Miranda's Big Mistake

Written by Jill Mansell

Narrated by Gabrielle Baker

Revenge is a dish best served sweet . . .

Miranda's most recent male-related catastrophe is the seemingly perfect Greg. He's gorgeous, witty, and they're on the brink of falling madly in love . . . until Miranda finds out he's just left his pregnant wife.

With the help of her friends, Miranda plans the most delicious revenge a heartbroken girl can get. But will Miranda learn from her mistake, or move on to the next "perfect" man and ignore the love of her life waiting in the wings?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Aug 7, 2018
• ISBN: 9781977372826

Jill Mansell

With over 10 million copies sold, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jill Mansell writes irresistible and funny, poignant and romantic tales for women in the tradition of Marian Keyes, Sophie Kinsella and Jojo Moyes. She lives with her partner and their children in Bristol, England.

Reviews for Miranda's Big Mistake

[annebrooke · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This started off well enough, though I did find Miranda faintly irritating from the start - she's just too ditsy and so terribly nice that I instantly took against her, as it were. However, that's not a huge problem, as her friends and colleagues provide a far greater level of interest and have a decent-ish amount of page space - so if you get fed up with Miranda, then you soon have Chloe (who is Greg's newly pregnant and abandoned wife) and Bev (the man-mad colleague) to look forward to and concentrate on.Greg, of course, is the man we all love to hate - he blames Chloe for getting pregnant and breaking her word to him about not wanting babies and instantly leaves her. Because he's just a very nasty man, to be honest. He's also rather unbelievable as I simply didn't credit that Greg could be such a downright despicable cad and yet get two nice women (Chloe and later Miranda) to fall for him. He's really more caricature than character - and this is also the case with Chloe's dreadful boss and his wife. Both of these people are frankly so horrible that I just kept laughing at them, and I'm not convinced that was the reaction Mansell was intending. Oh well.Never mind, as there are a couple of menfolk in the mix who are adorable in every way - Fenn, the definitely straight hairdresser, and Miles, the lovely and witty famous racing driver, are a delight and should have had far more page space here than they actually do. It's a bit of a lost opportunity for the men, to be honest. Also, something dreadful happens to Miles about three-quarters of the way through which I think was totally unnecessary and rather stupid - and this leaves the way free for journalist Danny to take the place of the dreadful Greg as Miranda's potential partner. Are you keeping up at the back? I do hope so!…It's a shame then that Danny is so terribly shallow and unattractive - in fact at one point after the Miles Debacle, he thinks something so utterly prejudiced and unloving about Miranda's potential relationship with Miles that I wanted to beat him to death with his own laptop. What a horrible man! Really, he and the irritating Miranda probably deserve one another but they're definitely not going to be happy as they simply don't gel …So there it is. A mixed bag of a book, with an unlikeable heroine and hero, but with some very good secondary characters we should have seen more of.Verdict: 3 stars. Average.

[tahleen · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not my favorite by Mansell, but definitely enjoyable. Lots of lovable characters and fun situations, though things get serious at some points. I forgot to log this, so I don't remember when I finished it unfortunately.

[tjsjohanna_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Miranda is impulsive and soft hearted and ready to jump into love. She has good friends and watching them all Stock by each other was delightful.

[radella_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

But enjoyable, nonetheless.Miranda is the trainee at one of the trendiest hair salons. It's not quite clear how she has managed to keep her job- her regular tardiness is something of a joke among the shop workers. She lives with an elderly lady, doing things around the house for cheap rent. She's a bit of a pushover, always wanting to help others out. She's a bit of a dull character, with a ridiculously complicated love life. She first falls in love with Greg, only to find he isn't what she thinks. Then there's Miles, a race car driver. Throughout it all is Danny. Miranda and Danny are constantly at odds, until they suddenly aren't.What really makes this story interesting, and the only thing that kept me reading, are all the side characters. The side stories are the redeeming quality in this book. Miranda's isn't the only love life who we get to see. There's Miranda's landlady who reconnects with an old friend and Chloe, another renter who unexpectedly falls in love in the midst of a divorce and pregnancy.Miranda isn't all that interesting, and many of the situations she finds herself in are too contrived to be believable. She never really learns her lesson. Chloe, however, was a great character. I would have enjoyed more of her story in this story!

