Great read for fans of Adriana Trigiani. An Italian family whose second daughters are cursed to not get married. Em is a second daughter, who does not believe in the curse, and has convinced herself that at 29 years of age she is okay with her life alone. That is until her 80 year old aunt invites her on an Italian vacation. Poppy tells Em her own story as well as imparts wisdom about life. Delightful characters.

Dramatic, intimate, and full of family secrets... Spielman pulls you into a multi century family saga against the culturally rich backdrops of Italy and New York Italian communities. with all the modern accouterments a chick lit book needs. I didn't want to put this one down. This book gave me a trip to Italy if only from my couch.

What an amazing story. Deep dark family secrets are not what they seem to be.
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Have you ever read a story that just makes your heart sing? A story that is so rich and warm you just want it to go on forever? The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany is that book.

Speilman gifts her readers with an amazing story that crosses generations and completely pulls you in. From New York to Italy, The Berlin Wall to a tiny church in Ravello, we hear a story about a love so profound it can cross the ages.

With tears a plenty, we meet the characters who are so different and unique you can’t help but be entranced by their story. Spielman delves deep into the human psyche with shades of manipulation, jealously, heartbreak, profound love, and more. We meet characters we love and those we love to hate. Those deep dark family secrets are so much more than what they seem.

I just wanted this book to keep going. I wanted more for Poppy. I want to know what happens to Emilia. I just want more!

For an amazing story that will leave you with a warm heart and a bit weepy too, this book is one that will set the mark for those yet to come. Speilman brings it with her storytelling skills and the colorful, rich experience we are left with once we close the pages. The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany truly does make our heart sing.

This is the story of two young women, cousins, finding out just what could be possible in their lives if they take a chance. When their great-aunt Poppy invites them to visit Italy with her they almost immediately shut that idea down. She won’t take no for an answer though and soon they take off on a life-changing trip. I adored Aunt Poppy, hoped for the best for Emilia, and found a place in my heart for her polar opposite cousin Lucy. This is the story of secrets born out of desperation and their far-reaching effect on so many people. I really enjoyed this novel and kept thinking it would make a great movie. I loved the Italian setting and endearing and larger-than-life characters brought to life by Lori Nelson Spielman. This is one of those books that had me shedding a few happy tears at the end. I love when that happens!

For two centuries the second daughters in the Fontana family have been cursed to remain single. With the intention of breaking the curse, three second daughters take off on a trip to Italy to break the curse. One gets a wonderful sense of Italy, family interactions yes, romance. Not to be missed.

Simply delightful! A curse was set upon the family more than two hundred years ago. No second born daughter will find lasting love. The present day second born sisters travel with their Aunt Poppy to Tuscany. This story offers beautiful descriptions and colorful people, humor , and love.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A fun and colorful family excursion through myths and secrets. It was entertaining with so many twists and turns. I found it somewhat tedious mid way through the book and wondered if the ending was crafted too quickly. A good, easy summer read.

This book is a delicious treat of romantic adventure in one of the most amazing scenes on the planet, Italy! A 200 year old curse is the driving force in the story as the second born daughters in this dynamic family are cursed never to find lasting love. Through accepting an exciting proposition from Great Aunt Poppy, cousins Emilia and Lucy travel to their family homeland and have the excitement of a lifetime! This story is about how a trip can change your lives and also that you are never too old to follow your dreams. The dialogue and character development is beautiful and the scenery is so perfect, you can literally visualize it as the story unfolds. A lighthearted and heartwarming read....this is not to be missed!

A 3.5 rating. A delightful story about family, the myths that follow generation after generation, and love. Emilia is a second daughter, therefore she is cursed, according to the myth, to never find love. Because of the pervasiveness of this myth, she lives a very solitary life, making no effort to reach out to anyone. Her older sister, Dara, does her part to make Emilia's life miserable. Aunt Poppy is getting ready to celebrate her eightieth birthday and she invites Emilia to return to Italy with her. Poppy is the antithesis of the rest of her family. She is single, a college professor, has a male friend, rides horses, dresses in bright colors and has made a life for herself. She has a hidden past.

Poppy, Emilia and Luciana (another second daughter) set off for Italy and have one adventure after another. In chapters throughout the book, we hear more of Poppy's back story, and start to learn about the myth of the second daughter. The trip changes all three of their lives in ways none of them could have ever imagined. Emilia gets new glasses, finds a new love; Luciana figures out some things for herself, and Poppy's long-held dreams get a fresh injection.

Emilia is one of the many cursed, second-born daughters of the Fontana Family who are said will never be able to find love.

Emilia took this seriously because for generations, that seems to be what has happened.

Emilia's Aunt Paolina not only didn't find love, but she was ostracized from the family by her sister, and no one would tell why.

When Paolina asks Emilia to go to Italy with her, Emilia is torn between family loyalty and what she knows could be the chance of a lifetime.

