A Wedding in the Country: From the #1 bestselling author of uplifting feel-good fiction

I am a big fan of Katie Fforde’s books, I have them all which I re read regularly and also have the audio versions.I’m afraid this book didn’t enthral me, I much prefer her usual style. I have looked forward to it for a year so it was a big disappointment. It seemed to lack depth and interest, normally I can’t put the books down because I want to find out what happens but I was happy to be interrupted whilst reading this one.☹️

... but... I much prefer KF's contemporary romances. This felt more about staging the time and place, 1960's, than building a lovable and believable lead character. The two leading characters never really had a chance to win me over with their relationship. I suppose it reflects the situation and how it would have unfolded given the social constraints of the time. I would like to seen the two 'live a little' as the story developed. I did enjoy the developing friendship between the girls and I enjoyed how David's character interacted with the group.It didn't grab me like all her other books have. I've got them all and they've each been read and reread beyond counting. I love her stories and was counting the days until this new book landed on my Kindle... I feel flat and disappointed if I'm honest. After all the anticipation it wasn't the twisty, hiccuppy, fun and farce book with well expressed characters that I can really buy into and root for when their situation becomes tricky.I was looking forward to so much and now I'm just feeling a bit flat and disappointed... I'll keep the faith and just wait it out until the next book. Suffice to say this one's not going to be reread.

Katie Fforde's early books were funny and entertaining but she seemed to run out of steam. Ever hopeful, I buy her new books in case she has returned to form. Sadly this is another disappointment. The plot line is slight and padded out by the descriptions reminiscent of those little girls make when describing their future lives. The characters are derivative and predictable. My overwhelming feeling was that it is a lazy book, going through the motions to reach another deadline. With a little effort it could have been so much better.

It does seem to me that each new book by Katie Fforde is becoming more and more mundane. This one seemed to me almost trite. Yes, there were parts that were heartwarming but they were countered by others that just seemed silly. Also an occasional error. Someone mentioned women’s lib, which didn’t really emerge as a “thing” till the late 60s. The story itself was very thin, although it did highlight the morality (and hypocrisy) of the time - no sex till marriage, and the disgrace of being an unmarried mother. I moved to London (a “dolly bird”!) in 1966 from oop north, though didn’t move in the illustrious and privileged circles of this group of girls. But it was a great time to be young and in the city. I didn’t feel this novel caught the flavour of the time at all, though maybe 1963 was a bit early for the Swinging Sixties.

I usually enjoy Katie’s books and was really looking forward to this one. I kept waiting for the story and characters to “get going” it was very predictable and felt more like a Mills and Boon story rather than the usual Katie Fford. Sorry, but very disappointed, even more so as it wasn’t a cheap read at £9.99