Official Review: Starlight Wedding by Frank Thomas

Lovely_Loreley · Post by **Lovely_Loreley** » 07 Jul 2015, 16:58

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Starlight Wedding" by Frank Thomas.]

4 out of 4 stars

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Starlight Wedding by Frank Thomas is a comedic romance that would be a great read for any bride-to-be.

Amanda Jones has been planning her perfect wedding for years. She’s known the date since she was a little girl: the Starlight Comet appears once every thirty years, and Amanda plans to get married on the day of its appearance, just like her mother and grandmother. She started her wedding scrapbook when she was six and obtained her grandmother’s wedding dress when she was sixteen. She has picked out the flowers and the color scheme, and even booked the church years in advance, as soon as the date became available. Only one thing is missing: the groom. When Amanda gets dumped only months before the big day, she has to make a tough decision: either give up her dream, or find a man in time.

Although I was a bit skeptical of this story at first, I sampled the first few chapters and decided to give it a try. Starlight Wedding was an easy read with clear, witty writing. The characters were well-developed and their interactions provided plenty of hilarity throughout the story. There was a good mix of characters, from those you couldn’t help but love to those you just had to hate. I especially liked that every character played a significant role in the story. Even though certain characters never met, their private lives had huge effects on one another’s plans. For example, the rich, elderly Mrs. Helmslow desperately needs to book a last-minute wedding for her granddaughter before the young woman’s pregnancy starts to show, and one of the only dates that will work is the date Amanda has already booked.

The most enjoyable books tend to be those where the reader can understand and connect on some level with the protagonist. Admittedly, readers might have a hard time feeling any sympathy for Amanda; her obsession with her Starlight wedding borders on crazy, and she whines and complains any time everything isn’t perfect. She is quick to jump down other people’s throats for getting in the way of her plans, and is stubborn enough to give a mule a run for its money. In short, Amanda is the type of character that you love to hate, at least until you learn the full reason behind her obsession with the Starlight Comet.

Characters were perhaps the strongest part of this book. Daniel and William, the two men who are pursuing Amanda throughout the story, are each perfect in their own way. William is the charming doctor with a steady job, while Daniel is the passionate, struggling artist who could care less about money as long as he is doing what he loves. Mr. Mayberry, the man in charge of scheduling all of the weddings at the cathedral, was one of my favorites. Although he came across as a bitter man whose sole purpose was to harp on Amanda about whether or not she was actually engaged, he was really just struggling to keep his job without pissing off some wealthy patrons.

Overall I thought this was an excellent book. My one complaint was consistency in timing. Some scenes were written out of chronological order, so that on one page Daniel worries about Amanda’s meeting with Mayberry later that morning, and on the next page Amanda is fretting because she only has a few days until that same meeting takes place. It was a bit of an odd choice on the author’s part, but it wasn’t too confusing on the whole. That being said, this book definitely deserves 4 out of 4 stars. It was engaging and entertaining, full of humor at even the most unexpected moments and from the most unexpected characters. I think this book would appeal to any lover of romantic comedy and anyone who appreciates a protagonist who isn’t afraid to follow her dreams, even in the face of impossible odds.

******
Starlight Wedding
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martorana1 · Post by **martorana1** » 15 Jul 2015, 12:18

Thank you for your kind words, Lovely_Loreley. FYI you are the first person to mention the timeline discrepancy. Very impressive! Now just don't tell anyone!

Frank Thomas

Lovely_Loreley · Post by **Lovely_Loreley** » 15 Jul 2015, 12:36

I think timeline discrepancies might just be a pet peeve of mine honestly...I notice them in other books, too, where no one else does! The part I mentioned in my review was a bit more obvious than in some cases, but it didn't mess up anything that was previously said. It just made me stop and think, "Oh, this scene would have been better placed after the next part rather than before it." But of course, your secret is safe with me!

LivreAmour217 · Post by **LivreAmour217** » 15 Jul 2015, 12:43

This sounds like a great book, and I look forward to reading it. Great review!

Lovely_Loreley · Post by **Lovely_Loreley** » 15 Jul 2015, 13:18

LivreAmour217 wrote:This sounds like a great book, and I look forward to reading it. Great review!

Thank you! I hope you enjoy it!

zeldas_lullaby · Post by **zeldas_lullaby** » 15 Jul 2015, 20:02

"Hot diggety! I've got to find me a man in time for the next comet!!"

What a brilliant premise! I love it!

Great review! And this sounds like a fabulous book!!

(I noticed a huge discrepancy in Truly, Madly, Deadly by Hannah Jayne. But you didn't hear it from me!

)

martorana1 · Post by **martorana1** » 16 Jul 2015, 13:08

Don't forget to leave a review on Amazon!

Lovely_Loreley · Post by **Lovely_Loreley** » 16 Jul 2015, 15:52

zeldas_lullaby wrote:"Hot diggety! I've got to find me a man in time for the next comet!!"

What a brilliant premise! I love it!

Great review! And this sounds like a fabulous book!!

(I noticed a huge discrepancy in Truly, Madly, Deadly by Hannah Jayne. But you didn't hear it from me! )

Thank you! I love your take on Amanda's attitude

And, uh...what didn't I hear from you?

zeldas_lullaby · Post by **zeldas_lullaby** » 16 Jul 2015, 17:37

HA HA HA HA HA.

Yeah, I think it's a great premise! I mean, it's probably a girl thing, ya know? But sometimes we get set on something special that's seemingly random, like getting married when the comet comes!! I can totally relate!!

Lovely_Loreley · Post by **Lovely_Loreley** » 17 Jul 2015, 10:03

Its almost definitely a girl thing, but surely there are some guys out there who do it too! And I've been just as fixated on much less important things than a special wedding, so I can relate as well haha

Cee-Jay Aurinko · Post by **Cee-Jay Aurinko** » 19 Jul 2015, 10:18

@Lovely_Lorely & Zeldas_lullaby.

First of all, I'm really glad I read your review, LL. Second of all... I want to say something about the Comet thing here... But I don't want you ladies to hate me. (^_-)

zeldas_lullaby · Post by **zeldas_lullaby** » 19 Jul 2015, 13:05

Hey, them's fightin' words!!

Seriously, I get that it's a silly superstition to think, "When I grow up, I'm going to get married on such-and-such day," when obviously it's more important to, say, marry the right person!!! But I'm just saying that sometimes people think that there's a little magic to it. For example, my birthday (May 10) was actually on Mother's Day this year. I'm not a mother. But way back when I was a kid, I saw it ahead on the calendar that my birthday would be on Mother's Day in 2015, and I fantasized that I'd have a few kids who would celebrate my birthday and Mother's Day with me on the same date. Suffice it to say, and I'm not looking for major sympathy here, that didn't come to pass.