I enjoyed this book very much. I'm not always a fan of chick-lit but this was great writing, a terrific story and very funny too. It would make a great movie. I kept imagining Ryan Gosling as the lead but maybe that was because I'd just seen Ides of March.... ( )

Definitely chic lit but pretty well written anyway. ( )

I've seen this book described as a romantic comedy, but it's not. It's basically chick lit from a man's perspective. I'm more of a romance reader than a chick lit reader and, for that reason and a few others, I don't think this book was right for me.

That doesn't mean I disliked it. I loved Gavin's “voice” - he was funny, smart (when he wasn't allowing his desperate desire to find himself a girlfriend/future wife override his common sense), and sympathetic. I enjoyed Gavin's interviews with the brides- and grooms-to-be, and I found the little wedding columnist details, like Gavin being unable to eat the food at weddings because it could be construed as accepting bribes, to be fascinating. Devan Sipher has been a wedding columnist for several years, and I think that real-life experience really showed.

As much as I loved how real some aspects of this book felt, there were times when I could have used a little less realism. I had hoped for and expected a fun, frothy read. Instead, Gavin's fears of being laid off and of being single for the rest of his life made this book surprisingly depressing. Judging from other readers' comments, I may be the only person who felt that way, but since the feeling hit me so strongly I almost DNF'ed this several times, it's something I think I should mention.

A good part of my reaction may be due to my own circumstances. I'm single, I don't expect to ever not be single, and, although for the most part I don't mind that, there are times when single person fears hit me hard. At one point in The Wedding Beat, Gavin's grandmother is caring for her husband as he lies in his hospital bed, and she says to Gavin, “'Who's going to take care of you?'” (125), inspiring Gavin to occasional fits of “I'm going to die alone” thoughts. To me, as a single person, it felt very, very real...and it was so not what I needed or wanted out of my recreational reading.

Gavin's search for someone to finally walk down the aisle with struck me as more desperate than romantic. I was never convinced that Melinda was the one woman, out of all the women in the whole book, that Gavin should end up with. In fact, when Melinda and Gavin first met, I actually flipped to the end to be sure that they really ended up together, because I was getting conflicting vibes. On the one hand, Melinda seemed nice, attractive, perfect (almost too perfect), and overall just the sort of woman Gavin has been hoping for. On the other hand, there was this line, a thought Gavin had after finding out that Melinda was a travel reporter who had volunteered at a girls' orphanage in Katmandu and taught English in a rural village: “She made me feel deficient as a journalist – and a human.” (31). I don't understand why anyone would want to be with a person who made them feel that way.

Gavin and Melinda had some nice moments together - my favorite was probably when Gavin almost made a fool out of himself trying to be Melinda's knight-in-shining-armor by helping her get back into her apartment after she locked herself out – but, now that I think about it, they spent very little time getting to know each other. Their happy ending came very suddenly, and I was never able to shake the feeling that they would eventually come to the realization that they didn't actually fit together. Gavin didn't seem to belong with Melinda any more, or less, than he belonged with Laurel, his ex-girlfriend, or even Brooke, a one-night-stand.

I'm conflicted about this book. I liked some aspects of it very much and found Gavin to be an enjoyable character. However, Gavin's worries about losing his job and about being single made this a more uncomfortable read than I expected, and Sipher was never able to sell me on Gavin and Melinda's romance.

(Original review, with read-alikes and watch-alikes, posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) ( )

Devan Sipher’s The Wedding Beat is, if you’ll pardon the term, dude lit. Chick lit with a goatee. Sipher’s male narrator brings a refreshing change of pace to the classic city love stories I gobble whole — and I couldn’t help but fall for the cute, sweet and occasionally clueless Gavin.

This quick read is the sort of story I escape into during periods of extreme stress, you know? When you need something light, frothy and fun. Though the story meanders into deeper issues at points (the state of journalism, for one), the fast pace keeps you moving through Gavin’s adventures around New York — and into the ballrooms of the city’s fabulous brides. Those who love weddings will find plenty of details to pour through via Gavin’s assignments, and it was hard not to get in a bell-ringing, engagement-seeking mood. It’s obvious why Gavin, a single guy in his late thirties, would find listening to others’ love stories tedious after a while . . . and why he’d feel like “a wedding beat” was continuously pounding in his psyche.

Though never specifically named, Gavin’s paper is obviously The New York Times — and his attempts to survive cutbacks and lay-offs felt alarmingly familiar. The author’s modern touches — like the staff’s need to blog and tweet, aimed to keep our industry from becoming obsolete — were interesting and true. Delving into the author’s background, surprise: Sipher is a Vows columnist for the Times.

So, you know, Gavin is basically Sipher. And Sipher is Gavin. And rumor has it James Marsden’s character in “27 Dresses” is based on him — a storyline also woven into The Wedding Beat. So the plot thickens.

If you’re a fan of those types of movies (and I totally am), you’re going to eat this one up. With just enough romance to keep me hooked, Gavin is a quirky but loveable guy — a character you can’t help but want to be happy. Though he takes a few missteps in his quest to find the ever-elusive but unforgettable Melinda, he’s a genuine guy — and a very charming one. It was fun to read a romance from a male perspective — and penned by a male author.

So yes, The Wedding Beat: fun, quick and very enjoyable. I listened to the audio during three days of a super-long commute and wouldn’t have wanted to pass the time any other way. ( )

It’s no coincidence that the hero in THE WEDDING BEAT reminds the reader of the reporter in the movie 27 DRESSES but the similarity between the stories ends there. Devan Sipher writes a witty, laugh-out-loud funny story about hapless reporter, Gavin Greene. Sipher’s humor is low key and wicked. Lines like - “It was a cross between wedding kitsch and animal cruelty.” (when speaking of a wedding’s petting zoo) and “I liked being spontaneous. I just preferred to do it with a little preparation.” are just two examples of Sipher’s sarcasm. Gavin spends the entire novel letting relationship possibilities slip through his fingers until I wanted to scream at him to man up. When it all becomes too much for even him and he decides he must go after the girl of his dreams, he finds himself making the ultimate grand gesture. His action’s when going after Melinda redeem him of all his former passivity and ensure his happily ever after.
Rating: 4.0
Heat Rating: Sweet: No sex or scenes of physical intimacy except some kissing. No graphic violence or profanity.
Reviewed By: Jeanne Stone-Hunter for My Book Addiction and More ( )