Book Review: The Wedding Shop by Rachel Hauck

The Wedding Shop by Rachel Hauck        ****        Retails for $9.00, here.     

To be completely honest, it has been quite some time since I have finished a book that doesn’t have anything to do with school. I’ve been telling myself the only time I can start to tackle the stacks of unopened books on my shelf are in my spare time – which seemed to be non-existent. Well, it was about time to kick that notion to the curb, stop whining and do something that made me relaxed and happy. I started shutting down my computer a half hour before bed each night and made an effort to read a hard-copy book for pleasure. Fortunately, I picked The Wedding Shop by New York Times best-selling author, Rachel Hauck, who created a beautiful story that spanned many decades.

This book captured my attention from the very start, portraying one of my favorite types of stories (like in All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr). The book starts off in a modern-day time period and incorporates stories and characters from the 1930’s, both in the small close-knit town of Heart’s Bend, Tennessee. Two would-have-been romances, two budding romances, two female entreprenurs and tense family relationships; the parallels that Hauck creates between the characters are beautifully threaded together in a way that keeps the mystery of how they are connected going until the very end of the story. In one way it shows that we are all connected to one another and that the world is smaller than we think. In another it shows that kindness and perseverance are what can help us reach our goals, in the end.

The story surrounds the mystery behind an old wedding shop. An almost thirty-year-old former air force captain hits a hard spot in her life and moves home while deciding what her next step is. The story intertwines with the hardships of the shop’s previous owner – a determined young 1930’s girl who also fears love and is more comfortable with the idea of work. The parallels begin to envelope one another as the stories continue to develop, showing that time may not separate us in all the ways we may think.

I commend Hauck on her work and found her writing to be beautiful and easy to follow. I devoured a few chapters each night and woke up still invested in the characters and story. This book is a must-read for those who enjoy a hint of vintage historical fiction and romance, connected with a bit of modern flair.

Stay Classy! xx