Friday, June 5, 2009

Miranda's Big Mistake by Jill Mansell

Amused, Daniel Delancey said, ‘According to Tony, everyone’s going to fall in love with you.’

‘Oh yes, and by this time next year I’ll be a supermodel, all five foot two of me.’ It wasn’t funny. Miranda quailed, imagining the hideous footage they must have of her on their beastly hidden camera. ‘Couldn’t you just do some of the filming again?’ she pleaded desperately. ‘Give me a chance to comb my hair and put on a bit of make-up?’

Not to mention a Wonderbra.

‘You shared your lunch with me. How you look isn’t important.’

Ha, thought Miranda, only a total man could think that. (from Miranda’s Big Mistake, page 51)

If you’re looking for a light, fun read for the summer, I suggest you grab a copy of Miranda’s Big Mistake. There’s no doubt that Jill Mansell’s books can be categorized as chick lit, but in my opinion, they’re among the best written books in the genre. I read Mansell’s An Offer You Can’t Refuse (read my review here) not too long ago, and I enjoyed it. But I absolutely loved Miranda’s Big Mistake.

Miranda is a junior hair stylist at the salon owned by celebrity hairdresser, Fenn Lomax, which means she runs errands for the rich and famous. On these errands, she befriends a homeless man, who’s actually a journalist in disguise. Although Danny Delancey seems interested in Miranda, she’s too busy with Greg, who just happens to have a pregnant wife. And then there is Miles, a well-known race-car driver also interested in Miranda, who’s love life is one big roller coaster throughout the book.

I found Miranda endearing from the start. She’s unlucky in love, and when she tries so hard to play it cool, it blows up in her face, hilariously of course. And I loved the secondary characters, too -- Miranda’s feisty landlady, Florence; her pregnant flatmate, Chloe; Bev, her best friend and co-worker who talks marriage and kids right away with every man she meets and wonders why she can’t get a date; Fenn, who falls in love for the first time after dating so many dull supermodels; and Danny, who gives Miranda a run for her money in the attitude department.

At nearly 500 pages, Miranda's Big Mistake was a bit long, but Mansell kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Overall, it was predictable, but there were some hilarious moments and some sad moments that I didn’t expect. A lot of the book was about romance and the dating scene, and for someone who’s been married almost 10 years, amazingly I didn’t feel out of the loop. I could relate to the characters, and the romantic scenes were cute. And I just have to love a book that makes me laugh out loud on the bus so people think I’m crazy. I definitely see myself reading more of Mansell’s work in the future.

Miranda’s Big Mistake also was reviewed by:

Savvy Verse & Wit
A Bookworm’s World
S. Krishna’s Books
Bookopolis
Wendy’s Minding Spot
Cheryl’s Book Nook
Booking Mama
Bermudaonion's Weblog
Books by TJBaff

If I missed yours, please let me know in the comments!

Disclosure:  I received a free copy of Miranda's Big Mistake from Sourcebooks for review purposes.

21 comments:

Sandy Nawrot said...

I just read Serena's review of this one. What a great book for the summer! A little long for it to be easy, but still good stuff!

Darlene said...

I just read Serena's review a bit ago and was saying how much I wished I had picked this one up to read. It sounds like the perfect summer read and so fun. Glad you liked it and what a great review as usual.

Staci said...

I've never read one of her books but you sure make them sound great!!!

Blodeuedd said...

I did try a Mansell book but there were so many characters and I didn't feel close to any of them...still I'd like to give her another go

Serena said...

I think this is a great book. I loved it

Luanne said...

Thanks for the link Anna. I relly enjoyed this one too - even more than An Offer. I know what you mean about the unexpeted sad moment - caught me off guard as well. Looking forward to Millie's Fling.

.Books by TJ Baff said...

Hi Anna,
I also reviewed this book on my blog.
Thanks,
Tamara

Gwendolyn B. said...

It does sound like fun -- I bet the 500 pages go by in a flash!

bermudaonion said...

I'm about three-fourths of the way through this one and I'm really enjoying it. Miranda and Chloe are so much fun.

S. Krishna said...

I really enjoyed this one as well. Great review!

Kristi said...

I hope to finish this book today! It is so good, but I am supposed to be packing! Oh well, I gave you an award here: http://booksandneedlepoint.blogspot.com/2009/06/winners-and-awards.html

Book Escape said...

I read An Offer You Can't Refuse and wasn't that impressed. But, I'm always up for a fun chick-lit read so maybe I'll try another one. Anyway, something about her the covers to her books appeals to me.

Marie Cloutier said...

Sounds like a fun one for a long afternoon :-) thanks for the great review.

Jeannie said...

Hi Anna!

I enjoy chick lit, but this one may be a tad too long for me. As you know I have a short attention span.

Hope you're doing well. Talk to you real soon. :D

The Reading Momster said...

It is a bit long for me :) I would really abandon it, if it is predictable :)

Anna said...

Sandy: It was a long book, but it didn't seem long because it reads really fast.

Dar: Thanks! I hope you get a chance to read this one.

Staci: I liked this one even better than the first one I read of hers.

Blodeuedd: There were a lot of characters in this one, but I think Mansell did a good job of connecting them all in some way.

Serena: I'm glad you enjoyed it as much as I did.

Luanne: Me, too!

Tamara: I'm behind in my blog reading, but I'll check out your review soon!

Gwendolyn: They sure did!

Bermudaonion: I can't wait to hear what you think. You've probably already posted your review and I'm so far behind in reading them! (sorry)

S. Krishna: Thanks!

Kristi: Thanks for the award! I'll keep an eye out for your review.

Book Escape: See, I'm not too fond of the covers, but they're better than other chick-lit covers. I liked this one a lot more than An Offer You Can't Refuse.

Marie: Thanks! Not sure I could read it in one afternoon, but I know it could be done.

Jeannie: Thanks for stopping by! I owe you a letter. Soon! ((HUGS))

Veens: It was predictable, but I wasn't sure how she was going to get to the end. I hope that makes sense. lol

Ladytink_534 said...

Wow 500 pages is a bit much but it still sounds like it might be a good read. At least a funny one!

Dawn - She is Too Fond of Books said...

This is the book that you and Serena were talking about how busy the cover was, right?

Sounds like you got past that and really enjoyed the book; I guess that old saying is true ...

Anna said...

Ladytink: It really didn't seem as long as it was. Definitely a lot of funny moments in this one.

Dawn: Yup, that's the book. LOL

Book Escape said...

I read An Offer You Can't Refuse and just wasn't thrilled. But, this one sounds a little more fun. Maybe when I need a light read (which I've been wanting more lately), I'll have to check it out.

Anna said...

Book Escape: This one was better than An Offer You Can't Refuse. At least I thought so!