Reviewer: Christy
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Allie Spencer’s “Save the Date!: You are Invited to the Wedding of the Year” is the cute story of Ailsa, a 30-something European who’s fresh off the heels of a breakup of her marriage. She shares a flat with her girlfriend, and just wants to put the past behind her. Her immediate plans for the future are called to a fault when she receives several urgent messages from Jessica, her spoiled cousin, who’s getting married in beautiful Tuscany. Jessica tells her “it’s a matter of life or death” that she attend the wedding, so Ailsa packs her bags and travels to Italy to spend some time with her somewhat dysfunctional family as they try to deal with each other’s presence for the wedding of the year.
What could be so bad about spending the week in Tuscany & celebrating with your cousin just before her nuptials? Well, if you’re Ailsa, a few things. Take for instance the fact that she runs into her ex-husband – who, as luck would have it, is staying in the room just next door to her. He’s there on business, she’s there to forget about him. Life just isn’t that easy, though. Throw in a cute stray dog (who steals the story, in my opinion) that won’t leave Ailsa’s side, an over-eager wedding planner who is driving everyone insane (including the bride), and lots of funny moments, Save the Date is a modern girl’s travel guide to Tuscany. Allie Spencer writes with such clear descriptions of the streets, cafes, and Italian art, that I could literally picture myself walking the streets and alleys with Ailsa.
This was my first British Chick-Lit book – and it took me some time to get use to the writing style. I learned a few new British vocabulary words and lots about the beauty of Italy. This is a cute book, especially for a beach/summer read, but also for anytime you want to escape and just have a fun story. I’m giving 3 stars because at times, it seemed like it was one drama right after another which went on and on. It was a little much, but overall the story was cute, fun and worth a read.
