My Favourite Mistake by Marian Keyes

I’m going to say it. I am a Marian Keyes superfan. I love her tweets or whatever the hell we call them now. I love her honesty. I love her Strictly fandom. I especially love her sense of humour. I love that her books have drawn my stepdaughter into daily reading, because of course more than anything I love her writing. She puts all her quirk, wit and self-awareness into the characters she writes. She is a writing goddess! She gets better year on year and I loved this dive straight back into the Walsh family after Again, Rachel. Rachel has always been my favourite Walsh, but in this latest novel Anna really did steal my heart. Anna is nearing her fiftieth birthday and her high flying PR role in the beauty business is wearing a little thin. Although she’s always loved living in NYC, the pandemic left her feeling the distance from her family in Ireland. After losing her husband Aidan in a terrible car accident several years ago, her contact with his family in Boston has waned. Her subsequent relationship with Angelo - a ‘feathery stroker’ - has been conducted with respect, equality and a deep fondness, but never passionate, all consuming love. With a need to be near those she loves, she gives notice on her job, her apartment and her relationship.

Her family think she’s gone mad and she almost starts to think she’s made a huge mistake when a sudden job opportunity comes her way. Her sister’s friend Bridie has been building a luxury hotel and spa on farmland near the coast, but the project has hit the buffers. Locals have vandalised the site leaving machinery sabotaged and the luxury bungalows daubed with paint. Bridie and her husband have had the worst news, their daughter has been diagnosed with cancer and needs their total focus. What they need is an experienced but down to earth PR who will be able to converse with the locals in town, find out what their grievances are and hopefully, get the project moving forward again. Anna is booked into the local hotel and can be ready to hit the ground running, but there’s just one snag. The finance broker who has put together the deal for Bridie’s project is Joey ?? Joey was part of the Irish ex-pat community in New York when Anna and Rachel first moved out there. He was also one of the ‘Real Men’, a group of long haired, tight jeaned, rock gods who included Rachel’s husband Luke. Joey was hot. All tawny haired, with the most kissable mouth Anna had ever seen, not to mention his jeans which were just on the wrong side of decent. The first night they met Anna felt an immediate vibe and was full of anticipation until her sister Helen walked in. She saw Joey’s eyes immediately slide over her and become laser focused on her beautiful sister. Anna was immediately slighted and when Helen and Joey left together she decided to dispel this particular lean hipped rock god to the back of her mind. However, this wasn’t the last time their paths crossed. Joey has always been a mix of old flame and thorn in Hannah’s side. Can she put aside their past and work together on this project?

Anna has that wonderful characteristic that can’t be taught, she has an easy charm and an ability to talk to anyone from building contractors to the lady of the manor. She takes to M’town straight away, working out who are the cornerstones of the community and who has something to lose from the development at Bridie’s farm. Knowing that her NYC clothes won’t work in rural Ireland, she dresses in jeans and a waterproof coat and pulls her hair back in a ponytail. Minimal make-up leaves her looking fresh-faced and the facial scar from her accident with Aidan is exposed. She’s shrewd enough to realise that it gives her an advantage, no matter whether they people feel sorry for her, are curious or think it shows honesty and openness. She’s smart and has similar skills to her sister Rachel when it comes to communication. The openness, lack of judgement and appreciation that Rachel shows her clients in the counselling room, is equally fruitful when trying to get to the bottom of why certain people in town are against the development. Anna genuinely cares and within days can see where mistakes were made, where a concern was overlooked or an individual was inconvenienced. She can make the most insignificant person feel like the centre of her world and is soon making friends. We follow her investigation and watch her become more and more embedded in this quirky but beautiful little place. In between we see glimpses into Anna’s past, from the before and after devastation of Aidan’s death to her relationship with best friend Jackie and her daughter Trea. Jackie has been her best friend, a relationship that even survived Jackie’s fraught relationship with Joey. When Jackie becomes pregnant, Anna puts aside her own feelings for Joey and becomes her birthing partner and almost a co-parent to Trea. However, something happens to jeopardise their friendship and the women have barely spoken since.

