This one just felt a bit off to me. Probably because I realized going in after being introduced to everyone, I knew who was going to pair off together. So I felt annoyed waiting through the whole book for the characters to figure it out themselves. It didn't help though that we get a random wrench thrown in this one (a character who makes a terrible mistake that impacts another) that didn't seem atypical for this character at all. The book was too fast in wrapping things up I thought.

"You and Me, Always" deals with characters living and visiting Stanton Langley. Lily has been raised by a friend of her mother's Coral and her husband since her mother died when she was 8. Lily's two best friends, Patsy and Dan (brother and sister) have all known each other since they were babies. When Lily receives the last letter from her mother on her 25th birthday, it seems to be the kick she needed to get in contact with a man that her mother tells her was the love of her life (Declan). Lily also meets movie star Eddie (hiding out in Stanton Langley) and wonders if this is the man to get her over her decades long crush of Dan.

Usually I think Mansell can juggle multiple characters well, but not in this one. I think it's because the stories were sometimes opposed to each other and it felt like we should just be reading stand-alones. We have Coral dealing with being a widow and starting to have feelings for Declan. I found it interesting, but it didn't gel well when we would bounce back to Lily and Patsy. The three women are not really in the same age group so it didn't feel right they were on top of each other so much and didn't seem to have other friends besides each other.

Patsy's marriage and bad dating woes were pretty hilarious, but I think Mansell jumped at her getting a HEA and didn't put in enough work for us to be rooting for her or her love interest.

I didn't really care about Lily and Eddie, they never did work for me.

The writing was typical Mansell, the flow could have been improved though.

The setting of this village felt even tinier than I can imagine. Usually Mansell can have me imagine a place and I feel there, this just felt blah to me. ( )

Charming read exploring family, friendships, love and loss with a diverse range of characters that are equally funny and frustrating at times. A tender story that shows that it’s never too late and that some things are worth the wait. ( )

Review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley.

This reading was a charming 3.5.

Lily has never met her father, nor does she want to. Even now she has read the last letter her long-deceased mother left, all she searches for another connection, the person her called the love of her life. Her friend Patsy, on the other hand, is about to give up going after her one due a string of the worst sort of men. Coral, the one who took care of Lily, lost her husband two years before and doesn't think about finding another any time soon. In the small town the three live, the status quo is about to change, and secrets to be revealed.

This story isn't what I'd call heartwarming at first glance but when I think back, that was the feeling that lingered. The main theme seems to be "bonds thicker than blood", even though the words from the title originally comes from how Lily's mother ended the letters. And that was lovely to see developed and put to test as the plot thickened.

A love story was also involved for Lily—well, all three women had their own but Lily's occupied maybe 70% of it all. I also felt mostly satisfied in this part but it was also dull. The dialogues exchanged—here and throughout the book—were perky, they always managed to rob me a smile at the very least. However, the path from beginning to end was exactly as expected.

What really got me glued were the characters. Not all of them were perfectly round. I found Coral's love adversary, for example, the out-of-the-manual-witches witch. And so were all of the men Patsy dated but her ex-husband. The same applies to Lily's father. The moment the author needed some people being mean, she made no effort. Additionally, I felt bothered with the repetition of side characters' names, like Tanya and Will.

And yet, for a book with a plethora of characters, she made me love each of the main ones differently. I appreciated how quick she could familiarize the reader with them. I will miss all of those people and the whole town. Such an idyllic place!

I feel this could have been multiple short but nice stories; maybe that way could have been more entertaining. Not that it was too long but my urge to turn to the next page decreased too soon. The story is well written and makes for an easy read but we have no page-turner here.

Still, not only are the characters enticing, as above described, but it also raises themes for a good debate. Moreover, a lot happens without being overwhelmingly eventful. Having enough to chat about, the novel could be recommendable for a book club, or even a pair-reading with a friend.
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Why is it so hard to admit our feelings for someone else?? The course of true love is derailed at times by the secrets these characters are keeping - nothing too terrible, but some pretty embarrassing. Fortunately, as always, Ms. Mansell gives them all happy endings. Yay! ( )