This story is set against the backdrop of London in the early 60s. Lizzie is being the dutiful daughter by attending cookery school. Her mother is hoping she will make someone a good wife and soon, but Lizzie has other ideas and is making the most of being let loose in London.

Although I knew exactly where this book was going, I enjoyed the journey getting there. Lizzie and her flatmates certainly kept me entertained.

I give this book 3 1/2 stars.

Fun, jolly hockey-sticks romance. This is a light-hearted novel with an age-old story bound to keep readers flicking through the pages. The characters could have been developed a bit more, a lot of the speech and actions felt cliche and occasionally unrealistic. Despite being set in the 60s, there wasn't a lot of 2nd wave feminism to be seen!

A lovely story that flows well from start to finish. Very enjoyable and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Definitely recommended to those readers who enjoy reading this type of book.

Lovely easy to read book. Liked the characters and enjoyed the way the story as told. Would recommend

Thoroughly enjoyable but slightly predictable. Four young girls in London all from different backgrounds but all wanting the same outcome. What a wonderful time to be in London in the 60/70's. Throw in David, a gay chap, and the mix is complete. Funny, frustrating but well worth the read.

I enjoyed this for the most part, the writing was enough to keep me engaged and the pace was fast but I would’ve preferred more from the friendship group, especially David who was one of my favourite characters.

Overall, the plot was enjoyable although Hugo didn’t appeal to me and the ending was expected if not dragged out slightly. I would definitely read another book by this author.

I really enjoyed this. A super gentle and easy read but with lots of twists and turns, your find yourself rooting for Lizzie and Hugo and their friends. A total escape from real life, Lizzie is a lovely protagonist whilst struggling with the constraints of the 60s and family expectations.

I have read a lot of Katie Fforde books and really enjoyed them so I was looking forward to reading A Wedding in the Country. This is not Katie Fforde's usual contemporary romance but rather a romance set in the 1960s.
The story revolves around Lizzie a well brought up young woman who comes to London to take a cookery course. Her strict parents only allow her to stay in London if she stays with her aunt. Little do Lizzie's parents realise that this aunt is enjoying the swinging 60s very much.
Lizzie makes friends and is introduced to Hugh with whom she falls in love.
Various trials and tribulations follow and as we all know the path of true love rarely runs smoothly.
Honestly I was slightly disappointed in this book like expecting good quality chocolate and getting a cheap version. All the elements of Katie Fforde's books are here - her gentle humour, her knowledge of life in the country and a lovely deft touch when dealing with life but ultimately unsatisfying. I give it 3.5 stars.
* Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in return for an honest review.

Set in 1960s London, this is a story of friendship, romance and self-discovery. Lizzie is a lovely character determined to break out of the 1950s female mode. It's interesting to see how attitudes have changed and realise what life was like for young women and men in this era. The London setting is glamorous, the relationship between the women authentic and the romance lovely with many poignant moments.

I received a copy of this book from Random UK - Cornerstone via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Even if this is not my favorite Katie Fforde I can say it's a pleasant and enjoyable story.
Lizzie a bit too meek for my taste but i liked her evolution.
The plot is well written and flows, the characters are well thought and the historical background vivid.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A great read, really heart-warming. It had great characters that really resonated with me and the story was so lovely and left me with a smile on my face. Definitely worth a read.

A lovely snapshot of the early 60s, when Lizzie leaves her family home to live in swinging London.
Balancing the extreme conservatism of her parents with the freedom of her new life, Lizzie experiences snobbery, the widening of her horizons and true friendship...and, of course, love!
This is beautiful escapism, and I loved it!

A new novel from Katie Fforde is always a treat - so much so that I don't even need to read the blurb to know that I'll like it!

Precisely because I hadn't read the blurb, I was surprised that this book takes place in 1963 as I am used to Fforde's contemporary romances. What a great setting! From early 1960s London - just about starting to swing - to the promised wedding in the country...this has interesting and engaging settings throughout.

The book is about a young woman, Lizzie, who moves to London to attend a cookery school. Once the course is finished, she cannot bear to think about giving up her new-found freedoms by returning home and so moves into a shabby but fabulous shared house in Belgravia with her new (clearly very wealthy) friends. This leads on to invitations to the country to stay in stately homes...and - before she knows it - her life has been turned upside down and will never be the same again.

