The One You Really Want by Jill Mansell
Romance Contemporary
April 5, 2016
Sourcebooks
Reviewed by Tori
Favorite Quote:
“Don’t you like parties?”
“The last party I went to, I came face-to-face with my husband’s mistress.”
“Then this one will be much better.”
Carmen lost her husband three years ago. Since then she has merely been going through the motions of life. Her brother in law, Rennie, decides to pop in at Christmas on the excuse he is taking a break, but in reality, he thinks it’s time for Carman to start living again. When Carmen’s best friend Nancy thinks her husband is cheating on her, Carmen and Rennie head down to her house, help her discover the truth, and bring her and her mother, Rose, back to London with them for a little R&R.
Once back in London, Nancy and Carmen find themselves looking for love in all the wrong places while rediscovering pieces of themselves in an attempt to put their lives back together once and for all.
The One You Really Want is classic Mansell with it’s light hearted humor, outrageous situations, clever, witty, dialogue, and lovely romantic tones. This particular title is a reprint. It was originally published in 2006. Unlike her later novels where the focus remains steady on one couple’s romantic journey with various secondary characters added to amplify the message(s) being given, this one chooses to focus on two women who are each dealing with a life altering experience. Mansell uses these two best friends to provide an interesting look at the various types of relationships we forge in life as they both decide to take a chance on life and love again with a few pitfalls along the way.
I enjoyed this one far more than I thought I would. The biggest draw of Mansell’s writing 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 engaging people are going do or where they will end up until the very the end. There are actually three main storylines in here that intertwine. Each one is given equal time with no sacrifices to the others. Any love scenes are completely off page but the story is strong enough without them.
Carmen and Nancy are delightful women whose intelligence, wit, and general love of life keeps the story flowing smoothly as we are pulled into their wake. I loved that Nancy isn’t given a fatalist attitude because her husband cheated on her. She knows it wasn’t her fault and doesn’t blame herself in any form or fashion. She dusts herself off and prepares rather easily for the next stage of her life. Finding her way proves harder than she imagines when her crush friend-zones her and she is inadvertently dragged into her boss’s turbulent love life.
Carmen’s issues run a little deeper. She and her husband had been together since they were teenagers. He was the love of her life. His rise to fame in a rock band and subsequent descent into drugs, which led to his death, left her in a precarious position. Her drowning grief was compounded by her vulnerability. Her wealth and her husband’s fame leave her with few to rely on for comfort and she finds herself unable and unwilling to move on. She is forced to lie about her wealth and identity, creating a barrier that works against her when she is ready to finally be free.
The secondary characters add delicious snarkiness and humor as they all scramble to find their place in this often capricious world. I laughed more than once at the dynamics between Rennie (Carmen’s brother in law) and Nancy’s mother, Rose. They could give Vegas a run for it’s money with their quirky and fast hitting one liners. A neighbor and his teenage daughter will leave you rolling your eyes affectionately as he struggles with becoming a full-time parent, a jealous girlfriend, and his daughter’s outrageous attempts at matchmaking. There are some bittersweet moments as Mansell divulges into the lengths one goes to keep family happy. Some fun misunderstandings only add to the overall appeal of these crazy, mad Brits.
Multiple storylines run rapid throughout here, each one seemingly random but the ties that bind them all together become increasingly more visible as we move closer to the conclusion. Various characters are at impasse in their own individual relationships and Mansell does an excellent job of showing us that sometimes we need to ride out the storm before the calm sets in order to make sure we are able to handle what life has to offer us.
The One You Really Want is a fun, quick read that hits all the right spots; humor and romance wise. Even with the multiple storylines and influx of characters, you aren’t left feeling overwhelmed or confused by what’s happening. Mansell easily captures the spontaneity of the characters and smoothly takes us from one situation to another with no bumps or lag time. The conclusion is sweet and fulfilling as Mansell wrap-ups the loose ties and gives everyone the answers they had been seeking the whole time. My only disappointment was that we weren’t able to see beyond the initial happy for now. Everything wraps up rather fast and then abruptly ends.
Grade: B
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