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Amanda's Wedding
Melanie and Fran are two charmingly wisecracking young Londoners who simply can't believe it when their old schoolfriend Amanda, Satan's own PR agent, manages to get herself hitched to a laird (Scottish for lord). Who cares that Fraser McConnel has worn the same ratty Converse sneakers for years and that his castle is really a pile of rubble -- all the social -climbing queen of preen cares about is the title she'll soon have. She's got Fraser by the nuptials, and she has no intention of letting go. Gentle, decent Fraser is completely innocent Amanda's wiles, so Mel and Fran, still smarting from Amanda's evil misdeeds years ago in school, join forces with Fraser's adorable younger brother Angus to sabotage the mismatch of the century. Between fighting off the attentions of a love-crazed accountant, dealing with a ne'er-do-well rockstar wannabe boyfriend, keeping Fran's deadly maneuvers with the opposite sex under control, finding herself at the heart of a bachelor party controversy, consuminglarge quantities of alcohol, and throwing out hysterical barbs that would make Oscar Wilde proud, Mel will break some hearts and win over those of readers by the score...all of whom are certain to enjoy the mayhem -- and hilarious mishaps -- in store in "Amanda's Wedding!"
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
339 people are currently reading
4422 people want to read
About the author
Jenny Colgan
122 books11.7k followersJenny 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 438 reviews
August 14, 2015
I bought this book at the dollar store, and I think I paid too much.[return][return]Terrible story, full of unoriginal stereotypes and unlikeable characters. The main character, Melanie, is shuffled through one pathetic situation after another with no redeeming qualities. At least Bridget Jones had charm. We are somehow supposed to like a woman who: treats her roommate like crap just because she's odd, skips work all the time for selfish reasons (and only gets transfered to another department instead of having her ass fired), worships a boyfriend who cheats on her, remains friends with a woman who treats her like crap to her face, shows no sign of intelligence... I can go on and on about how dislikeable Melanie is. Scenes that are supposed to depict her as cute or quirky come off as just sad. It is laughable how she lets everyone get one over on her- even her best friend, Fran, whom we're supposed to believe is so close to Melanie, yet steals the terrible boyfriend she always openly despised. Oh, but it's all OK, because the two gals are BFFs again at the end, because Fran was just being her usual slutty self, ha ha! Really, I wonder if the author ever met a woman of three-dimensional depth, because it's not evident by her female characters. The titular Amanda is the alpha bitch whom we've seen a hundred times before, complete with a raving tantrum that finally is her undoing. Fran is the promiscuous best friend, (Oh, that Fran, she'll make out with anyone, including that married guy!) And Melanie is the self-loathing, masochistic heroine always looking for a guy to make her feel better about herself. Her sudden romance with Amanda's would-be groom in the last chapters is laughable, especially since the novel spent so much time building up her potential with the groom's brother Angus. [return][return]Besides the terrible plot and poor characters, the reader is plagued with terrible writing and bad jokes. The book jacket notes that the author tried out material in the book on the stand-up circuit, and I can only wonder if polite laughter convinced her she was on to something. [return][return]I only added this to my library because I have truly found the worst book I've ever read, and had to write about it. I didn't crack this book open expecting Shakespeare, but the story doesn't even have the light fluffiness that makes typical chick lit books enjoyable. I'd feel embarrassed for the author if I suspected that she knew what she wrote was vapid junk.
August 30, 2013
I don't know what people think they're getting into upon picking up this book, but it's crap.
To be honest. However, delicious-nummy-nummy crap, it is. It's stupid, it's stereotypical with it's plot arc and character choices blahblahblahblah
What's that? It's fun and you don't have to think? I'm pretty down with that. Sometimes, it's nice to sit down with a book that requires no brain power. Sometimes, you just want to laugh. I've read this book many-o-times (admittedly, it was ten years ago. I was fifteen and LOVIN' THE CRAPPY CHICKLIT.) It's dumb and fun. Just relax into it. Read it on a beach, after a glass of wine (or two). Life isn't always serious, or it shouldn't be. Let Jenny Colgan lead you by the hand into the world of sub-par literature. It's ok, she won't hurt you.
To be honest. However, delicious-nummy-nummy crap, it is. It's stupid, it's stereotypical with it's plot arc and character choices blahblahblahblah
What's that? It's fun and you don't have to think? I'm pretty down with that. Sometimes, it's nice to sit down with a book that requires no brain power. Sometimes, you just want to laugh. I've read this book many-o-times (admittedly, it was ten years ago. I was fifteen and LOVIN' THE CRAPPY CHICKLIT.) It's dumb and fun. Just relax into it. Read it on a beach, after a glass of wine (or two). Life isn't always serious, or it shouldn't be. Let Jenny Colgan lead you by the hand into the world of sub-par literature. It's ok, she won't hurt you.
