Absolutely loved this book by Jill Mansell! It had everything you could possibly want and more: humour, love, romance, heartache, hope and a fabulous ending!

Kit and Lainey are best friends that have to find a job fast when the Chateau they work for in France closes. they convince a family that they are a couple so that they can work as caretakers for the family and home. the story gets even more interesting with the different family dynamics and interesting characters. Lainey ends up falling for a family member while she is suppose to be in love with Kit. lots of family drama and fun summer read!
thank you netgalley, publisher, and author for giving me this ARC

It Started with a Secret by Jill Mansell is full of fun and positivity. It is another fantastic Jill Mansell novel to add to your collection.

"Lainey and Kit arrive at their new jobs in blissful, summery Cornwall only to find themselves in the midst of a lovable but chaotic family—where every member is having an identity crisis at the same time. Widowed mom Majella has done her best for years, but can't quite grasp why things are falling apart. It's what she doesn't know that's causing the chaos, because everyone is keeping secrets."

Jill Mansell is a master story teller and you will fall in love with the characters and not want to put the book down. A perfect summer read to escape and join your new friends in Cornwall. A wonderful plot with twists and turns that will have you wanting more. I encourage you to seek out other Jill Mansell novels. One of my favorite authors of all time. #Netgalley #ItStartedwithaSecret

Thank you to Sourcebooks, Landmark for providing a digital ARC of It Started With A Secret by Jill Mansell for review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

EXCERPT: Hello! Amazing couple required -
could it be you?

We live in a gorgeous beachfront home in North Cornwall. We're an untidy family who need taking in hand. Are you organized, energetic, and delightful to have around? Would you like to restore order from chaos, and look after us?

Most love cats, dogs, teenagers and the occasional tricky geriatric. You'll have your own flat, use of a half-decent car, and flexible hours.

So what do you think? Would you be our Mary Poppins. . . and Bert? Come on, give us a go. It'll be hard work, but lots of fun too, we promise.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: The trouble with secrets is that you can't guess what the consequences will be . . .

Lainey has lost everything. Luckily one little fib (OK, quite a big fib) helps nail her dream job. Soon she's living in a stunning house by the sea, fending off obsessed fans for a retired - if far-from-retiring - actor and organising his charming but chaotic family. It's definitely worth the challenge of keeping her secret.

At least Lainey isn't looking for love. It's time for a break from all that. And yet . . . Seth, the actor's grandson, really is rather attractive. There's growing chemistry and a definite connection between them. But how would he react if he knew she hadn't been honest with him?

Lainey's not the only one with a secret, though. Seth has one of his own. And everything's about to start unravelling . . .

MY THOUGHTS: A lovely light read that is touching and funny without being silly. Think of sunlight, laughter and love . . . with more than a few complications.

The characters are a delightful bunch of offbeat personalities. Three generations of one family and a young couple who arrive to take care of them, all with secrets that will gradually be revealed. There is an aged movie star, his widowed daughter-in-law, with her twin teenaged daughters, their younger brother, and her adult step-son and his endless succession of women. Add to this a woman stalking the movie-star and Seth's flibbertigibbert of a mother who pop in and out of the storyline, and you have a cleverly crafted conference of characters who both amuse and enchant. Plus, of course, Kit and Lainey who are living a lie in order to keep their jobs.

This is a wonderful read, a one sitting read, a read that will leave you smiling and happy. I have a great collection of well-thumbed Jill Mansell paperbacks on my bookshelves. It Started With A Secret will be joining them.

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#NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: Jill Mansell lives with her partner and children in Bristol, and writes full time. Actually that’s not true; she watches TV, eats fruit gums, admires the rugby players training in the sports field behind her house, and spends hours on the internet marvelling at how many other writers have blogs. Only when she’s completely run out of displacement activities does she write.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Sourcebooks, Landmark for providing a digital ARC of It Started With A Secret by Jill Mansell for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

With Jill Mansel you can't go wrong! Feel good romance that makes you smile. I loved this book. The diffrent characters where really well composed. It felt like taking a holiday in England. And that was verry nice. Thank you Netgalley for this wonderfull reading experience.

Such a fun read! Friends Kit and Lainey, displaced after the closing of the chateau in France where they worked, end up in England working at the home of an eclectic family. The mish mash of personalities and stories is absolutely endearing. I love how all of it shook out and settled. Very happy with this book!

#netgalley #itstartedwithasecret

If you need a cute pick me up read this is the one for you! When friends Lainey & Kit find themselves searching for a new job, they will do whatever it takes to get one that Lainey has her eye on...even if it means lying. The family hires them and they find themselves amongst the lives of others that are just crazy. Crazy makes her feel at home the best and the story has a feel good ending. Thank you to Netgalley for the free read. All opinions are my own.

It started with a secret by Jill Mansell was fun...like soap opera fun! I do miss All my children! Out of work Lainey and her BFF Kit take a job caring for a retired actor and his Zany family. Just watch the antics ensue...


My thoughts:

This book is not my typical read...but it was a nice change of pace. The characters were all quirky and enjoyable...each with their own story and laugh out loud moments...making this book perfect for a summer beach read!


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I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank Netgalley, the author Jill Mansell, and the publisher for this opportunity.

This is a fun beach read. There was one character that had me wondering what he had to do with the story but the author brought him back in and tied it all up neatly. Sometimes you just need a feel good book!
Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced review copy.

