Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

A wedding, that in other love story would be the end of the novel, here it forms the beginning of the story and the repercussions of one decision/accident. There is so much to love about this novel. Love in all its forms are explored throughout the story - the innocent, healing love with an animal, the love and bond of friendships, the love that grows from a happy, healthy marriage, the duty of love and of course the falling 'in love'. It would make a great Book Club choice as there is much to debate.

A sweet story to suit lovers of romance novels 💖

Jeannie and Dan have the perfect relationship, don’t they?! They spend weekends dating and taking mini breaks. After a short time together Dan proposes and Jeannie couldn’t be happier. They spend all their time planning their dream wedding. But what happens when Jeannie suddenly has doubts on the morning of her wedding? I don’t do spoilers so I’ll let you read to find out...

Oh I so wanted to love this book but I’m really sorry to say it just didn’t grab me. I loved the beginning and enjoyed reading about Jeannie & Dans whirlwind romance up to the events on their wedding day. For me though I sadly struggled from there. I can’t fault the way the book is written and I absolutely appreciate the time and effort the author will have put into this story. I think I didn’t take to the main character Jeannie and that made it hard for me to be invested in the story.

Just because it wasn’t for me doesn’t mean it won’t be for you, especially if you’re a lover of a good old romance. I am so greatful for the ARC of this book. Thank you Net Galley, Lucy Dillon and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers.

What a charming read. I love Lucy Dillon's books and this one didn't dissapoint. Definitely some wise words of wisdom to be learned from this book. Well done Lucy.

I really enjoyed this beautifully written, emotional read which has stayed with me since I finished reading it. I loved the fact that it was deeper than I expected and wasn’t just a pure romance book.

Jeannie was an interesting main character who I took a little while to warm to. She seemed kind of silly when we first meet her and I felt that even though it was brave of her to call off the wedding she could have done it a lot earlier. As the story progresses and we learn more about her I started to warm to her and found I wanted everything to end up well.

I liked following the many different relationships in this book, not just between married couples but between friends, family and in laws. These all seemed very realistic to me as the relationships weren’t perfect and people made mistakes which made me feel more invested in the story . The wedding vow “in sickness and in health” is explored throughout the book and was quite thought provoking as it made me realise how emotionally difficult it must be to support a loved one through an accident or illness. I’ve never really given much thought to what it would involve so I found that part of the book very interesting.

This was a very absorbing story and there was always something happening to keep me interested. The author cleverly drops little hints that things might not be as they seem throughout the story, which I must admit I missed until they are pointed out at the end and had me scrabbling back through the pages to reread certain bits. The ending was very clever and not at all how I expected it to end up which I always love. I actually wanted the story to continue as I wanted to watch the new development unfold!

Huge thanks to Hannah and Hayley from Transworld for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book. If you want a book to cosy up with this festive period I highly recommend this one!

Jeannie and Dan are about to get married, after a whirlwind romance, romantic proposal on Brooklyn Bridge in New York and lovely time spent together. But now, shortly before the ceremony, Jeannie starts to have second thoughts - do they really know each other well enough? Does she truly loves Dan, enough to spent her whole life with him? Jeannie makes a decision that is going to change their lives but before it happens, fate decides to interfere and everything suddenly changes and makes Jeannie feel incredibly guilty.

The story is very character - driven. Jeannie was the main character in this book and I liked her immediately. She was so real and human and relatable and I found myself falling for her even more and more, seeing how she struggled to come to terms with her feelings and with this what she thought was proper and what was not. She has experienced such a wonderful personal growth throughout the story and it was great to accompany her on this way. I loved how realistic she was, with all her worries, uncertainty, watching her grow into a self - confident young woman. The secondary characters, especially Owen, Rachel and the dogs, played also significant roles in the story and were as well rounded as the main ones and I was equally engrossed in their own stories.

I was also thrilled, as a dog lover, to see that the book included a very important canine subplot, focusing on re - homing dogs and showing the very harsh reality of puppy farming. The descriptions of the dogs rescued were heart - breakingly realistic and hats off to the author for including this in her novel. There was also a whole subplot built around the re - homing centre, with some brilliant ideas how to raise money and awareness for it.

Lucy Dillon is a great story - teller. Yes, there were moments that the book could have been a bit quicker, but the writing style was absolutely brilliant and beautiful, easy and engaging. The author has easily brought all the characters to life, even if they were lying in coma they felt present. She writes in such a way that you have a feeling as if you've known the characters personally, and you care about them, and I love it when I have this feeling, as it doesn't happen often these days, and Jeannie's struggles felt so realistic, I could feel them for myself.