March 4, 2009
What a let down!! 200-some odd pages of how the characters want to take down Amanda's wedding and then when it gets to the wedding there's maybe 2 pages about it? Seriously? And the ending? I already can't remember what happened...that can't be good. The main character Melanie was so self absorbed she couldn't see what was going on around her. The jokes fell flat and even more disturbing was that sound effects that were written in...chaw chaw chaw? Ergh? Blaugh? What is that??? And PS - "?" and "!" ARE NOT SENTENCES...PEOPLE DON'T SAY "EXCLAMATION POINT!" AND "QUESTION MARK." It's little things like that that made me want to put the book down every 2 pages...
June 22, 2008
I couldn't finish this one. It got on my nerves, and it was too slow to begin with... so I just stopped reading it. The main character is moody and kind of self-loathing. And she had a potty mouth from what I can remember. I was thinking it would be good, if I could just skip to a later part. I just couldn't get through it.
May 21, 2023
Two books in one... The first half is adorable, humor is in almost every phrase, together with a scent of self-irony. The second half is more diluted, Mrs. Colgan getting tired (perhaps...) to double every second or third sentence with a joyful cover, you realize that there is not so much action and the final is a standard one. So is the mark, three...
February 17, 2018
This is Ms. Colgan's first novel and I'm glad I read the later ones first. If I had read this one first, I probably would not have picked up the others. I recommend the Beach Street Bakery and the Cupcake Cafe books, but you can skip this one.
July 28, 2019
RATING: 4 STARS
1999 (Reissued in 2018); Willam Morrow Paperbacks/HarperCollins Canada
Please note that this novel was first published in 1999, and was reissued in 2018. I am not sure if, or how much of, the novel was edited or changed. As far as I can remember, in this book, cell phones did not seem like they were in regular use. I do remember them using landlines a lot (or maybe I just remember the 90s that way, lol). I didn't find the story dated as much as I thought it would be. My first book by Jenny Colgan was her 2016 novel, The Bookshop on the Corner and really enjoyed it. It is the genre of contemporary romance, or women's fiction, but I found that romance was more of a secondary genre. And, I found the same with this novel.
When I first requested this novel, I started to regret it right away. Then seeing it was a reissue from the late 90s, I was really starting to second guess my request. I am not a huge fan of rom-coms and contemporary romances when it comes to books. It has to be really well-done (which is so subjective, really) for me to really enjoy them. I am a big sentimental mush when it comes to love stories, but yet a cynic. I am such a high maintenance reader, I know, lol.
I listened to Amanda's Wedding on audio, and loved the narrator as she and Colgan drew me quickly into the story. I found that the story wasn't overly dramatic and I didn't have to give a lot of leeway to make the story seem "real". I could totally see this as a rom-com, and Amanda is the standard mean girl, and a great adversary to Melanie and Fran. I enjoyed the humour and the chemistry between Melanie and Fran. I recommend this if you need a quick good read.
***I received an eARC from EDELWEISS***
My Novelesque Blog
1999 (Reissued in 2018); Willam Morrow Paperbacks/HarperCollins Canada
Please note that this novel was first published in 1999, and was reissued in 2018. I am not sure if, or how much of, the novel was edited or changed. As far as I can remember, in this book, cell phones did not seem like they were in regular use. I do remember them using landlines a lot (or maybe I just remember the 90s that way, lol). I didn't find the story dated as much as I thought it would be. My first book by Jenny Colgan was her 2016 novel, The Bookshop on the Corner and really enjoyed it. It is the genre of contemporary romance, or women's fiction, but I found that romance was more of a secondary genre. And, I found the same with this novel.
When I first requested this novel, I started to regret it right away. Then seeing it was a reissue from the late 90s, I was really starting to second guess my request. I am not a huge fan of rom-coms and contemporary romances when it comes to books. It has to be really well-done (which is so subjective, really) for me to really enjoy them. I am a big sentimental mush when it comes to love stories, but yet a cynic. I am such a high maintenance reader, I know, lol.
I listened to Amanda's Wedding on audio, and loved the narrator as she and Colgan drew me quickly into the story. I found that the story wasn't overly dramatic and I didn't have to give a lot of leeway to make the story seem "real". I could totally see this as a rom-com, and Amanda is the standard mean girl, and a great adversary to Melanie and Fran. I enjoyed the humour and the chemistry between Melanie and Fran. I recommend this if you need a quick good read.
