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Nadia Knows Best
When Nadia Kinsella meets Jay Tiernan, she's tempted. Of course she is. Stranded together in a remote Cotswold pub, with a snowstorm raging outside—let’s face it, who would ever know? But Nadia’s already met The One. She and Laurie have been together for years—they’re practically childhood sweethearts, and she still gets goosebumps at the sight of him. Okay, maybe she doesn’t see that much of him these days, but that’s not Laurie’s fault. She can’t betray him. Besides, when you belong to a family like the Kinsellas—bewitchingly glamorous grandmother Miriam, feckless mother Leonie, stop-at-nothing sister Clare—well, someone has to exercise a bit of self-control, don’t they? I mean, you wouldn’t want to do something that you might later regret.
440 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
154 people are currently reading
3505 people want to read
About the author
Jill Mansell
85 books4,873 followersJill 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 350 reviews
May 21, 2013
This is a definite low-point in Jill Mansell's work. I have thoroughly enjoyed all of her other books that I've read but this one just left me feeling blah.
It started with a lot of promise, a quirky family of interesting characters in addition to the typical heroine of chick-lit. But the main plot line, "will Nadia choose Jay or Laurie" dragged while all the other family shenanigans took place.
And there were shenanigans. The sister Claire was just plain mean and her possibly redeeming moment fell flat. The strong glamorous grandmother was suddenly revealed to be cowardly, impetuous, and wishy-washy. I enjoyed the younger sister, and the budding relationship between James and Annie, but they did not make up for the other relationship weaknesses.
In addition to the problematic characters there were parts of the plot that went nowhere, like Laurie's possible infidelity with Suzie, merely confused things rather than adding any true depth to the story.
I've loved Mansell's other books so much I hate to give this one such a low rating, but it just did not live up to expectations.
It started with a lot of promise, a quirky family of interesting characters in addition to the typical heroine of chick-lit. But the main plot line, "will Nadia choose Jay or Laurie" dragged while all the other family shenanigans took place.
And there were shenanigans. The sister Claire was just plain mean and her possibly redeeming moment fell flat. The strong glamorous grandmother was suddenly revealed to be cowardly, impetuous, and wishy-washy. I enjoyed the younger sister, and the budding relationship between James and Annie, but they did not make up for the other relationship weaknesses.
In addition to the problematic characters there were parts of the plot that went nowhere, like Laurie's possible infidelity with Suzie, merely confused things rather than adding any true depth to the story.
I've loved Mansell's other books so much I hate to give this one such a low rating, but it just did not live up to expectations.
November 23, 2012
There were so many ways that story could have gone, but Jill Mansell decided to go with the silliest of plots.
The book started out with so much potential. I was immediately gripped and could not put the book down - that was until Laurie came back into the picture. Everything went downhill from there. To say the book is predictable would be an understatement, but the twists and turns that Mansell decided to take where, to be quite honest, absolutely ridiculous. I feel like she must have written this book in such a hurry because so many things were simply discarded, leaving us (the readers) confused and frustrated at the same time.
She could have made it super-romantic, and instead it left me with a 'meh' feeling.
To sum this up, Nadia is with Laurie, her hot boyfriend/model. Nadia meets Jay, and is instantly attracted to him, but makes no moves because she's in love with Laurie. Laurie dumps Nadia. Nadia finally has a shot with Jay. But then just as things are about to get serious with Jay and Nadia, Laurie comes back and asks for her forgiveness. Nadia is confused and does not know who to pick. Sigh.
I hated Nadia's sister Clare. She was horrible. She's mean, and spoiled and made people's lives miserable. She's rude and obnoxious and a horrible judge of character. And when I thought Mansell was going to set her up for a proper redeeming moment, she ended up leaving us underwhelmed. Clare finds out she's pregnant, and then has a miscarriage, and THEN moves on way too quickly for my liking.
Laurie sleeps with Suzy WHILE trying to win Nadia back, and for some reason Mansell decided to not do ANYTHING with that specific event and Nadia never finds out about it. So um, what's the point of adding that in the story? It was completely unnecessary, if you weren't going to use it to create some dramatic event later on. Not to mention that Nadia sleeps with Laurie just when she decided she didn't want him back and is in love with Jay. What is this mess?!
Then there's the horrid affair with Miriam. She started out sounding like the coolest character, but slowly disintegrated with that really bizarre mystery she was keeping. Another mess in my opinion. First, we find out she's a bigamist (which is way more serious than the book let on) and then she decides she wants her ancient husband, only to quickly change her mind and decide she loves Edward after all. Oh, and that whole other mess with her affair with Edward while he was married and her involvement with his wife's death. Jesus, just listing all of it makes me realize what a hot mess this book was.
The only storyline I really enjoyed were that of James and Annie. That's how I imagine a chick-lit to go like, perhaps an extended version of it, but like that nonetheless.
Eitherway, good start, horrid end. But hey, you can't win them all!
The book started out with so much potential. I was immediately gripped and could not put the book down - that was until Laurie came back into the picture. Everything went downhill from there. To say the book is predictable would be an understatement, but the twists and turns that Mansell decided to take where, to be quite honest, absolutely ridiculous. I feel like she must have written this book in such a hurry because so many things were simply discarded, leaving us (the readers) confused and frustrated at the same time.
She could have made it super-romantic, and instead it left me with a 'meh' feeling.
To sum this up, Nadia is with Laurie, her hot boyfriend/model. Nadia meets Jay, and is instantly attracted to him, but makes no moves because she's in love with Laurie. Laurie dumps Nadia. Nadia finally has a shot with Jay. But then just as things are about to get serious with Jay and Nadia, Laurie comes back and asks for her forgiveness. Nadia is confused and does not know who to pick. Sigh.
