Cancel the Wedding by Carolyn Dingman

Cancel the Wedding by Carolyn Dingman is the fictional debut from the author. This is a story about a woman who goes on a journey to discover secrets of the past and how to confront one’s future.

Book Description

“A heartfelt fiction debut that will appeal to fans of Emily Giffin’s Southern charm and Jennifer Weiner’s compelling, emotionally resonant novels about the frustrations of blood ties, Cancel the Wedding follows one woman’s journey to discover the secrets of her mother’s hidden past—and confront her own uncertain future.

On the surface, Olivia has it all: a high-powered career, a loving family, and a handsome fiancé. She even seems to be coming to terms with her mother Jane’s premature death from cancer. But when Jane’s final wish is revealed, Olivia and her elder sister Georgia are mystified. Their mother rarely spoke of her rural Southern hometown, and never went back to visit—so why does she want them to return to Huntley, Georgia, to scatter her ashes?

Jane’s request offers Olivia a temporary escape from the reality she’s long been denying: she hates her “dream” job, and she’s not really sure she wants to marry her groom-to-be. With her 14-year-old niece, Logan, riding shotgun, she heads South on a summer road trip looking for answers about her mother.

As Olivia gets to know the town’s inhabitants, she begins to peel back the secrets of her mother’s early life—truths that force her to finally question her own future. But when Olivia is confronted with a tragedy and finds an opportunity to right a terrible wrong, will it give her the courage to accept her mother’s past—and say yes to her own desire to start over?” – Cancel the Wedding

My Thoughts

Cancel the Wedding is an easy to read novel that has likeable characters that I wanted to know the outcome of. The main character, Olivia, seems to have it all together, but anyone who seems the perfect on the outside rarely is ever holding it all together that well inside, right? Much like the story, more is under the surface than meets the eye, and this book takes you on a journey with her uncovering more about her family and herself than she ever would have thought.

Overall, I really liked the flow of the book, and the story was fun without being too cliché. If you are looking for a good book to read over the weekend or pack on a trip, this is definitely a good option! I highly recommend it.

* Thank you to the publisher of Cancel the Wedding, Harper, for providing me with a copy of this book for review. All opinions expressed are my own.