The book is written in Laura's POV - which is a bit sad. I would have liked to have had more of Massimo’s POV to help move the story. It starts as a holiday romance, we quickly learn of Massimo’s intentions.
Laura accepts her new life very quickly and the sometimes there are some very weird sexy moments. These are core problems in the story. It does make a little hard to feel like it is a true romance.
It's very sexy, it is erotica for sure. There is a Pretty Woman/Cinderella-ish with all the shopping and traveling and constant champagne-drinking rich-people. But it was very stereotypical none of it was groundbreaking or new to romance. There is a mafia component to the story. It does help move the story along, but it is just so so.

The story does end unfinished and there is a second part coming. I am not a 100% sure I really care to read it. The story was sexy, but the story line needs some work along with character development.

And it wasn't a bad read but it wasn’t great. The language was a bit weird. It was translated by a Polish guy, so that's the first thing the publisher did wrong. You need to let a lady translate a book written by a lady. The whole 'voice' of the heroine gets lost. And I think they should've used a team of translators - both native and non-native Polish speakers.

dnf'd at 21%

tw: kidnapping, threats of rape (there are more, but these were the main concerns within the fifth of the book that I managed to read)

I received an advanced digital copy of this book from NetGalley, whom I thank for supplying me with this book. All views expressed in this review are my own and in no way sponsored.

I honestly didn't have high hopes for this book, having seen the movie, but I still wanted to read it and try to understand what made this book so popular in Poland and then the rest of the world. The movie was quite beautifully made at times, but the story was concerning and much of the dialogue was poorly written. I do think that the movie can be enjoyable, if viewers put aside any ideas that it is going to be an excellent film. I likely will watch the sequel, but again I do not anticipate anything groundbreaking.

However, this review is of the book--the English translation of which is coming out in 2021. I think that the translation was done well, and the story is quite similar to that of the movie. However, the scenes and actions in the movie that made me uncomfortable were somehow made much worse in the novel. Not only are there chunky paragraphs of description thrown in rather than the characters showing their traits through their actions and thoughts, but much of the dialogue felt incredibly unrealistic (especially Martin and Laura's Polish friends, who are so poorly written and clearly just placeholders meant to show that Laura is unsatisfied with her current life).

Massimo is somehow worse on the page than on the screen. His dialogue is often delivered in long speeches that feel unrealistic--which is bad considering how ridiculous the scenario seems. It is clearer how Massimo came to know Laura (as he saw a vision of her, rather than actually seeing her). Laura's dialogue is also highly unnatural, as is her sudden decision to accept her fate rather than fight against it; though this could make sense, Laura decides too quickly and her reasoning does not align with her characterization.

The worst thing from the segment I read was how much more misogynistic and threatening Massimo is towards Laura, who he claims to love. Massimo clearly states in one of his lengthy paragraphs of dialogue that he will not rape Laura. However, after that moment he threatens to go back on his word multiple times because Laura is doing something to "tempt him," which could be anything from wearing lingerie in a dressing room he stormed into, being obstinate against his orders, or literally anything else he could possibly deem arousing.

As I did not finish this ARC, I do not have a full picture of the plot and writing outside of the fifth of the novel I read and the movie I have seen three times. However, I feel that I read enough to get an idea of how the book would go down. This novel is clearly a bad/dark/taboo romance, but I do not think it is worth the read. Not only is this book poorly written, but the characters are so unrealistic and confusing that I doubt anyone could truly connect with them. Pairing that with how disgusting the set up of the romantic pairing is, I do not feel comfortable recommending this to anyone. I do not see how Massimo could be a good partner, even in bed, due to the fact that he hates and harms women so many times within the first 21% of this novel.

Many readers have waited for 365 DNI to be translated into English and the wait is over! I had many mixed emotions as I read the book. I was excited. I had seen the movie. As far as action, sexiness and chemistry - it was yes, yes, and hell yes! Sadly, there was not enough content in the movie. To my surprise, the book closely mirrored the movie and even filled in some gaps.
“I am not a capo di tutti capi. They are older, you’re right. I am a capofamiglia, or a don.”
This is the story of Don Massimo – a complicated, dangerous and controlling man. While in a coma he has a vision of Laura. It haunts him as he searches for her. He even goes as far as having multiple portraits painted of her from his vision and hung all over his Sicilian mansion. Fate has Don Massimo and Laura’s path cross and the rest is a wild ride. The push and pull between the hero and heroine was palpable.
I had thought he wasn’t one of those men who took women by force, but this behavior must have been normal for him. Such roughness came as naturally to him as shaking someone’s hand.
So much to say. There were things I liked and things I didn’t. I felt the beginning of the book was very crude. However, I sense that the author was setting the scene for Don Massimo’s character and lifestyle. Laura’s character was also a bit careless. But, once again, this is set in a different culture. She drinks, a lot. She is strong, independent and sexy.
Alcohol always had that effect on me – I feel bolder – but with Massimo, when I got drunk it seemed to always bring out the demon in me.
Some have compared the story to Fifty Shades and I must disagree. There is some rough sex but no BDSM. As stated earlier there is a lot of push and pull between Don and Laura. The story has a steady pace. The ending is not quite a cliff but pretty close. I am sure there will be many opinions both good and bad on the book. Its content – both included and excluded. I will absolutely be reading book #2 as soon as the translation comes to English. I need to know what happens next!
As far as the next 365 movie goes – count me in. Netflix has done a great job with amazing scenery, action and sexiness. Now if the movie can match the trailers and the hype…
3 stars

