På den lille skotske ø Mure planlægger Flora MacKenzie og hendes forlovede Joel et lille, intimt bryllup for kun de allernærmeste på hendes lille, hyggelige hotel. Nogle på øen føler sig dog forbigået, da de ikke er inviteret med. Midt i planlægningen ankommer en af Floras bekendte, den smukke Olivia MacDonald og hendes rige forlovede, til øen,
Olivia er fast besluttet på at holde det største, mest ekstravagante og Instagram-venlige bryllup som muligt på Floras hotel. Problemet er bare, at hun vil holde det samme weekend, som Flora har planlagt sit bryllup. Tiden nærmer sig, og det er efterhånden mere og mere usikkert, om Flora kan nå at realisere de andres ’store dag’ – uden at det går ud over hendes egen
Jenny Colgan is the author of numerous bestselling novels, including 'The Little Shop of Happy Ever After' and 'Summer at the Little Beach Street Bakery', which are also published by Sphere.' Meet Me at the Cupcake Café' won the 2012 Melissa Nathan Award for Comedy Romance and was a Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller, as was 'Welcome to Rosie Hopkins' Sweetshop of Dreams', which won the RNA Romantic Novel of the Year Award 2013.
For more about Jenny, visit her website and her Facebook page, or follow her on Twitter.
Jenny Colgan has also been published under the name Jenny T. Colgan.
3.5 stars, rounded up because it took a while for Flora to develop her backbone.
I always love to return to Mure, this is a series you really need to read in order because if you don't, you'll be lost with the backstories and sheer number of characters. In this installment, Flora and Joel are finally getting married, and Lorna and Saif's relationship is threatened. Jan's gorgeous sister Olivia wants to get married at The Rock, and this causes some strife with the sisters and everyone around them.
The heart is what makes me come back for more with this series. I love the sense of family and connection that everyone on Mure has, and the ending is bittersweet, yet a bit hopeful. I don't know if the author plans to continue with this series, but I hope so because I still feel like things aren't completely resolved.
I find Colgan's books to be like receiving a hug--full of comfort and warmth and I know that I'm getting a lovely, delightful read with every one.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
This book was just OK for me. I usually enjoy this author's books but this one felt stagnant to me. The earlier books in the series were great and I recommend reading them first so that the reader would understand what was going on in this book. The characters were great favorites in the past and it seems like the author was trying to find something to keep the series going.
4.o... I have read almost the entire "Mure" series & really enjoy this series about the quirky residents on the island on the "top of the world". This one has a wedding as it's focus (actually two) as there's always something going on in the village! Agot, the precocious, continues to be a favorite!! Read quickly & enjoyed very much
This book made me so mad. I wanted to throw the book.
Huge spoilers
SPOIERL SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
Joel tells Flora he only wants a tiny wedding with people who love them. Like 5 guests. Flora says ok but secretly wants a big wedding. Everyone on the island assumes they are having a big wedding and talks about how great it will be.
Eventually Jan's model sister decides to get married on the island. She asks Olivia to do a double wedding with her. She tells Joel it is a great idea but Olivia is paying and they can donate the money for a big wedding to Jan for her little boys' charity anyway like they always planned.
Joel is very angry. He and Flora don't talk and finally she says they can postpone the wedding and tell everyone they are waiting until their child Douglas can walk down the aisle. He is not walking yet.
Olivia is dumb and takes a paddleboard out to get a picture near the whales. She can't get back to shore because of the current and she has to be rescued. Joel has to dive into the water to save her and realizes he loves Flora and wants to marry her in a way that makes her happy.
They get back to shore and the entire town is waiting and pats him on the back for being the rescuer and Joel yells he can't wait to see them all at the wedding.
Olivia's future mother in law cuts off the money for the wedding. She says Olivia is a gold digger and she won't pay for anything. Olivia's fiance shows up and says he will marry her because he loves her and they will both get jobs. He's not rich anymore. Jan and Olivia make up as sisters after the rescue because Jan said even though she hates her she doesn't want her to die.
Olivia and Flora have a double wedding but it's planned by Flora.
Lorena (Sif the Syrian doctor's secret girlfriend) begs Sif to stay with her and not leave the island. Sif's wife has been found but she had another man's baby and was married to a fighter. Sif's wife cannot come to Scotland and will ruin Sif's chances and the boys' chances at citizenship. She sends a message to Sif, "Find someone to raise our kids and make sure they are kind."
