My thanks to NetGalley and publisher HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, for the electronic copy.

This is rather an intriguing story which did hold my attention. In the present, from Libby's point of view, she and boyfriend Matthew go to Yorkshire to attend Vicky and Daniel's wedding. Matthew and Daniel, together with Simon and Amir formed a pop band in the early 1990s whilst still at school. Simon was the driving force behind them, writing their songs, and Daniel was lead singer - but they hadn't been in touch since the band broke up after several years.
At a dinner the night before the wedding Simon announces he's written a book about them; Libby witnesses the acrimony that follows. What secrets are they all keeping? Then, on the wedding day, the chief bridesmaid disappears, but Libby's certain that she heard a gunshot somewhere in the hotel grounds.

The narrative also gives us Matthew's point of view on the band's route to stardom to the point of the disaster which tore the band apart.

Intermittently there are extracts from Simon's memoires - again charting their route to success, but detailing his personal decent when enthralled to drink and drugs.

Libby spends her whole time trying to uncover the secret they all hold as well as playing detective to find out what happened to the bridesmaid, and although she was obviously a caring character, her worries and musings became repetitive.
When it all comes to a conclusion I thought it was somewhat rushed; I didn't expect that outcome - and I was left feeling like I'd missed something along the way.

When the publisher brought this to my attention, I thought that this sounded quite intriguing! And it is definitely a fast-paced and entertaining murder story. Journalist Libby attends a countryside wedding with her ex-popstar boyfriend when one of his old bandmates gets married for the second time. There's an age difference between the couple and though Libby is at first uncomfortable, soon it's clear that some guests are more than uncomfortable - they turn up dead!

As Libby starts investigating, there are also sections set in the 1990s, covering the band's rise (and fall) to stardom. In addition, there are excerpts from now member's tell-all memoir - a memoir that he plans on publishing with or without his bandmates' support. The short and shifting sections makes it easy to keep turning the pages. While some of the dialogue feels a bit stiff - some of Libby's investigating is equally clumsy - the mixture of murder and '90s nostalgia still makes this a fast and fun read. The plot takes a few turns that some readers may see coming, but there are some genuine surprises, too!

The Wedding Murders is a fast-paced, whodunit and whydunit. Its the why that is more the question.

The story is told across two timelines. Libby tells the present and Matthew fills us in on the back story from the 90's. I quite enjoy being drip fed the story in this way and trying to work out the twists.

I did find the characters a little annoying, especially Libby. As she is a journalist I expected her to be nosey and jump to conclusions but I didn't enjoy reading about her long winded and sometimes ridiculous thought processes.

Despite Libby's character, I read the book very quickly as I couldn't put it down and needed to read more of the back story.

This was a good mystery thriller set in two time periods, then and now. Libby is the main character who is in a relationship with an ex band member and they are together at the wedding of another member, Daniel. The story begins to reveal the shady past of the group who didn't appear to get on as well together as would be expected and now one of them is writing a tell all book much to the consternation of the other hand members. More intriguing is wondering what happened to the only female member of the band who apparently committed suicide - or did she! The wedding is a little bizarre with the main bridesmaid disappearing and obvious discontent and disagreement among the guests. The ending is very unexpected - didn't guess that at all! I will definitely be reading the next Sarah Linley book.

Set in two timelines this book is sadly full of most unpleasant characters. The period in the 90s with the band members is quite believable describing young musicians who have their heads turned by fame and fortune, who turn to drink, drugs and women.
The present time characters are still unlikeable but I found it too far fetched and I was irritated by Libby who I didn't expect to take the risks she did when she had a young son to consider.
Sorry, not for me, although the last section is quite tense.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Sarah Linley/HarperCollins UK for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book did not live up to its promise. It sounded great but the reality for me was that it was just too far fetched and the author seemed to be trying too hard to create a tension situation to the point where I had to suspend disbelief.
I think it must be very hard to write a murder story whilst retaining a plausible core that will carry the interest to the reader.
The hotel location and wedding all sounded gorgeous but Libby was just too naive and impetuous for me. Sorry
This review will be listed with Waterstones

I really enjoyed this fast-paced, modern-day murder mystery involving mysterious goings-ons at a swanky wedding. Two different timelines are skilfully weaved into the story (aspiring-journalist Libby now and her partner Matthew in his 1990s boy-band heyday) and the reader is left with many unanswered questions until close to the end, making it a compelling read.

A thriller involving the back story of a successful band. Libby an up coming journalist goes to a wedding with recent boyfriend Matthew and meets his old band members. The story moves between past and present as the band's story is told. Secrets that have been kept for many years threaten to come out as one band member is writing a book. When things take deadly turn Libby has to decide who to trust.

This book was a major disappointment. I was enticed in by the title and the synopsis but the actual content didn't measure up.

None of the characters were likeable, even Libby who I think we were supposed to be rooting for was just so dull that I just couldn't take it.

