Best Woman, Rose Dommu
Best Woman, Rose Dommu
List: $22.00 | Sale: $15.40
Club: $11.00

Best Woman

Author: Rose Dommu

Narrator: Nicky Endres

Unabridged: 8 hr 10 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/23/2025

Categories: Fiction, Humorous, Lgbtq+


Synopsis

A THEM AND BOOK RIOT BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • The “best woman” in her brother’s wedding tells a little white lie in her quest to get the girl—her lifelong crush and the maid of honor—in this wildly entertaining debut novel about bad decisions and life’s messiest transitions.

“Irresistibly fresh, bright, funny, and bursting with singular voice, this is the kind of romance I’ve been waiting for.”—Casey McQuiston, New York Times bestselling author of The Pairing

Julia Rosenberg loves her brother. Really loves him. Enough to: be the “best woman” at his wedding; leave behind her hard-won New York life, brilliant best friends, and drag brunches for Boca Raton, Florida; entertain the uptight bride-to-be and her vicious cronies; try (and fail) to dodge the hometown hookup buddy she can’t resist; and navigate the tricky dynamics with her divorced parents.

She’s not that nervous. Her family stood by her when she came out as a woman a few years ago. And it’s just one week in Florida—a week of old memories and sisterly duties that will force Julia to confront the tensions that have been bubbling beneath the surface of her closest relationships. No big deal.

When it turns out that Kim Cameron, the gorgeous, self-assured girl that she crushed on hard in high school, is the maid of honor, Julia panics. She tells a teensy little lie to win Kim’s favor—a lie that snowballs out of control and threatens to undermine the blossoming attraction between them and complicate an already challenging relationship with her family. Using her wit, charm, and a suitcase full of couture “borrowed” from a pop star, Julia just might survive the horde of clone-like bridesmaids, go-kart racing bachelor parties, and alcohol-fueled speeches. But she won’t make it out unscathed. As best woman, she’s making the worst decisions of her life.

An utterly contemporary send-up of My Best Friend’s Wedding and a riotous coming-of-age novel, Best Woman is rife with crackling wit and devastating poignancy and announces Rose Dommu as an exciting voice in fiction.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Juniper on October 22, 2025

I was conflicted throughout my read of this novel, and am now similarly conflicted trying to rate and review it. I would have DNF’d this somewhere in the first third (really thought about it) if it wasn’t for my general dislike for doing that (you never know when it might redeem itself!) and the fac......more

Goodreads review by Abbrosy on August 14, 2025

All and any stars are for the excellent style of writing. I have been highly anticipating this book for a few reasons, the primary one being a trans woman main character. When I started reading I loved the style of writing - funny, quirky, well-written. Then I was extremely disappointed that YET ANO......more

Goodreads review by Tell on July 08, 2025

I’ve followed Rose for YEARS on Twitter/X and was honored when she asked if I’d like to receive an early copy of her debut novel. Best Woman follows Julia, a trans woman who came out a few years back and has been summoned to Boca Raton for her brother’s wedding. I love wedding stories because they i......more

Goodreads review by BJ on September 26, 2025

I have to admit, I was thrown off by the meet-cute (which involves a real whopper of a lie!) and wary for a long time. But Best Woman won me over in the end. Sure, Julia throws up more red flags than a Communist Party parade. And Kim—well, one of those red flags is that we never really learn that mu......more

Goodreads review by Maeve on July 02, 2025

2.5 stars Thank you NetGalley for gifting me this book in exchange for an honest review. Maybe I’m just not a big romcom fan, but “Best Woman” just didn’t really do it for me. Positives: I’m not trans myself so I can’t speak to the accuracy of the trans representation, but this book is a celebration o......more


Quotes

“Part romance, part lit-fic, all wedding bells, Rose Dommu’s debut novel contains nostalgic nods to quintessential Nineties romcoms all while managing to revel in the joys of family and the messiness of a brand new life.”Rolling Stone

“Full of snappy pop culture references, Dommu is an especially tender writer of our awkward little yearnings.”W

“[The] near-universal contours of trans experience have rarely been articulated with such specificity in published fiction.”them

“Destined to be optioned . . . [Best Woman] feel[s] deeply cinematic without ever sacrificing laughs or hewing to the audience’s expectations.”—Vogue

“Devourable and quippy . . . an exploration of trans identity through a troublemaking lens. Just like the romantic comedies it takes inspiration from, it’s a romp full of painfully true moments.”—Xtra

“One of the best romantic comedies I’ve read in recent memory . . . characters you instantly feel like you know and an extremely clever trans take on My Best Friend’s Wedding . . . laugh-out-loud funny, sharply observed—an absolute must-read.”—Joel Kim Booster

“A sparkling love story . . . an almost-scientifically perfect cocktail of love, betrayal, angst and relief. Best Woman is as re-readable as its influences are rewatchable.”Electric Literature

“Dommu knows how to capture an audience. And she brings that in full force with her delightful . . . debut novel. . . . It’s engrossing, at times stressful—in the best possible way—and is easily one of those books that you accidentally read in one sitting because you just couldn’t put it down.”—E! Online

“Hilarious and poignant . . . a sparkling debut.”Hey Alma

“Chaotic [and] funny . . . a wild romp . . . Best Woman is a campy, comedic romcom reminiscent of Fleabag—with its messy, often unlikeable protagonist making one disastrous decision after the other.”Lesbrary

“Queer literary Florida is alive and well in Rose Dommu’s Best Woman, a deliciously clever and relentlessly hilarious firecracker of a debut. The book is smart, sexy, and endlessly entertaining. Dommu really shines here.”—Kristen Arnett, author of Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One

“Irresistibly fresh, bright, funny, and bursting with singular voice, this is the kind of romance I’ve been waiting for, and we’re so lucky to finally have it.”—Casey McQuiston, author of The Pairing

Best Woman absolutely sparkles with all the wit, charm, and drama of the best nineties rom-coms and does it in pitch-perfect prose.”—Torrey Peters, author of Stag Dance

“Irreverently funny and tear-jerkingly tender, Best Woman takes the wedding cake as my favorite debut of the year.”—JP Brammer, author of ¡Hola Papi!

“[A] very queer and very charming story of love and family . . . Perfect for fans of Alexis Hall and TJ Alexander.”—Booklist, starred review

“Heartwarming . . . Dommu supplements the slapstick rom-com plot with Julia’s strong voice and lucid self-reflections. . . . This fun bit of fluff has surprising depth.”Publishers Weekly