Lost in Spanish Quarter is the story of Heddi and Pietro.

Years after leaving Naples with a broken heart, Heddi receives an email from her first love. Although she now lives in New Zealand, just the thought of the Spanish Quarter’s narrow, winding streets sparks the pain of longing. Heddi had found her place in that city built on Roman ruins and set against a sleeping volcano. A place she wants to call home despite being l’americana or the American. For Heddi’s group of university friends, Naples is either a refuge from their familial responsibilities or an entryway to a wider world. But for all of them, Naples was their real university of life: the setting of their unrestrained youth.

This book didn’t flow for me. It has potential though and hope it’s updated.

I could not ge it to this story… for sure not for me. I heard great things about this book but I couldn’t do it.

This was okay but it very slow moving and it took me a really long time to get into. The way it was marketed also didn't really match what I was reading.

A love story set in Italy a book that drew me in to the romance the setting.I felt liike I was in Naples watching the characters,so well written they, came alive.A very enjoyable read.#netgalley#harpercollins

You will get lost in this love story. Very descriptive and pulls on your heart strings. I felt as if I was there in Italy with the characters. There were times it was a bit confusing but not enough to distract from the story.

This book was very atmospheric and well written but it just wasn’t for me. I never connected with the characters or became engaged in the story. It was confusing at times as to when events were taking place. I’m sure there are many who will enjoy this more than me.
Many thanks to Harper Collins Publishers and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Lost in the Spanish Quarter is the love story of Heddi and Pietro. I loved the writing about Naples and how immersed I felt in the city. The book was descriptive and a bit confusing at times however there were a lot of stand out moments. It wasn’t my favorite read but always love reading a new author and hearing new voices in literature!

Lost in the Spanish Quarter is not your typical love story. It’s a story of the enduring, lasting pain that comes from loving someone, or some place, deeply and unconditionally.

Goodrich writes with passion and a deep understanding of language that transcends story telling. (The fact that she wrote this book first in Italian then translated it into English hung with me the entire time I read this book.) She transports you into the story—the story she very much lived herself— without making you feel like you’re losing yourself. In fact, it is so easy to see yourself in Heddi that I often found myself laughing at her internal dialogue thinking, “I have been there, done that!” Her characters are raw, with no pretenses and no ulterior motive to gloss over the hardships of life, love and family.

Heddi’s story begins with her unwavering love of Naples, second only to language. Immediately, you’re transported to the contentious city that baffles tourists and natives alike. You feel the frustration, the smog, the heat. All of this is no bother to Heddi, as her infatuation blinds her— sometimes to a fault. It seems that Naples and words would be her only love, until Pietro offers a gift to her in the hopes of forming a connection.

The gift turns into a lifetime of love, lust and longing between the two. The two battle familial acceptance, tradition diverging with modernity, slumlords, dissertations, money, health and distance. Their relationship is believable and relevant, and anyone who has loved will see themselves in these characters.

Goodrich exquisitely weaves Heddi’s story in Naples with exchanged “present day” letters between Heddi and Pietro, detailing their lives and dedication to one another. The letters are open, heart wrenching and make you question your devotion to Heddi and Pietro’s relationship, or if either of them was truly the “good guy” in the relationship.

Goodrich’s novel is one that completely swept me away. It is full of beautiful prose, history, linguistics and romance without being heavy. I truly cannot overstate how beautiful this book is. If you love exquisitely written stories that refuse to provide a conventional ending, then this book is for you.

Lost in the Spanish Quarter is about Heddi is an american exchange student who goes to Naples and and meets Pietro and falls in love. The book starts off a few years later with an email written to Heddi from Pietro admitting that he was wrong.

This book was really descriptive about everything and I found myself getting lost at times and not knowing what was going on. I felt like she would have flashbacks about a certain situation and I wouldn't even know that what was happening. I loved the email part of the story. I just felt like I wanted more from the characters and not really the plot.

Heddi Goodrich's Lost in the Spanish Quarter is translated from the original Italian by the author herself, who is a native of Washington, DC. Her international upbringing likely adds some at least semi-autobiographical elements to this tale which is as much a love story between the characters in the book as it is between the author and the city of Naples itself. This is a beautifully written book about the headiness and challenges of first love, as well as what it means to find yourself.

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.