***I received an eARC from EDELWEISS***
My Novelesque Blog
April 18, 2018
My advice: If you want to read books of Jenny Colgan, so, first read this book, then her books about Cupcake Cafe... I just can not give to this book better evaluation, after reading that two books... sorry :(
June 8, 2016
Absolutely hilarious - I loved the Fran character who didn't mince her words. To be fair all the characters were good - a great story which I highly recommend reading
September 23, 2018
(ARC). Felt like an adult Sophie Kinsella novel - really enjoyed it!
January 21, 2019
Imi plac cărțile chick lit dar nu am norocul sa fie toate mișto. Asta se încadrează în categoria hmmm, merge! Nu e amuzantă. Are câteva replici mai caterincoase, dar nu suficiente încât să facă povestea amuzantă. E drăguță, dar scrisa parca pe repede înainte, cu dialog sec si pus acolo ca sa umple pagina. Sau asa am perceput eu. Personajele sunt toate la fel. N au nimic care sa le diferențieze ceea ce mi s a parut suspect ca narator sa nu poti sa le dai trăsături de caracter diferite. In fine, multa vorba pentru nimic. E o carte de weekend de citit doar daca n aveti altceva mai bun la indemana. E cliseica si prostut scrisa dar na. Cum spuneam la început. Nu toate sunt mișto. Nu renunț însă. :))) sunt masochistă.
August 2, 2009
It's no secret that I'm a massive Jenny Colgan fan, and her debut novel ' Amanda's Wedding', published back in 2000, is a real classic.
90s girl-about-town Mel is adjusting to life without posh-boy Alex, whose attempts to make it big in the music biz have propelled him to the land of the free and Bruce Springsteen. Having omitted to mention his grand tour to Mel however, he has left our heroine a tad disturbed--grounds indeed for taking comfort in the arms of smelly, over-sized accountants with juvenile tendencies. Alex's emotional return coincides with the news that Mel's old "friend" Amanda, social-climber pas excellent (sic), has succeeded in getting herself hitched to Scottish laird Fraser for whom Mel has long harboured feelings of an X-rated nature. Before long, Fraser's brother Angus and Mel's friend Fran--an evil-mouthed, scary, man-hater--join forces in an attempt to rescue the scruffy Scot from the talons of the wannabe "It" girl, whose only interests lie in a double-barrelled aristo title and an ancestral pile.
This was the first chick lit book in which I felt I could truly relate to the characters. The protaganist of Mel isn't just a dull, 'nice' girl to whom something bad happens. She's self deprecating, sometimes sarcastic and has a bit of 'oomph' about her.
This book has it all. Wit, an excellent plot, emotion, and lots of gorgeous Scottish Men. As soon as I read it, I became a confirmed Colgan fan. I would completely recommend it to those of you who have not yet read it. It will have you laughing out loud by the end of the first page.
Rating 5/5
http://www.novelicious.com
90s girl-about-town Mel is adjusting to life without posh-boy Alex, whose attempts to make it big in the music biz have propelled him to the land of the free and Bruce Springsteen. Having omitted to mention his grand tour to Mel however, he has left our heroine a tad disturbed--grounds indeed for taking comfort in the arms of smelly, over-sized accountants with juvenile tendencies. Alex's emotional return coincides with the news that Mel's old "friend" Amanda, social-climber pas excellent (sic), has succeeded in getting herself hitched to Scottish laird Fraser for whom Mel has long harboured feelings of an X-rated nature. Before long, Fraser's brother Angus and Mel's friend Fran--an evil-mouthed, scary, man-hater--join forces in an attempt to rescue the scruffy Scot from the talons of the wannabe "It" girl, whose only interests lie in a double-barrelled aristo title and an ancestral pile.
This was the first chick lit book in which I felt I could truly relate to the characters. The protaganist of Mel isn't just a dull, 'nice' girl to whom something bad happens. She's self deprecating, sometimes sarcastic and has a bit of 'oomph' about her.
This book has it all. Wit, an excellent plot, emotion, and lots of gorgeous Scottish Men. As soon as I read it, I became a confirmed Colgan fan. I would completely recommend it to those of you who have not yet read it. It will have you laughing out loud by the end of the first page.
Rating 5/5
http://www.novelicious.com
July 6, 2014
Amanda’s old school friends can’t believe it when the social-climbing queen pulls off the ultimate publicity stunt in getting herself engaged to a Scottish laird. Something Must Be Done. Gentle, decent Fraser is clearly ignorant of her wiles, and Mel and Fran, still smarting from the memory of all the mean things Amanda put them through, set out to sabotage this mismatch of the century. So between fighting off the attentions of a love-crazed accountant, keeping Fran’s deadly manoeuvres with the opposite sex under control and trying to win her own war of love with the elusive but gorgeous Alex, Mel finds herself attending a wild Scottish stag night, a hen night from hell, and preparing for a wedding that’s everything you’d wish on your worst enemy.