I hated Nadia's sister Clare. She was horrible. She's mean, and spoiled and made people's lives miserable. She's rude and obnoxious and a horrible judge of character. And when I thought Mansell was going to set her up for a proper redeeming moment, she ended up leaving us underwhelmed. Clare finds out she's pregnant, and then has a miscarriage, and THEN moves on way too quickly for my liking.
Laurie sleeps with Suzy WHILE trying to win Nadia back, and for some reason Mansell decided to not do ANYTHING with that specific event and Nadia never finds out about it. So um, what's the point of adding that in the story? It was completely unnecessary, if you weren't going to use it to create some dramatic event later on. Not to mention that Nadia sleeps with Laurie just when she decided she didn't want him back and is in love with Jay. What is this mess?!
Then there's the horrid affair with Miriam. She started out sounding like the coolest character, but slowly disintegrated with that really bizarre mystery she was keeping. Another mess in my opinion. First, we find out she's a bigamist (which is way more serious than the book let on) and then she decides she wants her ancient husband, only to quickly change her mind and decide she loves Edward after all. Oh, and that whole other mess with her affair with Edward while he was married and her involvement with his wife's death. Jesus, just listing all of it makes me realize what a hot mess this book was.
The only storyline I really enjoyed were that of James and Annie. That's how I imagine a chick-lit to go like, perhaps an extended version of it, but like that nonetheless.
Eitherway, good start, horrid end. But hey, you can't win them all!
January 24, 2013
I wanted to like this book. I really did. But COME ON. The heroine is an idiot. Of the top order.
Normal people do not behave like her. The boyfriend-from-babyhood (or some such crap) dumps her so he can have meaningless sex. Months later he comes back (after having had ALL the meaningless sex he could have had apparently) and She. Doesn't. KICK. His. Ass. Even though she has the hero stringing along. Mind you, the hero is no better. He is also an idiot. He doesn't show or tell her his interest - in a clear and obvious way - until almost the very end. Plus, she has sex with her ex and THAT'S when she realizes that her ex is not the man for her. Say what?? And this doesn't happen right at the beginning. It happens right before the HEA. Say WHAT????
I felt cheated that I couldn't DNF this book. Any book that has cheating in it is an automatic DNF for me, but this one blind-sided me coz it came at the frigging end of the book. OMFG, I am so mad I wasted my time reading this book when I could've been reading some awesome book...
Oh and her sister, Claire. How did I miss complaining about her total and utter useless human being of a shitty sister. Can you tell how I feel about Claire!! Suffice it to say, with friends like Claire you don't need enemies coz she will fuck you over the first chance she gets.
Normal people do not behave like her. The boyfriend-from-babyhood (or some such crap) dumps her so he can have meaningless sex. Months later he comes back (after having had ALL the meaningless sex he could have had apparently) and She. Doesn't. KICK. His. Ass. Even though she has the hero stringing along. Mind you, the hero is no better. He is also an idiot. He doesn't show or tell her his interest - in a clear and obvious way - until almost the very end. Plus, she has sex with her ex and THAT'S when she realizes that her ex is not the man for her. Say what?? And this doesn't happen right at the beginning. It happens right before the HEA. Say WHAT????
I felt cheated that I couldn't DNF this book. Any book that has cheating in it is an automatic DNF for me, but this one blind-sided me coz it came at the frigging end of the book. OMFG, I am so mad I wasted my time reading this book when I could've been reading some awesome book...
Oh and her sister, Claire. How did I miss complaining about her total and utter useless human being of a shitty sister. Can you tell how I feel about Claire!! Suffice it to say, with friends like Claire you don't need enemies coz she will fuck you over the first chance she gets.
August 9, 2016
Leuk boek om tussendoor te lezen, lekker luchtig!
July 26, 2017
I haven't enjoyed a book as much as this one for AGES! It made me angry. It made me cry. And at the same time it made me smile and it really touched and warmed my heart. Every character is distinct and though not everyone is lovable they're also definitely not even close to boring. Not even one of them, and there are so many! I seriously have never encountered such a thing in a book before. Nadia was alright even though I've seen way better female leads. But Jay...Well Jay, I can't even describe with words, he's THAT perfect. And if you decide to give this book a try you won't be able to either! I promise!
December 29, 2016
This book was all over the place. There is cheating, bigamy, sudden deaths, pregnancy, insta-love sort of, male models, art, fathers, daughters, sort of daughters. The whole thing made my head spin. I maybe needed a flow chart by the end of this book to figure out how the hell everyone knew each other since the book was not that clear on those points which was a bit frustrating.
To keep this short and sweet, the only people I could stand in this book was Nadia, her half sister and Nadia’s father James and his love interest Annie. I pretty much loathed or felt meh about everyone else in this book.
There was way too much going on, but the central premise is that Nadia deals with being dumped by her childhood friend and now boyfriend Laurie. Because somehow Laurie lucks into being a male model and then an actor and things are too hard for him since he can’t see Nadia anymore. I would have kicked the crap out of the guy, but that’s just me. Nadia has a meet cute with a guy named Jay after meeting him when she is stranded. I also felt towards Jay cause his whole lying to Nadia thing about being gay so she share a bed/room with him was gross.
When Nadia runs into Jay months later, she ends up working for him as a landscaper and she starts to find herself interested in him again. Too bad he’s acting like a jerk for no reason. And then when she thinks maybe her and Jay can work out, Laurie reappears wanting Nadia. I really wanted Laurie boiled in oil because we get a subplot with him that shows what kind of guy he is, but there’s no freaking follow up and I thought maybe I hallucinated the whole thing until I saw other reviewers lamenting that dropped plot-line too.
