Lucy Sullivan is getting married: Vintage Marian Keyes

If you've read my other posts on Marian Keyes novels, you'll know that I have a fondness for the Irish writer despite her chick lit label. I've read all of the Walsh family saga and I am working my way through Keyes's standalone stories. Lucy Sullivan is getting married is the first standalone that Keyes penned, way back in 1996, and her second ever novel (the first being Watermelon in 1995, the inaugural Walsh family book).

Why do I love Marian Keyes, as a self-confessed thriller reader? The sheer Irishness of the writing for starters. The books make me smile as the style of humour resonates with me. Keyes's characters are fascinating, mostly because they are immensely flawed. There's a cast of eccentric players in each book who keep me interested over what is usually a long read, and each one is fleshed out, with their own stories and unique personality quirks. Keyes is a cut above your average chick lit as she tackles weighty subjects with sensitivity and authenticity without coming across as preachy. Keyes may not be everyone's cup of tea but she's certainly mine.

You can also read my reviews of the Walsh family series (1995-2024), Sushi for beginners (2000), The brightest star in the sky (2009), and Grown ups (2020).

Lucy Sullivan is getting married | Published January 1996 | Read February 2025

First of all, Lucy Sullivan is getting married is unashamedly a 1990s book. Reading it almost 30 years after it was published was rather fun, with all the references to 1990s films (as Lucy rents A LOT of movies from her local video store) and life before mobile phones and social media. Lucy reads self-help books instead of taking advice from Tik Tok influencers and I loved it.

Lucy Sullivan is getting married is another super-long book (over 600 pages in the version I read) but Keyes does such a bang-up job of world building, both with the London setting and the cast of bonkers characters, that the story didn't seem long to me.

As per usual for a Keyes novel, there is an authentic and troubled heroine - Lucy Sullivan, of course! - a 26-year-old woman working in a boring office job, a veteran of chaos, failed relationships, and low self-esteem. She lurches from one disastrous relationship to another, all the while supported by her handsome and charming childhood friend, Daniel.

While the book is very definitely chick lit, Keyes tackles serious subjects including depression, alcoholism, co-dependency, and fraught family relationships. The book has lots of light moments, mostly Lucy's interactions with her flatmates and when she and her workmates are gossiping and trying to avoid doing any work. The book feels very grounded, though, and has the emotional depth I've come to expect from Keyes. Given the book was written in 1996 when mental health had more stigma attached to it than it does today, Keyes was brave to tackle depression so candidly. Keyes herself has been open about her own struggles with depression and I found her portrayal of this aspect of Lucy's life to be insightful and heartbreaking. As the reality of Lucy's father's alcoholism unfolds, the reader has a better sense of the impact of it on Lucy's relationship patterns, sense of guilt, and self-esteem. I thought this part of the book was beautifully done and I enjoyed Lucy's voyage of self-discovery.

What didn't I like? I would have liked the aforementioned voyage of self-discovery to have come earlier in the book as it did feel a bit rushed. There could have been fewer Lucy Misadventures (and definitely less of drunk and freeloading Gus) and more self-awareness and growth. Lucy loved her father but once she realised what he was truly like, it would have been nice to have seen even more depth to her realisations and some compassion for her long-suffering mother. While I understood why Lucy was a door mat, it was sometimes hard to read about her relationship with Gus (and the way she kept letting him back in her life) and the bullying she endured from one of her flatmates. I was rooting for Lucy but at times she was a bit much and she seemed perpetually naïve, so much so that it became slightly frustrating. I'm also not sure how I feel about the continual references to the body size of her colleague, Meridia. I understand the Irish humour, but it felt a bit jarring, perhaps because I was reading it in 2025. There's also A LOT of Keyes's usual description of drinking and eating and generally unhealthy habits that I always find make me feel a bit ill. It's just not a lifestyle that I can relate to although I get that the characters in Keyes's books are usually not in my demographic 😉.

The direction Lucy's love life takes is completely predictable, but I still enjoyed the journey. The book is essentially a rom-com with substance and wit. Having worked in Uxbridge (where Lucy's parents live) for a time recently, it made me smile to read about its description as if it was a really long way from London (an hour from the centre of the city on the Tube, for sure) and another world altogether. I also loved Lucy's Australian workmate, Megan (very Australian!) and her rather dim but kind flatmate, Charlotte.

Lucy Sullivan is getting married is not about getting married, it's about Lucy discovering herself and moving on with her life. I can forgive Keyes the flaws in the book as I was completely immersed in Lucy's story.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