I really enjoyed this book my first by Jennifer Joyce, it has a great story with likable characters.

If you are looking for a book that will provide a fun filled escape then look no further The Wedding That Changed Everything had me smiling all the way through as well as giggling in lots of places too. Especially at the part of the book involving Twiggy, it was just such a light and feel good story.

Emily really doesn't believe in happy ever afters anymore and my heart went out to her. I found the friendship between Alice and Emily to be pretty balanced as they are complete opposites. Alice could be a little annoying at times but I guess she was only trying to help her friend. Alice takes it upon herself to find Emily the perfect man whether she agrees to it or not. However this doesn't quite go to plan with Emily getting herself into all sorts of scrapes. Emily has some brilliant one liners but also has a vulnerability to her character that gave her even more depth.

The Wedding That Changed Everything has a lovely fairy tale feel to it especially with it's very own wicked stepmother. Along with secrets from the past that pop right back up and a lovely romance that will make you smile. The pace is good and I found myself nearing the end in no time at all.

Four star from me!

With thanks to HQ Digital & Netgalley for my copy. This is my honest and unbiased opinion.

Unfortunately the book was not for me, no review was publicly posted on Amazon, B&N, Goodreads or Twitter etc, so no ratings were affected in relation to it.

I have loved the previous books this author has released, but I just found it all a little over exuberant. The wicked step mother rubbed me the wrong way completely too. Not for me this time, I preferred the author's previous writing style, this just didn't gel for me.

Three and a half stars.

Emily Atkinson is dragged to her best friend Alice's big sister Carolyn's wedding as her plus one. Emily and Alice are total opposites, Alice is a true romantic whereas Emily's mother's revolving door of men after her father left has made Emily cynical about men and relationships. Her mother's death two years ago hurt Emily irreparably, she dumped her long-term boyfriend and has refused to enter into any more relationships. Since then Alice has been forcing her to date guys but Emily finds a reason to dump every one of them after only one or two dates - although to be fair most of the reasons seemed pretty good to me!

Carolyn's wedding is a week-long affair at Durban Castle, which is owned by an uncle and where Alice and Carolyn spent many glorious holidays as children with their cousin Archie and Tom, the gardener's son. Until it all went wrong. Now Alice is estranged from her absentee father, loathes her step-mother Francelia, and is hiding her boyfriend Kevin from all of them.

Alice is determined that Emily will find her Prince Charming at the wedding and extracts a promise that Emily will seriously consider all the single male guests, in return if she doesn't find anyone Alice will stop forcing her to go on dates when they get home.

Unfortunately Alice's rose coloured spectacles are so thick that she couldn't identify a 'normal' guy if she tried and Emily is forced to fend off married lechers, cravat-wearing art bores and men who wear shoes without socks. But Alice's cousin Archie is handsome and charming, if a little over-eager, it wouldn't hurt to pretend she likes him, would it? The one man she can't stand is Tom. Now the gardener at the castle, his grumpy demeanour and refusal to reconnect to his childhood friends irritates Emily beyond reason. AND he keeps rescuing her when she gets lost in the grounds. Odious, sneering man.

But as the group activities organised by Carolyn, including karaoke, lawn games, treasure hunt and quiz take place Emily discovers things are not always as they seem, maybe she can tell someone about her miserable childhood and maybe, just maybe, she could fall in love?

This was a slow burner for me. Alice fell into that category of friends that I cannot stand, the clueless friend who thinks they know best but then set you up with the dregs of society, men who have no personality, no manners, no social skills. Also Emily's inability to find her way anywhere and constantly getting lost was also a bit tiresome. But then some of the events of the past that led to the childhood friendships falling apart start to emerge and the plot got interesting. By the end I was sorry it had ended!

Overall, an enjoyable romance set in the English countryside at a fancy Castle wedding.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This is such a good read, full of fun and laughter, wonderful characterisation and several who have had more than their fair share of heartbreak. But the course of true love never did run smooth …

Emily and Alice are housemates and best friends, so when Alice needs a plus one for her sister’s wedding and she can’t take the boyfriend she hasn’t told her family about then Emily is the obvious choice! But this isn’t any ordinary wedding – this is a week full of fun and games at the family castle – which Emily has never heard of before now. As a history buff, she is more than happy with the setting but the family and relations are a bit of an enigma to her and, as it turns out, there are several friends from Alice’s past which Emily has been entirely unaware of. To complicate things further, Alice has decided that this is THE week when she is going to find Emily’s Prince Charming. The choice seems to be between those already committed – but happy to have a dalliance – a grumpy gardener and more than one ‘chinless wonder’. Poor Emily!

