Goodness, what a heartbreaking novel! But also uplifting...
Jem has been declared bankrupt, she has split up with her boyfriend Ben and moved back in with her mum. She writes him a letter to put events and her feelings in to words, planning to burn it but her mum 'helpfully' posts it. Cue a dash to Cornwall to try to retrieve it, coming face to face with the man she still loves...
Trying to move on with her life, Jem starts a new relationship with Mitch but all is not what it seems. Plus she is dealing with her mum's cancer diagnosis.
The chatty style that author Anna Mansell uses it so endearing and natural. Jem has huge potential but fails to see it so, before she can move on in her life and relationships, she needs to see the good in herself that is obvious to others.
The content of Jem's letter to Ben is gradually revealed over the course of the book. The guilt she has been enduring is painful and unwarranted: it just feels oh so real. As always, I hadn't read the blurb so had no idea what to expect. By the end I was blubbing.
The new relationship with Mitch is a tricky one. I felt uncomfortable about his behaviour from the start and his manipulation gradually extends. There is so much warmth in this book despite the mystery and feeling of unease of Mitch's behaviour.
Jems' mum's cancer battle is so sad. It feels honest and reading the author's notes at the end it becomes clear that Anna is writing from personal experience.
This all sounds a bit heavy but actually there is plenty of humour and the turn of phrase lifts the whole book. The raw emotion of The Man I Loved Before is so beautifully written that it captivates the reader.
Such a good book!

I love love love LOVED this book! The characters were so real and I felt ALL the emotions. I was hoping all the way through that Ben would come back in her life, but I also wondered if it would be a 'I don't need no man' kind of ending. I laughed and cried and repeated several times. I've loved every Anna Mansell book I've read and this was no exception!

An enjoyable book, it took me a while to get into this book but once the story picked up i found i couldn't wait to get to the end to see how it all panned out. Well written.

I had a hard time getting into this book, mainly because I think Jem was fairly annoying. She seemed self-centered, which did not make me feel any sympathy for her plight. I did think that the best moments were between Jem and her mom, and there was growth in Jem's character because of that relationship and what occurs. It all just seemed uneven, and I couldn't find myself rooting for her to prevail and get herself straightened out. Other readers may have a different perspective, however. For more thoughts, please visit my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks Fiction Reviews. Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to give this one a try.

I love this book! Beautifully written, it draws you in, shocks you with twists and takes you on a heart wrenching roller coaster of emotion.

It deals with love in many guises. Showing the dangers of love as well as the beauty.

I love the character of Leanne, she was so relatable to me and I think we all need a friend like her!

Jem is also a relatable character and I definitely empathise with her self-critical mode.

A great read

I sure do love this author's work...I find Anna's books such a treat....💞
This one certainly packs a punch....
It's emotional, funny at times but ultimately a story that helps you to accept who you are and where you are in life...
We meet Jem, who seemed to have been struggling with life and all in it.......
Just when she is finally getting everything back on track, her mum who is ill with cancer, finds a letter Jem wrote to her ex Ben in a moment of finding closure to that particular relationship and sends the letter thinking she is doing good.
Jem never intended the letter to be sent to him and it opens up a right can of worms for her....
I did take a shine to the character of Jem and her mum...
I adored this beautiful relationship and they were such good friends to each other and so incredibly supportive...
Her new boyfriend not so much....but I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was that bugged me about him....
Quite a sad read at times I felt but uplifting in the end...
Well worth making the time for this one...
Anna's writing is wonderful and such a rare treat....

I loved this book. Felt so much for Jem as she was clearly very mixed up. Was very sad in parts but was so pleased she sorted herself out (hope that's not a spoiler!)

I adored The Man I Loved Before. The story focuses on Jem. She writes her ex, Ben a letter, knowing he’ll never read it she feels she can apologise for everything. It’s fine, she’s going to burn the letter after all, until her mum finds it and posts it to him causing Jem to start questioning both her past and her future. Brilliantly written, this book covers, love, loss, illness and trying to make amends for mistakes Jem has made. I can highly recommend this book and would rate it 4.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

An emotional and unique story filled with heart and healing. This book gave me all the feels: I laughed, I cried, I got frustrated, I cringed, I rolled my eyes, I smiled, and I shrugged my shoulders. Jem’s Life is a bit of a mess she lost the love of her life, her job, her house, filed for bankruptcy, and worst of all her mom is fighting cancer. Just as it looks as though Jem’s Life might turn around her mother meaning well sends a letter off to her ex Ben. This was a letter that Jem wrote for her own closure, a letter never meant to be seen, a letter that disclosed some pretty deep secrets that Ben was not aware of. What follows is a complicated story of hope, humor, sentiment, and sorrow.

