Review for A Walk in the Park by Jill Mansell

A Walk in the Park by Jill Mansell 
Publisher: Headline Review
Release Date: 16th February 2012
Genre: Chick-lit, Women’s Fiction, Adult Fiction, Romance, Families
Rating: 4/5 stars
Source: Received from the publisher for review

Amazon Summary:
"It's been a while, but Lara Carson's back in Bath and lives are set to change as a result. Because Lara left her family and boyfriend Flynn eighteen years ago without a word to anyone. Why has no one heard from her since? Her childhood best friend Evie is thrilled Lara's back and able to share her happiness. Evie's about to walk down the aisle with her dream man, Joel. Or so she thinks... Then there's Flynn Erskine, even more attractive now and stunned to see Lara again. The spark between them is as strong as ever, but how's Flynn going to react when he discovers the secret she's been keeping from him? Oh yes, there's a lot of catching up to be done..."

Review 
After only discovering Jill Mansell last year with the wonderful To the Moon and Back I’m definitely a newbie fan of her books but she’s already fast becoming one of my favourite chick-lit writers. A Walk in the Park is Jill’s twenty third novel a huge landmark and testament to how beloved Jill Mansell is as an author. She truly is a chick-lit legend and after reading three of her books (To the Moon and Back, An Offer You Can’t Refuse, and now A Walk in the Park) I can certainly see why she’s such a popular author.

What I love most about Jill’s books is that they appeal to women of all ages. There are always a range of heart-warming characters of different ages and personalities which means that there’s always a character you can connect with and a little something for everyone. I enjoy Mansell’s books as a twenty two year old as do my mum and nan, and I think that has something to do with Jill’s success over the years. She has this way of catering to everyone both younger women discovering her books for the first time and old fans who have been reading her books for years. A Walk in the Park is no different with the book following a variety of wonderful characters from Lara and her friend Evie to Lara’s teenage daughter Gigi not to mention the lovely secondary characters Harry and Flynn to name a few. Jill’s books are always full of characters you can’t help but want the best for and I love how likeable and relatable her characters are. In this book I particularly loved Harry- oh if only all men were a little bit more like Harry!

The book is made up of many themes the most prominent being the relationship between fathers and daughters, and how there’s a lot more than meets the eye when it comes to people and relationships. It has a moral of not taking things at face value and shows that no relationship is as straight forward as it seems. This book has a little bit of everything from romance, to family drama, to mysteries, to friendship. I became so involved with all of the different characters and I particularly liked Lara’s story as she uncovers old family secrets and tries not to repeat her mother’s mistakes. A Walk in the Park has a lot of veiled mystery and I found the twists and turns made this book a real page turner.

Once again Jill Mansell is on the money with this one. There’s not a lot that I can say that’s not in the synopsis that wouldn’t spoil the book so all you need to know is that this book ticks all the boxes and is a good all round solid read with some of the loveliest characters I’ve had the pleasure to read about. Reading a Jill Mansell book is pure escapism at its best and I would thoroughly recommend this latest offering to old Jill fans and newbies alike.