Customer Reviews

The Wedding Planner's Daughter

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Twelve-year-old Willafred "Willa" Havisham has a passion for cherry cordials, classics, and is the worst wish maker in the entire world. That is, until Willa and her glamorous, wedding planner mother, Stella Havisham, move to quaint Bramble, Cape Cod. Suddenly, everything that Willa wishes for begins to come true: she has a best friend for the first time in her entire life, Tina. Stella is falling for "The Poet," also known as Willa's English teacher, Sam - who would make the best possible father in the entire world! Her crush, Joseph, seems to actually like her back, and she's finally getting the chance to bond with her candy-making Grandmother - who is actually quite hip. Willa couldn't be happier, that is, until she lets a secret slip, and suddenly her whole world - and that of the loved ones around her - is flipped upside down, leaving her with a HUGE amount of damage that only she can fix.

I loved the brief summary that I read about this book a few months ago, and must admit, that the cover illustration totally drove me wild - it's SO cute - so I knew that I would just have to read Coleen Murtagh Paratore's THE WEDDING PLANNER'S DAUGHTER, and boy am I glad that I did. Willa is the perfect character, smart, funny, cute, and super friendly. I loved the fact that she was a fan of the classics - so am I - as I found that I had read all of the books that she recommends to readers on the very last page. Paratore has done an amazing job with THE WEDDING PLANNER'S DAUGHTER, and I hope that she continues to write more about Willa's wonky adventures, as I'd love to give them a read.

Erika Sorocco

Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

I am an eleven year old fifth grader. Willafred, who likes to be called Willa, is a preeteen soon to be teen, who wishes everyone is happy. She wishes her mother had a man after a dramatic hot air balloon accident during their honeymoon.Estelle, who likes to be called Stella is scared of ever falling in love again and having a prince charming not ever be good enough for her. She keeps herself busy on purpose, drowning herself in all of her wedding designs. Willa is always sad about moving. Once she moves to Cape Cod and meets a best friend Tina, she thinks everything will change. She lives in fear of a dreaded statue look in her mothers face, which means she will have to move again. But just when mother meets a wonderfull seventh grade English teacher, she starts to really like him, still scared she starts to get to know him more. Then finally, the wedding of a life time gets destroyed, they must move, again. Read more about everyone and how Willa is coping with everything in The Wedding Planner's Daughter, my favorite book in the world.

I bought this for my daughter at the Scholastic book fair yesterday, but it looked cute and so I opened it and that was all she wrote! And she wrote indeed. This is a wonderful blend of contemporary fiction and literary classics. Willafred Havisham, a twelve-year-old wedding planner's daughter who's been moved across the eastern seaboard every two years since her birth, makes a delightful narrator in this tale of friendship, family, and finding love. In the end, Willa (Willafred's preferred name) realizes that what she's been pining after may not be what she thinks.

Set in the charming Cape Cod town of Bramble, Massuchusetts, this book quietly stole into my heart with echoes of ANNE OF GREEN GABLES and other delightful girl stories I read growing up. I spent last night cheering for Poet, the handsome English teacher next door with his backyard labyrinth and beautiful smile, Nana and the bookstore owner, Tina, Willa's first best friend and Mum, the unconventional minister of Bramble United Congregational.

If you're feeling like life's the pits, this saltwater taffy tale of good friends, good books and growing up will make things seem like a bowl of cherries. Give this book a try. I'm glad I did and I think my daughter will enjoy it too.

This book "The Wedding Planners Daughter" is where it all starts willa or as her mom named her willafred havisham when she was born she had a dad but then when he gave willa's mom stella a card saying to come to the park on their honeymoon she came and started waiting and waiting then suddenly a police officer came and told her that her husband had died on being on a hot air balloon so since that day willa's mom never wanted to love again. But willa in the other hand wanted a father really bad and so then a poet moved in next door and he was willas english teacher. he seemed extremely nice and on open house he and stella saw each others eyes and willa seemed happy and well to read it more Will the poet "Sam" be willa's dad???

This is thwe best book I have evr read n my whole entire life. It is about a girl who moves around alot because her mom is a wedding planner. She has a crush on a guy and she also tries her hardest to get her mom and her teacher, Sam, together. True romance and laughter are revealed in this book you`ll have to read it to find out if Sam and her mom get married and if she ends up with her crush!

I love this book SO MUCH! As a teen with a single mother, I can really relate to Willa's fealings. You really get to know the charecter, with I like. This book is amazing and beautifly written, and I would recoment it to anyone. If you are a teen looking to buy a book, or a parent looking to buy a book for there teen, I would recomend this book.

I loved this book very much. I wish it didn't have to end! It was so great and I loved it. It was a pleasure to read it.

I love this book! 12 yr. old Willafred "call me Willa" Havishman never knew her father; William "call me Billy" Havishman, she knew he was a romantic and he died the day after his wedding with his gorgeus wife, Estelle " Stella" Clancy. She needs a dad, she needs her mom to be happy. So thats why her and her grandma are on a mission to find har the perfect guy for her. The only problem is, Stella gets scared, scared of all of the wonderful prince charmings out there that fall off their horses. So right when Willa gets close to a bff and maybe a boyfriend and maybe even a father things go wrong. So read the book to see if Willa can fix things before she loses all hope.

This book was beautiful. It has an enchanting cover and fine details throughout, such as cursive script for the chapter titles, little curves outlining the page numbers, and beautiful poetry to start each chapter; it's made up with details that make the book just .. beautiful. I felt 'rich' reading it - it's hard to describe, but the book and its setting (Cape Cod), made me feel elegant. The main character in the book is Willafred (Willa). Willa is 12 years old, and is struggling to find her identity; her mother constantly uproots them from city to city and Willa wants stability. Although her mother, Stella, is a wedding planner, Stella doesn't have love in her life, and Willa's fondest wish is to see Stella happy and married. Willa does a bit of matchmaking between her mother and Sam Gracemore, her English teacher. Stella is a very unlikable character; I wasn't interested in her happiness at all, and thought she could have been portrayed with more fullness. The picture we get of Stella is very removed, and even though Willa is the narrator, she does a poor job describing her first-hand relationship with Stella. The writing is very mature; what I mean by that is that the book really didn't seem suited to your average 12 year old girl. Despite the fact that Willa is 12, the readers who will find this book of interest will be much older teen girls. And white girls at that. The book has a limited audience, and the feeling you get is that it was written for rich white girls; they will definitely be more apt to identify with it than any other group. I hope it gets read though, because its beautifully written and just makes you feel pretty.

Willa Havisham may be the only twelve-year-old who reads classics, eats cherry cordials, and just so happens to be the worst wisher in the world.

Her glamorous single mother, Stella, plans the most beautiful weddings and is constantly moving the two of them around. When they finally move back to Stella's childhood hometown of Bramble, Cape Cod, Willa begins to think her wishes are coming true. She's made her first-ever best friend, is bonding with her crazy Nana, and, best of all, Stella seems to be falling for Willa's English teacher -- who just happens to be perfect dad material.

But when, after a wedding disaster, Stella is ready to pack up and throw everyone out, how can Willa stop everything from going back to the way it was?

THE WEDDING PLANNER'S DAUGHTER was a book I'd been hearing about for awhile, so when the chance came up to review it, I was excited. It ended up being one of the most hilarious books I've read in quite some time. The characters, Willa especially, were so well-developed and real. I could understand Stella's hesitation but also Willa's determination. Everything in the book was well-thought out and easy to relate to.

I'll definitely be recommending this to my librarian and friends. Now I can't wait to read the sequel!

Reviewed by: Harmony