Book Review - The Magnificent Mrs Mayhew by Milly Johnson

I'm delighted to share my review of the new novel from award-winning British author and Queen-of-Chicklit Milly Johnson. This is a charmingly well-written book with strong characters and a totally modern story line featuring, Sophie, the loyal wife of a rising politician whose affair has made tabloid news. 

Many thanks to The Bookbag for giving me the opportunity to read this book direct from the publishers.

First published in the UK: July 2019

Sophie Mayhew looks like she has the perfect life. Wife of rising political star John F Mayhew, a man who is one step away from the top job in the government, her glamour matches his looks, power, breeding and money. But John has made some stupid mistakes along the way, some of which are threatening to emerge. Still, all this can still be swept under the carpet as long as Sophie 'the trophy' plays her part in front of the cameras.

But the words that come out of Sophie’s mouth one morning on the doorstep of their country house are not the words the spin doctors put in there. Bursting out of the restrictive mould she has been in since birth, Sophie flees to a place that was special to her as a child, a small village on the coast where she intends to be alone.

But once there, she finds she becomes part of a community that warms her soul and makes her feel as if she is breathing properly for the first time. Sophie knows she won't be left in peace for long. Now she must decide: where does her real future lie?

My reviewI liked this book. Whilst not necessarily a page-turner, this was a thoroughly enjoyable heart-warming read from the Queen of chick lit, Milly Johnson.

Despite being a best-selling author I've not actually read one of Milly's books before but she writes in a very pure, understated and realistic way which I really like. It's hard to explain but she describes romance rather than sex, makes a suggestion and ignites your imagination to develop the characters and ideas yourself. Her style is also humorous with in this case is added to by the presence of stereotypical politicians, an adorably cute small boy, and busy-body parishioners.

That said the charming narrative is combined with a totally modern and relatable storyline. In fact it addresses some fairly heavy issues such as emotional abuse and bullying but in a light-hearted way. When a kiss and tell story appears in the tabloids, emotionless Sophie Mayhew, wife of a rising politician, is expected to publicly stand by her husband. Instead she flees to a small Yorkshire village where she reinvents herself as 'Pom' a down-on-her-luck French woman. Why is it that every fictional village has a hot-but-he-doesn't-know-it single guy often with a philanthropic job (in this case a vicar) just waiting to fall in love with the mysterious newcomer? Not that I'm complaining as it's a formula that I love - I just wish that the same was true of real life villages (aka the one where I live). Anyway as Pom, Sophie gets a taste of how life could be - a life of kindness, friendship, freedom and even love. But, how long can she keep up pretences and which life (or man) will she choose?

The main characters are fascinating, probably because their characters really develop throughout the book. For example, at the start, the character of Sophie totally fits her nickname of ‘Sophie-the-Trophy’ as in she looks good but there is not much else going on. But, then you realise that she is actually a vibrant, rebellious, creative, strong female who has been ground down by her husband and family to the point of ignoring her own needs and wants. There’s also the hot-vicar who is bringing up his son alone after a whirlwind and totally unsuitable romance, his strong direct-speaking sister trying to move on after a bad marriage, and a sullen teenager mourning her mother.

With its short chapters this book is also a really easy read. I would definitely recommend it, as there’s really nothing not to like but it is more easy-reading rather than something that’s really thought-provoking, gripping or unique.

Follow Milly Johnson on Twitter @millyjohnson or find out more at millyjohnson.co.uk.