Le imprevedibili conseguenze dell'amore

by Jill Mansell

Orla Hart è una star: milioni di lettrici in tutto il mondo divorano i suoi mielosi romanzi d’amore, che si concludono ogni volta con un appagante lieto fine. Tuttavia adesso ha perso il suo tocco magico, perché la vita – quella reale – non è certo come lei la racconta nei suoi libri. Da tempo, infatti, il marito la tradisce con una donna molto più giovane di lei e, sebbene lo ami ancora alla follia, Orla non può più sopportare il peso di quell’umiliazione, finita persino sulle prime pagine dei giornali di gossip. Così, l’unica soluzione che vede all’orizzonte è sparire, per sempre… Il destino, però, ha in serbo per lei un nuovo, inaspettato capitolo: l’incontro con Millie, una ragazza che ha appena lasciato l’ennesimo fidanzato perdutamente innamorato di lei. Stufa di ritrovarsi impelagata in relazioni soffocanti, Millie vuole prendersi un po’ di tempo solo per sé, e coinvolge nelle sue avventure anche la celebre scrittrice. Travolta dalla sua esuberanza, Orla si lascia trascinare dalla fresca e disinvolta vitalità di Millie, e decide d’ispirarsi proprio a lei per creare la protagonista del suo nuovo romanzo. Con una differenza rispetto al passato: questa volta il lieto fine deve essere autentico e il personaggio deve innamorarsi anche nella realtà. Il problema è che Millie non ha nessuna intenzione d’impegnarsi. Ma Orla ne è convinta: l’amore – quello vero – trova sempre un pertugio nel cuore e sboccia quando meno te lo aspetti…

Genres: Chick Lit, Romance, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Humor, Ebooks

414 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

About 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.

Jill Mansell's books have sold over ten million copies and her titles include: Making your Mind up, Fast Friends, Good at Games, Sheer Mischief and Solo, among many others.

Reviews

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My determination to achieve my goal of reading 80 books this year is forcing me to admit to my guilty pleasure: I read lots of romances (especially now that Barnes & Noble is handing them out for free. Curse you, B&N!!!).

Actually, I don't so much "read" them. I plow through them. Skim them. Blast through to the end. Look, it's not like they're Crime and Punishment, (which, incidentally, I just finished). I don't have to spend hours trying to figure out if the rain is symbolic or simply meteorological. I just like a light read between weightier reads.

And if it sounds like I'm rationalizing or trying to justify myself, well then...yeah, I guess that's about right.

As far as light romances go, this one's not bad. It's British, too, which is always fun. (My imagination gets to use an accent! And no one can tell me how lousy that accent is!) I'd give it three stars, but it was another free ebook from Barnes & Noble, so I rounded up again.

(This one's not horribly trashy either. It fades to black when things get naughty.)

[Namratha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the Brits’ dry turn of phrase, tongue-in-cheek humour and ability to be self-deprecating. Jill Mansell has straddled all the above ingredients in her refreshing collection of chick-lit. Her books are fun reads; devoid of random smut and brimming with memorable characters, quick-silver dialogue and believable story-lines.

Millie’s Fling is one such fine example. The best way to review this l’il gem would be to give a little heads-up on some of the characters. So here goes:
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Orla Hart : Best-Selling Author of grandiose, passionate fiction. She gets the story started on a promising note by planning to fling herself off a clifftop. Reason for foiled suicide attempt? –> Husband Giles is a philandering no-gooder who is having a flaming affair with some tart. Foiled, I say? –> Saved by main character, Millie (ref. Millie Brady). Orla, later fuelled by a truly scathing review, decides to write a realistic novel based on the daily life of aforementioned Millie.

Hester: Millie’s roommate and long-time friend. In possession of the best boyfriend a girl could ever dream of –> Nat (ref. Nat). Unfortunately, in the true tradition of scatty girls who don’t know when they have a good thing going, Hester is constantly tempted by the need to get-it-on with love ‘em and leave ‘em Lucas (ref. Lucas Kemp). With Nat toiling away in another town and Lucas very much working in this town, Hester cannot resist exploring the ‘what-ifs’ of a chance encounter with Lucas.

