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mdevlin923's review
1.0
The Baby-Sitters Club is involved in two different weddings: the wedding of Dawn's father and Carol and Mrs. Barrett and Mr. Dewitt. Despite accidents, some fights, and lots of crying, the two weddings proceed smoothly. At the end, everyone celebrates Christmas, and Dawn returns to Stoneybrook.
ir_sharp2's review
I needed some bubblegum and a blast from the past. This was an excellent palate cleanser.
bibliotequeish's review
As a kid my best friends sister had the whole BSC series on a book shelf in her room. I thought she was so grown up. And I envied this bookshelf. And would often poke my head into that room just to look at it.
And when I read BSC, I felt like such a grown up.
And while I might have still been a little too young to understand some of the issues dealt with in these books, I do appreciated that Ann M. Martin tackled age appropriate issues, some being deeper than others, but still important.
And when I read BSC, I felt like such a grown up.
And while I might have still been a little too young to understand some of the issues dealt with in these books, I do appreciated that Ann M. Martin tackled age appropriate issues, some being deeper than others, but still important.
finesilkflower's review
2.0
In what Kristy christens an "east-west marriage fest," Dawn’s father in California and Mrs. Barrett in Stoneybrook are both getting married. Mrs. Barrett asks Stacey to be a bridesmaid (why? she’s clearly closest to Dawn, who admittedly is not there, but still) and Mallory and Shannon get the job of taking care of her kids during the ceremony. Meanwhile, Mary Anne, Kristy, and Claudia fly to California, where Dawn assures Mary Anne she will be a bridesmaid (forgetting to consult her father); Claudia helps fetch and carry and do wedding tasks to pay off her plane ticket; and Kristy helps whip the We ♥ Kids Club into shape and organize a farewell party for Dawn, who is returning to Stoneybrook for good on Christmas. In a sprinkling of seasonal subplots, Jessi is a department store Santa, Mallory feels bad for taking the wedding job instead of going caroling with Ben, and Suzi Barrett is worried Santa won’t find her at her new house.
One of the more disparately connected and uninteresting Super Specials, as nobody’s plot is particularly useful or dramatic, and I am sick to death of BSC weddings. It was good in Kristy’s Big Day, but that doesn’t mean it will continue to be good. Dawn is not particularly loathesome but that is only because she doesn’t do much. Jeff’s chapters are best of all (he’s such a little grump).
Highlights: Kristy IDs the central problems of the We ♥ Kids Club; Jeff complains about everything.
Read as a kid: No.
Timing: December, including Christmas. Dawn was supposedly gone for six months, which I guess is fine if you consider it was summer then and it’s December now, except that an entire fall, winter, spring, summer, and fall happened in between. I make some judgment calls in placing the Super Specials, but I really didn’t have much choice on this one--Dawn is in California before and in Stoneybrook after.
Revised Timeline: Winter break of sophomore year college. Say Dawn planned to go to college for just one semester or one year in California, then transfer back to Stoneybrook for a bicoastal college experience. She’s a little late, but she finally managed to get the paperwork through.
Author Gratefully Acknowledges: It's a Lerangis, which is obvious from the fact that everyone's internal narration sounds a lot like Logan from the Reader's Choice Special Editions. It's obvious the California Diaries had not been launched, yet, though, since Sunny is still sunny and not emo; Maggie is still a cool dyed-hair surf rat and not yet a goody-two-shoes; and they're all still friends with Jill.
One of the more disparately connected and uninteresting Super Specials, as nobody’s plot is particularly useful or dramatic, and I am sick to death of BSC weddings. It was good in Kristy’s Big Day, but that doesn’t mean it will continue to be good. Dawn is not particularly loathesome but that is only because she doesn’t do much. Jeff’s chapters are best of all (he’s such a little grump).
Highlights: Kristy IDs the central problems of the We ♥ Kids Club; Jeff complains about everything.
Read as a kid: No.
Timing: December, including Christmas. Dawn was supposedly gone for six months, which I guess is fine if you consider it was summer then and it’s December now, except that an entire fall, winter, spring, summer, and fall happened in between. I make some judgment calls in placing the Super Specials, but I really didn’t have much choice on this one--Dawn is in California before and in Stoneybrook after.
Revised Timeline: Winter break of sophomore year college. Say Dawn planned to go to college for just one semester or one year in California, then transfer back to Stoneybrook for a bicoastal college experience. She’s a little late, but she finally managed to get the paperwork through.
