A bit of a back-and-forth impression here from me: initially the heroine, Libby, was immature, unfocused and more than a bit spoilt child. Nearing 30, she really needed to find a direction after an ‘adult’ life spent travelling, temping and ‘finding herself’. Personally, these are the most difficult characters for me to connect with – as they are just in that endless loop of self-indulgence. Even Libby’s best friends since childhood have moved on and grown up- and have little expectation that she will be anything more than what she is.

And then things change: from her ‘last’ summer of indulgence spent in Positano, she meets and decides on a ‘summer fling’ with the bartender at the small guesthouse she is working for in a combined attempt to enjoy her life and polish her Italian in preparation for her contract to work in a law firm come September. But, for me, just as the “always you’ romantic entanglement hinted at in the title was obvious, the relationship with Luca, and it’s eventual shatter were easy to see coming: for everyone BUT Libby. Don’t get me wrong, this was an easy and enjoyable read, but there were no real surprises here: from the betrayals to her protracted growing curve, Libby does manage to be engaging and show that she understands the need to grow up – for herself.

A novel that is best described as a long-overdue self-discovery for Libby: deciding what she can and cannot live with, how she will support herself and still manage to wake each day excited to continue, and just where her abilities, talent and attention span will prove to be an asset rather than keeping her in the constant state of flux. Capron has an easygoing writing style: points of view are clear and well voiced, descriptions are lovely, and there was a solid sense of Libby’s struggles with her own self-definition. And this is a feel-good, everything works out sort of story, perfect for a lazy summer afternoon.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

IT WAS ALWAYS YOU is the perfect summer read. Capron writes so vividly that it is easy to get swept away to another place and time. I find this book hard to review without giving away too many spoilers. The main character, Libby, is easy to relate to. She is a thirty something that has never had a relationship that as worked out, is moving from one job to another and never able or ready to settle down. There really is not much drama just one major decision that will change her life forever. I felt like I was talking to a friend who is retelling me a story. Overall, I found this to be a light summer beach read but did not find it to be a book I would read again.

This dreamy book is perfect for a lazy day in... It has a beautiful, flawed heroine... gorgeous settings *read* Italy!
Cracking supporting characters and... sigh Luca…
It carefully treads on relationships, family , and other sensitive topics without being too preachy or angsty which makes it perfectly balanced…
Recommended for readers who love holiday romances sprinkled with family and love.
The GORGEOUS cover deserves a special mention and an entire star is reserved just for that!
4 sparkly, cozy stars!
Kudos Ms Capron!
A huge thank you to Netgalley and Aria for my ARC!

A feel good and enjoyable summer read!

Perfect for by the beach, relaxing in the garden, or curling up on the sofa with, this is a rom com with an unusual twist for similar usual stories of this genre. It was well written with exceptional, delightful and at times mouth-watering detail, particularly of the main character's time in Italy, and the delicious food she ate!

I particularly liked that this book had several main settings: London, Italy and Devon, which essentially splits the book into three main stories and parts. So, whilst this is a relaxing read, it's still exciting!

A must-read for the summer!

This novel is tricky to review because of fear of revealing spoilers. So many things happen in this novel that I can’t discuss, so bear with me. I initially loved Libby, but as I watched her grow and mature throughout the novel I came to realize how immature she was in the beginning. For a woman in her early 30’s, she was traveling around and enjoying Positano for the summer without much responsibility.

I liked Luca at first and then fell in love with him. He was sexy, charming, sweet, loving, and so on. Did I love him the entire novel? No, I didn’t, but I didn’t hate him either.

Angus and Jules flip-flopped for me. I hated him initially and loved her. Then that all changed. Regardless, I felt that most characters were well-developed and not overly simple or overly complex. Libby’s sister Helen aggravated me to no end. She broke up with a guy, returned to her typical state of depression, moved to another country, continued to be depressed, came home. What was at the center of all this depression? her desire to have a man and a baby. Helen just seemed very shallow and uninteresting to me as she was completely unable to find any happiness without a man.

