You and Me, Always – Jill Mansell.

Back of the book : 

On the morning of Lily’s twenty-fifth birthday, it’s time to open the very last letter written to her by her beloved mother, who died when she was eight.

Learning more about the first and only real love of her mum’s life is a revelation. On the same day, Lily also meets Eddie Tessler, a man fleeing fame who just might have the ability to change her world in unimaginable ways. But her childhood friend Dan has his own reasons for Lilly not getting too carried away by Eddie’s attentions.

Before long, secrets begin to emerge and Lily’s friends and family become involved. In the beautiful cotswold village of Stanton Langley, Nothing will ever be the same again.

 

What I think : 

Lily lost her mum, Jo, to cancer when she was nine years old. Her mum’s best friends Coral and the Late Nick took her in and looked after her. She never knew her father, Keir as he wasn’t interested in knowing her when she was born, so Jo brought her up alone. Every year on her birthday she has received a letter from her mum that she wrote before she died. This year, on her twenty-fifth birthday, Lily receives the last letter that mum wrote. In the letter there was a gift, a bangle that was given to Jo by the ‘love of her life’ Declan. She only knew him for a year, but he stayed with her forever.

Lily tracks down Declan and they start a lovely friendship, however its not only lily who takes an interest in Declan ….

Lily’s best friend Patsy, used to babysit for Lily when she was little, so Lily and Patsy’s brother Dan grew up together and have become best friends. But for Dan could it be more … ?

When Lily Meets Eddie, a huge film star with a bad reputation, by accident on her birthday she is smitten, but is she just trying to take her mind off someone else … ?

This is a fabulously warm book that is really unputdownable. It has lots of lovely and likeable characters that you wish were your friends. Jill has got this wonderful knack of being able to write about normal everyday things and making them seem really exciting and far from normal !

With a few Secrets and lies thrown in for good measure it all adds up to being a really good tale.

I really love Jill’s books. She is one of the very few authors who’s books I buy without looking at the back of the book. I buy it because it was written by Jill so i know its going to be good.

I give this beautiful book 10/10.

A huge Thank you to Lizzie Masters at Headline for the review copy of the book.

Published 28/01/16 by Headline Review.