Jill Mansell's books make me happy.  Should I just stop there?  I mean, what more can you ask for? Her main characters are identifiable, funny, frustrating and just plain real.  I would be Lottie's friend in a heartbeat.  She is warm, loyal, strong and not at all particular about what type of wine she gets handed.

Lottie's kids are crazy, loud and maddening.  Totally believable.  They played a large part in the novel, which makes sense since they are such a large part of Lottie's life.  As a woman of a certain age, the relationship between Lottie and her kids rang true.  They may make you miserable at times, but you would sacrifice anything to keep them safe and happy.

And that's just what Lottie had to do.  She sacrificed a romantic relationship with a seemingly great guy because her kids didn't like him.  Heck, hated him.  Wanted him to drop off the face of the earth. But of course, in Mansell world, you know that's not the end of it!

Over the course of reading this book, I laughed out loud, sniffled into my sleeve and finished off a bottle of cheap Merlot.  And was happy.

Hey, you know what?  Women like this genre of books, too.  Invading monsters, an unlikely hero, action and adventure.  These are all present and accounted for in this novel.  What isn't there is an eye for a wider audience.  I get that Dave is supposed to be the last guy on Earth anyone would choose to be a hero.  I understand that his back story of being a schmuck and a generally not great guy adds to the feeling of redemption.  But honestly, he is such a misogynistic, self destructive piece of work, I was kind of hoping the monsters would win.
I liked the supporting characters and the exploration of the monster culture and hierarchy.  The pace of the story clipped right along and there wasn't a lull in the action.  I wanted to find out who lived and who met a gory end.  Unfortunately, I found myself hoping Dave would be the next casualty. Having to  endure his inner dialog was not my favorite way to spend an evening.