Author: Jill Mansell
Narrator: Esther Wane
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Publication Date: June 2019
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN | Audible
Description: Is there ever a perfect time for love?
When Mimi Huish first visits her dad's new home in the Cotswolds, she falls in love with Goosebrook and the people who live there. There's Paddy, with his electric-blue eyes and seductive charm. Friendly and funny Lois makes Mimi laugh. And seriously gorgeous Cal Mathieson is welcoming and charismatic. Though Mimi loves her city life and her career, she'd be very happy to return to Goosebrook if it means seeing more of him.
Life is about to take some unexpected and shocking twists and turns. And Mimi's path and Cal's are set to cross again and again--but will it ever be the right time for both of them?
My Thoughts: One of the most important elements of any novel is the connection a reader feels to its characters. That connection does not always require immediate affection or deep empathy, but it does need to be present. Whenever I pick up a Jill Mansell novel, I expect to find characters who feel vivid, engaging, and easy to invest in—and Maybe This Time delivers exactly that.
What makes Mansell’s writing stand out is her ability to create not only compelling main characters, but also memorable secondary ones. The supporting cast never feels ornamental or pushed to the background. Instead, these characters add warmth, depth, and texture to the story, becoming an essential part of the overall reading experience.
The characters in this novel are the kind of people readers want to spend time with. They feel familiar, approachable, and real—like the sort of people you would gladly sit down with over coffee and get to know better. Even the few characters I felt less attached to at first still managed to surprise me by the end, which made the story even more rewarding.
I also loved the setting Mansell creates in the quaint village of Goosebrook. The sense of peace and comfort Mimi experiences there comes through clearly, making it easy to understand why the place feels so meaningful to her. Goosebrook feels like home, and its residents feel like the kind of friends and family readers are happy to return to.
At its core, this is a relationship-driven story that explores both the joys and the challenges of human connection. It captures emotional highs and lows with warmth and sincerity, and it left me feeling fully immersed in the characters’ lives. This is the kind of book that makes you feel deeply, and that emotional impact is one of its greatest strengths. I highly recommend this story to readers who are seeking that connection.
Thank you to the publisher, Sourcebooks Landmark, who provided an advance reader copy of this book via NetGalley.
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