A steamy, friends to lovers single dad, dual POV, Scottish romance that I absolutely loved!!! Set in the same world as The ex-mas holidays, two best friends band together to help their friends organize and plan their wedding. Full of emotional depth and lots of spice, I couldn't get enough of this book by a new auto-buy author. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!

Title: The Wedding Engagement
Author: Zoe Allison
Publisher: Berkley
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review:
"The Wedding Engagement" by Zoe Allison

My Perception:
If you are into a read of friends-to-lover romances, you have come to the right place.
Indeed, Liv and Arran were a lovely, cute couple, along with Arran's son Jayce.
I enjoyed reading about how these two had some problems to overcome and how well they were resolved in the end due to crossing the line of their solid friendship.

The author did a fantastic job of bringing these two together. The secondary characters were also outstanding, and let's remember that Scotland's wedding setting gave the reader an incredible, sweet story and enjoyable ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Berkley publisher for the ARC!

The Wedding Engagement by Zoe Allison. Scotland Setting and Friends to Lovers Rom Com. Right up my alley. I loved all the characters and their sense of humor. Definitely a sweet romance. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

The Wedding Engagement by Zoe Allison explores the romantic intricacies of planning a wedding, especially when it involves collaborating with the person you have a secret crush on. This novel is the ideal winter read, offering a warm and cozy atmosphere filled with emotions and festive cheer. The charming setting of Glenavie and its delightful residents captivated me entirely. I eagerly anticipate delving into more of Zoe's work in the future.

A wedding rom com with friends to (spicy) lovers set in Scotland! This is trope-y (and more than a bit trite in spots) but you, like me. might find yourself enjoying the banter between Liv and Arran. These two both have issues but unusually for the genre they are up front with one another. It's a bit slow in spots but that's better than the insta-love we sometimes see. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A light fun read.

I feel like I wanted to know more about the main characters of this book but never really got to know them. I wish there was less time spent on describe scenes and more time spent on developing characters.

I really love a good best-friend-to-lovers trope. After all, secretly many of us may have experienced that in our own love life. This one is super entertaining but very true to form of the genre. Not a whole lot of surprises here, but wonderfully entertaining.

I am not usually fond of romances with kids involved, however, Allison did this one right. The MMC is fabulous and really made the story for me. I think I love him too! His son is a doll and while his ex is a pain at times, she is not horrible.

Both characters have been in love with each other for years, but circumstances, ya know? Fair warning in that this is a super slow burn and that got me frustrated at times. But, the balance between them is great and worth the read. I enjoyed all of the characters and their interactions together.

Allison delivers a steamy second half in The Wedding Engagement that is worth the wait and frustration. Know that much of this book also involves dealing with narcissistic attitudes which can be stressful for some. And we are delivered the third act drama too. Sigh

All in all, this book is sweet and entertaining. Definitely a good one for those who love a traditional best-friends-to-lovers read.

this was it first Berkeley review and I was a little underwhelmed. I think the book was extremely predictable which made it hard to keep my interest.

That said, I am so grateful for the opportunity for early review. I will still share like normal and not give a star review in my platform, still allowing for publicity as release day is near!

This was a little too slow paced for me and I think I might end up like it but it’s not working for me right now. And I need to move on before I decide I hate it. I love a Scottish hero so much, and brother’s best friend trip never disappoints!

The writing is good and I do think a lot of people will enjoy this!!

Thanks to Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

dnf @ 25%

This was a cute friend’s to lovers romance. The main characters Liv and Arran were cute together. I also loved the dynamic between Liv and Arran’s son Jayce. Overall a good read!



Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This was such a cute friends-to-lovers. Sometimes I can struggle with this trope but this book handled it perfectly! I really like that the characters admitted their feelings early enough that we could see the progression of their relationship and see how they dealt with the conflicts that arose. I felt like the setting of Liv's brother's wedding was the perfect backdrop for the story. I love the friendship group and this book made me super interested in reading Nico and Elise's story next!.

Perfect for fans of friends to lovers romances, I happen to be a big fan of the friends to lovers trope so this book definitely worked for me.

