What happens when 'I do' turns into 'I don't know'?
Jeannie always wanted to fall in love, and now she’s finally got the whirlwind romance she dreamed of. Dan’s gorgeous, he’s a successful young vet, and he flew her to New York and proposed on Brooklyn Bridge. Jeannie has to remind herself this is actually her life. It seems too perfect, too magical, to be real. Yet it is.
But now she’s on her way to the wedding she can’t shake off the tight sensation crushing her chest. Is it just nerves . . . or is this all happening a bit too fast?
Jeannie has one last chance to shout, ‘Stop!’ But just as she grabs it, a twist of fate throws everything she knows into the air like confetti. What Jeannie learns about Dan, about her own heart, and about the power of love itself, will change her world for ever . . .
Many thanks to Hannah Bright from Transworld Books for my copy of Unexpected Lessons in Love to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
It feels like it has been forever since I have read a book by the wonderful author that is Lucy Dillon. But now having finished the gorgeous read that was Unexpected Lessons in Love, I think I can safely say that this was the right book with which to reacquaint myself with Lucy's writing. This is a lovely, easy read that I read in two sittings as the chapters just seem to fly by. It's an ideal read for this time of year when you might be too busy to settle down into reading something really serious and hard going. Here, the author has struck the perfect blend between some light-hearted and heart-warming scenarios alongside the more pressing question for our main character, Jeannie McCarthy – what happens when I do becomes I don't know?
In the brief prologue set in the city that never sleeps - New York, Jeannie seems to be having the time of her life away for a few days with her boyfriend Dan. It's a bliss she has never felt before and she feels totally caught up in the moment and romance of everything that has been building for the past several months. As Dan gets down on one knee and pops the question, of course, Jeannie says yes. Fast forward several months and as Jeannie is being driven to the wedding ceremony with her father sat alongside her - doubts, apprehension and niggles just keep flowing through her mind on what should be the happiest, most secure and contented day of her life. As she takes the bull by the horns and does what she fervently believes is right for her and makes that call to Dan, little does she know that by following what her heart and mind are both saying that in fact it will lead to devastating consequences she could never have envisaged happening.
Fate obviously had other plans in store for Jeannie and Dan and as news reaches her of what happened as she made that phone call and left a message she is torn in two and to be honest she remains that way for the majority of the book. I thought Jeannie was a brilliantly written character because although she mightn't have been truly open and honest to all those around her about how she was feeling about marrying Dan, at least the reader knew what was going on as in private she confessed an awful lot and wore her heart on her sleeve. She has made the right decision for her that maybe I do wasn't what she wanted and before the moment arrived where there was no turning back she had done something about it.
Fair play to her I thought as too often people enter into things not 100% certain and then down the line major regrets and disruption come into play. It took bravery and courage to make the decision before it was too late but unfortunately she's not sure did Dan hear what she said on the phone. As they wait for news of how things will turn out for Dan, Jeannie has to battle with what she has confessed and the fact that nobody else, bar her father and perhaps Dan, know what she said and how she is feeling.
How can she continue on as if things are normal and, if and when Dan wakes up, will their wedding, home plans and marriage be back on track? Will Jeannie discover things she wished she hadn't? Will she be able to confess all to everyone around her and will they judge her for her actions given Dan's situation? So many questions to grapple with and many more arise throughout the novel and that's what makes this story a very good read. You never knew how things were going to turn out but boy were you on Jeannie's side all the way. You felt the uncertainty and really the guilt that she was dealing with. Could she have been the source of Dan's accident? Should she carry on as normal and push her feelings to one side for the sake of Dan and their future together? But shouldn't long term individual and personal happiness count for something. We have to please and satisfy ourselves first in terms of what we want out of or lives, for if we ourselves aren't happy first how can we make those around feel safe, loved and contented?
I thought it was strong and brave of Jeannie to put on such a front because she knew as Dan couldn't have his say that things were perhaps better left unsaid until the time was right to get things out in the open. She put on a front and covered her true feelings well and it was mature and responsible of her to do so and I think if I had been in the same situation I would probably have done the very same thing. Jeannie was thinking about the bigger picture and at that time and place it was the right thing to do but deep down she knew the truth would have to come out at some stage. But perhaps there is more than one truth to be shared?
The setting of the novel and some other characters began to niggle away at me quite early on in the book so I stopped and checked and was delighted to see and then remember in more detail that Longhampton was the setting of some of Lucy's earlier books and I had loved this village and its residents. I was thrilled to see Rachel from Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts make a reappearance. It was great that she featured so heavily once again and that the rescue kennels she runs would play such an important role in Jeannie's story, not to mention all the mentions of dogs and puppies. The author raised a very important issue and weaved it in wonderfully with the overall themes of the book as it is definitely a theme which sadly features in the news and social media all too prominently these days.
Rachel and some other characters become a tower of strength for Jeannie as she battles through a maelstrom of emotions trying to act as if everything is normal when really one little slip or a sudden awakening could upset the apple cart altogether. But as the title suggests there are plenty of unexpected lessons to be learned in love and as the story progresses and through the story of many other women and their weddings and dresses Jeannie comes to realise the value of true love and that perhaps we should always be honest. Yes she had tried to do that in the first place but then bottled up what had been said because of what had happened but maybe she should have followed her heart and mind the whole way through instead of putting on a façade that surely had to come crashing down at some stage. She should have always thought of herself instead of letting other people's actions and feelings over ride hers.
I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent reading Unexpected Lessons in Love. It's a charming read that shows the best things can often come from the worst beginnings and that maybe love does stand a chance of surviving stupidity and mistakes. Or maybe it can't? You'll have to read this book to discover the answers. I will say towards the end the author threw in a few surprises that I hadn't seen coming even though I did have my suspicions but couldn't really pinpoint anything specific. It all helped to make for a great read and this book has reminded me that I should catch up with the books I have not read by Lucy Dillon as she really is a fantastic author.
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