Save the Date

Author: Tamara Summers

Pages: 314

Published: HarperTeen, 2008

Genre: Romance/Comedy

Cover Score: D

Overall Grade: A

17 year old Jakarta (aka Jack) is sick of being a bridesmaid. With two out of five older sisters already married, she's had her fair share of Bridezilla catfights, lacy gowns, pre-nuptial stress, flowery wedding showers, and drama. Not to mention her "wedding curse"--every time she brings a boyfriend to a wedding, it ends the relationship and disaster ensues. However, two of her older sisters are planning summer weddings, which means that Jack is back to making place settings and sampling cake flavors. However, the drama of the weddings might be bearable, what with the company of the wedding planner's attractive son, Leo...Will he be able to break her curse?

My thoughts: I took this book on vacation with me, and was expecting a light, breezy beach read. However, Save the Date blew past my expectations. Don't let the cheesy book cover fool you: Save the Date is a hilarious, honest, and quick summertime read that is not all whirlwind romance and fluff.

The best thing about this novel, to me, was Jack's narration. She was frank and funny, and completely unlike the stereotypical protagonist of a romance novel. She was sarcastic and often ridiculed her sister's following of cheesy traditions, much to their disapproval. I loved the relationship between the sisters: the drama with flower-child Victoria and crazy, artistic Paris planning their own, very different weddings added comic relief. I often found myself laughing out loud at their antics! I also liked the romance between Jack and Leo, as it didn't consume the whole storyline. The book was also about family and sisterhood, not just romance.

As well, the "wedding curse" was a unique addition to the storyline. It was interesting to see Jack trying to push aside her feelings for Leo in order to save her sister's weddings.

Overall, if you're looking for a funny, light, and well-written book that you'll get sucked in to, definitely check out Save the Date. Will the weddings be disastrous? Or is the Wedding Curse over?