I wasn’t really home this past week, nope, I was cruising on a Vespa in the Italian countryside while eating cannoli and drinking Aperol spritz. At least, that’s what it felt like while reading this book.

Believed to be a family curse, all second born Fontana daughters for the past two centuries have never found lasting love. Cousins Lucy and Emilia are invited on a spontaneous trip to Italy by their estranged Aunt Poppy, where she promises to break the curse for them by meeting her one true love on the Ravello Cathedral steps on her eightieth birthday.

Don’t you love when you pick up a book that is exactly what your mind is craving? I needed a read that took me out of where I am and brought me on a fun adventure. This story gave you exactly that and was so vivid and exciting I felt I could almost smell the Tyrrhenian Sea. The different generational stories of the Fontana women made it so enjoyable with the bits of historical events sprinkled throughout. I had so much fun getting to know these Fontana women and their stories, there was also LGBTQ representation! This read was truly so much fun I don’t see how anyone could not enjoy this book! And to top it all off, Poppy’s story is loosely based off a real life love story. One of my favorite reads of the year. So if you have the option to add it as your @bookofthemonth pick DO IT! You will not regret it. Pub date is November 17 so definitely get yourself a copy.

Thank you so much to @berkleypub @netgalley and @lorinelsonspielman for this perfect eARC!

Emilia is part of a big Italian family that since decades is living in Brooklyn, New York. She is single and works as a baker in the bakery of her grandfather. Her love live is non-existent though, which she would live to see differently. There is this belief though in her family that all the women are cursed that goes back two hundred years ago and will never find true love.
But her life makes an unexpected turn when she gets a letter from her aunt Poppy, the sister of her nonna Rosa. Poppy asks her to accompany her on a travel to her homeland Italy. She hesitates if she should go, due to her troubled relationship with her Nonna who tells her not to go, but eventually, after a visit to Poppy, she agrees, and her cousin Lucy will accompany her on the travel to Italy.

In Italy they find out why they are there, Poppy is ill and the travel is important for her to give some things that happened when she was young a place and to find Rico. Aunt Poppy vows she’ll meet the love of her life, Rico, on the steps of the Ravello Cathedral on her eightieth birthday, and break the Fontana Second-Daughter Curse once and for all.

The Star Crossed Sisters of Tuscany is a very elegant and charming written book that takes you to New York and Italy in a whim. I really liked the style of writing. It really takes you to Italy and what I also liked that the chapters alternate between Emilia in the present time and Poppy in the past. Poppy's past forms the red line of the story, alltough it isn't set fully in the past. When Poppy was young she wanted nothing more then to marry the love of her life Rico. But Poppy lived in a family where her father had the last say in everything she had to do in her live, and her path was already decided for her. She had to marry and move to America with the husband her dad had chosen for her. But during their time in Italy, mostly in Venice and Tuscany, Emilia and Lucy find out there is another secret in her past that has been hidden till now, but now comes out, and it put everything they knew about their family in a different place.



I really liked how in the last part of the book, the story had some secrets unraveled, and how everything turned out and was wrapped up, it really was a nice ending to a very nice read! Recommended!

I am going to fully disclose that I’m giving this book three stars despite the fact that I didn’t finish it, because it’s well written and the story is good, it’s just not for me. I typically do not rate dnf’s but in this case, it is truly not the book’s fault.

The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany follows an Italian family with a curse: that the second-born daughter will never find love. In the modern era, one second-born daughter accompanies another second-born daughter on a trip to Italy, and though the novel promises some mystery and long-buried secrets, the characters all just talk so much and their voices sound so similar to me that I just couldn’t stick it out. I will likely try this one again later.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

There are limited words to express how much I loved this book! It was like going on vacation with your own eccentric aunt to all the places in Italy. Along the way you learn that you have been pigeon holed your whole life and now you can break free.

I will be recommending this one to everyone this holiday season.

(thank you to Berkley for the free eARC).

This was the perfect book to pull me out of my reading hiccup (I don’t call them slumps).

Sometimes I get a little crazy and pick up a book without reading the synopsis. I had a general idea of what this one was about, but I came in a little blind.

I’m glad I did because I was intrigued immediately. My heard broke for Emilia and, later, Poppy. Maybe Lucy, a little, but mostly Lucy just made me smile.

I do wish we’d had more time with Aunt Poppy & Rico, their story was beautiful but heartbreaking.

If you’re looking for a heartfelt, multigenerational family saga, this is the book for you.