There are so many subplots and underlying themes to this novel, but to me, it mostly embodies love, trust, taking risks, and moving on from disappointment and hurt. Libby went through a lot of things in this novel, some that were devastating. However, she picked herself up and created a new life that gave her happiness. Like her sister, I felt that she was a little too man-dependent, although she frequently reminded herself not to be. But I’ve tried to look at it in more of a romantic, soulmates way, rather than her needing a man to be happy.

It Was Always You is my second time reading Georgie Capron and I admit that I am addicted to her stories and her writing. This novel did not turn out at all as I thought it would, but I adored the story, especially all of the surprises and twists. With her descriptions of Italy, prepare to have severe wanderlust after reading this one. Lover’s of women’s fiction and romance, this should go on your TBR!

*Thanks to NetGalley and Aria for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This is a good summer read. Nothing complicated. Simple text nothing crazy going on. It is the story about a 30 something year old woman looking for her purpose in life. None of the story gets too much into detail about anything really. It is a lighthearted story. I only gave it gave it three stars because the story was cute not necessarily exceptional. Its a beach book :)

Thanks !

This review is based on the ARC provided by the author and/or publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you want a light summer-y beachy read, then Georgie Capron's IT WAS ALWAYS YOU won't disappoint you. Its a perfect book for your beach-cation, to curl up with while lounging under the sun and listening to the ocean.

Libby's a 30 something woman who's yet to find her footing, takes on a summer excursion to Italy. There she meets Luca, the handsome Italian and the sparks fly. What I felt was it was a bit predictable, otherwise its a fun light read full of adventure and sightings.

What I loved most was the picturesque town of Italy, make me wants to grab my passport and hop on a plane to Italy.

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Sweetly romantic and swoonworthy, this book will make you believe in love!

I had a difficult time finishing this book.

I really liked the first third of the book or so. I have been to Southern Italy and I loved the descriptions of the beautiful area and how much Libby enjoyed it.

It was difficult, though, to connect with Libby. Even moreso when she returned to England. I think if it had been first person narration I would have liked it better.

The resolution at the end felt rushed, too, and I wished there had been a bit more to it. The epilogue was well done and sweet.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this summer read for the most part. Although, I found it very strange to read in the third person. Usually I read books that are written in the first person and this just made it seem like I wasn't in the story. It felt more like someone was relaying the story back to me. I did think it was a predictable, but for a light summer read it was good.

Thank you Netgalley, Publisher and Georgie Capron. This is a very sweet read perfect for sunny days on the beach. The characters are lovely and it will leave you with a big smile on your face

Georgie Capron's friendly writing style meant I got into this story very quickly. I loved the descriptions of Italy - the places Libby visited were brought alive for me. I also really warmed to the main character, Libby. Libby is someone who I think people can relate to, 30 something, relationships never working out, drifting from one job to another, never able to settle down. Something life-changing happens to her whilst she's working abroad, and we see how she copes with it.

This is a nice story - possibly a bit too nice. There aren't many points of conflict, and the main one seems to be glossed over a bit too quickly. Perhaps we could have had some more thoughts and feelings from Libby at this time - some more angst. And other plot points seem to be resolved all too easily. I guessed what was going to happen romance-wise quite early on, so that was predictable. Occasionally I noticed Capron seems to list what happens, rather than bringing it alive - a case of more telling rather than showing, but there's not too much of that. I would have liked to have found out more about Libby's sister, Helen.

Overall this is a lovely story, perfect as a summer read.

Wow, it was a story that did not immediately capture my attention what with a heroine skipping around beautiful Italy and just going with the flow of life. However, as I did love the author's previous title, I soldiered on and it paid off. Libby's story matured throughout and by the end of it, it was beautiful and full of life with all its good, bad, ugly parts weaved together wonderfully by the author.