Nat: Hester’s chef-boyfriend. All around Good Guy and trusty mate. Separated by job pressures and distance, he is in danger of losing Hester.

Lucas Kemp: The Don Juan DeMarco…The Casanova…the what-have-you of all womanly dreams. Legendary Lover and Charmer- Extraordinaire. After a stint as a successful DJ in glitzy London, he is back in Cornwall to run a Kissogram Service. He also happens to be Millie’s (ref.Millie Brady) new boss. Despite the obviously black shades that Lucas is destined to be painted in, he proves to have scruples and tosses many a pleasant surprise throughout the book.

Llyod and Judy…oh, and also Adele: Llyod is Millie’s father. Adele is Millie’s estranged mother. They are divorced, primarily due to Adele’s need for a better, spicier and fraught-with-passion life. Adele is now prone to search around for Husband Number Two. Her improbable bait takes the form of an intellectual book tucked under her arm….Sylvia Plath’s poems being a perennial favourite. And Llyod? Llyod is not heart-broken. He has found the perfect mate in Judy…..down-to-earth Judy who cooks wholesome meals like Shepherd’s Pie and is known on occasion to have entertaining tricks up her sleeve like juggling a bunch of mandarins. Together, Llyod and Judy provide a loving escape for Millie, whenever she needs it. Adele being Adele does drop in to blot the copybook and aggravate Millie’s already frazzled nerves.

Hugh Emerson : The hero of the book.He is handsome,witty and ever-so-yum. Hugh is also a fairly recent widower. A fact that is unknown to Millie ( ref. Millie Brady), when she finds his missing wallet and decides to pull a phone-prank on him. A prank which goes excruciatingly wrong. There are plenty of opportunities for a relationsip to blossom between Millie and Hugh…but does Hugh want that? Still loyal to his wife’s memory, is he destined to remain Millie’s Fling ?

And finally….

Millie Brady: A perfect chick-lit heroine…pretty…funny…in fact she’s pretty funny what with her ability to exchange entertaining banter with the rest of the cast. She deals with all the lemons that life flings at her with wit and the occasional introspective/ drunken conversation in her head. Saving Orla (ref. Orla Hart) from certain-death proves her innate niceness. It also proves that good deeds can come back to bite you in the backside. When she becomes the reluctant heroine of Orla’s next great blockbuster, she finds herself having to deal with prospective boyfriends who kiss like Aquavacs, boyfriends who would prefer to be kissing other boyfriends, bosses who like to play God (and the Devil, more-often-than-not), heartbroken roommates who make Lady McBeth look positively cheerful and potential soulmates who don’t really want to part with their souls or hearts, thank you very much!!!
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Millie’s Fling is an example of truly entertaining British chick-lit. No vindictive, retail-therapy obsessed heroines and no devastatingly-perfect heroes. What you get instead is a fairly realistic take on what finding love is all about. And when it’s generously peppered with loads of humour, you know that you have a sure-fire winner on your hands.

[Monique Takens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heerlijk maffe karakters , er viel weer heel wat te lachen / gniffelen tijdens het lezen .

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yikes - was I drinking or otherwise impaired when I wrote this review? Sorry for the typos. I believe they've all been fixed...


I got a Kindle for Christmas. :-)

I've read the criticism about how a Kindle is sacrilege because you don't read a "real book" - no real book smell, no cover art, no page turning, etc. - but I gotta say that I love it. Turning pages is great, I guess. But in the end, I really just like to read. Kindle allows me to do that just as easy, if not easier, than a real book. (I listen to audio books when I travel, too... oh, the horror)

I'm one of those people that is often reading two or three books at once time and that's quite a pain when I travel (which I do at least twice a month for work) so having it all on a 8"x5" handheld machine is fantastic! And, it will make backpacking w/ my books much easier.

I learned a couple things after I received my Kindle.

I learned that you can download a bunch of free books. The first day I played with it, I downloaded nearly 40 books, about half of them are classics, all free!

