ARC Review: The Duplicate Bride by Ginny Baird

My Review:

The Duplicate Bride is a charming contemporary romance by New York Times bestselling author Ginny Baird. One of the highlights of the story is the characters. Hope is a wonderful protagonist. Kind, sympathetic, and supportive, Hope is the opposite of her selfish, high-maintenance twin who is too busy at work to show up to her pre-wedding events.

A selfless sister, Hope swaps places the week before Jackie’s wedding to protect Jackie from in-law disapproval. This puts Hope in so many complicated situations, and though she struggles throughout the story with her deceit, her guilt, and her feelings for Brent and his family, she continually acts in the best interest of her sister.

Brent struggles with personal conflicts, as well. He deals with familial expectations and his own desires, which is why he hasn’t settled down. Brent doesn’t seem to know what he wants, especially concerning his career, and many of his choices reflect what he thinks his family wants. As he gets to know Hope (who he thinks is Jackie), he seems to become more attuned to his own needs and desires.

Brent’s family and Hope’s mother are wonderful side characters, each with defined and dynamic personalities. I love the levity that Hope’s carefree mom brings to the story and the warm, loving nature of most of Brent’s family members. Hope fits in with Brent’s family so well, unlike Jackie, and it is clear from early in the story that Hope is better suited to Brent than her sister. Plus, the chemistry between Hope and Brent is fantastic!

Hope and Brent have an instant connection, and it’s not because Hope’s pretending to be Brent’s betrothed. Brent admits he never had such strong feelings about his fiancee before. Of course, that’s not surprising considering Brent has never met Hope before, and his relationship with Jackie is more of a business transaction than a real relationship. He can tell that something is different but can pinpoint what it is. How could he guess that Jackie’s identical twin sister spent the week before the wedding pretending to be Jackie? As they spend time together, their walls come down, and their connection deepens. They are a couple that I rooted for, and I hoped that, as truths were revealed, they would find their happily ever after.

The Duplicate Bride is a quick and sweet contemporary romance that I enjoyed reading, and I look forward to reading more books by Ginny Baird in the future. Thanks so much to Entangled Publishing for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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Rating:

Favorite Parts:

• The romance, of course! Brent and Hope have great chemistry, and their love story is a sweet HEA.

• The wonderful side characters, especially Brent’s family.

Recommendations:

Readers who enjoy contemporary rom-com with dynamically developed characters and a great HEA will love The Duplicate Bride!