The POVs shift around in this one to Nadia, Nadia’s sister Claire, Nadia’s grandmother, her half sister whose name I am totally forgetting, her dad James and also her dad’s love interest Annie. I think there was even a plot line involving another girl but I don’t want to spoil that for potential readers. There were way too many cooks in the kitchen and nothing really works. I maybe wished a lot of people to die a slow boring death in this one. Maybe. I was shocked how unlikable everyone was throughout this book.
The ending was a bit meh for me. I guess people are happy? I don’t know. I just thought a lot of things were dropped and truly outrageous/terrible characters never get their comeuppance which ticks me off.
To keep this short and sweet, the only people I could stand in this book was Nadia, her half sister and Nadia’s father James and his love interest Annie. I pretty much loathed or felt meh about everyone else in this book.
There was way too much going on, but the central premise is that Nadia deals with being dumped by her childhood friend and now boyfriend Laurie. Because somehow Laurie lucks into being a male model and then an actor and things are too hard for him since he can’t see Nadia anymore. I would have kicked the crap out of the guy, but that’s just me. Nadia has a meet cute with a guy named Jay after meeting him when she is stranded. I also felt towards Jay cause his whole lying to Nadia thing about being gay so she share a bed/room with him was gross.
When Nadia runs into Jay months later, she ends up working for him as a landscaper and she starts to find herself interested in him again. Too bad he’s acting like a jerk for no reason. And then when she thinks maybe her and Jay can work out, Laurie reappears wanting Nadia. I really wanted Laurie boiled in oil because we get a subplot with him that shows what kind of guy he is, but there’s no freaking follow up and I thought maybe I hallucinated the whole thing until I saw other reviewers lamenting that dropped plot-line too.
The POVs shift around in this one to Nadia, Nadia’s sister Claire, Nadia’s grandmother, her half sister whose name I am totally forgetting, her dad James and also her dad’s love interest Annie. I think there was even a plot line involving another girl but I don’t want to spoil that for potential readers. There were way too many cooks in the kitchen and nothing really works. I maybe wished a lot of people to die a slow boring death in this one. Maybe. I was shocked how unlikable everyone was throughout this book.
The ending was a bit meh for me. I guess people are happy? I don’t know. I just thought a lot of things were dropped and truly outrageous/terrible characters never get their comeuppance which ticks me off.
March 6, 2017
Lai cik traģisks nebūtu "Kontinenta" uzburtais vāks šai grāmatai, un arī apraksts uz pēdējā vāka, šī izrādījās gluži laba lasāmviela. Galvenokārt tāpēc, ka tā ir ieturēta viegli ironiskā stilā. Vairāk savstarpējas apcelšanās, nevis cukurainas spaidīšanās, vairāk par brīžiem sarežģītajām un ļoti reālajām māsu attiecībām, nevis no pirksta izzīstajām miljonu mantiniecēm un rokstāriem, kas iemīl meitenes no lauku kafejnīcām. Protams, ir arī savas sižetiskās kļūdiņas un daži pārspīlējumi, bet visumā - pārsteidzoši labs romantiskais gabals. Būs jāpārbauda citi šīs autores darbi, varbūt atrodas vēl kas izklaidējošs un pietiekami jēdzīgs.
Want to read
January 21, 2017Just going to read this cause i have a friend called Nadia and i really want to know what the hell she knows best! HAHA :))))
July 14, 2010
Nadia is a twenty-something landscape gardener who we meet for the first time when she is stranded in the snow and rescued by Jay Tiernan, a rather gorgeous property developer. Despite sparks between them, Nadia does nothing because she is involved with The One - Laurie, a model. Predictably, soon after this Laurie dumps her and moves to America to pursue his modelling career. Also predictably, Nadia meets Jay again and is about to embark on a relationship with him when Laurie comes back into her life saying he made a massive mistake and wants her back. Nadia vacillates between the two men, but needs to make a decision before she loses everything.
So, a very predictable book. And, although warmly written and hard to put down, one in which there were a number of superfluous subplots and some really dislikeable characters. The worst for me was Clare, Nadia's sister. She is appallingly spoilt, believes herself to be irresistible, does huge amounts of damage to people's relationships and shrugs off a miscarriage as though it didn't happen. Sure, she didn't want to be pregnant, but I think it would have been braver and less fluffy for Mansell to have the pregnancy run its course.
Some areas of the plot went nowhere. Robbie's brother - the gay art dealer - was presumably only brought in for comic effect and had a tiny bit part before he was dropped with no resolution to the storyline. Here again I might have liked to see Clare meet him gratefully for dinner, after the debacle of the first night she went to see him.
I disliked the 'mystery' of Miriam - and my previous liking for the character went down several notches when it was revealed (in a massive amount of exposition and info-dumping) what her back story was. She had been a genuinely eccentric character that I enjoyed reading about, but her story drifted into rather surreal territory.
I did like the main characters of Nadia and Jay (although I did wish that Nadia could have made up her mind a little more quickly - however, had she done that, we wouldn't have had the last page showdown that is so fashionable for these sorts of novels). My favourite characters and storylines revolved around Tilly, James and Annie - they were warm and realistic, and I felt glad that everything worked out well for them.
Certainly not my favourite chick lit author by any means! Isn't doing anything particularly clever or interesting, and doesn't believe in 'show, don't tell'. I will likely read more by Mansell because she has a large back catalogue and her books are relatively diverting for a quick read, but I will borrow rather than buy.
So, a very predictable book. And, although warmly written and hard to put down, one in which there were a number of superfluous subplots and some really dislikeable characters. The worst for me was Clare, Nadia's sister. She is appallingly spoilt, believes herself to be irresistible, does huge amounts of damage to people's relationships and shrugs off a miscarriage as though it didn't happen. Sure, she didn't want to be pregnant, but I think it would have been braver and less fluffy for Mansell to have the pregnancy run its course.
