That’s Just Perfect by Nicola Gill
Rating: 4/5
Release Date: 12 September 2024

Emily, a 29-year-old teacher, is desperate to prove to her estranged father that she's thriving. Despite his absence during her childhood and his failure to support her in crucial moments, Emily clings to the illusion of a perfect life.

Her carefully constructed facade crumbles when her fiancé unexpectedly ends their relationship. Struggling to cope with an uncertain future and unraveling at work, Emily's world is further upended by her father Ed's sudden appearance on her doorstep.

Ed, seeking to make amends for past mistakes, offers to help plan Emily's wedding as a gesture of care. Though his motives aren't entirely altruistic, he's willing to spare no expense, even offering to pay for the dress.

Unable to admit her life has fallen apart, Emily finds herself caught in an escalating charade. As father and daughter collaborate on planning a non-existent wedding, they unknowingly embark on a journey that could mend their fractured relationship.

Nicola Gill's "That's Just Perfect" is a heartwarming and humorous exploration of family dynamics, personal growth, and the sometimes messy path to reconciliation. Gill demonstrates a remarkable talent for creating complex, relatable characters that captivate readers despite their flaws and imperfections.

The novel's strength lies in its authentic portrayal of the complicated relationship between Emily and Ed. Their interactions are charged with years of unresolved tension, yet tinged with a mutual desire for connection. Gill navigates this emotional terrain with sensitivity and insight, allowing readers to empathise with both characters' perspectives.

The author's deft handling of the escalating situations provides both comedy and poignancy. As Emily and Ed become more entangled in their well-intentioned deception, the story explores themes of honesty, forgiveness, and the courage required to confront difficult truths.

Gill's writing style is engaging and accessible, with a perfect balance of humour and emotional depth. The pacing is spot-on, making it nearly impossible to put the book down. Many readers will find themselves promising "just one more chapter" only to be drawn further into the story.

"That's Just Perfect" is an ideal read for those seeking a blend of light-hearted entertainment and meaningful character development. It's a perfect choice for a holiday, weekend, or anytime you need a heartwarming escape.

By the novel's conclusion, readers are likely to find themselves deeply invested in Emily and Ed's journey. Nicola Gill has crafted a delightful, touching story that reminds us of the healing power of family, forgiveness, and facing our truths.


Thank you so much to NetGalley, Bedford Square Publishers, and the author, Nicola Gill, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.

I really enjoyed Swimming for Beginners but I absolutely loved this story with its three wonderful main characters - teacher Emily, her dysfunctional dad Ed and her grandmother Liz. Emily has had a bad week with her longtime boyfriend ending their engagement leasing her to lose her temper with one of her pupils, she’s feeling bad enough about this when Ed turns up unexpectedly after she hasn’t seen him for years and he hasn’t been the best dad when he has been around. Meanwhile Liz is frustrated about having to stay in a care home whilst she recovers from a broken shoulder but she’s so excited about progressing her relationship with her boyfriend Peter. Each of the characters had a great voice with Emily hating to feel like a failure, so much so she fails to tell her dad about her relationship ending. Meanwhile Ed has decided the way into his mum’s good books to manipulate her into ‘lending’ him some money is by repairing his relationship with his daughter and he seizes on the opportunity to help her with wedding planning. Liz is kind of separate from all this but you can see from the start what’s going on in her life even if she can’t. This is a great read about honesty and being human and the relationships in this had fantastic dynamics, I especially loved Emily and Ed and this reflected well on the delicate nature of their relationship.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bedford Square Publishers for this ARC.

Emily, 29, is a teacher and about to marry. Or she would be if her fiancé hadn't just got cold feet and left her. She can't talk to anyone about it - her Mum is dead, her Dad Ed estranged and her Grandma Liz has just had a fall and has booked herself into a care home for recuperation. Then suddenly her Dad is at her door for a surprise visit and Emily's first reaction is to lie about her situation. Ed is a chancer who urgently needs money, so he hopes by making amends with Emily he might get into his mother's good graces and she might give him the money he needs not to lose his condo in Florida, where he lives with spiritual Shona. So he takes blindsided Emily to shop for wedding dresses and look at wedding venues. Meanwhile, Liz is talking to a mysterious man online and others begin to think he's not all he seems.

The story is told in
Multi POV with Emily speaking in first person present tense while Ed and Liz are speaking in third person past tense. I found that a strange writing style.

I thought this would be a light-hearted funny story in which Emily might fall in love with the grumpy Ofsted inspector for her school or something, but this is not the case.

Instead everyone is lying, either outright or by omission. Emily is lying to Ed and her school, Peter is lying to Liz and Ed is lying to everyone. Some of them seem naturally dishonest, but what is Emily's problem?

Also, if you want issue resolutions, this book is short of them. Nothing seems resolved at the end - has the condo been saved and Peter got what he deserved? There's an epilogue but it's not shedding much light either.

I liked the very short chapters and I love the cover but I think it alluded to a more light-hearted story with a happy ending for everyone. Instead I got very frustrated with people always doing exactly the wrong thing.

As a side note, while you can still say Ayers Rock, these days the original Uluru is recommended.

3.25 stars