I feel like this book was just ok, a 3.5. I was just never sure how to feel about the main character, Ava. And I wasn’t sure if I should like her or not. She needed a little more description from the beginning

Ava and Matt are adorable in Love Your Life. I felt swept away with them, caught up in the idea of being anonymous adventurers. Stellar character development throughout. The cast of characters are quirky and add to the many joyful moments. This was for the most part a lighthearted story that left me smiling. I quick and engaging read.

This is possibly my favorite from this author!

Ava is free lancer between jobs and focusing on different things including aromatherapy and writing a book! With her close gang of friends’ pressure she attends a writing retreat program in coastal Italy.

What I loved:

- The characters! (Nell, Maude, Topher!!!)
- The naked situations! (haha)
- The friendships

Any rom com lovers you will love this one!

I flew through the first quarter of this book, and thought I found another adorable romcom. Although this was a cute and charming read, I honestly could have DNF this one. I started this book in September before it came out and didn’t pick it back up till this week, if that tells you anything. Personally, there was just a lot going on in this novel for me to enjoy.

Ava, attends a writing retreat, where no one can reveal any personal information about themselves in hopes they can solely focus on their writing. Within a day, Ava falls for one of the men at the retreat who goes by Dutch and they decide to keep their personal lives a mystery and to just live in the moment. They decide to tell eachother about themselves once the retreat ends and to make their relationship work in the real world.

Once back in the real world of jobs, family and friends, their relationship is put to the test. Ava and Matt (aka Dutch) are polar opposite from each other and we watch as their love story begins to falls apart. In order to make it work between them, each has to give all that they’ve got to accept the others differences and quirks.

Overall, this was a light hearted read that stresses the importance of embracing others' differences. Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for giving me this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sophie Kinsella did it again: Love Your Life is fun read that pulls you in from the start. Grab a glass of wine, a cozy blanket, and curl up with this novel for the perfect night in with a story that you can’t put down.

Sophie Kinsella used to be one of my go-to authors back in the 2000s – I loved the #Shopaholic series and was heavily into “chick lit” at the time. However, I tend to be an unfaithful genre whore, and apparently that was right around when I dumped chick lit and moved on to my next love, paranormal fantasy. It looks like the last Sophie Kinsella I read was in 2008.

Fast-forward to 2020: I was excited when I saw this #eARC on #NetGalley, but I got busy and missed the book’s pub date of October 27. Then I saw a few lukewarm reviews on #bookstagram and became less excited about reviewing this book. However, I’m on a mission to clear out my NetGalley shelf of overdue reviews by the end of the year, so I circled back around to this one.

Guys, let me tell you that I was so pleasantly surprised! I really enjoyed this one, and those who know me well can tell you that I am not easy on contemporary romances. However, this couple had some serious, real-life issues to overcome, not silly obstacles. I really genuinely liked all the characters in the book, especially their friend groups, and was rooting for all of them to find happiness. Ava and Matt reminded me a little of my husband and me – we are opposites in a lot of ways (he’s an extrovert, I’m an introvert; he’s the life of the party, I’d rather stay home; he’s a risk-taker and entrepreneur, and I’m a dream crusher, lol) but in the end, we’ve made it work for almost 25 years.

Synopsis: Ava and Matt meet on a remote writers’ retreat in Italy and fall in insta-love. There is just one catch: they don’t really know each other. It’s not just that they know each other in superficial holiday mode – they don’t even know each other’s real name, residence, or occupation. It’s a rule of the retreat.

In Italy, things were perfect. But when Ava and Matt return to London, they discover just how different their personal worlds are. From food choices to annoying habits to work philosophies … are they compatible in anything? As one mishap follows another, it seems while they love each other, they just can't love each other's lives. Can they reconcile their differences to find one life together?

Thank you #NetGalley for the #ARC of #LoveYourLife in exchange for an honest review!

Ava meets Matt at a writers retreat in Italy and falls instantly in love. She is sure - even though they haven’t been able to share their real names or have personal conversations - that he is “The One.” As they leave the retreat and commit to continuing with the relationship, the two realize they both live in London and as they begin getting to know each other, they find out how opposite they really are: she is a vegetarian/he loves meat, she has a “portfolio” career/he is workaholic COO of the family business, she loves color, color, color/his apartment is shades of gray and black and he only wears black slacks and blue shirts. Nearly every aspect of their life could be considered incompatible, except for the love of ice cream. The two try to work through their differences and this ends as a story of “opposites attract.:”

If you have read any other Kinsella books, Ava’s character is quite formulaic to the lead character in the other books: flighty, scattered, and disorganized, but with a genuine love of life, big heart, and the desire to be a good and honest person. Likewise, the arc of the story: single girl looking for companionship, unexpected meet cute, a period of new love, the big fight where she decides she can’t be in this relationship, and then the guy comes back for her.

