Insta-love. Laughter. Awkwardness. Angst. Camaraderie. That’s what you get when you read Sophie Kinsella’s Love Your Life. To be honest, it was hard at first to pick this up because let’s face it: 2020 is a hard year to look at your life and say I love it. However, if you’ve read Kinsella books before, you know that you’ll get all the feels and gratification expected from a romcom. There were moments when I laughed, swooned, cringed, and even choked up with emotion.

Ava has an eclectic range of interests, but mainly her desire is to write a historical romance, thus sending herself off to a writing retreat in Italy - a retreat where attendees must have fake names and refrain from revealing their true lives. At the retreat, Ava uses the name “Aria” and instead of being focused on her writing, she is distracted and captivated by sweet “n” sexy Matt, who uses the name “Dutch”. The two hit it off and then bam! Their insta-love story begins. (This is the premise of the story, not a spoiler.)

When the bubble of their time in Italy bursts, they soon realize that their tastes in art, music, decor, and especially food are antithetical to each other’s, but would all that matter when they had promised each other in Italy that everything would work out no matter what? To find out the answer, we discover the ups and downs of their lives (but mainly “downs”).

What was a surprising delight was their circle of friends - encouraging, supportive, funny, and they certainly know Ava and Matt better than they know themselves.

What I disliked, however, was how Ava and Matt were depicted. For a while I felt they were unlikable and unappealing, and it took ages when they became lovable again. Ava was hard to take—always in self-denial, pushy, and just simply ridiculous. I’ve never really “got” any of Kinsella’s heroines BUT there was always something about them that I’ve resonated with, and this rings true with Ava. You’ll learn how annoying she is, and you really want to bang your head on the wall with how frustrating she makes things. However, this is where her friends come in, for it is through them that we see why Ava is a selfless gem and a heart of gold. And Matt? Well…I can’t stand a guy who doesn’t speak up for himself and doesn’t publicly vouch for and defend his woman. I was flabbergasted with how he was this confident, dependable, and sexy guy in the beginning but then suddenly a spineless and stoic suit. Yes - the story is supposed to be how the characters are different post-Italy, but Matt’s differences were too sudden and drastic. In fact, there were parts in the book where I actually wanted Ava to break up with him. I just felt that their relationship wasn’t realistic as more of their differences and personas were revealed - but hey - it’s a fictional romance, so I pressed on.

Don’t let the aforementioned sway you from reading this book though because the last third of the book is a winner! You know it’s going to have an HEA ending, but how it comes to be is sooooooo good! THIS is when I choked up with emotion.

I recommend Love Your Life because as all romcoms go, you’ve got your humour, chemistry, conflict - along with secondary characters who are entertaining - and of course an ending that gives you all the feels.

Thanks to NetGalley for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Light hearted with a winning heroine but I found the premise is odd and hard to connect with. Would recommend to those who were looking for the lightest of romcoms and who love dogs.

I am a big Sophie Kinsella fan- from the Shopaholic to the stand alone's...her books are fun, comforting and just what I need at the end of a long day or when I am just mentally wiped out. Love your Life was no different. I was excited to read this and it did not disappoint.
The story follows Ava, a girl unable to "commit" to careers, who travels to a writing retreat in Italy to write HER NOVEL! Instead of writing, she flirts. She meets Matt, an unlikely late addition to the group, and they fall madly in love...but then they return home and wonder if this new love can survive real life.
Lots of laughs, great characters and quick pacing make this a fun afternoon read where I felt a little bit lighter all the way around after completing.
Thank you to NetGalley and The Dial Press for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This RomCom doesn’t fit the usual formula, and I wanted to like it because of that but it just felt wrong. The characters fall in love within the first 1/4 of the book, which seemed so rushed. This is also the first RomCom where I wasn’t actually cheering for the two main characters to get together. Both were very different, as they were supposed to be, but unwilling to compromise or note anything was wrong in their relationship.

The ending worked out and was a warm way to wrap things up. However, I’m not a big fan of the “six months later” that was added in a couple times towards the end. It always feels like a easy way out for the writer to be like ‘here was growth, now the characters are magically more developed.’

I will always read any Sophie Kinsella book I can get my hands on. I really enjoyed the start of the book and the premise is brilliant. While all of the characters are likeable, I found some frustrated me a little. I'm glad I read it but kept yearning for Becky!