Author Gratefully Acknowledges: It's a Lerangis, which is obvious from the fact that everyone's internal narration sounds a lot like Logan from the Reader's Choice Special Editions. It's obvious the California Diaries had not been launched, yet, though, since Sunny is still sunny and not emo; Maggie is still a cool dyed-hair surf rat and not yet a goody-two-shoes; and they're all still friends with Jill.
xtinamorse's review
Read my recap at A Year with the BSC via Stoneybrook Forever: https://www.livethemovies.com/bsc-blog/here-come-the-bridesmaids
pixieauthoress's review
4.0
I used to love the Super Specials when I was a kid but I've started to realise that a lot of them don't have much depth to them. Perhaps it's also because I read this book for the first time at the age of 18?! I did enjoy this book and it was a nice distraction from 'Oroonoko' and 'Gulliver's Travels' (although I have my first lecture on the latter in a week's time and I've barely read the first chapter - perhaps not such a good distraction?). But seriously, the plot was rather contrived in this book! And I actually found myself enjoying the Stoneybrook storyline more than the California one. Perhaps this book would have worked better as a regular series book from Dawn's point of view. Overall, a cute story but not one of my favourite Super Specials. 7/10
nataliesboooks's review
3.0
I liked Jessi’s storyline the best. She was such a great mall Santa! I also liked that the BSC went caroling! Loved the beach wedding too.
ssshira's review
2.0
this is my first time reading this book!
in this token [a:Peter Lerangis|17216|Peter Lerangis|http://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1273412599p2/17216.jpg]-ghostwritten book (treating dawn and mary anne like they're acceptable people in any way, plot points that don't really come together or make any sense, not enough outfit descriptions), two weddings take place: dawn's dad's wedding in california, and mrs. barrett's wedding back in stoneybrook. each of the babysitters (except jessi and logan) is either in one of the weddings or working one of the weddings. see character plots below (divided into california and connecticut) for more.
CALIFORNIA
-dawn & mary anne: dawn assumes that mary anne will be a bridesmaid in her dad's wedding but mary anne doesn't want to (she is just SO SHY, guys). once mary anne gets convinced, dawn finds out that her dad didn't want her to be one in the first place. dawn drops the ball but mary anne is really terrible about it too. proof that they are the two worst characters.
-kristy: micromanages w<3kc and dawn's going away party, and somehow sunny and dawn's other california friends don't hate her for it
-claud: is basically the aesthetic consultant for the wedding, figuring out centerpieces and floral arrangements and such
-jeff: is upset that carol will be moving into the house after the wedding because a. he thinks mrs. bruen will move out (spoiler: she won't) and b. he thinks carol's furniture and other stuff sucks (she has macrame, lava lamps, etc)
CONNECTICUT
-stacey: is a bridesmaid at the barrett-dewitt wedding. this is the most preposterous plotline of all, though for boring mainstream bridezilla types they feel the need to have a specific number of bridesmaids sometimes (this is something I have never understood, but whatevs)
-mal & shannon: babysit the barrett-dewitt kids at the wedding. mal had planned to go caroling with ben and some bsc kids and then agreed to babysit at the wedding on the same day, so she and ben get into a fight about it, which ends up being resolved really quickly and easily.
-logan & suzi barrett: logan is hired to help the barrett-dewitts move into their new house (and by move I mean including a freakin' PIANO). suzi is scared that santa won't know she moved, so logan helps her plan to leave a trail of cookies from their old house to their new house so santa can find them.
-jessi: is a mall santa. this is the saving grace of the book, particularly because jessi feels conflicted about being a black santa but decides that black kids should have the opportunity to see a santa that looks like them.
highlights:
-jessi as a mall santa. there's a conversation about black santas (jessi says she used to like seeing black santas when she lived in oakley, then shannon asks who SAYS santas can't be black, etc) that would make megyn kelly plotz
-jeff schafer's description of carol's lava lamps: "[they] look like pig embryos swimming around in colored water tanks"
-this sentence: "Have you tried the grape leaves? They're exquisite," said a man with slicked-back short hair and sunglasses to a woman with slicked-back short hair and sunglasses.
-carol's moving van is stolen and all of her gross hippie stuff inside is stolen. carol doesn’t even care. it’s a really silly and funny and weird resolution to jeff’s fears.
