The Wedding Planner's Daughter
by Coleen Murtagh Paratore
The only reason I bought this book was because the main character’s name was Willa Havisham, who intended to set up her single, structured mother, Stella, up with a perfect man. I thought it was going to be a modern take on Great Expectations, or at least a modern spin-off, but imagine my surprise when besides the family name and a couple of references of Willa’s mother having “great expectations” of her academic career, the book had literally nothing else to do with Charles Dickens’s classic! Even with that great disappointment, this book turned out to be very cute and one I’d recommend to others, especially tweens, which are the target audience.
Willa and her wedding planner mother live on Cape Cod, and while Stella is unromantic and reserved, her daughter longs for a father figure in her life. As she tries to set up her mother up with one of her teachers, her mother plays extremely hard to get. She’s a widow and still very much in love with her husband. Willa is only twelve years old and doesn’t understand, but as the pages turn, she learns a little more about love, life, and family.
Not only is the main storyline interesting, but the side characters in this novel, as well as the setting, are very charming. With the large print and cutesy cover, I’m sure grown-ups won’t flock to read it, but it is a very sweet story. One of my favorite parts about it is a reading list included at the back of the book, ideal for young readers who are looking to broaden their minds with classic novels. Each chapter in The Wedding Planner’s Daughter starts with a quote, and each quote can be traced back to the reading list, so children’s interests might be peaked.
Willa and her wedding planner mother live on Cape Cod, and while Stella is unromantic and reserved, her daughter longs for a father figure in her life. As she tries to set up her mother up with one of her teachers, her mother plays extremely hard to get. She’s a widow and still very much in love with her husband. Willa is only twelve years old and doesn’t understand, but as the pages turn, she learns a little more about love, life, and family.
Not only is the main storyline interesting, but the side characters in this novel, as well as the setting, are very charming. With the large print and cutesy cover, I’m sure grown-ups won’t flock to read it, but it is a very sweet story. One of my favorite parts about it is a reading list included at the back of the book, ideal for young readers who are looking to broaden their minds with classic novels. Each chapter in The Wedding Planner’s Daughter starts with a quote, and each quote can be traced back to the reading list, so children’s interests might be peaked.