I wanted this to be more then it was, I think. With all of the hype surrounding the book, I was so excited to read it but it sadly fell a bit flat for me. Maybe something was lost in the translation? And no, I didn't see the movie.
It had the potential to be a fantastic book if it went another direction but instead, it followed the overdone cliffhanger ending. I actually would love to read the second book to see if the writing and storyline become stronger. The characters are amazing, I will say that as a real positive.

I almost didn't read this book because of all the hype and spoilers out there. I liked the concept of the storyline. It's intriguing to me and I felt there was potential for a great story here. Sadly, I have heard some spoilers that I'm not liking and that made me hesitate. But I decided I would lower my expectations and give it a go.

So, here are my thoughts on this much anticipated and hyped up book. As much as I would like to give the book credit, it's my opinion that it's the actor Michele Morrone is the reason for the hype. He's a sexy guy and there are some intense sexual scenes in the movie based off this book. Even though I'm giving the actor the credit for the hype, the book was actually pretty good, but with a few issues.

I was conflicted over rating this. I decided on 4 because overall, the storyline proved to be just as intriguing as I had hoped. I also really liked the chemistry between the main characters. That chemistry you saw in the movie is what you get in this book. My issue was there were times I felt the writing was a bit off. It felt like a story that was professional cleaned up but missed a few spots. Maybe some things were just lost in the translation to English. Either way, it was enough to notice but not enough to ruin the book for me.

As for the main characters, Massimo Torricelli was an intense anti-hero. His obsession with the heroine is one of the draws for me with this book. He's very dominant and not a nice guy but he tried very hard to be better for Laura. He is mafia and the author kept him real to that role. I'm just really glad she didn't have him abuse Laura, because that is one thing I don't like for a hero to do to his heroine. He was firm and a bit rough at times with her but also very protective. She was his dream for so long, he just desperately didn't want her to disappear.

Laura was a harder character for me to like. Her reactions are very unrealistic. It's a book so I really shouldn't hold that against it, but I can't help but think this could have been better with a more proper reaction to certain scenes. She also came off a bit bratty at times and I'm not a fan of that. She's not the worst I've read and for me, it's all about the hero anyway.

One of the spoilers I learned did happen in this book. It was also in the movie. Did I like it? No. Did it ruin the book for me? Also no. Now, the other spoilers I heard that must happen in later books could be a deal breaker for me if they are true. That's something I am going to have to think on before I continue with the series. To be continued...or not.

Hot, steamy, romantic, and suspenseful! This is one of the best books I have read in 2020! I am giving it 4 stars only because the ending left such a cliffhanger!

Ok so a few things.

1. I have not seen the movie on Netflix. I know I know.
2. You have to remember that this has been translated into English.
3. It could have been better formatted for the English readers. I think it would have done better with some more time and not so rushed.
4. Everyone wanted this book to come out so quick so be kind when reviewing.
5. This book is hot

The Man in Black!

The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: ❤️💙💜💛💚
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙
World building: 🌎🌏🌍🌎🌏
Character development: 👤👤👤👤

The setting: Italy

The Hero(s): Don Massimo Toricelli - Boss in the Sicilian mafia. Massimo had a dream after being shot, or possibly a near death experience in which he saw the face of a woman and ever since he has been searching for this woman.

The heroine: Laura Biel - After achieving her dream job, she realizes she is bored and quits work for a while. She is on vacation in Italy with her boyfriend and some friends. While in Italy, she meets Massimo at a few different places and is both intrigued by him and scared of him.

The Love Story:Massimo kidnaps Laura and threatens her loved ones if she tries to escape. He proposes that she stay with him for 365 days in which he will try to get her to fall in love with him. He says he won’t force her to do anything she doesn’t want to do. Though in making her stay and threatening her family, isn’t he doing just that???

Someone told me the Netflix movie is basically porn. I am not really a watcher of porn, but I am now wanting to see the movie after picturing Massimo doing all the things he has done in this book. The book is somewhat porn, but not strictly smutty porn. There is definitely a story and I enjoyed it. Though I must say since many people hate captive romance books due to the whole force and/or Stockholm syndrome aspects, I am not bothered by them.