Some areas of the plot went nowhere. Robbie's brother - the gay art dealer - was presumably only brought in for comic effect and had a tiny bit part before he was dropped with no resolution to the storyline. Here again I might have liked to see Clare meet him gratefully for dinner, after the debacle of the first night she went to see him.
I disliked the 'mystery' of Miriam - and my previous liking for the character went down several notches when it was revealed (in a massive amount of exposition and info-dumping) what her back story was. She had been a genuinely eccentric character that I enjoyed reading about, but her story drifted into rather surreal territory.
I did like the main characters of Nadia and Jay (although I did wish that Nadia could have made up her mind a little more quickly - however, had she done that, we wouldn't have had the last page showdown that is so fashionable for these sorts of novels). My favourite characters and storylines revolved around Tilly, James and Annie - they were warm and realistic, and I felt glad that everything worked out well for them.
Certainly not my favourite chick lit author by any means! Isn't doing anything particularly clever or interesting, and doesn't believe in 'show, don't tell'. I will likely read more by Mansell because she has a large back catalogue and her books are relatively diverting for a quick read, but I will borrow rather than buy.
June 19, 2012
When Nadia Kinsella’s car slid off the road in a snow storm, she ended up spending the night, talking about everything with Jay Tiernan, whose car had also run off the road. Somehow, Nadia assumed that Jay was gay and thus didn’t worry about impressions and relationship issues but just enjoyed the company — after all she had a boyfriend, Laurie Welsh, who worked as a fashion model.
Nadia lived with her father and two sisters in the home of her grandmother, Miriam Kinsella. Clare was slightly younger than Nadia and an artist. Tilly was 13 and still in school. Somehow everything worked out. Nadia was cautious, Clare a bit wild, and Tilly was quiet and studious. They even got along with Miriam’s loudmouthed parrot — Harpo. (I mean how can you resist a book where the loudmouth parrot is named after the silent Marx brother?)
Having read a previous book by Jill Mansell, I knew things were probably going to go wrong for our main character, Nadia — maybe even horribly wrong. But since these are considered chick lit romances, you can pretty well rest assured that the ending will be happy for our main character. Well, you’d be mostly right.
In point of fact things go horribly wrong for just about everyone — Miriam, Nadia, Clare, and even for their father, James. Mansell doesn’t necessarily follow the expectations of her readers — for the betterment of the book, if you ask me.
Nadia Knows Best as a title does imply that Nadia believes she knows what’s best for herself and others. Thinking you know what is in your own best interest, as well as that of those you love, is a sure fire way to find out just how little you know about your best interest, and that of your loved ones. While you may have the issues down solid — love, happiness, support — how those things are to be achieved is essentially a moving target with no single answer for anyone.
Nadia has her heart broken and her confidence shattered. But, she comes out swinging and when she runs into an opportunity to do the kind of work she’s always dreamed of doing, she takes a chance. Of course, that’s when everything goes pear-shaped and the family seems to be falling apart at the seams. Not because they don’t care for each other, but because they care too much.
In many books the family the characters are born into isn’t necessarily the family the stories are about. In Nadia Knows Best, a close loving family nearly loses each other because they care too much to put their feelings first. They fear that if they say what they want, that they’ll be influencing the other person and thus forcing them into something they don’t want to do.
As a reader, we’re glued to the pages, hoping that they’ll realize that talking things out with each other is how we not only communicate information, but how we feel, what we want out of live, and how we appreciate and love those around us. Mansell’s goal I’m sure was to tell as good story. That the story she told resonates with the reader would be an added benefit. The characters have real-life problems, maybe on a level that many of us don’t have, but none the less ones that real people deal with each day — dashed hopes, ex-spouses and all the baggage that entails: spite, love, loss, longing, caring, and hard choices. That’s what makes us human and what makes readers connect to a story.
Chick Lit is considered by many to be light and fluffy — but many of the authors write stories that have depth and deal with issues that readers deal with in their own lives. Enjoy Nadia Knows Best, it will entertain you and it just may get you to think outside the box.
Nadia lived with her father and two sisters in the home of her grandmother, Miriam Kinsella. Clare was slightly younger than Nadia and an artist. Tilly was 13 and still in school. Somehow everything worked out. Nadia was cautious, Clare a bit wild, and Tilly was quiet and studious. They even got along with Miriam’s loudmouthed parrot — Harpo. (I mean how can you resist a book where the loudmouth parrot is named after the silent Marx brother?)
Having read a previous book by Jill Mansell, I knew things were probably going to go wrong for our main character, Nadia — maybe even horribly wrong. But since these are considered chick lit romances, you can pretty well rest assured that the ending will be happy for our main character. Well, you’d be mostly right.
In point of fact things go horribly wrong for just about everyone — Miriam, Nadia, Clare, and even for their father, James. Mansell doesn’t necessarily follow the expectations of her readers — for the betterment of the book, if you ask me.
Nadia Knows Best as a title does imply that Nadia believes she knows what’s best for herself and others. Thinking you know what is in your own best interest, as well as that of those you love, is a sure fire way to find out just how little you know about your best interest, and that of your loved ones. While you may have the issues down solid — love, happiness, support — how those things are to be achieved is essentially a moving target with no single answer for anyone.
Nadia has her heart broken and her confidence shattered. But, she comes out swinging and when she runs into an opportunity to do the kind of work she’s always dreamed of doing, she takes a chance. Of course, that’s when everything goes pear-shaped and the family seems to be falling apart at the seams. Not because they don’t care for each other, but because they care too much.
In many books the family the characters are born into isn’t necessarily the family the stories are about. In Nadia Knows Best, a close loving family nearly loses each other because they care too much to put their feelings first. They fear that if they say what they want, that they’ll be influencing the other person and thus forcing them into something they don’t want to do.
