I Always Cry at Weddings by Sara Goff

About the book: (from the publisher) Ava is ready to set Manhattan abuzz with her wedding. At least until she realizes her fiancé wants marriage for the wrong reasons, and maybe she does, too. In a move as daring as a red satin dress, she does the unthinkable–she calls it off, taking on more debt than she can afford and returning to the single life. 

When Ava loses her job in fashion and her mom succumbs to cancer, she decides to revamp her life entirely, taking a vow of chastity and going for her dream of becoming a professional dancer.
Change brings trial and error, and she’s inching closer to financial ruin, but an undercover cop promises a new romance…and an unexpected friendship with the homeless guy beneath her stoop brightens her days.

When her carefully balanced life teeters out of control, weddings aren’t the only thing to make her cry. Ava has to figure out what life she really wants to live and what in the world love–unconditional love–means.

About the author: Sara Goff is a former New York City fashion designer and merchandiser who, after seven years in the industry, left her career to follow her dreams of making a difference in the world. In 2010, Goff founded the global education charity Lift the Lid, Inc., which supports underprivileged schools and encourages young people to exercise their creative expression through writing.

Philanthropy has always been part of Goff’s lifestyle. While living in Manhattan, Goff especially loved being a writing instructor for Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen Writers Workshop, which was founded by Ian Frazier, author of Travels in Siberia. Goff has also participated as a writing instructor for The National Arts Club’s creative writing program for students. She has spoken at the Soup Kitchen, several inner-city schools, and Saint Francis College in Brooklyn about the writing process and the power of the written word.

Ever the world-traveler, Goff was also accepted into Sewanee Writers’ Conference and received two fellowships to Summer Literary Seminars in St. Petersburg, Russia and Nairobi, Kenya. Goff recently moved to Connecticut with her husband of 14 years, their two children, and their Yorkie named Pia, after living in Stockholm and London. I ALWAYS CRY AT WEDDINGS is her first novel, and proceeds of the book will go towards Lift the Lid, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt not-for-profit organization. Visit www.lift-the-lid.org for more information on the charity.

Connect with the author: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Google+| Pinterest

Genre: Fiction/Women’s Fiction/Christian fiction/Romance

[bctt tweet=”An unusual take on sweet #romance. A fun end-of-the-year read @sarajohannagoff ” username=”KatherineSJones”]

My take: I don’t usually go in for romance novels, but I Always Cry at Weddings is not your usual romance. For starters, there’s the twist of the chastity vow. I was intrigued to see how it would work within this genre. As it turns out, I liked how it worked–how it prompted between the characters some honest and real conversation about faith and fidelity.

I did have to stick with Ava long enough for her to dump her fiancé {no spoilers here, it’s at the top of the back cover copy}, and it did make me question her sanity that she would consider this guy a good marriage partner for more than 2 seconds. But dump him she did, and then things started looking up.

The city setting was fun, the plot well-paced, and the characters out of the ordinary. The author also provided enough possibilities on the horizon that the ultimate romantic outcome was, while hoped for, less than predictable. All in all a remarkably clean and uplifting romance, ideal for a breezy weekend read.

Thanks to the author for providing me this book free of charge. All opinions are mine.

Buy it here. 

After words: What books are you wishing for this Christmas?