Guest Review: An Island Wedding by Jenny Colgan

Olivia and Anthony are planning A Very Extravagant Wedding at the newest hotel on the tiny Scottish island of Mure. They're flying in chefs, musicians and something called a living flower wall... and no one is even allowed to think the word bridezilla.

Flora is trying - and failing - not to let Olivia and Anthony's wedding distract her from planning her own big day with Joel. But the couple have wildly different ideas about how to celebrate and somehow, just when their relationship should be plain sailing, everything is suddenly very hard indeed.

And then there's Lorna and Saif. The local headmistress and the GP desperately keeping their relationship a secret to protect his sons. But while they're looking out for the boys, who's looking out for them?

Three couples. One midsummer's night. Can everyone get their happy ever after?

Review: This is the latest book in a series following the fortunes of Flora MacKenzie and her family, who live on the tiny and remote Scottish island of Mure. At the beginning of the series, readers met Flora as she returned to her childhood home following the death of her mother and settled back into island life. Much has happened in the intervening years, happy and sad events being chronicled in the books, all of which I have enjoyed immensely. Jenny Colgan has charmed me once again with this book, but as well as the story within, I must mention the cover, which this time is absolutely stunning. 

In this next part of the saga, Flora is preparing finally to marry her American partner, Joel. Joel wants a small wedding, but everyone on the island is assuming it will be an event involving the whole community. Meanwhile, there is to be another wedding at the Rock, the island’s prestigious hotel run by Flora. The strikingly beautiful Olivia who left the island many years ago is planning to stage the society wedding of the year there, with a whole host of outlandish ideas proposed by her wedding planner. At the other end of the island, doctor Saif is struggling with the decision of whether he should once more uproot his young sons and return to Damascus, where he feels he could be useful and the boys might be reunited with their mother. But what of his growing relationship with the island’s teacher Lorna?

This is another triumph of a story from Jenny Colgan, filled with drama intertwined with her usual brand of humour. As someone who has been following this series from the beginning, I really enjoyed catching up with Flora and other recurring characters, but I equally enjoyed meeting the new introductions. Having said that, I think that the book functions perfectly well as a standalone for those who are new to Mure. For newcomers and returning readers alike, I love that the author has included an update on the ‘story so far’ at the beginning of this book, along with a pen picture of the island and, most precious of all, a map. I can heartily recommend this book; it is entertaining from start to finish and kept me guessing right to the end.

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