I read Save the Date

This week's novel is Save the Date, Contemporary YA by Morgan Matson.

Charlie's sister is getting married this weekend, and all four of Charlie's siblings will be home for the event, which is taking place in the backyard of their childhood home before their parents sell it.  Meanwhile, Charlie's mom's wildly popular and long running comic strip, which focuses on their family is coming to an end the same weekend, and they're all going to be on Good Morning America the day after the wedding.  Also meanwhile, it turns out the wedding planner embezzled a lot of money, messed up reservations, and then skipped town, so everything is a mess.  Charlie is going to do her darnedest to fix it all and give the family the best weekend ever.

I found this book frustratingly slow.  In a book full of wedding high jinks and family drama explosions, it should not have dragged.

But lets focus on the positive: this had fantastic dialogue.  The family is huge, and add to that when fiances and girlfriends and the substitute wedding planner and neighbors and extended family wander in.  Everyone's voice is distinctive, which is impressive with such a large cast, and helps the crowd scenes make sense.  Parts are honestly funny.  One of the brothers brings a girlfriend without telling anyone that he was going to, and every time she enters the conversation, it throws off the beat that the rest of the family has established.  This means that Matson was able to set up a rhythm to her dialogue, and break it apart with a pin-pointed strike.  I was also impressed with one brother who shouts random jokes in the middle of conversations, and yet the rest of the family keeps talking around them.  His interruptions did not disturb the flow, and I was able to follow along.

Very cool.  Really well done.