A Marian Keyes romance is never just heart and flowers. It’s always about the heroine’s personal baggage and need for self-growth too. Often I prefer the inner growth to the potential relationship, but not in this case. I absolutely loved this couple and their story. We all have that someone who got away. For me it was a lanky and eccentric music lover called Glynn who would turn up at the door unannounced - often sporting flowers from the graveyard or my dad’s own flowerbeds. There was rarely any warning with Glynn, he might be waiting for me at school having invited himself for tea or have walked five miles from town with some song lyrics scribbled on a postcard that I just had to have. We would lie on my bed and listen to the Cocteau Twins, Ride and The Smiths. My dad would despair at his Joe Bloggs wide leg jeans with frayed hems that dragged mud and grass into the house. He had hair like Clint Boon from the Inspiral Carpets and a huge billowing parka that I stole and wore for two years straight. He also had a complicated home life and often reminded me of Snufkin from The Moomins, who loved the solidity and dependability of Moomin House but also needed time to wander alone whenever it suited him. I was hopelessly in love with him, but it took him three years to finally ask me out and I was scared that it was finally happening that I panicked and refused. Even now, every few months or so he sends me a Spotify track by House of Love or Northside and I love that little reminder of teenage love. Similarly, Joey and Anna have a very long history with several near misses and a deep friendship when he let her close. Although they’ve never had a romantic relationship it is Anna and not one of his many lovers who knows the truth about his upbringing and how damaging those years were. He has trusted her with his deepest secrets, but he has also hurt her, possibly more than anyone else in her life. He has also caused her to lose her closest friend. Yet Anna knows that once she also wounded Joey deeply, the details of which we only find out late in the story.

I loved the pace of the romance, with Marian Keyes knowing exactly when to drop in a flashback that explains everything and keeping that ‘will they/ won’t they tension without it seeming artificial. Often with rom coms I feel like obstacles are there must for the sake of it, but the flow is natural and I never felt like the outcome was a done deal. There were so many obstacles and items of baggage it felt like they were on the luggage conveyor belt at Gatwick. There’s everything from the past - him choosing Helen, then Jackie and then most of NYC if Mrs Walsh is to be believed, before Anna. Joey has so much work to do, not just about his childhood but about the here and now. Blending families isn’t easy and he has three adorable boys as well as Trea to think about. They’re both temporarily working on this project and in M’town so what happens when the hotel is built or if Birdie has enough and changes her plans? Anna might be healed physically, but her scar does bother her and has changed her life in ways she didn’t imagine. It does work as a filter, anyone it clearly bothers has no place in her bed. However, at times it does play on her confidence and when she sets up an online suggestion inbox for the locals there are enough hurtful comments to remind her of a time when she wasn’t okay. Joey is fit to murder the culprits but Anna rises above it and keeps moving forward, despite the hurt and the reminder that Joey didn’t even choose her before the accident. Is it possible to remain friends when they’re so close? Finally, there’s the beautiful setting, nobody does small town Ireland like Keyes and these people are imperfect, but hilarious. Some of their concerns are petty, but others are grounded in years and years of tradition. Work is hard to find in a small town so local tradesmen not being asked to contract was a huge mistake, but easily smoothed over once Anna explains the artistry and level of finish expected. Could Anna thrive somewhere like this, or is she just passing through? I loved, loved, loved this book and being on holiday I had the luxury of sitting in the garden in Glastonbury and reading right through to the end. This is peak Marian Keyes and if you don’t fall in love with Anna or her love story with Joey there’s clearly something a little bit wrong with you.

I don't think I have ever picked up a Marian Keyes novel without knowing I was going to love it. This one is another exquisite read, Anna has a great New York appartment, a high flying job and devoted partner, she has it all. As it turns out, she has it all but wants none of it. We follow Anna to a tiny town oin Ireland where we have a fly on the wall position to see her build the life and relationships she craves.