Sif talks to his kids and they want their mother back. Sif gives up his life in Mure in Scotland and returns to Syria. He is a doctor and will be of help in the rebuilding of the country. And his boys need their mother. It is unclear if his wife's new husband is still alive or not.
Lorena finds out she is pregnant with Sif's baby. Sif doesn't know and Lorena says she will never tell him. She says Sif deserves peace and he won't have that knowing he left her alone and pregnant.
Ash is talking to Argot over the computer from Syria to Scotland but we don't know much. We know he saw his mother but we don't know if they are all living together as a family or anything.
I am so mad. Lorena deserved better. And Joel needed to get his head out of his butt much earlier in the book.
Honestly at this point i'm just infuriated because we are five books in and not one thing has changed. This book could easily be book 1 in the series because these characters have not moved on in any sense. In book 1 Joel and Flora could not communicate, five books later they have still not learnt how to actually talk to each other so every damn book is them falling out because they cannot communicate properly and then by the end they're happy families once again and it is JUST SO DAMN DULL. I am bored of it. Even the Saif and Lorna storyline has bored me to tears because they have just not moved on. I used to love this series but since rereading the first three and reading the last two I am just done with it. Also - can the spelling errors and plot changes please cease because they are just so frustrating at this point.
I love traveling back to Mure Island to see how old friends are holding up, new babies, fluffy sheep and warm old dogs! It was such a pleasure to read this and forget about our crazy world. Two weddings and a blast of a ‘hen party,’ aka as a bachelorette party.
Blending old farmers with about a hundred screaming women doing shots at the Harbor’s Rest hotel is something you don’t want to miss!
I usually really enjoy Colgan's books about Mure as a great escape to an exotic and cool place. This one was just so frustrating. For one thing, planning a wedding isn't much of a plot. It's not interesting. More importantly, the women in this book, Flora and Lorna, can't seem to assert themselves, and instead allow the men to make all the important decisions. We don't need more of that in the world right now. Geez. I'm hating the Saif and Lorna storyline at this point. It's absurd. Colgan needs to find a better way to wrap up their saga and move on to more interesting (strong women!) characters and stories.
The 5th installment in Jenny Colgan’s wonderful Mure series brings us back to this beautiful, remote Scottish island. It’s like a reunion with old friends, as we see what our beloved characters are up to now, and for at least some, get to witness the happy event they’ve been building toward over the four previous books. I'm not sure how well this book would work for someone new to the series, but for those who've read all the books leading up to An Island Wedding, it's an absolute treat!
A major plotline is left open, so I do hope there will be more Mure books... and soon! I don't think I can stand not knowing what happens next for these characters.
Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley. Full review at Bookshelf Fantasies.
Reading a Jenny Colgan book is like slipping on a comfy pair of slipper. Absolute bliss!! This one fifth in the Mure series is just wonderful. Full of the same characters with some new ones. It was such a great read and I do hope there will be more in this brilliant series.
I am a longtime fan of Jenny Colgan and have read all of her books. This series has been one of my favourites. But this one... I think Colgan has said a lot of things she didn't necessarily intend to say.
Such as: Whatever women think and want is not important, the man will make the decision (Saif was at least self-aware that he was going against the wishes, expertise, and lived experience of absolutely every woman in his life, but Joel not so much - Joel just has one dangerous experience and suddenly he's fine now, deciding once again whether Flora will basically continue being treated like a secret relationship).
Such as: No woman's life is complete without a baby. And if a woman's life is in pieces, if she needs help, if she is unhappy, well, she just needs a baby. Babies fix everything.
Such as: A woman's life is defined by her children, revolves around her children, and she has no identity beyond being a mother (Senga was a particularly sharp example of this, and it felt like the appalling treatment of her was completely dismissed).
Such as: Refugees should go back where they came from. Refugees who don't go back where they came from are not living up to their duty to rebuild. Refugees who don't go back where they came from, but build a life in a new place, are weak and selfish.
Such as: People who live and love outside the norm don't get the happy ending (this goes for Lorna, who apparently must never be forgiven for being an independent woman living alone, and Fintan, and both their relationships).
Such as: Even your best friend in the world will never call out someone being brutally unkind to you. And seeing people habitually abusing their partners in public (Jan to Charlie) will not prompt anyone to intervene in any way.
