Review: "Friday Night Brides" by Samantha Chase (Womens Literature, Chick Lit, Romance)

	Friday Night Brides Samantha Chase Publisher: Samantha Chase Genre: Womens Literature, Chick Lit, Romance Publication Date: May 3, 2016 (My birthday! ;) ) (Affiliate links)
Description from Publisher: Four women. Twenty years. Five hundred bridal fashion shows. They’ve been friends since they were five, and modeling for Enchanted Bridal has been as much of a part of their lives as their friendship has. And this season has them seeing more than new wedding trends. Hailey’s family owns Enchanted Bridal and she knows there’s a possibility that someday it will be hers. She’s not sure that’s the path she wants to take, but she does know that she’s been hopelessly crushing on the perfect man and bridal show model Logan Baxter III. While failing to gain Logan’s attention, she can’t seem to get rid of the less-than-perfect man – and model – Jackson Carr. He’s big and bold and tattooed – pretty much everything Hailey despises. And yet…there’s something about him that has Hailey questioning her definition of perfect. Becca’s got a knack for dating the wrong kind of guys. When her current boyfriend publicly dumps and humiliates her, she’s devastated. Wanting to run and hide, she’s mortified that the stranger who had witnessed the entire scene is now part of the Enchanted Bridal family. But when Max Abrams offers her comfort and tells her that he thinks she’s beautiful, she has to wonder if maybe getting dumped by Mr. Wrong has finally led her to her very own Mr. Right. Angie’s loud and feisty and completely fearless. That is until she gets dumped by the one guy she really had feeling for. It opens her up to insecurities she didn’t know she had and she’s not sure what to do about it. But when Sean Patterson comes back into her life in a big way, she’s not sure she’s ready to forgive and forget quite so easily. His persistence and her stubbornness make for an exciting chase, however, but at the end of the season, it’s ultimately up to her if she’s ready to quit running. Ella’s been planning her perfect wedding to Dylan Graham since she was twelve. Together for thirteen years, Ella’s beginning to wonder if that number really is bad luck. She can’t focus on all that’s right in her life because all she can think about is what she may be missing. Their parents have taken over their wedding, her friends all seem to be in crisis and Dylan’s just not listening to her fears. Not one to ever make waves, she suddenly finds that that’s exactly what she’s doing and turning everyone’s life upside down in the process. The life that she once considered boring is now the one she longs for, but it may be too late. Four friends. Four crossroads. Four possibilities for happily ever after.
My Rating:	Sexiness Rating:
I received a digital ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.com for an honest, unbiased review. My opinion is my own. This reminded me a lot of Sex and the City (the books are still on my "To Read" list, so all comparisons here are to the show), with the four close friends and the style of their conversations, not to mention their very different personalities. I liked Becca's character the best of the four, since she felt a bit more "neutral" than Angie (type A like Miranda), Ella (naively optimistic like Charlotte), or Hailey (most like Carrie, I think). Becca was definitely no Samantha, but more of an "every woman." Then, there were the guys. I'll start with Max. He is adorable as all get-out from basically the minute we meet him! I loved his artsy-"good guy" persona and how shy he was until he asserted himself throughout (Maybe Harry-like?). Then, you have "bad boy" Jackson. He was funny and I liked him, especially how he was a bit like a little boy in a grown man's body. (Perhaps Smith?). Dylan was Mr. Confident and he was pretty patient when it came to Ella and her friends (Big, of course). Then, you have Sean. He was the most honest and persistant. (We'll say he's Steve). A few things that didn't work for me were: Is he Jack or Jackson?! It went back and forth, there was a "He prefers Jackson" bit and then it went back to the back and forth. Minor, but still something. Then, there was the melodrama in a lot of the dialogue. The girls were often overreacting to something, be it gushing or snapping at each other. The "Wow, this is amazing!" gushing, usually from each girl and Judith was a bit "Okay, I get it. They're happy." Then, the fighting that escalated almost from nowhere every time all of the girls were together was a bit off-putting. It would be over nothing, then one of the girls would play mediator and it would be resolved immediately without much of a point. Some of this made it feel a bit choppy and also not quite as deep as I would have liked. I think the fact that it's four stories tied together and that the girls are almost TOO involved in one another's lives creates a bit of a disconnect at times. On a sexyness scale, I'd say this was bordering "Rated R" with some steamy scenes, but still in the PG-13 realm. In that way, it was also "Sex and the City"-like. :) Overall, this was a fun read, and I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of "friendship chick lit." It wasn't without it's problems, but I think it's still a solid, enjoyable and quick read. I look forward to checking out more from Samantha Chase! She writes in a comfortable style that feels a bit like you're sitting around with some friends.