This was a delightful, funny romance exploring to what degree compatibility matters in love—is it better to be with someone who checks all the boxes? Does limiting ourselves to those people close us off to chemistry and meaningful, deep love? The ending was sweet and satisfying.

I am a huge fan of Kinsella’s stand alone books but this one felt off to me. I was lost right from the beginning with the texting, who was talking, and the lack of character and place descriptions. It was like starting the book in the middle. I gave up around the 20% mark. Too much work for the reader and just missed the mark with me.

I’ve gotten back into Sophie Kinsella this year so getting to read a new release was great. Now, this was more like a 3.5, but I don’t do half-stars. And while I had some issues in the middle the ending was a great redemption.

Ava was a lot like Becky from the Shopaholic series. She was flighty and oblivious. I can be a little scatter-brained so I usually don’t care, but Ava kind of got on my nerves. She did grow and learn some self-control which was nice, but took a long time to get there.

Matt was interesting. Ms. Kinsella did a good job of showing his personality. Even though this was from Ava’s perspective, I completely understand his behaviors.

The romance was a little lacking. I didn’t hate them together or anything, but I did really see the chemistry. Ultimately, I am happy for them, but I think I would’ve been just as happy with them not as a couple in the end.

I did like the side characters and friendships. Both Ava and Matt had good, if unconventional or odd, friends. I especially liked when their two groups come together-those were funny moments.

This was one of my least favorite Sophie Kinsella books. I still enjoyed it and recommend it.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I volunteered to read this book, through netgalley in exchange, for an honest review. This book is well written and the characters are described well. You guys Sophie Kinsella has done it again. Her writing style is so enjoyable. Her characters are really enjoyable. It set in London and in Italy. When I saw she came out with a new book, I needed to review it. This book did not disappoint. Her writing style makes, you feel like you are the characters in the book. This book will be in stores on October 27, 2020 for $28.00 (USD).

3.5/5. This latest standalone novel by Kinsella is a bit of an insta-love type story, which is not my favorite (the couple gets together in the first 15-20% of the novel). But it has her trademark humor and it's a fun ride, even if the heroine (and the hero a bit less) is ridiculous and annoying. Ultimately, great character development by the end and it had the real emotion that was lacking in the beginning.

I absolutely loved Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic series. I wanted to love this story. The plot sounded like something I’d absolutely love. The beginning was good but it quickly went south and lost my interest. I didn’t enjoy the characters very much. It just wasn’t my cup of tea.

I was really looking forward to reading this book because I have high fan of this author's writing. This book did not meet my expectations. The story starts off slow. I didn't believe there was any real chemistry between Ava and Matt. It just seem too forced. The story seemed to drag quite a bit. It seemed very different from the hilarious stories have read in the past with a heartwarming ending. This just didn't hold up.

I have grown to love Sophie Kinsella's writing and books and this piece did not disappoint. The romance is on point, the writing is perfect, the characters are lovable; what else could you want?! I highly recommend this book to new and old Kinsella readers alike!

The only other Sophie Kinsella book I've read was 20 years ago. I thought I'd try another one. Unfortunately-LOVE YOUR LIFE did not work for me. At all.

I wanted a fun rom-com. This wasn't it. I found both of the main characters to be insufferable. I didn't care for them on their own much less together. If there was chemistry between them I didn't feel it. I did feel how unsuited they were for each other and had no incentive to root for them to get/stay/end up together. The whole pacing and development of their relationship and growth was off.

My favorite character was Harold, the dog. That kind of says it all.

It's hard to say if this book is indicative of her books since it's only the 2nd I've read. I'll try another title, but will rely on trusted reader friends for a recommendation next time.

I requested this book because I have always enjoyed Sophie Kinsella's books. I liked this one too, although it is not my favorite. I thought it was a little bit long, at 432 pages, especially to read on a Kindle. That said, I took a break at about 40%, read two other books and came back and couldn't wait to finish this. Ava and Matt find that it doesn't work to just take each other at face value, you have to get to know a person, their faults and quirks, and go from there. I enjoyed all the characters, they all seemed to integrate nicely. But it wasn't until almost the end, when Matt and Ava were looking at the gifts that their friends gave them, when I thought..."there is the Sophie Kinsella I have been looking for in this novel."

