REVIEW: The Wedding Engagement by Zoe Allison

The Wedding Engagement by Zoe Allison: Liv has always had a small crush on her twin brothers best friend Arran, however things between them just never seem to work out. After a disastrous blind date Liv is convinced that nothing more than pinning for Arran can come from her feelings, well that and helping him care for his totally adorable son. However now that her brother is planning to marry one of her best friends, Liv has no choice but to team up with Arran to help ensure their besties have the most perfect big day ever. After having his own heart crushed by his ex, Arran’s main focus has been taking care of his son and with the help of Liv that has become a lot easier, so when fate gives him a small push in the form of a blind date with Liv, Arran takes this as his chance to confess his own growing feelings for her, well that was the plan until he makes a total mess of the situation… however working together trying to put together a romantic and perfect wedding for their besties is only proving to highlight their very mutual attraction, the question is are they both ready to take a chance at truly having a happily ever after?

I had such a big hopes for this book, with a catchy synopsis and a cute cover, I had hoped that this would be a cute and engaging read, however I just could not find myself getting fully invested in The Wedding Engagement. Now I do love a good slow burn read but this just felt a bit too drawn out for my liking, I just couldn’t help but find the entire first half of this book slow and a bit bland, the second half however was a different story entirely, things finally began to pick up and I found myself more invested.

I just wanted to push these two characters together, they both clearly had feeling for each other for a long time and they fitted into each others lives perfectly, but alas they allowed fear to hold them back for far too long. There was a lot of longing and secret pinning on both ends that could have been avoided had they had a bit more communication and did not allow fear to hold them back. Though I will say I understood their fear of taking a jump and rocking the boat, there were a lot of other people who would have been effected had their relationship not worked. While these two might have had a slower burn love story, it did help them iron out all their fears and heal from past wounds before jumping into what would be their happily ever after. I liked the fact that when they did communicate it was deep and meaning full, they supported each other and made the effort to try and understand each others fears.

I will say I did really love the fact that this book was set in Scotland, I loved getting to see a few new places and getting immersed in their traditions. There were also a number of really good supporting characters, I really liked the relationship that Sam had with both Liv and Arran.

All in all The Wedding Engagement was a nice read, it took a bit of time to get into this book but once you did it was worth the read. If you are a fan of a slow burn, friends to lovers romance filled with pinning, then this is definitely the book for you!

Book Info:

Publication: October 8, 2024 | Berkley |

Planning a wedding is so romantic . . . except when it’s not yours, and you’re planning it with the guy you’re secretly crushing on. Scottish schoolteacher Liv Holland has a secret. She’s been carrying a torch for Arran Adebayo, her brother’s best friend, for years. A blind date gone wrong cements in Liv’s mind that Arran has no romantic interest in her whatsoever. But then, with her brother set to marry her own best friend, she and Arran are enlisted to help plan the festivities… After being left at the altar by his ex, single father Arran is having trouble managing his growing feelings towards the woman who is both his best friend’s sister and his son’s Liv. Then his mind is blown when fate thrusts them together for an unexpected blind date, but he messes up his chance to tell her how he feels. As the big day approaches and Liv and Arran’s connection intensifies, their chemistry chafes against their checkered romantic histories. Risking everything for love could mean losing each other forever . . . or being the next ones to find their happy ever after.