I am a pretty big Kinsella fan, and keep an eye on her website and recent publication news in anticipation for her new books. I especially like the Shop-a-holic series, and “I’ve Got Your Number.” Outside of the most recent Shop-a-holic book, the last two of Kinsella’s have been a little disappointing. This one was just “ok” for me, but not as humorous as hers usually are. Ava’s character was a surface character - Kinsella really didn’t dig too deep with her. If you are looking for a light, predictable rom-com that you don’t have to pay too much attention to as you read, this is a good pick.

Kinsella is back! And I think we're all happy that she's found her groove again and crafted such a sweet confection of a story this time around. She overcomes a slow start here, seeming to race into the in-love part (and skipping all of that fabulous interplay of finally connecting after unique challenges) but soon we step over the threshold into a wonderful scenario, setting, rich characters and golden dialogue. It would make a fine movie if we could chop off the first little bits, but once you get there, it's a pure delight and a reconnection for all of Kinsella's loyal fans. This is what rom-com should be.

Ava goes to Italy on a writing retreat but ends up falling in love. She's a bit of a romantic in that she doesn't think that anyone needs to meet a list of criteria, you either click or you don't. She clicks right away with "Dutch," the dark handsome man at the retreat. The retreat has a rule - no exchanging of personal information.

The two click instantly and Ava's theory is proven right! She's fallen in love and she doesn't even know anything about him! But then they return back to life and everything suddenly doesn't seem so perfect.

This is a sweet rom com that keeps you giggling to yourself with Ava's quirky personality. She is ever so hopeful, as most of Kinsella's heroines are. You are cheering for her and for love and it leaves you feeling a little bit more joy. In real life, love can be messy, chaotic and imperfect. This book does a lovely job of demonstrating that.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys chick lit!

Thank you to Random House Publishing House and NetGalley for the eGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

Sophie Kinsella tends to write the same character over and over, a kind of flighty fibber who ends up having to face up to her own lies. All books are formulaic, so I don't really have an issue with that-- however this is one of her books where she does not rely on this character archetype.

Ava is unfailingly optimistic and a planner, and when she meets "Dutch" on a writing retreat where they are advised not to disclose personal information, she falls in love, but can they make it in the real world, where they may not fit together?

Overall, this was a nice read. I liked the characters, but thought some of her friends were a little overbearing. I personally thought that Matt was right in their argument and that many aspects of Ava's life would be a "deal breaker"

Also, I personally thought that the book focused too much on her relationship with her dog. Harold kind of annoyed me? The dog felt like a self insert for the authors own pet, if she even has one.

While I have loved Sophie Kinsella books since high school I feel a little let down with this one. I don't know if I just couldn't jell with the characters or the concept or the story, but in the end Ava just ended up making me mad with her naive thinking and I had to put the book down. Maybe it was just me and I need to give this book another chance later on down the road, but after my first read...I just cant.

No her best novel but still enjoyable - you can't go wrong with a love story set in Italy. Perhaps she is trying a little to hard to be funny.

3.5 stars

The beginning of Love Your Life is a bit rough. I kind of hated everyone but I think that was the point. Once everyone gets back to London it picks up and I really enjoyed the story for the most part.

As with all of Sophie Kinsella novels, the girl is a bit maddening yet charming. She wasn't my favorite of her characters but she wasn't the worst.

Overall it was a fun story that was light and nice to read during the pandemic and I'd recommend it to fans of her works.

this is perhaps sophie kinsella's most real love story. I know an Ava. I think mostly everyone would know an Ava. The great, loyal friend who is haphazard and confused. so overwhelmingly positive that ambition is lost on her. so endearingly naive(?) about the world that sometimes she's the only person you can be around. and then there's Matt. Again I know a matt. I've dated a Matt. I've seen Matt in most men. They refuse to admit anything is wrong. They are quiet and nice but can be snarky when pushed. they don't communicate very well and swallow half their thoughts because they don't want to fight. I'm not sure i truly believe that Ava and Matt could ever make it work. but by the end Kinsella did her job. she made me want that. because it was nice to see two people grow and change through the course of a sexy chemsistry driven relationship. to me this was a very very different rom com. it followed the characters AFTER their week long meet cute. it follows them after they say "i love you" and it was very well done.

I am a huge Sophie Kinsella fan!! 'Love Your Life' proves again that she is a queen of fiction! The story line is very simple, but funny and inviting. The story started slow but It got better as you went along. I loved the characters, natural yet flaw filled. At first Ava annoyed me to the point that I was hoping 'Dutch' would just "run the other way.” At some point that changed and I came to love Ava. This book had me laughing out loud. I loved Matt's artwork, the sauna, and Harold. This is a great book to pick up for a light, fun read!

