At the Wedding

I have no idea how Matt Dunn manages it, but not for the first time has has written a book based around the events of a short space of time - this time around its 48 hours and manages to fit in so many twists and turns along the way to keep readers on their toes.

At times I was so engrossed in this book that a waitress made me jump out of my skin, as I hadn't seen her approach and I'm still not sure how I returned home as I don't recall seeing most of the stops!

The book is not the only thing that is fast paced, so is the time between proposal and wedding, for Livia's and Je. To say that Jed was rather surprised at the real reason they were in Barcelona, would be an understatement.

Followed up with the following day assorted friends and family arrive for the wedding, all of whom have been sworn to secrecy.

The focal point switches around between some of the main characters,so you were able to get to know them a bit better. I really did love all members of the main wedding part, and some of the supplementary people were also great to meet.

I love how clever this author is in creating a believable storyline, with plenty of action and humour but using such a small timeline. Each character shows some development in their view towards relationships over the course of the book. I loved Liam's continual flirting, Izzy's shopaholic tendencies, Patrick's father figure approach to the group, Rachel's sightseeing is particularly memorable as is Jed's reaction to the proposal

Another gem of a book from Dunn, reminding me once more of just how much I love this author. If you are already a fan then you will understand when I say it has all of his trademark style and is a must read. If you have never tried a Matt Dunn book, then this is certainly a great example of what he is capable of.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and Matt Dunn for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I absolutely loved Matt’s last book, 13 Dates; it contained everything that this genre needs to make it a perfect read. I was therefore delighted to see At the Wedding available for review and as I had just finished a book, I couldn’t wait to read it.
I was so disappointed; the characters were all cliches and the main plot was predictable. Only Matt’s interesting writing and my hope that the book would improve or that the characters would go against type kept me reading.
If this had been my first book by Matt Dunn, I would not be inclined to read another, but having read and thoroughly enjoyed 13 Dates I will continue to read his books and I am sure this was just a blip.

This book opens with Livia essentially roping longtime boyfriend Jed into a surprise wedding ceremony, and then follows the next turbulent 48 hours of the couple and their friends who are arriving in Barcelona for the wedding, and bringing their own relationship issues with them.

I have to admit that when I first read the blurb on this one, I was a bit skeptical, but I've read nearly all of Matt Dunn's novels and I have a soft spot for him, so I wanted to read it anyway. I wound up being unable to put it down and disappointed when I turned the page to find acknowledgements instead of more book. This is definitely now one of my favorites from this author, and favorites in general. It is witty, funny, honest, dramatic, hopeful and poignant all at once, and highly entertaining as we get to switch between the points of view of the various characters. I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Jed and Livia have been dating for ten years and are expecting a baby in a couple of months. She has planned a weekend in Barcelona, to celebrate their meeting ten years ago. She has invited Liam, Jed's brother who was the second runner-up on Big Brother and is still trying to live on that glory; newly divorced Patrick, who is jaded about love and marriage and has brought his much younger girlfriend, Izzy; and Rachel, Livia's best friend who has just been dumped by her boyfriend. What Jed doesn't know (but everyone else does) is that Livia is going to propose to him and has planned a wedding for the next day.

Needless to say, Jed is shocked with the proposal but goes along with it. But he doesn't see why they have to get married as things are fine as they are. He spends his wedding day deciding if he wants to go through with it or not and if he doesn't, how does he break it to Livia?

I've read many books by this author and liked this one. I enjoyed the writing style and found it amusing. It is written by an English author so their humour was there. It was written in third person perspective from various points of view (wherever the action was). I liked the characters, though I wasn't crazy about Livia at first ... she seemed selfish at first by putting Jed on the spot and pressuring him into marriage. It said a lot about their relationship if she couldn't be honest with him. I found Izzy a bit extreme and childish at times and don't know how the more mature Patrick would tolerate her. As a head's up, there is some swearing.

Never really a good idea to surprise your groom (who doesn't know he's a groom) with a wedding, let alone a destination wedding. Nonetheless, Dunn has managed to write a humorous take on this. Livia and Jed do love each other but they just haven't gotten married. Now they're in Barcelona and well, guess what's on the agenda! Thanks to Netgalley for the aRC. This is light and it would make a good rom-com.

