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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
If only life could be a Jill Mansell novel! Great characters, enjoyable plot and well written.
The Premise
Ellie Kendall tragically loses her husband in the very first chapter. But what follows isn’t a study in sturm und drang, but a lovely exploration of what a person does after they lose the love of their life. It’s sad, and funny, awkward and painful, and everything in between.
My Thoughts
This was my second Mansell book. I had read “take a chance on me” and while I enjoyed it, I wasn't sure how I would feel about this author's work. Needless worry because I was completely swept up in this story, and I think it’s all due to the fact that the romance at the heart of it is wonderfully drawn and keeps you turning the page to see how it will all work out. While Ellie and Zack are the MCs, it’s all the other characters that impact their life that really flesh out the book, but don’t overshadow your attention on Ellie and Zack. I loved seeing Zack’s POV, especially his first “meeting” with Ellie and all that happens after that. This book, more than any of the others, is where I felt the sexual tension, the longing, and the best bits of a true romance.
The Bottom Line
My favorite of all the Mansell books I’ve read so far, and the reason I have plowed through her backlist. I would encourage anyone who’s interested in seeing what this author has to offer to read this book first.
Ellie Kendall tragically loses her husband in the very first chapter. But what follows isn’t a study in sturm und drang, but a lovely exploration of what a person does after they lose the love of their life. It’s sad, and funny, awkward and painful, and everything in between.
My Thoughts
This was my second Mansell book. I had read “take a chance on me” and while I enjoyed it, I wasn't sure how I would feel about this author's work. Needless worry because I was completely swept up in this story, and I think it’s all due to the fact that the romance at the heart of it is wonderfully drawn and keeps you turning the page to see how it will all work out. While Ellie and Zack are the MCs, it’s all the other characters that impact their life that really flesh out the book, but don’t overshadow your attention on Ellie and Zack. I loved seeing Zack’s POV, especially his first “meeting” with Ellie and all that happens after that. This book, more than any of the others, is where I felt the sexual tension, the longing, and the best bits of a true romance.
The Bottom Line
My favorite of all the Mansell books I’ve read so far, and the reason I have plowed through her backlist. I would encourage anyone who’s interested in seeing what this author has to offer to read this book first.
When Ellie Kendall loses her husband Jamie her entire world collapses. She throws herself into her job, and spends her evenings trying to keep her ever-decaying flat together. Until her father-in-law Tony insists she looks after his house in Primrose Hill. There, Ellie meets the enigmatic Roo, who brings some much needed vitality into Ellie’s life. When Ellie gets a new job working for Zack McLaren it’s the start of a new life almost. But will Ellie ever be able to let herself fall in love again, especially when Jamie was the love of her life. And what of Roo, with her very own secrets. One thing’s for sure, Ellie’s new life in Primrose Hill will change her life in ways she’s never known.
I’d like to let it be known that I love Jill Mansell. I’ve read the majority of her earlier novels, devouring them all a couple of years ago. However since her 2008 release An Offer You Can’t Refuse I haven’t read a Jill Mansell novel. I have the books on my shelf, but I just never found the time to manage to read them. I received a proof copy of To The Moon and Back, though, and I was desperate to end my Jill Mansell drought and I thought this was the best one to start with as it sounded very intriguing from the synopsis. And while I did enjoy the book, there were aspects I didn’t particularly like and it was only an average read for me.
To The Moon and Back, with the greatest of respect to Jill Mansell, has a fairly average main plot mainly because there isn’t much to it. Yes, Ellie is still trying to get over Jamie’s death but even that’s a stretch because after Jamie’s death the book skips fifteen months so we seem to miss the entire grieving period. So I would assume the plot is meant to be Ellie’s new life in Primrose Hill which comprises of a new flat, a new job and some new friends. It just didn’t really excite me, and it really didn’t hold my attention as much as I would like. To top it all off, Ellie’s new friend Roo is the kind of female I’m coming to hate: having an affair with a married man, believing he’s going to leave his wife. It’s so cliched and if I’ve read it once I’ve read it a million times and it’s gotten to the point where any sort of plot line that goes in that direction, no matter how vaguely, annoys me.