However, I was really conflicted about the end, with what happened and with Dan's confession. I don't know what I was expecting, and yes, I was incredibly intrigued how the author is going to solve this particular storyline, but I wasn't happy with the way she has chosen. It, I don't know, seemed simply like the easy way out, and after all that Jeannie experienced I personally thought it was unfair for her, even though it was a way out for her. But nevertheless, it didn't sit well with me, it somehow didn't go with the picture of Dan that we were presented with and I had a feeling that I was mistaken about him through the whole book. Not a nice feeling.

Altogether, "Unexpected Lessons in Love" was a story full of heart and filled with moving and poignant storylines, touching upon many emotions. A story about love and guilt but also showing that to love another person properly, you must first love yourself and be honest with yourself. It was a book that will make you giggle and also cry, an easy, despite some of the topics being on the heavier side, a pleasant read with a real depth to it, thought - provoking, brilliantly balancing lightness with the heavier issues, taking the reader on a real rollercoaster journey full of emotions and feelings. Highly recommended!

Oh this was such a lovely book! I've read all Lucy Dillon's other books (apart from her first one - must remedy that!) so it was really nice to go back to the lovely sounding Longhampton from previous books. You don't need to have read the others though to enjoy this book, but I would highly recommend them all as well.

Jeannie and Dan are about to get married, after a whirlwind courtship, when something happens to completely throw them off course. Jeannie had started to feel that everything was too rushed anyway and the arrangements had taken on a life of their own, completely out of her hands. Did her and Dan know each other well enough to be getting married?

While Jeannie was having this 'wobble' (on the way to the church!) Dan had a bad accident, and everything went on hold anyway, with family rallying around and lives on hold waiting for Dan to recover. Of course life goes on and in the meantime Jeannie gets closer to Rachel and her rescue dog centre, as Jeannie and Dan's new home is owned by Rachel and her vet husband George, and Dan had been expected to start his new job with George before the accident.

I really loved most of the characters (apart from selfish Edith) and kind and gentle Owen, Dan's best friend, was such a great character. Jeannie had a bad experience with her 'friend' from childhood, who was always the more outgoing of the pair, and then was with Dan, so she started to learn to live on her own and get a bit more assertive (eventually!).

There's always dogs in Lucy Dillon's books, and again there are plenty in this book too. Some quite sad parts though, there's a puppy farm rescue and there is a (older) dog death later in the book which had me crying buckets - so be warned!

Just a really lovely, feel good (mostly - apart from the doggy death) book that I really enjoyed. Another hit by Lucy Dillon. I can't wait for her next book now.

Well written,thought provoking, and absorbing, Jeannie is on her way to marry Dan,when she realises its a mistake. He is knocked down by a bus as he is using his mobile. Following the tragic accident, should she commit her life to caring for a man she doesn't love?

What a really enjoyable book that was to read. Some great characters that you believed in, and who all blended in well together, and a great storyline that flowed nicely along.

What happens when you are on your way to your wedding, and moments from arriving, you realise that you can't do it?
Then you send a message to your intended, only to find out that he has been involved in a horrific accident?
Guilt sears through you, as well as confusion,
What do you do now? Was it your fault?
Jeannie McCarthy was in this exact position.
Until Dan gained consciousness, she wouldn't know whether he'd heard the message.
So she'd have to pretend to be the loving fiancee, waiting for any news on his recovery.
Meanwhile, Jeannie tries to fill the waiting with attempts to settle into a new town and finds herself immersed in the caring of several litters of puppies, making new friends, and reigniting her love of songwriting.
I was swept away by this tale of crossed connections. It is a love story, with breakups. A sad, yet happy tale.
Good? I'd like to think so! I finished it in a day!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book - I read it over two days and it was lovely. Heartwarming and poignant making you think about what real love entails, how it is shown and how you know you share it with someone.

I liked the dog rescue element and the contrast between the love and trust between humans and their canine companions and human partners. One much more uncomplicated than the other!

A read I will be recommending.

This is a lovely, easy read which sucked me right in and I didn't want to stop reading.

This is the story of wanting to do the right thing, for the right reasons but then being stuck with not wanting to hurt others and suffering in the long run.

There are so many lovely characters and more than just the one obvious story.