I have no issues with dual timelines in books but in this book I felt it just didn't work. The POV of Matthew in the past was boring and when I turned a page and found we were back then I couldn't stop myself from rolling my eyes; I also felt the excerpts from Simon's book was unnecessary. For a book being titled The Wedding Murders we spent very little time in that timeline which was disappointing; although the last 60 pages or so picked up in pace and plot by that time it was too late and I just couldn't have cared less what happened.

*Thanks to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK and Sarah Linley for the copy of this book. All views are my own.*

2 out of 5.
⭐⭐

I loved this book! I read it in one sitting. Not your typical murder mystery, as the back story mixed in with the main story. It was good fun and a really enjoyable read.

I liked Libby, Patrick and her sister Emma, and Peter was great too, which made the book more enjoyable.

The whodunit kept me guessing, and although the story was far fetched and difficult to believe, I think that's what made it so much fun. Highly recommend.

Libby is attending a celebrity wedding with Matthew, her celebrity boyfriend, a former pop star. Thinking it will be nothing more than a weekend away from her life and her son, Libby is soon thrust into a mystery that has roots to the past, a past that includes things about Matthew that she had no idea about, a past that has a body count that is continuing to grow. Full of stardom, drug abuse, disappearance and death, Libby feels the need to uncover the truth before the truth causes more harm and destruction.  ⁣

The Wedding Murders was an okay novel; it was a bit predictible, but it was still enjoyable for the most part. I liked the way Linley set up the narrative. It jumps from the present to the past, with some bits of a memoir thrown in, and all these pieces cohere together nicely to tell the story. I liked Libby; her strength and determination are admirable qualities and I found myself rooting for her. The portrayal of the band–its successes and struggles–seemed honest, as well as interesting. While I enjoyed the story, it wasn’t the page-turner that I had hoped it would be.

Great storyline well written suspense.Kept me guessing from start to finish.Did not expect the guilty person to be the bride.Would recommend this book and author to anyone who likes mystery novels.

Exciting read, plenty of twists and turns, keeping you turning the pages late into the night. The characters and setting were great - ideal thriller. Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Glitz, glamour and murder. This is the perfect murder mystery. I thoroughly enjoyed it and could not put it down.

Libby Steele and her boyfriend Matthew -the former drummer of a pop band back in the 90’s- are invited to the wedding of Vicky and Daniel, the band’s singer.
From the very start, it is clear why the band is no longer together: they can’t stand each other and there are secrets that no one wants revealed. No one except for Simon, who just announced he was going to write a book telling the whole story. When weird things start to happen and a guest goes missing, Libby realizes that she needs to get to the bottom of this before it’s too late.

For me, this was a 3-star book. I enjoyed it, but lots of things didn’t make sense while reading. Worse, they didn’t even make sense AFTER we learned the truth. Besides, even though the book is called ‘The Wedding Murders’, we don’t actually have a murder until way past the 90% mark.

However, the book did keep me interested and the writing was good, so I’ll be glad to read another book by this author.

Sucked me right in and I read it so quickly.

A mystery with added 90s touches did it for me.

Read if you like Lucy Foley.

Libby and her boyfriend Matthew are spending the weekend at a fancy English manor house to attend a celebrity wedding. The groom and Matthew were both members of a popular 90s band, and most of the other band members are attending the wedding too. The band broke up under mysterious circumstances and it’s been years since they were all together. But it seems to Libby that not everyone is thrilled to be reunited, as she notices an ominous undercurrent in the band members’ interactions. Then a bridesmaid goes missing on the morning of the wedding. And another guest almost dies.

The closed circle story is told from three perspectives: Matthew and another band member Simon give us the nitty-gritty of what it was like for the band in the 90s, and Libby is in the present, determined to figure out what’s happening to the wedding guests. I really enjoyed the chapters about the young band members struggling to make it in the music industry, but having more of the book set in the past interrupts the flow of the present-day suspense, making the momentum feel a little uneven. I also didn’t entirely buy why Libby felt so invested in finding the missing bridesmaid. All in all, “The Wedding Murders” is a solid suspense novel and the 90s music perspective helps set it apart in a crowded genre. Fans of Lucy Foley's "The Guest List" and Agatha Christie will enjoy this book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK One More Chapter for providing me an advance copy of this book.

This was do different. I can't describe the genre - it had all the elements og a good old fashioned murder mystery. I just loved how Libby searched for clues and wouldn't give up. There was one thing I couldn't understand was Amir's financial situation given how he had given Matt advice. Apart from that it all worked. I was given an advance advance copy by the publishers and netgalley but the review is entirely my own.

This was an entertaining read. There was a good amount of flashbacks to the 1990s when the men of the group formed a band, in their younger days. It tells of the dynamics within the group. There is a secret that the group doesn’t want told and eventually the reader learns of it and how it affected each person involved. The present day story features Libby, who is a journalist and can’t help but try to discover what happened. All this takes place while a wedding is in progress. Although I enjoyed this, I was a little disappointed in the ending. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

An easy read that was more enjoyable than I'd expected. A fun whodunit with the usual suspects..... a wedding, a missing person, secrets, murder and an unexpected ending..... an ideal rainy day read. 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review