Member Reviews

A great book set in beautiful Cornwall.
It all starts with a wedding.....everyone is there but then things don't go as planned.
As the car drives past the church, the villagers watch the drama play out before them.
The wedding day without the wedding is a day that changed a few lives.

A fabulous read by Jill Mansell.....loved it.

Highly recommended.

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My thanks to NetGalley and Headline Books for a copy of “ The Wedding Of The Year “ for an honest review.

As a long time fan of Jill Mansell”s books I was really thrilled to get an advance copy of her latest release..
Her books are always well written and engaging , with relatable , believable characters .
I must admit though , for some reason , this wasn’t my favourite of her books , but still a worthwhile read .The page layout on my ebook was a bit glitchy, which wasn’t ideal, but this may have been purely on the ARC.

I

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Having loved Jill Mansell books in the past, when I saw this one I couldn’t resist, especially with this beautiful cover.
The story is very well written with each character coming into their own. Within just a few pages you will be drawn in and wonder just what is going on and where will this journey take us.
Set in beautiful surroundings, the tales of the main characters weave together to make a lovely, hard to put down story.
All in all definitely one to pick up and read but be warned you won’t want to put it down!

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Lottie and Max have known each other since childhood. Just when they were about to get together. Something happens that tears them apart. Fast forward to present day and Max is back to celebrate the wedding of a uni friend. When who should he bump into but Lottie, neither have forgotten the kiss they shared. No relationships either has had have matched up. The attraction between them is still intense. The only problem is what tore them apart is still an issue. Will they let the past stop them getting their happy ending ?

Freya is relieved when her wedding to Cameron is interupted. She knows she doesnt love him any more but finds it hard to break away, especially as Cameron gave her mum a kidney.
Freya comes up with a solution , try to push Cameron together with another woman.
Will it work ?

Ruby finds out her husband the vicar has been having an affair. She wastes no time in confronting him and taking the perfect revenge.

We also meet Iris who is Ruby's cleaner, she has a heart of gold but wont let herself fall for any man. Can she keep her heart in tact.

The Wedding Of The Year is an enjoyable read, lots of characters to meet. Jill Mansell knows how to write an engaging read. Recommended for romance fans.

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Absolutely brilliant, loved it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an advance copy, I will definitely be recommending.

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I enjoyed this but it wasn’t my favourite by this author. I felt it as quite slow and just a wasn’t as good as it could have been.

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This was a simple, fun, easy and quick read. The perfect type of book for your holiday, beach, pool kind of read. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

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This was a delightful read, set in a beautiful Cornish seaside town with a cast of characters who the reader soon becomes to know and love.

Many years ago the parents of 17 year old friends and nearly lovers Max and Lottie are found out as being involved in an affair, mum of Max and dad of Lottie. The ensuing chaos means that the teenagers do not meet again until a chance encounter at a wedding when they are both nearly 30.

The story is so well written and the tales of the friends and family interwoven has the reader wanting to read on and hoping for a happy ending, not only for Max and Lottie but for the others involved also.

Highly recommend this if you enjoy a feel good family romance with some humour added also.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Jill does it again, I have read her books over the years and I love the feeling of sitting down in the warm with a new friend and finding all about their life. Lottie is a strong independent woman who really knows what she wants. Max was her love before their parents had an affair!!! Yes you know the end but do you know what? It still doesn't feel predictable, - thank you for the advance copy.

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This was an absolutely wonderful read. The characters are all great to get to know and with a wedding in the background, it made a lovely read for the start of the year. It is always good to catch up with a favourite author, knowing that you are promised a book you can lose yourself in. I love her books.

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This book is such a gorgeous and enjoyable read. I loved it so much. It is very well written, with a lot of different characters to follow and a cleverly interwoven plot.
I'm a big fan of Jill Mansell and have read all of her books. I was delighted to see cameo roles from some of her previous characters. I really enjoyed catching up with them.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC.

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I have always enjoyed Jill Mansells books - they are easy to read and I don’t want to put them down. This was no exception - I read it in 24 hours.. with a few more people involved in the plots than previously, it moved along at speed.

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Jill Mansell is one of my favourite authors this book is certainly not a disappointment and is exceptionally well written even including characters feom previous books.

Love love loved this book!!

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A Jill Mansell book is always a treat. She's one of the original authors in this genre and still one of the best.

Lovely read with likeable characters. Loved the cameos from previous books too. Can't wait for the next book!

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Confession time - I’ve never read a book by Jill Mansell but having read this one I have concluded I have definitely been missing out if this is anything to go by. It is a delightful read full of fabulous characters and one guaranteed to make you smile.

