#BookReview: An Island Wedding by Jenny Colgan

I have a read a book by this author before and I liked it. This is my first book for this series. I think it can be read as a standalone though it would have been best if I have read the other books first. The descriptions of Mure in Scotland sounds amazing. A great place for tourists and residents alike. The isle would be a perfect backdrop for a wedding.

Flora planned for a big wedding at her hotel but her fiance wanted an intimate wedding of family and friends. The writing was good but somehow I was not into any of the characters. There was also a repetitive them of envy. There were also some topics and situations that I wasn't a fan of. I didn't feel any connection with them. If you like Scotland and have enjoyed the first four books in the series, you'll enjoy this too.

Thank you Avon books and netgalley for the complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Rating: 3 stars
Series: Mure, Book 5
Pub date: 21 Jun 2022

On the remote island of Mure, between Scotland and Norway, Flora MacKenzie is planning her wedding. After a stint in London she is once again living on the island she was raised with her fiancé Joel and their baby Douglas who is soon to turn one. Flora is finally ready to tie the knot surrounded by beloved family and friends. While she manages the beautiful local hotel with her brother, she could think of no better place to take her vows. Then Olivia MacDonald shows up. Having left the island ten years ago in search of a bigger shinier life the breathtakingly beautiful Olivia returns instagram famous and engaged to a wealthy man. She is in Mure to plan her wedding (fancy planner in tow) and rub her success in the faces of her past. To further complicate matters Olivia wants to hold the affair the same time and place as Flora. When Joel who suffered a difficult lonely childhood decides he prefers a small simple ceremony Flora is unsure whether she can juggle the two simultaneously. This fifth book of a series can easily stand alone - say “I Do” to this enchanting arm chair travel to the Scottish Isles.

3.5 STARS

Flora Mackenzie is finally getting married to her fiancé and father of her son, Joel. Flora’s dreams of a wedding including the whole island are dashed when Joel says he wants a “sweetheart” wedding with the smallest number of people possible. Flora runs the local hotel, the Rock; growing up on the tiny Scottish Island of Mure which is halfway between Scotland and Norway, Flora knows the island folk will not take kindly to being 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, outrageous with all the bells and whistles and then some, wedding at Flora’s hotel on the summer solstice; the same day Flora had planned to get married.

Olivia and her wedding planner, Jacinth, are expecting to have a huge production practically remaking the hotel and gardens into some kind of Alice in Wonderland on LSD fantasy. Flora goes along with their plans feeling ever more stressed as the islanders tell her how much they are looking forward to her own wedding not knowing they are not invited. Flora’s quirky family, especially her niece, Agot, who runs rough shod over everyone, Flora’s own baby son, Douglas, and her assorted brothers along with the peculiar islanders keep up the humor and small community flavor.

Flora’s best friend, Lorna, has been secretly having an affair with the island doctor, Saif, who is a refugee from Syria along with his two young sons. The problem is Saif has a wife back in his war-torn country who seemingly has moved on or has she? Secrets will out as the Lady from that Scottish play has said or at least, that is what Lorna and Saif or afraid of if the locals find out about them especially since Lorna is the local school teacher.

Flora gets swept up in Olivia’s plans to the extent Olivia declares they will have a double wedding which is the very opposite of what Joel wants. When the circus comes to town preparing for Olivia’s big day, things start to get even more intense for Flora trying to keep everything running smoothly. She is torn between pleasing her husband to be and having her own dream wedding with all the people she loves helping them to celebrate. A sour note is that Olivia’s brothers refer to her nine-month-old baby as an “idiot” because he is not yet walking which supposedly all the boys in her family do at that age. The inference seems to be he is mentally challenged. Perhaps the Scottish colloquialism does not translate for American readers, but it seems out of place in today’s society.

Certainly, parts of this story are quite entertaining and enjoyable in a rural life meets big city rom-com sort of way. I imagine readers of the series will appreciate this new addition although one of the story-lines is rather heartbreaking and is also cliff-hanger of which I am not a fan. This book is the fifth in the Mure Island series, but can be read as a standalone.

This book was a fun treat! I loved it! It was a good reset after I read a heavier book. It kept me flipping pages well past my bedtime!!

An Island Wedding
by Jenny Colgan
Pub Date: June 21, 2022
Avon Books
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. Book #5 in the series.
The latest in Jenny Colgan's series set on the fictional Scottish island of Mure is, as always, a really engaging read.
A great read full of love, hope, forgiveness, and hopefully a great big happy ever after!
I would so love to see another book in this series!
Thank you, NetGalley for this early read. I recommend this book.
4 stars

This book is a lovely addition to the Mure series. It was great to revisit all the characters from the previous books. As always, Jenny Colgan's books are well written. I look forward to recommending this one to our patrons!

Fans of Colgan's Mure series will delight in revisiting favorite characters and places. From the endless beach to the Seaside Kitchen, and of course, the incredible Rock Hotel, readers will be swept away to this beautiful island full of magic, friendship, love, loss, and hope. And as always, Agot is the showstopper, bringing the dose of humor we all have come to expect.

