(I received a free eARC from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.)

Look, changing (or even just challenging) the status quo is an exhausting, thankless undertaking. That’s why so many people treat “feminism” like a dirty word and self-described feminists as persona non grata. So for its bold stance alone I give the book and its author kudos — and more so for its overarching message of optimism and empiwerment. (However, there are moments where the tone gets a little haughty and superior, which is off-putting. Not everyone is, after all, in a position to realize or challenge the extent of their own privilege.)

Majkut does a pretty good job examining in depth various problematic aspects of marriage-related US traditions, with a disclaimer regarding its emphasis on white cis heterosexual relationships and individuals. It’s clear she put a lot of thought and effort into the process, with lots of anecdotes and research [and pop culture/current event references], though their integration into the book is sometimes a little awkward. Additionally, the focus is a little scattered; while it’s obviously impossible to tackle every issue regarding the Wedding Industrial Complex, the “intersectional”
part of her intersectional feminism (ie, LGBTQ and racial discrimination) sometimes seems neglected or sidelined.

Additionally, for a book that put so much emphasis on labels and precise language, there were ironically a lot of grammar errors, euphemisms, and awkward hyperboles. Honestly, I think the book could have benefitted from more editing — a lot of the mistakes were straightforward and should’ve been caught in the proofreading process; others would take a little more work to fix (ie, restructuring and rephrasing, or eliminating altogether) but would ultimately become clearer in meaning.