Starting with a wedding that takes an unexpected turn, the book follows three women, Freya, Lottie and Ruby, all at very different stages in life but whose lives intertwine. With three lead characters skilfully brought to life and a delightful supporting cast as well as a Cornish seaside setting with an enviable community feel, this is one of those books that is just a delight to read as you live life through the characters, and while just as in life it is not all hearts and flowers and there are some bumps in the road, it leaves you with a huge smile on your face.

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A wedding that doesn’t happen and the ensuing developments in the lives of main characters Lottie, Ruby and Freya are told in this story set in Cornwall. Fantastically woven together it has the reader captivated to see it unfold. Another great novel from this author.

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The Blurb :
It’s set to be a perfect day - until the chauffeur is asked to keep driving the bride around the church. This wedding definitely isn't going as planned.
Lottie is a guest at the wedding when she sees Max. No kiss has ever matched the last one they shared fifteen years ago. They were on the brink of a beautiful love story, until a shocking event tore them apart. Now here he is, still ridiculously good-looking, teasing Lottie in the old way - and that overwhelming electric attraction is back. But Max is way out of bounds.
Freya owes Cameron everything. But she doesn't love him. Which is a shame, because they're about to be married.
Ruby has been the perfect wife. When she discovers the truth about her husband, her response is reckless and delicious. But after that, nothing will ever be the same again.


My Thoughts :
I am always excited when one of my favourite Authors writes a new book, and this didnt disappoint.
Here we meet Lottie, Freya and Ruby. Who all live in the village of Lanrock in sunny Cornwall.
With the wedding of Freya and local Doctor Cameron about to happen, we are thrown right into the story when Ruby finds out that her husband Peter, who just happens to be the Vicar is cheating on her, and decides to confront him on the big day.
There is also Lottie, having known Max at primary school, and hasnt seen him for over 15 years, both about to attend the wedding. Will there still be a spark there now Max has returned!.
As the 3 friends navigate their way through the story and have their lives turned upside down and around can they find their happy ever after or will they not!?.
Although there is quiet a lot of charactors to get your head around, but they all tie in nicely.
This heart warming, fun, romantic story gives you all the flutters and leaves you wanting more as you immerse yourself in all the pages.
Jill Mansell once again writes with empathy and throws in her usual surprises with some twists and turns.
What a pleasent read and looking forward to more in the near future.

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One of my all time favourite authors, her books never disappoint, but I was especially excited to read this one set in Cornwall, as it holds a special place in my heart. This really did it justice and I enjoyed it every bit as i thought I would.
It makes for an excellent setting to unravel the threads of the plots, I love how Jill always manages to time events perfectly, so everything gets sewn up just as it should.
The characters all feel so real, that you can loose yourself in the story and completely immerse yourself. I would love a second book to follow this one and make it a series, the characters have such great potential!
I look forward to reading the next book, if this is anything to go by, no doubt the next will be wonderful!

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I liked Lottie and Ruby and the setting of Cornwall. I especially enjoyed Ruby and Richard's story but the book kept me captivated throughout. A brilliant read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

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I can’t fathom why it’s been so long since I have read a book by the wonderful author that is Jill Mansell. When I first discovered her books many years ago in the library having exhausted the books from the Irish authors that I loved so much I remember devouring her books one after the other. If I couldn’t find her books on the library bookshelves, orders had to be placed on Amazon for several books as I had that feeling that rarely comes along whilst reading. That being I need to read everything in this authors back catalogue as soon as possible. That feeling is hard to beat and I envy anyone who is discovering Jill’s writing for the very first time.

I literally couldn’t get enough of her books as they were relaxing, enjoyable stories with a varied range of characters and of course there was lots of romance too. Finally, I have come back to her writing and The Wedding of the Year couldn’t have been a more perfect reintroduction to her writing for me. As I bounce a lot between women’s fiction and historical fiction this was a complete breath of fresh air as reading a huge amount of historical fiction there can be a lot of dark themes to process. This was the perfect anecdote to this and right from the brilliant opening I can safely say I thoroughly enjoyed this book from the beginning to end.

With a strong opening that is packed full of drama and humour. I mean it really could have been like something from a romance/comedy series, The Wedding of the Year follows three women and the fallout from a wedding that never was. Set in the Cornish village of Lanrock, it’s the day of Freya’s wedding to local doctor Cameron and as she arrives at the church chaos erupts. I know I shouldn’t have laughed at the scenes that followed given the serious nature of some of the events but it’s just the way it was written there was a brilliant mixture of fun, humour and exasperation and confrontation. The way everything unfolded was perfectly captured and it was like something from the Vicar of Dibley. This event sets the tone for the remainder of the book as each of the three women that the story focuses on have to deal with their own personal fallouts from the events at the wedding. It was such a pleasure to follow their journeys and none of it wouldn’t have happened unless Iris, the vicar’s cleaner, hadn’t discovered that he had been up to things he shouldn’t have.

