"Wish You Were Here" by Beth K. Vogt

Allison Denman is about to reach happily ever after. Her wedding is just days away, and she's marrying the guy she's dated since high school. So why is she suddenly full of doubts that this is the right thing to do?

Beth K. Vogt brings us a quirky and interesting runaway bride story, as Allison's uncertainties override her longing for security, and she skips town while leaving her groom at the altar. Unable to unbutton the back of her dress, she's stuck in the silk and lace monstrosity - which wasn't what she wanted in the first place - until she can buy new clothes and find a helpful stranger to assist her. She doesn't want to go back to her apartment or answer the calls and texts from family and friends; she just wants to hide out and sort through her muddled emotions.

Fiance Seth is determined to win Allison back. So maybe he was too pushy getting the wedding he wanted instead of the quiet setting that Allison desired, but he's known her for so long that he believes he knows what is best.

Meanwhile Seth's brother Daniel is trying to push away the guilt that he feels for having kissed Allison five days before the doomed wedding. He's slowly fallen for her while sending her dozens of postcards from his adventures over the years. Allison deserves stability and his job requires him to travel all over the world - but he meant every word of those Wish You Were Here cards.

I enjoyed this contemporary romance. The themes were thought-provoking and while this could have been a very predictable story, it never stopped surprising me by going deeper at every turn. Allison's past struggle with cutting herself and current temptation to relieve her stress by going back to self-harm was something that I have never personally seen addressed in Christian fiction, and I thought it was masterfully handled. I look forward to reading more books by this author!