Description
Seventeen years after being orphaned, Apryl Burns and her twin sister Courtney have their own expectations for life. While Courtney continues to shine at everything, Apryl holds fast to the mantra that as long as her potato chip stash remains intact, then she’ll be fine.
But when their beloved grandmother ends up injured and unable to manage her struggling antique store, Courtney makes it their mission to revamp the business and save what’s left of their family’s legacy. Despite rampant doubts in her abilities, Apryl finds herself trapped under the weight of family loyalty as they transition to a wedding venue decorating service. Soon shes forced to ask (translation: blackmail) their grandmother’s renter/handyman, Chance McFarland, for help, an arrangement that is made even worse by the fact that Chance is her former (ahem, and current) crush.
Chance knows a few dozen things about family loyalty, which is why he begrudgingly agrees to Apryl’s insane plan. While Apryl claims they’re archenemies, the girl Chance only glimpsed in their teens starts to emerge, stealing what remains of his heart.
But expectations are a powerful thing. Amidst the glamorous weddings and swaying willows, can those old expectations be revised into something new?
Kim Ann –
I loved Joy’s first book, Love, Lace, and Minor Alterations, so I have been anxiously awaiting Weddings, Willows, and Revised Expectations. And, the good news is, I love this one even more!
My favorite thing about Joy’s writing is her sense of humor. She seamlessly intertwines the deeper stuff with that humor, so the story doesn’t get too weighty. I was going to write down a few of my favorite funny lines, but there are literally too many!! Just know you’re in for a ton of snarky/sarcastic humor from Apryl. But, beneath all that sarcasm, lies a girl who thinks she’s not enough and not worthy of love, especially God’s love. I loved these great words of wisdom from her grandmother,
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“And don’t let the enemy whisper lies to you, my dear. He’ll throw flaming arrows at your wound and convince you to do the same to others. Remember that God’s strength makes you strong. No matter what.”
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Joy Palmer does a great job with the first person point of view! I especially loved when Apryl would directly say something to the reader! I also really enjoyed that we got a great secondary story – Courtney, who is Apryl’s twin, and Dallas! I loved his proposal. ❤️ The faith thread that was weaved throughout this story was done perfectly! I’m looking forward to Joy’s next story. I’m hoping it’s about Kaylee.
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I received a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.
adventurousbookworm1 –
I was laughing and laughing. This story was cute and hilarious. The characters were priceless and the humor perfect. This story contains everything from flawed characters to discovering God’s love. This book really brightened my day and I was amazed by Palmer’s writing style. Weddings, Willows, and Revised Expectations reminded me of Jenny B. Jone’s novels and that is a high compliment. (the jokes in this book were better.)
I loved how this was not an insta-love. Instead, Chance and Apryl knew each other back in high school. Snippets of events that happened during high school from Apryl’s perspective, revealing her pain, hurts, and character.
As far as the actual physical book, this was designed well. That cover. . .fonts. . . Trust me, it was nice to have a book with a font that I could read after reading one that was lacking.
There was one thing in this book that I noticed, and that was two formatting typos. That’s all.
I look forward to reading more in the future by V. Joy Palmer.
Personal Rating: 5 Stars
Content Rating: 4 Stars
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own and a positive review was not required.
mindyhoung –
This is the first book by V Joy Palmer that I have read and it was a refreshing change of reading style for me since I read quite a bit of historical, Biblical, and suspense fiction. The book has a lot of sass, sarcasm, wit, and laugh-out-loud moments, especially when Apryl narrates her part of the story in first person. Apryl and Chance both possess a wicked sense of humor and carry on sharp-edged dialogue. There are many movie and pop culture references throughout the story that bring an extra layer of fun to the story.
Apryl is gifted in her creativity but dragged down by self-doubt and negativity. Chance is someone she grew up with and had a crush on for many years. Due to interference from Chance’s father, they become “mortal enemies” by teenage years and still don’t see eye to eye years later. Chance is a steadfast, loyal, hard-working, and tender man who is still working through past hurts even as he puts his faith and hope in his Savior. As circumstances throw them together in a venture that leave them uncomfortable yet irresistibly drawn to each other, they learn about forgiveness, trust, faith, and love that withstands obstacles. There is a subplot involving Apryl’s twin sister Courtney and her boyfriend Dallas which is also sweet and heart-warming as they learn about how God can work through two imperfect people to bring about good.
