New Marian Keyes klaxon! My Favourite Mistake is the 16th novel from the iconic Irish author and imagine my delight that My Favourite Mistake brings us back into the world of the Walsh sisters. After Again, Rachel brought us up to speed on Rachel’s life, My Favourite Mistake focuses on high-flying New York PR woman, Anna Walsh.
Opening sentence: His gaze moved over my face.
Change is afoot
I’ll start by saying that you can read My Favourite Mistake as a standalone book in regards to Anna’s story – her background is filled in for you – but if you are acquainted with her and her sisters through the other Marian Keyes books that feature them, then this will be a richer read.
So, what’s the plot of My Favourite Mistake? Well, as it did for a lot of us, lockdown made Anna assess her life; living away from her family in New York, her stressful job in beauty PR, her stalling relationship with long-term love, Angelo and, maybe unlike a lot of us, she actually did something about it when she felt she wasn’t as happy as she once was.
The scene is set for her return to Ireland, launching herself into the way of a life of a small Irish village and a job working on a project for her friends. Alongside this, there is a delicious amount of sexual tension thrumming through the pages, courtesy of Anna’s complex relationship with Joey Armstrong.
Joey is also working on the project and is an old friend from Anna’s New York days but they left things in a very rocky place years before, making things a little awkward now. How they navigate this new era together is the core of the story, but there are lots of other layers too, making this such a satisfying read.
Celebrating women over 40
Like all Marian books, characterisation that discusses topical and important issues is just as important as the plot. Ageism and what a woman should or shouldn’t be doing by a certain age is considered and My Favourite Mistake the first book I’ve read that discusses peri-menopause, something women in their 40s go through before the full-on menopause.
Through Anna, she highlights the struggle to get HRT medication, the way doctors still dismiss it and just how much it can destroy a woman’s life.
At ‘my age’ I was meant to be eating lots of fish. But at ‘my age’ I wasn’t sure if I was old or not-old. The thing was, I was both of them, I was all the ages.
What made My Favourite Mistake so appealing was the great balance of small life moments and big life changing decisions – all are important at the time and it’s the way they are blended on the pages that make this book so authentic and lovable. It was great to be back in the company of Anna and all her sisters again too, like catching up with old friends!
Anna’s story was sweet, often funny, emotional, honest and leaves you with a great message. In short, everything you know and love from a Marian Keyes novel. The perfect feel-good read!
- Thank you to Michael Joseph for the ARC;
- Get your copy of My Favourite Mistake here;
- Published by Michael Joseph 11th April 2024;
- 601 pages;
- Book review rating:
Books on the 7:47 
3 thoughts