I really liked the relationship between the two MCs. Liv and Arran felt like real people. They both have personal demons to overcome and I appreciated that the author didn't have the romance magically fix everything. I also found their relationship realistic. They are both afraid of crossing the line of friendship even though they're longing to be together. I think when it comes to the friends to lovers trope, this isn't shown enough. The romance is a very slow burn but the journey of these two is sweet and worth the wait. I loved all the swoon worthy moments building up to them getting together. In terms of spicy scenes, we did get some scenes which were great.

I enjoyed the side characters, wedding venue and of course Scotland setting. All these additions just improved upon an already great story.

A swoon worthy friends to lovers romance!

I really wanted to like this one more, the premise sounded so good but the writing was kind of boring. I didn't connect with the characters and I wasn't invested in their romance. The Scottish backdrop and wedding planning antics added a fun twist but the story was just okay to me overall.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

What a cute, quick read! No notes.

I think this is how a childhood friends/brothers best friend to lovers should be done. I love a romance that is based in a really solid friendship.

I received this for free as an advanced reader copy.

Look, I really enjoy this author on tiktok. She's creative and does some funny videos. But this book ain't it.

The writing is so bland. I can't put my finger on it, but it's a boring read. I made it to 4% but will not be finishing this book.

This woman is crushing on her friend. Do you know how many times she thinks "oh, he's so attractive" or some variation on that in just this 4%? Way. Too. Many. I was rolling my eyes so hard.

I cannot waste my time with a book that sucks this badly in the beginning. I have VERY little hope that this is going to be a good time. On to the next!

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC of this novel. As someone who loves to read books set in Scotland, it's always nice to read a book by someone who actually lives in Scotland, knows the vernacular and has authentic characters. The Wedding Engagement definitely delivered on those elements. It also delivered on the spice and humor. My first reaction was that it was overwritten - too much oddly irrelevant description, too much play-by-play movements of the characters. I also could have used more breaks from the anxious yearning of the two main characters in about the first third of the story. It was a rough start. About midway through, however, the story started to feel less forced and the romantic tension was more enjoyable. There are interesting family dynamics at play - what makes a family, what makes a father/mother/parent, how should family support one another, etc. There were way too many 'interrupted by the text/call' moments. However, I found the last few chapters really charming and enjoyed then ending.

Olivia's twin brother is getting married to her best friend, and at the same time, she is falling for her brother's best friend - or maybe she always was enamored by him. As the wedding plans pick up, Liv and Aaron end up spending more time together, leaning on each other, and eventually realizing their feelings for one another. Past relationships, insecurities, and fear of messing up their friendship make things complicated. But when all the cards are out on the table, it's clear how much they love and support each other.

I loved re-visiting this cast of characters from The Ex-Mas Holidays! I loved all the tea, the slow burn, and the wonderful characters. Arran is definitely the perfect book boyfriend! Although I loved the single dad and brother's best friend tropes, I was not a fan of the constant miscommunication and misunderstandings between the main characters, although I understand why it's done. I felt like it went a little long, but I did really enjoy exploring these characters and the setting through this little story. Can't wait for Nico and Elise's story!

These characters can’t do anything without gazing into the sky and thinking about how they long to kiss each other. It’s almost every paragraph. This book is simplistic. I like that one of the people has a kid - it adds a dimension usually not included, but it is just so hackneyed. It has all the usual elements I love - a Scottish location, friends becoming something more, and artistic characters, but it just feels so unedited and plain, and awkward. I got halfway through and had to stop. Everything about this book feels forced, and the characters just keep getting in each other’s way, and not in a plot device sort of way - they just keep making the same excuses for not getting together. I’m out. DNF.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Cute idea, but very, very slow and surface level. It is a book that you can skim and not miss much, and then you'll forget about it the moment you're done. This is a competitive genre, so the books really must be a little snappier and quicker to compete with the overflowing options. On top of the slow moving plot, it had a lot of miscommunication and a lack of communication that made it even more tedious. This one was not for me!

It is a cute fun story but dragged on too long for me. I had a hard time feeling immersed in it. I surface read it. Quick read but failed to keep me interested.