OMG it was sooo good to be back with the Walsh family, particularly Anna. It was like being among old friends. such a good story, typical Marian Keyes. Sensitive topics dealt with true understanding, emotion and humour. Absolutely loved it!

While I have read quite a few of Marian's standalone novels which I've enjoyed., I confess that I haven't read any of the other Walsh family books which probably put me at a slight disadvantage when reading My Favourite Mistake and I struggled trying to remember the host of characters that others are no doubt already familiar with. There are also lots of residents of Anna's new home to get to know and remember so on the whole it felt like a lot. There is no doubt that Marian is a wonderful writer and I love her sense of humour and style of writing but the story felt a bit meh for me personally (the threats and violence against the retreat seemed far too easily wrapped up) and the book on the whole was far too long and I found myself growing bored. While not one for me personally, any fan of the Walshes will no doubt enjoy this latest instalment.

I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

I love love love Marian Keyes and everything she does
This is a Walsh family endeavour and I totally welcomed this

Loved it

There's something really comforting about sitting down to read a Marian Keyes book - you can be quietly confident that you're about to be taken on a brilliant ride of storytelling that will make you laugh out loud even as your heart aches for the characters. I would highly recommend reading absolutely anything Marian Keyes writes, but My Favourite Mistake is definitely up there in her top five.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an eARC of this great book.

Reading this book is like coming home and putting on your favourite pj's. So great to be back catching up with Walsh family and this time Anna is back in the spotlight. As usual, there are crazy characters at every corner and a huge sprinkling of humour throughout.

This was such a fun easy read . You don’t have to have read any of the other Walsh sister’s books to enjoy this one , it can be read independently. This one focuses on Anna who is now approaching fifty and menopausal . She comes to Ireland from New York and reunites with her family, who are so much fun . I have only read Rachel’s Holiday but I know enough about her four sisters to feel like it’s reacquainting with old friends. Anna meets Joey who she has history with. We find out about their pasts and what happened . I loved the atmosphere of this book. I loved the Irish countryside and the feeling of living in a small isolated community. It’s a story of love , family , friendship and coming to terms with your demons I read it very quickly and it made me laugh. I just love the Walsh family especially Mammy Walsh .

An enjoyable comfort read, with plenty of laughs. Not my go to genre but I can see why Marian Keyes is the queen of it!

As usual in my reviews, I will not rehash the plot - there are already reviews like that out there if that's what you are looking for!

I've read a few books by Marian Keyes, so was delighted to receive an ARC of this one. After I'd read it, I discovered that it is but one book relating to the Walsh family - and that I hadn't read any of those earlier novels! Well it didn't matter too much as this novel works just fine as a standalone - but I will probably now read the earlier books just to fill in the gaps!

This is an enjoyable read - flitting between timelines here ane there - but largely set in the here and now in Ireland. There are some great characters (who everyone else probably already knows about!), and the settings are beautifully described throughout (please rush me a ticket to see the dolphins playing!).

Although some of the novel deals with serious issues (eg: a poorly child with cancer), the tone is perfect throughout. Parts of the book made me laugh out loud!

This would be a great holiday read, and is perfect for fans of warm, family-oriented Irish novels.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

I'm so torn with this one. I love Marian Keyes's books and I like the way she writes - her characters' voice really leap off the page. However although I liked the original books in the Walsh family series, I haven't been loving the revisits to the characters as much as I've enjoyed her recent standalones. The plot of this one felt a bit weak, and it felt like not a great deal happened. I liked it, but I didn't love it.

There's absolutely nothing not to love about #MyFavouriteMistake. From the chaotic dynamics of the extended Walsh family and their gas antics, to the residents we get to meet in Maumtully, every character is bought to life with the expert touch, and lifetime of experience, of the master storyteller Marian Keyes. By far one of my favourite of all 16 of her novels, I'm OBSESSED with Narky-Joey, his 'Absolutely. Not' sexiness, vulnerability and 'You haunt me' declaration. If I could, I'd be booking myself for a stay at Dolphin Cove, and probably, like Anna, never want to leave.

Anna Walsh is back and slightly broken again. Back in Ireland, not knowing what to do with her life after leaving behind her high-flying job in New York, her apartment and her last boyfriend. Anna feels lost, not able to cope with the stress of her PR job anymore and sad from her amicable and very friendly breakup with Angelo. Suddenly she is not sure what to do.
When a job comes up to work for friends Brigit and Colm to save their luxury country retreat build and reputation with the local residents of a small town, Anna is thrown into the intricate world of new friends, small town gossip and the go-boy Joye – blast from the past she is not sure she is ready for.
But as they face each new crisis together, their friendship blossoms once again and there is hope for finally being together. But trust is earned and that seems nearly impossible for both of them.
I love the Walsh family - all the sisters and their different characters, so liking Anna was not a problem. Joye on the other side I struggled with a little bit – I found him weak and controlling - everything was down to him and his decisions. But one person I disliked completely? Jacqui – she is the worst friend I could possibly imagine – unsupportive, selfish, always the victim. For that – the book lost a star as I was just not interested in that relationship at all – I get it, but for me reading Anna and Jacqui’s past was enough – any future for them was not something I even wanted to read about and I think the book would have been better without it – at least for me.
But – bravo Marian – another fabulous book that I thoroughly enjoyed.

A well written and intriguing book that made me smile but also think as it's a fun filled and well plotted story about changing your life, getting some new but also losing part of you.
I didn't read the other novels about Walsh family but this one made me other books as I'm feeling like someone late to the party and who want to catch up
Excellent storytelling, empathy and multiple layers.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

My Favourite Mistake by Marian Keyes evokes family dramas and dynamics and women's identity at a certain stage in life.

Anna Walsh is back, still in New York. But not for long.
Love the Walsh family and returning to any of their stories is like meeting old friends you haven't seen in a while.
What brings Anna back to Ireland? How did she find herself in the wilds of the West? Narky Joey makes a reappearance.
Lots to read and think about. A book about friendship and women and growing older.
Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC

A hilarious and heart-warming family dynamic that is typical of Marian Keyes' writing! I absolutely loved this story, which added more layers and depth to our love of the Walsh family. Every time you think you have a favourite member of the family, Marian brings a new book out and you can't make your mind up again!

If you like Marian Keyes, you will enjoy this. It's a deep dive on Anna Walsh, who we met in detail in "Anybody Out There". She's nearly 50, given up her life in New York and relocates back to Ireland post pandemic. There's a love story that satisfies, plenty of cameos from the Walsh sisters, and a bit of local work related drama that has to be solved.
I enjoyed the book. It feels familiar. It feels Irish. The language used is very Marian-like, if you follow her on social media at all. But it is not necessarily a page turner and we all know where the story is going. I was glad that I had reread Anybody Out There, shortly before this book, as I think it added more to the current read, by having had the deep dive on Anna's characters in her twenties and thirties.

I'm a big fan of the Walsh family so this was always going to be a great read for me. Did I love it as much as the earlier stories? Possibly not, but I still found this absorbing and enjoyable and would recommend to fellow Marian fans.

Marian Keyes is always a delight and My Favourite Mistake really delivered on all the things I love best about this author; her wit, her warmth, the way she writes about families

Who can resist another visit with Marian Keyes’ five Walsh sisters? In 2022 we were treated to a continuation of Rachel’s story in Again, Rachel and now it’s Anna’s turn. The second-youngest sister told her devastating story of grief in Anybody Out There? in 2006.
Anna has been in the background of the past few novels with her enviable life in New York working in beauty PR with all the samples her sisters could ever want. But she and her partner Angelo break up after “lockdown curdle” during the pandemic. Anna is 48 and burnt-out, she realises she hates her high-pressured job, is battling with anxiety and perimenopause and just wants to go home to Ireland.
After breaking her mom and sisters’ hearts with the loss of their beauty samples, Anna spends a few unemployed months in her sister Margaret’s spare room.
Then Rachel and her partner Luke rush in with their friend Brigit – she and her husband are building a high-end retreat in their tiny hometown of Mauntully to expand their business of yoga weekends and artists’ workshops. But they have had serious vandalism problems and the town’s people are not feeling much love for the retreat.
Brigit needs Anna to help sort out the issues quickly or their investors will pull out. But the investors’ rep is Joey, a friend of Luke’s with whom Anna has a mysterious past that’s linked to the end of her friendship with her bestie Jacqui.
It's a lovely, warm read filled with relatable emotions, and, as always, funny, or as the Walsh sisters would say absolutely “gas”. Marian’s books, which were first published in the 90s, continue to be the perfect combination of family drama, humour, and the messiness of life.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Marian Keyes has once again graced us with an exceptional read.

Inadvertently, I discovered that this book is a part of the Walsh family series, and I was overjoyed to reconnect with these beloved characters.

The narrative revolves around the theme of embracing opportunities, encapsulated in the saying, "You miss one hundred percent of the shots you never take."

Anna, at the age of 48, finds herself disillusioned with her life in New York City. Her job no longer ignites her passion, and her romantic relationship has reached its end. Additionally, she is grappling with the challenges of menopause. Consequently, she makes a life-altering decision to relinquish her current existence and return to Ireland, seeking solace and simplicity amidst her family.

Upon her arrival, she is promptly drawn into the midst of a crisis involving her sister, leading her to a quaint seaside town named Maumtully. Anna embarks on a mission to uncover the truth behind the opposition to a proposed luxury coastal resort in this tranquil Irish town.

Furthermore, destiny intertwines her path once more with the audacious Narky Joey, a man who evokes both love and hate within her. As we are aware, these two emotions often coexist in close proximity.

Marian Keyes' masterful storytelling shines through in this exquisitely crafted narrative, featuring meticulously developed characters that will undoubtedly evoke laughter and profound emotional connections.

Thank you to NetGalley, Micheal Joseph and Penguin Random House UK for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.