I love the positivity in Mansell’s books, and enjoyed every minute of this one. I hated to say goodbye to the main characters: Lainey, who lost her job and ended up working for a complicated but wonderful family; Seth, the single Uncle who was a ladies man but is looking for more; Majella , Seth’s stepmum who has three kids, is a widow, and is convinced by Lainey to start dating. It all adds up to fun and lots of love and romance, highly recommended. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Sun, sea, sand and cocktails. A great story that lifted you up and took you away from it all. Lovely story and great characters

Best friends Kit and Lainey suddenly find themselves out of work when the Chateau in France they work at unexpectedly closes. Desperate and with few prospects, they apply for a job as a couple (even though they are just friends) and are quickly hired as caretakers for an eccentric family and their home. Determined to keep the family from finding out their secret, they soon find that the family they work for has a bunch of secrets of their own. And what happens when Lainey starts falling for a member of the family when she’s supposedly in love with Kit?

What I Liked: This was a fast read full of lots of interesting characters and stories. It was a nice break from the typical thrillers that I normally read. I loved the family dynamics and how they all supported one another. There was also humor throughout that was mixed in with more serious topics. I loved the story about Lainey’s childhood rescue from the tree and the tie to her adult life. The ending was actually full of closure for all the characters and it was good to see them all end up happy.

What I Didn’t Like: There was definitely a predictability to the book. The reader knew it was inevitable that the secret would be revealed at some point to the family. Also, as I stated above everything was wrapped up in a nice little bow for all the characters which may seem too perfect to some readers. There was a little bit of foul language, but it was pretty sporadic.

Overall, a good quick read. Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS landmark for an ARC of this book!

I received an ARC from Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark.
The following review and comments are my own honest opinion.

Lainey and Kitt have landed a dream job working for a chaotic family, but it is based on a lie - hopefully one that no one will discover. Sit back and enjoy the antics of Richard, the distrust of Seth and the blind dates of Magella. A warm, feel good book from start to finish, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

This is exactly the kind of novel the world needs right now. It’s happy and fun and I liked everybody.

When Lainey and Kit lose their jobs through no fault of their own, they concoct a lie and secure jobs helping out with a wealthy family—a famous, now old actor, his widowed daughter, her three kids, and their dogs and cats. Lainey is immediately attracted to the actor’s grandson, but because of her secret, she can’t act out on those feelings.

This book is filled with romance. It’s a very light summer read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this novel, which RELEASES AUGUST 25, 2020.

I’m a longtime fan of Jill Mansell and this was yet another hit!

It starts with Lainey & Kit as they lose their job in a B&B. They lie—hence the title— and pretend to be a couple to get a job working for a quirky family who needs housekeepers. From there the story takes off in a bunch of different directions, as the family members are introduced and all have their own secrets to be discovered. In the end everything is tied up with a pretty little bow.

If you’re looking for a fun, light summer book this is definitely it!

This book has been out for one week and it is the PERFECT easy-breezy summer read. It's my first Jill Mansell and I am embarrassed that I have been missing out all this time. All of her books are now being added to my TBR. If you like Sophie Kinsella novels, you'll love this one! If you like feel good romcoms that make you laugh out loud - HERE YOU GO. If you want to escape for a bit and experience a contented heart *insert dreamy sigh here* look no further. ⠀
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Friends Kit and Lainey are looking for summer work when they stumble upon a job ad for a family looking for a couple to help around their beach home in Cornwall. They decide to pretend to be romantically involved to help them land what seems to be a dream job. The family members are kooky, flawed but lovable characters who all are going through their own crises at the same time. Kit and Lainey try to keep up their "happy couple" pretenses while Lainey and Seth, the handsome but moody son, have unavoidable sparks between them. Everyone in the house has their own secrets and it is a joy to watch them all unfold. This book is a hilarious and heartwarming story full of happy endings. ⠀⠀
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Thank you Netgalley and Source Books for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review.⠀

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Lainey and Kit pretend to be a couple to land a job as caretakers for a family. They bring needed love inside the walls of the home and teach the inhabitants more about truly becoming a family. Sweet novel.

This was a quick and fun read. I thought there were a few too many characters but the storyline was good. It was just an ok read for me but I did enjoy it overall.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a lovely heart warming book, I loved it. It was so warm and I could picture where the characters lived, the sunshine and the sea. This book kept you interested all the way through . I used to read every Jill Mansell books that came out, then I drifted away for awhile but, now I’m back ready to read more!!!
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

After their employer needs to close up shop, Lainey and Kit land a job at the home of a well-known, retired actor. While their job started with a minor lie, Lainey finds she enjoys working for this quirky family. She also likes Seth, but she can’t say anything because she’s fibbed and said that she’s in a relationship with Kit, who has never dated a woman in his life. We follow Lainey and the family as they settle into this new life together.

The characters had unique personalities, and I enjoyed watching them grow in this one. If I had one complaint about them, it’s the reference to Richard’s drinking, which happens a lot. I’m not bothered that he drinks, but it’s mentioned needlessly often. I also felt somewhere after we hit the 1/3 mark that the book grew a bit slow, and that we were just reading about the day to day with no actual progress in the book. But once I got over that hump, it grew back to being an enjoyable, light and fun read.