The Perfectly Imperfect Woman by Milly Johnson

Marnie Salt has made so many mistakes in her life that she fears she will never get on the right track. But when she ‘meets’ an old lady on a baking chatroom and begins confiding in her, little does she know how her life will change.

Arranging to see each other for lunch, Marnie finds discovers that Lilian is every bit as mad and delightful as she’d hoped – and that she owns a whole village in the Yorkshire Dales, which has been passed down through generations. And when Marnie needs a refuge after a crisis, she ups sticks and heads for Wychwell – a temporary measure, so she thinks.

But soon Marnie finds that Wychwell has claimed her as its own and she is duty bound not to leave. Even if what she has to do makes her as unpopular as a force 12 gale in a confetti factory! But everyone has imperfections, as Marnie comes to realise, and that is not such a bad thing – after all, your flaws are perfect for the heart that is meant to love you.

It was too good to be true my diet was going well and then came the release of The Perfectly Imperfect Woman by Milly Johnson and I fell into cheesecake heaven!

Marnie didn’t have the upbringing to look back on with fond memories and throughout her life trouble had a way of finding her. When a chance meeting on a cheesecake forum introduces Marnie to a dear old lady Lilian little does she know that her life is about to change.

What a breath of fresh air this book was, it has been a long time since I have read a book that had me laughing out loud. The author had a wicked sense of humour that she poured into this storyline and made her main character Marnie react to things in believable ways. I loved the plan that this feisty young lady came up with for another use for her cheesecakes!

I loved Marnie and she is a character that will stay with me for a long time. She has been through hell and back and it did get to the point where I thought how much more can you throw at this poor lass but give her her due she dusts herself off and comes back fighting.

I loved the village community, some of the residents I warmed to immediately and others I could see were going to be trouble and had me on my guard. Lilian was a trooper who had a kind spirit and showed Marnie the care and warmth she has never truly known. Herv was one of my favourite characters he was almost as delicious as the cheesecakes!

I was thrilled that I was kept guessing write up until the last chapter about the mysteries surrounding Marnie, Lilian and Wychwell it held my interest right up to the very end and I was pleasantly surprised with what was revealed

I must admit I did find the storyline had a slow start but then found myself flying through the pages and was soon immersed in Marnie’s journey. I loved the foodie element in this book it had me dribbling and craving cheesecake from start to finish, who knew there were so many different flavours of cheesecake now I need to try them all.

I loved the setting of this book, Wychwell seemed like such an idyllic village to live in and thanks to Milly’s detailed descriptions it was quite easy to visualise. Although there is a great sense of humour weaved through the storyline, Milly Johnson also touches on various topics that will tug at the heart strings too.

This was a wickedly humorous read that I wish I could go back and read for the first time again. Milly Johnson fans will not be disappointed.

Kindle                         Hardback