Fun, light, airy and filled with moments of insane giggling, I enjoyed every single page of 'It Started With a Secret'.

Big-time Sophie Kinsella 'Undomestic Goddess' vibes which, when I am in the mood for it, is the best thing.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
It Started With A Secret
By Jill Mansell

This book is a cute feel good romance with lots of happy endings, very fun to read but very corny. It's the kind of predictable romance where everyone in the book will have a happy ending and they all connect thanks to destiny. The are family dramas, LTGBT content, famous actor being part of the family, and lots of love stories. I enjoyed reading it. It's fun and it's a great beach read. It isn't a page turning book but it's a nice one when you want something easy and corny and It's more like a YA book. I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a sweet little romance, Really enjoyed the location and setting of the story. Loved how the family took Lainey & Kit in and made them a part of the family.. Enjoyed how friendships developed and turned into more. Great little book,

Jill Mansell is an automatic read for me every time!
The story of Lainey and Kit and their secret is a perfect summer read.
They lose their jobs at a French Chateau, and then find a job for a couple in Cornwall. Lainey and Kit are not a couple, but they’ll do anything for a job!
I really loved this book, and can’t wait for Jill’s next book, whether it is set in Cornwall or the Cotswolds!

I love Jill Mansell books and It Started with a Secret did not disappoint. I felt so happy reading this -- which is much needed during this stressful time. Her characters were so lovable -- I was sorry when I finished the book because I miss them. Perfect for fans of British novels with a little romance and humor. Just lovely!

This is a debut crime novel and the author does a good job of drawing you in and keeping you guessing. The main character is a personable master thief. He has to pull off the crime of his career in order to keep people he loves from being harmed. The action starts from the first page and doesn’t stop. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

There is so much to like about this Jill Mansell book. While I was reading it I felt like I wanted to be friends with these characters and was pulling for happy endings for all. Lainey's kind heart and her friendship with Kit, her gay friend posing as her husband to get the perfect job, were irresistible,. All of the other characters were well written and added to the fun. I highly recommend this book as a delightful summer read.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing a copy of this book for an honest review.

Jill Mansell's latest, It Started with a Secret, is an easy summer read that will keep you entertained start to finish.

Lainey's life quickly falls apart when her employer runs out of money, leaving her without a job, a place to live and apparently a boyfriend. While scouring the help wanted ads, she spots the perfect job. Unfortunately, it calls for a couple. She convinces her best friend to pose as her partner. No one will know he's gay. What could possibly go wrong?

The characters are well thought out and the story line incredibly sweet. A nice diversion from what is happening all around our world!

There is so much to like in It Started with a Secret! The main characters are fun, quirky, and the type of people I’d like to get to know better. In fact, I hope Mansell revisits them in a few years and gives us an update into their lives.

After losing their jobs (no fault of theirs), co-workers and friends Lainey and Kit respond to an advertisement looking for a couple to help manage a household of a widowed mom, her father-in-law, three children, and four pets! Taking place in England, this charming story grabs the reader with multiple storylines, witty conversations, and descriptive situations. Most of the characters have interesting backstories that intertwine within the plot and one another, just the right amount, to let the reader know why they were included. As the title suggests, there are numerous secrets, some big, some small, that wind up impacting many members of the family. A few are predictable, while others will surprise the reader. No spoilers here, just get ready for a fun read that will leave you smiling. I’m going to check out other books by Mansell, as this was the first book I’ve read by her.

(I received a copy of this book from Net Galley and have written an objective review.)

If you need a book to take you out of a rut then read this book. It is so uplifting. I absolutely loved this book. Our main character Lainey loses her job in France and has to come back to England. She finds a job with a family and falls for a handsome grandson of the famous actor that owns the home. Kit that worked with Lainey also in France goes with her but they pretend they are married. Lots of twists and turns all positive and I loved it.

I loved this book! It was a delightful beach read kind of book.
The characters were interesting and so well thought out. The plot was different from anything I'd read before, which was a real pleasure. Jill Mansell is an outstanding writer and I will look forward to reading future books from her. She takes you away to the people and places she writes about; I was ready to go to Cornwall after this one!

Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

This was a fun, lighthearted summer read! It was a bit predictable at times, but these sorts of happy stories always are. I don't mind. 😊 This would make a great beach read!

An easy summer read about a couple of young adults trying to find their place in the world. They end up working for and living with a family who all have secrets of their own. Hilarity and mishaps ensue...

For a start I must say that this is a fantastic summer read. It took me 2 days to read as I couldn't put it down. Heartwarming and romantic. A real feel good book which made me smile throughout reading.

Lainey and her best friend Kit unfortunately get made redundant from a job in a Chateaux and head to Cornwall for a job interview as a couple working for a family who have several issues.

The relationships contained in the book are somewhat predictable, but not all of them! This is what made this book such a good read for me. It made me smile when things worked out. I felt as though I really got to know the characters and also began to feel as though I was actually living in Cornwall as one of their friends! What brilliant writing to make me feel like that.

A book full of secrets and as one secret came out, along came another.

Lainey and Seth were brilliant characters. Will they, won't they? I have to admit, I fell in love with Seth!

Many thanks to netgalley and the publishers for allowing me read this. I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to Jill Mansell, Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for this ARC.

Had Jill Mansell ever written a bad book? This was a great feel good read buy an amazing author. Perfect for summer quarantine reading.

The perfect summer read, with a seaside setting and very appealing characters from different generations. I look forward to recommending this to readers who enjoy books by Sophie Kinsella and Katie Fforde.

I loved this book. Such a lovely story which captured and drew me in straight from the start. I loved all of the characters and how there lives and stories all intertwined. I really nice relaxing read. Just what I needed.

It’s been a while since I’ve read a Jill Mansell book, after reading this one I don’t know why I skipped so many of her other books.

When Lainey and her gay best friend Kit lose their jobs at a French chateau they are home bound and looking for a job. When Lainey comes across an ad for a live in couple in an idyllic seaside town they go for it. They pretend to be a couple and are hired by the family. Soon they are invaluable to the Sir Richard Myles’ family. He is nearing 80 and his daughter-in-law and her 3 children are living with him, as is Majella’s stepson Seth (her late husband’s child). Having had bad luck in love Lainey isn’t looking for a man, but she is attracted to Seth. Seth in turn feels a certain pull to Lainey as well, but he believes she is a happy couple with Kit. When the chemistry grows and the truth comes out, will they find happiness?

There are many storylines in this book, all about someone looking for someone else, or at least someone to compliment them in life. Of course you see the pairings coming from miles away, but does that matter? No, that is exactly what one would expect with this kind of book. All characters are lovely and the story has a nice flow.

As always Jill Mansell has knocked it out of the park. Her stories are always filled with the most eccentric characters and the craziest of situations. Lainey and her best friend Kit are looking for a new job and must tell a little white lie to get it. This little lie turns out to be a big one when it keeps her from pursuing the potential man of her dreams. There isn't a single character in this book that you are not rooting for!

This was far from the first Jill Mansell book I'd read but I hadn't been reading them as religiously as I had done when I began reading this author several years ago. I had curtailed my reading of Ms. Mansell's books because the storyline(s) felt very repetitive and like there was nothing new to be had in the stories, only the names of the characters had changed. Unfortunately, I found the same to have happened again with this book. However, if I were to judge this story based solely on it's merits and not relative to other works by this author, I would still rate it very highly because this was still an enjoyable read and I'd encourage fans of the genre or author to give it a try.