Brilliant book, strong characters, family, friendship and community. We all have our flaws and this just shows we need to love ourselves and there's someone out there for everyone,
another classic from Milly!

This is the story of Marnie. It starts where she is an important member of a firm and has worked hard to get where she is. Then along comes a male and that blows everything out the water. As she drunkenly goes on line, she gets talking to Lillian and spills her heart out. This is not such a bad thing when she needs to escape and Lillian has the perfect cottage for her.



The whole book unravels Marnie’s life, Lillian’s and most of the residents of Wychwell Village. The secrets come out and backs are up with the new comer. The history is brilliant and Milly takes us on such an adventure that in true Milly style it touches on very hard subjects. The writing style allows the reader to feel the hurt in the characters but not to the extent it would affect them. The book is written so the reader can’t see what’s coming next and the characters are believable people. I had this on audio and loved the almost soap feel of the segments on my commute – would highly recommend – but then there isn’t a Milly Johnson book I’ve read that I wouldn’t recommend

This was just an absolutely delightful and feel good book to read. I just adored it. A perfect beach read .

A heartwarming, delightful read from Milly Johnson, full of the author's down to earth characterisation and humour. Very enjoyable and a perfect 'one sitting read' treat.

Marnie has made plenty of mistakes in her life. Her latest drives her away from her home, her job and her friends. But actually Marnie hasn't really found her true home or her true job. And as for her friends and family it all seems to have been a lie.

When she makes friends with an old lady, Lilian, on an internet chat room and blurts out her whole story, little does she know that it is about to change her life forever.

Marnie heads to Wychwell, in the Yorkshire Dales. To seek sanctuary in the village of Lilian's. It is in fact Lilian's village, she is the owner, the lady of the manor in fact. 

When events take a rather odd turn, Marnie it turns out is the one the whole village will look up to and her actions are going to be under scrutiny.

Not only is Marnie dealing with the fallout of her sudden role, but the death of her adoptive mother, her precious sister and her flaky friend. Plus there are rumours abound in the village about a witch.

There is so much packed into this book and the characters really pop off the page. Marnie is flawed as are all humans, but she doesn't accept her flaws and cannot see what anyone else could possibly see in her. But as readers we can and so does some of the key characters. Marnie's background brought tears to my eyes and could quite easily have made a sadder story than it turned out to be. 

Village life, baking, gossips, rumours of witches, deaths, handsome men, meddling neighbours and love. Everything you want in a book and more!

This is one of the better Milly Johnson books I have read.

The book had me reading at every available opportunity. It was a captivating story and thoroughly enjoyable. I do tend to always choose the same sort of books and this one didn't disappoint.

The Perfectly Imperfect Woman was another great book by Milly. I just loved it, it hooked me in from the first few pages and I could not put it down. I look forward to reading her next book as you just know it will be fab.

I love Milly Johnson books - they are always a ray of sunshine on a grey day. I was not disappointed with this one. Her books just get better and better.

Lovely village location, wonderful cast of characters, excellent villains, fantastic manor house and the mystery of the pink lady ghost. All alongside wonderful cheesecakes!

Highly entertaining, twists and turns throughout. Heartwarming - a journey through happiness, heartbreak, secrets, love and romance.

Another gem from Milly Johnson - highly recommended! I would love a sequel to this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

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.

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!

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!

One of the things that attracted me to this novel, was the title.  The Perfectly Imperfect Woman. The very idea of being Perfectly Imperfect is refreshing, don't you think? Throughout society, and especially through social media, there is (and always has been) the pressure on women to be "perfect".  Society has an idealistic view of how women should look, talk, act, and even dress.  With this novel there is a refreshing and delightfully different view, that I personally feel is better than society's view - women (regardless of age, etc.) are Perfectly Imperfect.

That's much nicer isn't it?

Besides this I absolutely loved this book.  Full of fantastic characters, witty and humorous, with a superb plot too, this novel really is amazingly brilliant.  I read the entire book in a day, and laughed and cried along with the characters.  When you can fully immerse yourself in a book, that is when you know for a fact that it is a well-written, and just plain awesome.    