Welcome back to Mure! The fifth installment in Jenny Colgan’s series about this atmospheric Scottish island finds Flora about to marry Joel while simultaneously planning The Rock hotel’s first wedding – a lavish affair for Instagram-famous nee hometown girl Olivia Mathieson. Add in all the goings-on of the town and its inhabitants, and you have another charming entry into this heartwarming series.

There is something so warm and cozy about the Mure series, it’s like settling in for a long chat with an old friend. If you haven’t read the first four Mure books, never fear. Colgan gives us a brief recap on the main players before diving into the story so newbies can get caught up. For returning Mure readers, all of the characters you have come to love are back. Flora and Joel, their baby Douglas, and Flora’s family. Flora’s bestie Lorna’s secret romance with Saif, the island doctor, sees some major development, Agot is predictably and adorably awful, and miscommunications abound as usual. Mure itself is a sparkling gem of a character, with its candy-colored buildings, windswept coastline, and morning haar (fog) before the sun comes in. Colgan’s charming conversational writing style, with familiar run-on sentences, lets us feel close to the characters and immersed in the setting. And that ending! Waiting impatiently and hopefully for Mure #6!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Avon and Harper Voyager, for providing me an advance copy of this book.

This latest entry in Jenny Colgan's Mure series brings back Flora, Joel, and the rest of the islanders to continue their stories and add new characters and plot points. The characters are old friends, well-developed and multidimensional. Mure itself features so large in this series --remote, insular, beautiful -- that it essentially becomes another character. Without giving anything away, there are laughter and tears, weddings, new beginnings and endings. Altogether, a satisfying read.

This book wasn't my favorite of the 5 but I did like catching up with the folks of Mure. The way Jenny Colgan recaps the characters for anyone who is new to the series was really cute

But much like how Flora is stretched thin with managing The Seaside Kitchen and The Rock as well as her baby, fiancee and family; this book felt like it is stretching out some plot lines so there can be a next installment.

Very much looking forward to book 6 to resolve that cliff hanger.

*I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and I am required to disclose that in my review in compliance with federal law.

So I always seem to do this when I don’t realize that this is part of a series and not just a series but that it has been focusing on the main character Flora for every book so far. So I am smack dab in the middle where she is already gone through all of her trials until we get to her latest one which is finally getting married to her fiancé and father of her son while also juggling a high profile wedding at the same time which is the first that her hotel is organizing after renovating and taking over management. While I am in the middle of this series, the author does start you off with a recap if you haven’t read any of the other books which did help and gives you an overview of the major players that you will be reading about on this small island in Scotland. So we have Flora and Joel with their baby Douglas who are planning a small wedding on midsummer when Olivia the golden girl of Mure Island is coming back with a rich fiancée and planning a lavish wedding at the Rock the hotel that Olivia manages and we have Lorna and Saif a doctor who is a Syrian Refugee with 2 sons who have been having a relationship on the down low for a couple years who might finally be coming out to everyone as a couple. I really love the dynamics between the whole island who is just in everyone’s business but because it is so small everyone is pretty much like family which Joel as a foster kid who was adopted as a teenager has a hard time relating to. So even though I haven’t read any of the other books with the intro at the beginning I could follow everything and I still enjoyed reading about this lovely island and the people on it.

Thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book in e-book form. All opinions in this review are my own.

The latest book in the series set on the fictitious Scottish island of Mure starts with a note from the author that crafts such a lovely visual image of the landscape that one can practically smell the salty sea mist. Though the book starts with such a calm vista, prepare yourself for a roller-coaster of emotions for our beloved characters in Mure.

Welcome back to the island of Mure where Flora and Joel are planning their wedding. Joel wants it just to be there family but the entire island is expecting to be invited. Flora doesn't know what to do. Things are further complicated when Olivia MacDonald returns to the island to have her high-profile wedding the same weekend. A story of family and what is truly important in life.

I was so happy to return to the beautiful Scottish Isle of Mure! This is the fifth book in the series following Flora, husband Joel, and the McKenzie family but you could jump right in here if you wanted. New character, Olivia, enters the story returning to the Isle of Mure after being in London for many years. She is the sister of the often terrible, Jan. There is also a major cliffhanger (no spoilers here!) so I truly cannot wait for book #6!

Thank you NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyage for the ARC.

I love the Mure books, and was so excited to get an ARC from Netgalley. All of the characters have been so richly drawn that they feel like old friends. I love Fiona, but Agot is my absolute favorite.

Joel and Fiona are getting married! Fiona is still running the Rock, and raising Douglas. All of the Mure characters are in this book, as well as a few new characters. Like Olivia, Jan's beautiful sister who wants to have her wedding at the Rock---but at the same time as Fiona wanted to get married.

Another great book from Jenny Colgan, and I hope there will be another to see the Mure residents again!