-also this wedding gift for jeff and carol: a crying clown wearing black and white polka dots. it's a lamp, and when you press one button it lights up from the inside and the frown turns into a smile. when you press the other button, it sings opera.
lowlights/nitpicks:
-dawn is complaining that because of the barrett-dewitt wedding some of the bsc won't be able to come to california for mr. schafer's wedding. but why would they in the first place? they have barely even met mr. schafer and carol
-why is stacey a bridesmaid for the barrett-dewitt wedding? if any of the babysitters should be asked it should be dawn who was basically the barretts' other mother in [b:Dawn and the Impossible Three|233719|Dawn and the Impossible Three (The Baby-Sitters Club, #5)|Ann M. Martin|http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1390193163s/233719.jpg|226353]
-mrs. barrett asks stacey "what are you, a size six?" but stacey is always described as being REALLY skinny, so she is probably much smaller than that. peter lerangis doesn't know women's sizes
-mary anne says this will be her last entry in the journal (the framing device of the book: dawn making a journal about bridesmaids), but it's her FIRST ENTRY. ugh.
-maggie's outfit (see outfits section for description) -- huh? she is always wearing biker jackets, not rasta chic. also there is an accompanying picture of her “dreads”, and they are NOT dreads (more like a greasy mullet):
-one party food suggestion (maggie): string cheese with caraway seeds. huh? I'm a vegetarian with many vegan and healthy-eating friends and I have NO IDEA who eats string cheese with caraway seeds.
-nasturtia at a december wedding? I know it's california, but it's not like it's usually super hot in december there.
-"even in california, december isn't always beach weather" -- it almost never is! ughhhhh learn something about california, peter. on that note, they fly into lax and fly out of john wayne in santa ana. this is fine, but they say john wayne is half an hour from palo city. if you go half an hour northwest of john wayne airport you are still at least an hour from hollywood, where dawn babysat for derek in [b:Kristy and the Vampires|558323|Kristy and the Vampires (Baby-Sitters Club Mystery, #15)|Ann M. Martin|http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1175792595s/558323.jpg|545500]. THIS DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE. is palo city near LA, or is it near anaheim?
-why don't the barretts/dewitts hire a moving company? if you have a piano, you don't hire a 13-year-old to help you move it. you hire a fucking professional who has proper equipment. disrespectful.
maggie outfit:
-"Her hair was in dreadlocks. Two of them were dyed red and green. She was wearing this crazy neon-patterned jumpsuit, under a tailored cotton jacket with padded shoulders."
kristy cafeteria comment (but for her airplane food):
-"Tastes like a tennis ball covered with paste." (re: chicken cordon bleu)
snacks in claudia's room:
-cheez doodles (n.s.)
in this token [a:Peter Lerangis|17216|Peter Lerangis|http://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1273412599p2/17216.jpg]-ghostwritten book (treating dawn and mary anne like they're acceptable people in any way, plot points that don't really come together or make any sense, not enough outfit descriptions), two weddings take place: dawn's dad's wedding in california, and mrs. barrett's wedding back in stoneybrook. each of the babysitters (except jessi and logan) is either in one of the weddings or working one of the weddings. see character plots below (divided into california and connecticut) for more.
CALIFORNIA
-dawn & mary anne: dawn assumes that mary anne will be a bridesmaid in her dad's wedding but mary anne doesn't want to (she is just SO SHY, guys). once mary anne gets convinced, dawn finds out that her dad didn't want her to be one in the first place. dawn drops the ball but mary anne is really terrible about it too. proof that they are the two worst characters.
-kristy: micromanages w<3kc and dawn's going away party, and somehow sunny and dawn's other california friends don't hate her for it
-claud: is basically the aesthetic consultant for the wedding, figuring out centerpieces and floral arrangements and such
-jeff: is upset that carol will be moving into the house after the wedding because a. he thinks mrs. bruen will move out (spoiler: she won't) and b. he thinks carol's furniture and other stuff sucks (she has macrame, lava lamps, etc)
CONNECTICUT
-stacey: is a bridesmaid at the barrett-dewitt wedding. this is the most preposterous plotline of all, though for boring mainstream bridezilla types they feel the need to have a specific number of bridesmaids sometimes (this is something I have never understood, but whatevs)
-mal & shannon: babysit the barrett-dewitt kids at the wedding. mal had planned to go caroling with ben and some bsc kids and then agreed to babysit at the wedding on the same day, so she and ben get into a fight about it, which ends up being resolved really quickly and easily.