[jackieblem · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a wonderfully complex book about the sisterhood of friendship and an unwitting love triangle with a very deceptive Mr Wrong. There are several love stories woven into this one book, all of them charming, but the revenge plan cooked up by those wronged by Mr Wrong was by far my favorite--it had me holding my ribs and crying with laughter and re-reading it a couple of times to savor the cleverness of it. Mansell's characters really leap off the page and into your heart. A fun, fun read!

[reeread · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An interesting tangle of relationships which does eventually sort itself out when identities are finally revealed. Miranda can get a bit too irritating at times with her soft heartedness and daffiness and seems to bounce from one relationship to another without too many ill effects in spite of fairly big ticket issues like betrayal and death rearing their heads.

[bermudaonion_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Miranda is an apprentice in a trendy hair salon owned by Fenn. When it comes to love, Miranda makes bad decisions and only seems to fall for pigs. Bev is the receptionist in Fenn’s salon and all she dreams of is getting married and having four boys. Their luck seems to change when they attend a charity function – the only problem is they both fall for the same guy, Greg.In the meantime, Chloe is a shop-girl married to a guy named Greg. She thinks things are fine and that’s she’s happily married until she accidentally becomes pregnant. Greg is less than thrilled with the pregnancy and leaves Chloe.By a strange twist of fate, Miranda and Chloe both end up boarding with an older lady named Florence. After living together for a little while, they discover that they share Greg in common. That’s when the fun begins. They cook up a scheme to get even with Greg. Now, Miranda needs to get back on track and learn from her mistakes. Sometimes that’s easier said than done.Miranda’s Big Mistake by Jill Mansell is a delightful example of chick lit. I was able to relate to the characters, even though I’m quite a bit older than most of them. The story line is fun and easy to follow and I didn’t get lost with the sub-plots running throughout. I loved that it’s not sexually explicit or loaded with foul language. I also loved the fact that it’s loaded with British terms, since the author is British – that just seems to make chick lit more fun for me. The story is somewhat predictable but there were a few unexpected turns in it for me. This book would be a great summer read!

[sagustocox · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"'You can be a bridesmaid if you want.' Tom's relief was audible. 'Dear Florence. So you don't think I'm making the biggest mistake of my life?''If you're having fun, how can it be a mistake? The last thing I ordered from a mail-order catalogue was a non-stick saucepan,' Florence told him, 'and after a week the bloody handle dropped off.'" (Page 71)Jill Mansell's Miranda's Big Mistake is a rip-roaring good time that will have you guffawing so loudly your friends, your neighbors, and people on the Metro will want to read what your reading."Sleety rain dripped down Miranda's neck as she tipped her head back to drink the lager straight from the bottle. Her short black hair, urchin-cut and currently streaked with dark blue and green low-lights, gleamed like a magpie's wing." (Page 13)Miranda is a junior at Fenn Lomax's trendy hair salon in London, and her love life is a disaster, but she just doesn't know it yet. Her landlady, Florence, gets around in a wheelchair and is full of piss and vinegar. Her boss can be demanding, but he's really a big softie. Miranda's men--Greg, Miles, and Danny--have her twisting and turning, while love is simmering beneath the surface for Fenn, her flatmate Chloe, and her best friend Bev."'It isn't a smirk. I never smirk. I'm not dopey either. I just wondered, do you have a girlfriend?''Why, are you offering? All applications for the post in writing, please. Just send a copy of your CV and a brief letter outlining why you feel you'd be the best woman for the job. If you make the short list, you'll be invited to attend for an interview--'" (Page 167)Mansell is adept at crafting in-depth characters with unique personalities and their actions make them even funnier. The sexual tension between Miranda and Miles and Miranda and Danny is electric, leaping off the page to zap readers through the tips of their fingers. Miranda's Big Mistake not only oozes modern romance, but also sarcasm and wit. The dialogue is sharp and the plot will keep readers moving quickly, keeping them on their toes and cheering Miranda on. Grab a copy of Miranda's Big Mistake and hit the beach.