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

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.

Truthfully as I was reading At The Wedding I was completely involved in the plot. It was intriguing and eventful throughout and I sped through it. But... it turned out mostly as you would expect which was a touch disappointing given the amount of suspense drawn into those couple of days.

My other issue was that I think it was partially supposed to be fun (as well as heartfelt). While funny in parts I can't actually say I was laughing out loud and I think there may have been room for some more silliness and shenanigans given the scene. I was also mildly concerned that I didn't really feel for the two main characters. I found them frustrating and could not get on board with the hold up in getting married. Perhaps this is because I am the marrying kind though and I should not expect others to be?

A good aspect was that I was as interested in the supporting characters as much as the main couple which is tricky to accomplish in a fast paced read and I appreciated that. I like Matt Dunn's writing and overall felt that this novel was entertaining and provided some food for thought about how people's minds work.


Thank you to Lake Union Publishing for our review copy. All opinions are our own.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!.

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 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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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 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!!!

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

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.

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.

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