This book started good, the middle was boring and the ending was good. I skim read from 43% to 80% and honestly missed nothing. I shouldn't read chick lit. It's not for me. Sorry

This was the first book I've read from this author and it was just okay. It was hard for me to get into and the characters didn't keep my attention.

This was a really exciting novel, full of strong characters that the reader could engage with .
It was an unexpected story, full of twists , turns and dilemmas you couldn’t imagine
Compulsive and extremely enjoyable reading - you have to finish the book !
Thank you to Netgalley, Lucy Dillon and Random House Uk for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review

A fantastically written book with fabulous characters, great storyline and one I wanted to keep reading to see what happened. A must read certainly.

Beautiful and heartbreaking. Tackles big themes while staying intimate and personal. Much recommended

Wow what a beautiful story. ⠀
Jeannie is about to marry the man of her dreams. Dan is handsome, successful and makes her laugh. But she can't shake a feeling gnawing in her gut. ⠀
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This story was beautifully written. Jeannie went through unbelievable growth to become the woman she needs to be for Dan but also and most importantly, the woman she is meant to be as Jeannie. ⠀
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What stood out for me is how this story showed that the people who come along your path are for a reason. Each person leaves a print of themselves on each of us and helps to shapes us. Whether it's to help us grow or to help us see a part of ourselves that we completely missed. ⠀
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Absolutely beautiful ❤️😍. ⠀
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Trigger warning for animal abuse. It's not graphic but it is addressed in this book. It broke my heart to realise that there are people who mistreat animals in this way. Greater and more stringent measures need to be put in place for the protection of animals as it is our duty to look after them 😽. ⠀

This book was as part of the #OWLsreadathon and it met the critea of having a white cover, but also it has been on my netgalley TBR for a while. I have read Lucy Dillon books before and enjoyed them so i was looking forward to getting into this.



My first thoughts were this book would be a cloud full of love, happy endings and romance. What i discovered was it was more than that, it was depth - relationships and about loving not only love but loving yourself first.



The main character Jeannie always wanted to fall in love, she is the shy and quiet type. she is happy to take the backseat even with her best friend on stage - she always lets her take the lead. This time though she is centre of the story, having embarked on a whirlwind romance when her boyfriend proposes at the most perfect time, of course she was going to say Yes. Her life is suddenly the dream she wanted all along.



However fast forward to the wedding day and Jeannie has nerves, surely everyone has felt nerves like this. She cant breathe though and that isn normal is it? When Jeannies dad starts talking about his marriage and the relationship he has enjoyed for all these years. Jeannie stops the car - she cant do this, leaving a voicemail for Dan she stands waiting for him to phone her. The phone call she gets however - is not the one she was expecting.



A tragic accident is about to change everything. This for me is where the story stands out. After the accident we start to meet a cast of characters who will impact everyones life. No one knows if Dan will recover, what he will remember and how his recovery will be. Jeannie is having to not only deal with the accident but the guilt that Dan was on the phone and did he know she was calling off the wedding.



What i found with this book, it wasnt what i expected at all. I thought he would recover or not and they would have the fallout to deal with but this wasnt the case at all. It was a lengthy process and a time frame that allowed Jeannie to figure out more about herself, her true feelings and what she actually wanted for the future. As Dan starts to deal with the scenario as well we learn alot more about what was going on with him at the time too.



I really enjoyed this heart filled read, it was honest, raw at times and not what i was expecting. I didnt find it predictable in anyway. I found that i liked the direction it took and it was refreshing for a novel like this to not give the reader maybe what they was after. An alternate to the happy ever after as such.



I was gifted this book as an e-arc to review, this was done willingly and does not impact my review.

If you are interested its now on Amazon here.

A story written with a light, accessible touch, this was a great (if predictable) read which i wholly enjoyed. The passion for dogs was an extra bonus, and I fell in love with the 4 legged characters too.

Recommended.