I have read quite a few of Jenny Colgan's more recent books and have really enjoyed them. Amanda's Wedding I think is her first book and I think she has improved in her writing since this one. I found it hard to get into the story as the character of Mel, kept doing things that made me want to slap her! I found the later half of the book better and I did enjoy it but maybe not as much as some of her more recent books.
I have read quite a few of Jenny Colgan's more recent books and have really enjoyed them. Amanda's Wedding I think is her first book and I think she has improved in her writing since this one. I found it hard to get into the story as the character of Mel, kept doing things that made me want to slap her! I found the later half of the book better and I did enjoy it but maybe not as much as some of her more recent books.
June 19, 2017
Melanie and fran have spent their whole lives envying their more attractive and more successful friend Amanda. WHen they learn that. Amanda is getting married to Fraser, a Scottish laird, they decide to sabotage the wedding on the grounds that amanda is a horrible person and doesn't deserve a nice man like Fraser and will make him unhappy. unfortunately, although i imagine we are meant to sympathise with Melanie and Fran, neither seem any more likeable than Amanda. they are selfish and shallow, have no interest in anything outside themselves, and i couldn't see any reason why either of them were any more deserving of a happy ending than Amanda. the only likeable people in the book are Fraser and his brother Angus, none of the women in the book were nice enough for either of them. I have never encountered a fictional heroine I liked less than Melanie.
April 5, 2017
I generally love Jenny Colgan's books - but this felt like a step too far down the route of cliche for me. Our main character was self-absorbed, and the humorous situations weren't actually that funny. I couldn't abide Alex and anyone with an ounce of sense would run a mile form the kind of toxic friendships that are celebrated here.
This was published some time ago, and I think it's a case of seeing a writer finding their voice/style. Sadly, this is not going to become a favourite.
This was published some time ago, and I think it's a case of seeing a writer finding their voice/style. Sadly, this is not going to become a favourite.
May 27, 2021
Melanie, Fran and Fraser's younger brother Angus are attempting to convince Fraser not to marry Amanda. I have to admit it didn't have the strongest of plots but if you are looking for a light hearted, quick read, romantic comedy this is definitely the book for you.
October 18, 2025
נטישה ב-46%
אני מתחילה להגיע למסקנה שהשילוב של סופרת אהובה וסקוטלנד לא עובד כי אני גם מאד אוהבת את מייגן קווין ולא התחברתי ל-״הרומן הסקוטי שלי״
ולענייננו, אחרי שסיימתי ספר נורא חשקה נפשי בספר כיפי, מצליר וקליל אך אויה, גם הספר הזה היה גרוע! הכתיבה של ג׳ני הייתה מושלמת כתמיד, אבל אפילו זה לא הצליח להציל את הספר. אמנדה (הגיבורה) הייתה פשוט בלתי נסבלת; אנוכית, זקוקה בדחיפות להשתלת עמוד שדרה, טעם לקוי בגברים (סטוץ עם גבר עם ריח רע, אקס רעיל שנעלם לשנה, חזר אליה רק בשביל פתרון דיור זמני ופחד ממחויבויות כמו חתול שמפחד ממים), חברה נוראית (שמרה על קשר עם חברת ילדות רעילה שרק הקטינה אותה, לא הגנה על הבסטי כשעברה הטרדה לא בעת מעשה ולא אחר כך), שותפה מחפירה (אכלה לה את האוכל, חיטטה לה בחפצים האישיים וכו׳) וגרועה בעבודה (ברמה שהעבירו אותה משרד רק כדי לפקח עליה מקרוב)😅🤷🏻♀️
בקצרה: העובדה שזה ספר הביכורים שלה מאד ניכרת, תעשו לעצמכם טובה, תוותרו על זה ולכו לקרוא את ״חנות ספרים על גלגלים״. ספר מושלם!