(4.75 Stars) I started reading this title for the Italian setting -- who doesn't need a vacation abroad right about now? -- and ended up falling in love with the characters. Maybe this was just the right book at the right time? I can see this being a wonderful story for multi-generational book groups. Highly recommended.

To be fair when I first got this book, I wasn’t sure I was going to like it. I love Italy and the premise was great. But I wasn’t sure the sisters and the mystery was going to do it for me. Boy was I wrong this was amazing! I was so drawn into the characters but the ones I loved and the ones I hated. I can’t say the ending was a complete surprise but it did leave me guessing up to the end.
I received this book as an Advanced Reader’s Copy (ARC) through NetGalley. I received this copy free in exchange for my honest review.

I added this novel to my armchair travel TBR after seeing a blurb that called it “as effervescent as an Aperol spritz.” In a year when travel is tough, how can I turn down a lighthearted adventure through Venice, Tuscany, and the Amalfi Coast? This novel follows three women from a family in which the second-born daughters have been cursed for generations as they travel to Italy to break the curse. Bonus: The main character is a baker, so be prepared to salivate over the frequent descriptions of Italian goodies!

As blurbed on my fall 2020 reading list for The Everygirl: https://theeverygirl.com/most-anticipated-novels-fall-2020/

I loved the multigenerational aspect of this story. The characters were well developed - I was cheering for each of them in her own way. The end was lovely and bittersweet.

Maybe I was just predisposed to love this book because I LOVED my trip to Florence and Tuscany, but I really did love this book. The Fontana family has been cursed -- the second daughters are all doomed never to find love. Some have died early, some have been dumped, some just never found that certain someone. When Aunt Poppy (a second daughter) asks Emilia and Lucy (both second daughters) to accompany her to Italy to meet her long-lost love, readers expect beautiful scenery and romance. This book delivers both.

I found the story captivating and surprising. Although, I admit, I figured out the BIG secret long before it was revealed. The structure of the story incorporates flashbacks to the late 1950s and 1960s to tell Aunt Poppy's story focusing on the division of Berlin & the tragedy of separated families at the Berlin Wall. Emilia & Lucy's stories are present day. I loved the characters and how they grew and changed throughout the story. Yes, it's somewhat predictable and a bit overly dramatic in places, but everything seemed real and plausible. I do not enjoy sappy romances or books that are overly manipulative. This one did not seem that way to me. I laughed and cried and felt a satisfying sigh at the end. AND the descriptions of Italy and Italians put me right back in Florence, etc. all over again.

A story that centers on a family curse isn’t a typical story I’m attracted to, but how could I resist this gorgeous cover and Italian setting? I’ve visited Italy twice, and I loved learning about the culture. And of course, I gained a few pounds sampling the food… But all that’s beside the point. Even if you’ve never stepped foot in the lovely land of love, it’s easy to appreciate this Italian countryside and unique characters.

Emilia Fontana is who I connected with the most. Though she is very different from me as a whole, we do share some similarities. She seems to be a pleaser, trying not to cause waves or disrupt or disagree with anything her domineering Nonna lays out there. But she isn’t quite as content as she first appears.

I didn’t really care for Lucy, initially, but she shows growth and develops understanding as her time in Italy progresses. She believes in the family curse, and she desperately seeks to get married because she wants to break the curse. Certainly, she is in need of self-discovery before she can truly find love.

Both second-born daughters, Emilia and Lucy fall under the Fontana Family Curse that states they have no hope in finding love. When they accept a paid trip to Italy to visit Aunt Poppy, they discover secrets, surprises, and once in a lifetime adventures!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.

THIS, STORY. Amazing. I am at a loss for words. I was pulled in almost from the beginning. It labored just a bit in the middle, but then I didn't want to put it down. I was sobbing, then smiling and sobbing. I am crying now as I try to type. Absolutely brilliant!!

I'm not sure where to start, is it with the curse of the second daughters that three Fontana women set off to break; is it the wonders of Italy; the love story from 1960; or the 80 year old Poppy who I couldn't get enough of? I couldn't put the book down and thoroughly enjoyed the three main characters.
The curse of the second daughter not finding love and marriage goes back generations in the Fontana family. Emilia and Lucy take off with their great Aunt Poppy for Italy hoping to break the curse. Along the way the cousins learn about their family's history and about themselves. They also enjoy some wine and food in the splendid Italian countryside and cities.
Poppy was by far my favorite, she's the 80 year old I want to be some day; wise, loving and not afraid to speak her mind.