At The Wedding on the surface seems to be a light-hearted novel about a pregnant girlfriend who proposes to her boyfriend of 10 years. The day before the secret wedding she's arranged with a few select friends as guests.
But its so much deeper than that. Each person at this secret wedding is dealing with issues relating to relationships and where they fit in in their life.
Liam - a playboy - preferring married/taken women so as to have no emotional ties to anyone.
Patrick - burnt by divorce - with a girlfriend almost the same age as his daughter.
Rachel - compromiser in her relationships - trying to find herself and be happy on her own without having to settle for second best.
Jed - the reluctant groom-to-be - scared of marriage due to his past and worried about getting married.
Livia - the pregnant bride-to-be - wants the security of marriage especially now that she's 6 months pregnant.
All of them boarded flights to Barcelona with just the thought of the wedding that lay ahead (okay not Jed as he was going to celebrate his 10 year anniversary - clueless as to the wedding). But as the weekend progresses each one makes a personal journey and in doing so, sort of let go of some of the things holding them back.
A lovely read. Small group of well developed characters. I really enjoyed this book.

I was looking for a light carefree read and At the Wedding was just that. It is quick and light and I finished it in less than a few hours. Unfortunately, the storylines fell flat for me and left me feeling like I threw away half of a perfectly made sandwich knowing I'd have finished it later. The characters were kind of bland and other than the a few conflicts there isn't much that will be memorable from the book.

At the Wedding is a really fun (and, surprisingly realistic) story! The entire novel spans the 48 hours of Livia and Jed's wedding in Barcelona. Everything, from the surprise proposal, the arguments, the drama with the guests, the pregnancy complications, and the ceremony itself is carried out with heart and humor. This book is a great escape!

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

I liked the story but at the beginning I wasn't too gone on Livva's character as I thought she was very pushy and took no one else's feelings into consideration but as the book went on, I changed my mind about her. I have never read anything by the author before and while romantic fiction isn't usually my genre, this one caught my attention from the blurb and I'll be back for more. I would like to thank the publishers and netgalley for letting me have the arc to review for an honest opinion and the views expressed are entirely my own and are unbiased.

A fun book with a lot of LOL moments. An easy read. Light hearted. Well developed characters. Made me want to go back to Barcelona.
Matt Dunn is a new author to me but one I will definitely be reading more from.

Relaxing read. It's what I call an easy read. Doesn't require too much thinking. Yet again it's another new author that before today I had never heard of.
I shall certainly be looking for books written by Matt Dunn.
Thank you to both Netgalley and Late Union Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read ’At the Wedding by Matt Dunn in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

This book has many pov but the main story is about Jed and Livia who go to Barcelona to celebrate their 10th anniversary and to have a weekend away before they baby is born. Livia proposes to Jed and tell him their closest friends are flying from England for the surprise weeding. Jed its not so happy with the idea of marriage or being pushed into doing it, but anyway he says yes.
Then is where the other characters come into place. Liam, Jed´s brother and best man at the weeding, Patrick and her girlfriend Izzy and Rachel, whos Livia´s best friend. All the characters will be dealing with their own personal issues while trying to convince Jed and help Livia to get married.

I think is a fast paced story, it has its fun moments but there´s one particular thing I just can´t ignore because it bother me the hole book and that´s why I only gave it three stars. There might be spoilers below!
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In the book we get to know Patrick, his gone through a divorce after finding her wife cheating. Now he´s 50 years old and its dating a 22 year old girl. (I think this is what this means the ‘mid-life crisis’ on the book description). So I get it, his old, dating a younger woman, nothing wrong with that, so WHY the author decided to use this kind of phrases?