I like dark and twisty books and characters. Though Massimo wasn’t nearly as bad as many of the anti-hero’s of captive romance that I have read. Also unlike many people, I don’t think romance novels need to be seen as a purveyor of what the world should be like and I don’t think romance authors should only write characters that are good to make some sort of statement about what is right and what is wrong. I think they can be just plain entertainment and I like dark sexy men in my books even when they do wrong.

Massimo grew up in a violent world, he is used to being violent in many ways, especially in bed. But he has real feelings for Laura and he wants her to fall in love with him. So he is trying to be gentle with her. However, Laura is being held hostage, so she fights Massimo at every turn. He sees her fight (including being insolent and slapping him) as her disrespecting him. As a Don, he is not used to being shown disrespect so he often reacts violently.

Though not as violently as I expected. Massimo’s mood often turns on a dime and he will go from walking or sitting peacefully to jumping on her and speaking or doing something harshly. However, he notices when she shows fear and tends to back off. It gets to the point where Massimo backing off isn’t always what Laura really wants.

Like I said, and like many books with BDSM elements, there are a ton of steamy situations and sizzling content in this book. I was surprised that with 476 ratings on GR, the overall rating is less than 4 stars. Though since I am reading an ARC from Netgalley, I assume that many of those are reviews polish version. Possibly it was improved for the English version or maybe I just liked it better than most. Either way, I did think the story was terrific. My overall rating is 4.6, rounded up to 5 stars. It is sexy, romantic and I do plan to continue reading the series, so there you have it!

Lastly for those that compared this book to Fifty Shades, there are some BDSM elements so if that is enough to compare one book to another then they are alike in that only. Massimo is much more alpha male (in my opinion) than Christian Grey and he isn’t damaged like Christian is damaged by his early abuse and his mother’s friend. Massimo is a Mafia Kingpin and is used to having his way and he doesn’t have a red room. So other than some kinky sexual proclivities, I didn’t really see any comparison!

I voluntarily read & reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

Rating: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

My Review: I'll start with a warning, this book is not for those easily triggered or for those looking for a typical HEA.

I was beyond excited to get the opportunity to read this book, I've been searching for the English translation from the day the Netflix movie came out. I can honestly sayi was not disappointed in the least. I actually liked the book a little bit better than the movie which is typically the case for me. Yes, this book is full of triggers such as kidnapping, a lack of complete consent in a few cases, murder, Italian mafia, stalking. However, for those that are less faint of heart and those that enjoy a dark twisted story this book is great. The sex scenes are rather hot and steamy. I liked how Laura ended up falling for Massimo once he let down his guard a little and confided in her, I enjoyed seeing their relationship develop. She overcame her anger over being kidnapped and ended up falling in love with him. Some may say it's Stockholm Syndrome, but I didn't see it that way. For a mafioso like Massimo it was just a way of life and getting what he wanted and Laura came to accept that. I loved the main supporting character, Domenico, he was so wonderful at taking care of Laura and being a friend to her. There were several parts that had me on the edge of my seat in anticipation and the story kept me drawn in throughout the entire book. I can't wait til the next two books in the series are translated so I can find out what happens next.

I also want to say that I do not condone the actions of any of the characters in the book. I simply can appreciate the mentality behind their actions and appreciate the story for what it is, a piece of fiction

I’m not sure how I felt about this book. I was intrigued enough to finish it in less than a day, but I feel like the chemistry and supposed feelings of love between the two main characters were forced and not genuine. There was much about this story that was problematic, but, it is a story. Anyone who loved 50 Shades will probably enjoy this.

Thank you NetGalley & Publisher for the APPROVAL ARC.

THE GUIDE TO ROMANCE NOVELS
Unfortunately I did not enjoy the book and my FULL REVIEW can be found on my Blog, due to it's size, graphic words and book quotes I chose not to post my full review on here. I did give it a try, and read the whole story.

Best of luck to all.
REVIEW: https://tgtrnbookreviews.com/2020/12/22/r-e-v-i-e-w-%E2%9E%A0-365-days-by-blanka-lipinska/

Review posted on TikTok. It is available at: https://www.tiktok.com/@emsreads/video/6909513963462069509?source=h5_m

so i literally just watched the first part of this movie on netflix.. and then saw this on Netgally. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to read this. I really enjoyed the characters in this book. As I have read.. i have seen a lot of negative reviews I'm not sure why .. I mean I understand it may not be up to everyone's liking.. but I enjoyed it.

