The Perfectly Imperfect Woman

<a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="http://www.jerasjamboree.co.uk/2018/05/romance-review-the-perfectly-imperfect-woman-by-milly-johnson.html">http://www.jerasjamboree.co.uk/2018/0...</a><br /><br />Marnie is truly a fabulously flawed character (and one of the best I’ve read in a while). She is totally relatable for any age group and the mistakes could be ones we make ourselves. I really felt for her when she thinks she’s a magnet for others believing the worst of her, a belief obviously set down in childhood and reinforced by the things that happen. I was so defensive on her behalf around her family, Caitlin and her job, wanting to poke their eyes out. Isn’t a great when you’re emotionally invested in a character! In fact I was emotionally invested in them all to some degree … even Kay and Una … and I’ve shed some tears alongside the laughter.<br /><br />The first time Marnie meets the Wychwell crew at the Mayday event had me laughing – definitely one of those Milly Johnson moments. Not an auspicious start for any type of relationship between Herv and Marnie ? I was intrigued with the undercurrents in the Wychwell residents relationships, not only the connection between Marnie and Lilian Dearman but also the residents with each other. What were they hiding? Who could you trust? There’s plenty of secrets to uncover. I didn’t guess the biggest one of all!<br /><br />The Perfectly Imperfect Woman is much more than a romance read with conflicts, secrets and magic sprinkled throughout. And of course cheesecake (what IS the special ingredient I wonder). I wanted to slow down and savour every word but found it impossible. Milly Johnson has written another page turner that ticks all the boxes for me. Don’t miss it!

THE PERFECTLY IMPERFECT WOMAN by Milly Johnson is a book filled with moments - moments that will make you laugh out loud, moments that will make your heart break, and moments where you wish you could crawl between the pages and find yourself in the story so that you could help out the characters that have come to mean so much to you.<br /><br />Marnie Salt has not had an easy life, adopted by a mother (and I use that term very lightly) that didn't want her and being broken down by so many people in her life. But now she is strong, independent, and determined to make it to the top in her career. But she is also lonely. And when she falls for another guy who breaks her heart and lets her down, Marnie loses her career too.<br />Luckily for her, there is a guardian angel in her life in the form of a wacky older lady who says exactly what she thinks and she just might have the answer for Marnie when she offers her a fresh start in the stunning little village of Wychwell with its crazy inhabitants.<br /><br /> As Marnie throws herself into her new life and a new job, she is happy to escape the demons from her past, but as she will soon learn you can never run away from who you are and what has happened in your life ... but maybe, just maybe, the hurt from the past can be softened by opening up to those who want and deserve your love?<br /><br />The title of this story really tells it all and I loved watching Marnie come to realise that she really is enough just the way she is. As her story unfolded my heart broke for the child that she was and all that she had gone through and was still going through. Lilian, Lionel, Herv, and Emelie are such special characters, and I really enjoyed the crazy village with its eclectic cast of gossips and interfering busybodies. <br /><br />THE PERFECTLY IMPERFECT WOMAN by Milly Johnson has it all - drama, romance, mystery, and secrets - but it also sends an important message of loving yourself for who you are and recognising your own worth, and I highly recommend this excellent novel to all fiction fans.<br />

What a book! In part its an ode to a cheesecake, in parts it is the history of a small village in Yorkshire with all of the myths surrounding it, in parts its a story about a realistic main character who has her flaws, but ultimately has a good heart and in parts it is so many other things I can't sit here listing its merits all day! <br /><br />I absolutely loved this book, it took the reader on a rather unexpected journey, it has a few surprises along the way and generally was incredibly gripping throughout. <br /><br />The way Marnie first met Lillian is certainly amusing and memorable, and learning all about the village of Wychwell was interesting. I will say there are a fair few villagers that I really disliked but with a sort of enjoyment to my dislike of them. They weren't main characters but did add an extra dimension to the story. <br /><br />There are so many storylines and subplots in this book that I could take all day just trying to tell you about them. Instead I will say there is plenty in there for everyone, I was never confused, and I loved seeing this look at Marnie's life and how it changed over a period of time. <br /><br />This is an excellent book from Milly Johnson, its just a shame it had to finish. There are some really funny bits, some more emotional sections, it touches on issues such as adoption, there are secrets to be revealed and its just an all around fabulous book. <br /><br />Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Gosh, this book has such a high rating but I didn’t connect with it at all! The plot was just too unbelievable!

