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Read Thinking Of You (2007)

Thinking of You (2007)

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Rating
3.79 of 5 Votes: 2
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ISBN
0755328116 (ISBN13: 9780755328116)
Language
English
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Thinking Of You (2007) - Plot & Excerpts

Thinking of You by Jill Mansell released on May 7 from Sourcebooks. I know I say this every time I read a book from Jill Mansell but I’m going to have to say it again – I love her books! Jill is my favorite British author and I always look forward to one of her books with great anticipation and I have never been disappointed. Thinking of You was fantastic and it’s one of my favorites so far. I thought the storyline was great and the characters were the kind who seemed to step out of the pages of the book right into your own life. You could see yourself being friends with them and kicking back with a glass of wine.Ginny is dealing with the empty nest syndrome. She’s a single mom and her daughter Jem has gone off to university and Ginny misses her horribly but she knows that she has to let go and let Jem live her own life. With the house feeling really empty Ginny decides to rent out one of her rooms and hopefully end up with a good friend and someone she can do things with. Unfortunately what she ends up with is a woman who drones on about her ex-boyfriend incessantly and is more likely to drive Ginny crazy than keep her company. So what does Ginny do – well she gets herself a job as a waitress and not just at any restaurant. No Ginny picks the restaurant of the man who accused her of shoplifting just days earlier. This man, Finn, infuriates Ginny but boy is hard not to notice how gorgeous he is and how much her heart pitter patters around him. Between trying to keep track of Jem at school with a boyfriend Ginny wishes she didn’t have and her own life, which is fast becoming a big disaster, Ginny is finding herself busier than ever.I think at its core this is a mother-daughter story that shows that life goes on when your kids flee the nest. It shows that although your child is gone there is still that connection that will never be gone no matter what the distance between you. Ginny was a great character and I liked her immediately. Jem though drove me crazy with her bad decisions but I had to keep in mind that she was young. There was a host of other characters that you either loved or hated but they added a lot to the story. One that was hilarious was Ginny’s ex-husband who really needed a sock shoved in his mouth most of the time but he really was funny.One of the things that I love most about Jill Mansell’s books is the escape from real life that they offer me. I find that they are always an easy read with a good story that keeps me entertained for a few hours and who can ask for more. Also, you know you are invested in the characters and their lives when you are at turns laughing and then talking out loud to yourself when something happens in the book. I had to laugh at myself while listening to this book because when someone did something I didn’t like or thought was crazy I would start to chatter out loud. Not a great idea if you’re out in public!I listened to the audiobook of Thinking of You which was narrated by Julia Barrie and she did a wonderful job. I absolutely adored her accent and the different tones she used for the characters. It was really well done! All in all, another winner from Jill Mansell for me! If you’re looking for some chick lit to read give one of Jill’s books a try – you won’t regret it!

I've read plenty of good reviews by this author, and after the first disappointment I faced with another one of Jill Mansell's novels, I decided 'what the heck', and read another one.There was no improvement. At all.The story line just gets so boring and repetitive. The protagonist is always a gorgeous woman in her 30's who is head over heels for a guy she thinks she can't have. And the reason for this is always the same - she thinks that he's way out of her league, and that he doesn't like her in return. The man she falls for is ALWAYS dead gorgeous, and as the book drones on and on, lust turns into love, and the man is always the one to confess his feelings to the girl first. This always occurs at the final chapter or two of the entire novel. I mean, suspense is always a necessity in any novel, but dragging an already decided fate on and on for 58 chapters is just ... a little over the top.The protagonist always has a best friend, who's love affair is just as repetitive as the main storyline. This best friend is always the mistress of a man who's already taken.The list could go on forever, but the bottom line is this:Don't read Jill Mansell novels unless you want to waste your time.

What do You think about Thinking Of You (2007)?

I finished this book in half a day, and it was SO worth the read. Jill Mansell does it again for me, and I am so glad I trusted my instincts with her and bought 6 more of her books all at once! This is only my second, and I'm so pleased.It had just the right ingredients blended together perfectly, it was utterly delightful. It made me laugh in all the right places, cringe in all the right places, gasp in all the right places, and get mad in all the right places.The characters were very well-rounded, and very close to heart and more importantly, very realistic. I could imagine them existing and imagine all the events happening like it were a film I was remembering. Yes, there were a few parts where I was like "come oooon", but looking at it from Mansell's point of view, I'm sure she thought it was a hoot to give it that twist. Like the time Finn gave the flowers sent to him by an admirer to a birthday girl, and she JUST happened to be the sister of said admirer!That being said, everything about the book was enjoyable, and even though I expected Ginny to get slightly irritating at one point, that didn't happen at all. Looking at Ginny's relationship with her daughter Jem and how much she tried to hold herself back to give her daughter the independency she needed made me get irritated with Jem instead, and then it reminded me of my relationship with my own mum, and I instantly felt guilty for all the times I got annoyed when my mum visited too often or called too often when I was in uni!I really enjoy Mansell's style of writing, and the humour and wit that fill the dialogues between characters. When Ginny was trying to act nonchalant about Finn getting back with his ex-fiancee and gave the sex vs. food analogy, I could not contain myself from laughing out loud, "Sleeping with someone doesn't have to mean anything. It doesn't automatically follow that you want to keep on seeing that person. Like last week I had a really great Chinese meal, king prawns, mushroom chop suey and a spring roll. But it didn't make me think I had to sell my house, jump on the next plane and go and live in China."Or when Laurel finally gets over her ex and Ginny discovers that "love wasn't only blind. It had a peg-on-your-nose effect as well." And that's just to mention a couple of lines that were absolutely priceless.Suffice it to say, I'm definitely on a roll here with Jill Mansell, and I'm very happy with my find.
—Suad Shamma

I love Mansell for vacation reading, but I have a hard time finding her books. She is not perhaps strictly speaking chick-lit, as her heroines are on the older side (this one is 38 with a teenaged daughter), but she focusses on female issues. This mom is fighting to restrin her helicopter-parent urges as her saughter sets off for university. A bit dowdy herself, she has a fit and fabulous single best friend, a ne-er-do-well ex, and encounters varous other characters during the course of the book. A wonderful sense of Cornall and environs.
—Sharon

You can't help but love & identify with the main character, Ginny, in this book. She's a loving mother, a loyal friend, and has been burned by her ex. With her daughter Jem off to university, she needs more of a distraction than her slightly slutty friend & neighbor to keep her busy. She ends up with a job working for one of the last people on earth she thought would hire her--thank God he's good-looking!She also decides to rent a room out in her house. This leads to a chance meeting with what could be the love of her life, Perry. Too bad her housemate turns out to be his lovelorn, depressed sister. She too has a redeeming quality at least--she bakes delicious cakes!There's a lot happening in this book to entertain. Gavin (Ginny's obnoxious ex) is hilarious--I was totally picturing Bill Nighy the whole time & cracking up! He is blunt and to the point, but with good intentions.Along with Gavin & other funny moments, this story also contains heartbreak & betrayal. It turns out that all of the characters in this book are affected by love and where the stories go will constantly surprise you. I don't want to give too much away, but I did love this quote from page 203 which refers to being betrayed by a friend with regards to love, ""with men, sooner or later you kind of deep down expected it."" You will not be expecting some of twists & turns Mansell throws in, but you will not be disappointed with how it all ends up!Great book, I highly recommend it! And if it ever becomes a movie, don't forget Bill Nighy! Now who would play Finn....Reviewed by Joelle for Cocktails and Books
—Cocktails and Books

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