Maybe This Time by Jill Mansell | Blog Tour Book Review |#MaybeThisTime

Published by Headline Review
ebook and hardback (24 January 2019) | Paperback (13 June 2019)
432 pages
Source: Review copy received from publisher

About the Book

Mimi isn’t looking for love when she spends a weekend in Goosebrook, the Cotswolds village her dad has moved to. And her first encounter with Cal, who lives there too, is nothing like a scene in a romantic movie – although she can’t help noticing how charismatic he is. But Cal’s in no position to be any more than a friend, and Mimi heads back to her busy London life.

When they meet again four years later, it’s still not to be. Cal is focusing on his family, and Mimi on her career. Then Cal dives into a potentially perfect new romance whilst Mimi’s busy fixing other people’s relationships.

It seems as if something, or someone else, always gets in their way. Will it ever be the right time for both of them?

My Thoughts

A new book from Jill Mansell is always a treat to look forward to and this book made me smile so much.

Mimi’s first introduction to the Cotswold village of Goosebrook is not without incident. On her way to visit her father who has moved there with his partner Marcus, she encounters Cal, who appears to be attacking a sheep. Once the misunderstanding is sorted, Mimi realises that she would rather like him to be more than just a friend however Cal is not available. Mimi meanwhile has a busy PR career to look forward to and besides she will be coming back to Goosebrook regularly.

However fate has other ideas for Mimi and there are shocking and difficult times in store for her but never one to mope, she just gets on with it and finds herself being introduced to some totally outrageous but nevertheless wonderfully likeable characters. Yes, CJ I’m looking at you! Poor Mimi needed the patience of a saint to deal with author CJ although I was pleased to see that she gave as good as she got!

Throw together the gorgeous setting of the Cotswolds, add in the myriad of engaging characters including the charismatic and good looking, the charming, the completely OTT and the absolutely vile – and you have a book that is a joy to read.

Set over a timeline of a few years, this is not all fluff and lightness. Without giving away any spoilers, there is some sadness and there are some more difficult issues dealt with but overall it is such an uplifting and feel good read that you can’t help but smile at some of the witty one liners or the absurdity of some of the characters’ antics. What I particularly liked was the community feel to the village and the way that they all looked out for each other. Perhaps this could be a bit claustrophobic in real life but it makes a nice change to read about people that care and want to help others.

There is always something rather special about a Jill Mansell book. It’s escapism at its very best and just for a while its a wonderful life to immerse yourself in. I think we all need an escape from reality at times and this will do very nicely thank you.

I loved everything about it, the setting, the characters and the humour. Definitely a recommended read.


My thanks to Headline for the review copy and to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for the invitation to take part.

About the Author

Jill Mansell is the author of over twenty Sunday Times bestsellers including The One You Really Want and Meet Me at Beachcomber Bay. Take a Chance on Me won the RNA’s Romantic Comedy Prize, and in 2015 the RNA presented Jill with an outstanding achievement award.

Jill’s personal favourite amongst her novels is Three Amazing Things About You, which is about cystic fibrosis and organ donation; to her great delight, many people have joined the organ donor register as a direct result of reading this novel.

Jill started writing fiction while working in the field of Clinical Neurophysiology in the NHS, but now writes full time. She lives in Bristol with her family.

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