"Like the car, Izzy had a maintenance cost too, and Patrick much preferred paying maintenance for something he could still enjoy rather than someone he couldn´t"

"Everything cost. My divorce certainly did, and that wasn´t even my fault! so if you´re going to be paying, you might as well get what you want"

HE´S TALKING ABOUT A PERSON, not a thing… nobody needs to be bought, and seems he is buying her things in exchange for sex because he explicitly says he does not want anything else rather than "have fun" with her, and even seems he sees it like an allowance he needs to pay to keep having it…

I dont know if it was just me, but that kind of things made me wanted to stop reading the book, although I do think its a fun rom-com and you can flight through it.

This was an entertaining book. Livia has organized a trip to Barcelona with her long-term boyfriend, Jed, and several friends. It's the tenth anniversary for Livia and Jed, and they are getting married! Everyone knows this is the plan - except Jed, who finds out the night before the ceremony. The story follows that day and the next for Livia, Jed and their guests. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.

Livia invites her best friends to a destination wedding. But she hasn’t told her boyfriend yet. And they aren’t engaged yet. And the wedding is the following day.

Livia and Jed have been together for ten years. They are happy together but they haven’t talked about marriage. They didn’t talk much about kids either until they decided to stop trying not to have them.
Now Livia is 6 months pregnant and she wants to marry Jed. She can’t believe he’s never thought to ask, especially with their baby on the way.

So she took matters into her own hands. She proposes to Jed. Then she surprises him with the fact that their wedding is the following day. She had planned everything, she even invited their best friends and his brother.

The only problem is Jed’s cold feet.

It’s hard to imagine that these two could have been together for ten years without talking about Jed’s issues with marriage.
It’s also hard to believe that Livia thinks springing a surprise wedding on him is a good idea.

In the background we’ve got the characters:
Rachel—Livia’s friend who just broke up with her boyfriend of two years
Patrick—mutual friend of Livia and Jed—still damaged from his divorce and dating Izzy who is less than half his age
Liam—Jed’s brother—billed as a “lady’s man” but he’s actually pretty awkward around most women
Izzy—Patrick’s 23 year old girlfriend—loves to shop, has zero in common with Patrick, seems to make him reflect on his life and drive him crazy in equal parts

Most of the story is about relationship issues. Some parts of the story are a real stretch to find believable, I guess I can’t mention my example without calling it a spoiler.

That said, it’s a light, quick read. It’s interesting to see each of the characters trying to admit to and overcome their own issues.

I got to read an early e book edition through NetGalley. Thanks!

At the Wedding is such an engaging book loaded with quirky people, funny incidents, head trips, and perfect match-ups in personalities. Tons of stuff goes off the rails as six friends gather for a surprise (for the groom) wedding in Barcelona. The air is rife with personal doubts and quandaries. The only true things are the wedding venue and time. You can expect topsy-turvy decisions until the very end.

In Barcelona, Livia proposes to her boyfriend of ten years, Jed. (Livia is also 6 months pregnant). Livia tells Jed that everything (and everyone) is arranged and that all Jed has to do is say "I do".

Both Livia and Jed go through a myriad of emotions in two days - wedding ring predicaments, legality of the wedding, not to mention their friends and relatives...

Of course there is one-time famous Liam, Jed's brother, who never really wins at love. Patrick, older, divorced and dating 22 year old Izzy.

And the Maid of Honor - Rachel - who does not want to be alone. Yet, love may find her at the strangest of moments.


This all ends up on a rather light note. Recommend for a fast, cute read !

I loved At The Wedding.
A great page turner that kept me hooked from the first few pages.
Another great read by Matt Dunn, have a read you won’t be disappointed.

Interesting premise of a woman who surprises her long-time boyfriend with a wedding where all he has to do is show up. However. The promise was not realized for me -- possibly the book is meant for a different audience, not for this reader.

Olivia and Jed are spending the 10th anniversary of when and where they met on a romantic weekend in Barcelona before the arrival of their first baby in a few months. Or at least that's what Jed thinks! In reality Olivia plans to propose to Jed and has secretly organised the subsequent wedding including inviting close family and friends to join them the following day. Jed says 'Yes' to the wedding proposal but it soon becomes clear that this was the answer he thought he should give rather than the one he wanted to give.
The rest of the story takes in the couples' various friends and family and their ongoing relationship issues and baggage. One by one they line up to give Jed advice and counselling in the hope that he can get over his extreme case of 'cold feet' despite the fact that they all seem to be in the throes of relationship issues themselves.
This was a very light, quick and funny read and I did enjoy it despite not being my usual type of book.
Many thanks to Netgalley and publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review - well worth a read!