What I love most about Jenny Colgan's stories is that they are full of heart! An Island Wedding is no exception, combining her beautiful descriptive language, with interesting, often quirky characters and a unique setting. In short, it was simply wonderful to be back in Mure with Flora, Joel and the rest. It did take me a while to reorient myself to the series because I did read not so long ago Little Beach Street Bakery so I was confusing storylines, just a bit since it has been a while since I read the Mure stories.
To me, the highlight of this entire series is not Joel and Flora, but Saif and Lorna. in my opinion, they are the couple that takes the prize as the best written, most loveable (and tragic) in this whole series. Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate the character of Flora, but Joel...I think there needed to be more from his experiences and perspective, but he is almost like an outsider in the series (much like he has felt like an outsider in Mure). There was a nice resolution with him and Flora by the end, but hopefully they will continue to learn to communicate better. Little Agot continues to be a loveable, annoying mess...and who doesn't love sweet Ash? The parallel storyline with Olivia and Flora added another dimension to the story and was a nice contrast.
But the ending...the ending....the ENDING! We need Mure, #6. Like, honestly, this serious cannot be left like this. One more book to wrap everything up. Because again, we are just as much as invested in Lorna's story, than in Flora's...
Thank you #NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for early access in exchange for my honest review!

This book had everything you would expect from a Jenny Colgan book. I haven't read the Mure series, but you know I will. Her books are always fun to read...love them!

Omg, how can I review this without any spoilers! Let it suffice that it was a worthy addition o the Mure series of books, and there better be a sequel! The book has all the love, all the drama, and all the characters we love and love to hate, and also a few new one that add amusement and frustration that make this yet another enjoyable Jenny Colgan story. Sequel please!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me an advance copy of this book to read in exchange for my honest review and opinion. I love anything by Jenny Colgan and was so excited to be approved to read this ! Loved the cover and was unable to put it down once I started reading. I was actually sad to finish it! Can't wait for the next read from her!

An Island Wedding is the sixth book in Jenny Colgan’s Mure Island series. We first met 26-year-old Flora MacKenzie in The Café by the Sea, in which she leaves London for her fictional hometown on the Isle of Mure. Joel Binder, her workaholic boss that she has secretly yearned for four years, follows her there to work for an eccentric billionaire. Flora is a secondary character in A Very Distant Shore, a novella which focuses on Dr. Saif. In The Endless Beach, Flora and Joel’s relationship issues increase and then get partially resolved. Then in Christmas on the Island, Flora discovers that she is pregnant. In Christmas at the Island Hotel, Flora and Joel are happily raising their 6-month-old son while Flora is running the hotel for her brother, Fintan.

Fast forward a few months to An Island Wedding, where we are introduced to Outward Bound leader Pam’s stunningly beautiful sister, Olivia, who wishes to get married on Mure Island. Olivia is estranged from her family and her presence on the island makes Pam struggle with her new-mother role even more. Olivia’s close friend, Jacinth, is serving as the wedding planner and is constantly challenging Flora. However Fintan’s lover, Gaspard, is also interested in Jacinth.

Flora and Joel are finally engaged, but Joel tells Flora that he wants a tiny, intimate wedding. The problem is that Flora’s family and friends want to invite everyone they know, and the entire island expects a wedding invitation. As Flora helps Olivia, she is forced to confront her desires versus Joel’s.

Saif, the Syrian refugee who is the island’s doctor, has learned that his wife is pregnant and married to someone else. He is told that he can apply for British citizenship, but he cannot return to the Middle East. He is unable to reach his wife, Amena, and he fears that she has been forced to marry a jihadi soldier against her will. He still sees Lorna, the children’s schoolteacher, secretly.

A reader should read the earlier Mure stories before reading An Island Wedding in order to be familiar with the many characters and understand the multiple plot lines. It’s obvious that the series doesn’t end with this story, and to expect another installment.

Jenny Colgan has a unique writing style, in which she writes run-on sentences that are full of vivid descriptions, so the reader feels like they are there with the characters. All of the Mure stories are full of descriptions of the island and its weather, but it doesn’t seem repetitive. Agot, Flora’s now 5-year-old rambunctious and spitfire niece, adds humor to the series. Interestingly, the reader still doesn’t know much about Hamish, one of Flora’s brothers. There are multiple dogs in the stories, and their activities and perspectives are entertaining to read.

I enjoyed An Island Wedding and the entire series so far. However the author has issues with consistency across the series. Joel was introduced as Joel Binder, but later he is referred to as Joel Booker and returns to the Binder name in An Island Wedding. Likewise, in The Café by the Sea, Flora’s restaurant is named “Annie’s” after her late mother. In later books the restaurant is called “The Seaside Kitchen”. My only other negative comment is that the Saif-Amena-Lorna situation hasn’t been resolved satisfactorily yet.

I received an Advance Review Copy (ARC) from the publisher in exchange for providing an unbiased review.