As a reader, we’re glued to the pages, hoping that they’ll realize that talking things out with each other is how we not only communicate information, but how we feel, what we want out of live, and how we appreciate and love those around us. Mansell’s goal I’m sure was to tell as good story. That the story she told resonates with the reader would be an added benefit. The characters have real-life problems, maybe on a level that many of us don’t have, but none the less ones that real people deal with each day — dashed hopes, ex-spouses and all the baggage that entails: spite, love, loss, longing, caring, and hard choices. That’s what makes us human and what makes readers connect to a story.
Chick Lit is considered by many to be light and fluffy — but many of the authors write stories that have depth and deal with issues that readers deal with in their own lives. Enjoy Nadia Knows Best, it will entertain you and it just may get you to think outside the box.
August 3, 2014
I read this because...duh. Unfortunately, it didn't make me happy. This is just another chick lit that falls short on delivering even the proper chick lit fantasy, and that's just not acceptable.
Let's start with the title, which doesn't make much sense either once you read the book. Sure, the main character's name's Nadia but I don't agree that she knows best, as she hardly knows anything in my opinion. She's supposed to be independent, but she's not really, at least not in the way she thinks. She has a job and everything, and two guys pine after her (I don't know why, may be because she's beautiful and these two guys are only after her looks? It's not like she has that much of a personality.) but she's what I would like to call a Mary Sue at the end of the day. The story revolves around her going round and round between these two guys and one of them is a douchebag (). Nadia doesn't change nor does her character evolve. She just exists and why would a character like that influence or excite me anyway? I want my heroines to be strong, but Nadia, all in all, was just pure meh.
Moving on, this book also contains Nadia's family and they were kind of awesome if you ask me, and the sole reason behind this book not being dumped as DNF. My favorites were Tilly (Nadia's youngest sister) and Annie (Nadia's dad's gf) but to be honest, Nadia's sister Clare, her dad James, her evil runaway mom and her grandma were pretty awesome characters as well.
This isn't recommended. Sure, the side characters were nice but were they worth 400+ pages of reading? Definitely not.
Let's start with the title, which doesn't make much sense either once you read the book. Sure, the main character's name's Nadia but I don't agree that she knows best, as she hardly knows anything in my opinion. She's supposed to be independent, but she's not really, at least not in the way she thinks. She has a job and everything, and two guys pine after her (I don't know why, may be because she's beautiful and these two guys are only after her looks? It's not like she has that much of a personality.) but she's what I would like to call a Mary Sue at the end of the day. The story revolves around her going round and round between these two guys and one of them is a douchebag (). Nadia doesn't change nor does her character evolve. She just exists and why would a character like that influence or excite me anyway? I want my heroines to be strong, but Nadia, all in all, was just pure meh.
Moving on, this book also contains Nadia's family and they were kind of awesome if you ask me, and the sole reason behind this book not being dumped as DNF. My favorites were Tilly (Nadia's youngest sister) and Annie (Nadia's dad's gf) but to be honest, Nadia's sister Clare, her dad James, her evil runaway mom and her grandma were pretty awesome characters as well.
This isn't recommended. Sure, the side characters were nice but were they worth 400+ pages of reading? Definitely not.
February 18, 2011
Bem, com este livro consegui finalmente ultrapassar o pseudo-trauma que tive com esta autora por causa do final do livro A Felicidade Mora ao Lado.
Sinceramente , fiquei com receio que ela fizesses esses finais horrorosos em todos os livros. Espero que continue assim.
Então, depois de ler A Pensar em Ti e ainda este Irresistível Tentação, ainda bem que esta autora me conquistou de vez.
Ainda tenho por ler Doce Vingança e vou definitivamente comprar os outros 3 livros dela que me faltam.
Adorei esta história, apesar de achar que o livro A Pensar em Ti é melhor. No entanto, este também teve as suas coisas e os seus pormenores maravilhosos.
Adorei o Jay. Logo desde o início que odiei o Laurie. E as minhas crenças viram-se respondidas quando ele se enrolou lá com a conhecida da Nad. Sinceramente, adoraria que a Nádia descobri-se, só para ver o que ela lhe faria. Teria sido hilariante de se ver.
Achei estranho o Jay ter andado muito estranho, mas claro, tudo se resolveu. Mas ele é que é um homem. E não tem sorte nenhuma, coitado. Nem no final do livro, ele e a Nádia tiveram direito algum a estarem juntos. Resta-nos a imaginação.
Outra das coisas que adorei foi aquela intriga à volta da Miriam. Foi muito bom. Um toque diferente, de mistério, paralelo à comédia. Um toque muito positivo.
Aquele final foi hilariante. Adorei, adorei. Fartei-me de rir, realmente o Jay, sabe-a toda. Que maneira de ir pescar a Nádia.
Um livro mesmo muito bom.
Sinceramente , fiquei com receio que ela fizesses esses finais horrorosos em todos os livros. Espero que continue assim.
Então, depois de ler A Pensar em Ti e ainda este Irresistível Tentação, ainda bem que esta autora me conquistou de vez.
Ainda tenho por ler Doce Vingança e vou definitivamente comprar os outros 3 livros dela que me faltam.
Adorei esta história, apesar de achar que o livro A Pensar em Ti é melhor. No entanto, este também teve as suas coisas e os seus pormenores maravilhosos.
Adorei o Jay. Logo desde o início que odiei o Laurie. E as minhas crenças viram-se respondidas quando ele se enrolou lá com a conhecida da Nad. Sinceramente, adoraria que a Nádia descobri-se, só para ver o que ela lhe faria. Teria sido hilariante de se ver.
Achei estranho o Jay ter andado muito estranho, mas claro, tudo se resolveu. Mas ele é que é um homem. E não tem sorte nenhuma, coitado. Nem no final do livro, ele e a Nádia tiveram direito algum a estarem juntos. Resta-nos a imaginação.
