Quick Summary:
The Wedding Crasher by Mia Sosa follows the story of Solange and Dean. If you’ve read The Worst Best Man, these names should look familiar; Solange is Lina’s cousin and Dean is Max’s best friend. Well intentioned Solange ends up interrupting Dean’s wedding. I wouldn’t say she crashed it as she was technically working with her cousins on the wedding but alas, not my book.
Anyway, Solange ends up interrupting the wedding after hearing a conversation she definitely should not have. As a result, the wedding is off and Dean is a single man yet again. The problem? This is a hiccup in his life plans, which include becoming partner at the law firm he works at. Dean ends up lying to his boss about his relationship status to work on an assignment that will help him get closer to his dream promotion. He tells his boss he’s in a serious relationship with none other than Solange.
Plot Overview:
Ah the fake dating trope! Dean reaches out to Solange and practically begs her to help him with this and begin their fake relationship for the sake of his career. She reluctantly agrees and thus begins their charade. Solange and Dean need to parade their fake romance in front of a prospective lawyer applying to Dean’s firm. The task is to show her and her partner around DC; wine and dine them, answer questions, and just show them a good time. Dean works this assignment with Peter, his annoying co-worker who sounds like he walked out of a frat house and into a law firm. He’s the antagonist of this story as he obviously wants the same thing as Dean.
Solannge and Dean’s “relationship” gets complicated once they both realize they’re physically attracted to each other. Solange was laser focused on not falling in love with Dean, as they seem to be on opposite tracks of life. That, and Dean doesn’t believe in love (!!!) so Solange is not trying to get hurt yet again. She’s very much an “all in” kind of person, while Dean is more methodical when it comes to relationships. Their fake relationship complications and the feelings they each develop, forces them to be introspective about how they’ve been living their lives and their futures.
Common Themes + Opinions:
Solange appears to be a free, “go with the flow” type of woman. She doesn’t stay in one place for long and seemingly does not want to put down roots anywhere. She’s open to opportunities wherever they may arise and doesn’t seem to want to tie herself to any one place for a long time. During her time in DC, she’s working with Victory Academy to help young adults get their GEDs and find jobs/careers. She’s counting on the fact that she doesn’t expect the school to offer her a permanent role to keep moving around and potentially move to Ohio. Despite seeming free flowing, it becomes clear that Solange is actively trying to not make a “mistake” with her choices that can lead down the “wrong” path. The issue with this is that she’s holding herself back by trying to avoid mistakes and therefore realizes she’s somewhat stuck.
On the flip side, Dean is a methodical planner. He’s one of those people who has his five and 10 year plans all ready to go, with a checklist and everything. Getting married and becoming partner are two items on that list – one of which no longer happened. Dean is so focused on trying to achieve what he thinks he needs to have a fulfilling life, that he hadn’t thought about the actual things that make life fulfilling – like love. A firm believer that love isn’t real or really isn’t enough to sustain a relationship, he’s abandoned it altogether.
Solange and Dean both have similarities in their lifestyles in that they’re both avoiding the things that will move them in the right direction, mostly out of fear. This is totally understandable as it’s a safer choice to not take a role for whatever reason, or guard yourself to prevent from getting hurt, but it’s not always conducive. In this sense, Solange and Dean’s struggles feel real and relatable.
Final Thoughts + Ratings:
Overall, I enjoyed The Wedding Crasher and give it four stars. We get some of the same witty banter as in The Worst Best Man but with a feisty personality. There are a couple of little plot twists; enough to keep you interested without making the story feel dull. As for spicy, it did get a little hot when Solange and Dean finally hooked up, and a couple times thereafter – so I’ll give this three peppers.
Though The Wedding Crasher follows The Worst Best Man, you could read both on their own. Check out my review for The Worst Best Man here!
Have you read The Wedding Crasher? Let me know what you think in the comments
4/5