<blockquote> <i>Marnie opened up another bottle of wine as they messaged back and forth. Somehow the conversation segued from recipes for cheesecakes to recipes of disaster – i.e. Marnie’s life. Lubricated by fermented grapes, a dam burst inside her and out it all poured in a torrent. Everything.... And Marnie went past caring if the person she was typing to was a genuine elderly lady, a Daily Mail reporter or a serial killer called Darren.</i> </blockquote><br />As usual, Milly Johnson does not disappoint. In this one, Marnie Salt is an attractive, smart, ambitious woman who is also good and kind. She is greatly flawed, as is typical in Milly's heroines, in that she makes very poor choices as far as her relationships with men and friends are concerned. She is epically embarrassed at work due to still another poor choice. She quits her job and moves to a small village, virtually owned by a new older friend she meets in a chat forum online, and finds her mojo and her happy ending. This is not a spoiler as all of Milly Johnson's endings are super happy and satisfying. There is a little magic involved and more than one mystery. And Cheesecake! If you don't like cheesecake, you might not like this book. <br /><br />As Marnie repairs herself, the reader finds out more and more about her painful past and her destructive mother and sister. Milly really likes to pile on her heroines before she triumphantly resurrects them. But the gradual reveal of what Marnie had to endure as a child helps us to understand her so we can't blame her.<blockquote> <i>What a vile family you have, dear. No wonder you have so much difficulty negotiating life. They’ve imprinted a faulty map in you. Totally understandable why you keep losing your way. I have the same map imprinted on me too. We have more in common than you could know.</i> </blockquote><br />I can't help but think this is a book that might have a sequel at some future date. Or at least be revisited in a future book. Although the ending is very cathartic and answers many questions we have been teased with throughout the book, there are a few questions and mysteries left unexplained. <input type="checkbox" class="spoiler__control" aria-label="The following text has been marked spoiler. Toggle checkbox to reveal or hide." onchange="this.labels[0].setAttribute('aria-hidden', !this.checked);" id="4d162c7f-5114-4484-b138-7341727b294e" /><label aria-hidden="true" class="spoiler" for="4d162c7f-5114-4484-b138-7341727b294e">Is there a connection between Mrs. McMaid and Wychwell? Who were Marnie's biological parents? Is she related to Lillian's family in any way? why the resemblance between Marnie and a family portrait in the Manorhouse? Where is the baby's body that was supposedly killed with the witch? Did it live? Will her terrible sister resurface and get her comeuppance? And most importantly, What is the Cheesecake's secret ingredient?In looking at all the questions, I think the reader does know the answers, other than to the last question. Starting with, yes, there was a baby and yes it did live.</label><br /><br />Marnie was a great character in a book of great characters. She is smart, successful, funny, and has a good heart. Although she frustrated me to start out with as far as her poor choice in men, I like that when she learned her lesson, she did not backslide into more poor choices, although she did have me worried a few times. She got more strong and powerful as the book went on without losing her kind and generous nature.<blockquote> <i>She wasn’t someone on a piece of elastic that could be dropped and picked up again when it suited. Nope, she wasn’t that Marnie now and the awareness that she wasn’t shocked her in a warm way. Could she be actually growing up at last? Thanks to a batty old lady who had seen her warts and all and still valued her as something precious?</i> </blockquote>

I have just finished this beautiful book and feel absolutely bereft!<br /><br />Milly Johnson writes with such feeling and emotion that you can't help but be swept along with her characters and storyline like. <br /><br />My heart broke for Marnie but I couldn't stop reading, desperate for her to find happiness and love.<br /><br />I really enjoyed reading about the history of Wychwell which runs alongside the main story and will genuinely miss all the characters. The good and the bad!<br /><br />I really look forward to the next book.