פורמט:📓
הספר התקבל לסקירה
🚨ספויילר🚨
הקש ששבר את גב הגמל היה שהבסטי שלה שכבה עם האח של החתן (מי שחשבתי שיהיה ה-אחד. כל זה בלבל אותי ולא הבנתי באיזה גבר אני אמורה לתמוך, אז בדקתי. בסוף הספר היא בחרה בחתן בתור מושא אהבתה. כן כן אותו אחד שלא ראה אותה ממטר בקולג׳ למרות שהיא רדפה אחריו כמו כלבלב תועה. כן זה גם אותו אחד שהיה הארוס של החברה הרעילה שלה. שיקול דעת לקוי כבר אמרנו? 🤦🏻♀️
אני מתחילה להגיע למסקנה שהשילוב של סופרת אהובה וסקוטלנד לא עובד כי אני גם מאד אוהבת את מייגן קווין ולא התחברתי ל-״הרומן הסקוטי שלי״
ולענייננו, אחרי שסיימתי ספר נורא חשקה נפשי בספר כיפי, מצליר וקליל אך אויה, גם הספר הזה היה גרוע! הכתיבה של ג׳ני הייתה מושלמת כתמיד, אבל אפילו זה לא הצליח להציל את הספר. אמנדה (הגיבורה) הייתה פשוט בלתי נסבלת; אנוכית, זקוקה בדחיפות להשתלת עמוד שדרה, טעם לקוי בגברים (סטוץ עם גבר עם ריח רע, אקס רעיל שנעלם לשנה, חזר אליה רק בשביל פתרון דיור זמני ופחד ממחויבויות כמו חתול שמפחד ממים), חברה נוראית (שמרה על קשר עם חברת ילדות רעילה שרק הקטינה אותה, לא הגנה על הבסטי כשעברה הטרדה לא בעת מעשה ולא אחר כך), שותפה מחפירה (אכלה לה את האוכל, חיטטה לה בחפצים האישיים וכו׳) וגרועה בעבודה (ברמה שהעבירו אותה משרד רק כדי לפקח עליה מקרוב)😅🤷🏻♀️
בקצרה: העובדה שזה ספר הביכורים שלה מאד ניכרת, תעשו לעצמכם טובה, תוותרו על זה ולכו לקרוא את ״חנות ספרים על גלגלים״. ספר מושלם!
פורמט:📓
הספר התקבל לסקירה
🚨ספויילר🚨
הקש ששבר את גב הגמל היה שהבסטי שלה שכבה עם האח של החתן (מי שחשבתי שיהיה ה-אחד. כל זה בלבל אותי ולא הבנתי באיזה גבר אני אמורה לתמוך, אז בדקתי. בסוף הספר היא בחרה בחתן בתור מושא אהבתה. כן כן אותו אחד שלא ראה אותה ממטר בקולג׳ למרות שהיא רדפה אחריו כמו כלבלב תועה. כן זה גם אותו אחד שהיה הארוס של החברה הרעילה שלה. שיקול דעת לקוי כבר אמרנו? 🤦🏻♀️
July 19, 2015
I surprisingly really enjoyed this book! I found it pretty humorous the whole way through and thought the main character Melanie was really funny. I did feel a little bit sorry for Amanda but she was a pretty nasty person. I do wish that Melanie had ended up with Angus but oh well.
April 24, 2021
A fun silly book. The audio book is amazing.
November 17, 2025
From the book jacket: Meet Melanie Pepper, a spirited twenty-something who lives in the scruffy end of South London, works at the world’s most boring job, and spends her time lusting after a sexy, commitment-phobic, pop-star wannabe. Join her and her best friend, Fran, in the treacherous trenches of today’s singles scene as they cope with Amanda-envy, Melanie’s on again, off again relationship, the proverbial nice guy who may or may not be “just a friend,” and a wedding where she isn’t a bride, or even a bridesmaid.
My reactions
Meh, trending towards dreadful. This was Colgan’s debut work and I’m glad I’ve read others by her before this one, or I’d never have read anything else she’s written.
Basically, two twenty-somethings try to sabotage their “friend’s” wedding. Yes, Amanda is a spoiled, self-serving “princess,” but Melanie and Fran are not what I’d call role models of new adult behavior.
This book just seems as if the author is trying too hard … to be clever, to be cute, to be sexy. But then, I’m way past this stage in life (and when I was in my twenties, I didn’t behave like Fran and Melanie). My nieces are in their twenties, and they don’t behave like this, either.
The jacket blurbs promise this is “witty” “compulsively comical” and “funny and insightful.” I didn’t think of those descriptions fit; I just found it tedious. I only finished because it satisfied a couple of challenges.
In the future, I’ll stick to the cozier series books I’ve come to enjoy by Colgan.
My reactions
Meh, trending towards dreadful. This was Colgan’s debut work and I’m glad I’ve read others by her before this one, or I’d never have read anything else she’s written.
Basically, two twenty-somethings try to sabotage their “friend’s” wedding. Yes, Amanda is a spoiled, self-serving “princess,” but Melanie and Fran are not what I’d call role models of new adult behavior.
This book just seems as if the author is trying too hard … to be clever, to be cute, to be sexy. But then, I’m way past this stage in life (and when I was in my twenties, I didn’t behave like Fran and Melanie). My nieces are in their twenties, and they don’t behave like this, either.