Matt and Ava meet and fall hard for one another fast- too fast perhaps- at a writing retreat in an Italian monastery. Well, she's there to write, he's meant to be studying martial arts. See, they are very very different personalities. She's a bit scattered and a collector of abandoned things like her much loved dog Harold. He's a control freak who works for his parents' toy company and lives with two roomies in a brutalist apartment filled with ugly art and robots (his roomies, btw, are nicer than he is, really). While this is meant to be opposites attract, you will begin to wonder why they continue to bother with one another since nothing is in sync. So it won't be a surprise when they do eventually split and Ava goes back to Italy for a bit. This is a Kinsella novel, though, so you know there will be a happy ending = but what kind. Ava's got great friends, Harold is sort of a hoot (and he really does need to be trained), and all in all, it's a romp that is sometimes a bit too frenetic. That said, I read the whole thing. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. For Kinsella fans and those who like rom-coms.

This is a cute little rom com, a quick read. The fun of it is found in the humor of Sophie Kinsella. She has drawn some quirky characters here, who are charming, kind, so good to their friends, but also kind of odd. I think the charm of the book is actually the group of odd (and maybe exaggerated??) characters who come together and support each other and love each other.

Another light-hearted and humorous read from Kinsella. I can always count on her books to make me laugh and take me away from it all, at least for a while.

I am torn writing this review because I feel like there are three very different parts of this book to review. I read this book in two sittings. The first half and then the second half. I loved the beginning of this book - the Italian writing retreat is giving me all the travel vibes and even her wonderful group of friends. Ava and Matt have such a great start - falling in love and not knowing anything about each other. But then when she gets home all of a sudden the author is showing the main characters worst traits, as if through the eyes of their love interest. I was so confused. I went from loving both of the characters to hating both of them. I found them both annoying and frustrating. I would have broken up with both of them countless times during the second half of this book. If I wasn’t reading this for NetGalley, I may have and often thought about DNFing it. But I powered through and the last 10% brought me back to what I felt at the beginning of the story. I’m not sure if the ending really made sense overall but I was happy with it at least? So there were parts I loved and parts that drove me up a wall. Now I’m thinking if I had unlimited free time I would re-read this and see what I thought afterwards but alas there are too many books and too little time. I did enjoy the majority of it and the two different worlds Kinsella creates. The settings - especially their houses are so well described that you can easily picture the characters in their natural habitat. By all means give this one a try. If you enjoy Sophie Kinsella - this is very much her style of writing and I do, just prepare yourself for some mid-book frustration but push through because the ending makes it worth it.

*Thank you NetGalley for my copy!

I love Sophie Kinsella! This didn't disappoint! It had everything you want in her books. Wit, great characters, and a hilarious storyline. I loved the friends and their stories as well. I would definitely recommend!

I received this ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Love Your Life by Sophie Kinsella has all the quirky charm of the Shopaholic series with the addition of an adorable dog to love and a cast of new characters to get to know.

What I Loved

I love that it is hard to choose which character is my favorite because I adored them all. Even the support characters are so well-developed that they leaped from the page into my life. They each have a unique voice to go with their authentic list of foibles and charming attributes. It is a group of friends that you want to go out for a drink with after a grueling day of work, as they will have you laughing your way out of your bad mood in no time.

I do not usually love instant love stories. And, though on the surface, this story looks like this is an instant love story, below the surface, it is not and ultimately follows a more reasonable timeline. Even though Ava and Matt declared their love within days, it takes the whole novel for real, lasting love to develop. And what a crazy laugh-out-loud journey it is.

I also love that the story started quirkily, went on to grow rather frustrating, but ended on a poignant note that brought a tear to my eye. This is a story about love and what makes two people work as a loving couple. There is not just one type of relationship that works, though. For one friend, it is someone who checks off all of her boxes. For another friend, it is finding someone who shares her disdain for people in general, and for Ava, it is about finding someone who is not just like her but is different in a way that complements all her quirkiness. The only question being, will they be able to figure that out for themselves.

I so enjoyed Harold, the rescue Beagle. He is so spoiled and undisciplined that he provides many of the laughs throughout the story.
However, I did agree with Matt that he needed a bit of training – let’s face it, a dog that steals a whole steak when someone is holding it on a platter is definitely in need of learning the word no. But I can also sympathize with Ava’s approach. Harold is her heart, and she wants to make his life full of the love she feels he was denied when he was left on the side of the highway. I think anyone who has rescued an animal that has had a rough start in life can understand.

To Read or Not to Read

This is a definite read as it will make you laugh, cry, and see all that life has to offer.

Sophie Kinsella books are a delight and will make you full-out belly laugh a lot of the time. It is no different with Love Your Life.

