The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
blueshadow's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars, rounded down because I didn't really like all of the characters (especially Miranda. Florence was great!) and I actively disliked some of the plot lines.
It was fine, but I can remember skipping over it several times when browsing the chick lit selections at the library. Really only picked it this time because I wanted something to read while waiting and I find myself unable to focus on anything with any amount of substance at all these days. So, fluffy chick lit it is. But this one didn't have any redeeming qualities.
It was fine, but I can remember skipping over it several times when browsing the chick lit selections at the library. Really only picked it this time because I wanted something to read while waiting and I find myself unable to focus on anything with any amount of substance at all these days. So, fluffy chick lit it is. But this one didn't have any redeeming qualities.
annebrooke's review against another edition
3.0
This started off well enough, though I did find Miranda faintly irritating from the start - she's just too ditsy and so terribly nice that I instantly took against her, as it were. However, that's not a huge problem, as her friends and colleagues provide a far greater level of interest and have a decent-ish amount of page space - so if you get fed up with Miranda, then you soon have Chloe (who is Greg's newly pregnant and abandoned wife) and Bev (the man-mad colleague) to look forward to and concentrate on.
Greg, of course, is the man we all love to hate - he blames Chloe for getting pregnant and breaking her word to him about not wanting babies and instantly leaves her. Because he's just a very nasty man, to be honest. He's also rather unbelievable as I simply didn't credit that Greg could be such a downright despicable cad and yet get two nice women (Chloe and later Miranda) to fall for him. He's really more caricature than character - and this is also the case with Chloe's dreadful boss and his wife. Both of these people are frankly so horrible that I just kept laughing at them, and I'm not convinced that was the reaction Mansell was intending. Oh well.
Never mind, as there are a couple of menfolk in the mix who are adorable in every way - Fenn, the definitely straight hairdresser, and Miles, the lovely and witty famous racing driver, are a delight and should have had far more page space here than they actually do. It's a bit of a lost opportunity for the men, to be honest. Also, something dreadful happens to Miles about three-quarters of the way through which I think was totally unnecessary and rather stupid - and this leaves the way free for journalist Danny to take the place of the dreadful Greg as Miranda's potential partner. Are you keeping up at the back? I do hope so!…
It's a shame then that Danny is so terribly shallow and unattractive - in fact at one point after the Miles Debacle, he thinks something so utterly prejudiced and unloving about Miranda's potential relationship with Miles that I wanted to beat him to death with his own laptop. What a horrible man! Really, he and the irritating Miranda probably deserve one another but they're definitely not going to be happy as they simply don't gel …
So there it is. A mixed bag of a book, with an unlikeable heroine and hero, but with some very good secondary characters we should have seen more of.
Verdict: 3 stars. Average.
Greg, of course, is the man we all love to hate - he blames Chloe for getting pregnant and breaking her word to him about not wanting babies and instantly leaves her. Because he's just a very nasty man, to be honest. He's also rather unbelievable as I simply didn't credit that Greg could be such a downright despicable cad and yet get two nice women (Chloe and later Miranda) to fall for him. He's really more caricature than character - and this is also the case with Chloe's dreadful boss and his wife. Both of these people are frankly so horrible that I just kept laughing at them, and I'm not convinced that was the reaction Mansell was intending. Oh well.
Never mind, as there are a couple of menfolk in the mix who are adorable in every way - Fenn, the definitely straight hairdresser, and Miles, the lovely and witty famous racing driver, are a delight and should have had far more page space here than they actually do. It's a bit of a lost opportunity for the men, to be honest. Also, something dreadful happens to Miles about three-quarters of the way through which I think was totally unnecessary and rather stupid - and this leaves the way free for journalist Danny to take the place of the dreadful Greg as Miranda's potential partner. Are you keeping up at the back? I do hope so!…
It's a shame then that Danny is so terribly shallow and unattractive - in fact at one point after the Miles Debacle, he thinks something so utterly prejudiced and unloving about Miranda's potential relationship with Miles that I wanted to beat him to death with his own laptop. What a horrible man! Really, he and the irritating Miranda probably deserve one another but they're definitely not going to be happy as they simply don't gel …
So there it is. A mixed bag of a book, with an unlikeable heroine and hero, but with some very good secondary characters we should have seen more of.
Verdict: 3 stars. Average.
libbith220's review against another edition
3.0
I actually didn't finish this book, but I'm going to say that I did since it should've ended where I stopped reading.
