Customer Reviews

Thinking of You

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I've recently become obsessed with Jill Mansell's back catalog. Basically, 2010 has unofficially become the year I read a ton of Jill Mansell and as of yet I haven't tired of them! They continue to entertain me. When I am stressed with work, studying, and life in general, I open one of these babies up and know that I will be entertained and there is something incredibly comforting in those types of novels.

'Thinking of You', at its core, is a mother-daughter story. Ginny Holland is a single mother, although she remains close to her humorous ex-husband. It is time for her daughter Jem to head off to University and she is concerned about empty nest syndrome but knows that it is also time to let her daughter spread her wings. These two have to learn how to live without the other. It is alternately funny and bittersweet because they both love each other so much but it is time for both of them to move on from the bond of living with each other. Any mother or daughter would appreciate this story.

In true Mansell fashion, both Jem and Ginny were incredibly relate-able and you wanted to root for them. Also the cast of supporting characters was wonderful. They always make the book come to life in a way just a couple of main characters otherwise would not. And the book would not be complete with out some romance and plot twists to keep you guessing until the end. This one even had an unexpected one that I didn't really see coming!

Highly recommend for those stressful weeks or a great vacation read!

I finished this book in half a day, and it was SO worth the read. Jill Mansell does it again for me, and I am so glad I trusted my instincts with her and bought 6 more of her books all at once! This is only my second, and I'm so pleased.

It had just the right ingredients blended together perfectly, it was utterly delightful. It made me laugh in all the right places, cringe in all the right places, gasp in all the right places, and get mad in all the right places.

The characters were very well-rounded, and very close to heart and more importantly, very realistic. I could imagine them existing and imagine all the events happening like it were a film I was remembering. Yes, there were a few parts where I was like "come oooon", but looking at it from Mansell's point of view, I'm sure she thought it was extremely amusing to give it that twist. Like the time Finn gave the flowers sent to him by an admirer to a birthday girl, and she JUST happened to be the sister of said admirer!

That being said, everything about the book was enjoyable, and even though I expected Ginny to get slightly irritating at one point, that didn't happen at all. Looking at Ginny's relationship with her daughter Jem and how much she tried to hold herself back to give her daughter the independency she needed made me get irritated with Jem instead, and then it reminded me of my relationship with my own mum, and I instantly felt guilty for all the times I got annoyed when my mum visited too often or called too often when I was in uni!

I really enjoy Mansell's style of writing, and the humour and wit that fill the dialogues between characters. When Ginny was trying to act nonchalant about Finn getting back with his ex-fiancee and gave the sex vs. food analogy, I could not contain myself from laughing out loud, "Sleeping with someone doesn't have to mean anything. It doesn't automatically follow that you want to keep on seeing that person. Like last week I had a really great Chinese meal, king prawns, mushroom chop suey and a spring roll. But it didn't make me think I had to sell my house, jump on the next plane and go and live in China."

Or when Laurel finally gets over her ex and Ginny discovers that "love wasn't only blind. It had a peg-on-your-nose effect as well." And that's just to mention a couple of lines that were absolutely priceless.

Suffice it to say, I'm definitely on a roll here with Jill Mansell, and I'm very happy with my find.