I TAKE YOU

Lily Wilder is getting married in six days to a man who really lights her fire, but she still has one big decision to make: does she actually want to get married?

Lily is a lawyer who loves her job, enough to be excited about working a huge environmental case the week of her wedding in Key West. But prepping a witness is only one of many distractions keeping Lily from figuring out her true feelings: “Do I want to call this off?...Do I love Will?” Is she capable of being faithful, and does she even want to be? Will is a sexy nerd who speaks multiple languages and works as a curator at the Met in New York. He’s essentially perfect. But as Lily’s mom reminds her, “You’re such a…a free spirit!” That’s putting it mildly. Lily’s comfortable downing vodka for breakfast. She gives her wedding planner—who is a special kind of kooky—hell just for her own amusement. And she’ll find a hot stranger to make out with within five minutes of being left alone. But, despite a difficult past and the judgment of her peers, she likes who she is. There are plenty of examples—say, The Good Wife or Susan Rieger’s The Divorce Papers—of female lawyers forging their own paths, but in Kennedy’s debut, career takes a back seat to exploring the benefits of an unconventional love life. At times, Lily’s carefree attitude goes from endearing to preachy: “there's not always some ulterior motive....Sometimes, we just want sex.” In this whirlwind story, which reads not unlike a quickie engagement, the ultimate question is whether one can be both promiscuous and in love. Lily, basking in the glow of Key West’s free-love attitude, is guided toward yes.

This book has the effect of three Bloody Marys at brunch: it’ll leave you flushed, giddy, and prepared to embrace your wild side.