The Importance of Being Married

Jessica Wild #1

by Gemma Townley

Jessica Wild isn’t big on commitment. But after inheriting millions from Grace, a sweet old lady she met in her grandmother’s nursing home, the situation seems to have changed. To put an end to the many questions about her nonexistent love life, Jess had led Grace to believe she had a boyfriend-turned-fiancé-turned-husband: her glamorous boss, Anthony Milton. But Jess’s fantasy to keep Grace happy has backfired–Grace has passed away and left her fortune not to Jessica Wild but to Mrs. Jessica Milton.

Having weighed all legal options, Jess realizes that there’s only one thing she can do: get Anthony to fall in love with her and pop the question for real. With help from her feisty best friend, Helen, Jess reluctantly learns the art of flirting, seduction, and playing hard to get. But just when it appears that Anthony is about to ask the (literal) million-dollar question, Jess finds herself wondering if it’s right to say “I do” for all the wrong reasons.

The first novel in Gemma Townley’s exciting new Wild trilogy, The Importance of Being Married introduces an irresistible heroine caught up in a scheme that could change her life forever.

Genres: Chick Lit, Romance, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Womens Fiction, Humor, British Literature

337 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Gemma Townley launched her writing career at the age of sixteen with a book review in Harpers & Queen. At Reading University, unimpressed with the official university paper, Spark, she launched a satirical rival, Spank, which she edited for a year before taking over as deputy editor on Spark and features editor on South-East Student.

Gemma is currently head of communications at the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and is studying for an M.B.A. at Henley Management College.

She lives in West London with her husband, Mark and their son.

She is Sophie Kinsella's sister.

Reviews

[Melindam · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bunch of clichès

The story is based on well-worn clichés such as `love is more important than money' and `you have to look for inner values', blah, blah.... which is not a sin in itself if a book is well-written, which "The importance of being married" is sadly not!
It is an average, not very entertaining, we-saw-and-read-it-all-before kind of book where you'll realize what will happen at the end by page 15 and by page 50 you start wondering why bother to go through with it at all.

[Stina · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was infinitely stupid. The characters were lame and forced, the plot was too much for me to willfully suspend my disbelief and the end was entirely predictable.

*EDIT* As a friend pointed out, both the title and cover suck, too.

[Isabella · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was so boring and unengaging that I did not finish it. What more can I say?

[Keris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've heard a lot about Gemma Townley (mainly because she's Sophie Kinsella's sister), but this is the first book of hers I've read. At first I really enjoyed it - probably to about halfway - but then it started to become too farcical, too laboured and I was also tired of the main character, Jessica Wild, letting everyone push her around. (Rather like a Sophie Kinsella book, in fact. But Kinsella's books are much funnier and that's what keeps you reading.) There was also, I thought, a massive plot hole at the beginning of the book, which troubled me all the way through. And I wasn't keen on the ending either. There was a good twist, but then an explanation, which didn't entirely make sense to me.

That sounds like I didn't like it at all, but I did. I liked the characters and the writing, but the plot left quite a lot to be desired. I don't think I'll bother with another Gemma Townley book, I'm afraid.

[Georgiana 1792 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Niente di eccezionale, ma frizzante, una lettura adatta al periodo. Sì, all'inizio mi sembrava che ci fossero delle grosse falle nella trama, perché, insomma, non è così che si ereditano 5 milioni di sterline, ma OK, poi viene - più o meno - chiarito tutto. E adesso vediamo cos'altro combinerà la nostra Jessica Wild...

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I keep picking up British chick lit without meaning to. But this was a very fun read for me. I enjoyed the characters and liked the plot that loosely parallels the Importance of Being Earnest.
The main character tells a little white lie that ends up being a very big deal when four million pounds are suddenly on the line. She and her friends go through a series of hijinx and she discovers the meaning of love and marriage. A little predictable, with some twists. I enjoyed it.

[Saralyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Picked up this book because it has obvious reference to "The Importance of Being Earnest." The character's name was Jessica Wild. Um... Okay. So I was excited for a nice parody of said play. Well, I didn't find that parody. It started out okay, but steadily got worse until I put it down. Well, I read the end to see what happened and it was the lamest ending ever. Just take my word for it.