It is the day of Jeannie and Dan's wedding and on the way to the service Jeannie suddenly starts to wonder just how well she knows Dan - panicked, she decides to call off the wedding but can't get through to the groom to tell him not to go...then Owen, the Best Man, rings to tell her that Dan has been hit by a bus on the way to the wedding! With Dan in a coma, Jeannie sets about finding out about the man she was about to marry and work out what the future holds for her. Throw in her new friends Rachel and Natalie and the problems in their own lives, a mother-in-law to be who is determined to reschedule the wedding at the earliest opportunity, a best man who is acting weird and a former friend who has stolen the song they wrote together and you have a pretty interesting story.

This is light fiction really, the perfect tale for a summers day on the sun lounger with a glass of wine - if you want something more challenging then this isn't for you. It's a shade predictable but is still a good read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book and thought the main character of Jeannie was genuine and realistic. It's an unusual story and not formulaic at all. The plot was good and it was different because it didn't have the ending you expected. I'm trying not to give too much away here! I became invested in all the characters except Jeannie's Mum but more so Jeannie's future mother - in -law who I wanted to strangle!! Despite this, it was a great read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you Netgalley for giving me the chance to read and review this lovely book.

This starts with a romantic proposal in New York, followed by the journey to the wedding where the bride is suddenly unsure about getting married. She never dreamt what would happen when she tried to talk to her groom . . . .

This is an emotive story, where choices made are reconsidered because of events. It explores guilt, dreams, ideals, romance, secrets and, of course, love. I’m really struggling to review it without giving spoilers, so I’ll keep this relatively short . . . . It is a story packed with great characters, a plot filled with dilemmas as well as twists and turns. It is one where you are unsure just how things will work out until the end. It is an engaging read that I thoroughly enjoyed and have no hesitation in recommending,

I requested and was gifted a copy of this book and this is my honest review after choosing to read it.

I've always said that Lucy Dillons' best books are ones that featured our four legged canine friends, and this is no exception. Amongst the themes in this book there is a strong anti puppy farming message, and watching Rachel, Natalie and Jeannie help three rescued families of dogs from a puppy farm, learn to trust humans and how to just be dogs is incredibly heartwarming.

Although it's not the key story line it was the one that I definitely enjoyed the most. The main thrust of this book is about Jeannie and Dan, who in the opening pages are meant to be getting married, after a whirlwind relationship and engagement.

However things aren't quite as they seem, and from the moment of the unfortunate accident just before Jeannie get's to the church, everyone's lives start to change.

And Jeannie has a chance to through the people she meets in her new town, get to make brand new friends and re-evaluate just what love and what a marriage really is.

It's a story about re-evaluating life, love, learning more about loved ones, and with a wonderful array of dogs. It's a really just lovely book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

Thank you to Transworld Digital and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily,.

This was my first time reading a book by Lucy Dillon and will not be my last. I really enjoyed reading Unexpected Lessons in Love, so much that the next day I purchased her book - Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts which serves as an unoffical prequel. Unexpected Lessons in Love tells the story of Jeannie, a young woman on the way to her wedding. Jeannie wants to cancel her wedding, and in the process of calling her fiancé, he is involved in a terrible accident. Jeannie is filled with guilt and shock as she struggles to cope with this difficult situation in a new home town. Fortunately she is well supported by her neighbour Rachel and other friends.

I really enjoyed reading this gentle story and look forward to reading even more books by Lucy Dillon in the future! Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

