A sweet story, escapism at high level. Rooted for the fleshed out characters and liked the plot
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A Wedding at the Chateau by Annabel French

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

Two friends. One wedding. A love that’s long overdue… Olivia and Nico were once inseparable best friends with shared hopes, dreams and plans for the future. But as life took its course, they took very different paths – leaving them with a challenging long-distance friendship. When Olivia receives an invitation to Nico's wedding in Italy, she can hardly believe it. Despite her happiness for him, she can't help but reflect on the roads not taken and the promises once made. As she arrives in the picturesque Tuscany, disaster strikes. The wedding venue has fallen through and Nico’s wife-to-be is a total Bridezilla. Love is definitely not in the air and Olivia is the only person who can help. Can she put her feelings aside for the sake of Nico’s happiness? Or will her presence cause more problems than it solves…?

My Opinion

This is a series that I am really enjoying. Each book can be read as a standalone. Olivia puts her doubts to one side and helps to plan Nico's wedding when the original plans fall through. It soon becomes clear that Olivia is not the only one having doubts about the wedding. This was a wonderful, second chance romance. With some lovely descriptions this is going to make for a fabulous summer read.

Rating 4/5

In this fun romance novel, readers travel to Tuscany with Olivia, whose best friend Nico is finally getting married to Sophie, a budding influencer. As wedding plans fall through and Sophie seems to dislike Olivia, Olivia ends up taking on the position of bridesmaid, best friend, and wedding planner just three weeks before the big day. As things progress, Olivia and Nico begin reconnecting and finding their way back to friendship, but this throws his soon-to-be-married status into a questioning position. Set against the charming Tuscan countryside, romance seems to bloom -- just perhaps not with the people who are getting married and have troubles of their own. French’s characters are charming and charismatic, and the dynamics between Olivia, Nico, Sophie, and Olivia’s son (as well as with other minor characters), are clever, engaging, and dynamic. The tropes and the narrative elements combined together create a fun dynamic and a romantic atmosphere for the characters, and the atmosphere and emotional tone of this novel are particularly enjoyable and engaging. French’s latest novel is a fun, trope-y (in all the good ways), heartwarming romance built off a solid friendship, and her characters are the life and heart of this charming Italian romance story.

A truly beautiful story that is so reminiscent of real life. The friendship between Nico and Olivia and the secrets that are hidden within the relationship is a great tale to follow.

This was wholesome, cute, and everything that you want a second chance romance to be! Give it a read!

I received a free copy of, A Wedding at the Chateau, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is book 3 in The Chateau series. Nico, Olivia's bff, is getting married in Italy. Olivia used to dram about marrying Nico, now he is marrying someone else, and she is invited to the wedding. Olivia is a lovely person and friend, one we would all like to have, Sophia not so much. This such a sweet story of friendship and romance.

Nico and Olivia, best friends during their gap year travels, make a drunken pact in Thailand to marry each other if they're still single at 40. However, fate has other plans. Nico unexpectedly changes his university choice to Florence, while Olivia, feeling left out, heads to Reading. It's the first time they've been apart, leaving Olivia stressed about the transition.

Meanwhile, Sophie, whose life was meticulously planned, finds herself pregnant during her first year at university and marries the baby’s father, only for the marriage to end in divorce five years later. Now a single mom to Jacob, she's rebuilding her life when Nico invites her to his wedding in Italy.

This story explores the themes of second chances, friendship, and the importance of embracing life's unexpected twists. It also highlights the need to listen to one's inner voice and the courage to speak up for what we truly want. Through its characters and their journeys, the book emphasizes the joy that comes from focusing on others and making room for new experiences.

it must be summer when the wedding stories come out! amazing setting for this story and you are keeping everything crossed for the two MCs throughout. amusing storyline and well written, I really enjoyed it

The beginning of this story sets the scene wonderfully for a friends-to-lovers romance. Olive and Nico, best friends since primary school, have done everything together. After a travelling holiday, they are still only friends. The status quo prevails as the years pass until Nico requests Olive's presence at a life-changing event in Italy. The invitation forces Olive to admit her true feelings to herself, but Nico is set on a different outcome, seemingly oblivious to his best friend's torment. It is a lovely, romantic, and often humourous story. It is frustrating in parts when Nico seems blind to Olive's feelings. The ending is dramatic and romantic, and the journey there is evocative, with sensory descriptions of culture, food, people and places. I like this story's setting, relationships and gentle romance.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

This was a lovely read. Olivia has been invited to her old friends wedding in Italy. At one point she thought that her future lay with Nico, but her life took a different path to the one she wanted. She arrives and doesn't gel with the bride to be. She finds herself completely in charge of organising their wedding when the original venue cancels last minute. I loved the travelling round the local area, finding the perfect wedding venue, food and tables etc. You really feel a part of the whole thing, whilst privately possibly hoping that the book will go in a different direction!
The characters are wonderful, Nico's family make up for the aloof hosts, The build up promises an absolutely beautiful wedding day

Wedding season is almost upon us and this is the book to read for your summer romance fix!

