Sarah is ready to take over her family farm but first her parents want her to experience life in the local community of South Star.
So Sarah dates some of the region’s eligible bachelors; joins a newly formed women’s rugby team, coached by the new police officer Georgia Smith; and moves in with Mabel, known for her gossipy despatches as the Bush Telegraph.
As Sarah helps Mabel catalogue her collection of vintage designer outfits, the story backtracks to the 1960s when Mabel travelled to the city for a beauty pageant and met aspiring couture designer Rose.
This book returns to the world of Fletcher’s debut novel, Five Bush Weddings, but can be read as a stand-alone. The central storyline around the rugby team was a refreshing one, and the 1960s timeline enabled readers to get to know the irrepressible Mabel better. Not sure if the author plans another book but I’d definitely be keen to return to this rural Australian town.
Stevie is a photographer, with bush weddings her specialty. Lately, she keeps bumping into her old uni mate, Johnno, because he’s returned from London to take over the running of his family farm in rural Queensland – even though the task is better suited to his sister Kate and her husband.
With an ex’s wedding on the cards, a flirty guest, a TV crew flying in, and a girl-next-door looking for romance, it is going to be one eventful wedding season.
This quintessentially Australian story is told from the alternating viewpoints of Stevie and Johnno, with some extra gossipy updates from the region’s Bush Telegraph, the spritely Mabel. An engaging debut.
