When Poppy Dunbar meets handsome Tom on her hen night it makes her realise that getting married the next day to Rob Macbride is a bad idea. To escape the fall-out that arises when she jilts the most desirable bachelor in town, Poppy moves to London. She ends up with a room in the bohemian household of Casper French, an eccentric young artist known almost as much for his success with the opposite sex as for his paintings. Inbetween working for unassuming Jake on the antiques stall during the day, her less regular evening job, trying to make friends with posh housemate Claudia and fielding calls from Casper's girlfriends, Poppy keeps a look-out for Tom, the man who destiny put in her path with such far reaching consequences.

Though the reader might have a good guess at the eventual outcome of one or two story lines early on, the getting there is a lot of fun and not always predictable. The characters are overall fairly stereotypical but nevertheless on the whole well fleshed out, you'll soon have a favourite or two. The book is very much about the interaction between the male and female cast and, though not as chaste as Barbara Cartland, by no means explicit. From misunderstandings and well meant actions that backfire to moments of triumph, there are tears of sadness and tears of joy aplenty. The ending... well, it is what makes or breaks a book, isn't it? For my part it was spot on in this case.

It struck me that maybe in a hundred years time someone like Jill Mansell will be called the Jane Austen of the twenty-first century. Where once upon a time it was the genteel setting of the English countryside that might have been the dream of young girls and Jane Austen someone to perfectly describe its inhabitants, we now have partying yuppies living in trendy London areas and Jill Mansell catching the moment. The book certainly reflects the change in attitudes towards relationships, especially amongst women as well as capturing some of the fun of living in places like Noting Hill when you are young and unattached.

One for the girls. Read with feet up and a mug of hot chocolate when you fancy a bit of light entertainment.