Again, I don't think these were things Colgan set out to say. But all through the second half of the book... this is the message. And I have to say, I am exhausted by the relentless punishment of Lorna. Up until now, I liked to think Lorna's plotline was so incredibly sad because it was leading up to the Best Resolution Of Them All, but based on this book, I'm no longer holding out for that. Normally I finish a Jenny Colgan novel (with only one or two exceptions) feeling rather hopeful, a tiny bit optimistic that there are good outcomes possible for those of us who don't usually get them. This one just felt like a reminder that if you don't quite fit the mould, you'd better just practice being happy for your more conventional friends: no happy ending is coming for you.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
So as we know I love this series of romcoms set on a small Scottish island and it seems like this will be the last instalment. And it is just as good as ever: all the characters are in good form and there are some delightful cameos and set pieces. But omg, there is only one thing I can talk about in this book. And don't get me wrong I think it was really good and incredibly brave choice for a book packaged as pink pastel chick-lit. The theme, once you've raised it, has to be dealt with like this; some things can't be prettified. But oh, my heart.
An Island Wedding by Jenny Colgan is her fifth book in her popular Mure series but can be read as a stand-alone book. In fact, the author includes a brief synopsis of the series in her introduction, which was very helpful. So, although you can read An Island Wedding as a stand-alone, you’ll want to read the entire series as these characters are so much fun, and the setting is gorgeous and a place I’d love to visit someday, even if it’s fictional!
Flora MacKenzie and her fiancé Joel are planning a small intimate wedding for just their closest friends at their hotel on the Island of Mure. But, keeping the number of guests to a manageable number means excluding some of the residents of the island of Mure, and that means trouble for Flora.
Also, a former resident of the island, Oliva Macdonald has decided to have an over-the-top, spectacle of a wedding the very same weekend as Flora’s wedding. Oliva brings her wedding planning entourage to the island and nothing will be the same for Flora.
An Island Wedding is a sweet story about the closeness of small-town life, as well as some of the difficulties. The island of Mure is full of quirky and interesting characters that make for a fun read. Flora and Joel are an adorable couple who are very supportive of each other as they navigate all the issues of planning a wedding on a tiny island where everyone knows everyone.
The setting on the tiny island of Mure is so much fun. The island and village are well described and it’s just such a nice escape to visit the island and interact with all these fun characters.
I recommend An Island Wedding to anyone who enjoys women’s fiction. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I've utterly adored some of Jenny Colgan's books in the past but this latest in the Mure series isn't my favourite and I'm not entirely sure why. I loved the first two books but this one felt a different tone. The island life on Mure is a redemptive feature: the backdrop of the rugged coastline whale pods and quiet beauty. I think it's the bunch of characters that don't ever quite gel with me and I feel sorry to say that. I kept getting Flora and Lorna mixed up, Joel is a grump & self-absorbed, even Agot's "Luna Lovegood"-type quirkiness didn't really connect for me. The drama and cattiness between Jan, her sister Olivia, and Flora & Lorna grated quite considerably. I appreciate life's sadly like that and women do suffer with envy, comparisons & judgement on how they appear rather than on their true nature, but to read it play out repeatedly and nobody really realising it's quite a shabby thing to do was depressing. Nobody felt like someone I particularly would want to hang out with and I think that's what felt so disappointingly flat to me.
The latest in Jenny Colgan's series set on the fictional Scottish island of Mure is, as always, a really engaging read.
Flora - now mother to nine-month-old Douglas - is planning her wedding to Joel, but that's not the only wedding due to take place on the island. Olivia Mathieson was born and raised on Mure, but having left many years earlier and become a gorgeous model/Instagram type person, hasn't been back since. Now, she wants to "return to her roots" and get married in thoroughly over-the-top style at the hotel Flora runs.
There's lots of fun to be had with the wedding planning, masterminded by the ferocious Jacinth, and a more serious side too as local GP Saif considers his future and that of his two sons.
A delightful read as always and I look forward to future instalments.