I loved THE STAR-CROSSED SISTERS OF TUSCANY from the first page when I saw those beautiful Italian names and the mention of delicious food.

The magic and fun never stopped as we listened to Aunt Paolina tell her story and as we enjoyed Italy through the eyes of the characters.

The characters were the best - especially Aunt Paolina.

THE STAR-CROSSED SISTERS OF TUSCANY is a delightful, pick-you-up and a book that will keep the characters in mind even after you turn the last page.

It sounds like a full romance, but it is not.

THE STAR-CROSSED SISTERS OF TUSCANY is a heartfelt, extraordinary read that makes you realize it’s never too late to follow your dreams.

It is about family and living your life to the fullest and loving like there’s no tomorrow.

And...if you like secrets, there is a huge family one that gets uncovered. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The second born sisters in the Fontana family are cursed to spinsterhood. In two hundred years, not one has broken the curse. Emilia does not believe in the curse. She is a modern woman living in NYC with her own apartment. And yet, she has lived in her older sister's shadow her whole life and was raised by a domineering grandmother who would do whatever it takes to keep Emilia at home with her family. Emilia's journey of self discovery starts with a phone call from her estranged Aunt Poppy (herself a second sister) inviting her to Italy. Along with another cousin, the three women make the trip where Emilia discovers her family has some serious secrets. The books descriptions of Italy are wonderful and make you want to take a trip of your own. This was a great story and I really liked the different narrators and time frames.

I was hooked at the description of this book. A 200 year old curse of every second daughter in the Fontana family. Poppy is a second daughter with a story to tell and she chooses her great-nieces Emilia and Luciana to share her story and wisdom with. Poppy's been estranged from the family for decades and she decides that this curse needs to be broken and she's the woman for the job. Told mostly by Emilia with backstory from Poppy thrown in I found this book incredibly difficult to put down! I will definitely be suggesting this to my book club!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

I enjoyed this story of multiple generations told in different voices. Each of the characters showed interesting growth, and I loved the relationships between them. A beautiful tale.

I really enjoyed Lori Nelson Spielman's first two novels, so I was excited to hear that she was publishing another one and couldn't wait to get my hands on it. I'm so glad she wrote The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany because it was an absolute delight.

The entire novel was incredibly good and so easy to devour. I loved both Emilia and Poppy's stories. I wish Lucy had gotten to share her own perspective through a narrative, but I still enjoyed getting to know her through Emilia's eyes. I thought I had guessed a plot point, but it went in a different direction than I was expecting, even though I was right about part of it. I liked that I was still kept in the dark for the most part and surprised later on. Lori's descriptions of Italy are amazing and she made me want to travel there. The family dynamics were interesting in their complexity.

This story was heartfelt and ultimately satisfying, like a bowl of delicious gelato. It has set the bar for my 2020 reading and I can't stop recommending it!

Movie casting ideas:
Emilia: Anna Popplewell
Lucy: Sistine Rose Stallone
Poppy (present): Sophia Loren
Poppy 1960: Mimi Keene
Gabe: Giulio Berruti
Matt: Noah Centineo
Sofia: Marianna Di Martino
Rico 1960: Luke Benward

This book was amazing! If there is one book that you read this year - this should be it.

This story was a great look at finding your true, inner-self and letting it shine, while breaking free of familial obligations. Two stories of second born daughters and a curse and how their connected. The curse is that second born daughters will never know/have love.

Emilia works in her family's bakery. She is kept in the back by her over-bearing, manipulative grandmother. Dressing dowdy, she embraces that embodiment. Her great aunt, Poppy, is also a second born daughter.

Poppy is determined to go to Italy for her 80th birthday and wants Emilia to go with her. She promises that by going she will break the curse. Lucy (another second born daughter and Emilia's cousin) comes along as well.

This story is moving, empowering and hands down fantastic. But at the heart of it, it's a love story. Definitely one-click this.

Is the second daughter curse of the Fontana family really true or just embedded into the minds of the girls to believe the curse? Emilia and Lucy defy family members and go off on a journey with their Aunt Poppy to Italy. Poppy has announced she's meeting up with her long lost love on her 85th birthday. Could this event remove the curse that has kept Emilia and Lucy from loving? As they journey, both girls realize that their lives may have held them back from loving and not just a curse. Secrets are revealed and lives are changed. Heartwarming tale of family and love.

Beautiful story on the power of relationships. Great dialogue and vivid scenery. Made me think of how I could evaluate situations to build to better decisions.

The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany by Lori Nelson Spielman (5 Stars)

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

What a delightful book! We begin in Trespiano, Italy, with the premise of the book, a curse on the second-born sisters of the Fontana family. Many, many years ago, Filomena Fontana cast a curse on her beautiful younger sister, and all the second-born sisters of the family, to a life without love. 200 years later, none of the second-born sisters have ever found love. Is it coincidence, or self-fulfilling prophecy? Three second-born Fontana sisters set out to either break the spell, or prove that it never existed in the first place.

