Left at the altar by her fiance, Julia Brooks 's beautiful and carefully planned life is in shambles.
Unwilling to let events beyond her control get her down, she decides to go on her honeymoon to Italy, alone!
Initially, the trip goes all wrong with unexpected delays, missed flights and breakdowns.
But then Julia comes to Porto Venere and finds Olive Haven - a retreat for widowed women travellers. Although she is welcomed warmly by the other guests, Julia isn't initially comfortable at Olive Haven - after all, she wasn't married and is not a widow, although heart break is every bit as real as the others'.
Eventually, the beauty of the place, the warm acceptance of her new friends and a distance from her life offers Julia a fresh perspective and a chance to heal!

I love reading travel stories and Italy was such a beautiful place to read about. I enjoyed this book , although I felt that it was too descriptive in some places and some parts were a little repetitive.

This is a story of heartache and finding your way back. Julia is about to get married when her fiancé tells her he no longer wants to marry her, at the church. She is devastated of course, and decides to take the trip to Italy that was supposed to be her honeymoon.

I found the parts of the book a bit slow. The descriptions of Italy were so amazing, I felt like I was there, which moved the story along.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Julia Brooks arrived in romantic Florence, Italy on her honeymoon—well, what was supposed to be her honeymoon. However, just the day before, Julia was left at the altar by the man she thought she’d spend forever with; he waited for he to begin to walk down the aisle with her dad before he met her there and asked to speak to her privately. Confessing to an affair, he told her he couldn’t go through with the wedding after all. Heartbroken, her soul crushed, she sent everyone away who tried to talk with her—including her best friend and sister-in-law, Ellie. After spending her honeymoon night alone, sobbing, she made the split-second decision to take her well-planned itinerary and travel alone; after all, Italy was her dream location. The first day was plagued with issues, including a train strike, a spontaneous kiss, language barriers resulting in mistakenly cancelled reservations. Full of nothing but regrets, she travelled to Olive Haven Women’s Retreat for Widowed Travelers in the seaside town of Porto Venere. Comforted and disturbed by the stories of great romance and terrible heartache from the women on retreat, Julia faced the terrible truth about her relationship and it changed everything she thought she knew. Now Julia is about to find out how one could possibly put a broken heart back together again.

Have you ever read a book, and hugged it to your chest when you were done? If so, then you know exactly what I experienced after the last page of Kate Laack’s “In the Shade of Olive Trees.” I loved this book so much, and mind you, I’m not big on romance novels (my apologies to all who love them), I’d much prefer a thriller. However, the novel is set in my favorite country in the world, Italy, and I immediately fell in love and felt like I had finally come home, thanks to the people I met and places I visited. I could easily see myself living there and absolutely left a chunk of my heart behind. The women were amazing characters with believable stories, their warmth and acceptance of each other shown through them. It’s clear the book was written with the same type of intense love I feel when I think of Italy, and the companionship and dialog of the dialog felt like something transcribed from real life. The work was infinitely quotable; the prose was meticulously crafted and poetic. One of my favorite quotes is as follows: “The thing about kindness is that it takes someone kind to show it. It doesn’t just exist on its own.“ (location 3923 of 4353) Another is a direct quote from Rumi: “‘If light is in your heart, you will find your way home.’“ (location 4063 of 4353). I highly recommend this hug in a book. May we all live with love and light in our hearts!

I’d like to thank NetGalley, Kate Laack, and Olive Street Publishing, LLC, for the opportunity to read and review this book.

💔Heartsick & looking for a cure in Italy🍷🍝

3.5 🌟 stars
I found this story a bit too reflective and depressing for me as it centers on the lead female protagonist and a group of women supporting each other through their grief. Julia, unlike the other women, has not lost her life partner through death but her loss of love and dreams of a happy married life is most recent, abrupt and traumatic. There are happy moments of shared joy as the group explore the countryside and towns of Italy's Cinque Terre on the Ligurian coast, but Julia's part of the story brought me down. The positive ending after all the heartache did not quite make up for it, maybe due to its brevity.

Thanks to Olive St. Publishing and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

This book was not the type of book I normally read. It had a much slower pace and dynamic. That being said, I think it may be one of my new favorites! It’s a story about self reflection and discovery set in Italy. The author paints such a vivid picture, I felt like I could literally see myself strolling through the streets of Italy myself even though I’ve never been! I cried, I laughed, I felt like a better person for having read it. If you need me, I’ll be booking my first trip to Italy!