This book is a follow up to V Joy Palmer’s first book Love, Lace, and Minor Alterations but it can be read as a stand-alone (I did not read the first book prior to reading this one and thoroughly enjoyed it). If you enjoy a well-written contemporary romantic comedy with a wonderful faith component, you will absolutely love this book. I’m hoping for a third book that will concentrate on Izze, Courtney, and Apryl’s housemate and friend Kaylee.
I was given a copy of the book by WhiteFire Publishing via Celebrate Lit Tours and JustRead Publicity Tours and was under no obligation to post a positive review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.
Deana –
Sometimes when a person has been rejected and hurt in life they become cynical. Apryl hasn’t had the best childhood and she does feel a little insecure. Her sarcasm is her way of protecting herself. She also does it at times because she really doesn’t want to show her true feelings. Apryl is complex and at times with trust issues. The author does show us her vulnerable side at times, and that is when I started to understand her more.
The story revolves around Apryl, her sister and Chance. The sisters’ gram does play a part in the story that brought the three main characters together. The antique shop Gram owns is a mixture of everything but in total chaos. When she is injured the girls step in to try to save it. A strange plan has taken place where they rent out items from the antique shop and decorate weddings with them. The theme is limitless for the bride and I especially liked the Roaring Twenties theme.
I liked Chance and understand the relationship between him and Apryl has not been good for a long time. Some people can hold grudges for a long time and Apryl seems to be the queen of grudges. When Chance decides to help Apryl and her sister with this new adventure, you would think Apryl would welcome his help. There are some very funny moments between the two and also some harsh words spoken as well. Apryl at this point is starting to get on my nerves.
The book explores forgiveness, family and a very patient person we know as Chance. I can’t believe the verbal abuse he took from Apryl, but they say love is blind. I wasn’t overly into this book because the emphasis on sarcastic began to bog the story down. I get Apryl is hurting and trying to find her way, but using Chance as her target began to upset me.
The best part of the book for me was when the author finally explored the flaws the characters had and how they worked through them in their own way. Can Chance and Apryl work through their differences? There is a lot going on in this book that brings it to a nice ending.
I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.
calamity_manda –
I loved this story! Getting to know Apryl and Courtney through this book was such a fun journey, I loved that they are twins who stick together despite being very different. Apryl is a gem, with her quirky sense of humor and devotion to her grandmother. I really thought she was a great character, with her search for belonging and fun personality.
I received this book through Celebrate Lit. This is my honest review and is in no way influenced by receiving a complimentary copy.
Debbie –
Our worth isn’t defined by our jobs, our mistakes, our families, or the plans we have. Our worth is in a loving God who calls each of His children by name. Our worth is in our Father.
I copied this sentence from the author herself from the guest post on the blog tour because “Weddings, Willows, and Revised Expectations” really does make this clear to Apryl Burns and readers if they choose to grasp the truth written within the pages. This story has a lesson we all can learn from and that lesson is that Our Father In Heaven is who makes us worthy.
This story is not an every thing is good type of story but ends well for a few characters. I’m really glad that a certain father of one of the characters doesn’t get his way, enough of him before I give a spoiled alert.The author has written a book before this one and I think it might follow the same characters but this book was really enjoyable without reading the other one, but I have added “Love, Lace, and Minor Alterations” to my to be read list.
This is a story of a second chance at love and being true to yourself as Chance and Apryl finally learn how to do. I really liked the play on words in a couple of scenes. Some of the scenes were described so well it made me wish I was there to actually see the events unfold.
I recommend this book to anyone that likes a book where the characters grow and show real human characteristics and they struggle to have a happy ever after type of love.
I was given a complimentary copy by the author and Celebrate Lit. These opinions are my own
caitlynsantiauthor –
I really enjoyed this lovely Christian romcom by a new-to-me-author! I seriously cannot even begin to count the number of times that this book had me smiling and literally laughing out loud!
I loved that this story was set in New Hampshire (a state which borders my own home state of Vermont!)
Overall, this is a very good romcom that I’m glad I read, and I highly recommend it, especially to fans of Bethany Turner, Melissa Tagg, and Sarah Monzon! I look forward to reading more of Ms. Palmer’s work in the future!
(4 Stars!)
I received an ebook copy of this book from the publisher which did not influence my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions are one hundred percent my own.