Emilia has accepted her lot in life, and no longer seeks love. Her daily life consists of baking at her family’s deli in New York and going home to her cat. Her life is ruled by her Nonna, who raised her since her mother’s death. And Nonna Rosa is a force to be reckoned with. Rosa’s younger sister, Poppy, is the second-born sister, and Rosa has banished Poppy from the family, except for Christmas and Easter. When Poppy insists that Emilia, and her cousin Lucy, another second-born sister desperately seeking love, accompany her to Italy for her 80th birthday, Rosa puts her foot down. But Poppy has promised that she will break the spell, and Emilia defies Rosa and agrees to go to Italy.

We are whisked away to Italy, and Spielman’s writing draws you in to each setting. We can smell the canals and see the gondoliers in Venice, visualize the beautiful fields of Tuscany, imagine walking through the charming villages of the Amalfi Coast, taste each dish served. Her writing is superb! As for the characters, each distinct personality is brought to life. You will come to know and understand them well.

I don’t want to give any more away, as you really need to just let the story slowly wind its tendrils around you. While it may sound like a romance novel, it’s not. It’s a book about love in all its forms, betrayal and forgiveness, grace and kindness, and, most of all, living life to its fullest. There is some serious writing, some humorous writing, and a whole lot of wisdom thrown into the mix, mostly from Poppy. My favorite piece of advice from her:

Life is not always a circle. More often, it’s a tangled knot of detours and dead ends, false starts and broken hearts. An exasperating, dizzying maze, impossible to navigate and useless to map. But not a single corner nor curve should ever, ever be missed.

Now, go read this book!

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Lo amo I’Italia!E un viaggio fantastico !

How can you resist charm of this amazing country? Swimming in Lake Como, sipping those tasty wines at Tuscany’s vineyards, taking a gondola tour at Venice, shopping at Milano, eating amazing margarita pizzas in Napoli, saluting Pope at Vatican, giving ridiculous poses in front of Tower of Pisa as if you’re holding it not to collapse, spending hours and feeding your soul with amazing paintings at Uffizi and of course taking a yacht tour at Capri while devouring more Chianti with (not Ray Liotta’s brain pieces, forget that scene!) seafood pasta!

Mamma mia! I feel in love in Italy when I got my first European vacation tour with my family like Griswolds ( I was only 13, chubby, annoying, because I was my under my drinking age. After I meet with Chardonnay I became a lovely person!) When I returned back, I watched Robert Downey Jr. and Marisa Tomei’s “Only You” and find myself enrolling Italian Culture courses to learn this amazing language.

This book brought me all those amazing memories and my journeys around Italian cities. Many years later, I visited them with my husband and gained 6 pounds at one week because of extreme carbs consumption. It was definitely worth it!

Let’s get back to this amazing story reminded me of my beautiful memories in flashes. If you haven’t seen Italy, this book is realistic guide for your soul journey that make you feel you visit those incredible places, free your spirit and soul, open yourself new experiences. It’s heartwarming, emotional, entertaining story of sisterhood.
Emilia decides to break the family curse to be definer of her own destiny and learn more about her ancestors because she knows that if you want to achieve something concrete in your future, you have to visit your past and learn where you come from and who you are.

Emilia’s self-discovery, influenced journey starting from Venice canals, moving to Amalfi Coast made me so excited. But I also loved to go to the sixty years in the past and enjoy reading Poppy’s story, bringing back to the history of Berlin Wall.

Emilia finds more about her family secrets, lies, betrayals during the journey but she is a bigger person to forgive all of them and move on with her life. This is a hopeful, embracing, sweet, promising reading which helps you to see the stars at the darkest hour of the night and the illuminating light at the end of the tunnel.
You smile, you relieve, you cry, you resent but at the end your heart warms and you feel for all those beautiful characters.

It’s about holding your hopes and embracing the life and happiness.

OVERALL: I.LOVE.IT.SO.MUCH, Deserved my five billion stars!

Special thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for sharing this fantastic book’s ARC COPY in exchange my honest review.

I absolutely loved Lori Nelson Spielman’s The Life List and The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany may be even better!

A family curse generations earlier doomed all second-born daughters in the Fontana family to a life without lasting love. And for 200 years, the curse held strong. So when Aunt Poppy (a second daughter) invites fellow second daughters Emilia and Lucy to accompany her to Italy for her 80th birthday with a promise to break the curse, the girls defy their strict Nonna’s wishes and head across the ocean. Emilia has accepted her fate, settling into a life that’s as comfortable as the ugly wire-rimmed glasses and old sweaters she wears. Meanwhile, Lucy gives herself to any man who shows interest, hoping that one of them will be the key to breaking the curse.

Aunt Poppy is full of wisdom for both girls… but will she be able to break the curse? She says the love of her life will meet her on the steps of the Ravello Cathedral on her birthday, but is this just a recipe for disappointment?