The jacket blurbs promise this is “witty” “compulsively comical” and “funny and insightful.” I didn’t think of those descriptions fit; I just found it tedious. I only finished because it satisfied a couple of challenges.
In the future, I’ll stick to the cozier series books I’ve come to enjoy by Colgan.
October 22, 2018
Amanda’s Wedding reads like a romantic comedy film and this isn’t a bad thing. Mel and Alex have a toxic relationship. Fran is questionable in her morals. Fraser and Angus are the all round nice guys. While Amanda, is a shallow bitch (no other way to put it really). Put them all together and you get some hilarious situations.
Like any good romcom, the storyline can be a bit far-fetched and wacky at times. As long as you go into it expecting that it won’t be a problem.
One thing that I really liked was for once I couldn’t see how this book was going to end. Normally the storylines in this category can be quite predictable and you are pretty much waiting for the unlikely couple to come together. I was pleasantly surprised that this wasn’t the case.
Like any good romcom, the storyline can be a bit far-fetched and wacky at times. As long as you go into it expecting that it won’t be a problem.
One thing that I really liked was for once I couldn’t see how this book was going to end. Normally the storylines in this category can be quite predictable and you are pretty much waiting for the unlikely couple to come together. I was pleasantly surprised that this wasn’t the case.
April 8, 2021
It’s lovely to see some of the authors earliest work and you can see how she has developed. This is a funny and light contemporary book.
October 23, 2021
Mindless and entertaining. Laughed aloud a few times. Mostly just charmed.
September 27, 2012
Originally posted at My Book Musings.
Amanda’s Wedding took me by surprise. As I stated in my previous review of another work by Jenny Colgan (Meet Me at the Cupcake Café), I really enjoyed that book and looked forward to reading another one of her books.
Well, Amanda’s Wedding took me by surprise… and not in a good way. I was expecting the book to be funny as it is, after all, a book about friends trying to sabotage their ‘friend’s’ wedding. But it was just a whole mess that I was so bored reading it. If it wasn’t written by Jenny Colgan, I would not have finished it at all (and I was really bored).
So Mel is a copywriter and lives in a flat with a quiet woman named Linda. She gets piss drunk every so often and has been left by her old wannabe-musician boyfriend, Alex, who went gallivanting off to America. In the meantime, she gets drunk with her friend Fran, until she receives a message that 1) their bitchy friend is getting married to the man Mel really liked before and 2) her ex, Alex, is coming back to her.
Fran, on the other hand, is someone who has Mel’s best interests in mind and tries to keep her from making a ‘man mistake’ every time, but of course Mel doesn’t listen to her. She and Mel are best friends and she practically lives in Mel’s flat. She also seems to be over-sexed because, well, she has sex with almost every guy she comes across (with the exception of Fraser).
Amanda, who I cannot even call ‘poor’ despite the antics of the others against her, is a real piece of work @_@ She is condescending to Mel and Fran, she’s so bossy, she is disrespectful to the family of her fiancée, Fraser, and she is just so…fake. While I am not saying she deserved what she got, no one deserves to be leg-shackled to someone like that. And Fraser seems so nice…although I still wonder how they got engaged in the first place. Really.
I have to say that I was not able to relate to them. Mel has a good enough job that she blows off when she feels like it. She’s like a doormat for Alex, even waiting about nine hours at the airport for him. She rents a room with Linda, who actually owns the flat, but she doesn’t really do her share of house chores, she eats/drinks Linda’s stuff without permission, and she’s always noisy. And I don’t know why in the world she’s so gung-ho on Alex when he is a total loser? Seriously. He runs off to America and for 10 months you don’t hear from him. When he gets back, you’re there at the airport waiting for him? Talk about doormat.
I thought Fran was nicer but in the end, I was just surprised. I mean, you do not do that to your best friend and expect to be immediately forgiven. That was just undoing several years’ worth of friendship for a guy you didn’t even love.
The only characters that I actually liked was Fraser and his younger brother, Angus. They both seem to be nice and they actually look out for each other. I don’t know how they are looks-wise, although I’m not expecting Angus to be a looker since he wasn’t described as such.
The book was unexpected because it wasn’t what I was expecting of her. I didn’t even find the book remotely funny and the characters just seemed a little…sad. The love angle of Mel’s love life was just so confusing as well as the love lives of the other characters. It’s as if not one of them can get it right. Mel ends up with someone unexpected, Fran does something unexpected and ends up with someone unexpected as well, and Angus is…well, you’ll see.
