Member Reviews
I always turn to Jenny Colgan when I need a feel good book. I love this series and hope she keeps going!
I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. Another wonderful read by Jenny Colman with a lovely storyline and characters you want to befriend.
An Island Wedding by Jenny Colgan ⭐⭐⭐
I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley
I wasn't aware that this was part of a series and should be read in order. I felt like I missed so much by not reading the books before this one. The ending didn't feel finished, so maybe another book will follow.
Its a good story maybe someday I will read the previous books.
Such a sweet story. On the island of Mure between Scotland and Norway Flora McKenzie and her fiancée Joel are planning the most intimate of weddings. Their goal is to make it as small as possible with the most important people in their lives. But the islanders aren’t happy about the possibility of being excluded.. so something has to give. After 10 years of living off island, Olivia MacDonald comes back to Mure, engaged to a rich man and is hoping to plan the wedding of a lifetime. No amount of money is too much to spend and Flora is feeling out done. Even though it’s nothing she ever wanted.. could it be? Should she have a huge wedding too? Only time will tell and as it gets closer for the Solstice, stress and life are taking a toll on Flora.. can she find her happy ever after? This is a well written story, with love and friendship and a little bit of jealousy too.. this was a four star read for me. This is the 5th book in the series but reads like a stand alone. I want to thank Jenny Colgan and Netgalley for my copy for an honest review. It was my pleasure to read and review this book. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Thank you, NetGalley and Avon Harper Voyager, for the ARC of An Island Wedding by Jenny Colgan. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize that this is the third book in a series. I was a little confused, due to the quantity of characters. The setting of Mure was picturesque, and I enjoyed the development of Flora. The ending leaves the door open for another installment, and I hope Jenny Colgan delivers! Overall, this was an enjoyable beach read.
Beautiful cover for this book. Thanks for the review copy. I wish I had realized this was part of a series sooner so I could have read the others first.
Jenny Colgan does it again!
As a long-time Jenny Colgan fan and one who especially loves Flora and Joel's story, it was nice to come back to Mure. Colgan wraps Flora & Joel's story up so beautifully. One thing I love most about Colgan's writing and that it shines through especially well in An Island Wedding is the relatability of the characters. New and old characters appear and we are able to so vividly see them. The realness of her characters are so true and honest it is hard not to love them or sympathize with them.
Colgan brings us right into the beauty of Scotland and you will want to stay longer than the book lasts and return immediately after you close it.
The books I have read by Jenny Colgan have been hit or miss lately. This was another one that just did not connect with me. Though I loved the setting in Scotland, the story had a slow beginning and did not pull me in and keep me invested in the story. The one positive is that the ending was surprising though also left me a little angry. But I encourage you to read the book on your own and see what you think. It might be your cup of tea.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!
Another great book by Jenny Colgan! I loved the location of this book—a tiny Scottish Island of Mure which is halfway between Scotland and Norway, I really felt like I was there.
Flora Mackenzie, who runs the local hotel The Rock, is finally getting married to her fiancé and father of her son, Joel. Flora’s dreams of a big wedding including the whole island are dashed when Joel says he wants a wedding with the smallest number of people possible. Flora knows the island folk will not be happy to be excluded from their wedding. To make matters worse, a former Islander, Olivia MacDonald, who is an Instagram influencer, wants to have her over-the-top wedding at Flora’s hotel on the same day Flora had planned to get married. Flora’s best friend, Lorna, has been having a secret affair with the island’s doctor. He is a refuge from Syria and has two boys. The characters are very believable and the story is well written. I didn’t realize this was the last book in the series. The ending was heartbreaking!! Thank you to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager Publishing for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
I love a good Jenny Colgan book and this one was no different! While it took me a while to really get into the story, I’m glad I chose to keep going with it instead of calling it a DNF. Like others have said, I also didn’t realize that this was part of a series, so I think I would have enjoyed it a bit more if I had known some of the background from the other books, but this was still a great read. Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!
Nobody would believe me if I told them I enjoyed this book because it took me literally months to finish. I'd read a bit, put it down for a month, pick it back up and read some more, then down for a month, and so on and so forth. That being said, I really did love it and found myself envying the tight-knit community on the island of Mure. The characters are charming, even the island outsiders, and I loved getting to know them a bit more.
I wish (and this is my own fault) that I had realized this was the last book in a series before I requested it. I felt like I missed out on quite a bit of context throughout the story since I basically picked it up in the middle of a very long and drawn out narrative. Will I go back to the beginning and start from book one? Probably not, but I did enjoy getting to know the land and the people albeit briefly. The description of the setting was visceral and I could almost feel the rain and wind during the storms and feel the green beauty of the wedding day. Easy read for someone who has the context - but make sure you start from book one!
I’ve really enjoyed Jenny Colgan’s previous books but I had a hard time getting into this one…although the narrator did do a good job. With each installment I’ve always looked forward to going back to the island of Mure but this one just didn’t pull me in like her other ones have in the past.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.
