Friday 13 April 2012

Review: Always the Designer Never the Bride by Sandra D. Bricker


Title: Always the Designer Never the Bride
Author: Sandra D. Bricker
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Publication date: 1st April 2012
Source: Netgalley
My rating: 1 star





I went into this book with the assumption that it would be a bit like the film 27 dresses. The title kind of gave me that impression and because I really loved that film you could say I sort of got over excited. But as per usual the title was kind of deceiving.

Audrey Regan has been into designing wedding dresses ever since she was a little girl, when she was just nine years old, her friends were busy playing with Barbie dolls, Audrey was creating  “haute couture” for her dolls, so it’s not surprising that Audrey grew up and became a wedding dress designer. However everything’s not as easy as Audrey thought it would be, she took the chance and moved to New York, aiming for the big clientele, but it’s been tough, brides are typically going for the recognised designers and Audrey is just managing to scrape by. However with her best friend Carly’s wedding looming Audrey has to put everything on hold and fly out to Atlanta in the middle of her big chance of winning over socialite Kim Renfroe. But things go from bad to worse as Audrey’s big chance slips through her fingers and she knows her hopes and dreams of becoming a well established designer are fading away. While she’s in Atlanta however she meets her best friends fiancé’s brother J.R. who’s a whole different kettle of fish, for one he hasn’t stopped gawking at her, but he also seems a lot different to the other guys she’s known.

The thing about this book was that everyone was so nice all the time, it’s like something bad would happen to someone but then everyone would gather around and cheer them up with a sleepover or something else pointless. I felt the bad things weren’t even that bad but because Audrey had all her “girlfriends” around her who she had known for all of two minutes everything would be hunky dory!

The secondary characters from Sherrilyn to Emma I didn’t really get the point of; their constant chirpy moods, knowing friends of friends who could work miracles, basically it’s frustrated me how everything always fell into place for everyone. Is it so wrong of me to want some drama or mayhem?

J.R. didn’t really do it for me either, I know he was meant to come across as a dapper hot guy who rides a Harley, but the only image that remained in my head was J.R. from Dallas, certain names are a no go with me, once I get a certain image in my head about a person it’s kind of hard to get rid of.

Some of the writing was also full of info-dumping, paragraphs and paragraphs about the amount of detail Audrey had to put into measuring mannequins, cutting and measuring fabrics then details about lunch, it was at times pointless. A couple of conversations also went down the same pointless track;

“Please be careful on the road J.R. I will
and wear your helmet.
I always do
oh, that’s right. It’s me who doesn’t she realised
with a giggle. Well zip your jacket and all that.
Will do, and you do the same”

“Dual head stainless steel head gas grill, Andy
continued without notice, with forty- five
thousand BTU, full rotisserie and eleven hundred
square inches of cooking surface. It’s the
champion of excellence and precision in grilling
my friend”

I wished I had liked Always the Designer Never the Bride more, but it had too many always happy characters and perfect endings for my liking.

Thank you Abingdon press and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

11 comments:

Book Passion for Life said...

Oohh it's a shame you didn't like this one more. It does sound like the film 27 Dresses - which I LOVED but I guess this book isn't the same. Booooo!!! Thanks for the honest review though. Donna xoxo

Rachel said...

Jasprit, you seem to be on a run of bad luck with books lately! I'll pass on this one.

Btw, the second quote sounds like something my husband would like. He's an all things BBQ/Grill lover. Although, I think a lot of men are! Haha! :)

Mimi Valentine said...

Awww, it's one of those books? :( I'm so sorry you didn't like it as much as you hoped to! I absolutely LOVED the movie 27 dresses so this title kind of reminded me of that as well, but it's too bad that it was as great! I adore reading happy books but there's a line between "too happy" and "sweet but still has depth." I probably would've been demanding complications too LOL! x)

Thanks so much for the awesome honest review, Jasprit! :) <3

Sam (Realm of Fiction) said...

The title does instantly bring to mind 27 Dresses, but it's such a same it ended up being misleading. :( A lot of it sounds...I don't know, pointless? I guess I won't be rushing to add this to my TBR. Thanks for the helpful review, Jasprit!

Flannery (The Readventurer) said...

I love the fact that you used the term "hunky dory" and that you brought up Dallas:) Sorry this one didn't work out--you're right that it sounds a bit like 27 Dresses. I don't know about you, but lots of times everything in my life doesn't work out HUNKY DORY. That would've bothered me, too.

Maja (The Nocturnal Library) said...

I think your luck with books has been worse even than mine, Jasprit. I think I'll stay far far away from this one. I do hope you'll enjoy Being Friends With Boys. I have a copy too and I'm eagar to hear someone's opinion - someone I trust, naturally. :)
Great review, darling.

Wendy Darling said...

I like a little bite in my people, whether they're real OR fictional, so this really doesn't sound like something I'd enjoy, either! People who are too nice all the time are boring. :)

Jeez, I hope your reading luck improves soon, Jasprit. I think you're due for a mindblowingly awesome one...like NOW!

Wendy @ The Midnight Garden

Vegan YA Nerds said...

I just read a list today about things that will annoy people while reading a book and one of them was having characters that are too perfect and who never have anything go wrong, it's so unrealistic!

Heidi@Rainy Day Ramblings said...

Well, you can't win them all. Don't you hate it when you waste time on a not o great book. I can see what you mean from your excerpt. I don't care about the btus or the gas grill. Oh well better luck next read :)

Jasprit said...

Thanks Maja, I'm hoping my luck is about to change too! I started Unraveling last night and I like it so far! :) And being friends with boys is also a lot of fun too! It makes me long for the summer days! :)

Jasprit said...

Thanks Wendy, I hope so too! :)

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