Keyes is such a reliable writer, her books never disappoint and even if you've forgotten the back story to all of her Walsh family characters you soon feel folded back into their company.
This book has a lovely domestic feel and it was nice to read a book that included the pandemic but in a way that I really recognised. Keyes always writes a form of fairy tale but sometimes that's just what you need.

I really enjoyed this book, great to be back with the Walsh family! You could read as a standalone but it does flow better to read them in order and you get to know all the characters. There are quite a few in that family! The joy of a new Marian Keyes book, warm and witty and you kind of want to live there. Highly recommend.

I was delighted to be approved for an advanced copy of Marian Keye's new book as she is a long time favourite author and this was didn't disappoint me. It was warm, funny, extremely well plotted - all the things I've come to expect. It was great to have familiar characters back but I also loved the new additions and the tales of small village life. Long may the Walsh family continue to entertain us!

So I really loved Anybody Out There - I think it might be one of my favourite Marian Keyes novels ever so I was so excited to read My Favourite Mistake and revisit Anna. I read this on holiday, having saved it especially, and it was the perfect book to wile away the hours with, however, if this was my first Marian, I'm not sure I would have said that it had the same spark as usual? An entertaining read as ever but just slightly missed the mark for me this time.

I loved getting caught up on the Walsh family in this book and in particular Anna who has moved on to a different stage of her life although Joey is still present in her thoughts and also her mind.

The uniquely Irish humour is one of my favourite parts of Marion’s books! Leaving New York and her high flying job to return to Ireland was a gamble for Anna but as we follow her story I related to many of the issues she was going through.

I was rooting for Anna to find her happy ending. A book of laughter, love , second chances and extended families I enjoyed it and would recommend it .

I hadn’t read all the books on the Walsh family series but it didn’t seem to matter. Marian Keyes writes humorous but very real stories about real people. Her character observations are well conceived and very true to life.
This was a really good read, with excellent storylines and lots to appeal to me. Love, laughter, humour and friendship.
A master of her craft. I would highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more from this talented author.

I was so pleased to meet the Walshes again. Every single one of the sister and Ma Walsh feels like an old friend. My Favourite Mistake brings us up to date with Anna's story and it is one of sadness and joy, written with the humour and tenderness that only Marian Keyes can. I didn't want it to end. So good.

Oh what a joy it is to be back with the delightful, quirky Walsh family! And especially to see how they are all faring as the years have moved on, whilst this one focuses on Anna, the family are very much in the book as well, with Marian Keyes giving the readers snippets of the background of each along the way, so no-one misses out.

Marian Keyes has such a delightful way of storytelling, that the reader will feel they are in the midst of the family. Her books are warm, comforting and life affirming in our sometimes crazy, fast world. Some poignant reminders too, of what living through COVID was like.

I loved reading about Anna and the issues she faced with her midlife crisis, finding much to empathise with, but written about with humour and a great level of understanding. The book includes delightful examples of Irish speech and some of the terms used, like ‘Narky Joey’ and ‘Go-boy’ making me chuckle.

Now the community of Maumtully is a whole new level of gorgeousness, full of quirky characters and reflecting life in rural Ireland, where everyone knows everyone and their business, a real contrast to life in NYC.

Whilst enjoying the humour and quips in this book, along with the regular family jibes, there are also serious subjects covered, like grief, ageing, friendships, family and relationships.

Love Marian Keyes books, particularly the Walsh family books, more please!

I was unaware when I requested this book that there had been previous book/s about this family.

I have found that there are a lot of characters all with back stories which I am unaware of.

I did enjoy the style of writing and will look for another novel by Marian Keyes to read.

I have not finished the book and am therefore not going to leave a review.

I am sure that readers of Marian Keyes will thoroughly enjoy the book

I would like to thank NetGalley for the ARC

Oh how I love the Walsh family! This is the story of Anna, who returns from her high powered job in New York to Ireland, where she finds herself relocated to a small community with a wealth of funny and interesting characters. This much anticipated book did not disappoint in terms of character and plot, although my favourite parts of any Walsh story are when the whole family is together under one roof. This is when the author is at her very best, as she is the master of family dynamics and the love/hate relationships along with sibling rivalries which often exist. The large cast of village characters, although funny and likeable, did confuse me slightly as I often lost track of who they were. However, the wit and charm of Marian Keyes is present throughout this book and I loved it every bit as much as I expected to.

