Lovely audio listen. Easy to follow along with and an author I know that people think fondly of - I get why! Lovely book that it’s tied all up and enjoyable all along the way.

A lovely light hearted feel good novel set in picturesque Cornwall, there were quite a few characters and sub plots to keep up with and it took me a while to get into but it all turned out well in the end. A predictable type romance full of secrets but an enjoyable read none the less.

Just what I needed! A perfect light hearted (mostly) heart warming rom com. Easy to listen to with a great narrator and likeable characters. This would make a perfect beach read, 4 stars.

This is a delightful read which follows several stroy threads, with love, marriage and weddings being a common theme as we follow the lives of Lottie, Freya, Iris and Ruby. They are at different stages in their lives and working through their own challenges, all related to past or present relationships. Some of them realise that their hopes for the future have changed. Others are in for a few surprises and find their lives turned upside down. Each woman emerges as a well drawn character who are warm and relatable. Friendships are very important as each needs support in one form or another.

In addition to four amazing female characters, we have some intriguing men, with witty dialogue and some humour. This is well up to the standard we have come to expect from Jill Mansell, If you enjoy a story full of warmth, with likeable characters and some humorous moments, you will love this romance.

In short: characters you will warm to

This one is a light hearted, easy listen. There are quite a few characters to get to grips with and each character has their own sub-plots within the storyline. I didn’t find any of the storylines really stood out or kept you engaged. The storyline is nice but nothing you haven’t read before. I know this type of listen is not meant to be all twists and turns but I did expect something so felt it a little underwhelming or maybe I’ve gotten to deep into thrillers and expect murder at every turn 🤷‍♀️😜.

2.5/5 🌟🌟/🌟

Thanks to Netgalley and Headline for the opportunity to read and review #TheWeddingOfTheYear

This was a lovely story. I really enjoyed the writing and the main characters. Great interaction between them and a nice flow to the story. I had the audio version and it was well read and easy to listen to. Recommended

What a refreshing palette cleanser this is!
I really enjoyed this delightful story of love in a Cornish town, told from multiple points of view. Jill Mansell artfully entangles her characters with multiple potential couplings wending their way through this fun and entertaining read.
The pacing is excellent, there’s humour and poignancy, with a little frustration, a touch of misogyny and a sprinkling of gaslighting. There’s even a side of narcissism, but once again, this is fun and lighthearted.
The intimate scenes are fade-to-black rather than in-your-face, and the whole experience is gentle and relaxed, very much like the seaside town in which it’s based.
Gorgeous.
Thank you to NetGalley and Headline Audio for a chance to listen to an ARC.

Guaranteed joy incoming! Now, I’ve been reading @jillmansell’s books since the very first one (probably talking decades at this point), and I don’t understand how so many years and books later, I still get the exact same warm glow as I did the very first time I picked up her book - they just never get old!

This one was every bit the brilliant five star read I expected, with a wonderful cast of characters, a gorgeous setting and LOTS of drama and romance. I was invested in every character’s story from the get go (especially loved that dramatic start to the story - let’s just say the priest had it coming!!) and I devoured the audiobook in a day. These books are like happy crack - they’re funny and emotional, and always have the loveliest friendships and love stories. They’re sweet, but never sickly sweet, with enough bite to satisfy even the snobbiest of readers - and on this occasion I even finished with happy tears running down my face IN PUBLIC. I just can’t ever recommend them enough, and this is another perfect example of why Jill is one of my forever favourites. She truly does bring the sunshine!

Absolutely fantastic! This book tied me in knots. I started out thinking one way, then another, back to the first and then the end, and by then my head was spinning. What a beautiful story. Loved it, would highly highly recommend. The highlight of the book has to be the brilliant storytelling love Jill’s books!

Great read from Jill Mansell. As an audiobook couldn’t fault the narrator at all. Loved the plot with all its twists and turns. Characters well thought out and all in all more than enjoyed this read.
Great weekend read sipping a cuppa with the sun streaming in. More than happy to recommend this book.

I have read/listened to several of Jill Mansell's novels and enjoyed them so was pleased to be approved to listen to an ALC of her latest book The Wedding of the Year. Unfortunately, for me, this did not stand up to her previous books and I felt myself struggling to be motivated to keep listening at time. My primary difficulty was that there are TOO MANY story strands and it felt disjointed and confusing in places. With so many interwoven story strands I felt it difficult to become invested in any of them and thought that each story was told on a superficial or surface level with little space for character growth or ,meaningful message. The narration was excellent throughput. Overall, it wasn't a hard listen and quite enjoyable but just lacked a bit of substance.

Another great read by Jill Mansell. I've both read the book and listened to the audio book and both are excellent. The bonus with this book is that it's not just one love story but several, told is an engaging style, separate yet twined together. A lovely story with lovely characters. The audio book is narrated extremely well and a pleasure to listen to.