For the most part this was a funny and enjoyable read with a good cast of characters, but the author clearly lost a handle on the overall plot. It felt like she had a couple ideas of what should happen to these characters, and instead of picking one, she just shoehorned them together into one book, one after the other. I read this as an ebook, and was kind of shocked when got to what seemed to be the climax, and then realized that I had about a third of the book left -- what else needed to happen?? I ended up deciding that the answer to that question was "nothing," as I just could not bring myself to continue reading.
The main character had three potential suitors in this book, which ended up being too many for the author to handle. There was the seemingly-charming but actually horrible guy, the seemingly-horrible but actually charming guy, and then...a famous racecar driver? The first two guys complemented each other and added to the story, but the third guy was just incredibly random. His little cameo near the beginning was fun, but it should have stopped there. There was no reason for his character to become so central to the story, and that's when I stopped reading. I've never experienced such an intense and immediate turn off while reading a book before, but that's what happened here.
It's a shame that the author so fucked up this story, because I was rather interested in the fates of the other characters. She had created an engaging and well-rounded cast of characters, but they ended up as a waste. Thankfully, it was easy enough to guess the endings for most of them, and I guess I'll have to be satisfied with that. (I could just skip to the end to see what happens, but the author did too thorough of a job turning me off of this story that I don't even want to do that).
I seriously don't understand what the author was doing with this book. It started off so promising and intriguing, and she ruined it for reasons I cannot guess. If this book had ended at an appropriate time I would have given it 4 stars, but as it is I'm generously rounding up a 2.5 star experience.
For the most part this was a funny and enjoyable read with a good cast of characters, but the author clearly lost a handle on the overall plot. It felt like she had a couple ideas of what should happen to these characters, and instead of picking one, she just shoehorned them together into one book, one after the other. I read this as an ebook, and was kind of shocked when got to what seemed to be the climax, and then realized that I had about a third of the book left -- what else needed to happen?? I ended up deciding that the answer to that question was "nothing," as I just could not bring myself to continue reading.
The main character had three potential suitors in this book, which ended up being too many for the author to handle. There was the seemingly-charming but actually horrible guy, the seemingly-horrible but actually charming guy, and then...a famous racecar driver? The first two guys complemented each other and added to the story, but the third guy was just incredibly random. His little cameo near the beginning was fun, but it should have stopped there. There was no reason for his character to become so central to the story, and that's when I stopped reading. I've never experienced such an intense and immediate turn off while reading a book before, but that's what happened here.
It's a shame that the author so fucked up this story, because I was rather interested in the fates of the other characters. She had created an engaging and well-rounded cast of characters, but they ended up as a waste. Thankfully, it was easy enough to guess the endings for most of them, and I guess I'll have to be satisfied with that. (I could just skip to the end to see what happens, but the author did too thorough of a job turning me off of this story that I don't even want to do that).
I seriously don't understand what the author was doing with this book. It started off so promising and intriguing, and she ruined it for reasons I cannot guess. If this book had ended at an appropriate time I would have given it 4 stars, but as it is I'm generously rounding up a 2.5 star experience.
bibliophile24's review against another edition
5.0
Jill Mansell is hilarious! If you enjoy British chick lit, you'll love Jill! She has fantastic characters, who have the craziest adventures!
My only complaint about this one was the kindle download wasn't very good. No stops at all between scenes, which made it very confusing, but I got used to it. If it hadn't been one of my favorite authors I would have quit and just gone and bought the book, but I can't put down one of her books!
My only complaint about this one was the kindle download wasn't very good. No stops at all between scenes, which made it very confusing, but I got used to it. If it hadn't been one of my favorite authors I would have quit and just gone and bought the book, but I can't put down one of her books!
laubou's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
lgcpreads's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Another fun rom com by Jill Mansell ❤️
ctaylor81's review against another edition
4.0
It's not often I read books like this but I actually thoroughly enjoyed this book.
chrissireads's review against another edition
3.0
This is an okay book. I was really into it at the beginning, but I started to lose interest.
kennedyrose97's review against another edition
4.0
I've yet to understand what Miranda's Big Mistake was??? This book was loooong. Why did we need Miles in there? I'm just confused. It was almost not worth finishing because it was a little predictable. Especially after it started going into Bev and her date with Johnnie. Why did we need that? I wasn't nearly as invested in her as I should have been, perhaps?
Definitely an easy read and I love some good chick-lit, so I'm definitely not mad about the book- hence the four star rating. Just long for no real reason at all. It was probably about 200 pages too long.
Definitely an easy read and I love some good chick-lit, so I'm definitely not mad about the book- hence the four star rating. Just long for no real reason at all. It was probably about 200 pages too long.