books | Entertainment | EUROtoday

Every 12 months brings with it a handful of novels that seize readers’ imaginations, however few have made an impression in 2024 fairly like this sensation by Alison Espach. The Wedding People, which has been chosen as Goodreads’ ‘Readers’ Favorite Fiction’ in 2024, presently holds a formidable 4.1 out of 5 star ranking – based mostly on an astonishing 810,000 critiques.

At the center of the novel is Phoebe Stone, a lady who arrives at a lodge – as a buyer – however is mistakenly considered one of many invited friends to a fancy marriage ceremony that’s being held there. Suddenly thrust into the world of “wedding people,” Phoebe’s sudden presence units off a series of occasions that flip the bride’s massive day the wrong way up, but additionally result in shocking connections, moments of humour, and life-changing self-discovery. On Goodreads, one reviewer admitted they have been left overwhelmed by the emotional pressure of Espach’s storytelling, writing: “Words cannot do justice to how brilliant this book is.”

“The author left me speechless, a blubbering machine like those waving cat statues you see in Eastern places, with the exception that I kept repeating, ‘I love it! I love it! I love it!’ Phoebe is real! She’s not an ordinary book character. You can easily see parts of her that are similar to you: resonating, bluntly honest, depressingly expressive, a woman who finally dares to say enough is enough.”

Another highlighted the journey on the coronary heart of the story quite than its conclusion: “This is definitely one of those books you read for the journey, not for the outcome. It’s pretty clear right from the beginning where this story is going to go…”

“To follow Phoebe as she meets these strangers, see how they touch her life at exactly the moment she needs it, while she in turn touches theirs, brings a lump to my throat and a flutter to my heart.”

For some, it was a learn so immersive they struggled to let it go: “I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!! I am so sad it’s over and I know it will stick with me for awhile – the best feeling ever if you ask me. I loved so much about it – the characters, the message, the topics, the humor, the storyline, the ending… plus it ended EXACTLY how I wanted it to.”

Others praised Espach for her deft dealing with of adverse themes, noting how genuine the characters felt: “This book was so human. I loved every single character, and the dialogue felt so authentic and genuinely FUNNY. All of the depictions of depression were so spot on, and I especially appreciated the way that no two characters experienced it in the same way.”

While The Wedding People snatched the Best Fiction crown, Intermezzo by Sally Rooney bought second place, adopted by Hwang Bo-Reum’s Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop.