When Lou meets grumpy Edgar, her better nature finds herself running errands for the wealthy man.
When he offers her financial security, she finds herself his live in carer. She enhances his life in every way and even finds him his first soul mate- Captain Oates. Captain Oates hates everyone ,but finds a kindred spirit in Edgar.
The characters are wonderful= either very endearing or exasperating! It makes for a wonderful read. A Jill Mansell book is always a great treat and this one is no exception.

Absolutely 100% loved this book. I loved the pacing and the many plots, so many to follow and all balanced impeccably.

It made me laugh, it made me cry about a dozen times... I've read it in less than 24hrs. Every time I had to stop reading, I wanted to get back to it.

I loved all of the characters, even the 'bad guys' because they were spot on.

Just thoroughly enjoyed everything about it.

Such a wonderful feel-good story about the main character Lou whose journey starts in Birmingham. Where she has been widowed from an unhappy marriage with a man that made her feel rubbish. On a short visit to The Cotswolds where she meets grumpy Edgar Allsop and an 80-year-old man that lives in a big house like a hermit.

Edgar needs someone to care for him and invites Lou to live with him in his big house. At first, she is hesitant but being homeless she has nothing to lose.
Here opens a lovely heartwarming story between an elderly man and a young woman there is nothing sinister but the way she is able to make an otherwise grumpy old man wrap around her finger to change his life for the better is delightful.
I so much enjoyed this book and savored every moment of it. A very gentle story.

Thank you, NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this lovely book. xxx

Promise Me by Jill Mansell is a heartwarming feel good read that is pure escapism at its very best. Beautifully written and full of the warmth and humour we’ve come to expect from this talented author, this is the perfect read to curl up with during these cold winter nights.

Lou is more than happy with her lot. She has a job she enjoys and the perfect place to call home. But then in the blink of an eye it’s all gone and she finds herself facing the prospect of having to start all over again. The last thing she ever would have expected is to move to a tiny village in the Cotswolds, but when curmudgeonly eighty year old Edgar Allsopp makes her the kind of promise nobody could ignore, Lou vows to do everything in her power to make the old man fall in love with life again.

With a larger than life cast of characters, many of whom you can’t help but fall in love with, Promise Me is everything I hoped it would be and more. Jill Mansell’s writing is as gorgeous as ever as these characters are brought so vividly to life you feel as though you know them. Captain Oates is a particular highlight for me, as is his bond with the grumpy Edgar as they begin to forge the most unlikely of friendships that will melt even the hardest of hearts.

Promise Me is an uplifting read about love and friendship that captures your heart from the very first page. With an eclectic cast of characters and a story set against the stunning backdrop of the Cotswolds, this is the perfect book to curl up with at the end of a long day. Jill Mansell is an author at the top of her game who just keeps on going from strength to strength. I loved this book and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone who is looking for a lovely gentle read to escape with this winter.

A simply gorgeous read that I would highly recommend.

This is another five-star read. The gentle way that I was transported into Lou’s world was captivating and I immediately felt that she was a person I would love to be friends with. Her heart was full of kindness and that simply overflowed into her daily life. It was perhaps those qualities that had brought her to a career as a carer.
Conversely, we also meet Edgar. He was almost the polar opposite of Lou and his life reflected the behaviour that he displayed. A disgruntled curmudgeon is an accurate description, but you can also add manipulative and ungrateful to his portfolio. Living a lonely life in a gorgeous but tired house, he has no friends and no prospect of making any. He does, however, need help and he sees an opportunity when he meets Lou. He offers her a job, but she declines as she already has one that she loves. Or at least, she thought she did. Determined to secure her services, Edgar makes her an outrageous promise in order to close the deal.
Edgar is a complex character whose life experiences have contributed to his unpleasant demeanour, but Lou sees through his bluster and resolves to bring joy to his life.
Lou’s best friend since school days is Sammy; a local musician who just needs a break to find the stardom that he dreams of. His older brother, Remy, is a drop-dead gorgeous architect who Lou has carried a torch for, forever. However, she’s done with gorgeous men and now wants to enjoy her life away from any drama.
Once again, Jill Mansell has created a set of characters to capture the imagination. There are slight echoes of a story with a similarly grumpy old man, but this story is so much more than a single dimension. There’s every kind of emotion mixed into this very special book.
I loved all the characters, but it was Lou and Sammy that captured my imagination. They both shared a vulnerability that left them open to people trying to take advantage. Not just Edgar, Tom also tried to manipulate Lou into bowing to his will. Similarly, it was the uber-successful music execs who thought that they could make Sammy bend to their demands. Fortunately, they are both made of stronger stuff than was immediately obvious.
When I reached the final pages, I had felt every emotion possible. I had cried and laughed, but more importantly, I felt satisfied that the ending was perfect. I always know that I’m in safe hands with Jill Mansell’s writing and she’s never let me down yet.
I do hope that Jill will take us back to Foxwell and maybe give us a glimpse of what the future holds for these wonderful residents.

I've been a Jill Mansell reader for years - Her books, I feel, all follow the same formula. Charming and lovable heroine in a small town - cute townsy folk with their side stories and a hunky hero who is inevitably taken during the first half of the book while the heorine realises she's madly in love. That being said, this book was no different.

Nevertheless, it was wonderful summer beach read, with characters to both love and hate (I couldn't stand Della and her family). The characters were written in a believable manner and I immediately wanted to be part of Lou and Sammy's friend circle.

A light and joyful story that was a delight to read.

I already love Jill Mansell and couldn't pass up on an opportunity to read a new title landing in January 2023.

I really enjoyed this read, from start to finish, it has many twists and turns which keep you hooked. Its one of those books which makes you want to read it in one sitting to see if your right about a character.

Lou is an average woman, happily living her life and doing a job she enjoys. Until all that comes crashing down and she is left with no where to go. However, that isn't technically true, after a recent trip visiting friends, she made acquaintances with a grumpy old man who's behaviour she struggled to condone. Enter Edgar.

Edgar is a grumpy old man who lives alone in a big house and is unable to care for himself or his house. He needs help and he needs it quick, especially after all his previous helpers have up and left already. When he meets Lou something clicks for Edgar, he's not sure what it is about this woman but he trusts her and he wants her help.

Edgar offers Lou a lifeline with a very big bonus, one that Lou can't decline. But when Edgar gets back in touch with an old flame, Lou's big deal could be off the cards.

There are a few other characters in the book who the reader will also fall in love with as well as their involvement in Lou's future.

Overall the novel is a fantastic read and any fans of Jill's previous work are in for a real treat with her latest hit!

While visiting her musician friend Sammy in the Cotswolds village of Foxwell, Lou’s path crosses with that of Edgar – eighty years old, rude, demanding, and one of those people that the word “curmudgeon” was made for. She gives as good as she gets, but always with a warm and genuine smile – and, when she returns home to Birmingham, he plagues her with phone calls asking her to return and take on being his carer, a job he’s (unsurprisingly!) finding it particularly hard to fill. But when she unexpectedly finds herself homeless and jobless, and he puts a more substantial offer on the table, she finds she needs to reconsider her options – and returns to Foxwell, working for Edgar while making it her mission to bring some joy into his life. She has some unexpected help with that from Captain Oates, a particularly characterful rescue dog who rather shares Edgar’s approach to life – but then everything starts to go wrong when she helps him reconnect with Della, the former love of his life, who turns out to have an agenda all of her own.