As someone who spent a few summers in Italy, the descriptions of Italy were perfect! I felt like I was right there along side the MC.

This book does a wonderful job depicting grief and friendships, and I think a lot of people can relate to it.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A woman jilted at the altar finds hope and the will to start over with a tribe of other women.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ ½
Genre: Contemporary

The plot revolves around Julia Brooks, who was abandoned at the altar on her wedding day. She makes the decision to go on her own honeymoon to Italy, where she tries to come to terms with the shock and grief she is experiencing as a result of her engagement being broken and struggles with the concept of what a new beginning might look like.

During the course of her journey, Julia meets a number of different people who play an instrumental role in re-establishing her sense of identity. She gains strength from their stories and experiences. The author did an excellent job with the characters, particularly Harriet and Alex. They become friends with the main character, sharing their stories and how it feels to lose a loved one. All this makes the story very cozy and heartwarming.

One of the biggest strengths of the book is the setting and the author’s descriptions of the different places in Italy. The reader will have the impression that he is traveling alongside Julia to each of these places, partaking in the cuisine and observing the traditions of each place they visit.

This is a story about friendship, finding yourself, and coping with grief. I believe that many readers, particularly those who are dealing with grief, will identify with Julia and appreciate her journey and experiences.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

This is a book about healing. Julia Brooks' fiancé left her at the altar on her wedding day, telling her there was someone else. She was devastated but on a whim decided to go alone on the honeymoon trip to Italy that she had planned for both of them. On the plane she met Harriet who told her about her loss - she was a widow - and what she had done to fill the hole in her life. In Florence, Julia experienced deep sorrow that she was alone but also saw the beauty of the city. Until a train strike forced her out a couple days early. On the train she met Alex who looked after her until she arrived in La Spezia. Circumstances forced her to phone Alex again and she ended up at Olive Haven, a retreat centre for widows, run by Harriet who she had met on the plane.
Julia met women who had lost their spouses - some recently, some many years before. She learned that she had to go through the pain in order to heal even though she was in one of the most beautiful, romantic places.
Laack writes lovingly about the beauties of Cinque Terre. However, beauty is only the backdrop for the pain felt by Julia and the other widows on the retreat. We follow Julia through her grief over not only losing Will but losing what she expected her life was going to be, her security and her future.
This book is good for anyone who has loved and lost someone. Pain is the price of love and it is worth it. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book; the opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book to read.

I love reading novels that make me feel like I have visited a place I have never been. This is absolutely one of those novels. The descriptions of Italy are so vivid and complete that I had no trouble picturing the surroundings.
The characters in the novel were equally well sketched and I felt a connection with each of the women even though I don't share in the experiences they were working through.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read and I will look for more from Kate Laack.

This book reads like it was written by someone who has never traveled before. It was off putting. I expected something akin to One Italian Summer but I couldn't finish this book. Some characters felt stolen from The Jane Austen Book Club.

"in the Shade of the Oliver Trees" by Kate Lack is a beautiful debut novel. Julia Brooks finds herself travelling alone on what was supposed to be her honeymoon. This is a book about love, loss and friendship that will stay with me long after I turn the final page.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a heartfelt tale of heartbreak and healing, I adored the fact it was set in Italy now I’m desperate to go!

Julia finds herself unexpectedly traveling alone after heartbreak throughout her journey and the people she meets, gets stronger every day.

This was such a good debut novel by Kate Laack and I’ll definitely be keeping my eyes peeled for any future books!

Thank you to Net Galley, Kate Laack and Olive Tree Publishing for this advanced copy,

In the Shade of the Olive Trees was an amazing read, being the author’s debut novel! It felt like a very realistic view of a woman going through heartache and the pain, hurt, and confusion that come along with it. At points while reading I found myself wanting to physically shake her out of her heartache. It almost made it frustrating to read, but I reminded myself that it was an accurate portrayal of that pain. I love the journey to healing that the author took us on. I will keep my fingers crossed that there is a follow up novel!

