Member Reviews

The Unlikely Life of Maisie Meadows is a charming, whimsical story about family, inter-generation friendships, and finding what's lost with a sprinkle of magic.
It is a light and easy read on the beach or by the pool with something bubbling. The only thing I didn't enjoy was what seems like never ending, flirtatious cat and mouse chase between Maisie and her boss, Theo.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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This book was pretty good. the pacing was a little off but other than that I really enjoyed it! I hope you pick this up when it comes out in July.

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Before i begin, i'd like to point out that, if your hamster does backflips continuously, your hamster suffers from a neurological issue called "Stargazing".

Thank you so much to Avon Publication and Netgalley for a copy of the ARC.
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The Unlikely Life of Maisie Meadows was an awfully delightful read and i loved it!

Maisie's utterly lovable and i liked her from the very beginning. I liked her colleagues at Gildersleeves (one of them stole my heart, he's unbelievably sweet). Each of them with their vastly different personalities made for their quirky interactions and really kept me hooked to the story. They're an absolutely charming bunch to be around.

Also, hats off to Jenni Keer. I'm utterly impressed with the portrayal of the Meadows family. As with the many things in real life, their story didn't end as expected, but that's okay.

The romance was gratifying. I loved watching my confused babies try to figure things out, it was entertaining.

4 stars

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This is a very quirky book with a lovely lead character in Maisie who is the centre point of her disjointed family. When her parents divorced years ago it lead to a gradual separation between all the family including her three siblings however Maisie is desperate for her family to reunite. A chance find at her new job at an auction house sends her on a treasure hunt but will it fulfil her dream?

I was initially unsure of this book, the first chapter does it no justice however once Maisie arrives at the auction house it finds its natural flow and is a great book to settle into. There’s a great mix of characters at the auction house and her family provide plenty of colour, the charming story is unusual and does leave you questioning whether coincidence or magic is at play.

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This is Jenni Keer’s second book and it was just as enjoyable as the first.

When Maisie finds herself alone at New Year having lost her boyfriend and job in one go, she decides this is the year to reunite her scattered and dysfunctional family. The story follows Maisie in her quest to bring her family back together, and ends with surprising results.

A lovely and easy read with a great cast of quirky characters which kept me entertained throughout.

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Maisie is the youngest of four siblings and is the one that holds everyone together. She is trying to reunite her family for a dinner, to recreate the memories she has of the last Christmas they were all together, and in her mind, when everything was perfect. But can she assemble her siblings and parents who can’t even stand one another?

Maisie also has a new job in an auction house. She stumbles upon a teapot that used to belong to her childhood neighbour, Meredith Meyhew, a woman who assisted her when her family fell apart. She takes on the challenge of finding the rest of the tea set that has weird magical powers, or so she believes. This leads her to discover the secrets of the Mayhew family which mirror some of her own family’s.

With a beautifully assembled cast of characters this book is a delight. I loved the interactions and the message of not everyone is who they portray themselves to be.

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This was the first book I have read of Jenni Keer’s but it will not be the last. There is one word for this book and that is charming. I love a book with quirky characters and this is chock full of them. Maisie, the lovely protagonist, is sweet, naive and relentlessly optimistic but not in an annoying way. You find yourself cheering her on through the book in all of her missions. I would have given it 5 stars except I’m not a fan of books that rely on lack of communication as a plot point, which was heavy throughout the book. But the end was so cute, it justified the means. Thanks to netgalley and Avon Books for an advanced copy of this book.

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I was so excited to receive this book from Netgalley as I really enjoyed Jenni’s first book.
Straight away I was hooked, I really loved the character of Maisie, and was intrigued to see how she fared with her new job in the auction house. Her work colleagues were all fantastic characters too, I thought Johnny was so much fun and I really could imagine him vividly from Jenni’s description.
So many excellent characters, I loved Arthur and I enjoyed seeing his relationship build with Maisie.
Jenni’s big strength as a writer is her ability to draw you into the relationships that she has with her characters. Sometimes emotional, always with a sprinkling of humour and magic, her stories hook me and I am powerless to put the book down!
Lots of unexpected twists kept me guessing all the way through, meaning I completely binge read this over a few days!
Absolutely brilliant and I cannot wait until book 3 is available!

