Book Review: Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella

"Lottie is tired of long-term boyfriends who don't want to commit to marriage. When her old boyfriend Ben reappears and reminds her of their pact to get married if they were both still single at thirty, she jumps at the chance. There will be no dates and no engagement-just a straight wedding march to the altar! Next comes the honeymoon on the Greek island where they first met. But not everyone is thrilled with Lottie and Ben's rushed marriage, and family and friends are determined to intervene. Will Lottie and Ben have a wedding night to remember . or one to forget?"

You can buy Wedding Night as a hardcover or an eBook now.

Rating: 5/5

Who doesn't love a new Sophie Kinsella book? The chick lit world goes into a frenzy when a new title is announced, and finally her now book Wedding Night is out there in the big wide world and being devoured by thousands as I type! I was lucky enough to receive a review copy of the book a few months ago to review on this site, and of course I devoured it as soon as it dropped onto my doormat by the postman. I'll confess that I wasn't enamoured by the cover at first - it's a little bland and doesn't really do much for me if I'm honest, but of course I try not to let a bit of a duff cover spoil my potential enjoyment of a book. Luckily for me, the story inside was fantastic, and here is why I think you should read Wedding Night!

Lottie thought she had found the man of her dreams, and gears herself up for a proposal when her boyfriend Richard invites her on a romantic dinner. It turns out marriage wasn't exactly at the forefront of his mind, and Lottie is left reeling. When she bumps into old flame Ben, she is reminded of a pact she made with him years ago that if they aren't married by the time they are both 30, they'll marry each other. They quickly decide to go through with the marriage, and hot-foot it on a honeymoon to Greek island Ikonos. However, they soon realise married life isn't quite the romantic dream they'd hoped for, especially with the plans that Lottie's sister Fliss has up her sleeve for them. Which sister will end up coming out on top - Lottie and her happy marriage, or Fliss, the sister set on destroying her sibling's shotgun wedding?!

There is something about Kinsella's books which is so readable, and I always love reading every page of them. I was actually pleased to see that this was a stand-alone novel, because as much as I love the Shopaholic series, it's always great to read some new Kinsella characters, and Lottie and Fliss certainly don't disappoint. This is the first novel where Kinsella tries more than one narrator, with both Lottie and Fliss telling the reader their half of the story, and I found it worked really well. This book actually really needed both women's inputs as the stories really relied on each other to keep the momentum going, and to understand exactly what was going on. I found myself enjoying both narrators, although quite often I found Fliss' narration more enjoyable than Lottie's, it certainly made me laugh out loud rather a lot!

I really enjoyed how Kinsella wrote the Greek island of Ikonos, you can really imagine it vividly in your mind as you're reading, and you can't help but feel sorry for what Lottie and Ben go through on their honeymoon courtesy of a meddling Fliss - it sounds like hell on earth and you have to wonder why on earth they didn't question what was happening far more heavily than they did! Still, the fact they didn't simply adds to the comedy of the situation, and Kinsella certainly comes up with some creative ideas here, it was hilarious in parts! Another funny part of the book I must confess involved Fliss' young son Noah, one of the cleverest and most inventive young boys I've ever read about... I loved his scenes and they certainly brightened up sections of the book for me!

Everything about this book is an easy read, and I loved that I could pick it up and dip in and out it with ease. I was left wondering as I read through the book, wondering if Ben and Lottie would be able to make it to their 'Wedding Night' in the end, wondering if their marriage would last, and wondering how far Fliss would go to stop the couple consummating the marriage, with a little help from her concierge friend! The comedy flowed from beginning to end, and Kinsella writes it with such ease that it is a pleasure to read, and it made me laugh out loud all the way through. The dual narrative worked so well, you can't help but love Lottie and Fliss - their hearts are in the right places, even if their actions aren't quite there yet! Fans of Kinsella are going to love this book, and I'd say it's my favourite of her stand-alone books so far. From a beautiful setting, to great characters and some genuinely funny storylines going on, Wedding Night is a brilliant read, and I hope you'll love it as much as I did!