Introduction
An Almost Perfect Summer is a standalone romance by Jill Mansell, set in a small, quiet English village that gives the whole story a soft, contemporary feel. It follows a handful of locals and visitors over one summer as their lives overlap in gentle, sometimes messy ways.
A Summary
An Almost Perfect Summer is set in a small, northern English village, with the warmth of a lazy summer afternoon, following a small cast of characters whose lives overlap in charming, humorous ways. Nella arrives after accepting a job offer, but she has spent plenty of her youth here with her grandfather. Yet this time, she finds herself tangled in a slow-burn almost-romance with Nick - one that she tries to deny due to the fact he’s her boss. Meanwhile, Lizzie arrives in the quaint village for peace and quiet, away from her busy life as an actress, however soon she realises that reclusivity may not be what she needs. This novel hosts a cast of charismatic side characters, each involved in their own semi-chaotic lives, all learning how to find friends, acceptance and even sometimes love.
Writing Style
Mansell writes in a third-person style that hops between several characters scattered around the village, giving the whole book a slightly ensemble-cast vibe. Some storylines naturally pull you in more than others, and I definitely found myself more invested in certain characters’ lives while skimming past a few of the less engaging threads. The pacing also reflects that mix as sometimes it flows very slowly, and other times it jumps ahead before you have fully immersed yourself in the moment. However, my favourite part (by far) was her use of description to convey emotions throughout the entire book.
What I Loved
An Almost Perfect Summer was the definition of a cozy read. Its setting of the Cotswold’s provides a comfortable, northern English feel to every page. Despite its cozy, and realistic-feeling setting, it does not concern itself with particularly realistic plotlines, which allows you to feel very safe inside the story. It is the definition of wholesome, with interesting, funny characters and adorable love stories. I like the depth of Lizzie’s character especially - and how her arc continued throughout the story felt extremely heart-warming.
What I Didn’t Love
There are plenty of things that, unfortunately, just didn’t sit well with me while I was reading this - such as the fact that the first few chapters are wholly centered on Nella and Nick, but then their love story is almost entirely over-shadowed by Lizzie’s plotlines. Each time Nella and Nick are about to kiss, or even just admit they love each other, a phone rings or some other classical interruption occurs, which made me think she didn’t want sex mentioned at all during the book. However, sex is mentioned multiple times, along with intimate kissing scenes in other character’s plot lines. This feels like Mansell originally intended it to be a love story but then fell in love with Lizzie’s character arc and essentially abandoned Nella and Nick’s story in the process.
There were also multiple plot lines throughout this book that felt as if Mansell was simply trying to fill the pages, rather than tell a heart-warming, cohesive story and because of this, a lot of them were not well-written or set up.
Recommendation
If you want a book that doesn’t expect much from you, but you can enjoy over an afternoon of relaxation, this would be it. However, if you want a cozy read rooted in realistic circumstances, An Almost Perfect Summer would be a hard pass.
Songs
Songs that I find reminiscent of the book:
Rises the Moon by Liana Flores
This is Home by Cavetown
Blondie by Current Joys
Feels Like Home by WE ARE CHPTRS
(P.S. We made them links so feel free to click on them and get teleported straight into the vibes.)
