Sunday, September 4, 2011

Review: To the Moon and Back by Jill Mansell




Title: To The Moon And Back 
Author: Jill Mansell 
Genre: Womens Fiction/Chick Lit 
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Number of Pages: 433
Source: Sent to me by the publisher to read







 

When Ellie Kendall tragically loses her husband she feels her life is over. But eventually she’s ready for a new start – at work, that is. She doesn’t need a new man when she has a certain secret visitor to keep her company...Zack McLaren seems to have it all, but the girl he can’t stop thinking about won’t give him a second glance. If only she’d pay him the same attention she lavishes on his dog.Moving to North London, Ellie meets neighbour Roo who has a secret of her own. Can the girls sort out their lives? Guilt is a powerful emotion, but a lot can happen in a year in Primrose Hill. (goodreads)



To the Moon and Back isn't your typical  chick lit book and  that's what I loved most about it. While I felt like was very similar to the theme of Staying At Daisys, (in Staying at Daisys the heroine was a widow whose love interest was a rugby player) I still enjoyed it.

Ellie is trying to get over the death of her young husband Jamie, and with the help of her father in law, the famous actor Tony Weston. He convinces Ellie that she needs a change of scenery and talks her into house sitting for him while he's in the States filming for various projects.  Once she moves she meets Roo, who she becomes fast friends with, and through her gets a new job where she gradually comes to have feelings for her boss, Zach.  There are quite a few secondary characters in this book, and I loved how by the end of the book they were just as important to me as the main character, Ellie was.

This was a charming book, but had a much sadder feel to it then past Mansell books...which given the subject matter makes sense, but I missed the whackiness feel that the main characters usually have. Even with this books faults, Mansell is still the best author to read in this genre~everyone always gets a happy ending and I love that.




Curran Crush Meter: Medium (loved Zach and his dog Elmo!) 
Martini Sigh Meter: Low 
Barrons Hero Hotness Meter: Low 
Ethan/Merit Sizzle Meter: Low..just because it's not that kind of book. 
Finn Sidekick Meter; High