Let me say... if you are a fan of the Fifty Shades books, I think you will like this book.. The sex scenes are very ummm graphic. Massimo (yummm) has taken Laura and held her captive. told her that he is keeping her for 365 days.. and if in that time she does not fall in love with him he will let her go.. Laura is on Vaca with her boyfriend and other friends.. she wakes up in Massimo's home... She has a tendency to drink and do anything and everything to provoke Massimo..


This was my first read from this author.. I can not wait to read the next in the series. I did just watch the movie last weekend too and i hope we get a second move... because i was sad with the way it ended...

I've been dying to read Blanka Lipinska's 365 Days ever since I saw the Netflix adaptation. Finally, it's been translated into English!!! I really wasn't sure what to expect when I started it as I wasn't completely sold on the writing but it definitely grew on me and I couldn't put it down.

I really like the characters in this book. I've read a lot of negative reviews and honestly I'm not sure why it received so much negativity. Yes, there is violence, it is about a mobster after all. But there was nothing that I found over the top. Again…Fiction. If you are looking for a flowery romance, this might not be what you are looking for. But know that 365 Days is a romance, just a darker romance.

I did have a few issues, the first being the accent of a certain character, this really threw me off. The next issue I had was terminology used during the sexy scenes. 365 Days is very hot, but terminology did spoil it a bit for me.

All in all, I enjoyed 365 Days and can't wait to read the next book in the series, especially since I was left hanging. For those of you who watched the film, the book ending is nothing like the film. You should check it out.

This book is A LOT! I admit that I saw the Netflix movie before reading the book, so it wasn’t as shocking to me as it would be if I went in unprepared. And I definitely think that this book is not for everyone. Having said that, I enjoyed it. If you were a fan of the Fifty Shades books, I think you will like it. The sex scenes are very graphic.

I know that the premise of the book is very controversial, but there is very much an audience for dark erotica. You don’t have to endorse behaviors in real life to enjoy reading a fictional story about them. Massimo is a kidnapper, a possible rapist and Laura abuses alcohol and provokes Massimo at every turn. This is a book of extremes: extreme obsession, passion, wealth and violence. This is not portrayed as realism in any way. And this is in no way a road map for having a healthy, happy relationship. But was is titillating and interesting to read? You bet it was!

It will not be winning any literary awards, but for a translated book I thought they did a good job. I did have to look up a few phrases because it’s still in a European dialect - I now know what a “French exit” is!

If you think you might like this book, read it. I won’t judge you!!
I received any advance reader copy from the publisher via NetGalley and these are my honest opinions.

All righty, my smutty book friends! Buckle up cause I'm gonna give you the down and dirty. (giggle-snort) Have I already seen the movie? Yes. Did I want to read this because of Netflix? Double yes. Is it a masterpiece of literature? No. Will I still read and while having a fan handy? YES!

It's what I call a candy type of reading. Fun, a little bad for you, and just yummy goodness. Sometimes a girl needs a little something to sink her teeth into.

Releasing in the U.S. February 2nd in English from Atria Publishing. Don't get lost on the way to the book store, baby girl!

5 smutty book kisses!
~Tanja

*Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this novel. All Opinions are my own.*

Well, I did it. I tried to read this one.

This actually makes me wonder what the hell was going on with this.... I liked the Netflix movie, but in that way that makes us fascinated by cult movies. It wasn't great. But as a lover of Mafia Romances and Dark Romances, I stand by people's right to enjoy dark, sexy things.

However...... I am still a book reviewer and I can't in good conscious say that I enjoyed this book. There was just so much wrong with how it was written and how it was set up... It was just... not great. Not even good. Not even a little bit.

In the same vein of a 50 Shades though, I hope people will read this and then go looking for recommendation. Because there are some great Mafia and Dark Romances out there. This was just not one of them.

1 star.

Unfortunately this book just did not do it for me and I'll be sticking to the movie. Further editing via Atria? Not exactly sure. It was messy and just not for me.

365 Days is a translated book from Polish to English and one must keep that in mind while reading. There are some phrases that don't quite work and some dialogue that just didn't work for me. However, I reminded myself of this and carried on. :)

I really wanted to read this book and was excited to start. Don Massimo Torricelli is the head of a mafia family and has dreamed of Laura for years and when he sees her, in real life, in Sicily, he must have her. So he takes her.

Now, I've read many a book with a similar kidnapping plot and loved the overall stories. However, with this one it just falls a bit short --for me, that happened mostly at the end of the book. I kept wanting "something" to happen but nothing ever did. For that, I had to give this 3 stars.

This book is a highly popular movie (which I hadn't seen because I knew the book was coming and wanted to read the story first) so now I'll head on over to Netflix and see if they movie lives up to the hype. :)

Unfortunately, the translation job on this one does not work for me. It's not clean, it doesn't scan at times, and anything that might have been poetic or lovely in the original is lost here. As for the story itself, I can handle dark romance with mature themes, but this book just wasn't for me.