I also learned that there is a genre of books out there called "Chick Lit." I guess it makes sense. I knew these types of books existed, even read some. This was just the first time I heard this expressions. So, for anyone, like me, who didn't know about Chick Lit, it's the book equivalent of a Chick Flick, aka Romantic Comedy. I indulge in this, on occasions...

That brings me to Millie's Fling. It's Chick Lit and it was Free. The basic plot: Romance Novel writer pays 20-something girl who works as a roller-skating gorilla-o-gram to fill her in on the happenings of her life so she can write a novel about her. It was exactly what I expect from a Chick Flick in that it kept me entertained, the characters were likeable, it made me laugh a bit and was relaxing on the brain.

[Caryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sophie Kinsella fans will love this story- fun characters involved in crazy situations- a perfect escape from those serious and heavy reads. I brought this up to the lake for something light and I was beyond entertained… couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to see what antics would happen next! Looking forward to many more by this author.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um novo livro desta popular autora, e um novo sucesso! Uma história moderna inspirada em Romeu e Julieta, com todos os dramas e peripécias de Bridget Jones. Não se consegue parar de ler!

[Niki · Rating 2 out of 5]

the first half, and the overall basis of the story were entertaining, but the second half wrapped up so fast. i needed more relationship, less cheezy forced set up situations.

[Joana’s World · Rating 4 out of 5]

Os livro da Jill são sempre divertidos, românticos e têm tudo o que um bom romance deve ter. Este livro fala de um mundo de traições e situações inesperadas que temos que ultrapassar sem ser de uma maneira trágica e definitiva mas sim com um olhar para o futuro. Fala também de amor que acontece sempre na altura certa, quando estamos preparados para tal.

[Kate Maxwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jill Mansell’s characters are the British best friends I never had! They are real, quirky and a whole lot of fun! Millie’s Fling starts off with Millie in a car with her boyfriend who is trying to ask her to move in with him, and all she can focus on is the person at the edge of the cliff who looks like she is contemplating throwing herself over the edge. Her boyfriend is asking her to move in with him, and all she thinks about is how little she cares for him as she throws open the car door to ‘rescue’ a damsel in distress. The boyfriend drives off, and Millie ends up convincing romance novelist Orla Hart that is isn’t worth it, considering that the cheating bastard would get all of her worldly goods.

Once back in town, and back to reality, Millie gets back to her little life in Newquay, Cornwall. She lives with her best friend, Hester, who has the love of her life who is currently in Scotland, and the lust of her school years in town. Seeing where her friend is headed while her boyfriend is away, Millie decides that they should make a Man-Free for- Summer pact, with a £200 wager. This shouldn’t be too hard as Millie had no love interest and Hester’s boyfriend was in another country….or so they thought!

The story is filled with late night crank phone calls, hot guys in leather pants, swanky parties, a roller-skating gorilla, a romance novelist, a neurotic couple who run a travel agency, a mum who can’t stop looking for love, and hilarity all along the way! There are times you want to smack the characters for being so obtuse, but it also makes them completely loveable and you want to get back to the story to find out what happens next.

One of the main reasons that I love Jill Mansell’s books is her characters. Not only are the main characters full of life and personality, anyone that walks onto the pages is a character unto themselves with their own personalities firmly in place. While you are reading (and especially when you are done) you wonder why this story hasn’t been made in to a Rom-Com as it would perfectly fit! While reading it, you feel as if you just watched a very good movie. Another wonderful thing about Jill Mansell’s books is that the people are so completely believable! These people just walked out of REAL life!

I would highly recommend this book. But you aren’t completely up on British mannerisms or slang, you might want to have a reference on hand. It won’t detract from the story one wit, but if you have any experience with living in England, you will feel right at home! Millie’s Fling is sweet, very funny, and quite amusing to boot!

For more fun bits on this book, please visit my website!

