This book made me laugh, practically the whole way through. What a collection of misfits Shelley and her hen party are. Mad old ladies and a teenager filled with angst among them and then the hen - desperate to ‘get off the shelf’. There are some great characters in this book and they’ll brighten up your day.
I even laughed at the section after the book about how to manage a hen night. Think the author hit that spot on, although, what on earth are ‘penis deeley boppers’?
Another light hearted and fun book from this author. Just loved it.

Shelley is finally on her long awaited hen weekend. However, is the groom quite as he seems? Follow the antics of the hen party as Shelley tries to work out if she really should be getting married after all.

A fun, light-hearted read - yes it was predictable but it was definitely an entertaining way to spend a couple of hours in the sun. Loved the Spice Girls section, and Shelley's aunt Nancy was fabulous!

Not what you expect from a hen weekend but a brilliant read. Families come in all shapes, sizes and relationships. Sisters, mothers, daughters, and friends make up the hen party. All at different stages of their lives.
How to unravel the lines of communication and find common ground.
Celebrate and laugh at the antics of the group

What a lovely book to curl up with in the summer sunshine. Full of lots of laughter and just the sort of girly read you want on your holidays. Reminds me of many a Hen Night I have been on! Particularly loved the Spice Girl's outing. Well done Tracy on another fun filled read!

The Weekend before the Wedding starts with the wedding, a wedding twenty years in the making. You're not given a lot of detail about the circumstances but it's not long before you're back in time to find out exactly what happened. Shelley can't believe her luck when she meets the man of her dreams and he proposes. But how will the events of her hen weekend at her aunt's villa in Spain impact her? It's not your typical weekend do, with Shelley's best friend, mum, aunt and cousin along for the ride! What ensues is a laugh out load roller-coaster, with a whole load of emotion thrown in.

The Weekend before the Wedding is a great read, perfect for the beach (or in the garden!)

Had high hopes for this one, but just not my bag.
Clearly written during all the lockdowns, reminiscent, and hugely copied from Four weddings and a Funeral film. I really couldn't relate to the characters or feel any sympathy for any of them, they were just annoying and unreal.
Relentlessly read through to the predicted ending. Meh!
Won't be reviewing far and wide.
The widget was much appreciated but sadly not greatly enjoyed.
Thank you

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

It’s Shelly's wedding and she is thinking and looking back on the past 20 years when she and her future husband first met.

How, from this day and everything that happened since then to her hen weekend.

The story is written from Shelly's viewpoint, everything that she went witnessed at the hen weekend, the root causes of the family tensions that came out between now, going back years.

The story is a great summer read.

I recommend this book.

Set in 2 different time zones. Shelley goes on her hen weekend to her aunt's villa with an odd collection of people. Jumps between the hen weekend and 20 years later to her wedding day

This was a lovely read, and really enjoyable. A total laugh out loud, romance filled page turner - what’s not to love?!

The majority of this story is set twenty years prior when Shelley, her best friend and certain members of her family go to Spain for her hen do. Being tall like Shelley, I related to to her straight away. It actually had me laughing as it reminded me how on nights out, I was the same as Shelley where the good looking guy would go for my friend and then you got left with their mate who was much smaller and trying to make small talk. Thank goodness my dating days are well and truly behind me 😀

This really was such a fun read. As great as family can be sometimes, you can always guarantee some squabbles and falling out and Shelley’s family is no different. I think what made it funnier is due to the age differences, as there is a big range of ages within the party, most have different ideas of what they want to do on this weekend. Some want early nights and doing some sightseeing where as others want to go drinking and partying all night. I certainly won’t be able to get this group of women out of my head every time a Spice Girls song comes on that’s for sure!

The Weekend Before the Wedding was a highly entertaining, laugh out loud read that is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. It’s a story about the ties and bonds between family and also of rediscovering yourself. I loved this group of women who were all different personality wise and joining them for the highs and lows of the hen party. A light hearted, uplifting read that is a must for your holiday reading list!

I found this book easy to read and entertaining. Weddings/bridesmaids/hen parties always make for a nice light summer read and this was no exception. Shelley’s character was lovely and the antics that her and her rather motley hen party crew got up to in Spain we’re amusing to read about. The book flits between the present and the past which does work but I did find the constant “ohh I can’t believe you’re getting married at last” rhetoric slightly repetitive, and like a previous reviewer I had noticed the “twist” fairly early on so it occasionally felt arduous waiting for the book to get there!
Nevertheless, I did enjoy the story and I think it will be a popular choice over the summer.

