An utterly charming novel with a sprinkle of magicWhen Maisie Meadows finds herself single and jobless on New Year’s Day, she resolves that this will be the year she focuses on bringing her scattered family back together. Romance is all very well, but it’s the people you grew up with that matter the most.But a new job working at an auction house puts her in the path of Theo, a gorgeous but … in the path of Theo, a gorgeous but unattainable man who she can’t help but be distracted by. As their bond begins to grow, Maisie finds herself struggling to fulfil the promise she made to herself – but the universe has other ideas, and it’s not long before the Meadows family are thrown back together in the most unlikely of circumstances…
Can dealing with other people’s treasures help Maisie to let go of the past, and teach her who she ought to treasure the most?
Praise for Jenni Keer:
‘A charming read!’ Heidi Swain, bestselling author of Poppy’s Recipe for Life
‘A wonderful antidote to a harsh world’ Bella Osborne, bestselling author of A Walk in Wildflower Park
‘A magical story about love and friendship, full of fun and sparkle. You won’t be able to resist the cast of quirky characters!’ Fiona Harper, author of The Memory Collector
‘A compelling, enchanting and beautifully written story with a sparkle of magic, romance, emotion and humour.’ Dash Fan Book Reviews
‘Enjoyable, entertaining, and wholly unexpected in the best way possible.’ RoloPolo Book Blog
‘Absolutely engaging and often hilarious, I didn’t want to put it down, and was sad when it ended. I highly recommend this utterly fabulous, charming and heartwarming novel.’ Shelley’s Book Nook
‘Many many laugh-out-loud moments. Many many heart-moving sentiments (What? Who said I cried? My eyes merely misted….Okay, I’m lying. I totally cried)’ Reader review
‘Jennnnnni! I’m in love with your lovely writing. Please never stop.’ Reader review
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Favorite Quotes:
He was not only showing the new girl from HR around the archives but also giving her a guided tour of his tonsils.
Being single was all very well until your ovaries started idly flicking through pension options – not that she was anywhere near that stage, but sand still trickled relentlessly into the bottom chamber of her hourglass.
Theo’s jeans weren’t distressed, they were positively traumatised
Honestly, you’re so tightly coiled that if anyone springs your release catch you’re going to ping over the moon.
… her house was sterile, her desk at work was sterile, bloody hell – after six months without a boyfriend, she was sterile.
He doesn’t give up. All the time he’s in my peripheral vision, lurking like an unidentifiable odour.
My Review:
Jenni Keer is found treasure. This cleverly written and highly amusing book had more sparkles than a glitter bomb and was an utter delight to read. I adored every quirky character and savored each brilliantly chosen word. I fell right into this craftily paced and witty tale, which caused frequent eruptions of giggle-snorts and kept a well-earned smirk on my face throughout perusal. I was also quite resentful of any interruption to my reading and may have actually hissed at the ringing phone. Ms. Keer’s writing was deliciously clever, emotive, crisp, and extraordinarily engaging. She definitely has a gift for effortless levity and absorbing storytelling and I deeply suspect ownership of a magical pen or bewitched software, as she is an absolute powerhouse of a wordsmith.
And in addition to being totally besotted with Ms. Keer, I scored three new additions to my Brit Word List with claggy – which is Brit informal for thick and sticky; banjaxed – which is slang for destroyed or ruined; and G Plan – which is an iconic British brand of furniture.
This is the story of one woman’s journey out of relationship heck and into a life that’s one size fits HER. It’s not always pretty, it’s not always perfect, but it’s hers and really, what more are any of us looking for?
Maisie is such a kind soul with a big heart and while her instincts regarding the opposite sex, whether they have potential or are possibly shady characters, is a bit off center, and her desire to see her family as one big happy unit a bit misguided, it simply makes her more lovable AND relateable.
As much as I felt for our girl Maisie’s life adventure, and adored the final outcome of her choices (totally played out in the most adorable way possible!), I wasn’t as invested in things as I wanted to be. For me, the connection to the lost tea set just didn’t come to fruitation. Now, once the power of a great cup of tea (from this particular set) is revealed in truth (HA! Inside joke…), I was back on board with that particular aspect of the story…but until that point in time, I could have taken that part or left it.
All in all, a great reminder that while bloodlines may run strong, FAMILY is truly determined by who we choose to have in our inner circle not simply our DNA.
**ebook received for review; opinions are my own
What a lovely story.
This book had a bit of everything from the laugh out loud moments and there are a lot of them, to the family drama and the new job, new colleagues, new love story in line with the new hero.
