Book info

• Title The One You Really Want
• Author Jill Mansell
• Year 2004
• Genre Romance

It all starts with a shiny, red, sit-on lawn-mower. When Nancy spies her Christmas present from her husband sitting on the lawn, she realises the jewellery she thought was for her must be on someone else. Her best friend Carmen isn't surprised (she never liked Jonathan) and persuades Nancy to leave Edinburgh and come and stay in her luxury London flat - far too vast for Carmen since her husband, millionaire rock star Spike Todd, died. Soon Nancy's met gorgeous Connor O'Shea, who lives next door, and his daughter Mia is matchmaking - not least because she'd like to see the back of Connor's current pushy girlfriend. Meanwhile Carmen, who's always been certain she doesn't want another man in her life, feels a spark when a handsome charity worker called Joe calls round. But Joe's not quite all he seems...

Thoughts

This got off to a slow start, but I really started to get into it and loved it by the end. The story is a handful of characters ending up living in a house together and the many misunderstandings and mistaken assumptions that happen as they navigate beginning and ending various relationships - your standard romcom stuff but done very well.

Rating: 4 / 5