[Grace Nelson · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was pretty predictable and i didn't like how the women is portrayed in the book.
towards the end i just skimmed the book and went to the end.
Maybe i am just getting tired of chicklits.

[stunningpages · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wie angle ich mir meinen Chef?

Als ich das Buch von Gemma Townley angefangen habe, dachte ich erstmals es würde sich um eine eher typische Chef-Angestellten-Beziehung handeln und das soll auf keinen Fall etwas Schlechtes sein, da ich diese Art von Bücher über alles gerne lese.
Doch das Buch hat mich nicht nur mit dem wirklich flüssigen Schreibstil schnell in die Geschichte hineingewickelt, sondern auch überrascht, denn am Ende kommt doch alles etwas anders als man vorest vielleicht denkt.
Und ich finde diese Wendung wirklich schön, das es mal was Neues war.
Meine kleinen Kritikpunkte sind nur, dass ich es stellenweise durch den Inhalt etwas langatmig fand und ich die Handlungen Charaktere nicht zu 100% immer nachvollziehen konnte(was aber auch schwer ist).
Alles in allem finde ich, dass das Buch gut gelungen ist, wenn auch vielleicht nicht so langlebig in den Gedanken, aber dennoch sehr unterhaltsam.

[Dandara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Divertido.

[Cora · Rating 2 out of 5]

[2,5]

[Shaia · Rating 1 out of 5]

WTF is wrong with this book? No freaking thanks to La Kube for this. I have, how do you say... oh, yes. Morals.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Importance of Being Married by Gemma Townley is the first in a 2-part series about Jessica Wild, a British advertising executive. While visiting her grandmother in the nursing home, Jessica meets Grace, an old lady who just needs someone to talk to. After Jessica’s grandmother passes, Jessica still visits Grace quite often and tells her stories of her fabulous life…..her fabulous pretend life, that is. Jessica can’t bear to disappoint Grace with stories from her mundane life, so she creates a fantastic world in which Jessica’s boss Anthony Milton proposes to her. Jessica even fakes an engagement ring, and a wedding.

Grace dies and Jessica learns that she has left her fortune to a Jessica Milton, not Jessica Wild. Thus begins what Jessica and her best friend Helen dub “Project Marriage,” a crazy plot to get Anthony Milton to fall in love with Jessica before her one month deadline to claim the fortune. Jessica never imagined that her plan might actually work, but when it does, she needs to ask herself some difficult questions about the importance of love versus money.

I’ve come to adore Gemma Townley’s novels for their wit, their charm and because I just love a British main character! Jessica Wild is truly hard not to like…she exemplifies so many qualities of the ‘average’ woman. Throughout the book, she learns how to be confident and comfortable in her own skin, which is a lesson anyone can identify with.

The suspense throughout the book kept me reading. Will Jessica get the money? Will Anthony really fall in love with Jessica? Will Anthony figure out that it was all a plot and spoil Jessica’s fortune?

This book definitely takes a surprise turn towards the end and reminded me that sometimes, love and honestly really does conquer all.

[Jen B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jessica Wild was always perfectly content being single; she never really believed in marriage, anyway. But, during visits to her friend Grace in a London nursing home, Jessica entertains the elderly lady with a series of made up stories about her courtship and marriage to the sexy and thoroughly unattainable Anthony Milton - her boss. At first, Jess's stories seem like nothing more than a harmless way to entertain a lonely old lady; but when Grace dies and leaves Jessica a fortune - 4 million pounds - she leaves the money to Mrs Jessica Milton. And Jess can't claim the money until she provides proof that she really is Mrs Milton...within 50 days.

So what's a girl to do? Get married, of course! Jessica and her conspiratorial flatmate Helen launch "Project Marriage," a plan to transform Jessica from a Plain Jane into "Jessica Wiiiild." The new Jess is sexy, flirty, and incredibly desirable. And when she catches Anthony's eye, her formerly quiet life spirals into a whirlwind that begins to get a little out-of-control...

