Review: Perfect Timing by Jill Mansell.

When you meet the man of your dreams on girls night out, it's hardly…Perfect TimingIn this fresh and funny contemporary romance by bestselling author Jill Mansell, Poppy Dunbar's whole life gets turned upside down after a chance encounter with a handsome stranger...Never a troublemaker, Poppy had always been content with the way things were supposed to be done—which included marrying predictable Rob McBride. But that was before she met Tom Kennedy the night before her wedding. Could she really be falling in love with a stranger?Unable to forget Tom, or go through with the wedding, Poppy runs off to London. Her new life and colorful friends are anything but predictable. Misunderstandings, family secrets, and jealous quarrels ensue, but can Poppy stop running long enough to figure out what—or, rather, who—is in her heart?PRAISE FOR JILL MANSELL:"Pick this up at your peril: you won't get a thing done till it's finished." Heat magazine"Classy chick-lit that appeals to women of all ages. She [Jill Mansell] has a fantastic ability to keep a number of storylines running at the same time without losing the reader in a labyrinth." Daily Express"Slick, sexy, funny stories." Daily Telegraph"A romantic romp full of larger-than-life characters." Express "Fast, furious and fabulous fun. To read it is to devour it." Company"...

Poppy Dunbar, red head, slim and full of life is at her bachelorette party when she bumps into Tom Kennedy. She instantly feels like she has known him all her life. She gets mixed feelings about how her life will be when she marries Ron McBride. Her life would be so plain and simple and she loved Rob, but realizes she is not IN LOVE with him. Tom Kennedy helps Poppy with her foot when she fell outside the club. When her friend comes outside to look for her, she finds Poppy outside with a handsome stranger.

Poppy tells Tom she is to be married tomorrow to her fiancé and he tells her he wishes she wouldn’t get married. He told her to meet him at a little pub in an hour. Poppy is really tempted to meet Tom that night. She gets in the cab and makes her way to the pub. When she arrives, she can’t get out of the cab; she just can’t do it and tells the cab driver to take her home. Since that day, she has never stopped thinking about Tom Kennedy.

Poppy breaks the news to Rob and tells him, she can’t marry him. He’s infuriated with her, but she knows in the end, she’s doing the right thing. He’s such a nice person, but deserves someone better, who loves him for him. Poppy’s father wasn’t a very affectionate man. Her mother died in a bad car accident leaving Poppy with just her dad.

We find out that Poppy’s father is not her real dad which explains his nonchalant attitude towards her all these years. Poppy is a product of her mother’s affair.

She moves to London to get away from all the bad rumors, to get away from the McBrides and to find her real father. She also goes to London in hopes that she will find Tom Kennedy. Poppy ends up renting a flat with room mates: Claudia (very high maintenance, blonde, beautiful and Caspar- artist, handsome, brunette and also owns the house).

I love how Mansell has so many characters in her books. Poppy’s room mates were a delight to get to know. Each one of them had their own situations and in the end all of them came out with a great turnout. Claudia ends up with the love of her life who is clearly the total opposite of what she expects, but she loves him regardless and their love story was so cute. Poppy, on the other hand, has her own dilemma and she does find Tom Kennedy. She loves him, he loves her, they move in with each other and things are just as happy as they can be. But, being Poppy Dunbar, things don’t always end up the way you think. I can say that Poppy does find her father, but she doesn’t tell him that she is his daughter, but he already knew this.

In the end, everyone is together with whom I wanted them to be with. Poppy ends up with the person she is suppose to be with and she finally gets married once and for all. She is no longer known as the girl who leaves the groom at the altar. An enjoyable read and full of fun loving characters to follow. Thanks Ms. Mansell for another good read!