The characters in this book are just wonderful. Lou herself is immensely likeable – a constant ray of sunshine, making friends wherever she goes, nothing about life ever getting her down – and her developing relationship with a slowly thawing Edgar particularly warms the heart. The supporting characters are fantastic too, the whole community Lou becomes very much part of, and her special friends: I had a particular soft spot for Sammy, whose search for stardom has a well developed thread of its own, surreal at times and extremely funny, but very touching too. And then there are Lou’s romantic interests – she’s rather given up on being seen as anything but a mate by Sammy’s (rather gorgeous) brother Remy, but a new arrival in the village might just make her throw caution to the wind as her heart begins to beat a little faster. The baddies of the piece are every bit as well drawn, their behaviour self-centred and totally atrocious – you really hope for some comeuppance to come their way, and a happy ending for the characters you’ve taken to your heart, but at times there seems very little chance of that.

It’s a fantastic story, quite wonderfully told – and I read it from cover to cover in a single sitting, caring deeply for its main characters, totally invested in the way things would turn out for them all. At times there were tears, but there was also a lot of laughter – and the ending was just about as perfect as it could possibly have been. Emotionally engaging, joyful and uplifting – I really loved it.

(Review copied to Amazon UK, but link not yet available)

Lou ends up back in Foxwell after agreeing to move down and help Edgar, a grumpy old man who has driven most people away. She is also spending time with Remy, her best friends brother, but will she fall for the wrong man again? I like how the book is told from various points of view.

Absolutely loved it, went through the full range of emotions, made me laugh, cry and get angry
Loved Edgar,Lou must have had the patience of a saint to put up with him !
A definite must read

When we first meet Lou she's on her way to Foxwell to spend the weekend with her old school friend Sammy but before she arrives she has her first encounter with cantankerous octogenarian Edgar. Lou is a people pleaser and has a heart of gold but Edgar definitely pushes her to her limits with his rudeness and demands and despite his accident being his own doing she finds herself driving him home. Over the course of spending a bit of time with him she realises that underneath his grumpiness there's really a lonely old man who needs support. And before the weekend is over she's offered a job...

Even though Lou turns him down as she already has a job she loves as a live-in carer back home in Birmingham and her own flat, Edgar is persistent and continually messages which Lou finds herself unable to ignore. So when she finds herself jobless as her client was going into a nursing home, and then homeless as her flat is being sold by her landlord, she grudgingly accepts a call from Edgar with an offer too good to refuse. She decides to give it a go and become his companion, after all he can't be that bad!

I loved Lou who really saw the good in everyone and was determined to help Edgar see that there is still plenty of life left to live so why not make small changes here and there to make it the best it can be. And underneath his gruff exterior it's clear to see that Edgar was enjoying the companionship and it's only over time that we see that the minor changes being made in his lifestyle bring about a change in his character. Alright he'll never be Mr Happy but he's no longer the surly, rude man that Lou first met.

Slowly but surely Lou encourages Edgar to reconnect with the outside world but it's a four-legged creature Captain Oates, a rescue dog from the local shelter whose bark is almost as ferocious as Edgar's grumpiness, who steals the show and Edgar's heart. They really were a match made in heaven and I loved how both dog and owner felt an instant connection with one another.

As well as the main characters, there's a whole cast of colourful characters that we meet. Some who play more of a sideline part and others who play more of a major role. And like anywhere where you meet plenty of people, some you'll take an instant dislike too and there were a couple I was right to be wary of as soon as they were introduced, and others you can't help but warm to like Sammy and Jess.

Jill Mansell has done it again, written an emotional, heart-warming story that draws you in and doesn't release its grip until you reach the final page.

Thank you for NetGalley for providing me with this book for review. Absolutely loved this book, heart warming, funny and had me tearing up at some points, what's not to love.

Enjoyable and light hearted story about Lou, who accepts a job offer from a cantankerous old man, Edgar, and goes to look after him in a village where one of her best friends also lives. She makes it her mission to crack through Edgar’s tough outer shell as she’s convinced that there’s a lonely old man inside. The events that unfold see the lives of Lou, and some of the people around her, changing forever.

