Whoever in this life has had the veritable good fortune to read Emily Bronte’s gut wrenching, yet ethereally sublime, novel, Wuthering Heights, has surely been sprinkled with a liberal dose of fairy dust. We “Wuthering Heights” aficionados will easily recall the fiercely strong-minded and wild Catherine as saying of her love for the eternally-dark (in terms of emotions and sensibility) Heathcliff, that “He’s more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same”.

In 1847 (the year that Wuthering Heights was first published), romantic love was of course as widely experienced and often written about as it is today. In short, who doesn’t love a good romance novel? Who doesn’t like to have all their worries and cares in this life dissolve as they become enamoured with the romance between a hero and heroine in books that lifts the spirit?

At her sizzling best is stellar Australian romance writer, Rachael Johns, in her latest gift of a novel, the romantic comedy, The Bad Bridesmaid.

Twenty-eight year old Winifred (Fred) Darling is (in her eyes) living the dream. She’s in the perfect job for her (a librarian at Fremantle Library, a port city near Perth), lives in a swanky house in East Fremantle with her brother, Way (a lawyer) and his boyfriend Benji (a flight attendant) and is writing a book reflecting her thoughts on dating and relationships much to the delight of her publisher, Emily.  Oh, and did I mention that Fred is a serial dater, doesn’t believe in love or marriage and doesn’t do romantic ‘feelings’? Dating for Fred is “my hobby, along with writing”. As Fred (our first person narrator) tells us “Most of my hook-ups last for at least a few weeks, sometimes months, until I get itchy feet or the guy in question starts trying to blur our boundaries and I have to let him go”.

The illusory avalanche of equilibrium in Fred’s carefully curated life comes snowballing down when she learns that her wayward mother, Tracy (fifty-seven) is planning to get married for the sixth time to Paul (fifty-eight), a landscape gardener (a very wealthy landscape gardener) who resides in England. Having known each other at school, a fuse was lit apparently when they met up again at a school reunion. Tracy tells Fred of her love for Paul, ” He’s like the missing part of me. Now that I’ve found him again, it’s so easy to see why it didn’t work out with any of my other husbands”. 

The wedding is going to take place on the idyllic and dream-like Norfolk Island, a small Australian Island in the South Pacific Ocean, and Tracy has her heart set on Fred being her maid of honour. 

Fred is understandably aghast that Tracy will soon be on husband number six. And to say she is against the wedding is a monstrous understatement.

Tracy and Paul say they are in love, but is that possible given that Paul’s former wife only died six months ago?

Fred agrees to attend the wedding (her, Way, Benji and Paul’s family are getting an all-expenses paid trip to Norfolk Island for a week) as she plans to do all she can to sabotage the seemingly happy couple. Added to this, Fred is in the process of writing her book on “the rules (she) has for dating to avoid messy entanglements and emotions” and a week in paradise will give Fred much-needed writing space and time (or will it?).

Cut to Paul, Tracy and their ‘tribes’ arriving on Norfolk for a week of sight-seeing, exploring and fun (or will there be?) and a complex web begins to be spun by Fred and her new partner-in-crime, the classy Leo (Paul’s son) who is a passionate English teacher and member of a band, playing the ukulele, back in the United Kingdom.

Leo has just as many and firm doubts about the upcoming nuptials as Fred. His mother has only passed away six months ago for one. And when Fred and Leo discover their mutual musings on the ill-fated union (or is it?) alliances are solemnly forged.

Leo and Fred will work on Paul and Tracy to undermine the couple’s relationship and thus the wedding (think getting Paul and Tracy alone separately to sow seeds of doubt in their mind).

Leo’s upwardly mobile sister Juliet (who is heavily pregnant and “the CEO of a high-end marketing company that caters mostly for boutique hotels”) is outspoken and sometimes surly but will not be a problem for anyone (or will she?).

Leo’s sister, Scarlett and her husband, River, are Influencers who live off the grid almost near Noosa, with their outspoken children, Tallulah-Jane and Kayla (who are “unschool(ed)”, and baby Miller. All are present on the island and having the time of their life it seems.

What will the week on the jewel in the Pacific Ocean, Norfolk Island, look like for Tracy, Paul and families?

Will Fred and Leo stop their respective parents from making what they believe to be a colossal mistake? Indeed is it a mistake or a happy occurrence?

Is Tracy not thinking straight and is Paul not in his right mind because he’s in the deep, dark tunnel of grief?

Will Leo and Fred act on their attraction for one another? Fred reflects of Leo, “all I can focus on is his lovely accent. He sounds like Ed Sheeran, each word warm and confident, and I could listen to him all day”.

The thing is Leo believes in love and Fred doesn’t. Will their differing outlooks on life be a thorn in their sides?

Will a medical emergency stop the wedding? Will anything stop the wedding?

I steadfastly devoured The Bad Bridesmaid. We need books like this, with all of the trouble and mayhem in the world. Feel-good rom-com novels are a welcome antidote to the world’s woes and this one delivers in spades. Add to this the stunning, sun-drenched and exquisite environs of Norfolk Island and the sparkling, aqua waters of the Pacific Ocean and the stuff of daydreams ensues.

Rachael and her mother actually spent a week on Norfolk Island in January 2024 to spend time researching this book and it definitely paid off. The descriptions of the verdant landscape and eclectic and funky cafes and restaurants are a joy to read.

Intelligence, wisdom and sharp observations on the human psyche and condition permeate the pages of this exemplary novel. Some serious subject matter is mentioned also, but this only adds to the beautiful fabric of the story. 

Being a great dog lover myself, I have to add that in the acknowledgements at the back of the book, Rachael gives credit to her much-loved dog, “Adeline (aka Addie), who sits under my desk patiently waiting for me to finish my daily words so we can go for a walk and she can chase the ducks by the river. You’re also a pretty great footwarmer on those colder mornings!)”.

Bravo Rachael! I have long been an avid reader of your books, and this one is a winner (as are all your novels). Five stars from me. I loved every second of reading The Bad Bridesmaid and I shall eagerly await the publication of Rachael’s next book.