Love Your Life was pretty classic Kinsella. The story was cute with charming, if sometimes very frustrating, characters.

There was a lot that I enjoyed about this book. The cast of characters and quirky situations they found themselves in made me laugh out loud often. While they all were a little unbelievable, Ava and Matt’s group of friends were definitely my favorite part of the book. I loved the scenes when they were all together and the banter was great. I even though Matt’s awful parents provided opportunity for a lot of humor.

While the friendships were great, the romantic relationship is what I struggled with. Ava and Matt have a whirlwind romance during a one week writing retreat where they’re not allowed to use their real names or talk about their personal lives. They both form a picture of who the other person really is and declare their love by the end of the retreat. They’re thrilled to find out they both live in the same city, but they quickly find out that their real life selves are not anything like what they expected. They forge ahead into a relationship anyways, even though it’s obvious from the start that they are totally incompatible. What really drove me crazy, though, was how Ava tried to pretend like everything was fine.

Have you ever noticed that the people who yell about tolerance the loudest are often the most intolerant people? That was Ava. She came off like she was free spirited and accepting of everything and everyone, but in reality she was very judgmental about anything that differed from what she thought. She also blamed all of the relationship problems on Matt instead of admitting anything wrong on her part. Matt also didn’t help things by refusing to communicate most of the time. I honestly thought this story would end up with them not being together. I even found myself rooting for Ava to wind up with one of Matt’s roommates. However, as this is a Romance, the moral of the story is obviously going to be more about how love can help people change for the better instead of how it sometimes doesn’t work out.

Overall, I had a pretty good time reading Love Your Life, but my frustration with Ava kept me from enjoying the story as much as I wanted to. I loved the group of friends and could have gone on reading much more about them. While the romance did work out for me in the end, the journey there left me more annoyed than anything else. This wasn’t my favorite Kinsella book, but I’ll definitely still be reading more from her in the future.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 3 Stars

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book prior to the release date later this month! I loved this novel! This was such and fun and unconventional twist on a romance novel. The characters were so beautifully written and handled with such care. The arc of Matt and Ava’s relationship really did mirror what realistic relationships look like, and that was a big breath of fresh air. Seeing the triumphs and struggles of these two lovers felt relatable but never boring. This would be a PERFECT book club book!!

3.5 Stars

Thank you to Netgalley for the free ebook in exchange for a review!

This one wasn't my favorite Kinsella novel, but it still had the lovable quirkiness of the characters and I did end of really enjoying the ending. The book did drag a bit for me, but overall was still an adorable read! I will still read everything this author writes because she is an autobuy author for me

You may know Kinsella's writing from her popular Shopaholic series, which I love and think are quite funny. But Kinsella keeps that humor and goes deeper in her new book. I loved this book! Kinsella made me laugh out loud SEVERAL times, and I teared up a few too. She expertly writes her characters and draws the reader into various scenes. At one point I remember looking up and being surprised I was not on the beautiful Italian coast. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for something fun and enjoyable that will also tug at your heart and keep your attention. This may be my favorite Kinsella book yet!

Love Your Life, a standalone romantic comedy by Sophie Kinsella, has a fun premise - what if you met someone on a holiday away from home, really connected even though you didn’t really know anything concrete about the other person (including their real name), but decided to start a real relationship once you got back home to real life, would that relationship make it and last?

This novel gives you all the feels – it makes you laugh out loud, it is romantic, and it may make you cry. The title is more than a title, it is also almost a manifesto. Certain parts of the book may make you rethink certain parts of your life to see if you are really living life well, and whether you really love your life. You should love your life and make it the best it can be. You should also read this book.

Note: I received an advance copy of this book through Netgalley.

Another fantastic book by Sophia Kinsella!!! This book is about Ava who goes to Italy on a writing retreat to write her bestselling novel, instead has a whirlwind romance with Matt in paradise where everything is perfect. Once Ava and Matt get home though, real life sets in. Add in a crazy family, crazy ex, amazing friends and crazy weird art, this book is an extremely enjoyable read. As usual, this book has wonderfully written characters (Harold and Topher are my favorite), a really good plot, lots of laughs (I even snort laughed) and tears (like ugly crying). If you need a good book about life and relationships (including friendships), this is the book for you

I have read a lot of Sophie Kinsella and have enjoyed many of her books. This book fell flat for me, I think mostly because it falls in the instalove trope, which is not my favourite.