Jem was a very likable and relatable character. I really liked her sense of humor and her strong friendship with Leanne. I really wasn’t sure what to make of the men in her life. Ben seemed to have moved on and Mitch there just seem to be something off about him. This really wasn’t a love triangle though, because there is a clear choice, you just never are sure that things are going to work out that way. The most important bond of this book however was that of Jem and her mother. Her mom really was such a treasure and I loved how supportive they were of one another. This book really does deal with some serious issues and I think they were handled well. I wish however that Jem’s alcoholism was addressed a little more thoroughly, I think it would have been a bit of a tougher battle for her to quit drinking. But there was a lot going on in the story and I think it ended on the perfect satisfying note.

*** Big thank you to Bookouture for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

A well written emotional read. Jem goes through a lot in this story. She is dealing with feelings towards her ex, her battle with alcohol, her mum’s battle with cancer and a new man in her life. With the support of her friend Leanne and her own determination she learns a lot.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

The Man I Loved Before has 2 storylines running through it. There is the story of Jem and her love life and the story of Jem and her Mum.

Jem's love life isn't straightforward, but it never is, is it? Her ex, Ben has moved far away to escape their past and the hurt Jemima caused him. Jem's best friend Leanne encourages Jem to get back out there and sets up a Tinder profile, leading to a new man coming onto the scene. Looks like Jem has found her Prince Charming. Right?

Jem and her Mum, Val, have the kind of relationship I had with my Mum. Strong, loving, supportive, close. When Val becomes ill, Jem is heartbroken but knows she has to be strong.  This is the story line that resonated so much with me. I sobbed when reading it. I went through the same with my Mum, 10 years ago.

Every aspect of this book is brilliant. It's written from the heart, from experience and with such care. I was mesaaging with the author while reading it and she was full of concern and care.

This is absolutely gorgeous and very much guaranteed a top spot in my Books of the Year list for 2020.

I liked it but I was expecting something more emotional story than this. Also when I read a 2nd chance story I like to see main characters together a couple of times or more so. But in this book I was kept waiting to Ben shows up.

Don't get me wrong, this wasn't a bad story at all but after somewhere along the way I got lost. But still I don't regret for reading it.

This is such a wonderful book. It is an emotional rollercoaster which at times had me laughing and other times reaching for my tissues.

You fall into this story and immediately feel you are reading a story straight from the heart. Enthralling!

This review is being shared as part of the blog tour by Bookouture Annonymous! My sincere thanks to BOOKOUTURE and NETGALLEY for the opportunity to read and review ‘THE MAN I LOVED BEFORE’ by ANNA MANSELL.

All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway. All my reviews can be found on my blog momobookdiary

The Man I Loved Before is a good little book. I honestly thought it would be something different than what was actually written but I enjoyed, for the most part, Jem Whitfield's journey to a becoming a better person. She's got a slew of issues concerning her failed marriage, her mother's declining health, and her being stuck without a plan to move forward. The author is very wordy, which at times had me skimming more than a few pages, since the extraneous and repetitive descriptions of her failures in life were a bit much. But the wit and sharp banter between Jem and her bestie Leanne, not to mention the great moments with her Mum, added a sweet nature to an otherwise messy kind of existence. I appreciated that Jem could still have a sense of humor when things were going south and fast.

Although Jem's decisions of the heart were not always the best, I was thrilled when she finally kicked the needy Mitch to the curb and stood up for herself and was genuinely remorseful to those she hurt most. Her drinking was definitely a huge issue and my hope that she wouldn't succumb to a bottle of alcohol wasn't for naught.

At one point, I figured that Mitch would get even more unhinged and the book would go in a different direction. That part felt off to me. And although things did get better with Ben, I think I needed a bit more between Jem and her ex.

Overall, it's an enjoyable read but I'm not 100 percent sure I love the more open endings, without a true epilogue. Giving the reader that little glimpse into what could be but not allowing us to see a true HEA. But at least Jem figured out her life for the most part and it seems she's at last on the right path to happiness.

3 stars.

DNF @14%

Firstly thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for an advance copy of this book.

The synopsis drew me in and definitely sounded like the book I would absolutely love.

Whilst I only read 14%, it didn’t hold my interest during and I felt was I had read was overwritten and could have easily summarised more succinctly in far less chapters.