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mais uma vez me diverti imenso ao ler este novo livro de Jill Mansell. Desta feita, a protogonista, novamente uma mulher, é uma rapariga muito divertida e, apesar de todos os desgostos de amor, está de bem com a vida e consegue, a meu ver muito bem, ultrapassar as adversidades que se lhe colocam no caminho. Como que se estivessemos a ler a obra final de Orla Hart, uma famosa autora de bestsellers criadas por Jill Mansell, depressa entramos na história de Millie, da própria Orla, e das personagens que convivem com ambas: o incorrigível marido de Orla, que a trai constantemente, a companheira de casa de Millie Hester que também não é muito feliz nas relações amorasas, o lindo Hugh que arrebata o coração de Millie, mas que tem um passado não muito feliz, Lucas, o também bonito patrão de Millie e por quem Hester tem uma paixoneta… estão lançados os dados para uma divertida história, com muito romance à mistura e que faz deste “Romance Atribulado” mais um dos sucessos da autora britânica.
Como se não bastasse e para apimentar mais o livro que quer que seja um sucesso para fazer o fracasso do seu anterior romance, Orla prepara alguns encontros a Millie, para que esta possa ter alguma escolha no campo amoroso. Isso vai colocá-la em algumas situações embaraçosas, assim como a sua própria profissão, que, basicamente, se resume a uma vestimenta de macaco a andar sobre rodas e a declamar poemas para casais apaixonados… ou não!

[kelley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I downloaded Millie's Fling as a free e-book for the kindle. I was in the mood for something that was light and funny and from the book description it sounded like this story would fit the bill. I’ve never read Brit Lit before (except Harry Potter) and I think I got a pretty good glimpse of British mannerisms and humor in this novel.

This book didn't really work for me--I found it very long and too silly. I think if it had been shorter (and a few less plot lines) I would have liked it more. I found myself skimming through chapters of material looking for bits of the story that dealt with Millie and her adventures and bypassing all the secondary plots. I liked the original plot (Millie’s story) and did read the first 10% (where the original plot began) of the book and the last 10% (where the original plot wrapped up).

So I guess I "kind of" read the book.

[Tempo de Ler · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Romance Atribulado' podia ser o título de qualquer um dos livros de Jill Mansell; a autora até pode dar às suas personagens o tão desejado final feliz mas o caminho até lá é sempre tortuoso, pesaroso e, muitas vezes, bastante embaraçoso...!

O tom irónico da escrita, aliado ao modo quase maquiavélico com que Mansell brinca com as suas personagens dá-nos a sensação de que tudo (!) pode acontecer a estes desgraçados, mantendo-nos agarrados à história, divertidos com cada desenvolvimento, a delirar com o embaraço alheio.

Dentro do seu género, que se encontra obviamente muito longe da literatura intelectual, 'Romance Atribulado' é mais um brilhante trabalho de Jill Mansell.

[Raquel · Rating 5 out of 5]

É uma vida totalmente atribulada, começa pela Orla Hart que decide fazer uma mudança nos seus livros e dar a oportunidade à sua melhor amiga de ser a heroína nesse mesmo livro que está a escrever. Coitada a Millie vai sofrer quando souber. O que a Orla não sabe...

Opinião completa em:
http://aviciadadoslivros.blogspot.pt/...

[Margaret Devaux · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know when you read a book and you don't want it to end? Well this was that book. I enjoyed it so much. Yes it was an easy read and not a classic but still I really liked it. I laughed out loud several times. I even thought about it when I wasn't able to read it. So glad I have discovered this author.

[Katherine 黄爱芬 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ini pertama kalinya saya membaca novel author. Sebenarnya lumayan saja sih tapi ada koplak-koplak dan sarkasnya juga. Mungkin juga krn ini novel dibuat thn 2000 ya entahlah jiwa bebas dan pemmafan dlm hubungan cinta disini sangat sarat dan kental rasanya.

Menceritakan ttg Millie Brady dgn jiwa praktisnya menyelamatkan nyawa Orla Hart, penulis beken yg mau bunuh diri saat tahu suaminya selingkuh. Merasa berhutang budi, Orla menjadikan kisah hidup dan percintaan Millie sbg calon karyanya mendatang. Padahal Millie merasa kehidupannya gak menarik amat-amat, apalagi percintaannya yg putus sambung gak jelas dgn Hugh, pria yg dikenalnya dari dompet yg hilang.

