Cute story in a beautiful setting, Jill Mansell tells a charming tale with fun, quirky characters. Lainey and her best friend Kit (who is male - and gay) portray themselves as a couple to obtain a position for employment at a lovely home in Cornwall. What ensues is a unique experience as Lainey begins to fall for Seth, the stepson of Majella, the loving mom of the family. Complications arise because of Lainey and Kit’s secret. This was well written, but I found it to be a little long, at over 400 pages.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Publishing for the advanced e book copy.

Jill Mansell is still the queen of feelgood stories! I have read almost every one of her books and her stories always have a momentum so you can't put the book down. It was the same with this one. I read it on one sitting... my family was not happy :)

If you want a story about a big family and be charmed by them, read this! You won't be disappointed. You'll root for them all and only wish them the best!

Lainey and her "boyfriend" Kit tell a little fib to secure a job as live in caretakers of the Myles family in Cornwall. A famous 80 year old actor and his children and grandchildren need a firm hand to keep the home operating smoothly. Lainey and Kit have just lost their jobs at a nearby chateau and decide to take this family in hand. Seth is more than enough to get her heart beating faster but will the lie she told keep them apart. Touches on love of all genders, but is a very wholesome and lovely story. Jill Mansell is a good author of a multitude of books. This is one of my favorites. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Jill Mansell is one of my favorite authors. Her books remind me of feel-good Hallmark movies full of romance, drama, and happy endings. The characters are always well developed, likable, and relatable.

In It Started With a Secret, Lainey and Kit are best friends that work together at a beautiful chateau. They find themselves jobless when the chateau suddenly closes. Lainey finds the perfect opportunity for a new job but it requires a couple. Lainey and Kit make a pack to pretend to be a couple to apply for the job. Once hired they must keep up their pretend relationship under the scrutiny of her employer’s grandson.

This book would make a great beach read. Thank you, NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

If the setting takes place in Cornwall, I'm there. If they're written by Jill Mansell, I'm there as well. This heartwarming story, filled with love, a bit of drama to go along with it, fit the bill for me during this horrific time in all our lives. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love Jill Mansell's books! This one is another great one- perfect to read outside on a summer day. (Hopefully by a pool with a drink in hand?!) This book is exactly what the title says- starts with a secret. But all the other characters have secrets too. Overall, this is a great read and I can't wait for another Jill Mansell book!

It Started With a Secret is filled with little secrets. Nearly every character has a secret, from Kit & Lainey who have just lost their jobs and tell a small white lie to land jobs they love, to the cast of characters living at the house they are now caring for. This was an easy, pleasant read. Likeable characters, family drama, plenty of self-discovery, and every tangent wrapped up in a nice little bow at the end. A little too “feel-good”, “couldn’t possibly work out that well for everyone” for me.

This is one of those books that won't change the world but it changed my world this week! It's a lovely, sometimes silly story that falls under the British chick-lit genre. I really needed something light, escapist and romantic and this was perfect. This the story of Lainey who has a job at a chateau in France that ends when the owners can't make a go of it. She's able to get another job quickly with her friend Kit-basically being the housekeeper of a house at the seaside in Cornwall. The family members are quirky and lovable just as most of Mansell's characters are. It made me want to be a part of this setting and these people. The "secret" alluded to in the title is that Lainey and her gay friend Kit have to pretend to be married to get the job. This proves awkward when both Lainey and Kit find other romantic interests ;). Loved it! Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC in return for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark and Jill Mansell for the ARC and this is my true and honest review.
Lainey and her friend Kit losing their jobs at a French chateau hotel was where the story started. They were in a need a new job. Finding what they thought for them would be the perfect job only had one small detail that they had to agree on to apply. They had to tell their prospective employers they were a couple. They got the job and got along wonderfully with the family they worked for. They had to keep their secret so they could keep the job.
The family and all the others fit so well together. The book was a truly fun one to read and I am looking forward to reading more books by this author.

It Started with a Secret begins with Lainey, who is trying to survive losing a job after the resort where she worked had to close. To make matters worse, her gorgeous boyfriend decided that it was time to split leaving her both jobless and boyfriend-less. She finds the perfect opportunity to start over, but to get a job she needs to tell a tiny little secret...

Lainey finds a job working to care for the perfect crazy family, which includes a Sir Richard Branson-type celebrity. With a set of twins, young son, and an attractive grandson the job keeps her on her toes. And although she has sworn off love, there is something about the mysterious attractive grandson. However, this family has a few secrets of their own...

It Started with a Secret was the perfect beach read. The story was fun, and the characters were extremely likeable. I recommend this book, and plan to add the author's earlier books to my TBR pile.

I wanted to like this book, and I really tried, but the characters were a bit too one-dimensional for me. With the exception of (maybe) Richard, every character (and there were many) in this book was either good or bad-no gray area or moral ambiguity to be found. I also found the plot line to be overly predictable, even for this type of feel-good, romantic comedy. All-in-all, it was just so-so.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

This was a fascinating, poignantly funny, well crafted story about the consequences of secrets. I loved the characters and Mansell breathed such life into them.
Many thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is my first Jill Mansel book, but I have heard great things about her! It took me some time to get into this book. The writing style is different than I am used to while the characters and plot took some time to develop. Lainey grew on me as the story unfolded. Overall, I thought it was a fun read and a good distraction with all of the mayhem going on in the real world.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebook Landmarks for the free ARC. All opinions are my own.

I was really excited to read this book. It sounded like a book I would enjoy. I could not get into the characters and the book itself so I am noncommittal on the book.

What a great new Jill Mansell book---destined to be a summer reading CLASSIC!
I loved it and could not put it down.
I read it all in one day.
Thank you!

Cute story, one I read while quarantined so it was an easy read to finish. It’s funny that it all starts with a lie Lainey and kit give for a new job. But all’s well that ends well and the funniest characters are the ones you’d least expect.

I found this book did not hold my interest. Thank you for allowing me to read it and I am sure someone else will enjoy it.

I found author Jill Mansell's books as a teenager but it has been awhile since I've read one. Her latest romantic comedy, It Started With A Secret, explores the story of Lainey and her friend Kit who get hired on as a couple caretaker of a family. Only they have a secret. This book made me want to read all of Jill Mansell's books again. A fun, light-hearted, romantic book.

#netgalley

I received It Started With A Secret by Jill Mansell as an ARC from NetGalley. I've read numerous books by Jill Mansell and they have all been enjoyable rom coms. This one is no exception. Lainey and Kit were working in a B & B in France when the owners tell them they will have to let them go because they have run out of money. They pretend to be a couple and take jobs working for a family in Cornwall. There is a lot going on with the family and they need Lainey and Kit to sort them out. As in typical of a Jill Mansell novel, there are setbacks along the way that lead to a happily ever after story. A fun read.

Jill Mansell and her seaside English rom-coms are the perfect antidote to a cold, lonely winter. Fans of hers will fall into exactly what we expect and love from her-- a bunch of quirky characters on a path to finding happiness, with a lot of shenanigans along the way. It is pure, sweet, and satisfying-- as usual.

If you don't know Mansell-- well you have a lot of catching up to do! If you like this, there's many more where that came from.

Recommend for romance readers, those looking for something fun and uncontroversial, and those who need a quick, sweet read to balance the sourness of reality.