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A review by mrsbooknerd
Millie's Fling by Jill Mansell
3.0
'Millie's Fling' was typical Chick-Lit; light and humorous but nothing to set my reader's world alight. Despite it being a fairly easy read, it was just soooooo loooooong. The middle seemed to drag more than a dog that has realised it is going to the vet. Every time I put the book down, it would take me a few days to go back to it, because it just wasn't holding my interest at all during that central part.
My biggest problem was that there were a lot of characters that weren't particularly likeable or well-developed. On the other hand there were some really likable and interesting characters that were given very little page time or development.
For example, I really disliked Hester. I could almost understand that in the absence of Nat, she turned to Lucas, her first real crush and things started to happen. But that she had little guilt or thought for consequence just made me dislike her. She was too eager to cheat, she actively pursued it in fact. If she had just started being around Lucas and felt the urge, then fine. But no, girl was a cheater and Nat didn't deserve it.
Similarly, there wasn't a single character that liked Millie's Mum. She was narcissistic, rude, selfish… so why give her and her affair so much page time? It was just filler. I was literally skipping any sections about her because I didn't like her or her fellow cheater. It had absolutely no impact on the storyline at all from start to end so it was pointless.
Yet, characters like Nat, Lucas and Con who had depth and were interesting were barely given page time. It was in brief snippets of other character's stories that they came through. I really wanted to know more about Con's new boyfriend and the impact on the family. I wanted to know whether Lucas really was as bad as all that, or whether he had his heart set on someone. I wanted to know how Nat felt about Hester, whether he had been tempted too but had fought against it only to have Hester give in, and how that made him feel. I even wanted to know if Lucas and Nat's restaurant excelled.
I liked both Millie and Hugh, as they both had a depth and warmth. Their relationship was well-developed and I felt their genuine connection, there were enough personal obstacles and plot obstacles to keep them apart and coming back together without it feeling forced.
Overall, I thought that this was a good enough read, but if the focus had been given to more developed characters, or if the characters in focus had been better developed, then it wouldn't have been as much of a slog as it was to get to the end.
My biggest problem was that there were a lot of characters that weren't particularly likeable or well-developed. On the other hand there were some really likable and interesting characters that were given very little page time or development.
For example, I really disliked Hester. I could almost understand that in the absence of Nat, she turned to Lucas, her first real crush and things started to happen. But that she had little guilt or thought for consequence just made me dislike her. She was too eager to cheat, she actively pursued it in fact. If she had just started being around Lucas and felt the urge, then fine. But no, girl was a cheater and Nat didn't deserve it.
Similarly, there wasn't a single character that liked Millie's Mum. She was narcissistic, rude, selfish… so why give her and her affair so much page time? It was just filler. I was literally skipping any sections about her because I didn't like her or her fellow cheater. It had absolutely no impact on the storyline at all from start to end so it was pointless.
Yet, characters like Nat, Lucas and Con who had depth and were interesting were barely given page time. It was in brief snippets of other character's stories that they came through. I really wanted to know more about Con's new boyfriend and the impact on the family. I wanted to know whether Lucas really was as bad as all that, or whether he had his heart set on someone. I wanted to know how Nat felt about Hester, whether he had been tempted too but had fought against it only to have Hester give in, and how that made him feel. I even wanted to know if Lucas and Nat's restaurant excelled.
I liked both Millie and Hugh, as they both had a depth and warmth. Their relationship was well-developed and I felt their genuine connection, there were enough personal obstacles and plot obstacles to keep them apart and coming back together without it feeling forced.
Overall, I thought that this was a good enough read, but if the focus had been given to more developed characters, or if the characters in focus had been better developed, then it wouldn't have been as much of a slog as it was to get to the end.