A Bad Bride's Tale

I read Polly Williams's first book, The Yummy Mummy, right after I returned to work the first time. It was a great book about a pregnant Englishwoman being left by her boyfriend and having to figure out how to raise her child on her own. (I was thinking the other day about how I don't remember how it ended--I can't remember if she went back to her boyfriend or met someone new--I hate how I can't remember anything!) Williams's next book was A Bad Bride's Tale. This novel follows Stevie, a thirtysomething Englishwoman as she prepares to marry Jez, her longtime boyfriend. Even though she has massive doubts leading up to the big day, she stumbles through the vows and marries Jez. Quickly, things start to fall apart. Their honeymoon is even less than idylic, as Jez befriends a former rival of Stevie's who just happens to be at the same resort. Within weeks of the wedding, Stevie moves out and goes back home to stay with her family, support her younger sister as she deals with a premature baby, and spends more time with an old friend, meeting up with him in Oxford and New York. You can basically guess how it all ends, but I was delighted to be regaled with several twists and turns which left me wondering if really the book wouldn't end happily.

I hope Williams keeps writing--I can't wait for her next book!

K