This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Reviewed by Victoria Sutton
Somehow, and it is still puzzling me now, I had never read a
Jill Mansell novel before ‘To The Moon and Back’ which I won in a Twitter
competition a couple of years ago. Since then I have make sure to keep up with
her new releases and have been trying to play catch up on her back catalogue.
The title and the cover of ‘Don’t Want to Miss a Thing’ grabbed my attention
immediately and what was inside would not disappoint…
Dexter leads the good life. Handsome, charming and well off
he has no ties and enjoys his bachelor lifestyle to the full (I imagine him not
unlike another Dexter of a very famous book from the last few years!) Very
quickly though we do learn of his devotion to his sister and her newborn baby
that, of course, warms us to him instantly. A few chapters in Dexter receives
the news that will change everything for him; a tragic accident leaves him with
custody of eight-month-old Delphi. Distraught with grief for his sister he is
in shock at how he will possibly look after a baby.
The other main character Molly is instantly likeable with
her big heart, bad taste in men and dry sense of humour. She is Dexter’s
neighbour in the Cotswold village where he bought a weekend home but had hardly
spent any time until his shock news. The tragedy brings Dexter to her doorstep
and she supports him from that night and when he brings Delphi to the cottage.
It seems a forgone conclusion that they should end up together but of course
nothing ever runs so smoothly…
From the beginning I was gripped. It is a fear close to my
heart of what would happen to my children in the event of such a tragedy and I
was soon in tears. I liked how the main protagonist was male, which is a change
from the usual for a chick lit novel. And I was struck by the impact Delphi had
on the narrative, she really was one of the central characters in her own right
despite only being able to babble! I loved the village setting of Briarwood; it
made me hanker after a cottage next to a village green all the more. The
subplots were also involving and I cared about all of the characters,
especially Frankie who runs the village café.
I was so involved in Dexter and Delphi’s story that I did
not want to put the book down. I had to indulge in a couple of very late night
reading sessions and used the excuse of Mother’s Day to sneak off and race to
the end. I had that satisfied but slightly bereft feeling when I put the book
down, like I was saying goodbye to a good group of friends. Without a doubt my
favourite read so far this year.
10/10
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