A very good story about dysfunctional Italian family and Maggie and Lara who are the second wives. The story tells of problems they have not only trying to compete with memories of the first wives but, also trying to bond with their children.

I liked this, It was an emotional story. only thought that sometimes in the story it got a bit confusing who was married to who.

I just loved this book and could not put it down.This is the first book i have read by this author and wont be the last it was well written with great characters like Maggie i adored her she was very likable and you could relate to her most of us have a similar family to her.I would recommend this book.

** I was given this book free, via Netgalley, in exchange of an honest review

** I give this book 3.75 out of 5 stars*

I enjoyed this book, I loved Maggie, I felt like she was a very relatable character. I feel like that may be how many women may feel when having a blended family. Being a step mom, and a step child is no simple task. I really had such an issue with Nico's family, and a very hard time reading from Lara's perspective.

I was able to predict how the book would end, but it was still very enjoyable to read. I actually woke up in the middle of the night, and couldn't sleep, so I finished the book. It's going to be one of those books that just sticks with me. And I think the ending was wrapped up extremely well, and I love how each character got the ending they deserved.

Within the first few pages of this book I was hit by the emotion as of the main character, I thought it was going to be a heavy read but it wasn't at all. It made me aware of the position/emotions she was carrying around which then made it so lovely to read how she helped this family despite her own issues.
The family members were believable, I was totally asbord in their lives without trying to second guess the outcome. It was refreshing to read a book with each page as it was turned.
I really enjoyed this book and read it within one sitting.

Review:

I loved the main plot of this book - the intricacies of family dynamics and how much give and takenis required to keep everything and everyone happy in a family. But this gets more complicated when there are second marriages in the family. The author has beautifully broughtout the family dynamics of a mixed family with different cultures and values and the challenges that are usually seen. The plot has wide variety of themes and motifs and sub-plots that helps in keeping the readers attention. I loved the lead characterisation of Maggie and Lara. Two contrasting personalities, who bring a new wave of strength and persisitence to overcome their obstacles.

What I didn't like about this book would be the way of narration. I don't know if it's a technique employed by the author to show the class distinction between Maggie and Lara, and Maggie and the rest of the family, but the somewhat broken English didn't endear to me at all since it interfered a lot with my reading experience.

I somehow liked the cover image and the title. While the title is dramatic and directly indicates towards the plotline, the cover image is much more simple and soothing to compensate for the elaborate display.

My opinion: I actually liked the book and I would recommend it as well. My only problem would be the narration style. But then its a very individual thing to like or otherwise.

My rating: 3 out of 5