Ugh, this better not be the final book in the series. I just really love Mure and all its inhabitants. 'An Island Wedding' was lovely and funny and romantic as usual, but sadly it was heartbreaking as well
I skipped huge parts of this book in frustration. Lorna deserved better. What is wrong with Flora and Joel? Five books in I would expect them to be able to talk to each other. Just retread the same stupid plot. I was so looking forward to reading this book as I enjoyed the others in the series. What a total letdown
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Voor mijn gevoel ben ik weer op visite geweest bij mijn vriendinnen/vrienden en kennissen op het eiland Mure. Ik hoop toch echt dat dit niet het laatste deel is want ik zou heel graag nog vaker op visite gaan hoor ! Het einde van dit boek voelt ook niet als een afsluiter van de serie dus ik vertrouw erop dat er nog minstens 1 deel zal volgen en daarom zeg ik nu .. daaag tot gauw weerziens .
What an exceptional finale to the Island of Mure series. I'm gutted that the series is allegedly at an end, but what a great way to go out.
But I am convinced that can't really be where some of these characters stories end, one in particular I would love to see more of, even in a spin off, as it's the characters that have taken a spot in my heart since their first introduction.
And then there is Flora and Joel, and their wedding and they aren't the only ones possibly getting married during this novel.
Agot is at her bossy best and I loved seeing a bit of development from her, and we get to see a bit more of Jan which was interesting.
And one of my favourite Colgan features is present, the intro letter at the start of the book to bring new and existing readers right up to date with key parts of the series to date, which for those of us that have been reading it, but also read a lot of other books between releases, gives just enough catch up, to be able to dive straight in easily.
This is everything I could have wanted from a Jenny Colgan book, it's warm, it has emotion, its funny, its romantic and its downright brilliant.
Thank you to Sphere and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
This is what I am hoping will happen: • Joel and Flora have an adult conversations and discuss what they really want • Joel puts his childhood behind him ,and moves on with his life • Agot is set boundaries, and is less of a spoilt demanding brat • Jan realizes that she has a diamond in Charlie, and appreciates him • Saif tells the world he loves Lorna • Lorna gets a backbone. • Jenny Colgan gets her characters names correct, and their pasts consistent
None of the above did happen. Sigh.
What I now expect to happen: • Joel and Flora miscommunicate about having another baby. He wants one, but she doesn’t, but she has one anyway as she does not want to upset him • Lorna has twins, a boy and a girl • Saif realizes he should have stayed on Mure, and obtained British citizenship. • Ib does not fit in and joins a radicalized terrorist group • Ash wants to go back to Mure, and spends his days crying • Saif’s wife dies and he sends her baby to Lorna to bring up
Well it can’t get worse than book 5.
I gave it 2 stars as the end was page turning.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
3.5 Stars. I have loved this series and was so happy to read the next book from Jenny Colgan. While it was so comforting to be back on Mure with Flora, Lorna, Joel, & the rest of the people we've grown to love, I found it a little hard to connect with this book like the others and it felt like the problems they've had with communication are still a problem and you just want to scream at them to learn how to communicate! Ha!
However, the last 40 pages really drew me in and I found myself crying with how the author moved the stories of people we've grown to love. I don't want to spoil anything - but if you've loved the previous books in this series, you definitely should continue the series by picking this one up.
Thank you NetGalley & Avon/Harper Voyager for the advance copy!
This has been a bit of a strange series for me as I have not only picked it up after quite a long time away from it, but it also turns out that I have only read book two and now, five! Bizarrely, none of the others were on my shelf, I fancied another Jenny Colgan read and I was rather drawn to the pink cover… You can imagine my relief when the writer opens the novel with a neat and tidy summary of events that have taken place on the island of Mure. Some of it I vaguely remembered, others, well, it was a bit of an education. The end result? With that opening summary, I think you can get enough background information to dive straight in to what became a lovely and surprisingly, emotional read.
Allereerst, ik vond het echt een feestje om weer terug te zijn. De sfeer zit er supergoed in en het voelt alsof je helemaal niet weg bent geweest. Ik heb de voorgaande delen niet altijd met enorm veel plezier gelezen, maar dit was echt een heerlijke afsluiter. Alle personages komen voorbij, ze krijgen (bijna) allemaal een mooi einde, maar tegelijkertijd heb je de welbekende drama die een mooie draad door het verhaal vormt. Het is wederom een perfect small town (of eigenlijk island) feelgood, precies zoals we van Colgan gewend zijn en waar je absoluut je hart bij kunt ophalen.
