The 30-Day Engagement

Decker’s sapphic, opposites-attract debut has both humor and heart but gets bogged down by crowded prose. The last thing business-minded Emory Jordan wants is to attend her ex-fiancée’s destination wedding, but her venture capitalist boss implies it could be a great opportunity to network with the influential groom, so she RSVPs with a plus-one—despite being single. With a promotion on the line, Emory must scramble to find a date. Free-spirited Bliss Tully is struggling to make ends meet while launching her company, Bliss Foliage, but gets a big break when she lands a gig beautifying the offices of Emory’s employer. When the two women (literally) collide, Emory impulsively asks Bliss to be her fake wedding date. Bliss worries an office romance—even a fake one—might jeopardize her job, but Emory persuades her with the offer of a hefty stipend. As the pair get to know each other over dress fittings and lunch dates in the lead-up to the weeklong wedding vacation, real love blooms. The characters are endearing and their relationship believable, but endless quotidian details (including every time the women interact with a waiter during a lunch date) make some scenes difficult to wade through. Still, Decker shows real promise.(Feb.)