Romantic, funny, entertaining and heartwarming…..very easy reading,

This book was my first by Jill Mansell and has made me want to read more by her.
This novel tells the story of Lou who goes to work as a live-in help for an elderly man called Edgar, who's a bit of an old grump. Put it this way, in a curmudgeonly contest, he'd beat Victor Meldrew. Nevertheless, I felt myself rooting not only for Lou, but for Edgar too. The book has a colourful cast of characters. including a cute canine, In some novels, if there's too many characters, I find myself getting them muddled, but not in this book. They were so well drawn, so different that that never happened.
It's a wonderful story with so much emotion. I hate it when reviews give away spoilers so I won't. Suffice it to say there were moments of real heartache in this book - one moment in particular.
Thank you both to Headline and Jill Mansell for the ARC of both the audiobook and ebook of Promise Me.

From the moment I was introduced to caring Lou and grumpy, and manipulative Edgar, she knew she was reading a book Icould to escape into and enjoy the ride, away from the cold weather. What a ride it was. With Edgar’s unique offer, and complex past loves and future ones, there were plenty of twists and unexpected turns to keep me on my toes before the much needed happy ever after.

Written with warmth, there was a cast of characters to adore and hate, and each had depth and a relatable backstory that made it easy to invest in their happiness or downfall. Whether it was the friendly banter or deeper love, the dialogue felt natural immersing me further into the characters’ lives and zipping through the pages. Lou with a big heart was easily liked and my initial dislike for curmudgeon Edgar mellowed the more I knew him, but it was Captain Oates who stole the show. He made me laugh with his standoffish attitude and unwavering sense of self, reminding me of a beloved childhood pet.

This novel reeled me in and I was totally hooked on the comings and goings of Foxmore. I empathised with Lou a lot about Edgar, she really saw the best in him and wanted to help him. The changes she made to his life were remarkable and my heart broke for her when he sadly passed. Sammy and Jess were a fantastic couple too, I loved how true to himself Sammy was and then, the big gesture of love, he walked away from it all to be with Jess when he thought he was loosing her. Remy and Lou were a slow burn, that at times was only one sided, but it was interesting to see Remy take the time to acknowledge his feelings and then try to do the right thing by Lou and give her the space to be happy with who ever she chooses. The scene in the lake was as if a huge shaft of light was shining down on her while he was watching her.

The whole thing was beautifully written and touching.

Beautiful, just stunningly beautiful.
I promise you there is no better book to start this years reading with.
It gathers you in right from the first few pages and keeps you in a big warm hug right until the end cover. Perfect

Reading a Jill Mansell is like putting on your cosiest PJs, sitting in front of a fire and drinking mulled wine.. the ultimate in feel good rom com, with warm and (mostly!) likeable characters and good endings all round.

I loved this lovely read about Lou, a very kind carer, who following a act of good citizenship finds herself the live in carer for Edgar Allsopp, a semi reclusive cantankerous old man who after being rejected by the love of his life many years before has shut himself away behind a spiky exterior.

Lou, together with a great support network of friends, sets about thawing the ice cold manner of her employer with some unintended consequences. Throw in a feisty rescue chihuahua and you have the perfect ingredients for this book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

A lovely lighthearted read from Jill Mansell. I enjoyed getting to know the characters, and particularly liked the budding friendship between Edgar and Lou…….oh and the dog too! Couple of subplots going on and lots of Will they won’t theys to keep the pages turning. Definitely recommend for a feel good read. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this early copy

Yet again the undisputed queen of romantic comedy produces a masterpiece. From grumpy octogenarians to once famous actresses, wannabe rockstars to glamorous orthodontists Jill Mansell's peripheral characters are as important to the story as the leading man and lady. In my opinion it is these that make her books stand head and shoulders above others in this genre. This story is charming and funny but at the same time there is a poignant thread running through the book. I'm not ashamed to admit that I had to hold back a tear at certain points of the story.