“When we really fell for each other, the rules we were playing by changed.” These wise words from Martha, a character in A Gardin Wedding by Rosey Lee, encapsulate the novel’s emotional depth. As the second book in the A Gardins of Edin series, it explores growth in a premarital environment through characters spanning various adult age groups. The theme of personal and relational development forms the core of the story.

Lee employs gentle comedy and elegant, illustrative descriptions of fashion to shift the novel’s tone. The two main characters, a couple introduced in the first book, find their love intertwined with a broader cast than before. While Lee guarantees a happy ending in her preface, any reader will likely question that certainty at some point.

A Gardin Wedding retains the stylistic elements and framework of the first book but expands its scope, presenting dramatic love across two clans instead of just one. Unlike many authors' sequels, Lee refrains from heavy exposition—a skill often lacking in follow-up novels. She beautifully portrays the love of Black people through belle couture, bringing richness and sophistication to her descriptions.

Malcolm X once said, “I was going through the hardest thing, also the greatest thing, for any human being to do: to accept that which is already within you, and around you.” Every couple in A Gardin Wedding is navigating distinct phases of accepting what is already between them and around them. That environment—a thriving, mature, and financially successful Black community—made for an immensely joyful and rewarding read.