Thank you Netgalley for my copy of this book for an impartial review.

Used this book as a little literary 'sorbet' after reading some heavy disturbing books and it did what I hoped. It made me chuckle, get annoyed and tear up all in one sitting. Nothing special but Matt Dunn never fails to leave me with a smile.

A cracking read, one of my favourites was home and this comes a very close second, great characters with a great story, loved it, on my holidays at the moment, took less than 24 hours to read

This was an entertaining read. Livia is the bride, and she's a planner. She's also the "take charge" person in her relationship with Jed...so she's planned their wedding ... as a surprise for Jed. She surprises him with both a proposal AND a wedding just 24 hours! What could possibly go wrong? Considering Jed had no plans to ever get married (and they apparently had NEVER discussed this, after 10 years?) and had mistakenly believed Livia was happy with where their relationship stood and had NO IDEA she wanted to get married...a lot of things. Add to that the small group of wedding guests, each with their own dramas playing out, and you could have a recipe for disaster. There are some very funny moments in this book, and I really enjoyed getting to know all the characters--especially the men. So often in books that feature weddings, we just see the female perspective--I found it very interesting to get some male perspective on the volatile issues that surround love, commitment, marriage and parenthood. I had a few challenges---mainly that I really had a hard time empathizing with Livia. I was very uncomfortable with her springing this whole thing on Jed, and just expecting him to go along with her plans...and as they both thought back on their relationship, it seemed that she often just steamrolled ahead, whether he was fully on board or not. While I think she grew over the course of the story, I honestly wasn't sure these people SHOULD get married, or if they could make each other happy, given the dynamics described. And the fact that they'd been together so long, and she had no idea that he had such deep rooted fears about marriage indicated to me that they didn't have the best communication skills, and that she hadn't tried to get to know him very well. If they'd been together a year or less, I could have understood, but they'd been together for YEARS. However, the author does such a good job creating all these characters and developing their relationships with one another, I still really enjoyed this book, and I mostly bought into the romance and magic of it all. I loved some of the true romantic comedy elements that appeared, and I was really rooting for Rachel (Livia's best friend) to find her happiness...and to tell her Ex to take a flying leap. Both of those threads were fun to follow and root for. The author managed to cover a LOT of territory, adventure, relationship development, angst, emotion, personal growth, and romance in just over 24 hours and a few hundred pages -- it was a very fun ride and I liked it a lot.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

An enjoyable holiday read set in one of my favourite cities. A surprise wedding for the groom - what could go wrong? All the guests have their own problems, and this follows each of their weekends on the run up to the wedding.

Perfect holiday read. I read this in one go sat on the beach and enjoyed every moment of it. Livia is pregnant and been with Jed for 10 years. She has decided not to wait any longer for him to propose to her, so she pops the question when they are in Barcelona celebrating 10 years together. Unbeknownst to Jed she has arranged everything, including friends and family attending the ceremony. The author has done an amazing job with the characters, i felt as though i knew them by the end of the book. Thanks Matt I am looking forward to the next book

I really enjoyed this book -- the story spans over (almost) two days however, there are so many things happening with the amazing characters, it fills the book without it feeling like the author is trying too hard.
The book is about the main characters - Livia and Jed who are expecting a baby, are on holiday in Spain for their 10 year anniversary where Livia proposes to Jed and has planned a surprise wedding for him - set the very next day! The book isn't only about these two characters, but about a few of their friends and Jed's brother - Liam.
The storyline and characters were so well rounded - I really want to keep reading more and learning more about what happens with the characters. There are complexities to them, it's not a simple cut and dry story -- it is heartfelt and sweet and I really want more! I would give it a 5/5!!!

