Mar 9, 2020

Review: The Man I Loved Before By Anna Mansell #BookonTour #Bookouture #NetGalley




‘Dear Ben, I can only write you this letter because I know you’ll never read it…’

When Jem writes to her ex Ben, it’s to explain everything. All the secrets she kept from him – from the little lies she’d sometimes tell about how new those shoes really were, or how many glasses of wine she’d had that evening… right up to The Big Thing that happened on the night that changed everything. But she never expects he will actually see what she’s written.

She is just writing because she thinks it will help to get the words out. Later, she resolves, she’ll burn the letter, and then the past will be in the past for good.

Because Jem is doing fine now. She’s busy: working, spending time with her best friend, and looking after her mother, who’s in remission from cancer. She’s even dating again and has just met a guy who she thinks she could actually fall for. At long last, Jem is really, definitely somewhere close to happy.

But her mum finds the letter and thinks she’s doing Jem a favour when she posts it to Ben. And Jem’s new, carefully rebuilt life begins to unravel in ways she could never have imagined. Then, when her mother gets ill again, she finds herself asking who has the key to her future. The man she’s falling in love with now? Or the man she loved before?


A heartbreaking, beautifully honest novel that will stay with readers long after they finish it. Perfect for fans of Diane Chamberlain, Amanda Prowse, and Susan Lewis.



Anna had a brush with 'fame' as a magician's assistant back in 1977. She later decided that being sawn in half by her magical performing father, at barely 6 months old, was too submissive a role. She vowed to channel the trauma into something much more pro-actively creative. Having failed at acting, singing and professional murder mystery parties (she was ALWAYs the one to die!), she fell to something much more solitary: writing. Anna lives on a dairy farm in Cornwall with her two children, her husband, and her ex-racing greyhound, Olive Dog.




The Man I Loved Before
By Anna Mansell
Review by Heidi Lynn’s Book Reviews


First, I want to thank Anna Mansell, Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I may bring you this review.


WOW!! Anna Mansell you are now one of my go to authors after reading The Man I Loved Before!! Anna’s book is full of suspense, heartache, a bond between mother and her daughter, and some laugh out loud moments. 


This book is dedicated to Maggie: from a casual conversation on the sofa in December 2018, to a real-life book we can hold in our hands, March 2020. Proof that hard work, self-belief and patience pays off. 


Right off the bat I was hooked into the storyline. She starts off by writing a letter to her ex Ben who we have no idea why he is an ex. Throughout the storyline we get a little glimpse into the letter. However, Anna knows it will be killing her readers as it did me what the real reason for. 


This is one book I felt like I could totally relate to Jemina. Her breakup with Ben, her not being able to move on a year later, her wanting to make things right again. I think most women can relate to how she was feeling. Anna pulled out all of Jemina’s emotions where Ben is concerned. 


Anna cracked me up so many times in this book and made me smile at other times. The conversation over finding a new man on Twitter cracked me up! I have been known to try it now and then. After reading this book I am glad I am not on it and single!! However, like Jemina in the book I too ran into my online match. It was very awkward. I totally felt for Jemina. 


Amazing music groups mentioned in this book!! Anna has great taste. 


This book wasn’t just about jilted love. It was also about the bond between a daughter and her mother. Anna was very passionate about their relationship as it was near and dear to her heart. 


Overall, this book is about forgiveness, letting go of the past, trying to move on, and be careful who you meet online. 




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