The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany is a multi-generational story of family, sisters and love. I loved the main characters and the settings - first in New York and then in Italy . A delightful read ..I am looking forwrad to reading more books by this author!
Thanks to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany was an absolute joy to read, Women's fiction and the perfect escape to Italy during this pandemic. In all honesty, the title turned me off and I was hesitant to read it. Had another reviewer not recommended it to me, I definitely would not have picked up. Alas, I'm glad I did.

An Italian family with a curse on all last born daughters is the conflict for this story. Sisters that don't speak to one another and sisters who misunderstand one another make up the main characters. This book had heart and good lessons about love and finding your true happiness. Well done! Links to come soon.

Many years ago the Fontana women were cursed by one of their own. Filomena Fontana cast a curse on her younger sister and all future second-born daughters. They would never find love. The curse held true from generation to generation.

Emilia Josephina Fontana Lucchesi Antonelli isn’t quite sure what to make of the curse. She wonders if her single status is just a coincidence. When her great-aunt Poppy, a second born daughter too, makes her an amazing offer to break the curse. All she has to do is accompany her to Italy. Poppy also invites cousin Lucy, also a second born daughter. Lucy and Emilia hesitate, but who could refuse an all expense paid trip to Italy?

The women head out on an adventure they will never forget.

No description I could write of this book would do it justice. It’s a beautifully written family saga rich in story and emotion. The author took me on an unforgettable trip to Italy. I felt as if I were standing right by these three women as they explored the country.

However, this isn’t just a travelogue. It’s an emotional story of love, family, secrets and betrayal. Every time I tried to put this book down, I kept thinking “just one more chapter”. I couldn’t stop. It pulled me in and wouldn’t let me go.

This is one of those books that I just wanted to savour when I was done. It stayed with me long after the last page. I never read anything by this author before, but I’ll be sure to see if she has a backlist.

It’s one of those books that I would rate higher than a five, if I could.

I read The Life List by Lori Nelson Spielman several years ago, and I loved it! I was anxious to read this new book from her. FIlomena Fontana put a curse on her sister over two hundred years ago resulting in the second-born Fontana sisters never finding true love. Two second-born Fontana women set out on a journey with their great aunt (also a second-born) to Italy to try to break the curse. I love stories that follow multiple generations of a family. The two young women in this story, Emilia and Lucy, set out to find their true selves, and they benefit from the wisdom that their great aunt brings to the table. I liked how the story alternated between the present day from Emilia's perspective and back to an early period in the great aunt's life. Over the course of the story many family secrets were revealed, and it reminded me a lot of Santa Montefiore's books which are some of my favorites. It was a great story of family and emphasized the idea that where you come from shapes who you are but you should still be true to yourself. If you like family sagas, then I would recommend checking this one out!

Emilia’s traditional recipes drive customers to the family bakery run by her father and her grandmother who controls their lives but she craves more yet feels she cannot upset her grandmother. Enter Poppy, her grandmother’s estranged sister, who takes Poppy and her cousin Lucy on a trip to her childhood home in Italy. Oh! And don’t forget the family curse that second daughters never find love or marry. Family secrets, twists on mythical imagery, love in more forms than one, acceptance combine for a wonderful story.

This review is posted on Goodreads. This was a delightful book about the wonders and terrors of family and about discovering who you really are. Emilia's life is fairly plain. She works in the family store baking, she has a small apartment, a cat, and a best male friend. Unfortunately she is also a doormat, held down by the family curse of the second daughter. Her great aunt Poppy asks Emilia and her cousin Lucy to go to Italy with her; three second daughters on a journey of love, discovery, and, hopefully, curse-breaking. Poppy slowly teaches Emilia and Lucy to be the women they are meant to be; she even brushes Emilia's shirt off to rid her of the footprints of those who walk all over her. Poppy's life story is the backbone to the trip to Italy; it is a rich story of true love, immense sadness and sacrifice. The time spent in Italy transforms the women and the story glows like the lovely Tuscan sunlight. Not every dream comes true, not every hurt gets apology, and sometimes hearts get broken, but Emilia learns to have strength and a belief in what is possible. Highly recommended for book discussion groups and individual enjoyment.

The tale that unfolds was delightful and filled with growth and self-discovery as their Aunt Poppy shares her own love story and curse as a second-born daughter. Each character was unique and flawed. It was wonderful learning their secrets, seeing them experience and grow.

I laughed, sipped my wine, imagined the sights of Italy and fell in love. Spielman made me cry, laugh and cheer even as I held my breath and crossed my fingers.

Full review will post at Caffeinated Reviewer on April 21, 2020. It will be cross-promoted on all social media. A reiew will also post to Goodreads and Amazon.