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I can't believe this is only the author's second book, it is so accomplished and I much prefer it to her first one, which I also really enjoyed.

I connected really quickly to Maisie Meadows, and absolutely loved the assorted storylines running through the book, although one of the most obvious things to me, was never spelt out to Maisie until towards the end, so there were plenty of conversations at cross purposes, which are always amusing.

I loved the auction house that Maisie is working at, complete with all of her new colleagues, all of whom are simply wonderful, from the flamboyant Johnny, the quiet Elle, chatterbox Arthur (and there is so much more to his story, its a joy to uncover), and Theo who we meet in a wonderfully memorable way.

Then there is Maisie's family, she is the youngest of four, and just wants to reunite her siblings and parents under one roof and for them to all be on big happy family again like she remembers before it all went wrong... however let's just say again all the family members are radically different and nothing is as it seems.

Finally we have Maisie's quest to reunite all the pieces of a special tea set, and in doing so learns a lot about another large family who is fractured. The big question though is whether the tea set really does have slightly magical properties, or whether everything that happens really is coincidence.

There is masses of story in this, if you don't like one thread, then don't worry another one comes along very soon. Personally I enjoyed every last minute of it, and absolutely loved spending time with this cast of unusual characters.

There is more depth to the plot than you may think, and I already thought the cover was lovely, but looking at it again since reading the book, I can see just how relevant all those small items really are, each holing clues to strands of this book.

It was an utter delight to read, and I think Jenni Keer is definitely an author who will be going places, and I intend to keep reading and following her (in a completely non creepy way!).

Thank you to Avon and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

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This was a truly feel-good book. I do not read a ton of those day-to-day, so this was a nice change of pace. I felt like Maisie was so heart-warming and easy to like, and her relationships with those around her seemed realistic. Not too heavy but not too fluffy, this was a great read!

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That '2nd book' syndrome can be a stumbling point for many new authors. This is Not the case here as Jenni Kerr follows up one of my favourite novels of last year, 'The Hopes and Dreams of Lucy Baker', with 'The Unlikely Life of Maisie Meadows'. If anything, she surpasses that first wonderful book.

Maisie comes from a very dysfunctional family and, without going into any detail (I never give away plot), the author is brave and talented enough to not have everything hunky-dory with said family by the end. Very well done, as no everything has to turn out as you'd like; and it works brilliantly.

A diverse set of characters are, even if some are only relatively minor, all essential to the story. The word quirky, is certainly very appropriate here and I love it the more for that. Jenni manages to keep the prose flowing right until the end with laughs and tears galore.

I really can't praise this author - put her in your watch list folks - enough for making me smile when I've not felt like it and cry at the same time. This is a talent!

One last word on this book. One of the characters is Arthur, an octogenarian whom in this reviewers opinion, steals every scene he's in!

My thanks to Avon and NetGalley for the advance reading copy.

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Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I loved this authors first book and could not wait to read this one which was equally as good. Wonderful characters and a real feel good read.

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Oh wow I loved this! Jenni Kerr hits it out of the park again. Loved her first book and this one was just as enjoyable.

Adorable characters, just a touch of magic, cute settings, and a hamster called Nigel. What more could you ask for?

Maisie’s fractured relationship with her actual family and her budding relationship with her new friends and work family made for great reading. To be honest Jenni Keer could write a whole series about the stories of all the characters in this book and I would enjoy it. I would really love to read more about Arthur and Pam. Basically everyone in the book was amazing.

A cozy and quirky read that will warm your heart.

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Loved loved this book Maisie was charming wonderful quirky emotional the characters came alive.I was cheering for Maisie from beginning to end.Second book i’ve Read by the author she definitely has the magic touch .Already looking forward to her next book. #netgalley#avonbooksuk.

