The Wedding Shop by Rachel Hauck

Released: August 2016
382 pages

About the Book:

Two women separated by decades. Both set out to help others find their dreams when their own have crumbled. It's the early 1930s, but Cora Scott is walking in stride as a career woman ?after having inherited her great aunt's wedding shop in Heart’s Bend, Tennessee, where brides come from as far away as Birmingham to experience her famed bridal treatment. Meanwhile, Cora is counting down the days until her own true love returns from the river to make her his bride. But days turn into months and months to years. All the while, Birch Good continues to woo Cora and try to show her that while he is solid and dependable, he can sweep her off her feet? More than eighty years later, former? Air Force Captain Haley Morgan has returned home to Heart's Bend after finishing her commitment to military service. After the devastating death of her best friend, Tammy, and discovering the truth about the man she loved, Haley is searching for her place in life. When Haley decides to reopen the romantic but abandoned wedding shop where she and Tammy played and dreamed as children, she begins a journey of courage, mystery, and love. As Cora’s and Haley's stories intertwine through time in the shadow of the beloved wedding shop, they both discover the power of their own dreams and the magic of everyday love. 

 

My Rating & Thoughts:     🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 (4 stars)

This book is contains a dual storyline that weaves together in a way that is unexpected. There is the historical part of the story that takes place in the 1930's with Miss Cora trying to keep her Wedding Shop open during the great depression. Then the other part is set in the current period and focuses on Hailey who is trying to reopen the Wedding Shop after having been closed for more than 30 years. Story is told from various points of view, both the girls and some guys, I love getting multiple people's perspective. I feel it allows me to get to know the characters even better. Cora is so blinded by love for a riverboat captain she can't see a love that's right in front of her. Will she get a happily ever after? Will the Wedding Shop owner get to wear her own wedding dress? Even though Hailey has closed herself off to love she is determined to get the Wedding Shop open, but she facing challenges along the way that stand in the way of it happening. Can Hailey get the Shop open and will she find love in the process? I enjoyed how Ms. Hauck shared the message that Jesus is always there for us through everything, how he can take our baggage and turn it into something beautiful. I fell in love with all four main characters. Story had me experiencing a bunch of different emotions, crying at sad ones and aweing that the sweet moments. I was not expecting the two stories to weave together the way they did, it was a pleasant surprise. This book also incorporates details about two previous books, The Wedding Dress and The Wedding Chapel. This one can be read as a stand alone, but I would recommend reading the other two as well, as they are so worth it.

My Rating & Thoughts:    🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 (4 stars) 

I enjoyed this book.  I loved the symbolism used through out the whole book as well as the spiritual journeys of the owners of the wedding shop, Cora and Haley, and the story of Jesus’ love that is told through the stories of these characters.  As we read through the book, the story is told through several different perspectives, which I really enjoyed.  I liked that it was not just Cora and Haley’s perspectives, but also Birch and Cole as well.  The storyline flowed very well with alternating between the 2 stories, 1 set in the current day and the other story set historically.  I loved how intertwined the stories were, with the wedding shop being not the only connection of the stories.  This book, and the entire series, are must reads.