The following edition of the text was used in the creation of this study guide: Espach, Alison. The Wedding People. Phoenix Books, 2024. Kindle AZW file.

The novel unfolds over a week at the Cornwall Inn in Newport, Rhode Island. Phoebe arrives alone intending to end her life following her divorce. She quickly realizes a wedding is underway and is mistaken for a guest by the bride, Lila. When Lila later learns Phoebe isn’t invited, Phoebe bluntly tells her in an elevator that she came to the hotel to die. Lila is horrified and says it would ruin her wedding.

Flashbacks reveal Phoebe’s crumbling marriage. Her husband Matt, a successful academic, fell in love with their friend Mia after years of Phoebe’s career stagnating. The couple had also recently endured a failed IVF cycle.

Back in the present, Phoebe tries to order room service as a final meal but is told it’s unavailable due to the wedding. Her plan stalls. A flashback to the day before shows her reeling after seeing Matt and Mia on campus, learning her therapist can no longer see her due to insurance issues, and discovering her beloved cat Harry has died. She pockets the cat’s painkillers and books a room at the Cornwall Inn.

That night, watching the wedding reception from her balcony, Phoebe is surprised when Lila visits. Lila offers to pay for her stay if she postpones her suicide until after the wedding. They bond unexpectedly over Lila’s complaints about family. When Lila leaves, Phoebe feels reluctant to be alone again. She takes Harry’s pills, but hearing the wedding speeches and realising she wants to hear how they end prompts her to throw them up. She survives.

Early Wednesday morning, Phoebe meets a man in the hot tub and confesses her suicide plan. They talk about books and childhoods, and though she proposes sex, he declines, saying he’s involved with someone. She respects the boundary and leaves, proud of her honesty.

Flashbacks show her relationship with Matt beginning in grad school. After graduation, he thrived while Phoebe’s academic progress stalled. She ended up editing his work and supporting his success.

Back in the present, Lila wakes Phoebe and invites her sailing with the wedding party, saying she trusts her honesty. Phoebe borrows clothes and joins the group. On the boat, she realizes Gary, the groom, is the man from the hot tub. They don’t acknowledge it. Lila introduces Phoebe as a friend. Gary’s daughter Juice becomes upset about her virtual dog dying and Phoebe helps her hold a funeral at sea. She connects emotionally with Juice and reflects on her own grief. Later, Gary thanks her for supporting Juice. That night, Lila bursts into Phoebe’s room, worried Phoebe might have hurt herself. She confides that Phoebe is the only person she can be real with and asks her to be maid of honor. Phoebe agrees.

Phoebe finally charges her phone and sees panicked messages from Matt and her boss. She reflects that Lila’s chaotic wedding has unexpectedly given her a reason to stay alive. On Thursday, Lila asks Phoebe to take Juice shopping, which further deepens Phoebe’s bond with the girl. At the bachelorette party that night, Phoebe receives a tarot reading that unexpectedly fills her with hope for the future. Later, Lila drunkenly confesses she has feelings for Jim, the best man and brother of Gary’s late wife, and admits she doesn’t want to marry Gary. Phoebe advises her not to make any big decisions right away.

The following morning, Lila, hungover, sends Phoebe to take her place at a surfing lesson with Gary and Juice. Phoebe struggles in the water but tries again and ends up enjoying herself. She senses Gary wants to say more but doesn’t. Later, Jim visits Phoebe to write speeches together. He admits he had feelings for Lila and believes Gary seems more himself with Phoebe than with Lila. After Jim leaves, Phoebe writes her own speech and finds a Craigslist ad for a winter caretaker job at a mansion. She applies.

On Saturday, Lila asks Phoebe to accompany Gary on wedding errands. She decides even if she never sees Gary again, she’s grateful to have met him. They visit the mansion, and the owner is impressed with Phoebe. Gary gives her his number and tells her to call him if she sees any ghosts when she’s living in the mansion. At a barbershop, Gary admits he feels happy around Phoebe: something he hadn’t felt in years. Phoebe suggests they do not continue with the conversation.

At the rehearsal dinner, Lila becomes stressed over missing palette cleansers and cancels the best man’s speech. Jim gives his speech anyway and confesses he almost asked Lila out before Gary met her. Meanwhile, Juice, who has been drinking wine, throws up. Phoebe takes her back to the hotel. Gary checks in on Juice and tells Phoebe he thinks the wedding might a mistake. They are interrupted by the unexpected arrival of Phoebe’s ex-husband Matt, who introduces himself to Gary as Phoebe’s husband. After Gary leaves, Matt says he wants Phoebe back and suggests they explore adoption or surrogacy. They kiss.

The next morning, Phoebe wakes up in bed with Matt. She joins the bridal prep and allows the stylist to give her a dramatic new haircut. Lila is withdrawn. Jim arrives with the missing palette cleansers as a peace offering, but Lila ignores him. When Lila discovers the bridal car isn’t vintage, she refuses to go to the wedding. Phoebe reads her maid of honor speech to her, thanking her for giving her a reason to live. Lila admits she can’t go through with the wedding. Phoebe breaks the news to Gary at the venue who leaves alone. On the way back to the hotel, she tells Matt she doesn’t want to try again. He’s heartbroken but respects her choice.

The next morning, Phoebe messages Gary, who is in the hot tub. She joins him. Sitting together where they first met, Gary tells Phoebe he had resigned himself to never being happy again after losing his wife, but meeting Phoebe changed that. He says he couldn’t bring himself to cancel the wedding but is grateful it did not go ahead. He asks her to call him when she’s working at the mansion. She agrees. Phoebe packs her things and leaves the hotel, ready for a new beginning.