This is a fabulous story – complete with wicked stepmother who has THE most terrific name! It is a lively read, with plenty of giggles and a few more sombre moments which all add up to a five star read, and one which I lay in bed reading until the early hours as I could not put it down!

My thanks to publishers HQ Digital for approving my copy via NetGalley. This is my honest, original and unbiased review.

I received a copy of The Wedding that Changed Everything by Jennifer Joyce from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was intrigued by the summary and I am happy to report that the book did not disappoint. This was a fun read - and a quick read - that made time fly by.

*Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Emily Atkinson is a history teacher and has had enough of men. She doesn’t want to go on date after date, but her best friend Alice has a different plan. She is also looking for men and Emily’s perfect match.

Alice herself has a boyfriend (Emily’s teacher colleague), but her family doesn’t know. Kevin had to hide several times already and she just can’t tell them, because she knows they won’t approve. When her sister gets married, she takes Emily as her plus one. Kevin is of course not happy with this situation and nor is Emily. It means there will be lots of single men around and Alice will do her best to play cupid.

The wedding takes place at Durban castle, a fabulous location and Jennifer Joyce captured it beautifully. There are lots of activities for the guests and it’s so much fun to read about them and see Emily being part of them. Of course there are several potential love interests there too. Archie and Tom were the most interesting ones and Emily definitely had chemistry with one of them. No I’m not telling you which one… read the book!

The banter between them was great and I liked him as a character. All the characters were very well lined out and had their own story to tell.

The fresh, modern and cute writing was the perfect mixture and the book has wonderful humour. It’s an easy read, with so many fantastic elements. The storyline flows beautifully and has a lot of sparks.

The Wedding that Changed Everything by Jennifer Joyce is a contemporary romance read that was full of laughs from the very first page. The lead character, Emily, is one that is full of snappy comebacks as she navigates the waters and tries to avoid her best friend’s attempts at matchmaking.

Emily and Alice have been roommates since college and now that Alice has found the man who she believes is the one she is determined that Emily needs to do the same. Emily however is a bit jaded on the whole happily ever after theory and isn’t looking for love but when the pair are invited to attend Alice’s sister’s wedding at Durban Castle Alice sees her matchmaking chance.

I have to say that from the opening pages of The Wedding that Changed Everything I knew that I was going to love Emily and her spitfire attitude mixed with her loyalty to her friend. The story was full of great moments to make a reader laugh even before the matchmaking could begin.

Once the book got going and really started building up the characters and setting I found myself completely engaged in the story. There was a whole other side to Emily that we got to know and feel for as her story is told and then on top of that a lovely little romance blooming amidst the crazy antics of the two best friends at the wedding. Definitely a book that I enjoyed and would look for more from this author in the future.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

You guys, I was so ready not to like this book. I mean, I went back and forth, which is why I requested Jennifer Joyce's The Wedding That Changed Everything on Netgalley. And then when I started reading, I was basically ready not to like whatever book I would have started. Yet, I couldn't? Reading this book just made me happy. And in the midst of correcting? That was all I could ask for.



I got to read this book as an ARC off Netgalley. And let's be real - this was totally one of those "I fell in love with the cover"-moments. Not going to lie - that's probably the number one prerequisite I have for any romance book I'm going to buy. It has to be pretty. And bright. And if at all possible: look inviting.

Because you know - I want to want to read the book. :)

Story
"Love happens when you least expect it…

Emily Atkinson stopped believing in fairy tales a long time ago! She’s fed up of dating frogs in order to track down her very own Prince Charming, despite the best efforts of her matchmaking best friend…

But now she’s been invited to the wedding of the year at the enchanting Durban Castle, and perhaps bumping into a knight in shining armour isn’t as far away as she thought!

Will Emily survive the wedding and walk away an unscathed singleton – or finally find her own happily-ever-after?"

