This Could Change Everything

This Could Change Everything by Jill Mansell is a delightfully funny, engagingly addictive romance that had me captivated from the first sentence to the very last one. It's charming, heartwarming and the sub-themes that are woven within this story are significant and challenging ones that Ms. Mansell presents with compassion, wisdom and humor. I really enjoyed reading this book and I'm looking forward to reading more of Ms. Mansell's books!

If you're looking for a great read this summer (or anytime of the year) ~ I highly recommend This Could Change Everything!

I received this book for free. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are my own. Thank you to Ms. Mansell, Sourcebooks Landmark and Edelweiss for the show more opportunity to read and review this book. show less

An enjoyable if somewhat predictable novel. I always enjoy the way Jill Mansell writes the West Country, and it felt particularly poignant this time, since Bristol was my last visit before lockdown. I wasn't as invested in either the A or the B romances as I was in the redemption journey of one of the supporting characters. (I do like Mansell's don't-give-a-damn older women!)

But to my mind the real hero is the bit-part vicar of a beautiful church, who, after what one can only assume has been a December full of civic carol services, school carol services, Christingle services, Nine Lessons and Carols, midnight mass and Christmas morning, shows up very late on Christmas Day or in the small hours of Boxing Day, to perform a renewal of show more vows. At least they get the rest of the book to sleep it off. show less

Well, the ambulance wish thing was just utterly delightful to read about, and I adore Zillah. I think what I love most about Mansell's books is the way that she weaves multiple different couples all together and plants great hints as to what will happen. Essie, our main-est character, felt a little bit two dimensional, but this still one gave me butterflies.

Essie has a wonderful boyfriend and a life she is happy with, but an email written as a joke gets sent out live and everything falls apart. Of course, since it's a Mansell novel, that mistake ends with true love and more fulfilling friendships but it's a lovely ride. One thing I didn't understand is how low Essie's expectations were for her brother. She gave him a pass for everything which seemed so unrealistic.

Ehh this was definitely missing something. I have enjoyed the last two Mansell books I have read, but this one felt a bit empty and I honestly didn't like two out of the three main characters. I was more intrigued by a secondary character and definitely wished for her to have a better love interest than the one she got in the end.

"This Could Change Everything" has Essie Phillips getting kicked out of her apartment by her boyfriend after an email she writes is accidentally sent to everyone in her contacts list.

Essie writes one of those weird Round Robin letters that people send out around Christmas. Instead of her lying about her accomplishments she is brutally honest about what a pain her boss is and how her boyfriend's cleaning habits show more are a bit much. Only problem is that her boss is also her boyfriend's mother. Essie invited her brother to say with her and a friend he meets ends up staying the night (Lucas) who thought it would be very funny to send the email out to everyone Essie knows.

Essie ends up meeting an older woman named Ziillah looking to rent the top floor of her home. Zillah realizes that Essie will make a great tenant and happily welcomes her to her home along with another tenant named Conner. Mansell has the story going back and forth between these three.

My favorite character to read about was Zillah. Zillah is in her 80s and has some regrets about her life. Married three times, and only one of those marriages being successful, she wishes she didn't marry her first two husbands. We also find out that Zillah is up to making amends a bit by using her money to make wishes come true for dying adults. I don't know if I liked this little subplot or not. I ended up reading and not feeling much of anything about that which is weird for me. I cry at a drop of a hat usually. I think I just ended up feeling emotionally manipulated and didn't care for it.

I didn't really like Essie much at all. She ends up going back to being a waitress and works for Lucas. Lucas and Essie seem to like each other, big problem is that Essie blames him for ruining her life and Lucas has a seemingly perfect girlfriend. As readers you have to hope they get together which means cheating (bah). I also hated the reveal about Lucas and his life and the whole email thing. It didn't make any sense,

Conner is a snob. There is no way to explain his whole thing. I wasn't rooting for him and hated the fact that Scarlett (Essie's best friend) even had a crush on him.

The writing was okay, but unlike with previous Mansell books there was nothing that really made any characters sing. I was bored for most of these stories and thought that Mansell took an easy route out to resolve some things instead of making us dislike certain characters. show less

In This Could Change Everything, author Jill Mansell weaves a lighthearted British romantic tale of friendship, love and second chances.

Set in Bath, the reader is easily drawn into this witty and caring story as they follow a group of friends who help each other navigate the trials and tribulations of life and love.

Twenty-five-year-old Essie Phillips wrote a Christmas round robin newsletter that was meant only for her best friend Scarlett's eyes ... but when the email is mistakenly sent to everyone on her email list, Essie's world is turned upside down, and she is forced to move forward in a new direction.

Thirty-two-year-old Conor McCauley is an ex-attorney who changed his career to pursue his passion for landscaping fulltime and show more photography on the side. What Conor is missing in life is a romantic relationship, and a series of events will lead him to a chance at finding true love.

Lucas Brook is the owner of the Red House pub. Lucas' pub is successful, but a troubled family past affects his chance of having a fulfilling life, that is until he unexpectedly meets Essie and events lead to a chance at happiness and love.

Finally, we have eighty-three-year-old Zillah Wash, who is the center of this group of friends. Zillah is the enchanting grande dame of their street, but she has demons from the past that haunt her, and her guilt drives her to atone for her past misbehavior by providing last wishes for terminally ill people.

Together this endearing group of friends will learn that choices made could change everything! The awesome message that the author provides the reader is this wonderful quote that Scarlett states in the book: "Every day, we do things that are capable of changing everything, and that's what makes life exciting." No truer words have been spoken, this quote will make the reader ponder about the choices and decision that they make in their lives, and how that change/decision can ultimately change everything ... especially if its for the better!

This Could Change Everything is a wonderful story that will keep the reader engaged as they follow each of the friends' personal journeys. I really enjoyed following each of the friends' journeys as they struggled to overcome life issues and find the determination to move forward with their lives. There was a great mixture of emotion, drama, and humor mixed in this story, you can't help but feel like you are transported right into the middle of the friends' lives! I would be remiss if I didn't mention how much I enjoyed Zilla's journey the most, this cheeky older lady made me smile and I couldn't help but appreciate her dedication to providing terminally ill people with a final wish, that act of kindness simply stirs the soul!

This Could Change Everything is a lighthearted and sweet story that has enough emotional depth, drama, romance, and witty banter, that is a delightfully entertaining must-read summer tale for chick lit, romance, and women's fiction fans.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

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Thanks to Sourcebooks for this win. 3.5 stars in my book.

I think I would have picked up this book if I saw it in a bookstore since the cover is adorable and would catch my eye but not sure if I would have bought it since I do like chick lit but this one looked so silly but it was entertaining. I loved the character Essie and her new-found friends and the twists and turns. Zillah, her landlady, was a spry 83 years old who granted wishes for people dying and was like a fairy godmother. There were so many characters, too many to mention and their roles, but I liked them all.