The beautifully described setting sets the backdrop for true romance to flourish. The author is blessed with the gift of poetry in her writing skills- her words come naturally, and ebb and flow as they should- I did not feel like I was reading a book... it all felt so real. Nico and Olivia belong together- nothing and no one could change that fate. Their journey was heartwarming and flourished despite all the obstacles.


Annabel French is one of my favorite authors so I am thrilled that her latest book did not disappoint me. This is a gorgeous, second chance romance that made my heart slip away from the world, and melt in clouds of happiness.


French delivers... again.

I thank the author and publisher for an ARC of this book published on April 11, 2024. All opinions given are my own.

A easy enjoyable romantic read set in magical Tuscany. Somewhat predictable in places, I kept thinking I'd read this book before or something very similar. But still a good lighthearted holiday read with plenty of humour when one's imagination goes overboard especially with the influencer bride's frosty family and a truly awful sounding bridesmaid dress. Plenty of sun and prosecco.

I enjoyed reading A Wedding at the Chateau by Annabel French. You will fall in love with all the characters. I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and the publisher. This is my honest and personal review. Happy Reading!

Olivia and Nico were close friends for years until he decided to move to Italy, where his mother was borne, to study for his degree. Although they kept in contact over the years, including her unsuccessful marriage and the birth of her son, but she is shocked when he invites her to his wedding in Italy to his short-term girlfriend. When the wedding venue falls through she is asked to make use of her event organisational skills to try to arrange a complete new wedding - in three weeks.
The location sounds wonderful, but why do authors always describe local food in such loving detail that I always feel hungry? Sophia, the bride to be, sounds like a real bridezilla and, if it was me in Olivia's place, I would have walked away in a very short time. Sophia does come across as very cold, but with a few human touches, but her mother sounds horrible. Olivia, on the other hand, comes across really well. Nico seems blind by love.....
A book to give you a sense of frustration whilst you hope for a good outcome, but well worth reading.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

Nico and Olivia were the best of friends in school. They never imagined they would go separate ways but then that is the path they each took.
The surprise Olivia got from Nico was an invitation to his wedding. He was getting married to Sofia, a bigger surprise was he had only known her six months.
Olivia replies she will be at the wedding. Things don’t go as planned for the wedding when Nico and Sofia find out they cannot have the venue that want. Olivia offers to help find a new venue. This does not go as well as Olivia had hoped it would. This is hard for her considering she still has feelings for Nico.
Reading this book was so enjoyable. The author makes everything feel so real.
Thank you NetGalley, Annabel French and Avon Books UK for the copy of the book A Wedding at the Chateau. This is my personal review.

A Wedding at the Chateau is the third book in Annabel French's Chateau series and in my opinion, the best one yet! I absolutely loved it - I couldn't put the book down.

Olivia and Nico had been childhood friends, went travelling together, and despite him breaking her heart when he decided to move back to Italy, they remained good friends. However, when Nico says he's about to get married and wants Olivia and her now teenage son to come to it, old feelings resurface.

Olivia goes to Italy early to get some relaxation time in before the wedding, but when the venue cancels, she ends up reorganising the whole thing for Nico and his very ungrateful influencer fiancee. She spends a tough couple of weeks trying to make the wedding perfect for Nico, while also trying to keep her own feelings for him at bay.

This book was lovely - lots of likeable characters (plus the bridezilla and her mother) and it was an easy read - the book flowed perfectly! This is definitely my favourite Annabel French book so far!

I really enjoyed this romantic tale of the one that got away. Nico and Olivia were such loveable characters that were perfect for each other. When Olivia is thrown in at the deep end, trying to plan a wedding in three weeks for her best friend and his frosty bride to be, I was immediately invested in the story. Italy is another character in the book that was decribed so well I felt like I could see and smell everything French describes, I could almost taste the food and swwet treats. This was a really enjoyable escape to Italy and I was pleased to see familar characters from the other chateau novels, though I think youd be able to read them as stand alone books. I love French's style of writing and found myself smiling and laughing at Olivia's antics, she really was a selfless friend and I was so pleased with the conclusion.

I usually know within the first couple of chapters how much I’m going to enjoy a book but I knew within the first 2 pages that this was one I was going to struggle to put down. There are not enough words for how much I enjoyed this book. It was entertaining, clever and the narrative was stunningly intelligent. I couldn’t put it down I was captivated.

I think this is the first time I have read this author but it won't be the last. I enjoyed this book very much, the characters are good and so it the setting, very well written I give it 5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley, author and publisher for this ARC

Friends since childhood, Olivia and Nico were inseparable, until the time came for university and Nico went back to Florence to study. Although the spark was always there, neither dared to take things further . Now, divorced with a teenage son, Olivia is invited to Tuscany for a holiday with Nico before his wedding to Sophia.
As Olivia’s feelings for Nico intensify, she has to keep their friendship intact and cannot reveal her feelings for him nor her realisation that his wedding to Sophia is a mistake.
The tension increased as the story unfolded; will they remain friends or will Sophia drive them apart?
I enjoyed the tension and the strangeness of Sophia’s family. It was a good ensemble of characters with Nico’s family gregarious and welcoming to Sophia’s cold and challenging.
A lovely read to sit and relax within