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Hated this book. I loved the cover and was really looking forward to reading it. I only managed to read 25% before I had to give up.
This book is not for me but others may enjoy it

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I loved Jenni Keers debut novel The Hopes and Dreams of Lucy Baker and I couldn’t wait to read her next book. It was worth waiting for! I loved how complex Maisie was as a character but I couldn't help rooting for her to succeed. I also loved how Keers created such a realistic world and I felt completely immersed in the book once I started reading. Will definitely be recommending.

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When I read Author Jenni Keer’s first book, The Hopes and Dreams of Lucy Baker, here’s how I described it. “…a story that evokes a certain adorable mood. This debut novel is part fairy tale, part Wizard of Oz, and completely loveable and engaging.” Once again, the same magic spins its joy in Ms. Keer’s second book, a humorous fiction novel.

When we meet Maisie, she has a boyfriend and a job. By the second chapter in the book, she has no boyfriend, and no job. But, she does have Nigel, who is a…oh I’ll let you find that out for yourself.

It’s delightful getting to know young-adult Maisie. In addition to the no job and no boyfriend situation, she has a fragmented family. But, she’s not one to say “Why me?”

She fixes her job situation by taking a marketing position at Gildersleeves Antiques. What a wonderful part of the story- Gildersleeves has plenty of quirky characters, along with an equally exotic assortment of cast-offs, collectibles and treasures.

And that’s how Maisie discovers a teapot from her past, which belonged to the Mayhew sisters. Is the teapot magical? Will it help her solve her other problems?

The charm and strength of Ms. Keer’s books are the characters. And in this book, she has given us so many quirky, yet redeemable people to get to know and love. From the employees at Gildersleeves, to the six Mayhew sisters, and Maisie’s mother, father and four siblings, we have an abundance of treats to savor. My favorites (in addition to Maisie) were Arthur, an older, lonely man and Maisie’s emotional mother, Beverly. Although I really shouldn’t pick favorites as I am leaving out two very wonderful and important gentlemen. And then there’s that one guy at the care home.

Throughout the story, Maisie continues to put one tidy and well-organized foot in front of the other, and she ends up being a “restorative tonic” for all. With themes of family, friendships, aging, and antiques, which are really all tied together, we find what’s important to cherish in Maisie’s unlikely life.

Is Maisie a bit slow to catch on to things? Yes. But, by the end of this charming and totally satisfying book, Maisie works it out. And when she does, I felt as happy as Nigel. Everything comes together and even the garden gnomes find a place to belong.

In the author notes, Ms. Keer mentioned that she was relieved to have completed the notoriously tricky second book. Not to worry- the story of Maisie surpasses the loveliness of the first book. There are so many more characters, feelings and thoughts, and so many perfect phrases and word pictures. I did feel confused by the first chapter of the book- but it was like unpacking a mixed-lot bin of collectibles- once I sorted it out, the pleasures were revealed. Enjoy this gentle, endearing book!

Thanks to Netgalley, Avon Books UK and Rachels Random Resources for a review copy. This is my honest review.

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I absolutely loved it!! I’ve been really frustrated every time someone interrupted my reading. I was rooting for Maisie from the very beginning. I was so happy with the ending. The characters in the book are fab, I loved how realistic the plot was also.
I highly recommend this book! It is fab!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

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I absolutely loved Keers debut novel The Hopes and Dreams of Lucy Baker and I couldn’t wait to read her second book....and boy was it worth the wait.

This is an amazing book filled with wonderful characters that you can fall in love with. Our heroine Maisie is such a complex character....wanting everything to be neat and organised but keeps a room locked where she can unleash her emotions onto a canvas. The meadows family is disfunction at its best, each member shaped by the past and poor Maisie finds herself the one they all come too.

The characters at the auction house are wonderfully strange and funny....and the dynamics are portrayed beautifully.

The author has me laughing one minute, crying the next and then back to laughing. Her story telling is amazing and the book was a joy to read.

Another 5 star read from Jenni Keer

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