Outra das coisas que adorei foi aquela intriga à volta da Miriam. Foi muito bom. Um toque diferente, de mistério, paralelo à comédia. Um toque muito positivo.
Aquele final foi hilariante. Adorei, adorei. Fartei-me de rir, realmente o Jay, sabe-a toda. Que maneira de ir pescar a Nádia.
Um livro mesmo muito bom.
January 12, 2015
This book is a total disaster. Shocked to see it has a 3.72 average rating. Are people okay?! I could have easily flounced this book midway but I still gave it a chance and finished it. Worst decision ever. This is the first time I'm reading Jill Mansell's books and I can tell you, I'm never going to read anything by her ever again. She could at least have had a single POV? The story would have been much better if the book was from Nadia's POV but no each it delved too much into each and every character's lives and nobody wants to read that crap! I don't care about her 70 year old grandmother's or her 13 her old sister's life. Honestly what is wrong with this her editor and why did they allow this book to ever be published? And no Nadia does not know best and she's one of the dumbest, stupidest protagonists ever. The fact that the author didn't even let Nadia know that Laurie hooked up with that Suzette girl is even more disappointing. And my 1 ★ rating is high for this book. Wouldn't even give it a 0.5.
April 24, 2011
Ao principio estava a gostar muito mas depois...achei totalmente previsivel, sem graça, nem me ri (coisa que aconteceu muito com os outros livros, tava.me sempre a rir) achei este sem sal e irritou.me duas coisas:
A Clare que miuda mais miamada, nao gostei nada dela Arrghh!
a Miriam a tratar toda a gente por você, isso é mania á tia, nao tinha nada ver com a miriam que era uma fixe!
Gostei do Jay, da Nadia, da Tilly, do James e Annie
Mas fiquei muito desiludida com a autora...espero que os proximos livros sejam melhores! ainda tenho ca em casa "Uma oferta irrecusavel" vamos lá ver como corre a leitura!
Adorei o final!
A Clare que miuda mais miamada, nao gostei nada dela Arrghh!
a Miriam a tratar toda a gente por você, isso é mania á tia, nao tinha nada ver com a miriam que era uma fixe!
Gostei do Jay, da Nadia, da Tilly, do James e Annie
Mas fiquei muito desiludida com a autora...espero que os proximos livros sejam melhores! ainda tenho ca em casa "Uma oferta irrecusavel" vamos lá ver como corre a leitura!
Adorei o final!
May 21, 2013
I need a new shelf - a "should not have finished" one.
This was bad. I think there were so many characters with their own situations going on that the author couldn't do anyone justice. She had several self-absorbed, loathsome characters (Mom Leonie, Sister Clare, Boyfriend Piers, shall I go on???) who just really had no reason to be taking up space.
This was my first book by this author, and also my last. When a typical book like this usually takes me 1.5 days to read, and this one took 4, I really should have called it quits when I said "what? only 23% done?"
This was bad. I think there were so many characters with their own situations going on that the author couldn't do anyone justice. She had several self-absorbed, loathsome characters (Mom Leonie, Sister Clare, Boyfriend Piers, shall I go on???) who just really had no reason to be taking up space.
This was my first book by this author, and also my last. When a typical book like this usually takes me 1.5 days to read, and this one took 4, I really should have called it quits when I said "what? only 23% done?"
March 15, 2016
OH.MY.GOD. I LOVED THIS BOOK! Jill Mansell is now on my favorite authors list. Soon I'll buy all her books (that is when i have money because i recently spent all of my allowance on books). Honestly though, this book should have had an epilouge.
January 30, 2010
Adorei este livro, e adorei como este terminou (literalmente). Não conseguia parar de rir. Muito bom mesmo :)))
Mais uma escritora que gostava de acompanhar.
Mais uma escritora que gostava de acompanhar.
May 31, 2017
I used to love these books when I was in my twenties; it seems I have possibly grown up.
May 24, 2025
A great read, lots of twists to keep me interested right to the end. Witty writing, loved all the characters and thoroughly enjoyed how they intertwined as the narrative developed. Have read lots of Mansell's books and they don't disappoint.
February 26, 2019
Another great my Jill Mansell! I couldn't put it down. Every time I read another one of her books, it's an instant favorite.
February 20, 2021
Not my favorite Jill book, but still solid. It was just a little long and it’s one of her earlier works so she has obviously honed her craft. I’m glad to be reading her again, though!
September 9, 2025
Spannend, aber es verliert sich meiner Meinung nach in zu viele Nebenhandlungen, sodass die eigentliche romantische Geschichte ein bisschen auf der Strecke bleibt. Schade, da die Figuren und der Rest des Schreibstils eigentlich gut waren.
February 9, 2017
Review originally posted on Diary of an Eccentric
What I love most about Jill Mansell’s novels are her humor and her characters, and her latest U.S. release, Nadia Knows Best, doesn’t disappoint. The book centers on Nadia Kinsella, who is in a long-term relationship with stock broker-turned-model Laurie when real estate investor Jay Tiernan rescues her from her car in a snowstorm. The two are forced to room together overnight, and although she finds Jay attractive and is tempted to do more than just share a bed, she is committed to Laurie. Besides, they’ll never see each other again, right?
Months later, when she unexpectedly bumps into Jay, there’s no denying the attraction between them, and Nadia readily accepts his offer of a job designing gardens for the properties he flips. However, there’s still Laurie to worry about, not to mention Jay’s abrupt change in attitude, which has Nadia wondering if he really is the boss from hell.
Meanwhile, the entire Kinsella clan is embroiled in some sort of drama. Nadia’s artist sister Clare is used to having the upper hand in relationships, but the more obvious it becomes that Piers is playing games with her, the more irresistible he becomes. Their father, James, who hasn’t had a real relationship since his wife walked out on him and his daughters years ago, gets a little help in the romance department from their 13-year-old sister, Tilly, who struggles to fit in at school and really wants to build a relationship with Leonie, the free-spirited, irresponsible mother who abandoned them all as children. There’s also Miriam, their spunky grandmother, who is busy trying to suppress a secret from her past that could mean jail time if brought to light.