This story follows several different characters in a small town, with different narratives being interwoven as paths crossed. It’s ultimately a romance with several different characters finding love in different ways and at different ages. I found it overall a little hard to keep track of the different characters’ storylines and I would have preferred to focus on one or two characters and really feel their relationships developing rather than getting only a brief glimpse of several people. It meant I couldn’t connect with the characters as much and I found as a result I wasn’t very invested in anyone’s story. There were some laugh out loud bits and I’m sure this will be a great book for other people but just didn’t match my taste. The narrator, however, did a great job on the audiobook!

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

What could be more picturesque than a lavish wedding in a Cornish village...well one that actually goes to plan! The vicar's wife discovers lifechanging information and must confront her husband moments before the wedding starts. Meanwhile, Lottie, a guest, unexpectedly bumps into an old flame Max and old feelings resurface. Lots of characters and lots of drama abound. Will any of them get to the church to be married? An entertaining audiobook with lots of dramatics to keep you listening. #theweddingoftheyear #jillmansell #netgalley

Lovely audiobook although I did find myself rewinding it a few times and occasionally loosing track of which character was with who, but overall a nice easy listen with a warming ending.

I have never read or listened to anything from this author before and I randomly picked this audio book purely by the cover, I also don't normally read romance but this surprised me and I really enjoyed listening to it and couldn't stop I had it finished in two days! This is the perfect easy listening light read you will need. I hope to listen to more of the authors work in the future. Thanks to netgalley for sending me a copy.

Jill Mansell is a new author to me so I was well chuffed to be sent an advance audio copy of The Wedding of the Year in exchange for an honest review.

A fun and frothy romcom, The Wedding of The Year delivers exactly what it says on the tin, there are no surprises but that’s not why we read romcoms is it? There are 4 characters Lottie, Freya, Ruby and Iris and the path we follow is how (or if) they each find love. Each have their own story which are intermingled throughout the book but even as an Audiobook the narration is deft enough to keep each voice distinct.

It’s taken me a little while to review because I wasn’t completely sure how to go about it, I’ve settled on 4 stars because it’s a well written story, clearly by an author who knows and understands her craft and I did enjoy it. But I felt it was missing that extra something, that undefinable quality that keeps a book in your heart and makes you smile when you recall it. I just didn’t get that here, in fact I couldn’t even remember Iris’ name when I went to write the review, which was a bit of an eek moment I can tell you.

So overall, for me (and I’m aware this is probably controversial), it’s a good, well written rom com but what I really want is ‘great’. When the plot is fairly simple (as romcoms are) you really want characters that jump off the page and sock you in the face with their awesomeness. And that’s what was missing … that sock in the face.

I don't often read romance so when I do, I want it to be good... and boy, this was good!! A wonderful cast of women made this story an absolute delight - from the opening scenes at Freya's wedding to the very last scenes... The reader is taken on a rollercoaster ride of emotions and I found myself welling up at one moment and laughing out loud the next. All of the male 'love interests' appealed in their own ways and I adored both Max and Richard. The setting of Land Rock sounded idyllic and all of the places that people lived and stayed had me wanting to book a visit to Cornwall as soon as possible. I thoroughly enjoyed this joyous read and am grateful to NetGalley and the publishers for approving me for the audiobook. The narrator did a wonderful job and really added to the enjoyment.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5

The Wedding of the Year by Jill Mansell
Narrated by Rebecca Norfolk

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Headline Review and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

Love, friendship and secrets revealed as the sun beats down on dazzling blue Cornish seas . . .

It's set to be the perfect wedding - till the chauffeur is asked to keep driving the bride round the church. This wedding is not going as planned.

Lottie is a guest at the wedding when she sees Max for the first time in fifteen years. No kiss since has matched their last kiss together. They were on the brink of a beautiful love story. Then something shocking happened that tore them apart. Now here he is, handsome as ever, teasing Lottie in the old way - and that tingling electric attraction is back. But Max is out of bounds.

Ruby has been the perfect vicar's wife. But when she finds out the truth about her husband Peter, outrage and disbelief drive her to act impulsively, without a thought for the consequences. And nothing will ever be the same again.

There will be a wedding of the year - but maybe not yet. When love is in the air, anything can happen . . .

My Opinion

Jill Mansell has always been a bit of hit or miss for me as an author, but this I enjoyed. There are quite a lot of characters in this, so it took some time for me to get into but overall it was a great book. This was a wonderful read and I can see it making for a great holiday read.

Rating 4/5

I truly enjoyed listening to The Wedding of the Year. Jill Mansell writes beautifully detailed worlds, explores the characters journeys in a wonderful way. I was drawn into the story immediately. It'll make you laugh, it'll make you cry, and you'll feel complete by the end of the book. 10/10!