Loved Loved Loved being back with the Walsh family again. Marian has always been one of my all time favourite authors and she never disappoints. It was lovely meeting all the family again, particularly Anna and how her life has moved on from the last we heard about her, about her past and now present story with Joey. I couldn’t put it down and highly recommend it to everyone. Thank you very much to the publisher and Netgalley for the privilege of this early copy.

The banter and atmosphere you would expect from a Keyes novel, the humour and wry life observations too.
The characters are three dimensional and to be honest the writing is so evocative it is like watching a film rather than reading a book! The minutiae of peoples behavioural quirks is wonderful.
For those who always wished they lived in a large family, let this be a terrible warning, for those hoping to establish their own large family, let this be a great example, because when all is said and done, I want to be a Walsh woman!
Little snippets of the past are drip fed and like steam clearing slowly from a window, little by little we get a clearer picture. While the situation gets clarified, the evocative sentences, and the wry humour continues.
I loved it!

I’ve read pretty much all of Marian Keyes’ books down through the years so when I saw this one was coming out I figured I’d give it a go. I don’t know if it’s just me but these books don’t grab me the way they used to when I was younger unfortunately!

I am a massive Marian Keyes fan and have read all of her books over the years so I was really looking forward to a new novel featuring the Walsh family.
Anna who the reader met in Anybody Out There has left New York and her job in beauty PR and is back in Dublin with the family. However she soon relocates to a small Irish coastal town Maumtully to work as a PR for family friends Brigit and Colm who are opening a luxury coastal resort. Here Anna is not only faced with opposition from the locals but finds that Joey Armstrong - who readers may remember from Anybody Out There - is also working for the family.
My Favourite Mistake starts off well, written in Marian’s trademark insightful and funny style I loved being back with Anna and the Walsh family. Marian Keyes is such a clever writer and I found the insights into life as a perimenopausal woman made me both frustrated with the healthcare system and its treatment of women and laugh out loud. I loved the characterisation and getting to know everyone in the small community of Maumtully. I did get confused with the names of everyone in the growing Walsh family and also found that revisiting Anna and Joey’s back story ruined the flow of the novel for me. I also found the novel overlong and lacking a really immersive plot. So sadly this was a mixed read for me. I absolutely loved Grown Ups and The Break but found both Again, Rachel and My Favourite Mistake to be disappointing reads.
I feel awful giving one of my favourite writers a less than 5 star review but other fans have loved this novel so do give it a read.
3.5 stars

This book features the Walsh family, and if you are familiar with them, then you are in for a treat. This book has wit and humour and is an enjoyable read.
There are also some new characters in the small town where this book is partly set and they are very quirky and interesting. I really loved this book, and raced through it, even though it was quite a long book.
This is Marian Keyes at her best.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC.

Just perfect … never disappointed by a Marian Keyes book I loved the characters of old with references from previous books. Focusing on Anna who arrives back in Ireland from New York having had a high flying job in beauty PR. It all gets too much and she decides to head home to the family … before she knows it she’s asked to do some work to discover how the village folk feel about the opening of a new high and retreat as foul play has stopped the build. Also working on the project is a blast from past Joe who Anna has history with . An absolute delightful read which I devoured

I doubt there’s much I can add to the other rave reviews. I love Marian and her writing and the Walsh books are such a joy. I loved everything about My Favourite Mistake, particularly all the town characters and the hilarious behaviour of the other Walshes. Plus Narky Joey is 🔥

Marian is my favourite author & I love her books about the Walsh family & Anna is my favourite member of the family. It was great to see what Anna was doing now as the previous book about her,Anybody out there, is one of my favourite books.
I thought this was a great book & would love to read more about Anna & all the Walsh family & I hope Marian continues to write about them.