In the Shade of Olive Trees is a story of resilience. After the wedding she had planned goes completely awry Julia decides to forge through and continue on the Italian honeymoon she had carefully planned. Along this solo journey, Julia makes friendships with others who know a thing or two about loss, about heartache, and about life on the other side of the pain. I found this book to be heart wrenching in parts, but equally joyous in others. You feel transported to Italy and the friendships Julia makes along the way each help her to remember who she is and help her get through this challenging time. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a story on the power of female friendships, resilience, and life after an unexpected loss. Thank you to Net Galley and Olive Street Publishing for this copy, all opinions are my own.

Left at the altar, Julia Brooks makes the hasty choice of going on her honeymoon in a desperate attempt to hold on to what she still had in life. Miles away from home in the midst of strangers, life seems like a wild tangle of mess. When almost nothing goes as she had planned, she ends up in a place that she slowly comes to accept as her rightful place. Fate works in mysterious ways, after all.

"Everyone deserves incredible kindness, but people facing incredible heartache deserve it most of all.

The best part of this one was that it was not about a whirlwind exotic romance followed by a happy ever after just for the sake of it. This one shows you that there is no way around grief unless you sit and be with your feelings instead. No matter where you run off to, grief will not leave your side until you deal with it the right way. And hopefully, with time, we realise that whatever we thought was the absolute worst thing to happen, was actually a favour. If we are lucky enough, we might even find our 800-year old olive tree.

“If only memories were shed as easily as tears. Moving on would be as easy as a few good cries.”

Heartbreaking and heart-warming In The Shade of Olive Trees has been beautifully written and captures perfectly, the absolute desolation that can occur when life dishes up the unexpected.
Julia Brooks’ world is turned upside down on her wedding day. Will, the man she was to marry finally arrives at the church and informs her he can’t marry her, as it would not be fair; he is and has been having a long term affair.
She is shattered and in false bravado, fuelled by a considerable intake of champagne, makes the decision to carry on with the carefully planned ‘honeymoon’ trip to Italy, a place she has always wanted to travel too. Her carefully prepared itinerary will make the journey easy, or so she considers, from her state of grief!
On the flight to Florence, Italy she meets Harriett Morris, a woman she finds she relates to, who as it turns out, runs a retreat for 'Widowed Travellers' at Porto Venere. She invites Julia to come to ‘Olive Haven’, handing her a card and glossy pamphlet which details what she offers, created especially for women who are lost in grief and need to heal.
After a series of devastating events and a chance encounter, Julia finds herself travelling to Olive Haven with Alex, a dear friend of Harriett’s and so begins the cathartic, confrontational, healing journey back to discovering who she really is and what she wants from her life.
It is very had to credit this is a debut novel from Kate Laak, as the characters are beautifully portrayed, the setting of Florence, the countryside of Italy and Porto Venere have been skillfully created. The vibrancy of Italy enchants, as do the wonderful people Julia meets along the way that try to help her heal a broken heart!
She has also, with great skill, woven into the story the many layers of grieving and healing that take place as time moves steadily onward.
Captivating and difficult to put down, have a box of chocolates, a box of tissues as well as a glass of Champagne handy and join Julia as she bravely tackles her ‘honeymoon’ journey as a solo traveller, all the while beginning to understand so much about life, herself and what she wants in her future.

A heartwarming story! I loved the Italian setting and I felt like I was right there with Julia in Italy.

This is a story of hope and healing wrapped up in a captivating Italian travel guide. Julia finds herself unexpectedly traveling alone and is struggling to enjoy the trip of her dreams while grappling with a broken heart. The author does a fabulous job of setting the scene without getting bogged down in minutiae. I truly enjoyed the relationships that form when Julia takes a spontaneous detour from her preplanned journey as well as the realistic feelings and outcomes as Julia finds her way forward.

I look forward to reading more from this debut author and I have added Cinque Terre to my travel bucket list to find my own shade in the olive trees!

Thank you to Net Galley, author Kate Laack and Olive Tree Publishing for a digital ARC!

This would be a great read for anyone going through heartbreak, loss, etc. It is a touching story about an almost-newleywed finding herself while on her "solo-honeymoon".
I enjoyed the characteristics and descriptions of the European cities and villages. However I thought the plot was too vague to keep me entertained throughout and scenes/conversations were redundant.