Nadia Knows Best Paperback – May 1, 2012

The PremiseNadia Kinsella meets Jay Tiernan during a snowstorm where they’re forced into spending the night together. In a non-sexual way of course. Of course she's tempted. But Nadia’s already met The One. She and Laurie have been childhood sweethearts, but she doesn’t see as much of Laurie, who is a model/actor and of course, unbelievably gorgeous. So, nothing happens between Nadia and Jay...but then Laurie dumps Nadia, and the fun starts.My ThoughtsMansell’s stories are strong because of the worlds she builds with fully realized characters and this one was populated with alot of unpleasant ones. I would have liked more time getting to know Jay, and seeing his POV, which would have helped things along. I feel that it’s clear he’s the one you should root for, but you don’t spend anytime with him and frankly he gave up pretty easily once Laurie was back on the scene, which I didn’t like. Also, Clare is a horribly selfish, mean, nasty cow that you don’t get to sympathize with because there’s never a moment where I understand why she’s horrid. Even when things go wrong for her, I was pretty glad because she doesn’t deserve any happiness. The rest of the family are more sympathetic, and I liked Annie/James and Cal/Tilly’s scenes.Nadia’s not bad, but she is a bit flighty - reminds me in passing of a Bridget Jones type emotionally, but considering her sister she’s much more sympathetic.The Bottom LineProbably my least favorite of the Mansell stories I’ve read so far, mostly due to the secondary characters, well mostly Clare, and lack of affection for them. However, while I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it either. I just wouldn’t recommend it be your first.

this is the kind of book where, at the end of it, you go "aww"....and wish for more pages, so you can find out more, spend more time with, enjoy more of the company of the delightful family rendered here so lovingly. well, i had that reaction, anyway. and i have seemed to have that same reaction to each jill mansell book i read!this is book #6 (?) of jill mansell's books i have read so far. waited forever for this book to go on sale. and after waiting for 2 years, it did. well, it was worth the wait. this author has the uncanny way of allowing you into the lives of people who start out, at the beginning of the book, as strangers, and who, by the end of the book, you swear you've met somewhere and would love to be invited over for tea in their lovely english garden.i love the british charm of these books; there are certain brit-speak sayings/products/slang/places/personalities here that you can fairly easily solve with context clues. jill mansell's books usually take place in the country, as opposed to the city, areas of england, so: extra charm, and lots of details an urban american just loves to hear about.there was a very large cast of delightful characters here, a larger cast than normal for these books. there is a sort of formula here, for j m's books. but it's a winning one: silly but wonderful girl meets boy, they meet cute, then drama ensues. in-between, there is plenty of adorable/funny/sweet/charming/poignant dialogue to read, surrounded with knowing nuggets of thoughts about human nature, and wonderful character interactions.if you guess the end of the book, who cares? it's the journey, and with this author, you are guaranteed a lovely visit, with charming stops along the way. take the time to enjoy all that this author gives- and don't be too surprised if you leap up to order the next book in the next moment after you finish this.this is my favorite j m book so far. it's almost as if she's a modern day jane austen.....very highly recommended. read them all.... i am going to!

I am a huge fan of Mansell's, and Nadia Knows Best did not disappoint. Nadia is a landscape artist who gets accepts a job working for Jay, a man she spent one tempting night with snowed in at a pub. The boyfriend Nadia was so determined to stay faithful to leaves her, and it's a year-and-a-half later when she begins working for Jay. Feelings start to develop between them, just in time for Laurie - the ex-boyfriend - to decide he wants Nadia back. Who will Nadia choose?What I love about Mansell's novels is that the supporting characters are so well developed and have lives of their own that the reader gets swept into. So while I was waiting for Nadia to wake up and pick the right man instead of dilly-dallying, I got to enjoy her sister's adventures with her jerk boyfriend, her younger sister's adventures with growing up, her father's quest for love, and her grandmother's attempts to hide parts of her past. This family really came alive for me, in a wonderfully dysfunctional way. Everyone is just doing the best they can with what life is throwing at them, much the way we all are.I cannot express enough how much I adore Jill Mansell's novels. I definitely recommend!

The family dynamics are just one of the reasons I've read this book so many times. Another is the fact that Jill Mansell knows how to intricately weave multiple plots and multiple characters in such a way that the reader becomes truly invested in the lives portrayed on the pages. Un-put-down-able.

There were some laugh out loud funny moments here. I got several stares from people when I burst out laughing at work. The romance was nice, even though Nadia made me mad for a good portion of the book. She has to choose between two men, and it is obvious who she should choose, but she can't seem to tell the other guy to get lost. It was very frustrating. I also didn't care for any of the side stories. Mansell books usually have several story lines going at once. I only cared about Nadia's story. Her sister was mean and self centered. And she never got her due, which was annoying. And the other stories were just not interesting.That being said, I still give it three stars because it was funny, and I read it in one day. I probably wouldn't read it again, but it was entertaining.

I started reading this book at 8:30am. It was recommended to me by a trusted author.It's now 3pm and I am starving because I skipped lunch in favour of finishing this lovely, light and enchanting read.Mansell has a permanent fan in me.Unless the book is about Clare. Good Lord she was odious.But otherwise, take my money and give me the good times!

Loved this book reading it I became a character.in this book. Fully involved wanting to scheme in Nadias love life with Jay.had to wait to the end. Loved it sequel please

Nadia Knows Best is a fabulous book - yes, it's not a Booker finalist, but it's still wonderfully well-written and addresses the topic of abandonment (in various forms)with respect - and fun! Nadia is one of the most likeable heroines you'll find, and Jay is - well, everything you want "the" man to be. As with all of Mansell's books, it's the secondary characters that make the story, by providing realistic dialog, humor, and setting up our Nadia to finally find love. One of Mansell's best!

Loved this book a bit unsure at the beginning but stuck with it and yes really enjoyable and couldn’t wait for the end ... a great read

I know that I can always pick up to read a book by Jill Mansell and know that I will have a smile on my face before the end of the first page. This book is the same, written with a sureness of touch to keep me entertained from beginning to end.