Once again, Mansell has crafted a fun novel that’s the perfect mix of endearingly flawed characters, humorous misunderstandings, sexual tension, and family drama. Mansell is one of a few authors whose books I know I’ll enjoy even before I begin to read them. Her heroines are women we can relate to, her heroes are simply charming, and her novels are my go-to comfort reads. I loved Nadia from the start, so I could overlook the fact that she was too wishy-washy when it came to the men in her life. Clare was so rude and selfish that it was hard for me to like her, though she did liven things up a bit, but Mansell more than made up for it with sweet little Tilly and Annie, the friendly store clerk she befriends.
Nadia Knows Best is a lighthearted book about giving in to love and not settling for anything less than the real deal. More than that, it’s about unconventional families and how the people who love you most may not be blood relatives, but more importantly, they accept you for who you are and give you the space you need to make your own decisions.
What I love most about Jill Mansell’s novels are her humor and her characters, and her latest U.S. release, Nadia Knows Best, doesn’t disappoint. The book centers on Nadia Kinsella, who is in a long-term relationship with stock broker-turned-model Laurie when real estate investor Jay Tiernan rescues her from her car in a snowstorm. The two are forced to room together overnight, and although she finds Jay attractive and is tempted to do more than just share a bed, she is committed to Laurie. Besides, they’ll never see each other again, right?
Months later, when she unexpectedly bumps into Jay, there’s no denying the attraction between them, and Nadia readily accepts his offer of a job designing gardens for the properties he flips. However, there’s still Laurie to worry about, not to mention Jay’s abrupt change in attitude, which has Nadia wondering if he really is the boss from hell.
Meanwhile, the entire Kinsella clan is embroiled in some sort of drama. Nadia’s artist sister Clare is used to having the upper hand in relationships, but the more obvious it becomes that Piers is playing games with her, the more irresistible he becomes. Their father, James, who hasn’t had a real relationship since his wife walked out on him and his daughters years ago, gets a little help in the romance department from their 13-year-old sister, Tilly, who struggles to fit in at school and really wants to build a relationship with Leonie, the free-spirited, irresponsible mother who abandoned them all as children. There’s also Miriam, their spunky grandmother, who is busy trying to suppress a secret from her past that could mean jail time if brought to light.
Once again, Mansell has crafted a fun novel that’s the perfect mix of endearingly flawed characters, humorous misunderstandings, sexual tension, and family drama. Mansell is one of a few authors whose books I know I’ll enjoy even before I begin to read them. Her heroines are women we can relate to, her heroes are simply charming, and her novels are my go-to comfort reads. I loved Nadia from the start, so I could overlook the fact that she was too wishy-washy when it came to the men in her life. Clare was so rude and selfish that it was hard for me to like her, though she did liven things up a bit, but Mansell more than made up for it with sweet little Tilly and Annie, the friendly store clerk she befriends.
Nadia Knows Best is a lighthearted book about giving in to love and not settling for anything less than the real deal. More than that, it’s about unconventional families and how the people who love you most may not be blood relatives, but more importantly, they accept you for who you are and give you the space you need to make your own decisions.
May 16, 2012
In Nadia Knows Best by Jill Mansell, the Kinsella family is far from conventional with a mother, Leonie who skips out on her husband and two daughters, Nadia and Clare, and drops another daughter, Tilly, off with her former husband James years later. Living with their high-brow grandmother, Miriam, Nadia and Clare are mostly well-adjusted young women sorting out their own lives, while their youngest sister, Tilly, is just 13 and still looking for her place in the family.
With Mansell readers know their will be misunderstandings, false-starts, romance, and comedy, but as with the last few books, there are moments of seriousness as well. Nadia and Laurie have known each other for years and become a couple just as his career as a model begins to take off, prompting Laurie to sever ties and branch out to America and leave Nadia devastated. Her chance meeting with Jay Tiernan, a hot man in the real-estate biz, a year ago still gets her heart beating fast, but it’s unlikely that they will meet again . . . until they do. If that weren’t enough fodder for romance and mishap, Mansell introduces Clare and her shockingly narcissistic boy toy Piers, plus James, their father, finds himself popping into the same newsstand not just to pick up Tilly after work but to see Annie every day without saying a word.
Read the full review: http://savvyverseandwit.com/2012/05/n...
With Mansell readers know their will be misunderstandings, false-starts, romance, and comedy, but as with the last few books, there are moments of seriousness as well. Nadia and Laurie have known each other for years and become a couple just as his career as a model begins to take off, prompting Laurie to sever ties and branch out to America and leave Nadia devastated. Her chance meeting with Jay Tiernan, a hot man in the real-estate biz, a year ago still gets her heart beating fast, but it’s unlikely that they will meet again . . . until they do. If that weren’t enough fodder for romance and mishap, Mansell introduces Clare and her shockingly narcissistic boy toy Piers, plus James, their father, finds himself popping into the same newsstand not just to pick up Tilly after work but to see Annie every day without saying a word.
Read the full review: http://savvyverseandwit.com/2012/05/n...
May 8, 2012
À semelhança de Amores Proibidos, mas com menos erros, este romance foi um tanto confuso. Jill Mansell mais uma vez não se centrou num casal mas fez antes uma mistura de personagens. Penso que ela se encostou um pouco demais ao triângulo amoroso e como no final não conseguiu resolvê-lo facilmente tornou a personagem Laurie a má da fita. Hum, não foi muito satisfatório. Além disso, apesar de ser um pouco óbvio, após sabermos da vida dupla de Laurie, a autora ainda esticou bastante e só conclui o romance mesmo nas ultimas páginas. Sinceramente, não sou muito fã deste feito, visto que gosto de ter oportunidade de saborear um pouco o final de feliz das personagens.