Di novel ini akan diceritakan ttg berbagai macam dan polah percintaan. Ada Hester, roommate Millie yg galau juga dgn percintaannya krn kesepian pacaran LDR dgn seorang pria yg berprofesi koki. Hester merasa insecure gara-gara ditolak oleh bekas gebetannya, Lucas Kemp, boss baru Millie.

Atau perselingkuhan suami mantan boss Millie. Saya gak habis pikir dgn istri dari suami yg berselingkuh ini. Dia jahat dan super posesif. Koq bisa ya suaminya mau tetap hidup bersama istri seperti ini?

Novel ini lumayan tebal utk ukuran chicklit, sepanjang 544 hlm kita dibuat tersenyum sekaligus terperangah bahwa cinta gak bisa direncanakan. Cinta gak pernah terduga spt apa yg terjadi pd Orla yg sudah dikhianati oleh suaminya. Tapi saya merasa kurang mendapat pesan moral apapun dari novel ini. Tapi lumayan menghibur juga membaca novel ini.

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Jill Mansell’s books. I’m trash for all of them. Period. The end.

[Leia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not for me

[TinaNoir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute.

[Renske Uilenreef · Rating 3 out of 5]

Joah moah

[Joanne Lea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely, cheesy, chitlit. Read it few years ago, but title stuck in my head, and now use as email lol.

[Laronda · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were a lot of storylines for the secondary characters going on at the same time as Millie's story. Too many if you ask me because this book was just too dang on long!

[Anouk · Rating 4 out of 5]

such a heartwarming story with fun characters but the ending could have been so much more fun but now it's left open 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

[Margarida Cruz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jill Mansell é, sem dúvida, uma das minhas autoras preferidas. Simplesmente adoro os seus livros. Têm tudo o que se pode pedir para uns momentos de leitura muito bem passados: uma grande dose de humor, romance, boas personagens e uma boa intriga. Além do mais, são daqueles livros que sabem bem em qualquer altura do ano. São leves, mas de uma carga humorística fenomenal e histórias hilariantes que tão bem se assemalham à realidade em que vivemos.

A verdade é que sempre que leio algo de Jill Mansell, passo a olhar para o mundo com outros olhos. A autora retrata-nos coisas tão hilariantes que, se não fosse o seu sentido de humor, me eram indiferentes ou até motivo de tristeza, medo, mágoa, desespero, ódio, etc. Ao falar disto recordo-me, por exemplo, de como este livro começa - com uma tentativa de suicídio. Obviamente que o tema é desagradável, mas a perícia de Jill Mansell e o seu olhar divertido é tal que a situação é-nos apresentada como uma autêntica comédia, uma rica fonte de gargalhadas e incontáveis sorrisos.

Todas as intrigas dos livros que já li de Jill Mansell se identificam fortemente com a realidade. Os acontecimentos que a autora nos conta são sempre perfeitamente viáveis de acontecer a quem quer que seja. Isto cativa ainda mais o leitor pois leva-o a crer que, de facto, aquilo pode acontecer na realidade e a olhar para as coisas de diferente forma: com os olhos de Jill Mansell.

A história de Millie e de Hugh tem os seus altos e baixos e confesso que houve alturas que a autora estava a querer levar as coisas mais para o lado fantasioso - facto que me assustou. Mas logo a seguir constato que me engano, pois afinal, voltamos a cair em Terra e a ver que nem tudo é o mar de rosas que parece. E a inigualável Jill Mansell esteve, afinal, sempre ali.

Não posso deixar de mostrar a minha pena por a autora não ter dado um fim mais consistente e feliz a Lucas, uma personagem que me cativou imenso. Todas as outras tiveram um final - bom ou menos bom, mas um final definitivo, coerente. Já Lucas ficou meio que "na corda bamba", sem saber o que foi feito da sua vida "amorosa".

É pena que as primeiras e as últimas páginas do livro correspondam aos grandes picos de humor do livro. Senti falta de certas "saídas" divertidas da autora no desenrolar da intriga, onde os acontecimentos adoptam um tom ligeiramente sério e dramático. De qualquer das formas, as frequentes referências e alusões a determinadas personalidades, objectos, programas, celebridades e afins apresentam ao leitor comparações e situações igualmente ridículas e humorísticas.