Wow, it is hard to write about this book without giving spoilers!

I read Katie Fforde books precisely because nothing bad will happen and everything will work out fine - it is comforting and uplifting, even if it means slightly suspending disbelief at times that things can work out so fortunately. Lucky for Lizzie that one of her cookery course-mates has a huge house in Belgravia - just the first of many fortuitous events!

The characters are appealing and relatable - Lizzie is our fish-out-of-water in the setting of her wealthy friends, David is the gay character whose sexuality is closing doors to him in 1960s London, Meg is a hard-working and talented cook and Alexandra is wealthy but generous in sharing her shabby house with them all. The supporting characters are also generally nice, or at least see the error of their narrow thinking by the end of the novel - this was the 1960s, after all, so we can't expect modern attitudes to various issues, something that sustains the main plot lines of the book,

The book is a romance and ticks all the boxes that you'd expect - misunderstandings, obstacles and delays abound. However, the love story actually takes a bit of a back seat as Fforde instead focuses on the themes of friendship, social attitudes and even class systems, although - as you'd expect from Fforde - always with a light touch and never preachy.

My only criticism is that the book was a little slow in places and it takes a very long time before the wedding in the country (promised in the title) appears on the horizon. This seems a bit like a spoiler or - at very least - a mis-titling of the book as it is about so much more than a wedding.

Overall, I'd recommend this to fans of Fforde's contemporary fiction and anyone who needs a reassuring, comfort blanket of a read. It is definitely one to pick up for escapism - maybe something we all need right now.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A gem of a book ! Set in 1960s London. Lizzie is sent to cookery school to prepare her for her future married life ! But Lizzie is out to have fun !
This was a fantastic book. Katie has a very enjoyable writing style. There is a great cast of quirky characters, all beautifully written and likeable.A well written plot and a good flow to the story.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it highly .
Thank you to Netgalley, Random House Uk and Katie Fforde for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review

I normally love Katie's books but sadly found this one very disappointing. I felt the characters were very one-dimensional and I just couldn't identify with them at all. I persevered with the book expecting it to get better but the story just seemed to ramble along and I eventually gave up reading it.

I have been a fan of Katie Fforde’s books since the beginning, and thought A Wedding in the Country was up there among her best. Lizzie’s mother wants nothing more than to marry her daughter off to an eligible young man, and has been planning her wedding since she was a baby. To this end, Lizzie is sent to London to attend a cookery course. Much to her parents’ bewilderment, she wants to stay on in London when the course is over, and moves into the dilapidated Belgravia mansion her new friend, Alexandra, shares with David, a gay actor and antique dealer. Lizzie’s horizons are expanding, and she begins to realise she does not have to lead the life her mother has chosen for her.
The world building is excellent, the characters are well rounded and entirely believable, even the nasty ones, and the story gallops along at a fair pace. Compared with her earlier books, the romance is not particularly well developed, but perhaps that was deliberate. Lizzie seems a bit passive at times, but does stand up for herself when it really matters. I have no idea how she managed to live under the same roof as her mother for so long.
A Wedding in the Country is quintessential Katie Fforde – the familiar elements are there – middle-class, slightly naïve heroine with artistic leanings, focus on cooking or gardening, lots of dogs, and run-down but beautiful old houses. Only this time, the setting is mostly 1960s London, and it makes a refreshing change to go back and explore the attitudes and fashions of the time. I was still at primary school in 1963, but the suffocating parental behaviour depicted in this story is very familiar, and it makes for uncomfortable reading in places. This story shines a spotlight on how much things have changed for the better, for women, since the 1960s; but also how much they haven’t. Both Lizzie and Hugo had their futures mapped out for them by their respective parents but, the question is, do they have the courage to escape, and live the lives they want?
Thanks to Cornerstone Digital and NetGalley for a digital copy to review.

Loved this latest story from Katie Fforde, who always guarantees a good read. Lovely characters, easy to read & nice little storyline, just what I expected from Katie

Love and romance in the swinging 60’s. I loved the book. A little bit of escapism in lockdown! Would recommend

Loved this book, heart warming feel good reading with fabulous characters. Would recommend this to anyone.

'A Wedding in the Country' is another fabulous Katie Fforde book which has romance, friendship, hope and weddings - what more could you want?! A really fun book!