De resto, a fluidez da escrita e a abundância de cenários e personagens caricatas estão lá, o que acaba por nos compensar por tudo o que achámos mais negativo, ou menos bom.
De qualquer forma, adorei Jay, com todos os seus segredos e toda a sua atitude sensual mas ao mesmo tempo querida. Jill Mansell sabe escolher bem e descrevê-los de forma a que nos apaixonemos mais rápido que a personagem feminina.
De resto, a fluidez da escrita e a abundância de cenários e personagens caricatas estão lá, o que acaba por nos compensar por tudo o que achámos mais negativo, ou menos bom.
De qualquer forma, adorei Jay, com todos os seus segredos e toda a sua atitude sensual mas ao mesmo tempo querida. Jill Mansell sabe escolher bem e descrevê-los de forma a que nos apaixonemos mais rápido que a personagem feminina.
June 6, 2012
Os livros desta autora, no que ao humor diz respeito, são todos bastante similares e o formato da história também não difere muito, por essa razão dificilmente há que acrescentar nas opiniões de cada livro.
Neste caso o facto de os livros serem identicos não é, necessáriamente, uma coisa má. Além de raramente nos desiludirmos, ao sabermos com o que podemos contar, conseguimos escolher a altura certa para o ler. O que nem sempre acontece resultando depois em livros inacabados ou que na altura não gostámos mas que num futuro próximo mudamos de opinião.
A autora relaxa-nos com a sua leveza de escrita e humor fácil, neste livro, as personagens principais são além de bem construidas, bastante apraziveis ao nivel da personalidade.
Foi mais um livro da autora que apesar de achar algo inferior a outros, li com vontande e me diverti imenso.
O final, como já me vou acostumando é algo vago, caracteristica que me irrita nesta autora, mas é remediado com uma tirada do protagonista.
Em jeito de conclusão, só tenho a dizer que por enquanto, continuo a apostar nesta autora bem disposta.
Neste caso o facto de os livros serem identicos não é, necessáriamente, uma coisa má. Além de raramente nos desiludirmos, ao sabermos com o que podemos contar, conseguimos escolher a altura certa para o ler. O que nem sempre acontece resultando depois em livros inacabados ou que na altura não gostámos mas que num futuro próximo mudamos de opinião.
A autora relaxa-nos com a sua leveza de escrita e humor fácil, neste livro, as personagens principais são além de bem construidas, bastante apraziveis ao nivel da personalidade.
Foi mais um livro da autora que apesar de achar algo inferior a outros, li com vontande e me diverti imenso.
O final, como já me vou acostumando é algo vago, caracteristica que me irrita nesta autora, mas é remediado com uma tirada do protagonista.
Em jeito de conclusão, só tenho a dizer que por enquanto, continuo a apostar nesta autora bem disposta.
October 13, 2011
Nadia Knows Best is the perfect summer read. Then again, it is also a perfect winter read (especially snuggled up by an open fire, with a blanket and a cup of tea). I have read this book countless times and never tire of the story or humour.
Jill Mansell is the queen of chick-lit and this is the crown of her work. It is light-hearted and full of good ol’-fashioned romantic promise. Okay, you don’t need to use a great deal of brain power whilst reading it, but that is the big draw. Sometimes, after a hard day’s work, or when seriously stressed, all I want to do is fall into a beautiful, bright, love story. It annoys me when people are snobbish about romantic comedies; they are what they are and they’re not trying to be anything else.
So if you just want a brief escape from a drab life - then Nadia Knows Best is the ideal book for you.
Jill Mansell is the queen of chick-lit and this is the crown of her work. It is light-hearted and full of good ol’-fashioned romantic promise. Okay, you don’t need to use a great deal of brain power whilst reading it, but that is the big draw. Sometimes, after a hard day’s work, or when seriously stressed, all I want to do is fall into a beautiful, bright, love story. It annoys me when people are snobbish about romantic comedies; they are what they are and they’re not trying to be anything else.
So if you just want a brief escape from a drab life - then Nadia Knows Best is the ideal book for you.
June 1, 2012
I have to admit that this story had a lot of drama between all family members. But it was really fun to read. I mean between the three sisters, the dad and his new girlfriend, the awful mom and her fiance, then the grandma with her secret and each of the two sisters dealing with their love lives... Way too much, but exciting. I do like the ending. Even though I would have wanted Nadia to stay with her old boyfriend, i can understand why she decided to go for Jay instead. And Tully, so sweet and adorable. Reminds me of my 16 year old sister. Clare, I wanted to smack her around a few times and just put some sense into her. But in the end, she is just a 23 year old... Good book to read!
June 8, 2015
For some reason I felt like picking up a romance book this weekend as I was away. Luckily my mom has a few of these.
I speed read through this book. From the synopsis on the copy of the book I read I couldn't tell we would follow more characters story lines. I can't say I was interested in them. The main love story was predictable. Very much so.
However I did enjoy the voice of Nadia. At moments she made me smile/laugh.
I speed read through this book. From the synopsis on the copy of the book I read I couldn't tell we would follow more characters story lines. I can't say I was interested in them. The main love story was predictable. Very much so.
However I did enjoy the voice of Nadia. At moments she made me smile/laugh.
June 10, 2025
i haven’t touched a jill mansell book since pre-puberty so this reread was long overdue. and to be honest, the rating I’ve given this book was so heavily influenced by the waves of nostalgia that overcame me as I was reading through it, that it cannot be trusted in the slightest. oh to be 10 and experiencing the warmth of a cheesy chick-lit for the first time again
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