O final, como todos os finais dos livros de Jill Mansell até hoje, não corresponderam exactamente às minhas expectativas. A história que nos é contada é tão boa, tão rica em acontecimentos e originalidade que é impossível de prever um final em grande e em tudo diferente. Confesso que não fico totalmente satisfeita, mas ainda assim a sensação é deliciosamente reconfortante pois é o fim de uma divertida e entusiasta leitura.

Além disso, e não menos importante de referir é a estratégia de escrita de Jill Mansell que, toda ela, é digna de mérito: capítulos curtos e sempre com um final emocionante que nos leva a querer ler o próximo e a não parar de desfolhar o livro até à última página, conferindo ao livro uma leitura viciante do início ao fim.


Que mais posso eu dizer deste livro? Adorei. Tudo nele é inesquecível. Este foi o terceiro livro da autora e está certamente longe de ser o último. Mal posso esperar pelo próximo livro e pelas próximas gargalhadas!

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE her writing and this book was no exception. The author created some well rounded, if quirky, character's. And did a very good job with them.

It is really alight-hearted, breezy and funny romance -- perfect for a summer read.

[Serena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jill Mansell has surpassed herself once again in Millie's Fling. Chicklit and women's fiction readers will enjoy this spontaneous journey in Cornwall, England.

"Having ignored his plea, Millie promptly cannoned into the lamp-post behind her. Clutching her left shoulder and trying to pretend it hardly hurt at all--ow, ouch--she wondered why her life had to so closely resemble Mr. Bean's. What she wouldn't give to be sleek and chic and in control at all times." (Page 108-9 of ARC)

Millie is a down-to-earth girl, whose life is a bit like Mr. Bean's because she tends to fall into ridiculous situations unwittingly. Her roomie, Hester, is in a long-term relationship with an up-and-coming chef, Nat, but still has a flamethrower burning for an old love, Lucas Kemp. Millie's Fling is the age-old search for love and happiness, but this serendipitous journey is rounded out with Orla Hart, a highly successful author with marital problems whom Millie befriends atop a cliff.

Happily single, Millie consistently tries to keep her roomie on the right relationship track since Hester's boyfriend has taken a job in Glasgow to further his career as a chef. By chance, Millie stumbles upon a lost wallet in the bushes--a wallet that becomes the tie between her and Hugh Emerson, a young recently widowed computer specialist. Readers will giggle, tense up, and shake their heads as Hugh and Millie fumble through getting to know one another under impossible circumstances.

"'Two more things I can't stand,' said Hugh. 'Violent women. And girls who can't take a joke.'

'I hate men who wear nasty cheap aftershave.'

'What really annoys me is getting phone calls from people putting on ridiculous accents, asking me the answer to crossword clues.'

'That isn't true!' Millie exclaimed. 'You asked me to give you the clues. You were bursting to show off how clever you were. And that's something I really can't stand in a man.'" (Page 398 of ARC)

Mansell's dialogue between Millie and Hugh is fresh and witty; some of the best sequences involve them rattling off their favorite words or their most hated things about people, particularly at times when they are awkward with one another. Although there are some cliche moments in this novel, Mansell has well-developed characters on the edge of reality who bounce dialogue off one another in a way that makes the pages fly in Millie's Fling.

[Amarilli 73 · Rating 3 out of 5]

da www.sognipensieriparole.com

Tutto comincia con una nota scrittrice di romanzoni d’amore in bilico sul precipizio degli aspiranti suicidi, che non si decide a buttarsi, ma che finisce per essere salvata e salvare un’impacciata ragazzuola inglese da una noiosa proposta di convivenza; si prosegue con un portafoglio smarrito e ritrovato, e uno scherzo telefonico nel cuore della notte alla persona sbagliata, fino ad arrivare a uno strano contratto tra la nota scrittrice e la ragazzuola: Orla Hart scriverà finalmente un romanzo d’autore e lo farà basandosi sulla vita vissuta della sua salvatrice.

