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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
An Offer You Can't Refuse to Read on the Beach,
By
This review is from: An Offer You Can't Refuse (Paperback)
An Offer You Can't Refuse by Jill Mansell is witty, charming, engaging, and Chicklit to the max.
For a reviewer this was a treat to find in a book, this is definitely how many of us feel about books and reading, and reading these lines instantly cemented my attention to this book. Lola is a young girl in love with a boy, Dougie, whose family is wealthy and whose mother hates her guts. His mother makes her an offer that she can't refuse, so she takes it and says goodbye to the love of her life in a "Dear John" letter. Fast-forward to the present day and we find Lola has grown up physically, but still wears the same teenage, low-cut clothes and finds herself being mistaken for a prostitute when she walks into London bookstore after living in Majorca for about a decade. Eventually, Lola becomes more grounded and is the bookshop manager, but just as she thinks her life is stabilizing and in a good place, things get all topsy-turvy again. This novel starts off in Lola's past, but readers may find that more background is necessary, particularly where her relationship with Dougie is concerned. The only drawback of this novel, which really isn't one, is that Lola's story is pushed to the sidelines quite a bit as the Sally's story takes center stage. However, Mansell carefully weaves the narration back to Lola and the resolution of her story. Readers may want to see more of Dougie in this novel, since much of the novel shifts in point of view between Lola, Sally, and Lola's friend Gabe. Mansell's writing is engaging, and though some of her characters, like Lola and Dougie's sister Sally, are shallow at first, the complications in their lives force them to look beyond their own lives and come to terms with themselves, their families, and their love lives. Highly recommended for readers who love British humor, chicklit, and are in need of summer reading.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Nothing But Acceptance,
By
This review is from: An Offer You Can't Refuse (Paperback)
The concept of this book is not particularly unique -- mom paying off the destitute girlfriend who needs to save her family to leave the rich boy she loves behind. But still, I enjoyed it none the less.
Most of Mansell's characterizations (on an individual level) were wonderfully entertaining. Lola was funny and somewhat outlandish; she wasn't afraid to be who she was despite leaving the man she loved behind to better the lives of her family. Gabe, her BFF, was a great counterpart with his dry-wit and sarcasm. He brought truth to Lola when she didn't want to see it and helped her without fail when she set out to improve her situation. Sally, the former boyfriend's sister was eccentric and quirky; delightfully clueless and quite careless with the feelings and preferences of those around her. But done so in the most endearing way. Dougie, the jilted boyfriend, on the other hand was a bit flat and boring. I think he was supposed to be stuffy and pompous as a result of having been left behind but that element of the story wasn't particularly clear. In the end it just made him blah overall. His mother was also pretty cliched. A helicopter mom that had the ability to hover with the best of them she was the type of rich woman offering money that we always see in movies and television shows. There wasn't anything innovative of different in her portrayal here. I didn't particularly see any chemistry between Lola and Dougie after she left and came back. As a result I couldn't quite get into their story and found myself wondering why she was so desperate to have him back. I frankly thought she was more fun with her BFF Gabe. Even more honestly, it's the story about he and Sally that completely steal the show here. There was definitely a level of predictability in the story but it didn't lack in fun and entertainment value. If I'm being honest I think I would have much preferred the novel switch primary and secondary stories. It would have been better for me if it centered on Gabe and Sally as compared to Lola and Dougie. So in the end it wasn't the best chick-lit novel I've read but it wasn't the worst by a long shot. It's definitely worth your time if you're looking for a read that doesn't require a lot of heavy lifting but packs some good laughs.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic Brit Chick Lit,
By
This review is from: An Offer You Can't Refuse (Paperback)
When I was in my 20s, I read so much Chick Lit -- pretty much everything I could get my hands on. I think I read these types of books because it was so not the life I was living. I met my husband when I was 20 and got married when I was 24, but I did consider myself a working girl in the city so I could somewhat relate. Then, I turned 30 and got pregnant. I still read a few of the popular, mainstream Chick Lit books but I could tell that my tastes were changing and I pretty much had nothing in common with the characters. Now, I'm rapidly approaching 40 this month (UGH!!!) and I have to say that I have more in common with the mothers of the girls in these types of books; however, I still find that I enjoy reading the occasional good Chick Lit book. AN OFFER YOU CAN'T REFUSE by Jill Mansell was just that -- an entertaining Chick Lit book and I had such a great time reading it!
AN OFFER YOU CAN'T REFUSE had all the elements of a really great Chick Lit book! A terrific main character Lola, great supporting friends, a little romance, some sexual tension, and of course lots of confusion. I really thought the premise of this story was cute. Lola, a 17 year old girl accepts a bribe from her boyfriend's mother to break up with him. Ten years later, she meets up with Dougie again and desperately wants him back. You can't help but fall in love with Lola. When we first meet her, she's only 17 years old and still pretty naive. She is in love with Dougie and thinks he's "the one" so she's naturally appalled that Doug's mother offers her so much money to stay away from him. But like any normal teenage, she begins having a few doubts about whether their relationship will make it when he goes away to school. And when she realizes that her stepfather has his own set of problems, she decides to do what she can to help -- and that means accepting the money. Fast forward ten years when Lola helps save Dougie's mother from an attacker. Doug learns that she accepted a bribe to break up with him and he can't even face Lola. A big part of the book is Lola's attempts to make Dougie see his true feelings for her. In the meantime, Lola becomes friends with Dougie's sister and she moves into the same apartment complex so Lola and Doug keep finding themselves thrown together. There is lots of tension between Lola and Doug, some of it even sexual. One thing's for sure, you will find yourself rooting for Lola and hoping that Doug can find it in his heart to forgive her. Not only was the main story of Lola and Doug cute, but I also enjoyed some of the side stories. I thought the intereaction between Doug's sister and Lola's best male friend Gabe were terrific. In fact, I adored Gabe and thought he provided quite a few laughs with his new job as a papparazzi. I also appreciated a few of the other supporting stories and characters, but I don't want to give away any of the surprises! Suffice it to say, that there are a few twists and turns in this novel. Ms. Mansell is a British writer and her books are very popular in England -- she's actually an international best-selling author. I wasn't familiar with Ms. Mansell or any of her books, but I am so glad that Sourcebooks Casablanca is reissuing them here in the States. It's terrific that American readers are now getting to know Ms. Mansell. I already have MIRANDA'S BIG MISTAKE which is coming out in June, and I can't wait to read it!
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