Book review: The Wedding Party by Rebecca Heath

The Wedding Party by Rebecca Heath is the third by the Aussie author (read my review of The Summer Party). This unfolds from several points of view – the bride herself, the mother of the bride’s childhood boyfriend; and that boyfriend’s sister. The narrators make sense as the wedding is taking place at a beach town where the teenage boyfriend died twelve years earlier and where the families involved had (and still have) holiday houses.

Adele and Jason are childhood sweethearts. Their wedding day on the sunny Australian coast is a chance to reunite and celebrate with friends and family.

But Adele isn't telling the truth about her relationship. And some of the wedding party – still reeling from a tragic death in the group a decade before – hold secrets of their own.

What happened on the jetty all those years ago was an accident, everyone agrees. Or do they?

There’s an interesting but obvious antipathy from Adele when it comes to her impending nuptials. We learn that’s for a few reasons… potential feelings for someone else as well as a sense of obligation.

Through Adele’s former boyfriend’s mother (Melanie) and sister (Sophie) we learn more of their young romance, though it’s obvious Melanie reflects on that time with rose-coloured glasses (not to mention a smidge of guilt) but from Adele and Sophie, we discover that Ollie wasn’t quite the perfect son his mother remembers.

For much of the novel it’s hard to get a good read on the groom Jason. Melanie and Sophie are obviously biased and their feelings tainted by memories of him as the arrogant and wealthy teenager who led Ollie astray. And now, Jason reeks of privilege though Adele is honest enough to admit that [being looked after, and his generosity] is part of the allure.

We move back and forth in time, from the summer when Ollie died and the events leading up to it, dipping in and out of the present in the days before the wedding. Heath does a good job at building tension as the nuptials loom and secrets start to be exposed.

I have to admit one of the challenging things about this book was that fact that most of the characters are not particularly likeable. But as we’re privy to our three narrators’ thoughts, memories and feelings, we understand them.  In reality Adele’s best friend who wasn’t around a dozen years before probably comes off better than everyone else. Up-front. Honest. Genuine with no agenda.

This is an enjoyable read, though a touch predictable until Heath throws a twist or two in at the end, offering closure for events long-passed. Well, mostly.

The Wedding Party by Rebecca Heath will be published by Bloomsbury (Head of Zeus) in early January 2025 – perfectly timed for beach holidays here in Oz, or fireside reading in the northern hemisphere.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review purposes.