As for the characters, I must admit it took me a while to really take to Ellie as there just wasn’t much there for me to work with early on. Don’t get me wrong, I liked her a lot I just didn’t feel connected to her at all. Despite my reservations and annoyances over Roo’s plot, she was in fact my favourite character. She added some sparkle into the book, well, she did until she went on her mad mission to atone for her mistakes. I liked Zack McLaren and bar Roo he was a favourite, but again, there wasn’t enough substance to him. Despite dying in the first few pages, Jamie is fairly prominent in the book and from what I can tell he seemed like a very nice person, he seemed wonderful in fact. Jamie’s dad Tony is also heavily featured, as he and Ellie get on well and Tony was the realest character to me (which is funny, since he’s an actor!). Mainly though I just felt disconnected to them all. I wasn’t entirely fussed about what they did or didn’t do and that’s really the kiss of death with any novel. You have to be invest in the characters otherwise it’s never going to work.
Now it might sound like I’m totally hating the book, I didn’t, not at all. It was a decent enough effort and I enjoyed the fact that although Jamie died in the first few pages he is with us throughout the book as Ellie keeps him alive in her mind. The writing is classic Jill Mansell and is always a joy to read but the plot and most of the characters just didn’t really grab me. I feel awful for saying that I didn’t enjoy the book, as Jill is one of my favourite authors but this book didn’t grab me or speak to me like previous books of hers and I found myself getting bored as the book neared its conclusion and I couldn’t wait for it to end because I just wanted to get it over with. So although the book itself was readable enough, the plot and characters didn’t really speak to me like I would have expected them to and I just feel a little let down by To The Moon and Back. The potential was there, but I just didn’t feel it was utilised to its best ability.
I’d like to let it be known that I love Jill Mansell. I’ve read the majority of her earlier novels, devouring them all a couple of years ago. However since her 2008 release An Offer You Can’t Refuse I haven’t read a Jill Mansell novel. I have the books on my shelf, but I just never found the time to manage to read them. I received a proof copy of To The Moon and Back, though, and I was desperate to end my Jill Mansell drought and I thought this was the best one to start with as it sounded very intriguing from the synopsis. And while I did enjoy the book, there were aspects I didn’t particularly like and it was only an average read for me.
To The Moon and Back, with the greatest of respect to Jill Mansell, has a fairly average main plot mainly because there isn’t much to it. Yes, Ellie is still trying to get over Jamie’s death but even that’s a stretch because after Jamie’s death the book skips fifteen months so we seem to miss the entire grieving period. So I would assume the plot is meant to be Ellie’s new life in Primrose Hill which comprises of a new flat, a new job and some new friends. It just didn’t really excite me, and it really didn’t hold my attention as much as I would like. To top it all off, Ellie’s new friend Roo is the kind of female I’m coming to hate: having an affair with a married man, believing he’s going to leave his wife. It’s so cliched and if I’ve read it once I’ve read it a million times and it’s gotten to the point where any sort of plot line that goes in that direction, no matter how vaguely, annoys me.
As for the characters, I must admit it took me a while to really take to Ellie as there just wasn’t much there for me to work with early on. Don’t get me wrong, I liked her a lot I just didn’t feel connected to her at all. Despite my reservations and annoyances over Roo’s plot, she was in fact my favourite character. She added some sparkle into the book, well, she did until she went on her mad mission to atone for her mistakes. I liked Zack McLaren and bar Roo he was a favourite, but again, there wasn’t enough substance to him. Despite dying in the first few pages, Jamie is fairly prominent in the book and from what I can tell he seemed like a very nice person, he seemed wonderful in fact. Jamie’s dad Tony is also heavily featured, as he and Ellie get on well and Tony was the realest character to me (which is funny, since he’s an actor!). Mainly though I just felt disconnected to them all. I wasn’t entirely fussed about what they did or didn’t do and that’s really the kiss of death with any novel. You have to be invest in the characters otherwise it’s never going to work.
Now it might sound like I’m totally hating the book, I didn’t, not at all. It was a decent enough effort and I enjoyed the fact that although Jamie died in the first few pages he is with us throughout the book as Ellie keeps him alive in her mind. The writing is classic Jill Mansell and is always a joy to read but the plot and most of the characters just didn’t really grab me. I feel awful for saying that I didn’t enjoy the book, as Jill is one of my favourite authors but this book didn’t grab me or speak to me like previous books of hers and I found myself getting bored as the book neared its conclusion and I couldn’t wait for it to end because I just wanted to get it over with. So although the book itself was readable enough, the plot and characters didn’t really speak to me like I would have expected them to and I just feel a little let down by To The Moon and Back. The potential was there, but I just didn’t feel it was utilised to its best ability.
I loved this book! The characters flowed together more naturally than some similar books where everyone's life has to be fixed by the end.