This was another cute read from Gemma Townley. Implausible? Yes. But entertaining? Definitely. In spite of a couple serious lapses in judgment, Jessica Wild is a smarter-than-average chick lit heroine whose exploits kept me entertained. I was happy to read (on the back cover) that this is actually the first in the Jessica Wild series by Townley. I'm looking forward to reading more about her!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, this was fun. Guess I should have expected that, coming from Gemma Townley, though I'd only read one of her other books before. One that also unfolded because of a white lie. Anyway.
Our main character is Jessica Wild, who works in advertising and has no intention of getting married anytime soon. Which is completely fine. Until the moment in which she inherits a fortune from an old friend, but, according to the lawyer, must be married to her immature gorgeus boss to have access to it. She has 50 days. Jess' best friend Helen then conceives a plan, there's a movie-like makeover and all that, but will it make her happy?
There were some major plot twists here, near the end, which is awesome. Yes, it is possible to "predict" most or a few of them with a little observation at certain points. I did. But I thought I was imagining things, so when the time came I was caught off-guard. Not going in any more details because I don't want spoilers.
At some points I found myself in the same dilemma that Jess (the Jess in the book, that is) refused to admit she was having ("consideration for Grace or a happy life?"). At some points, I wanted to slap her. Since it was that kind of book that sucks you into the story, I really think those feelings were what the author was going for.
Not sure if I'd give it a 4.5 or a 5 overall, but I love it. Love the ending. Can't wait for my country's publisher to release the sequels.

[Jennifer Guerra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Jessica has sworn off marriage for as long as she can remember. Her fans mother told her it would lead to nothing but trouble and basically that romance was overrated. While visiting her grandmother in the nursing home she meets an elderly lady named Grace who she becomes instant friends with. After Jessica's grandmother does she continues to visit Grace and they become great friends. Grace wants nothing but for Jessica to be happy and in love so Jessica makes up a story about dating her boss, Anthony Milton, and eventually eloping with him. Soon after Grace dies and Jessica is devastated. Grace ended up leaving Jessica a ton of money and a big fancy house in her will. The only problem is Grace left it to Jessica Milton not Jessica Wild. Now Jessica and her roommate Helen have come up with a scheme to get Anthony to marry her for real so that she can collect the money. Jessica has to complete reinvent herself to even catch Anthony's eye. What she doesn't know if not only is Anthony playing her but she might fall in love in the process. Good page turner and hilarious!!!

[Evelin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Veľmi vtipné, veľmi ženské, poskytujúce rady o vzťahoch, zvádzaní, randení a... marketingu! 8D Určite mi niečo z toho pomôže v škole! Kniha sa mi veľmi dobre a rýchlo čítala. Je zaujímavá, je kreatívna a aj keď sa môže zdať predvídateľná, na konci som mala správne len 1 tretinu svojich odhadov a za to dávam autorke veľké plus. Postavy sú pekne prepracované, občas mi na hl. hrdinke však vadila jej predstieraná neskúsenosť alebo taká naivita. Akokeby nevedela, ako sa žije 8D Ale mala dobrých poradcov a vedela sa vyhrabať aj z najhoršieho a predsa sa neponižovať.
Je to kvalitný ženský román, pri ktorom sa budete smiať, dedukovať a kalkulovať možné situácie, máte tam aj kus romantiky, ale hlavne si čítanie určite užijete. Odporúčam.

[℉₳ℨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book ! - I could see the characters as if they were the cast of 'Bridget Jones Diary' . This book was light, funny, cheesy, romantic, sweet... everything you expect from a chick flick was in this book. Totally cheered me up !

[Stefani · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QaIE...

[Laís · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super bem escrito e tem uma história fofa mas fiquei triste porque percebi que já não consigo mais gostar mesmo de nenhum chicklit.

[Carous · Rating 3 out of 5]

Não julgue que o livro será maravilhoso só pq a capa é
Livro bacaninha que você pode ler sem pretensão, mas que também não te fará falta se você decidir nunca comprá-lo para ler. A capa é muito mais bonita e bem criada do que a própria história e os próprios personagens.
Gostei bastante que a autora explicou como funciona seu processo de criação para cada livro, mas ela devia procurar pôr algo mais (gás) para que suas histórias sejam hipnotizantes.