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that I will be rereading this novel in the future, and it will most definitely be a well-loved addition to my (rather large) book collection. I highly recommend getting yourself a copy, and I'm sure the perfectly imperfect characters will steal your heart, just like they did mine.  

***** stars from me!

I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley, in exchange for a honest review.

As always with Milly Johnson’s books, I found “The Perfectly Imperfect Woman” really hard to put down! It’s a love story but something a bit different and unexpected, and with some twists and turns along the way.

Marnie has had a generally difficult and unhappy life when, one day, she makes a new friend – Lilian – in an online forum for cheesecake fans. Despite the big age gap, they become firm friends and eventually meet up for lunch. Something unpleasant then happens regarding Marnie’s job, and she flees to Lilian and the village that Lilian owns.

Marnie makes fabulous cheesecakes and finds an outlet for her creations, albeit temporarily, and soon becomes a big part of the village family.

I was totally hooked and didn’t want the story to end; in fact, I think a sequel is called for! The characters were all totally believable (I’m sure we all know a Titus!) and the storyline was superb. I just loved this book and highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster UK Fiction for an ARC in return for a fair and honest review.

I am a massive fan of Milly Johnson books they are always a great pick me up and I love the style in which she writes. The Perfectly Imperfect Woman did not disappoint, the lead character in this book is Marnie and she wears her heart on her sleeve so you get to know her really well in the first couple of chapters and they were all it took for me to want to keep reading.

I fell in love with the village of Wychwell it was brilliantly described throughout and paints the scene of a perfectly imperfect little village that still has an air of mystery even for the people who live there. I found this book moreish and wanted to keep reading to see what was in store for Marnie next as she appeared to tumble from disaster to disaster.

A brilliantly descriptive story that sucked me in, I would love to see another instalment of this book to see what came next for Marnie and the lovely village of Wychwell.

This book is incredibly heart warming and so beautifully written. One that will stay with me forever. So romantic!
Bravo Milly you have done it again another bestseller! Love love loved this!

It's been a while since I've read any Milly Johnson's books and I'm not really sure why as I always enjoy them. The Birds and The Bees was a particular favourite and I still remember Adam fondly as one of my favourite book heroes! The Perfectly Imperfect Woman is another completely delightful read from Milly Johnson.

First of all I should say, don't read this if you are feeling at all hungry - you will be craving cheesecake from the first chapter onwards! Marnie has always been the black sheep of the family and my goodness didn't her mother let her know it. After a disastrously and very public end to a relationship, Marnie moves to the quiet village of Wychwell to try to figure out what to do with her life. As as stopgap, she sets up a  kitchen baking her mouth-watering cheesecakes for a tea-room. She has been invited to Wychwell by her friend, Lilian, an older lady who she met online on a cheesecake forum. I loved Lilian with her wicked sense of humour. I pictured her as having a real twinkle in her eye and she certainly put up with no nonsense from anyone.
The were plenty other fabulous characters including Marnie and the rather handsome Herv the Norwegian gardener, who she was determined not to like since she'd sworn off all men. As well as some wonderful characters, there were also some of the most unpleasant characters I have read about in any book. Marnie's adoptive family were prime amongst these as well as Titus the bookkeeper for the estate. As some of Marnie's early life is hinted at and revealed throughout the book I grew more outraged on her behalf. She definitely did not deserve to be treated as she had been and it was lovely to see her blossom throughout the book as she made the most of the opportunities offered to her.

There was more than a hint of magic woven throughout the book with the story of the witch buried down the well, the location of which had been forgotten and the resulting bad luck which seemed to follow the Dearman family. Then there is the small matter of the mysterious lights or ghosts seen roaming the Manor House at night. And not forgetting the mysterious little something extra which Marnie adds to her cheesecakes, the mystery ingredient given to her by her beloved neighbour Mrs McMaid when she was younger.

The Perfectly Imperfect Woman was a joy to read from the first page to the last, pure entertainment and a really feel-good book. It's full of warmth, humour, emotion, love, mystery - and cheesecake!

This is the first Milly Johnson novel I've read and it won't be the last.

