Washington, D.C. – Present Day

Kevin “Vi” Connelly was six when she was first introduced to every girl’s dream, the “best day of your life” or BDOYL. She was a flower girl at her Aunt Jackie’s wedding and loved the attention, but the bride was the star, and Vi was hooked for life on the idea of having her own BDOYL someday. In fact, it came to consume her life but, somehow, she made it to twenty-seven years of age and had not seen the attainment of the dream. Vi attends no less than eleven weddings over a period of less than two years. All she has to show for it is a closet full of shoes and bridesmaid dresses she can barely afford and will never wear again. Some of those couples don’t even stay together, tarnishing the dream of the BDOYL. Vi’s dream included the one true love of her life, Caleb, with whom she fell in love at seventeen, but who has proved to be “a bit less” than true, drifting in and out of her life a number of times. Vi’s family, once her model for dreams of marital bliss, turn out to be less than perfect as well. What is a girl to do? Well, slowly, she might grow up and find out who she really is and what she wants from life.

THE BEST DAY OF SOMEONE ELSE’S LIFE utilizes an ensemble cast of characters in their twenties, all friends, to focus on the central character. Vi has the hazy idea that some day her true life will begin -- but that can’t happen until she has her happily-ever-after on her wedding day. She has a vision of her superstar day and who should play her in the movie. Through all eleven weddings, she refines the dream, but never questions it, until she finally lets go of Caleb, who will never be the hero she needs him to be. THE BEST DAY OF SOMEONE ELSE’S LIFE is really about Vi learning to write the story of her own life -- not as a bride, but as Vi. You can be a bride, or even a movie star, but first you must be yourself. Author Kerry Reichs attests to having attended over one hundred weddings herself, and having fantasized about what her own wedding would be like. She draws on some of her sillier experiences to add comic elements to make the reader smile. Fortunately, this is a long book, as it is delightful to read and savor, especially if you had dreams like Vi’s dreams.

Lisa Baca