Our heroine Jem has a back story that we aren’t told about. But whatever she did appears to be quite bad given it drove her ex away and has blocked her from all contact in his life. She lost her job and home and is now living with her mum.

What did she do? I don’t know and normally that alone would keep me turning the pages, but I didn’t connect with Jen or her friend Leanne and I didn’t care to be read along any further to find out.

There is only one word to describe this book... wonderful.
Anna Mansells story telling is poignant, true to life and at times makes you laugh out loud. This was one book I struggled to out down.

We follow the life of Jem, who is navigating her way through job loss, a break up and dealing with her mothers illness, and we follow her story as she discovers herself throughout this story.

Alcohol played a big part in this book, but in my opinion it made it more true to life, as many people do also use it as their crutch.

Jen's relationship with her best friend Leanne and her Mother are just beautiful to follow...humour, love and honesty.

This book is a definite must read in my opinion!.

Thank you to Anna Mansell, Net Galley an Bookouture for my arc copy in return for my honest review.

This is the second book I have read by this author. I loved her book The Lost Wife so I was excited to receive this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Sadly it did not quite live up to my expectations.
To be honest,for a large part of the book I was totally frustrated with the character Jem and I found the story very slow. Jem’s character was not very nice so I struggled to empathise with her situation. I also disliked the constant way she seemed to use alcohol as a crutch.
But I liked the relationship Jem had with her mother and her best friend. Their tight bonds were admirable and the way Jem handled her mothers’ last days was emotional.
Overall it was an ok book but not for me. 3 stars

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.

😢Sad, painful hometruths as Jem stumbles her way through love and loss: emotions galore!😣

4-4.5🌟stars
This book provoked so many emotions, both good and bad. I loved the close relationship between heroine Jem and her ailing mother Val, and the supportive, overworked new mom Leanne. Maybe the best part of the story, though difficult and tear-inducing, was the handling of Val's illness. Jem's love life is a mess and it's clear that she takes full responsibility, even when she shouldn't!

I really found Jem's constant drinking made her a less likable character. Despite her eventually opening up about how her excess affected her life at crucial moments, I never quite understood why the people who loved Jem never forced a serious discussion about her excessive drinking. No wonder the new man in her life is able to indulge and exploit her weaknesses.

I was uplifted by the conclusion, but if you are a reader looking for a happy romance, this is not that book. I would characterize it more as a story of a woman in despair, thinking she's reached bottom, who learns that there's worse to come and she needs and has the inner strength to endure. By the end, I had grown to sympathize with her pain and respect her transformation.

Thanks to publishers Bookouture and NetGalley for providing an advance complimentary copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

In today's world, we find many examples of toxic relationships and narcissism. In The man I Loved Before, Jem has realized because of her own toxic behavior, she has lost the only man who ever really loved her, Ben. Shattered and heartbroken, she tries to heal by writing a letter to Ben which she plans to burn in a symbolic gesture of moving on. However, her mother finds the letter and thinking she is helping Jem, mails it to Ben. Jem is doing a lot better now but she panics when she thinks about Ben getting that last reminder of her. As she tries to sort that out, her mother, who was in remission from a rare form of cancer, gets sick again. While dealing with that, Jem meets someone new who she thinks she could actually love. But as she moves forward in her new life with her best friend, Leanne, helping her, she finds herself wondering if she is making the right decision regarding who gets her heart in the end.

I loved the friendship Jem shared with Leanne. As a woman, it is important to have a special friend who will always be there for you. Someone who you can tell anything without being judged. They each did that for each other perfectly with a lot of humor thrown in. 

Another relationship I adored was Jem's with her mother, Val. She referred to them as a team and it certainly felt like it. They were so close and when Val got sick again, Jem showed a strength that made me proud. Reading about Mitch, I saw some signs about what was going to unfold early. I guess it's because I recently experienced that myself so it was not surprising to see. 

This book was a beautiful book to read. I laughed loud at some points, cried at some and smiled at others. I got so angry at Jem sometimes but she grew so beautifully throughout this book that I found myself cheering for her especially nearer to the end. It was a truly moving  story to which many women would be able to relate. 

Suitable audience: This book is suited to women who love romance stories but it also has much more. It is definitely 'chick lit.'

Recurrent themes: Forgiveness. Lost love. New beginnings. Death. Cancer. Friendship. 

Violence: Two men nearly fight
Sexual Content: Sex is talked about very openly and is described in detail when it happens
Profanity: Many instances of obscenities
Religious Themes: None
Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking: The main character drinks a lot!