Fun fact: Goodreads recommended this book as "A cosy and charming romance, perfect for fans of Trisha Ashley and Caroline Roberts." And as chance would have it - I have books by both of those authors! Again with the pretty covers :)

Characters
Look, I'm going to be honest here: the parents in this book need a 101-parenting class. Key-subjects may range from "How to NOT raise a jack-ass" to "How to NOT run away". Other topics might come up as well.

Emily and her eventual match? Loved them. One of the biggest complaints I tend to have about any romance is that if people would just talk things would be so much easier. And they actually do that! It was brilliant!

(Another strongpoint: that means this book didn't actually need that forced plot-advancement to be interesting!)

There were definitely some things I would have liked to have seen more of. The entire background story of Emily and her dad, for starters. The story of Alice and her sister. And of Alice and her sisters' childhood. And Alice and her stepmom. Oh, and Alice and her boyfriend.

Basically, I need more Alice. And I've read too many series of combined-stand-alones, so I'm kind of hoping for it.

(Pretty please, Jennifer Joyce?)

Overall: 4.25/5
Look, this book has a gorgeous castle, a plethora of wedding-activities (how amazing was the wedding, actually :o ) and a library. You guys, there's a library. Do you understand how happy that made me? So yeah, I loved this book just because of that. The well-rounded characters, fluent writing and so cute story were just added bonuses at that point.

If you want a fun read with just the right amount of escapism (again: a castle), I highly recommend this one (it's out tomorrow, February 7th!). Me, myself, I'm just going to go add about every other book by Jennifer Joyce to my TBR now. Just so you know :)

-Saar

What a wonderfully delightful read. I love books with a wedding and this one was the stuff of dreams!
Emily has had a tough time and is keeping all relationships at arms’ length. Her friend is determined to get her settled down- despite keeping her own boyfriend secret from her family.
When Alice’s sister is getting married at a castle , the guests are invited for a whole week of celebrations and Alice sees this as the perfect way of finding Mr Right for her friend.
I loved all the characters- I felt like I really got to know them. The whole wedding build up was perfect- I loved the sound of all the activities although I’d have probably have been hiding in the library for some of them. It sounded like the perfect break away with a pretty wedding to look forward to at the end of it.
There are sparks of romance and also some characters to avoid! I could quite easily have sat down to breakfast- they sounded delicious. I adored Jennifer Joyce’s previous books and she has a marvellous way of making the food described in her books sound so tempting that you have to have something handy to eat!

This is the perfect comfort read that will make you smile and fall in love all over again. I enjoyed reading this one and didn't want to put it down. I was completely invested in the characters.

If you're a chick lit fan, this book needs to be on your wish list.

I enjoyed this book and it was a fast read. I had not guessed who the “bad” boyfriend was until the end. You want to keep reading even if you think you know, you might be surprised.

I love this author and she certainly never let me down at all. The book was so Devine from page one and had you hooked in straight away and you just want to keep reading to find out what will happen at the end. A very easy read and full of friendships and romance and families along with a wedding. Perfect book for curling up and having a laugh.
Emily hasn't had a boyfriend for some years and she has learnt her ex is happy in a new relationship but she can't move on and her friend is set to match her up with Prince Charming but wonders if she can as she's noticed that her dates only last at least three dates. She's asked to the wedding of the year her friends sister and she's really not sure as her friend says it will be perfect for finding the one for her. She only agrees to go so she can prove mr right isn't out there and she can get on with her life. The wedding is a week long at a beautiful setting a castle and while her friend thinks she's found mr right for Emily she's not sure and the more she gets chatting to the gardener at the castle does she think she has found the love of her life but has she left it to late or can she work things out.
A devine read has you hooked from page one loved it so much.

Review shall be on my blog on publication day: 07/02 thecosiestcorner.blogspot.com

I really, really enjoyed this book. Much like Jennifer's first novel I've ever read (you can read my review here), the story drags you in and I loved every second. It was interesting and eventful from start to finish. I was hooked from the first page!

The story follows main character Emily, on her journey to keep as far away from love as possible! Even though she tries her best to stay single, her best friend Alice has other ideas. When Emily is invited to Alice's sisters wedding, Alice is over the moon and Emily is not. This means that Emily now has to put up with Alice's matchmaking efforts - and being hit on by a man with a pregnant wife was not what Emily was expecting! However, as the journey goes on. Emily soon opens her heart to someone she least expected and in my opinion, she chose the right guy!

