Book Review – To the Moon and Back by Jill Mansell

Over the past few years, Jill Mansell has become one of my go to authors.  Whenever I’m in need of a new book and I don’t have one in mind, I search the Kindle store for one of hers and I’ve never been disappointed.  To the Moon and Back is the fifth novel I’ve read by Jill Mansell, and like all of her others, I was thoroughly entertained with her witty humor and storytelling.

What would you do if the love of your life was tragically killed?  Could you pick up the pieces and move on?  Unfortunately, Ellie Kendall finds herself in that situation when her husband dies in a car accident.  A year after his death, she realizes she needs to move out of their flat which had suddenly become rundown by low income tenants and find a new job with colleagues who won’t look at her as though she’s about to break at the drop of a hat.

With her move across town, Ellie finds a new friend in her new neighbor, Roo – who is true to form to all of Mansell’s supporting characters.  She’s a former pop star diva, once mistress turned do-gooder to pay for her sins.  Her new job?  It’s perfect.  She lands a job as an assistant to Zach McLaren – a successful entrepreneur.  Like all of Mansell’s novels, there’s twists and turns along the way and nothing is ever as straightforward as it seems to Ellie.  As she heals and starts to move on with her life, she faces opportunities that force her to decide if she’s really ready to jump back into the dating pool.

Whether it’s your first or fifth Jill Mansell book, you won’t be disappointed.  It’s perfect for a warm summer day by the pool or a perfect one to save for those early, chilly fall nights at home.

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Source for image above is Amazon

Book Review… Take a Chance on Me

Several years ago, I was searching for new books by authors I hadn’t read before.  Every so often that winter, I took a trip out to the local Borders (gosh, I miss that store!) for a latte and a round of book browsing.  Like most of my choices for leisure reading, I was looking for a book with that certain element of “fluff.”  I found Take a Chance one Me by Jill Mansell.  She has since become one of my favorite authors to read.

My Review:

Set in England, Cleo’s and Abbie’s – two sisters aged 15 years a part – lives are turned upside down by the secrets the men in their lives kept from them. Cleo believes she has finally found “the one” only to find out he has been anything but honest with her. While Abbie discovers her husband has been keeping a secret that rocks her marriage to its core. To make matters worse for Cleo, her teenage nemesis, Johnny, is back in town and grating on her nerves more than ever. (Or is he really? 😉 ) With a long string of supporting characters, Cleo and Abbie discover to get to that place in life for which you yearn, sometimes you just have to take a chance.

While I enjoyed Take a Chance on Me, I have mixed emotions about it. There were a lot of characters. I really mean a lot of characters. At first it was hard to keep track of them, and then as the story progressed, I felt like I didn’t get to learn enough about any of them. However, the other side of that is, I was really impressed with Mansell and her ability for intertwining the lives of more than 7 characters together. The pieces of every character’s story fit together. It wasn’t my favorite book, but it’s definitely be a good read for the beach or pool….or even a rainy day by the fire!