Iris was a brilliant character, packed full of personality and with a mouth on her which meant she was never afraid to tell a few home truths or say things straight as they were. She did get her own story although it took on a more minor role compared to the other three women. But she played a pivotal part in getting the ball rolling for the remainder of the story and if she had kept schtum then Freya, Lottie and Ruby would never have undergone the journeys they went through. Iris is quirky, outspoken and a gossip but with never any malice behind it. I’d love for her to feature in a book centred solely on herself in the future because whether Jill intended for her to capture readers hearts as much as she did I don’t know but she was amazing and definitely deserves to share more with us. Iris being Iris can’t keep quiet and she rushes to the wedding to confront the vicar with a mixture of positive and negative consequences.

As Freya is forced to drive around for a bit as utter mayhem is unleashed with the vicar abandoning the ceremony it gives her the opportunity to think about the doubts that have been niggling away at her. As the ceremony is abandoned due to the vicar literally being stopped in his tracks, Freya is relieved. Is Cam the one for her? The after party goes ahead as planned and the wedding can take place later. Freya is delighted as this gives her plenty of breathing time. But the more time she has the more she is convinced that Cameron is a bit too much all about himself, his fitness and his heroic fundraising efforts. Yet, there is something that binds her to him which she sees a stumbling block to finally facing the truth. When we learn what this is I could see where she was coming from but at the same time surely putting your own needs, wants and life desires first is far more important that remaining stuck in a relationship that is not making you fulfilled?

Lottie is a guest at the wedding and as she sits in the pews waiting for Freya to arrive she is completely oblivious to the pandemonium that is about to be released. She sees someone that has been absent from her life for many years.That person is Max. They had known each other growing up and they had a strong friendship with serious potential for it to develop into something much bigger and for Lottie this was much wanted. They had been on the brink of something with a world of possibilities when something had caused life to spiral and change beyond all recognition and then Max was gone. Now he is back with the same twinkle in his eye and the feelings are stirring within Lottie. Can the world of possibilities be reopened or are the same barriers still there? As Max rents a cottage in the village it seems to Lottie that he doesn’t plan on going anywhere imminently and perhaps they can become reacquainted?

There is a lot of game playing that ensues between the pair and I just wanted them to get together as they seemed ideal for each other. So I questioned what had happened to prevent this in the first place? When we get to know Lottie and Max that little bit more a very tangled web is revealed, and my heart broke for them as I could see no possible way forward to a bright and loving future for them. Too much water had flown under the bridge and resentment and anger lingered in a much bigger picture and I could see everyone’s viewpoint. It was awful that they were very much caught between a rock and a hard place. Will anything be able to be resolved or will Lottie and Max have to put others before themselves?

When I first started reading this book, I didn’t think come the end that the vicar’s wife Ruby would be the standout character for me and the one that I was eager to get to her chapters to read more about her. But that turned out to be the case, she was my favourite character by far. She was the scorned wife who learned the truth thanks to a good friend and although she was upset and angry in equal measure the events that unfolded at the beginning of the book turned out to be the makings of her. Ruby is a children’s author who has written a very successful series but the words aren’t flowing at the moment and they refuse to come when her life falls apart and she is left a single woman. But deep down Ruby is strong and the journey she goes on was remarkable and a pure joy to read. I’d compare it to the lifecycle of the butterfly as she was the character who I felt changed the most and become so empowered.

I just loved everything about her and the manner in which she was written. Her old life had been taken away from her and she knew her marriage wasn’t perfect by any means but really how could Peter have done that to her. She takes a brief few hours away from everything and in this time things change in a major way which will set her off on a very different trajectory to the one she was on prior to Iris doing what she does best. Ruby came into her own once she threw Peter to the curb and at times I just wanted the entire book to follow her as I just couldn’t get enough of the new and exciting things that were happening for her. She become bold and forthright and knew what she wanted and would go about this next step solo if need be although someone strong and supportive by her side would also have been very welcome. I was desperate for things to work out for her but given the complexities of the situation she found herself in I had my doubts that this could happen. Yet, I still rooted for her all the way.

So as to the title The Wedding of the Year, well given the opening is a wedding that never was what exactly does the title refer to. Well to discover the answers I have no hesitation in recommending that you pick up a copy of this fabulous story that is trademark Jill Mansell and packed full of twists and turns and surprises which above all else is uplifting and an absolute pleasure to read.

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