Don't Want To Miss A Thing: A warm and witty romance with many twists along the way

by Jill Mansell

An irresistible, heart-warming novel from the much-loved author of numerous Sunday Times bestsellers, including A WALK IN THE PARK and TO THE MOON AND BACK.

Dexter Yates loves his fun, care-free London life; he has money, looks and girlfriends galore. But everything changes overnight when his sister dies, leaving him in charge of her eight-month-old daughter Delphi. How is he ever going to cope?

Comic-strip artist Molly Hayes lives in the beautiful Cotswold village of Briarwood. When it comes to relationships, she has a history of choosing all the wrong men. Leaving the city behind, Dex moves to Briarwood - a much better place to work on his parenting skills - and he and Molly become neighbours. There's an undeniable connection between them. But if Dexter's going to adapt, he first has a lot to learn about Molly, about other people's secrets...and about himself.

• ISBN10: 0755355873
• ISBN13: 9780755355877
• Publish Date: 31 January 2013
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 29 March 2021
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Headline Publishing Group
• Imprint: Headline Review
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 432
• Language: English

Reviews

[Cocktails and Books]

Once again I am in love with a Jill Mansell book! She always strikes the right balance--some sorrow & pain, love stories (but not sappy or overly done), and a LOT of humor! Her characters in Don't Want to Miss a Thing are once again spot on. Well-developed and loveable, every reader will identify with at least one of the main characters in this story.

You can't help but feel for Dex. What young, swinging bachelor expects his sister to die suddenly & end up with custody of his infant neice? Lucky for him, Dex decides to leave behind his fast-paced single life and raise Delphi in the English countryside. Lucky for us readers that we get to meet all of the characters of Briarwood.

Mansell, again, manages to give us a "Love Actually"-type of story. So many storylines, many characters who seemingly don't have anything to do with one another and suddenly she ties everything up with a neat little bow! The stories, which in their own right are developed enough to stand on their own, mesh seamlessly with each other and culminate just the way you will want them to.

I am a sucker for a happy ending--I know, I say that in every review--and Don't Want to Miss a Thing did not disappoint. I endured some tears getting there, but it was so well worth it! Can't wait for your next book, Jill Mansell! Now get reading, people!

Read by Joelle for Cocktails and Books

[Leah]

Jill Mansell is a Chick Lit stalwart. You open up one of her books and the list of her previous books is massive. You can’t be a Chick Lit fan unless you’ve read at least one of Jill’s books. She’s one of the most consistent writers around, although I will admit it’s been a couple of years since I myself have read a new Jill Mansell novel. Y’see, I read To The Moon and Back and I wasn’t entirely convinced. Then I opened up A Walk In The Park last year and I knew immediately what was going to happen and I just, I know Chick Lit is predictable to some degree but this seemed obvious before I’d even read one page. I was very much judging the book before I’d even read it, but I put it back down and read something else. So when Jill’s newest book Don’t Want To Miss A Thing arrived, I dived STRAIGHT in. It has been too long since I’ve read one of Jill’s books and that’s just not right.

Don’t Want To Miss A Thing is a really great read. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Mansell has such an easy, simple writing style that just flows so well that you can sit and read, read, read all day long (as I did). It’s something she’s managed to keep up for 24 books (TWENTY-FOUR BOOKS!) and it is true, you know exactly what you’re going to get from a Jill Mansell book and this was a welcome return for me. I thought the plot was excellent. I loved that Dex, the ladies’ man, had his life turned upside down, because let me tell you, Dex, the ladies’ man, was not a nice person. I wasn’t a fan at all and he became infinitely more likeable when Delphi became part of his life. (Delpi, I wanted to steal and keep for myself.) It was under sad circumstances, after Dex’s sister Laura dies which was a massive shame because she’d have been an awesome character to have around, believe it or not.

I also loved all the other plots. Molly, who is a comic-strip artist (hello, best job ever?!), is Dex’s neighbour and go-to person for anything once he moves down to Briarwood. Molly was great and really put Dex in his place which I adored. Then there was Molly’s best friend Frankie and her daughter Amber, and their apparently perfect family life which turned out to not be so perfect after all. There was such a lot going on and so many different characters and plots to keep your eye on that the pages just flew by. Mansell manages to deftly switch from character to character, plot to plot, without it being too fussy or annoying. It was a really entertaining ride and the setting of Briarwood made it even better, especially with the history attached to the cafe where Frankie works and lives, and it was just one of those well-rounded stories that keeps you satisfied from start to finish and ties everything up very neatly with a beautiful pink bow.

I really, really enjoyed Don’t Want To Miss A Thing. It had a wonderful plot and brilliant characters (I still want to take Delphi home with me, possibly to Gin Cottage, ‘cos I’d like to live there). I feel bad for having skipped A Walk in the Park, and if I get time, I will undoubtedly soon rectify that. Don’t Want To Miss A Thing is Jill Mansell at her best, and I really enjoyed every page. I enjoyed it so much I broke my proof copy. (I’m not joking, there’s a massive split 20 pages from the end where it just cracked from the pressure of being read.) I very much recommend the book, because it’s sweet, it’s warm, it has its funny moments, and little Delphi will capture your heart as soon as you meet her, much as it did Dex’s. I enjoyed it, a lot and it reminded me so much of why I love Jill’s books and always have and always will.