Nadia Knows Best by Jill Mansell
Contemporary Romance
May 1, 2012, Reissue
Sourcebooks
Reviewed by Tori
Favorite Quote: “ We’re saved. We shan’t have to eat either, that’s a relief. “
First off, I’d like to lodge a small complaint. Nothing in the write up indicated this was a reissue (first released in 2003). I don’t mind reissues but please, let the readers know this. I’d also like to add that I really feel Ms. Mansell’s writing has matured greatly since this was first published. Okay, I’m done.
Nadia Kindale is a twenty something landscaper who is relatively happy with her life. She is dating her childhood sweetheart and surrounded by her loving, abet, crazy family. When she is stranded in a snowstorm and is saved by the handsome Jay Tiernan, she‘s attracted to him but truly love her boyfriend and regretfully chooses not to pursue the attraction. When her boyfriend, Laurie, dumps her over dinner to pursue his career, Nadia bounces back rather quickly when Jay reappears and offers her a job. As Jay and Nadia get closer, Laurie reappears, sorry over his treatment of her, and asking for a second chance. As Nadia tries to decide between an old love or a new love, she is also dealing with the return of her absent mother, her crazy, selfish sister, and a mystery surrounding her grandmother that could put her in jail. Soon, Nadia realizes that she doesn’t know best.
Nadia Knows Best is classic chick lit. We have a nice heroine, an unsure hero, and a mix of crazy family members and friends to round out the story. A sweet, though predictable, light hearted romantic contemporary about love, loss, and choices. Ms. Mansell’s dry wit, comical romantic entanglements, and eccentric characters are back in force as we are once again transported to the other side of the pond and become entangled in the crazy escapades of these mad, mad Brits. The biggest draw of Ms. Mansell for me is her characters. She infuses a sense of realism into their personalities and situations; allowing you to connect intimately with them. They make bad decisions, say dumb things, and act inappropriately at times. Just like all of us. You’re never really sure what these people are going do or where they will end up till the end.
Nadia, our protagonist, has a snarky mouth, an infectious personality, and a dry sarcastic wit that engages quite frequently throughout the book. I like that she doesn’t hold back and has no problem saying what’s on her mind. She hasn’t had an easy life but takes it all one day at a time and enjoys each day as it comes.
Jay Tiernan was hard to get to know we don’t really get his POV. We only see what Nadia sees through their interactions. Jay has a lot going on himself and while his life seems to be a constant drama in the making, he seems like a genuinely nice person who likes Nadia and would like to get to know her better. They mesh well together and I found myself rooting for them, even knowing they would end up together. I’m not spoiling here. If you read Mansell, you know right off the bat the hero and heroine end up together. The story, or comedy of errors I like to call it, is merely the journey they take to get to their HEA.
There are actually five story lines here that intertwine and play off each other. Each one is given equal time which adds a sense of confusion to the overall plot. While I enjoyed getting an in-depth look into everyone’s lives, trying to keep up gets tiring and took away from our main couple. I found myself ready to stop halfway through as we are spending more time with everyone else’s lives while Nadia is caught in an endless loop of, “ Does she loves him, does she not?”
The secondary characters are both humorous and pathetic at times as they all scramble around trying to keep secrets in a family that prides itself on knowing each others business. I loved Nadia’s younger sister Tilly and her father James. They both put up with a lot as Nadia’s selfish mother and older sister proceed to make everything about them with no consideration for anyone else’s feelings. Nadia’s grandmother is quite a character whose own conflict was interesting until it jumped the reservation and I found myself wondering what just happened. The parrot is the best in the book and I want one just like him.
The ending wraps everything up okay though it takes a very long time to get there. All in all, Nadia Knows Best is a predictable example of a romantic contemporary that will entertain those who aren’t expecting much more.
Overall Rating: C
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Hey T, this sounds cute! A good beach read, I think!
I’m with you on the re-issues! Hate it! I bought something by a fave author once. Realized I had already read it. It had been re-issued with a new cover and I didn’t recognize the title. I was not happy!
See I hate it when it’s a re-issue with a new, modern cover and you don’t know it. Not cool!
I loved reading her books when I was still reading in Dutch. My sister collects them, but somehow, I have lost the desire to read them. I always did love the fun and humor.