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.

I read this as part of the blog tour. I thought it was just going to be another chick flick. But this had a few more layers to it, I enjoyed these layers and the puppies, I wanted one so much. I liked the whole idea of the wedding dresses. I didn’t fully understand Dans role - once you read it you’ll understand. There was always something hidden in the story and it was easy to predict what that might be. Glad for a happy ending, a smile and a tug at the heart strings

I enjoyed reading 'Where the Light Gets In' last year and was thrilled to be able to read a review copy from NetGalley of Lucy Dillon's new book.

The opening chapters quickly hooked my interest - a bride (Jeannie) about to cancel the wedding, the groom (Dan) hit by a bus. The story flows well - Jeannie has to cope with living in a new house, making new friends and waiting for Dan to wake up. As a dog lover, the stories about the puppy farm dogs and Gem the Collie made this story even more special.

A great book to curl up with (preferably with a dog snoring on your lap).

I loved this book, I was sucked into the story straight away and couldn’t put it down until it was done. Jeannie was lovely and you could totally empathise with how she was feeling all the way through her journey. I fell in love with all the people and animals at the shelter, and was really sad when it was all over.

As Jeannie embarks in a whirlwind romance she finds herself swept along and before she knows it she's one step away from walking down the aisle She finally realises she can't go through with it and calls her soon to be husband as she is on her way to her wedding A tragic accident occurs and as her fiancee ends up in a coma she has some serious issues to deal with but it's not only Jeannie who has doubts Plenty of good characters and loved that the story centred around a vets practice A good read and plenty of good story led issues really enjoyed it

I absolutely love Lucy's books and was really excited to be able to read and review this one.

Whenever I pick up a book by Lucy I know I need to clear some time as her books always make me feel all of the emotions and make me want to keep reading. This was another wonderful story, the main character Jeannie was a wonderfully composed character who will appeal to all of us who have ever doubted ourselves. She was wonderfully skilled at music but lacked in self belief and confidence in her own abilities. I loved watching Jeannie grow as a character throughout this book and how she coped in such difficult circumstances and managed to find her true self throughout her journey in this story.

A brilliant 5* read that I loved from start to finish and would highly recommend.

If you love weddings,puppies and don't mind shedding a few tears this book is perfect for you
Throughout the book is a number of love stories the main one Dan and Jeannie but also her parents and his mum and the local vet and his dog rescuing wife
I think the thing I will take away is a wedding is one day in your life but a marriage is potentially for life, and even people you see and you think they have a perfect marriage quite often have ups and downs pretty big ones at times
I loved this novel it is beautifully descriptive and I can actually see Jeannies wedding dress and all the puppy farm puppies being rehomed in their forever homes just like the dress needed it's forever wedding

What might happen if you call off your wedding whilst on the way to the ceremony? Well, Jeannie was about t9 find out. But who was trying t9 call it off first? Without giving away any spoilers, this was quite a good read, getting better the further I got into it. I found it a little slow at the start, it was very typical girl meets boy, they fall in love, marriage, but then comes the twist. Involves, dogs, friends, and music.

Beautifully written and poignant, yet at the same time uplifting .
A lesson in being honest whatever the consequences and there is almost always a silver lining.

I really enjoyed this, it was a bit slow in the middle, it seemed to falter a little, but it makes up for it, the characters are so realistic and so heartwarming, as is the story. Lessons about not rushing in headfirst and what love really is. It’s an addictive read even with the little bit in the middle. Another great Lucy Dillon novel.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

