Amber, Lachlan and Raffaele met as teenagers in the Cornish seaside home of kind-hearted foster parents. Years on, the bond between them is unbreakable
But Amber has a secret. She’s in love with Lachlan. She can’t tell him, because that would never work – he’s definitely not the settling-down type. Surely it’s better to keep him as a friend than to risk losing him for good?
Raffaele has his own dilemma. He had the dream girlfriend in Vee, until it all went horribly wrong . . . and he still can’t understand why. Is Vee hiding something from him?
Now their widowed foster dad Teddy has found new love. Younger, charming and beautiful, Olga seems perfect. But is she? Or will she break Teddy’s fragile heart?
Against a backdrop of sparkling seas and sunny skies, the unexpected is always just around the corner. Welcome to Lanrock!
Review:
Just lovely!
Should I Tell You? has a lot going on–there’s more POV characters than I’m used to these days, and in the beginning it’s all a little tough to keep track of as we’re not only shifting between POVs but we’re also taking frequent trips back in time with Lachlan, Amber, and Raffaele as they reflect on their early days in foster care and how they all came to meet and be friends. To be honest, though I enjoyed the book at that point, it wasn’t until the narrative was fully anchored in the present that the book became pretty much unputdownable. There’s a lot of reveals along the way, so in order to keep this spoiler-free I’m going to have to be a little general. You’ll have to read it yourself if you want all the details (#sorrynotsorry ;))
There isn’t anything groundbreakingly different here–it’s a story about found families and friends, finding love where and when you (possibly) least expect it, and second chances. It’s the execution that makes this one so much fun to read. I really liked all the characters, even the ones I spent a lot of time shaking my head at and the one I wasn’t sure could be trusted for approximately 93% of the book. Let’s just say that Lachlan and I may share a few trust issues 😉 The location is absolutely lovely, and there were more than a few lines that made me laugh out loud. There may also have been a few tears–mostly happy ones!–and there was absolutely a great big happy sigh when I finished it. Was it somewhat predictable? Sure. Did I mind? Not at all.
Every time I finish a Jill Mansell book, I wonder why I haven’t read more of them. Hopefully I won’t let as much time pass between reading this one and the next, because her books are absolutely lovely!
Rating: 4 stars / A-
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.