Il problema è che Millie, la protagonista, ritiene di avere una vita tanto vitale quanto un elettroencefalogramma piatto; basti solo dire che lei e la sua amica Hester, deluse dalle loro reciproche relazioni, hanno appena fatto una scommessa di castità: Niente più sesso in Cornovaglia!

Solo che Millie non ha fatto i conti con lo zampino di Orla Hart, decisa a tramutarla nell’eroina di un best-seller, con qualche intervento “forzato” nel suo destino, e con una vita tutt’altro che monotona: da madri divorziate ancora in cerca del pomiciamento notturno di mezza età, a giardinieri fustacchioni che baciano come pompe idrauliche, a uomini da sogno che non sono proprio uomini da sogno, a meravigliosi surfisti da urlo che sono davvero da urlo, fino ex-deejay stalloni inguainati in calzoni di pelle nera che fanno strage intorno a loro, senza scordare gorilla che sfrecciano sui pattini declamando versi e poesie.

Jill Mansell mette in scena una commedia scoppiettante, dove un equivoco tira l’altro, le persone non si comportano come vorrebbero veramente, e tutti parlano a sproposito prima di riflettere.
Con in più una protagonista che ricorda molto le imbranatone romantiche alla Bridget Jones e il suo mondo di gaffes e humour inglese.

Senza dubbio è una lettura leggera ma spassosa, che vi strapperà grandi sorrisi, se amate il genere.
Chiaramente i personaggi sono così sopra le righe e così inverosimili, che ve li sarete già scordati il giorno dopo, ma intanto sarete rimasti di ottimo umore. E con un sacco di dritte per la ricerca del vero amore. Ad esempio, come dice l’indecisa (ma fortunata) Hester: “Non devi mai fidarti di un uomo con le gambe più belle delle tue”.

[Ashley Reading Stewardess · Rating 4 out of 5]

While sitting in her boyfriend's car listening to him try and convince her to move in with him, Millie spy's famous romance writer Orla Hart about to commit suicide. Jumping out of the car, and subsequently ending her relationship, Millie runs to Orla's side and convinces her that just because Orla's husband has been found out ot be cheating on her, that killing herself isn't the way to get even. What ensues is a non-stop roller coaster ride full of rollicking fun and laughs with Millie blundering along the way. Upon finding the wallet of Hugh, Millie proceeds to make a complete fool of herself when she prank calls him pretending to have had an affair with him that resulted in her pregnancy, only for her to discover that Hugh's wife is dead. As Millie's relationship with Hugh develops into friendship and eventual love, Millie finds herself out of work having been accused of sleeping with her employers husband. Millie's job loss results in her working for a kissogram company, delivering messages to loved ones while dressed in a gorilla suit and rollerskating around. In the meantime, Millie must also deal with her oversexed roommate, Hester, who's contemplating cheating on her boyfriend; her divorced mother who has come for a visit and is staying with her ex-husband and his new girlfriend all while starting an affair with Millie's former employer's husband. In the meantime, Orla installs herself into Millie's life, intent on writing a book based on Millie's life having received a horrible review from an up and coming writer. Unfortunately for Millie, Orla insists on setting Millie up with various men in an attempt to make Millie's life more interesting.

Although a definite "chick-lit", Jill Mansell's "Millie's Fling" is a fun read none the less. "Millie's Fling" is the perfect book for reading while on vacation or relaxing by the pool, when all you want is something fun that you don't have to think about. If you like Sophie Kinsella's "Shopaholic" series, then I definitely recommend "Millie's Fling" if you're looking for a new British girl who finds herself continuously making a farce of her life.

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Millie and Orla's meeting will change both of their lives. Orla because Millie just saved her life, and Millie because Orla is determined to make Millie the heroine in her next big romance novel. Unfortunately for Orla's story, Millie doesn't have a romance budding at the moment. Orla doesn't despair though. She sets right to work writing down all of the events that happen in Millie's life and arranging for Millie to "meet" some guys. Orla's taste in men is kind of bad, and Millie's has to navigate through these meetings while not hurting her new friends feelings. Millie also has a secret, she's had a one-night fling that hasn't quite gone away. Only she hasn't told Orla the details, she's keeping them all to herself.