Não consegui me apegar a nenhum personagem, embora tenha características em comum tanto com Jessica quanto com Max. De longe estava na cara de que o Anthony não valia o chão que pisava, e Márcia não ficava atrás. Estava quase no final do livro quando fui surpreendida pela reviravolta - graças a Deus.

Um dos problemas de 1 milhão de motivos para casar é que Gemma cortava muito os diálogos para adicionar informação de como o personagem falava, o que ele/ela fazia durante a conversa, e, sinceramente, eram informações desnecessárias que tornaram, a meu ver, a leitura bem chata.

Lamentei que Gemma não tenha investido na trama mais interessante do livro inteiro: sobre a mãe da protagonista, comentado sobre a relação da Jess com a avó mais profundamente e da avó com a mãe. Sei lá, ao longo do livro, além de resolver vários pepinos, Jess poderia descobrir mais sobre a mãe.

Não fui com muita sede ao pote porque já havia lido resenhas de outros livros da Gemma e todo mundo criticou negativamente e deu nota baixa. E mesmo assim consegui me decepcionar com este e perceber que não me fazia a menor falta .

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

1,5 estrelas

Sra. Jessica Milton herdou 4 milhões de euros de sua amiga Grace. O problema é que Sra. Jessica Milton é o nome de casada de Jessica Wild e Jessica Wild não é casada. Para conseguir a herança, Jessica precisa se casar com Anthony Milton, seu chefe, em 50 dias.

A sinopse me chamou muita atenção e eu acabei indo ler com expectativas demais, o que pode ter sido o problema.

Sempre que eu vejo um personagem sendo forçado a uma transformação total - seja de aparência, de personalidade ou de ambos - que não o deixa confortável nem no processo nem no resultado, eu me sinto extremamente desconfortável, então quando isso aconteceu nesse livro, já começou a estragar a minha experiência de leitura. E nos momentos em que a Jessica estava “aprendendo a seduzir um homem”, quando falaram para ela: faça ele se sentir o máximo, não discorde do que ele diz, os homens preferem as burras... eu me irritei. A partir daí eu não gostei mais do livro e só queria chegar ao final dele.

Eu não consegui me conectar com nenhum dos personagens e senti muita falta de uma aprofundação maior neles.
Uma estrela foi para o plot que eu não estava esperando e que me surpreendeu. E meia foi para o finalzinho que deu uma melhorada, mas eu já estava tão saturada do livro que não mudou tanto a minha experiência.

Infelizmente, 1 milhão de motivos para casar, não funcionou para mim. Ah, um comentário aleatório que não tem nada a ver com o que eu achei do livro, mas se o nome traduzido fosse “4 milhões de motivos para casar” faria bem mais sentido, né?

[Auj · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was so much fun & had me laughing out loud several times! I'm shocked Jess didn't get fired from her job with all the wedding planning she was doing and hardly any work! Like in all chick-lit, the heroine's actions sometimes stressed me out. Unlike Townley's sister's heroines, Jess wasn't dumb and had a different personality than all of Kinsella's heroines. Jess was serious, hard-working, a little awkward, and conscientious; aka wholly different than I imagined her to be from the blurb. However, Jess making up a fictional boyfriend and eventually husband seemed to take a page from (was reminiscent of) Kinsella's flighty, mentally weak heroines.

I had no idea how the novel would end. Would Jessica go through her sham marriage to Anthony to gain the 4 million pounds and manor house, or would she do the right thing and be with Max? I loved the plot twists at the end of the story.

Omg, I can't wait to pick up the next book! I'm glad this is a trilogy as I want to know what happens next!

It was so obvious that Anthony wasn't the right guy for Jessica. He was an alcoholic, a profligate spender, a party boy, and a player. I don't think that man was mature enough to marry anyone!

