Feel-good chick-lit from international bestseller Jill Mansell, with a chaotic cast who must let go of their grudges and secrets to build the lives they’ve dreamed of.
Thanks to little white lie, Lainey and Kit arrive at their new jobs in blissful, summery Cornwall only to find themselves in the midst of a lovable but overwhelming family—where every family member is having an identity crisis at … having an identity crisis at the same time.
Widowed mom Majella has done her best for years, but can’t quite grasp why things are falling apart. No one can guess what’s causing the chaos because everyone is keeping secrets.
In classic Jill Mansell style, Lainey and her friends are drawn through a hilarious multi-generational soap opera. By the end, happily-ever-afters are available to anyone willing to tell the truth about their heart’s desire.
Romantic fiction with characters you can root for, this is the perfect beach read for fans of Sophie Kinsella and Elin Hilderbrand.
Also by Jill Mansell:
This Could Change Everything
Miranda’s Big Mistake
Maybe This Time
more
A little blast of sunshine-uplifting, heart-warming and supremely feel-good.
It Started with a Secret by beloved Jill Mansell is gripping and incredibly comforting.
What a wonderful romance (actually numerous romances) that incorporates family life and drama realistically. Perfect to put in your bag and take with you to the beach this summer… or to read in your backyard with a drink of choice!
Besides a bunch of romances (will they/won’t they, old love, and lost love) there is a gregarious and grumpy Hollywood actor learning to love others besides himself, a person realizing they are gay and the support system they find, a widow wanting to find someone to share their life with, a driven woman wanting to find a partner and realizing she’s strong enough to have a family on her own, teenagers dealing with secrets, a son dealing with his mother and his past, and a family that finds bonds with those that don’t share their blood. I think I covered all the storylines, but I may have missed a couple.
This was such a fantastic book that tied all the storylines together in an organic way. Almost all of the characters are likeable (except for the ones that aren’t supposed to be) and I know I would enjoy getting to know them if they were real people. This is the first book that I’ve read by Jill Mansell, but when I’m looking for a sweet romance with characters that make me believe in the good of people, I will be reading more of her books.
I *love* Jill Mansell. That said, the last few before It Started with a Secret weren’t *bad*, they also just weren’t my favorite. But I absolutely couldn’t put this one down. This is vintage Jill, a page-turner that sucks you in from the beginning that you can’t put down. My greatest wish outside of living in a Hallmark Christmas movie, would be to live inside of a Jill Mansell small town. Definitely pick this one up!
A great beach read. The characters will have you cheering for them as they wind their way through this story.
This book was a great way to spend my reading time. It was fun with likable characters and just enough drama.
I really enjoyed this book and read it quickly. The plot revolves around a secret between two friends to act as a couple which leads them to a new job, relationships, and happily ever afters.
A joyful story to escape with!
lots of great descriptive scenes, emotional understanding and fun.
This book is just fun. The characters are like able.
I understand why Jill Mansell is such a beloved author…this was a great, easy book!
This was far from the first Jill Mansell book I’d read but I hadn’t been reading them as religiously as I had done when I began reading this author several years ago. I had curtailed my reading of Ms. Mansell’s books because the storyline(s) felt very repetitive and like there was nothing new to be had in the stories, only the names of the characters had changed. Unfortunately, I found the same to have happened again with this book. However, if I were to judge this story based solely on it’s merits and not relative to other works by this author, I would still rate it very highly because this was still an enjoyable read and I’d encourage fans of the genre or author to give it a try.
I received an ARC from Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark.
The following review and comments are my own honest opinion.
Lainey and Kitt have landed a dream job working for a chaotic family, but it is based on a lie – hopefully one that no one will discover. Sit back and enjoy the antics of Richard, the distrust of Seth and the blind dates of Magella. A warm, feel good book from start to finish, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
After their employer needs to close up shop, Lainey and Kit land a job at the home of a well-known, retired actor. While their job started with a minor lie, Lainey finds she enjoys working for this quirky family. She also likes Seth, but she can’t say anything because she’s fibbed and said that she’s in a relationship with Kit, who has never dated a woman in his life. We follow Lainey and the family as they settle into this new life together.
The characters had unique personalities, and I enjoyed watching them grow in this one. If I had one complaint about them, it’s the reference to Richard’s drinking, which happens a lot. I’m not bothered that he drinks, but it’s mentioned needlessly often. I also felt somewhere after we hit the 1/3 mark that the book grew a bit slow, and that we were just reading about the day to day with no actual progress in the book. But once I got over that hump, it grew back to being an enjoyable, light and fun read.
Jill Mansell’s books never disappoint! Will Lainey and Kit’s little lies and hidden family secrets come back to haunt them?! It Started With a Secret is a sweet story about love and friendships on the idyllic English countryside. The characters and plot were so well developed, and I really enjoyed the authors descriptions of the beautiful setting in Cornwall. I recommend reading this book if you’re into contemporary romance and feel good endings!