Title: Say No the the Dress: How One Bridesmaid Killed the Frills
Author: Keren David
Cover illustrator: Lucia Gomez Alcaide
Publisher: Barrington Stoke
Genre: Teen/young adult fiction, Humour
Book format: Paperback
Sweet Strawberries: 
Description: Miri is fourteen and in the last year she’s been mugged by puberty. She’s grown several inches, expanded in all directions, her breasts are out of control, and she’s prone to random eruptions of spots. Life already feels like a nightmare and now she’s been asked to act as a bridesmaind for two of her siblings. Two weddings and two bridesmaid dresses – could things get any worse?
Join the reluctant bridesmaid on her hilarious journey to the altar in a sharp-witted story of family, friendship and embracing your true self, no matter what you’re forced to wear.
*Free copy provided by publisher for review…
Review: This is a brilliant and funny story about a teenager who has some self confidence issues and really doesn’t want to be a bridesmaid. Fourteen year old Miri used to be a gymnast and was fit and skinny, but after puberty and a long illness she’s now ballooned in size and doesn’t like wearing any dresses as they make her look fat. But soon she’s asked to be a bridesmaid at her sister’s wedding, and not long after that she’s asked to do the same for a brother’s wedding too, which means she’ll have to wear a dress for both events, in the summer, and be seen by everyone, what could go wrong?
This is a great book which I really enjoyed and related to straight away. Miri’s a typical teenager although her weight is certainly something that has caused her to lose confidence in how she looks. Miri hates to be in the spotlight, and so when both her brother and sister ask her to be a bridesmaid for their weddings, it’s a nightmare for Miri. I have to admit to also ballooning around the time of puberty due to some health issues myself, so I instantly connected with Miri’s character as she struggles to find any clothes that fit and look good on her.
Miri’s family is a complex one, with both her sister and brother being half-siblings to her, but I like how lovely her whole family is and how funny the story gets, especially when we find out who her sister and brother are marrying. The story is funny throughout with lots of silly things happening with the wedding planning. I like how Miri grows in confidence over time and how she ends up saving the day more than once. There are some interesting things about Jewish weddings that I didn’t know about which take place in this book, and I like how some things are explained from Miri’s point of view and how things go for all of the characters.
This book has a lot of funny moments which get more funny towards the end of the book with even a disaster happening that I wasn’t expecting during a wedding. This novel is a great story where Miri grows, becoming more confident in herself and I love how she’s changed by the end, but still so relatable and likeable too. Her relationship with family and friends is good too and I like how things go between her and Tiffany especially.
The book is a special dyslexia friendly book which means there are thick pages of larger than usual text which has a special font and separated paragraphs. The book is also printed on pages which are yellower in colour making it an easier read on the eyes for dyslexics and anyone with visual difficulties who can benefit from this. The story is also quite short, the book being only around 130 pages long which makes it great for reluctant readers too.
This tale is quite a simple one but I like how honest it is about the things that can affect teenagers and I wish I had read this when I was a young teen as none of the books I read back then ever featured a teen who was overweight or had spots and other teen problems. I would recommend this book to any teens who want a funny read with some great characters, and especially for anyone who has confidence or weight issues (or both) as Miri is a great character and I couldn’t help but love her and the situation she ends up in.
What do you think of this book? Have you ever wanted to be or enjoyed being a bridesmaid? Let me know what you think in the comments below 🙂
The Strawberry Post 