Leah
Written on Aug 18, 2009
Four years earlier, while her friends Tessa, Gerry, Karen and Shane were falling in love and heading for happy ever after, love-rat Roan had broken Jenny’s heart and completely shattered her life.
Harbouring a terrible lie, Jenny had struggled to pick up the pieces of her life, but if Roan was going to be around, the truth would have to come out.
It would ruin everything but Mike had a right to know…. Read my review underneath
First off: Melissa Hill is one of my favourite authors because not only does she tell a story but she throws in some un-guessable twists which you do not see coming at all. A lot of authors who try to write twists end up being guessed miles before it happens, not so with Melissa Hill.
Something You Should Know was a brilliant read. We start in the present day for around 30 pages before going back and finding out exactly why Jenny is so worried about Roan coming back and it re-tells exactly what happened four years ago. We learn about the romances of Shane & Karen and Tessa & Gerry and we also learn about the rocky relationship of Jenny and Roan.
Jenny irritated me up until half way through the book when she finally got rid of Roan for good. She buried her head completely in the sand about Roan and I was getting very frustrated with her timidness when it came to Roan. She only woke up and smelled the coffee when she saw for herself exactly how Roan the rat acted. Roan was the definitive love-rat and had Jenny wrapped around his little finger by manipulating her into believing she was to blame. The way he did that was awful. I was so glad when Jenny finally dumped him.
Shane and Karen’s relationship had lots of ups and one down but they ultimately worked through it. I found Nelly very interfering but understood why when she explained herself at the end of the book. I did not see the sting in the tail of Shane and Karen’s relationship coming and it was very sad. I just couldn’t believe it.
Gerry and Tessa’s relationship took more of a backseat and they bubbled along nicely.
I loved when Jenny finally got her act together and got with Mike, Mike was a wonderful character – he wasn’t flawless though as we found out – but bar that he was nice personified. After Roan, Mike was the perfect tonic for Jenny. I hated what happened near the end between Jenny and Roan but must admit I did see that one coming. The revelations a few chapters later however were a whole different story. Jenny’s confession and then Mike’s confessions were shocking. It seemed just as I’d got my head around Jenny’s confessions, along came Mike’s!
But that’s exactly what Melissa Hill does: she keeps us guessing, she throws in surprising and sad twists and can still carry off a happy ending. Melissa Hill is one of my favourite authors and I am so glad I picked up All Because of You. I still have 3 of hers to read and can’t wait for her new novel Please Forgive Me.
Rating: 4/5