I adored the location the story was set in, Durban Castle sounded magical and I felt like I was there next to Emily, a proper part of the story. The week before Carolyn's wedding was certainly eventful but I really enjoyed reading about said events and all the hilarious aftermaths that took place! My favourite night being karaoke night! I found myself really warming to all the characters in the book, especially Emily and Tom and was so, so pleased with the ending. I was sad when this book was over!

If you didn't believe in love before this book, then you will now. It's a lovely romance story with some serious laugh-out-loud moments. Overall, another amazing story written by the very talented Jennifer Joyce. If I could give this story more than 5 stars then I would! Thank you to Netgalley and to the Publishers for a chance to read this novel, which I have reviewed honestly.

I received The Wedding that Changed Everything by Jennifer Joyce from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. This is the first I have ever read by Ms. Joyce and I believe a stand alone. A delightful story that kept a smile on my face the whole time I read the book.
Emily Atkinson has walled herself off from feeling anything since the death of her mother. When her best friend drags her to her sister's wedding as her plus one, Emily is forced into meeting a variety of men thrust upon her as match making happy friend Alice searches for Prince Charming.
Tom is head gardener at the castle. Going through his own recent struggles make him moody and he is resistant to change. As he tries to hang on to the bad mood, he continues to meet up with Emily during she stay. As the weeding trip continues into the week, fibs are told, lies are revealed, and a wedding takes place.
This story has no tragedy or sex, and is a quick read. The sarcasm and real life smiles seem genuine. It was refreshing to not have a couple fall into bed after one meeting. The time line is about a week so it makes since there isn't a sex scene. I did have a rough time understanding all the British terminology but: A) I'm American and this takes place in present day Britain and, B) Google. I look forward to reading Jennifer Joyce again. #TheWeddingthatChangedEverything #NetGalley

I thoroughly enjoyed The Wedding That Changed Everything, it was entertaining from cover to cover in this book that could make the hardened of hearts potentially believe in love or fairy-tales.

For our main character Emily stopped believing in Prince Charming when she was a child and is utterly fed up of being sent out on dates thanks to her best friend, Alice. Alice agreed that if Emily comes with her, to her sister's wedding and puts up with one week of intense searching for Prince Charming that Emily can live her life without interference.

What Emily wasn't expecting was just how magnificent Durban Castle is, and how much she may genuinely start to like one of the men she meets over the course of the week long wedding.

I loved reading about all the different activities planned for the guests, the games on the lawn were funny, the treasure hunt was exhaustingly competitive, and the karaoke sounded a lot of fun.

I loved seeing as the week go on, just how true the title is, that the wedding really does change everything, for a large number of the guests. There is a big family misunderstanding that is causing tension between Alice, her sister, her stepmom and her boyfriend, and I loved seeing how that was all going to resolve itself over the course of the story.

Jennifer Joyce has written a really enchanting, sweet book that is full of humour, some mystery, romance, getting lost (just try and keep count how many times Emily gets lost!), and plenty of potential Prince Charmings!

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

I really enjoyed this book. It's a light romance, but thoughtfully written.
Emily seems to have dated too many 'frogs' and none of them have turned into her Prince. The book opens with her casting off yet another date that didn't work. Emily lives with her friend Alice, who prides herself on being a matchmaker, in a very charming house. I loved the description of the house next door...'the Chelsea Flower Show'...due to the plethora of flowers and shrubs surrounding it.
Enter the terrible Francelia, otherwise known as Alice's stepmother, from whom Alice has hidden her relationship with Kevin. Francelia is dominating and nasty and Alice knows that she would not accept Kevin.
A wedding invitation is proffered to Emily, the wedding of Alice's sister at Durban Castle no less. A week's celebrations. Will Emily find her Prince there? Alice has happy memories of her childhood at the castle with her grandparents, playing with cousins and with Tom the gardener's son, but not so happy memories of being accused of stealing a necklace the last time she was there.
Twists and turns ensue. Archie, the cousin seems delightful but has an agenda. Tom the gardener is very much in the background but you can't help seeing him for the nice character that he is. Difficult to describe more without giving the plot away.
It's a very pleasant book. Thanks to NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Emily doesn't believe in happy ever after. But dragged to a wedding in a castle by her best friend, who is intent on her finding her prince charming.
Lovely story of finding what you least expected in the unlikliest of places.