Save the Last Piece is about Natalie – currently a nanny to a teen who is approaching the age of no longer needing her and an aspiring actress, she interviews to be a wedding planner’s assistant and gets the job. Her boss, however, is quite the villainess. “Bridezillas are at times dangerous and rightly feared. But Zella on the on a bad day was a horror show.” When we first meet Natalie, she is considering quitting her glamourous job of helping all the NYC brides have the wedding of their dreams. She then backtracks to when she first gets the job and takes us through all the ups and downs and downs that Zella has put her through over the past couple of years. What has she learned from reminiscing on all the bad (and some good?) times.
This book was a lot of fun to read, albeit it at Natalie’s expense. The book starts with Zella, Natalie’s boss, pushing her out of an elevator and to her knees at a wedding they are working. This seems to be the last straw for Natalie, who spends the rest of the book explaining to us where her life was at when she took the job and how things begin to unravel. She spends all her time at Zella’s beck and call, and her relationship with her boyfriend is starting to suffer. She never spends any time with him anymore as she is often out late at events and he gets up early for his job. She was already barely having time to see any of her friends and now her time is spent tracking down umbrellas and socks. Natalie is afraid to stand up to Zella initially, but often realizes that once she shows she has a backbone Zella backs down, but continues to be timid around her for fear she will get fired. Others in the industry tell her there’s no way that she will fire her so close to wedding season with no replacement and I think that this gives Natalie more confidence to stand up for herself, though it sure does take a long time for her to do it!
I really enjoyed this book and getting a fictitious look inside the glamourous world of NYC (and surrounding area) weddings and even bat mitzvahs. If you’re into The Devil Wears Prada or similar, you’ll probably enjoy the book too. It was a bit longer than I expected, so not an easy read in one evening, but perfect for a cozy weekend in! I would give this book 4.5 stars!
I received a free ARC from Discovery.
About the Book
When Natalie takes a job as a wedding planner’s assistant in NYC, she is excited for the glamour of it all. But when her employer Zella, an in-demand New York City wedding planner, lives up to her reputation of being part Cruella Deville, and part Miranda Priestly, makes Natalie’s life miserable and she experiences crazy brides that demand everything from perfect pyramids of precious perishable wedding favors, she isn’t sure if she can take it anymore. Years of trying to prove herself to Zella, Natalie also fights off a poaching planner who wants to date her. After an incident at a wedding, Natalie questions her career choice. Will Natalie stay in a career that mentally defeats her, or will she go back to live her dream?
For fans of The Devil Wears Prada and Say Yes To The Dress.