I always enjoy reading Lucy Dillon.

A sad but happy love story. Contradictory I know, but this story had it's up's and downs. Based around a couple who were about to get married when the groom had a dreadful accident on the way to the wedding. It made both the bride and groom to re-evaluate their lives and who they really wanted to be with. Jeannie, the bride to be, learnt a lot about herself during Dan's (the groom) recovery. There was also a side story about puppy farms and the awful conditions some pups were kept in, with the story taking the rescue of some pups into it's folds. A little slow to get going, the book eventually hooked me in at the end, such a romantic at heart!

Another great book from Lucy. Absolutely brilliant characters (including the dogs) and several great story threads running through. I just wanted it to keep going - a follow up?

This is a proper 'suck you in' love story.

A real easy read that makes your heart warm, one of those stories that will have you laughing, smiling and your eyes might water a little!

A beautifully written poignant story that will uplift your soul.

I loved the fact that the main character, Jeannie, was portrayed so well. Following her heart and facing the realisation of 'what is love'was brave and Lucy Dillion got this across brilliantly.

If your an animal lover, you'll love this book. The dog sanctuary plays a big part. Who doesn't enjoy a love story with a side helping of animals?

The only downside for me was I felt the ending was rather anticlimactic but overall a really lovely read.

3.5*

Huge thanks to netgalley and Random House UK for the ARC.

Jeannie decides to call off her wedding to Dan at the very last minute. However, Dan has an accident and walks in front of a bus whilst he was on the phone. Was he receiving Jeannie's message? Guilt keeps Jeannie at his bedside guarding her terrible secret. Finally the truth comes out. Not before she helps give away some wedding dresses in order to raise money to help dogs. Of course she finds love and friendship along the way. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me review this book.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I was gripped from the start, I identified with the characters and cared about what happened. As I am recently engaged, it actually made me realise what was important in our future. I'd love to read more by this author.

Jeannie has finally got the whirlwind romance every girl dreams of. Dan is handsome, a successful vet, and he flew her to New York to propose on Brooklyn Bridge. It’s all so magical that Jeannie’s can’t believe this is her real life.

Why then does she have a tight, crushing sensation in her chest as she sits in the car on the way to her wedding? Is it just nerves, or is whirlwind not all it’s cracked up to be?

Jeannie only has one last chance to make it stop, but as she does a cruel twist of fate throws everything into chaos. Now Jeannie is trapped in a lie, forced to confront truths about herself and her relationship that she’s never had to face before.

I haven’t read anything by Lucy Dillon before, but I am always hearing and seeing good reviews. However, it took me a long time to get into this book, due mostly to the various narrative strands. I found myself more interested in the puppy rehoming storyline than I was about Jeannie and Dan.

Sadly, it took me even longer to connect to the characters, I wasn’t until about 45% of the way in that I started to warm to Jeannie a little more. I think the supporting cast of Owen, Rachel, George and Natalie were much more colourful and therefore my favourites.

It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy this book, because I did, it just wasn’t what I was expecting from other readers thoughts about this author. I was expecting a heart-wrenching, blow me away type, and for me this just didn’t do that.

I loved this read! It is enthralling within the first few lines and I knew straight away it was a book I was going to connect with. Lucy does a fantastic job of creating authentic characters that you immediately connect with, that draw you into the story as if they are your old friends. It's an addictive read that is emotional and thought-provoking in all of the right ways.

A very well thought out and skillfully written tale that brings you to tears and challenges you to think about life and what's important.
It balances honesty with duty, love with lust, distance with familiarity and hope with fear.
Weddings can be such stressful and memorable experiences and this book explores several in a way that covers an array of relationships and how complex life can get.
I have never read a book quite like this one that just drew you in to the families involved and each of their unique issues.
I loved that the village part of the story was based around a vets surgery and dog rescue centre and how that can be a strain on a relationship.
The way Jeannie gets to know the new family and friends through such a pressurised and fraught set of situations was really well written and a great way of showing us the reality of her dilemma.
The ending was perfect to me and fitting.

How do you handle honesty without hurting others, maybe it is by not being truly honest until other events let you do so. Jeannie at almost the last moments decides to call off her wedding and rings to tel the groom of her decision at the same moment he steps off the pavement and is hit by a bus and is seriously injured. The story goes on to tel the pangs of conscious that Jeannie endures.
This is a book well worth reading and I am grateful for having the opportunity.