In need of a sabbatical Ava goes to a monastery in Italy for a romantic-fiction writing retreat, a place she can clear her mind and work on her historical romance book. This should be easy since no personal information is to be shared and they aren’t allowed to know each other's real names. This becomes a challenge when a different retreat being held at the monastery is canceled. Soon Ava is finding it much harder to concentrate on writing her book when Matt of the martial arts group joins in on the writing retreat. They soon find the attraction mutual and are in a love bubble.

The majority of this book is about what happens when they are out of the bubble of Italy and the realities of their real lives and personalities are brought to life. This part where we get to know them in their everyday setting is full of strange anticipation. At times their personalities were so different I was worried for them. Ava was so optimistic and a bit unreasonable that at times she was blind to the truth. At times their character growth was tense to watch. That being said it was still full of humor and what I really love about this book are the secondary characters in Ava and Matt’s life. Their friends make the second part of this book enjoyable as each has their own distinct personality and quirks. Each of them helps the atmosphere as you navigate through the sometimes blindingly optimistic Ava and the gruff stark Matt.

Overall the beginning and the end were the strongest. You get to see them fall in like in the beginning and in love in the end. The middle was the tough part. Not that it wasn’t enjoyable because it was but it was like seeing a train crash coming and you knew it had to happen. Love your Life keeps you in anticipation of what's going to happen character wise and relationship wise. It’s realistic, but full of humor, and It was overall a joy to read and see the outcome of their relationship with their friends by their side.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Dial Press for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for my honest review.

This was definitely one of my favorite standalone books from Sophie Kinsella, especially recently. I loved the two main characters, but all their friends made this book so much more enjoyable. The characters just felt so real with their own little plots and I loved it. This is the perfect fun, light read for this year and when you need a sweet story to keep you company.

LOVE YOUR LIFE by Sophie Kinsella is another charming and witty read by the author. Filled with her trademark humor, quirky characters, and unique plot, fans are going to love this read! While some of the book dragged a bit for me (especially in the middle), when I think about the story as a whole, I can’t help but love it. I’ve been reading Kinsella’s books for years and while I loved some more than others it all comes down to this: no matter what the book, Kinsella has a unique writing style that just resonates with me as a reader. So, I will continue to read all her books and more than likely love each one of them.

In LOVE YOUR LIFE readers will meet Ava and Matt. When the two first met and fell in love they knew nothing personal about each other. They were both at a writing retreat where all personal information was said to take away from the experience, so they left their “baggage” at the door and fell in love with little personal information on each other. But when back in the real world, the two realize that the fairytale they were living in while in Italy doesn’t follow them back home and they must learn to love each other quirks, faults, and all, or be apart. Which one will they choose?

𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦 𝗜 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗗 𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞

✪ I loved Ava’s dog Harold and the part he played in the story. He was certainly a nuisance as he gets away with everything (including snatching sandwiches from her friends, attacking purses because they appear threatening, and ripping up Matt’s shirts) but he is also a bright spot within the story. I’m an animal lover so if animals are essentially secondary characters, you know I’m going to love them!

✪ Ava, while slightly scatterbrained, is such a loveable and warm character that her faults become nonexistent (almost anyway). Sophie knows how to write endearing characters and she always makes her female leads like this. I think this is why I always come back for more.

✪ The plot: The book examines relationships after the fairytale. You know when you first meet someone and start to fall in love in that bubble? Then slowly the real-world seeps in? This is that book. It’s realistic, intriguing, funny, and full of heart!
✪ The secondary characters! I loved Ava and Matt’s friends. Each of them had their own quirks and I remember fondly laughing at their antics. It’s so nice when secondary characters make a book feel whole and these ones did just that. Sophie even adds in small personal touches to them, like chronic illness. They felt perfect for the story.

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗜 𝗗𝗜𝗗𝗡'𝗧 𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘 𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞
✪ There wasn’t much I didn’t like about this book but there were a few things that lead me to giving it less than 5 stars. For one, Matt was stone cold at times and it made me feel like he didn’t care for Ava as much as she cared for him. I know that’s not true because he showed his emotions at times, but it was so scattered that it felt almost forced.

✪ These two fell in love so fast! Actually, TOO FAST! I’m not a fan of insta love stories and that’s exactly what went on in this story. I honestly don’t find it realistic at all.

Other than these small things I think this is going to be another hit from Kinsella! It’s a sweet, charming read with loveable characters, a unique plot, and humor that will make anyone laugh! I highly recommend it.


𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐⭐⭐⭐