When we first meet Marnie she is a businesswoman determined to do the best she can in a male dominated world. She has a history of picking the wrong men and is out to make sure that changes - of course it doesn't and so the foundationa for the usual chick lit novel I thought were laid out. How wrong I was!

What followed was the most engrossing read. Marnie meets a lady on an internet chat board about Cheesecakes and again at first it seemed a little contrived that the lady goes on to offer Marnie a cottage rent free.

Once Marnie is settled in the cottage a whole whodunnit is unleashed, both about the village and it's lost well, which legend states contains a dead witch - and is Marnie in some way connected to the village? I got totally lost in this book once Marnie began making cheesecakes and living in the village.

This has to be the first book of this type that I have found to contain so many twists and turns within it. If you think this is going to be a formulaic read, then think again. Yes, there is a love interest and there is some romance but there is also so much, much more.

I found Milly's writing to be very down to earth and at times was a little taken aback at the ground roots language she used - but I liked it. I also liked the way Marnie's character developed and loved the village of Wychwell - I could imagine it, inhabitants, cottages and all through Milly's words.

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars and my thanks to to Netgalley for a copy of the book for review.

Thoroughly enjoyed this, one of her best titles yet. A brilliant cast of characters in a very compelling and mysterious plot.
I will be recommending this a lot to anyone who wants a light read that isn't too frothy, it's perfectly balanced.

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster, and Milly Johnson for the ARC to review. I picked this book from the cover and I am glad I did. I loved the main character Marnie. She was a lost soul, with a lot of baggage and yet she preserved. Marnie's family was awful to her, and she had to find the love of strangers to feel loved at all. I was so glad to see her find somewhere to start over, and heartbroken to see it all fall apart so soon after she got there. I loved the characters that made up the village. I was tickled pink that Titus' wife was stepping out on him, and I loved the way she told him that their marriage was over. Bravo!! I just wish they had thrown Titus in jail for stealing all Lillian's money. I was disappointed that Marnie was not Lillian's daughter. I really thought that Lillian and the Vicar where going to be her parents. However, I loved the way the author tied up all the loose ends at the end of the story. Marnie deserved to have a happy ending. I will be adding Milly Johnson to my favorite authors and look forward to finding another of her books to read.

So many twists and turns in this book! This one constantly had me on the back foot, not knowing what was going to happen next, especially when it came to what or who was going to be revealed. Plot wise there are so many sub plots going on, it can get a touch confusing at times but seeing them each tied up was definitely satisfying.

In terms of characters, there is a wonderful cast in this novel. All the usual characters you would expect in a small village, but each of them had their own little secret or little quirk that you really won't be expecting. There are some seriously good villains who you will love to hate and who live up to their reputations! And then of course there is main character Marnie.

Marnie has had a tough life and Milly Johnson throws a whole lot more at her in this book. I actually uttered the phrase 'oh what now?' For poor Marnie. She's interesting to read about because she is just an ordinary woman who's living a rather extra ordinary life.

Cheesecake is another character in this book as you might be able to tell if you follow this author on any social media. There are some really great baking scenes in this book and flavours of cheesecake mentioned so this novel does come with a warning not to read on an empty stomach.

The thing I really loved about this book was Milly Johnson's way with words. Her northern humour really does jump right off the page and she has some classic phrases in there! She doesn't mince words and so there is some colourful language throughout the novel by I absolutely loved it and felt so at home in her world!

I love, love , love Milly Johnson and just when you think she can’t get any better she totally smashes it. What a great read. Marnie Salt is a fantastic well rounded character you totally fall in love with her and her haphazard life, her mother and sister are hideous characters who deserve a good slapping. And then alongside all this you have cheesecake, oh my! It’s a shame we didn’t get a map of Wychwell with the proof but I hear it’s pretty special. I hope we get to visit Wychwell again as there a lot of villagers who have a story to tell. Just so sad that I’ve finished it but I couldn’t put it down once I’d started it

Milly Johnson's latest novel The Perfectly Imperfect Woman is like a warm hug from an old friend. Sweet, funny and cleverly poignant, its possibly her best yet.