The teacups set was a very unique adding to the story in my opinion and the way everything revolves to it was quite nicely done and entertaining.
I found the heroine very reliable and lovable as well as the hero who was sweet and paying all his attention to her and her needs. The side characters, that are quite a lot, very interesting in their own way as well, from the job colleagues to each member of the family that Maisie is trying to reunite through her tea meetings.
Looking forward to more books by the author.
The Unlikely Life of Maisie Meadows is a delight to read!!!!
Maisie suddenly finds herself without a job after catching her ex with the new girl! She finds a new job in the auction house, Gildersleeves. She has no idea how this new job will change her life. In addition to the new job, she decides she wants to bring her dysfunctional family back together. Along the way, she will learn what family truly means and possibly find a new love.
Theo is her boss, and as they spend more time together, they grow closer and love may be on the horizon. He is just one surprise that destiny has in store for Maisie. As the title suggests, it’s a life journey she had never expected.
Not only is the book about Maisie, but it’s also about the secondary characters, such as Arthur, Johnny, and Theo, as well as Maisie’s family. Each has their own story to tell, but it never takes away from the book as a whole.
She will learn how complicated family can be, such as “their virtues and their weaknesses.” It will make her see how imperfect yet perfect families really are. It has a little bit of magic in the form of a teapot, with lots of love throughout. This is an enjoyable book that will bring a smile to your face and warmth to your heart!
The Unlikely Life of Maisie Meadows is the second book published by up and coming author Jenni Keer. This is the first book I’ve actually had the pleasure of reading from Ms. Keer. I loved it so much I went and purchased her first book! I always love discovering new authors and I look forward to seeing what Ms. Keer has for us in the future!
Not being familiar with Ms. Keer’s writing style, I didn’t know what to expect. So I was pleasantly surprised to get caught up in this story from the very beginning, and quickly became invested in the storyline and all the characters. I found my self picking up the book throughout the day just to read one more page!
As we start our story, Maisie Meadows has recently quit her job and broken up with her boyfriend, who also happened to be her boss. As she starts a new job at Gildersleeve’s auction house, she works at settling into her new job and dealing with her new coworkers. Oh my, what a fabulous collection of characters at Gildersleeve’s! From Johnny the eccentric, exuberant owner, to the painfully shy, quiet & thoughtful Ella, to the chatty but totally loveable Arthur, and then finally the down to earth, engaging and good-looking Theo, I absolutely loved them all. Gildersleeve’s auction house in itself was a fabulous backdrop for a story. It was a unique setting and one I’ve not read before.
When Maisie stumbles across an old teapot that once belonged to a neighbor from 20 years ago, she works to reunite the tea set. As Maisie discovers piece by piece the missing tea set from long ago, she begins to wonder if her family can also be reunited as well. This brings us another fabulous set of characters with the Mayhew sisters and Maisie’s parents and siblings and who could forget Nigel the hamster! He truly was the star of the book! 😉 I loved the teapot storyline and all that went along with it. There were so many wonderful stories intertwined into this book and I felt they all flowed beautifully together to make this story perfectly complete.
This was a wonderfully well-written story based on family, friends, secrets, misconceptions, love, loss, in summary, it’s based on life! I devoured this book and absolutely loved the ending. I enjoyed my time with Maisie and her family and friends and would have no problem revisiting this fabulous group of characters again. I highly recommend this book and author!
This is the second book by Jenni Keer. I read her first book also, and adored it! Her second book is a gem also! She writes stories with characters of various ages taking a leading role in the plot. I love the older population and think they carry a wealth of knowledge from their years on earth.
In this book, Maisie, the youngest child of her family is struggling with life. She recently left her job, her siblings are all over the globe and she comes to realize that she does not have many people to call true friends. The story is about loving people that are your blood family, but not always people you want to be around and that your family can include the people you love and chose to be close to. It is also about being brave and taking risks to better your life.
I think the author does a wonderful job of character development. I know the people in the book as if they are really in my life. I went through the joys they did and also the heartbreaking situations. The plot flowed extremely well and the book was very easy to read. I was all consumed in the story and as always, in a Women’s Humorous Fiction book, I was looking for a happy ending.
There are several twists and turns and I kept questioning my beliefs of how I thought the book would end. It was a great journey! I totally enjoyed this story and I hope Jenni Keer has many more stories to tell in the future. I really like her writing style.
I want to thank Avon UK and NetGalley.com for giving me the pleasure of reading the ARC of this book. My opinion is my own and not influenced by receiving the ARC.