A 'Will They...Won't They ' wedding scenario forms the basis of this book - character driven, amusing in places and a little chaotic. An easy reading romantic comedy but not my favourite of this authors books by far. Recommended for a very light hearted read.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for my review. Livia and Jed have been a couple for ten years and are expecting a baby together. It should only make sense that it is now time to tie the knot-right? Well it seems it is obvious to only the bride. Livia ends up not only surprising Jed with a proposal, but she planned the entire wedding on a "babymoon" vacation to Barcelona. She even has their friends flying in as witnesses. The only person not on board with the wedding is the groom. After all, things are going well so why change them?

At times I would like this book and start to enjoy it, but it was so predictable and the characters were just not that likable that I had a hard time giving this story more than 3 stars. I would skip this one.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange of my honest opinion. Thank you for the book!

I hadn't read anything by Matt Dunn before but after reading this I am looking forward to reading more from him.

This book took place in a short time span and and has multiple points of view yet it didn't make it hard to follow along. It starts with Livia proposing to Jed the two were celebrating their 10 year anniversary on what Jed thought was just going to be a romantic trip to recreate when they first met before the baby comes. Jed is surprised by the whole thing especially when she says lets get married this weekend. It turns out Livia has planned an entire wedding including inviting their friends and family who arrive the following day. After that the book takes place that following day showing what all of attendees to the wedding are doing to prepare for the wedding and how they spend their time before wedding site seeing, shopping and hitting on any one around.

I really enjoyed how well the author pulled everything together in such a short time period and how it still felt really believable with plenty of action and humor thrown as well as the growth of all the characters.

I really enjoyed this book and would recommend to others.

Amazing book. Loved it from beginning to end.
Well written which kept me captivated throughout.
I will definitely be reading other books by this author

Cute story. Great characters. Good setting. This book kept me captivated and I couldn't put it down until it was finished. I'll be looking for more from this author.

I didn't love the book unfortunately - it was ok as a very light holiday read, but not more than that. The characters were very shallow, there was nothing to endear any of them, cliches were everywhere & the pace of the book was incredibly slow as it was set over a single weekend - so much so that where to stand when catching the bouquet took 2 pages.

Livia is six-months pregnant and decides that she wants to get married, the trouble is her unsuspecting partner Jed hates the idea of marriage so she tricks him into going to Barcelona on a last minute deal so they can spend some time together before the baby comes.

What she ‘forgot’ to tell Jed was that she had invited his brother and their friends along too and that she had arranged for them to get married whilst they were there.

At first, Jed is shocked, then he tries to get along with the idea, that is until he thinks too much about it and goes off for a jog to clear his head – but will he keep on running?

I’ve read a few books by Matt Dunn and they have all managed to make me laugh-out-loud and put a smile on my face and this book was no different. There was a real mixture of characters and at times it felt like they could have fitted into ‘The Hangover’ movie – just less crude.

As Livia is pregnant she wants some protection and she believes that come in the form of marrying her longtime boyfriend. They have been together for ten-years but Jed had a very unhappy childhood and blamed his father for most of it. He saw how unhappy his mother was and doesn’t want to go down the same path so he swore not to get married as he is scared of turning into his father.

As well as the possible bride and groom we meet Livia’s friend Rachel who has turned up in Barcelona newly single and ready to start living her life again. There is also Patrick and his much younger new girlfriend Izzy who seems to think he has an endless stash of money in his wallet. Then there is womaniser Liam – Jed’s brother. He certainly likes the ladies, any ladies, he’s not fussy. He’s also been on a reality TV show and thinks that he is a major star.

The plot takes place over the course of just two days and follows all of the characters as they lead up to the, ‘will they, won’t they’ moment of marriage. The book was a lot of fun, even if I disagreed with Livia’s actions. You can’t force someone to marry you, even if you have been together for a decade and are having a baby together. It has to be a joint decision. See, I even got emotionally involved with the story too!

I have never read Matt Dunn's work but every where I looked people raved about his books. I requested At the Wedding because I needed a light read. Something I didn't have to think too hard about. This was just the book to pull me out of the dark place from all those thrillers I have been reading.