Fantastically well written, I was totally immersed into Shelley’s world and her hen do, her family and friends are so like mine, I cringed, laughed and nodded along to so many parts of this weekend! Shelley is so lovely and sweet and you can’t help but want the best for her. I loved the fact the story had a complete ending - there was no wondering, what about… or where are they… all in all a great read that will eventually make you smile

It’s Shelley’s wedding day and whilst she is getting herself ready with her family and friends, she reminisces about how she met her husband to be! The storyline switches between past and present, but mainly focusses on Shelley’s hen weekend in Spain. She was hoping to have a fun filled weekend with her closest friends, but ends up with her best friend Becca, her mother Peggy, her aunt Nancy, cousin Rosalind and Rosalind’s daughter Chloe. None of them really get on and they’re all holding back or hiding problems and personal issues, which look to threaten the frivolity of what should be Shelley’s weekend to remember!

I loved this book! I’ve read a few books by this author already, so knew it would have plenty of humour and be easy to read. I enjoyed the dual timeline aspect but must admit I much preferred the story when it was in the past! In some ways you’ve got to feel a bit sorry for Shelley! She doesn’t see herself as a catch and considers herself lucky to have bagged a husband-to-be like Colin – when Colin really should have been lucky to have her! It was obvious the hen weekend in Spain wasn’t going to go along as planned, and I found myself laughing along with the antics, arguments and drunkenness of the hen party as they trailed around the bars, clubs and restaurants. Of course, it’s not just about what they get up to, it’s more focussed on the reason why they end up doing what they do! At the start of the weekend Shelley receives a text message which could throw the wedding into disarray, and she finds herself needing to look at whether she really wants to get married at all!

I found this book an absolute laugh a minute! There were some more serious topics, but the humour by far outweighed these! I have to admit to shedding a tear or two at the end, which incidentally was a lovely way to finish the book, but also found myself shedding tears of laughter throughout! The images of The Spice Girls will live with me forever, along with Nancy’s mobility scooter speeding through the streets of the beautiful Spanish seaside resort! I loved all the characters (in their own way!) but strangely my favourite was Rosalind, who I think was the one who developed the most over the course of the weekend!! Oh, and I loved Ray as well…so funny! I think I could easily go on about this book for several more paragraphs as I enjoyed it that much, but I wouldn’t want to spoil it for you! Did I enjoy it? – hell, yeah! Would I recommend it? – Without a shadow of a doubt!

This book is perfect for the wedding season that seems to come round each summer. There is no bridezilla in sight but a good mix of characters attending the hen party. A good mix of tear jerking and laughing out loud moments. The plot had me enthralled and even the predictable parts didn’t detract from the book. A quick easy read to escape into.
Thanks to Netgalley and Harpercollins for this early ebook copy.

I'm slightly disappointed with this new release from Tracy Bloom, it didn't feel like this author's book at all. I missed quirky and strong heroine, bad language and hilarious situations. Here I've got meh- characters, predictable situations, story crossing all the book - important things off the list, mediocre dialogues and only few hilarious situations. There was not this wow - effect that I was expecting, it didn't snatched me and I kept reading because I was all the time hoping SOMETHING BIG is going to happen.

Shelley was not a strong enough leading character, she has disappeared among the other characters, and there were so many of them, with their own sub - plots, that it was really impossible to see the main plot that was, I think, the wedding? All the things were leading to the wedding? The characters were too stereotyped for my liking and well, I did guess the twist very early on.

It's a real pity. I love Tracy Bloom and her books but this one didn't work for me. I missed this Bloom's hallmark - hilarious and sarcastic humour.

As Shelley plans her long awaited wedding...her friends and family arrange her hen party. They head off to sunny Spain to enjoy 3 days in the sun....will the path of true love run smoothly??!!

I loved this book by Tracy Bloom. A perfect summer read full of humour and comedy mixed with family life.

Highly recommended.

An easy summer read focusing on Shelley's hen weekend with the story being split between the present and the past.

I didn't find it very gripping and guessed the twist early on. I did like the different characters though, especially Chloe.

Love a good wedding Rom com book and this was no exception

One weekend, one bride-to-be, what could possibly go wrong…

All Shelley wanted on her hen weekend was to enjoy three days of sun, sea and sangria. But instead of being surrounded by the A-team of her closest friends, she somehow ends up with a Golden Girls-meets-the-Spice Girls B-list that includes her mother, a rebellious teenager, and a best mate ‘on the verge’.

The squabbling starts at the airport, and on arrival in Spain, Shelley barely has time to unpack her suitcase before getting an unwanted text ̶ one that throws her wedding into doubt.

Shelley has got a BIG decision to make, but her unruly medley of nearest and dearest seem determined to confuse matters with their own problems.

Have they got what it takes to get her through the most important weekend of her life?

A beautiful summer read! Was hooked from the start, especially after a few chapters in. A hen weekend with friends and family, what could go wrong! Was lovely reading about it!

And easy summery read with a good few laughs thrown in. The back and forth in time, which can so often be confusing, was well done, the characters were likeable and engaging, and the story flowed well. I did guess the little twist fairly early on but still enjoyed it nonetheless.