I expected a lot from this book. Largely, because I am a HUGE Sophie Kinsella fan. And while I overall enjoyed this book, I was disappointed for one big reason. Being in "Ava's head" was exhausting. There were a lot of exclamation points and she seemed to be all over the place. Almost manic. As a result, it just didn't live up to my expectations from Sophie Kinsella.

Kinda fun to read but not memorable

I would like to thank Sophie Kinsella, Random House/The Dial Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mild spoilers

Premise: A woman, Ava, goes on a writers’ retreat in an effort to focus on the book she’s trying to write. However, she gets distracted by a handsome man with whom she has major chemistry. By the end of the retreat—I think it was only a week—they’re in love and committed. And they mean it! They honestly do. But while on the retreat, their instructor had decreed a no-small-talk rule so the participants would actually spend their time writing rather than just hanging out and chatting; they didn’t even use their real names. So it wasn’t until Ava and “Dutch” were back on English soil that they really began to learn who one another was. The reader then watches them discover each other’s hobbies, quirks, and personalities, as well as their family and friends, and struggle to accept traits that would likely have been “deal breakers” if they hadn’t fallen in love before learning them.

This book was okay. Kinda fun to read but not all that memorable. It’s certainly an interesting concept—can you love someone despite fundamental differences? Or is it best to go through a vetting process to make sure you find someone with whom you’re guaranteed to be compatible? The story explores both avenues but ultimately makes the point that no couple is going to be perfectly compatible and you have to be prepared to compromise to make a relationship work.

The characters were sympathetic and endearing but still a bit problematic. Matt was rather cliche on several levels but still managed to worm his way into my heart; I was so happy to read about the pictures at the end. Ava was relatable with her habit of making goals and taking on projects but rarely meeting or finishing them because she’s easily distracted—and perhaps on a subconscious level she liked the idea of them more than she was willing to put in the work to achieve any of them. I’ve definitely done that a time or two. I did lose some patience with her overly compassionate nature—that bit about the unsecured back door was TSTL (too stupid to live) crap, and while I wouldn’t be as strict with my pet dog as the Warricks were, I wouldn’t have tolerated some of Harold’s behaviors the way Ava did.

Both Ava and Matt had great pals. I loved his more than hers; to be honest, I found her friends to be annoying at times, but his were just sweeties from start to finish. The OCD part of me loves that they all paired off, though I imagine that’ll have some readers rolling their eyes. My absolutely favorite character in the book was Topher, one of Matt’s friends who was super antisocial and not ashamed of it. He and I are kindred spirits.

Overall, I enjoyed this book as a Kinsella fan, though it’s not my favorite. In my estimation, there were three fatal flaws to this novel: the cliche aspects of Matt’s character, the TSTL aspects of Ava’s, and their insta-love (fewer and fewer readers tolerate that). A signature part of Kinsella’s writing has always been outrageousness—characters pulling ridiculous stunts like one would only see in rom-com movie—and I wonder if that’s part of why her books are relatively poorly rated. I know that’s my least favorite aspect of her writing. Regardless, I was just super happy that this was a new standalone and had nothing to do with her stupid Shopaholic series.

Afterthought—That’s an awful book cover. Maybe I missed something, but as far as I can tell, very few things in the picture are relative to the story.

When I was in my midtwenties and single, I used to love reading Sophie Kinsella’s romance novels. I was excited to see she came out with a new book and that it took place in Italy. When I picked it up and as how long it was, I did not think I did not think this romance novel would keep my interest. I was wrong. Sophie Kinsella did a great job of creating a likeable main character, Ava, that you a rooting for. I was a little bummed that only a very small portion of the novel actually takes place in Italy. I found it easy to relate to Ava and I loved her mischievous pup, Harold. I think we have all dated that guy who seems perfect, but struggled to get along with his family or dealt with being compared to an ex who still lingered around. The book was so relatable, I truly felt for Ava when she had to deal with Matt’s mother and his ex. While the book seemed cumbersome to read, I finished it in two days. It was the light read that I didn’t know I needed!

Classic Kinsella! I was laughing; I was wondering if these two disparate people would be able to find common ground and create a future together; I was rooting for them. Kinsella took me to highs and lows and ultimately, when considering the big picture, gave me one of the most satisfying resolutions I have experienced this year. You see, the cast of secondary characters is endearing and I wanted them to find what they didn't know they needed as well.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for a copy of this book!
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I really enjoy SK’s standalone books. I never got into the shopaholic series as I just can’t fathom why there are so many of them.

However, this one was utterly delightful. Cheesy? Yes. Predictable? Yes. Questionable dialogue at times? Yes. But I don’t care. This is exactly what I needed. I found myself really enjoying the characters— especially the secondary ones— and laughing at loud a few times. So while many would brush this off because it’s “women fiction” this women was very pleased!