Runaway Groomsman by Meghan Quinn

Narrated by Samantha Brentmoor and Alastair Haynesbridge

Standalone Romantic Comedy

I have been reading Meghan Quinn since 2015 and have since reviewed over 30 books of hers. Her books have been on every best-of-the-year list I have done since then for good reason! They make me feel good. They make me HAPPY. Runaway Groomsman is no exception to the rule. But I should let you know, Runaway Groomsman is a bit more appealing to the mass market than many of her other books. It’s a little sweeter and not as sexy or over-the-top funny as some of her others, but I still really enjoyed it.

Sawyer is a Hollywood screenwriter whose actress ex-girlfriend ended up marrying his best friend. Sawyer was still asked to be the best man, but at the wedding he….well suffice it to say, he had to get out of town for a while, so he went for a drive and landed in the small town of Canoodle.

He rented a cabin from Fallon, but they are about to shut down the rentals to begin renovations. Sawyer promises to stay out of the way, he really liked the town and it was the perfect hideaway. Fallon began running the resort when her grandfather developed Alzheimer’s, and she is taking care of him and trying to bring in enough money to keep the cabins and the memories alive.

Fallon recognizes Sawyer immediately from a blind date she went on with him—the worst date ever. He didn’t get off his phone all night, and now he has no clue who she is, so they start off on a really bad foot. Plus Fallon has a pretty serious boyfriend, so this story is very, very slow burn, but then the “I Love You”s feel a little rushed.

“Sometimes, son, the best things are worth waiting for.”

I really loved the storyline with the grandfather, Sully. Sawyer’s secret help around the resort, his character growth and especially his relationship with Sully made this story something a little more special, and the narration of Sully just made me love his grumpy old man-ness even more. I liked Fallon a lot, I loved Sawyer, but Sully stole the show for me.

“I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anything more romantic in my life. Because even though Joan is gone, she’s still in his heart, and the man continues to love her, ache for her, include her in his life. That’s the kind of love movies are written about.”

Likes:

Sully was my favorite part of the book.
How well the Alzheimer’s was handled.
I loved Sawyer and his growth throughout the book.
I really love the small town of Canoodle.
Almost all of the side characters.
I giggled out loud.
Sully’s love and devotion to his late wife.
Fallon’s dads.
The family and town’s connections and love for each other.

Dislikes:

I was missing a bit of the MQ spark. It felt a little watered down for mass marketing.
It took way too long for Fallon to let her nice-guy boyfriend go.
The romance was slow-slow-slow-toofast!

Mixed Feelings:

Meghan Quinn lovers will be disappointed with only 1 sex scene (it was fine with me).
Fallon’s best friend Jas was supposed to be the comedy relief, and yes, she was funny at times, but I wanted to punch her more than a few times as well.

The Narration:

I always like Samantha Brentmoor and I like her even more after this, her parts get 5 stars. Alastair Hayensbridge…well…he sounds like his name. He’s a good narrator/voice actor, but I don’t like him for romance at all. He just doesn’t have that sexy leading man vibe to me. I can see him reading YA books.

The Down & Dirty:

Runaway Groomsman by Meghan Quinn was another unique, feel-good story from one of my favorite authors. The Alzheimer’s storyline was very special and it’s what made this book stand out to me. However, this book was a watered-down, slowed down version of Meghan, like this could be on Hallmark and her others on Cinemax late at night lol. I am OK with that, I really don’t need my books to be all that smutty anymore, but if spicy is what you are looking for, you may want to start with a different MQ book. If you don’t mind a light, slow-burn story with some really beautiful family moments and wonderful town connections, you would enjoy Runaway Groomsman.