Really struggled with this one which is unusually as I love Milly’s books :(

Marnie loves her job in Beverage Marketing, but she has felt lonely for a long time, even when she’s been in relationships. When she chats to an old lady in an online cheesecake forum, her path crosses with Lilian Dearman. Following an incident at work, Marnie decides to visit Lilian, who, it turns out, owns a village in the Yorkshire Dales. Marnie thinks her stay at Wychwell will be temporary, but little does she know how much her life is about to change.<br /><br /><i>Thank you to Sara-Jade Virtue and Simon &amp; Schuster UK for providing a copy of this book which I won in a competition.</i><br /><br /><i>The Perfectly Imperfect Woman</i> is a feel-good book and a great summer read! Marnie is such a likable main character. She has had to contend with a lot of turbulence in her life from a young age. This is partly because her family are dysfunctional, to say the least. Whilst she does make some mistakes, she learns from them and shows that it’s okay not to be perfect. I was cheering for her throughout the novel.<br /><br />Milly Johnson writes with a warm humour which leaps off the page. Most of the story takes place in the fictional village of Wychwell and you get a real sense of community. There is a diverse range of characters, from the good to the bad to the busy-bodies. Aside from Marnie, my favourite characters are Lilian and Herv. Lilian is one of a kind and she doesn’t give a flying fig about what anyone thinks about her. Herv is originally from Norway and has settled nicely into Wychwell. He is such a sweet guy!<br /><br />The unexpected twists and revelations kept me guessing. Quite a number of the characters have interesting secrets. I also enjoyed reading about the history of Wychwell and the mysteries surrounding this fascinating village which feels like it could be a real place. Last but not least, I loved all the different cheesecake flavours!<br /><br /><a href="https://shazreads.wordpress.com/2018/07/10/book-review-the-perfectly-imperfect-woman-by-milly-johnson/" rel="nofollow noopener">This review</a> also appears on my blog, Shaz Reads.

This is the first time I read something by Milly Johnson. I totally enjoyed the way main character Marnie Salt turns her life around and found this book a very entertaining and light read. Would recommend it to all lovers of chick lit genre.

Marnie just wants to be loved, but finding the right person lands her in the most terrible situations. She doesn't have much luck when it comes to family, boyfriends and friendships, but Lillian is different. When Marnie meets Lillian online she finally forms a friendship that's equal and beneficial to both. Lillian is a little older than Marnie, but they get along fabulously. When one of Marnie's relationships turns into a huge disaster Marnie needs a place to stay. Lillian offers her a cottage and Marnie finally finds the sanctuary she's been looking for.<br /><br />Being in Wychwell heals Marnie's heart, she can finally bake all the cakes she likes and spending time with Lillian is precious. The place might look idyllic, but Marnie knows not everyone is friendly and welcoming. She thinks being in Wychwell is only temporary, but Marnie's sense of duty binds her to the place in an inevitable way. There's no going back and Marnie has to get to know who she is and learn to stand up for herself as quickly as she can, so she will survive the next round of catastrophes in her life. Maybe, if she succeeds, she will even find happiness this time.<br /><br />The Perfectly Imperfect Woman is a wonderful heartwarming story. I fell in love with this book from the start. It's so sweet and original. Marnie is a kindhearted woman, but she's also a bit naive. She's longing to be loved and this sometimes makes her blind to the truth. Milly Johnson describes her feelings in a fantastic understanding way and it was impossible not to like Marnie even if she sometimes doesn't make the most wise decisions. She has a lot of growing up to do and meeting Lillian changes her life for the better. Lillian is generous and loving and she's exactly the person Marnie needs in her life. They're both giving and have big hearts, which makes their friendship incredibly special.<br /><br />Milly Johnson has chosen a gorgeous setting for her story. Wychwell is intriguing and stunning. I love how Milly Johnson's colorful descriptions are making it come to life in a fantastic way. It's the ideal place for a story filled with charm, mystery and kindness. Lillian is fabulously quirky and she perfectly fits into her surroundings. Marnie has finally found a place she belongs and slowly the beautiful person she is fully comes to the surface. I loved Milly Johnson's delicious descriptions of Marnie's cakes and I enjoyed the warm and emphatic way she writes about her main characters. I love how creative her stories are and think The Perfectly Imperfect Woman is a true gem. I highly recommend this brilliant feelgood book that put a huge smile on my face.