Anytime Jenny Colgan will take me back to Mure, I am ready. I loved the latest installment in the Mure series. Flora and Joel are engaged, but want very different things for their wedding. They both want to spend the rest of their life together, but their childhoods have created a very different image of who should be invited and what should happen at their wedding. I love how the island comes together for one of their favorite daughters.
We are finally back on Mure Scotland in the 5th book of the Cafe by the Sea series. Joel and Flora are finally planning their wedding, but these two always seem to see things a little differently and they do not agree with what the wedding should look like.
Meanwhile, Olivia, Jan's famous sister wants to throw an over-the-top wedding on the Rock that is making Flora just a wee jealous, while creating tons of drama around the island because 2 weddings on one tiny island- what could go wrong? We see Jan become almost unhinged with jealousy, Lorna still nursing her secret passion, and Fintan trying to get over his recent loss too.
I don't think I could even have enough of this island and its inhabitants. If Jenny Colgan wants to give a 6th (and 7th and 8th) book, we would not object at all.
An Island Wedding
By Jenny Colgan
I read this book without reading the previous books in the series and I was still able to find the book enjoyable and will definitely be revisiting the rest of the other books in the Mure series because I just so love the characters and want to get to know all of them.
Jenny Colgan’s books bring me the feel good vibes and all the cozies this stressful reader and nurse has in her real life. Colgan books are my respite to escape from the harsh realities of the world and I am so thankful for it.
An Island Wedding catches up on our protagonist Flora Mackenzie – Colgan does a fantastic job catching up her readers new to the series on the goings-on on the island.
I found the read fun and enough to get me excited to read the entire back series.
Do you have an auto-buy author? Jenny Colgan’s books are auto buys for me. I love her.
An Island Wedding is the fifth book of the Mure series. I love Colgan’s series, especially this series. With it being a series, I feel like I get to know all of the characters on the island of Mure in the North Sea so well. It’s like visiting with old friends each time I pick up a new book in the series.
Flora Mackenzie and her fiancé Joel are finally going to get married. Unfortunately, the two of the them have very different ideas on what they want for a wedding. Joel gets Flora to agree on a small wedding, but everyone on the island is sure that they will be invited. Jan’s sister, model Olivia Macdonald is also returning to Mure to have a large and lavish wedding at Flora’s hotel, the Rock, the same weekend as her wedding! Saif and Lorna’s relationship is threatened by circumstances that are mostly out of their control. Will everyone get their happily ever after?
I vastly enjoyed this story. I hope that the Mure series continues on as I love all of the characters and the setting. I want to visit this beautiful fictional island in the north between Scotland and Norway. I did get a bit annoyed at Flora not being more up front with Joel about what she wanted for a wedding until far into the process. I loved that she picked a colored dress to go more with her skin tone and hair. I enjoyed meeting Jan’s sister and the family dynamics there. I loved that Olivia seemed very icy, but she had picked the perfect man for her. I especially enjoyed Saif and Lorna’s story. I hope we can enjoy more of their story.
I would suggest reading this series in order. The books build on each other.
Overall, An Island Wedding is a great addition to the Mure series.
Book Source: Review Copy from Avon Books and NetGalley. Thank-you! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I love Jenny Colgan. She writes cozy and lovely books set in Scotland(at least all I have read have been) and I love that they are a breather and a respite in a hectic world.
This brings us back to Mure, or in my case brings for the first time because I had not read any in this series and therefore was stepping in on book five. The author gives a catch up on the outset of the book which is helpful and it doesn’t seem to need for the reader to have read the other books but I wish that I had. The cozy town would have been that much more had I known all the players intimately.
This follows Flora as she tries to balance her wedding with the wedding of a hometown girl who is returning and expecting lavish. It seems like all the normal players are back and it is just a delightful view into the characters lives. It’s not high adventure or high stakes drama but I think that it’s beautiful in that way.
I look forward to Jenny Colgan’s next release and I appreciate the opportunity to read and review this.
The fifth book in the Mure series continues the story of Flora, her brothers and their island community. Jenny Colgan does a quick review to bring you up to date to the island happenings. Flora is engaged to Joel, and as they are planning a wedding, a girl who left Mure to pursue a modeling career returns to throw the biggest, brashest wedding the island has seen. In addition, Lorna and Saif are still hiding their relationship from everyone to protect Saif’s sons. These books are always a pleasure to read, heartwarming and escapist fun. I recommend and thank NetGalley for the ARC.
I didn’t realize going into this book that it was a series. I was able to catch up quickly but wish I would have read the others first. All in all I enjoyed the Island of Mure and the characters that inhabit it. I will definitely read the next book and go back and read the others.
An Island Wedding by Jenny Colgan
A summer novel that will sweep you away to the remote Scottish Island of Mure, where two very different weddings are about to take place.
Nice, casual romantic cosy. Not too much adventure. More about relationships and how people judge v you. Many friendly characters. An entertaining read.
Thanks to Net Galley for sending me an advanced reader’s copy for my review.