Some people liked the book but I really did not. However, I am still going to read other books by Jenny Colgan in the hopes that her later works are better as this is actually her first work. Meet Me at the Cupcake Café was loads better so I’m hoping Rosie Hopkins’ Sweetshop of Dreams would have that Colgan magic I’d been expecting.
Ciao!
Amanda’s Wedding took me by surprise. As I stated in my previous review of another work by Jenny Colgan (Meet Me at the Cupcake Café), I really enjoyed that book and looked forward to reading another one of her books.
Well, Amanda’s Wedding took me by surprise… and not in a good way. I was expecting the book to be funny as it is, after all, a book about friends trying to sabotage their ‘friend’s’ wedding. But it was just a whole mess that I was so bored reading it. If it wasn’t written by Jenny Colgan, I would not have finished it at all (and I was really bored).
So Mel is a copywriter and lives in a flat with a quiet woman named Linda. She gets piss drunk every so often and has been left by her old wannabe-musician boyfriend, Alex, who went gallivanting off to America. In the meantime, she gets drunk with her friend Fran, until she receives a message that 1) their bitchy friend is getting married to the man Mel really liked before and 2) her ex, Alex, is coming back to her.
Fran, on the other hand, is someone who has Mel’s best interests in mind and tries to keep her from making a ‘man mistake’ every time, but of course Mel doesn’t listen to her. She and Mel are best friends and she practically lives in Mel’s flat. She also seems to be over-sexed because, well, she has sex with almost every guy she comes across (with the exception of Fraser).
Amanda, who I cannot even call ‘poor’ despite the antics of the others against her, is a real piece of work @_@ She is condescending to Mel and Fran, she’s so bossy, she is disrespectful to the family of her fiancée, Fraser, and she is just so…fake. While I am not saying she deserved what she got, no one deserves to be leg-shackled to someone like that. And Fraser seems so nice…although I still wonder how they got engaged in the first place. Really.
I have to say that I was not able to relate to them. Mel has a good enough job that she blows off when she feels like it. She’s like a doormat for Alex, even waiting about nine hours at the airport for him. She rents a room with Linda, who actually owns the flat, but she doesn’t really do her share of house chores, she eats/drinks Linda’s stuff without permission, and she’s always noisy. And I don’t know why in the world she’s so gung-ho on Alex when he is a total loser? Seriously. He runs off to America and for 10 months you don’t hear from him. When he gets back, you’re there at the airport waiting for him? Talk about doormat.
I thought Fran was nicer but in the end, I was just surprised. I mean, you do not do that to your best friend and expect to be immediately forgiven. That was just undoing several years’ worth of friendship for a guy you didn’t even love.
The only characters that I actually liked was Fraser and his younger brother, Angus. They both seem to be nice and they actually look out for each other. I don’t know how they are looks-wise, although I’m not expecting Angus to be a looker since he wasn’t described as such.
The book was unexpected because it wasn’t what I was expecting of her. I didn’t even find the book remotely funny and the characters just seemed a little…sad. The love angle of Mel’s love life was just so confusing as well as the love lives of the other characters. It’s as if not one of them can get it right. Mel ends up with someone unexpected, Fran does something unexpected and ends up with someone unexpected as well, and Angus is…well, you’ll see.
Some people liked the book but I really did not. However, I am still going to read other books by Jenny Colgan in the hopes that her later works are better as this is actually her first work. Meet Me at the Cupcake Café was loads better so I’m hoping Rosie Hopkins’ Sweetshop of Dreams would have that Colgan magic I’d been expecting.
Ciao!
April 30, 2016
This was a really fun and a bit ridiculous book. I thought that it was hilarious at times and I really liked most of the characters. I hated Alex though and he is such an ass. Melanie really don't need someone like him in her life, because she can do so much better. This book was good and I flew trough it once I sat down and read it.
September 27, 2018
This book is a train wreck. A bad soap opera cliche. SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
S
P
O
I
L
E
R
S
.......... She finds out that her best friend is sleeping with her boyfriend (and has been for a while), her crush's little brother has a crush on her, and at the very end of the book, the groom leaves the bride standing at the altar so he can express his love for her instead.
S
P
O
I
L
E
R
S
.......... She finds out that her best friend is sleeping with her boyfriend (and has been for a while), her crush's little brother has a crush on her, and at the very end of the book, the groom leaves the bride standing at the altar so he can express his love for her instead.
April 17, 2023
Such a strange little book! I picked it up, despite its bad reviews because I love Jenny Colgan. The ending was a jammed together train wreck but the story and the characters genuinely held my interest. I’m still sitting here shaking my head though!