-logan & suzi barrett: logan is hired to help the barrett-dewitts move into their new house (and by move I mean including a freakin' PIANO). suzi is scared that santa won't know she moved, so logan helps her plan to leave a trail of cookies from their old house to their new house so santa can find them.
-jessi: is a mall santa. this is the saving grace of the book, particularly because jessi feels conflicted about being a black santa but decides that black kids should have the opportunity to see a santa that looks like them.
highlights:
-jessi as a mall santa. there's a conversation about black santas (jessi says she used to like seeing black santas when she lived in oakley, then shannon asks who SAYS santas can't be black, etc) that would make megyn kelly plotz
-jeff schafer's description of carol's lava lamps: "[they] look like pig embryos swimming around in colored water tanks"
-this sentence: "Have you tried the grape leaves? They're exquisite," said a man with slicked-back short hair and sunglasses to a woman with slicked-back short hair and sunglasses.
-carol's moving van is stolen and all of her gross hippie stuff inside is stolen. carol doesn’t even care. it’s a really silly and funny and weird resolution to jeff’s fears.
-also this wedding gift for jeff and carol: a crying clown wearing black and white polka dots. it's a lamp, and when you press one button it lights up from the inside and the frown turns into a smile. when you press the other button, it sings opera.
lowlights/nitpicks:
-dawn is complaining that because of the barrett-dewitt wedding some of the bsc won't be able to come to california for mr. schafer's wedding. but why would they in the first place? they have barely even met mr. schafer and carol
-why is stacey a bridesmaid for the barrett-dewitt wedding? if any of the babysitters should be asked it should be dawn who was basically the barretts' other mother in [b:Dawn and the Impossible Three|233719|Dawn and the Impossible Three (The Baby-Sitters Club, #5)|Ann M. Martin|http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1390193163s/233719.jpg|226353]
-mrs. barrett asks stacey "what are you, a size six?" but stacey is always described as being REALLY skinny, so she is probably much smaller than that. peter lerangis doesn't know women's sizes
-mary anne says this will be her last entry in the journal (the framing device of the book: dawn making a journal about bridesmaids), but it's her FIRST ENTRY. ugh.
-maggie's outfit (see outfits section for description) -- huh? she is always wearing biker jackets, not rasta chic. also there is an accompanying picture of her “dreads”, and they are NOT dreads (more like a greasy mullet):
-one party food suggestion (maggie): string cheese with caraway seeds. huh? I'm a vegetarian with many vegan and healthy-eating friends and I have NO IDEA who eats string cheese with caraway seeds.
-nasturtia at a december wedding? I know it's california, but it's not like it's usually super hot in december there.
-"even in california, december isn't always beach weather" -- it almost never is! ughhhhh learn something about california, peter. on that note, they fly into lax and fly out of john wayne in santa ana. this is fine, but they say john wayne is half an hour from palo city. if you go half an hour northwest of john wayne airport you are still at least an hour from hollywood, where dawn babysat for derek in [b:Kristy and the Vampires|558323|Kristy and the Vampires (Baby-Sitters Club Mystery, #15)|Ann M. Martin|http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1175792595s/558323.jpg|545500]. THIS DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE. is palo city near LA, or is it near anaheim?
-why don't the barretts/dewitts hire a moving company? if you have a piano, you don't hire a 13-year-old to help you move it. you hire a fucking professional who has proper equipment. disrespectful.
maggie outfit:
-"Her hair was in dreadlocks. Two of them were dyed red and green. She was wearing this crazy neon-patterned jumpsuit, under a tailored cotton jacket with padded shoulders."
kristy cafeteria comment (but for her airplane food):
-"Tastes like a tennis ball covered with paste." (re: chicken cordon bleu)
snacks in claudia's room:
-cheez doodles (n.s.)
liannakiwi's review
2.0
(LL)
This one I really tried to like, but it was boring and unnecessary. We already got “Kristy’s Big Day,” so we don’t not need to have another whole book about two weddings for people in their second marriage.
This one I really tried to like, but it was boring and unnecessary. We already got “Kristy’s Big Day,” so we don’t not need to have another whole book about two weddings for people in their second marriage.