Phoenix wins Alison Espach’s The Wedding People in four-way auction

Phoenix has acquired The Wedding People by acclaimed US author Alison Espach, after a four-way auction. Publisher Francesca Main bought UK and Commonwealth rights from Rachel Clements at Abner Stein on behalf of Lucy Carson and Molly Friedrich at The Friedrich Agency. North American rights have been sold Caroline Zancan at Holt. The Wedding People will be published as a Phoenix hardback, eBook and audiobook on 1 August 2024.

Following a bidding war, TriStar Pictures acquired the rights to The Wedding People, with Will Speck and Josh Gordon set to direct for Sony Pictures and Oscar-nominated screenwriter Nicole Holofcener to adapt the book.

The blurb reads: “It’s a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at a grand beachside hotel wearing her best dress and least comfortable shoes. Immediately she is mistaken by everyone in the lobby for one of the wedding people – but she’s actually the only guest at the Cornwall Inn who isn’t here for the big event. Phoebe has dreamed of coming here for years. She hoped to shuck oysters and take sunset sails with her husband but now she is divorced and depressed, and not sure how to go on. She’s not been sure how to do anything, lately, except climb into bed and drink gin and tonics and listen to the sound of the refrigerator making ice.

“When the bride discovers her elaborate destination wedding could be ruined by this sad stranger, she is furious. She has spent months accounting for every detail and every possible disaster – except for, well, Phoebe... Soon, both women find their best-laid plans derailed and an unlikely confidant in one another.

Main said: “Uproariously funny and devastatingly tender, The Wedding People is an irresistible novel about love, friendship, dysfunctional families and the bumpy road to happy ever after. It is everything I want from a summer read – perfect for fans of Sorrow and Bliss, Romantic Comedy, Seating Arrangements and Really Good, Actually – and I can’t wait for readers to join us for the wedding of the year.”

Espach added: “The Wedding People is a book I found myself surprisingly afraid to write, which is how I knew that I had to write it. In order to create Phoebe’s character, I had to investigate the ways we convince ourselves our lives are over – an incredibly freeing exercise for me. The fun really began, though, when I started imagining how a woman might completely start over in her late 30s and how this dysfunctional cast of characters at a wedding might help her without realising it. It’s a story of friendship, love and learning how to be honest with yourself and those around you. I look forward to many future conversations with UK readers and beyond, and I’m so grateful to Francesca Main and everyone at Phoenix for making this dream happen.”