January 14, 2019
Melanie, Francesca and Amanda are solidly working-class girls, raised a few hours outside London. Growing up together with all of the usual spats that occur in a group of three friends, Amanda always had her eyes on the prize, determined to make the most of her upwardly mobile ambitions. Leaving both Mel and Fran behind as she now works in PR and is ‘uber’ glamorous, she only deigns to acknowledge her old school chums when she’s in need of a serious boost to her feelings of superiority. But now, in a break from the twice yearly traditions, she’s called them in to announce her marriage to Fraser, Scottish Laird and not someone she ever noticed despite being at Uni with him and Mel.
Mel has her own issues: a couple of dates with an accountant who clings tighter than ivy, an ex who scuttled of to America without leaving so much as a note, and a best friend who can’t help but see every man she encounters without pants, she’s feeling unloved, unwanted, overweight and more than a bit lonely until Alex’s phone call. He’s coming back, and against all common sense, she’s ready to forgive all of his bad behavior and jump into playing happy families. But, with the Awful Amanda’s wedding on the horizon, and a sudden reintroduction to Fraser, as well as meeting his mates and younger brother – all feeling that the wedding is a terrible mistake, the opportunity for Mel to put her foot in it, drunkenly and repeatedly, is never-ending.
This re-release allowed me the opportunity to visit a title I’d not read from Colgan, who is at the top of my auto-buy list for her layered and complex characters moving through often very ordinary lives in unusual ways. There are smidgens of the writer that I know now, and some truly ‘twenty-something, finding yourself’ moments that also feel very appropriate in a twenty year old story. Authors and their skills improve and develop with use and experience – experience gleaned from life and simply writing, and it is clear to see this is a story that is fully embracing it’s twenty-something-ness in all of the self-absorption, drink, regardless of consequences acts from many of the characters. But, in that parts were frustrating, it did offer a look into lives that, while different to our own, are sure to bring memories of times best forgotten. While not my favorite novel from this author, it is one that, had I read it when she was first published, would have encouraged me to read more.
I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
Review first appeared at I am, Indeed
Mel has her own issues: a couple of dates with an accountant who clings tighter than ivy, an ex who scuttled of to America without leaving so much as a note, and a best friend who can’t help but see every man she encounters without pants, she’s feeling unloved, unwanted, overweight and more than a bit lonely until Alex’s phone call. He’s coming back, and against all common sense, she’s ready to forgive all of his bad behavior and jump into playing happy families. But, with the Awful Amanda’s wedding on the horizon, and a sudden reintroduction to Fraser, as well as meeting his mates and younger brother – all feeling that the wedding is a terrible mistake, the opportunity for Mel to put her foot in it, drunkenly and repeatedly, is never-ending.
This re-release allowed me the opportunity to visit a title I’d not read from Colgan, who is at the top of my auto-buy list for her layered and complex characters moving through often very ordinary lives in unusual ways. There are smidgens of the writer that I know now, and some truly ‘twenty-something, finding yourself’ moments that also feel very appropriate in a twenty year old story. Authors and their skills improve and develop with use and experience – experience gleaned from life and simply writing, and it is clear to see this is a story that is fully embracing it’s twenty-something-ness in all of the self-absorption, drink, regardless of consequences acts from many of the characters. But, in that parts were frustrating, it did offer a look into lives that, while different to our own, are sure to bring memories of times best forgotten. While not my favorite novel from this author, it is one that, had I read it when she was first published, would have encouraged me to read more.
I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
Review first appeared at I am, Indeed
May 26, 2019
All the right elements are in place - fun loving pair of friends, love lost and love found, miscues and miscommunications. But.....yes, there's a but. I know and love Colgan's current works. You can absolutely tell the difference between then and now. The characters in Amanda's Wedding are not likeable. They're often crude and rude, not at all what I want in a warm, fuzzy chick lit read. I want to be on board with the characters, but found I wasn't on board or on side with Mel at all. Usually in this genre, I feel like I could be friends with the lead character. Quirky is good. But, these are just mean girls. The only characters I liked were the McConald brothers - and I had a hard time fathoming why they liked Mel and Fran. I did indeed finish the book just to see the ending. Yes this was a first book - and it shows. But....you can see the potential. Colgan's writing now is warm and wonderful and oh so good. So, if you've not read Colgan, pick up one of those later books - you'll love it.
September 18, 2018
As with all Jenny Colgan books, this one will make you laugh out loud. It's one of her older books but it's a lot of fun to read. Long time friends Melanie and Fran are busy looking for love -- or at least for sex - in all the wrong places. Their evil friend from school has snagged a Scottish lord ad is planning a wedding. Will they be invited? Will they act properly if they are? This is a quick fun book and I enjoyed the two girls antics throughout.
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