When Jeannie meets Dan she can’t help but fall in love with him. What’s not to like? He’s handsome, caring and so romantic. He’s all she has ever dreamed about and she falls quickly and hard. They live quite far away from each other but their time together is just magical. He loves her and treats her very well. One day he whisks her off to New York to show her the sights. She cannot believe her good luck. He heads for the Brooklyn Bridge and suddenly he reveals an amazing surprise for her – a blissfully gorgeous, traditional proposal of marriage. Crowds gather around them, having cottoned on to what is happening, as he asks her to marry him. She is totally in the zone and accepts his proposal almost straight away and the crowds clap and cheer. What a wonderful day it is. They have not been dating for long but he has totally swept her off her feet.
They spend every day they have with each other working hard to put their wedding day together. Gone is the romance and now their sole purpose is to marry quickly after a whirlwind of ecstatic dating. Luckily for them, just before their wedding day’ Dan has the opportunity to move to a different area when he accepts the job as a country vet. A house goes with the offer so that they can look around the area for a permanent home of their own. So the packing begins and they will be able to move in after their honeymoon. Time flies by and soon the wedding day is upon them. Jeannie’s Dad is sitting alongside her on the way to her wedding when he casually asks her if she is sure she is doing the right thing. Her nerves are on edge because she has asked herself if she knows Dan well enough to make her vows that very day. There in her luxurious wedding car, sitting in her gorgeous wedding gown, it should be the happiest day of her life. She reflects on her recent doubts and makes the monumental decision to call off the wedding. It feels too soon. All the romance has gone out of their relationship and she realises that she does not know Dan very well at all. She cannot make promises to him, it would be wrong. So she decides to ring Dan with her heart-breaking news. She leaves him a message on his mobile because his phone is engaged. But almost simultaneously she receives a call with some news about Dan. Suddenly, in the blink of an eye her life is altered forever and Jeannie will have to use all of her resources to come through the tsunami of emotions ahead of her, at the same time learning things about herself that she could never have even imagined.
Ever since I read ‘Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts’ by Lucy Dillon ten years ago, I have followed her other novels. They are consistently really good, enjoyable reads. She is a very talented author of romantic fiction with her heart-warming and fluid writing, magical romances and her excellent characterisation. Rachel, who runs a refuge for dogs in this story, was the main character in the story that introduced me to Lucy’s novels. It was lovely to catch up with her and her husband George. I enjoyed this current novel as well. I thought it was an excellent, original storyline, but unfortunately, the middle part of this story seemed to lose its consistent pace. It is such a shame because I so loved the first third and the last third was really absorbing, with a fabulous twist right at the very end. I thought Rachel had a really great business plan for raising funds for the dogs home and hats off to them for making a go of their new enterprise. I was also very interested in the heart-breaking news about puppy farms. I cannot abide cruelty to animals and think people who are cruel deserve very tough action against them. It is just horrible.
I received this book through my membership of NetGalley and from publisher Transworld Digital in return for an honest review. Thank you for my copy. These are my own thoughts and I have read no other reviews before writing my own. It’s a 3.5* review from me.

I loved the main character Jeannie. She thought she had it all but her gut instinct told her otherwise and a brave decision to call off her wedding set her life in a new direction. Dan the handsome vet is not all he seems to be as his heart belongs to a past love. Read the book to see if Jeannie gets her happy ever after.

I love Lucy Dillon’s books. If you want a gentle romantic interlude with some life lessons thrown in then this is for you. I sometimes just want a happy ending and some joy and this gave me it. #NetGalley#UnexpectedLessonsInLove

I like the theme of this book - unexpected lessons in love - and totally agree with the learnings which were:

- Don't mistake falling in love, for love.
- Love is not how it seems on Instagram - it's unfiltered, unnerving and unedited.
- Love has to start with a click.
- Timing and pure coincidence play a big part in love.
- There's many types of love including the love and companionship provided by pets.

And, being an animal lover, I really enjoyed the dog and animal sanctuary parts of this story. Main character, Jeannie's, landlady and soon-to-be best friend runs an animal sanctuary which is stretched to its limits when it takes in three dog families from a puppy farm. Cue plenty of cute animal antics and heart-seeking bonds, but also lots of entrepreneurial spirit as the friends seek ingenious ways to raise money for their rehabilitation including a wedding dress sale and fashion show.

However, that was also part of the problem for me in that there was a lot going on. The main story is obviously the love story - that of Jeannie getting cold feet on the day of her wedding, right before a twist of fate intervenes. But, there's also the animal sanctuary and the fund-raising as mentioned, as well as Jeannie's struggle as a singer-songwriter, her falling out with her ex best friend and band mate, family relationships and the secret life of Jeannie's fiance.

All in all there's a lot going on but weirdly at the same time nothing going on at times. There's a lot of revisiting to the point where it felt like you were just reading the same thing again and the pace is pretty slow with the story(ies) limping sedately along towards a fairly predictable ending.

That said overall it's enjoyable and definitely a nice easy read. I've never read the author before but have no doubts that fans of Lucy Dillon will love it. For anyone else, in my opinion it's worth a read but just not a must-read.

Unexpected Lessons in Love by Lucy Dillon a four-star love of a read. At times this was a five-star read but overall, it just dragged a little in places, but I loved the premise of the story and the direction it took blew me away with the strength of writing. Jeannie is a very well-rounded character, I loved the inner quandaries and worries, watching her grow into herself was possible the best part of this story, it made her so relatable and easy to read. I enjoyed this novel more than the last couple I had read by this author and I am so glad as I loved the early reads and then I felt like the writing lost something and this shows me that its coming back. I was eagerly diving into this as every chance like the early novels. The secondary characters both human and animal played a very good role in this story, I enjoyed getting to know the dogs as well as Owen and Rachel each one played a part and I enjoyed getting their stories.

I love Lucy Dillon’s books. If you want a gentle romantic interlude with some life lessons thrown in then this is for you. I sometimes just want a happy ending and some joy and this gave me it. #NetGalley#UnexpectedLessonsInLove

An enjoyable easy read with lots of thoroughly nice people in a lovely little village. A tad idealistic at times but a well written honest book.