Hasty Wedding

by Debbie Macomber

Read Date: 4/27/25

Review

When I first picked up Hasty Wedding, I had no idea it was originally written in the early 90s—and honestly, that explained a lot once I finished it. While reading, a few things left me confused, like a mention about someone not having a phone. I kept thinking, "Okay, no landline, but where’s their cell?" It didn’t click right away that this was set in a time when cell phones weren’t common yet. Another part that felt noticeably dated was the way the story portrayed Native American characters and intercultural relationships. It wasn’t surprising given the era, but it definitely gave the book an older feel than I initially expected. Once I realized when it was written, those details made more sense within the story’s context.

Overall, I thought the story itself was pretty cute, but I really struggled with the main male character’s behavior. He loved the heroine—like, truly loved her—from the start, and that’s clear throughout the whole book. But despite that, he spent nearly the entire story trying to undo the marriage he had agreed to in the beginning. It was confusing because if he had such strong feelings about the hardships of intercultural relationships (based on his own upbringing), why say yes to the wedding at all? I get that the story needed a reason to exist, but I wish we had seen more hesitation or internal struggle before he married her, not after. That said, I really liked how the book started and thought the ending tied everything up in a sweet, satisfying way... it was just the messy middle that made me stumble a bit.