I am a huge fan of Lucy' Dillon's writing, but as a cynical divorcee I am not a great believer in romance. I have to say what grabbed my attention to read this book about a wedding was the tag line 'what happens when "I do" turns into "I don't know". That's far more interesting to me.
Dan and Jeannie met on an online dating app, the majority of their courtship has been spent on weekends away doing all the fun stuff. They haven't really gone into the deep conversations or had humdrum daily discussions on whose turn it is to put the bins out. Which is what suddenly strikes Jeannie as she sits in the back of her beautiful wedding car on her way to marry Dan: she doesn't really know him at all. In a panic, she tells her dad she can't go through with the ceremony and stops the car to try to make a phone call to Dan - but the call goes to voicemail. That sets in motion a whole new course for the day, as just moments later she receives a phone call telling her that Dan has been hit by a bus on his way to the ceremony. Was Dan listening to her message when he stepped out in the road? Does anyone else know? With Dan unconscious in hospital who can she ask?
My favourite character of the book is best man Owen; reliable, organised and thoughtful he is a godsend to Jeannie as he handles all the practicalities of calling off a wedding under tragic circumstances - but does he know about Jeannie's phone call? And where is Dan's phone? Dan's mum Andrea is understandably broken by what has happened to her son and leans heavily on Jeannie for emotional support - so it's obvious she doesn't know - but how can Jeannie tell her when her son is teetering between life and death?
The story continues with Jeannie's dilemma, and she feels a complete fraud as she fits in to village life at the vet's house where she and Dan were moving in to after the wedding. Her feelings are explored and her torment continues as the community happily accept her into their fold.

Even with all the emotion involved in this story it didn't feel all gloom and doom, it came across as a very realistic dilemma for someone to find themselves in. All the characters were believable and with back stories of their own there is plenty going on to detract from Jeannie's story. As she unpacks their belongings into their new home it soon becomes clear that Dan too has been withholding information and Jeannie has to try to quiz Owen on what Dan might be hiding, whilst still keeping her own secret. Not as easy as it first might appear - especially once Owen starts getting shifty in his responses.

As is always the case with Lucy's books there is a canine component to the tale which I think reflects life perfectly: you need a dog in your life to keep things in perspective. Keep your tissues handy though as Jeannie's experiences at the vet's house will tug at your heartstrings, whatever the outcome between her and Dan.

Fabulous book. Romance with a twist from a perspective I’ve never encountered before. Fantastic to visit Longhampton again and to catch up with some familiar characters but also to meet new characters. Really enjoyable story that covers some painful times but written sensitively. Highly recommended.

Thank you Netgalley.

Started out ok but dragged then limped along. Characters were flat and not truly believable. Just an ok read for me.

I loved this book, it was such a different premise and handled very sensitively. As ever with Lucy Dillon the dog element was present, but on this occasion it was quite harrowing as well as heartwarming. I laughed, I cried and ignored the laundry because I wanted to find out how it ended. What more could you ask for?

This is a lovely story with a good mix of characters.
It just rolls along keeping you engaged.
A mix of dogs and romance what more could you ask for?

I have read and loved all of Lucy Dillon's previous books and couldn't wait to read this one. Wow, this one was a cracking read which I loved and found so difficult to put down.

This is a story of an unusual love story - it is heartwarming but heartbreaking in places. I loved the character Jeannie and felt for her throughout the book. A story of family, friendship, loyalty, relationships and new beginnings. This book made me smile but also broke my heart too.

I am a dog lover and I love how Lucy Dillon's always has a dog as a central character and how they are so important to the story.

I highly recommend this book and all of Lucy Dillon's other books too. I can't wait for the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

Jeannie and Dan had a whirlwind romance, but on the day of the wedding she realises she can't marry him. She calls him, but he doesn't answer. And then Owen, the best man, calls: Dan was run over by a bus. He ends up in a coma and sitting at his bedside, Jeannie discovers she didn't know Dan quite as well as she thought she did.

The story started off fine, but the plot started to drag when Jeannie was doing little more than just sitting beside Dan's bed. It picked up again once she started getting involved more with the local dog rescue, once Jeannie's world became bigger than Dan and Owen and Dan's mother Andrea.

This was a story about love, but it wasn't a romance. Jeannie starts to see the many kinds of love there are, and how a lasting love doesn't always look like what you see in the movies, but it's made very clear that she's not in love with Dan and that she is never going to change her mind and marry him after all. In the end, I guess, it's more a story about a woman who realises she doesn't necessarily need someone to marry, because there is already so much love in her life.

One character who did annoy me right from the start and until the very end, was Dan's mother Andrea. The other characters had way too much patience with that woman...