Na vier delen kan het soms best wel lastig zijn om weer iets nieuws te bedenken, zeker als je ook andere series in dezelfde sfeer schrijft. Maar Jenny Colgan krijgt het gewoon voor elkaar om elke keer weer een nieuwe twist en een originele draai aan het verhaal te geven. Natuurlijk is niet alles nieuw, maar het blijft spannend en origineel genoeg om je de hele tijd hooked te laten zijn. Ik vind vooral de verhaallijn van Saif en Lorna echt heel erg tof en die stukjes heb ik vooral verslonden.
Maar hallo, dit boek wordt neergezet als het laatste deel, maar dat kan echt niet hoor. Ja, het is een fijne afsluiter, maar ik ben met vragen achtergebleven. Ik wil meer weten, ik wil nog meer en nog een keer met deze personages meeleven. Vooral het einde van twee personages (sorry, dit kan ik niet prijsgeven zonder te spoilen, maar DM me maar als je het gelezen hebt) vond ik echt niet bevredigend. I WANT MORE! Dus hopelijk komt Colgan toch nog terug op haar beslissing en komt er gewoon nog een 6e deel (of in ieder geval een novelle).
Voor de fans is dit een heerlijk zesde deel. Je kunt je heerlijk verliezen, zult de tijd ongetwijfeld even helemaal uit het oog verliezen en het is fijn om oude bekenden weer eventjes te zien. Dikke aanrader, dus!
Wedding season has arrived on the little Scottish island of Mure. Flora’s fiance only wants a small, intimate wedding with just their closest friends and family. Former island sweetheart, Olivia, returns to the island planning for her wedding of the century. Both weddings are scheduled for the same weekend.
An Island Wedding is the fifth book in Jenny Colgan’s Mure series. While it could be read as a stand-alone, I would highly recommend reading the rest of the series for background information and character development. The author does give a brief recap of all the important events leading up to this book.
Miscommunication! Miscommunication everywhere! Waiting for some of these couples to work out their issues was almost painful. I’m assuming that this is the last book in this series. It seemed like the author was trying to wrap up storylines from previous books. There are almost too many side plots to keep track of. There are a lot of characters in this book and while Flora and Olivia are primary, some of the side characters have such large roles in the plot that they probably needed their own books.
I have read many of Jenny Colgan’s books in the past and have always enjoyed her style of writing. While An Island Wedding was not my favorite, I will continue to read her books in the future.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager!
Wow so nice to be back on Mure, surrounded by familiar characters and exciting new ones! The continuing storyline of flora and her family and friends makes for such a lovely comforting hug of a read, set in the most idyllic place, with a wonderfully varied cast of characters and the most delectable array of local delicacies! Wedding fever abounds as Flora and Joel plan their own small intimate ceremony whilst at the same time organising the most lavish, ostentatious ceremony for Olivia who grew up on the island, no expense is spared as plans are put into place for a midsummer spectacular! The path of true love never runs true and the lead up to the weddings is fraught with problems, issues, differences of opinions, but will both couples get the weddings of their dreams? A great read full of love, hope, forgiveness and hopefully a great big happy ever after! Would so love to see another book in this series! Thank you netgalley for this early read.
I love Jenny Colgan's book a lot! So I was really happy to be able to read this one! First, let me tell you how much i love this pink cover! It's gorgeous!!! Then I loved the setting of the story, and I enjoyed the story in itself! This book is a page-turner! If you like Jenny Colgan's books you will really enjoy this one! I have given this book 4 stars!
So why 3? Well I enjoyed the story as I've enjoyed all the Mure stories which would mean it's a 5. But if this is the final book in the series then I'm so disappointed that I can't forgive how sad it is which would mean it's a 1. Average them out: 3 If this is not the final book then I will revisit this review at a later date.
I read this book without reading the previous books in the series and I was still able to find the book enjoyable and will definitely be revisiting the rest of the other books in the Mure series because I just so love the characters and want to get to know all of them. Jenny Colgan’s books bring me the feel good vibes and all the cozies this stressful reader and nurse has in her real life. Colgan books are my respite to escape from the harsh realities of the world and I am so thankful for it.
An Island Wedding catches up on our protagonist Flora Mackenzie – Colgan does a fantastic job catching up her readers new to the series on the goings-on on the island.
I found the read fun and enough to get me excited to read the entire back series.