This book is set in Barcelona in about 48 hours. I was hooked on the story from the very beginning. I really enjoyed Matt's writing style. It is quick, light and carefree. The characters are very well developed especially for this book only being set in a 48 hour time frame.

I laughed out loud several times Laughing while reading is the sign of a good book in my eyes.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for my free review copy!.

I really, really enjoyed this romantic comedy. It was a fun and funny take on a surprise (to the groom) destination wedding. It had fun characters, moments of humor, moments of seriousness, and a certain amount of personal growth.

Always enjoy Matt Dunn's books and this was no exception. Great characters, an interesting and often very funny plot and very clever in that the whole thing takes place over around 48 hours. Highly recommended for anyone who likes the author - i'm sure you won't be disappointed either! A light hearted, escapist read.

My thoughts


Narrative and plot


At the Wedding revolves around the events that take place around a surprise wedding. The story is told from the perspective of four people - the core of this wedding group. Livia, Jed, Liam, Rachel and Patrick. These four represent different aspects of a relationship.

The love birds, the aging playboy, the forever single lady trying too hard and the newly divorced man after what was supposed to be a long happy marriage. It is about them turning a new leaf trying to evaluate themselves while attending a wedding. The whole plot revolves around how each of them deals with the wedding and their own selves.

Characters and Conflict
Jed and Livia are the central romantic couple since it is their wedding that is taking place. However, it is not just about them. It is about every one of their friends and family who are invited to the wedding. Each had their own struggles and issues. Thoughts that normally anyone would have around the wedding of their dear ones. Even if you are extremely happy for your loved ones there is always this point of self-reflection, particularly if you don't have what they call "the one".

Each character represents a particular aspect of a relationship and the book really shows that beyond the self-doubt it's ok to be where you're. You have to just enjoy that stage of your life instead of struggling to get out of that phase or trying to be perfect by chasing after something.

Each character had their own set of conflicts. With the added drama of whether the groom will show up for the wedding conflict. Even if it was a cliched one, this one was handled very well in my opinion with some interesting twist. Though the ending had a touch of fairy tale you would want to give it a pass, because even in real life you hear about the stories of soulmate and go thinking "well that almost sounds like one of those fairy tales!"


Conclusion



Overall, I enjoyed the book. The set up was nice - a surprise wedding in the city of Barcelona. Of course, I am sold. If you enjoy those romantic comedies based on weddings ( Bride Wars, Wedding Crashers etc..), you should definitely read this one. It is fun, engaging and romantic.

What if you were invited by a bride to a destination wedding. The groom has no idea of the plan. The premise sounded fun, and Matt Dunn managed to entertain my greatly with this novel. He writes with humor. His characters were three dimensional, though it did amaze me that the primary couple had been together 10 years and marriage hadnt raised a flag up until now. The dialogue was fun and flirty. I would read more from Matt Dunn.
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.

I received a reviewer copy of At the Wedding by Matt Dunn from the publisher Lake Union Publishing from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: Livia and Jed have been together for ten years and are expecting a baby together but they haven't gotten married and Livia has been waiting for awhile. So when the two take a trip to Barcelona, Livia proposes to Jed and lets him know that on Saturday they will be getting married. Only problem Jed never really wanted to get married and now he's on a whirlwind 24 hours that he's not sure he even wants. The book follows their close friends: Patrick, Rachel, and Jed's brother Liam.

What I Loved: This book was light and funny and was an easy distraction. The main couple who are getting married have a romance that is believable and reflective of a couple who has been together so long and love one another. I also loved the side story of Rachel who has the worst boyfriend and is unexpectedly single in Barcelona.

What I didn’t like so much: Again, we have the trope of, "if you guys just talk you can solve your problem easily." This can be frustrating. I also really found Patrick's partner Izzy a bit annoying and she is written as a typical millennial.

Who Should Read It: People who like light books. People who like books that take place over a short period of time. People who like long term couples dealing with real issues but not the end of the world.

General Summary: A man finds out he's getting married at the wedding and chaos follows.

I really enjoyed this book . It was my first time to read a book by this author and I look forward to reading more.