Millie is a quirky, witting, and easy to relate to character, whom you just want to root for all through the story. She's got a quick sense of humor that pulls her out of some really awkward situations. Of course, some of those situations are at Orla's orchestration, but how do you tell a bonafide bestselling author that what happens in books, just isn't always how real life plays out.

Millie's first meeting with Hugh is one of those too embarrassing to mention moments. You know the one! We've all had them at some point in our lives. Yet they seem to have a click that is almost audible to the reader. Hugh is grieving over a deceased wife, Millie doesn't want this encounter to become part of Orla's book, and Orla is determine to create a romance for Millie. You can see where there is so much potential for some good-hearted laughs, some embarrassing situations, and some great moments in this story.

Of a side note, there does seem to be one recurring character-type in Mansell's novels. It's been seen in 2 out of the 2 books I've read. The jealous/envious flatmate/friend in the heroine's life. I'll be interested in finding out if this continues in future stories.

[QNPoohBear · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like all of Jill Mansell's books, this story is funny, sweet and a bit sad at times. I really enjoyed the plot and even though it's a "chick lit" novel and I knew how it would end, getting there was fun. There are a lot of funny moments and some really sweet ones. There are a few cringe-worthy moments but I thought they were done for laughs and played out OK. I liked Millie because she's an average woman. She's ordinary looking, not super talented at anything and struggles to find her way. Aside from two embarrassing moments in the beginning, she's respectful of Hugh's feelings. I liked Hugh too but he wasn't super developed. He's a grieving widower which Jill Mansell has done before. I like his sense of humor and the fact that even though he's super gorgeous, he's a nice guy who falls for the nice girl. Their romance develops at a good pace. They become friends and get to know each other and understand each other. I did not like the secondary characters at all. Orla resembles Jane Austen's Emma in that she's a busybody and a matchmaker, but she's entirely unappealing. I found her very annoying. Orla isn't half as bed as Adele, Millie's mom or even Hester, Millie's best friend who is super irritating. I thought I had Lucas all figured out but I was mostly wrong about him. He does have some redeeming features and a story about him might be interesting. The only secondary characters I liked were Nat and Millie's dad. They're both patient, loving and kind. My major beef with this story, aside from rehashed character types, is the married couples. Without spoiling too much, it seems like the author has a low opinion of marriage. I would have liked to see less stereotypical characters in this novel and better developed relationships among the married couples. I enjoyed this novel the best of the Jill Mansell books I have read so far. I would give it 3 3/4 stars (out of 5) and recommend it to fans of "chick lit."

[Meredith Schorr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like I've told so many people lately, I have a giant author crush on Jill Mansell. Millie's Fling is the fifth book of hers I've read and I loved it as much as the others - more. It was my favorite.

I love the way her books have one main character and her storyline is central to the plot, but each supporting character has a separate but related story. It must be so difficult to keep everything straight and I picture Mansell surrounded by post-it notes and graphs in her writing area! In this book, the main character is Millie, who is charming, sweet, and hilarious. Millie finds herself the main character in a romance author's new "fiction-based on fact" work in progress. It is Millie's job to tell the author, Orla, everything that is going on in her life and Orla will write a novel based on it. Of course, the one thing that Millie leaves out of her report is her interest in recently widowed and equally charming and funny Hugh. Despite Hugh's appalling behavior at one point, I really enjoyed their chemistry and witty banter.

The story was a bit predictable in that I knew all of the little twists before they happened, but it didn't matter because they were executed so well and so hilariously that I chuckled and swooned throughout the entire book.

The author's dialogue is brilliant, creative, never stilted. And even though there was a lot of infidelity in the book and some insensitive comments made by all of the characters, I was having too much fun to care. Although the story itself was a fairytale, the characters behaved like real people do sometimes. Even the nicest of us can be catty, superficial, and downright mean sometimes.

As a reader, I love this author's books for pure entertainment. And as a writer, I learn something new with each one that helps me with my own craft.