The Wedding Girl

Written by Madeleine Wickham

Narrated by Katherine Kellgren

At eighteen, Milly was up for anything. So when a friend asked her to marry him just so that he could stay in England, she didn't hesitate. To make it seem real she dressed up in wedding finery and posed on the steps of the registry office for photographs.

Now, ten years later, Milly is a very different person. Engaged to Simon - who is good-looking, wealthy and adores her - she is about to have the biggest and most elaborate wedding imaginable, all masterminded by her mother. Nobody knows about her first marriage, so it's almost as though it never happened - isn't it?

But with only four days to go, it looks as though Milly's past is going to catch up with her. Can she sort things out before her fairytale wedding collapses around her? How can she tell Simon? And worse still, how can she tell her mother ...?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House UK Audio
• Release date: Aug 23, 2012
• ISBN: 9781448154326

Madeleine Wickham

Madeleine Wickham is the author of several acclaimed novels, including A Desirable Residence, Cocktails for Three, Sleeping Arrangements and The Wedding Girl. As Sophie Kinsella, she has written a number of bestsellers including the Shopaholic series, Twenties Girl, Remember Me?, The Undomestic Goddess, and Can You Keep a Secret? Confessions of a Shopaholic was made into a major motion picture starring Isla Fisher and Hugh Dancy. Born in London, Wickham studied at New College, Oxford. She lives in London with her husband and family.

Reviews for The Wedding Girl

[foggidawn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

At the giddy age of 18, Milly got married to Allan: older, foreign, handsome, charming... and gay. He needed a way to stay in the country, and she truly didn't mind doing a favor for a friend. Now, ten years later, Milly is on the brink of marriage again, this time for real. In a few days, she'll be married to Simon, the man of her dreams. There's just one tiny detail that needs to be sorted out: technically, she may still be married to Allan...This book is both hysterically funny and surprisingly touching. There are plenty of plot twists and reversals, and the characters are strong and nuanced -- even ones that initially seem like stock characters (such as the wedding-obsessed mother of the bride). I chose to listen to the audiobook because it is narrated by the inimitable Katherine Kellgren, who did a stunning job as always. If you enjoy this sort of modern romance, I would recommend this, especially in audio.

[sararomancelove · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

So far this is my favorite of Sophie Kinsella writing as Madeleine Wickham. The book according to her more serious style when she writes with her real name has a few brush-strokes of sadness here and there, but overall the story is gripping, it has interesting turns and some unexpected coupes de theater.
I only wish the story of the villain, I am not disclosing the identity, was explored a little more in depth.

[jo · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I really tried to like this book. The plot line seemed interesting, the characters seemed interesting, but I COULDN'T STAND THE HEROINE BECAUSE OF HER STUPIDITY.

A 29 years old woman with the brains of a 12 years old. She's literally childish...
I'm sorry for insulting any 12 year olds.

Why would you write such a mediocre heroine?

She tried to draw complex characters but she gave them only superficiality and less than mediocre intelligence.

WTF?!

[nicola26 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I quite liked this book. It definitely wasn't nearly as good as any of her Kinsella books but it was still good- very different to what I expected it to be like. It started off fairly slow and the writing was really dull and stiff but once I got into it, I really started to enjoy it.

Milly is a likable enough character and I could definitely empathize with her. Simon was a lot harder to like because of how he was portrayed at the beginning but by the end, I thought he was actually a pretty decent person. The story itself was fun and silly while also managing to be meaningful and deal with some darker issues, such as Rupert and Allan's story. I wasn't a huge fan of the inconsistent change of point of view but it worked well at getting everybody's story in.

There were a few twists that I really didn't see coming although the actual ending was pretty predictable given the genre. Overall, I liked it and would be interested in reading some more of her Wickham books.

[skile681 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Wedding Girl is a simple and easy read with a predictable storyline. I enjoy this type of book when I am looking for a stress buster. If you like chick lit this fits the bill.

[ceh0017 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was my very first Madeleine Wickham book and I loved it! It was a great comfort to me as I was traveling with my husband for his job and was alone in our hotel room. I literally sat down and read this book in just a few short hours. If you have never read her stuff before this is a great one to start with!

[kimbee_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I love Sophie Kinsella and need to realize that Madeleine Wickham is not the same person. It was ok. I never really cared about the characters and the side stories felt like Wickham just needed to fill space.

[mathildeb_5 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Book ReviewThe Wedding GirlMilly is about to get married to the love of her life, Simon! Milly’s mother is thrilled and so is everyone else. They are going to have a big, white wedding. Everything is going to be perfect! But then, when long-buried secrets come out things may change. Milly has actually been married to another man for ten years. Whom she married so he could stay in Britain. But she never got a divorce and she never told anyone. Everything that Milly cares about is all about to break down…I would recommend this book for girls above the age of 12. I think this is a good book, but I don’t think this book would interest any boys if they were to read it.

[emhromp2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Before I started reading this book, I had low expectations. I had heard that Wickham is a lot less funny than Kinsella, although they are one and the same person. It is true that Wickham's style is rather different. To me, it was more like reading a book by Jill Mansell. Also it wasn't funny at all.But I liked the plot and the characters and the issues the book raises. It is certainly not as shallow as Kinsella's books are. I still prefer Kinsella, but Wickham is not bad at all.

[risadabomb_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I really like Sophie Kinsella works. This one was a bit different from her Shopaholic series. The premise is an interesting one that could have been developed more. There were several story lines going on in this book and they were never really flushed out, in the end they tied up too neatly. There were things that left me baffled i.e. why did Esme hate Harry and I really hated how the fate of Rupert was just left up to my imagination.Milly and Simon's characters and relationship were lost in all these sub plots so I never really connected with them. All in all this book was an alright read because it had potential.

[cooperca05 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A breezy, fun story of the choices we make and the choices we try to forget. Milly has a secret that she denied for so many years, it felt as if that secret didn’t exist. Until one day, as it always does, the secret came back to bite her in the ass. It seems that the ‘perfect’ wedding she is about to have is marred by the fact that she’s still married – to someone else. And her coming clean affects more than just her life, but the life of a person who shared in her secret. Hard decisions are made, but in the end we realize that if we remain true to ourselves, life is good.

[mkschoen · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

As Sophie Kinsella, I find this author's books to be mildly entertaining, and occasionally exasperating, chick-lit. The books she writes as Madeleine Wickham (her real name, I think?) tend to be more serious, and I have liked them much better. This one is somewhere in between - the plot is pure frippery, but the characters are a little more thoroughly rendered, and it there's more depth of emotion then the pink, cartoon-bride cover would lead you to expect.

[pennytinapple · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

For someone who wants happy endings and doesn't mind a few F bombs. It does deal with a couple of serious subjects. One, how some conservative Christians are cruel to the gay community and the difficult decisions faced by a single woman with an unplanned pregnancy.

[mjmbecky · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

In this tale, Milly is headed to the altar, but not without one big hiccup...the marriage she had when she was 19 that still stands! The intrigue behind why she got married, and why it was never dissolved are left to be discovered throughout the story, but I can say that the reasons are sad, and made me feel great empathy for all characters involved. While not my favorite Wickham/Kinsella novel, I always enjoy her inventive stories and the emotional range they display.

[stephaniechase_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I wasn't sure it was possible for a Sophie Kinsella-type book to be more predictable than they are... apparently, they can -- Kinsella writes them under her real name! Pleasant enough, I suppose, when it is not entirely annoying.