[Ephie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to read a book by Gemma Townley out of curiosity, since her sister Madeleine Wickham/Sophie Kinsella is my favourite writer. Her resume is quite impressive too and I was intrigued by the brief explanation at the start of the book of how the story came about.

I found this book disappointing. The first couple of chapters were painfully repetitive; I was sure the author was trying to pad out her writing to reach a certain word count. This sadly continued in all dialogue throughout and may have been intentional as one of the characters stops talking to the protagonist at some point because she is simply repeating what he says! Furthermore, whilst her sister’s characters are smart women who do silly things, this protagonist is dim. Finally, this story has been told before and better.

I would read one more book by this author before writing her off just in case this book is the product of a naive woman who overcommitted to writing a book during her maternity leave and subsequently discovered she didn’t have the time.

[Clover White · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was in the fifty cent bin at a used bookstore, and I was drawn in by Sophie Kinsella's recommendation. (Turns out Gemma Townley is her sister, but it follows a Sophie Kinsella formula, so, fair). I kind of hate the main premise (main character does something slightly dishonest, then digs her own grave by doubling down on it), but the characters were interesting, and the glimpse of fluffy London social life was fun. I enjoyed reading it, but when I picked up the next book of Townley's I had picked out of the bargain bin (Little White Lies), and discovered it was another book about lying about who you are, I balked. Kind of sad I couldn't find more books about the Jessica Wild character, but it wasn't a great enough series to justify buying the second book new.

[La scrittrice impazzita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cosa mi ha spinto a leggere questo libro? Il titolo! Anche se, a dire il vero, non sapevo cosa aspettarmi solo dal titolo.
Pensavo di trovarmi uno scenario diverso da ciò che ho letto, non avendo sbirciato la trama. Però devo dire che mi ha tenuta sulle spine fino all'ultima riga. L'autrice ha voluto creare una commedia con molto sale e pepe al suo interno, mettendo qua e là qualche particolare che solo alla fine faceva congiungere i punti del perché i fatti si fossero svolti in una certa direzione.
La protagonista ha messo alla prova tutta se stessa, ha fatto molti sacrifici che si poteva risparmiare. Penso che a sto punto la morale di questa storia fosse qualcosa tipo "segui sempre ciò che ti dice il tuo cuore e farai ciò che è giusto, non ascoltare invece il rumore dei soldi, perché essi non portano mai la felicità".

[Bookcrazy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ein netter Chick-Lit zum Abschalten und Lachen für Zwischendurch.

Re-Read - An einem Tag weggelesen :)

Handlung:
Als Jessicas Freundin Grace - eine ältere Dame, für sie wie die Oma, die sie nie so richtig hatte - stirbt, kommt Jessica in die Bredouille. Jessica hat für Grace romantische Geschichten von einem Kuss, einem Verlobten erfunden. Das Problem ist, dass Grace nun ihr Vermögen einer Mrs. Jessica Milton vererbt, denn Jessicas Fantasielügenobjekt ist Anthony, der Boss ihrer Werbeagentur.
Nun muss ein Plan her um Mrs. Milton zu werden, oder schlägt ihr Herz doch eigentlich für wen anderen?

[Azânia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eu acho que tenho que parar de ler as comédias românticas do Kindle Unlimited.
Esse é o segundo livro que eu leio da Gemma Townley mas acredito que, como o primeiro, em algumas semanas vou esquecer que o li.
Demorou muuito pra empolgar, e quando rolou, voltou a ficar chato. Pulei os dois últimos capítulos pra chegar logo ao fim e fiquei surpresa ao saber que tem uma continuação.

[Nancy · Rating 1 out of 5]

To be honest I didn't read the whole book. I don't typically give up on books but this was just not capturing me the way I wanted it to. By page 40 I knew what was going to happen and by 90 thought I knew how. Skipped and read the ending which wasn't exactly what I expected. Didn't feel like I missed much in between.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a situation you would never find in real life, Jessica finds herself with 50 days to marry her boss to get a large inheritance. In addition to the ridiculous premise, Jessica is one of those exasperating characters you often want to yell at. The book does have some amusing moments and Ivana was an enjoyable character.
2.5 stars