Matt and Ava fell in love at a writing retreat and upon learning they both are from London, they decided to give their relationship a shot with "no baggage". I really struggled with the back in London relationship for Ava and Matt. They instantly fell in love, not knowing much of anything about each other and when they get back to their real lives, they figure out they really don't know much about each other and are complete opposites. Instead of Ava and Matt taking time to learn about each other, and talking about the differences, they seem to bottle things up and just try to "go with the flow" so as not to make anyone mad. There were many times where I just wanted to yell at one of them. A lot of their problems could have been resolved if they actually sat down and talked.

That is not to say that there were not some positives from this book. Ava's friend group and Matt's friend group are interesting and have a lot going for them. I found Nell quite interesting and liked to hear about her story. I would have loved to hear more about the relationship Nell had. I also really liked Harold the beagle. I know he was a brat, but, having a beagle myself, I found it totally relatable.

The second half of the book had to time warps forward, which gave me some disconnect with the novel. I am generally not a fan of these, unless they were an epilogue wrapping things up. I'm not sure if I have outgrown Sophie Kinsella's books, wanting more meat with my story, or if this was just a one off of not enjoying it all to much. I am going to check out another of her books in the future. 2.5/5

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and the publisher for an open and honest review. All opinions are 100% mine.

I’ve been a fan of Sophie Kinsella’s for years now. She wrote all those Shopaholic books which were hilarious and so relatable. I have stuck by her for years and have pretty much enjoyed all her books until this one.

It pains me so much to say this. This was awful. This is not good at all. If I had to give a three word review, I would say 1) rushed 2) clichéd and 3) caricatured. It just dawned on me that in all of Kinsella’s books, the female lead is always a bit flaky and the men are always these strong businessmen with overbearing mothers and the ex is always gorgeous. It was charming in the past but this time it just falls flat.

1. Rushed - everything in this book happens so quickly without much story development. You don’t get a chance to know the characters at all and you feel nothing for them. I couldn’t care less what happened to Ava, Matt or their friends.

2. Cliched - Same old, same old formula.

3. Caricature - I mean, honestly. Ava is over the top flaky, a goofy and annoying vegetarian and an overprotective dog mom. These do not seem like real or relatable characters.

I forced myself to finish this because I kept hoping I’d find something redeeming about it. If the book had used the premise in one of the last 3 chapters as a starting point, it might have been more interesting.

You know when you have a friend who asks for relationship advice insistently, but never takes it, but continues to complain about the same things over and over again? Thats what this book reminded me of. I just wanted to tell her to break up already! I'm tired, I don't care, you can meet someone who will make you happier, who is more compatible with you.
Maybe I'm just not in the type of mood for a book like this, i felt aggravated with the main characters instead of uplifted and whimsical. I have liked other books from this author, so I will continue to read more books from her, but I didn't click with this one.

Thank you netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was unable to finish this book and thus will not be posting a full review to my blog. I used to love every Sophie Kinsella book and anxiously wait for them every year. Unfortunately, her last three books, including this one, have left so much to be desired. I understand that she has a gift for romantic comedy but sometimes the comedy comes at the expense of the story and the character development, such is the case with her latest. I found Ava to be inauthentic and the premise to be boring. I hope she can return to her previous record because this one left me cold. Thank you for the opportunity.

A laugh out loud beach read by everyone’s favourite chick lit author. I didn’t really gel with either of the characters but the story and supporting characters helped captivate me and keep me reading until the end,

I do enjoy a good romantic comedy to help lift my spirits. Sophie Kinsella is one that never disappoints.

Readers meet Ava, an idealistic woman in her 30s who is longing to meet 'the one.' And she doesn't believe in deal-breakers like one of her friends. While on a writer's retreat in Italy, she meets "Dutch" and has an immediate connection to him.

Upon leaving Italy, they soon realize that they are not exactly the people they thought the other person was. And that Ava-Land and Matt-Land are like foreign countries.

Like other romantic comedies, this one does not end on a sour note. Although there is plenty of angst along the journey as they realize you cannot have a relationship without addressing the baggage of each person.

Sophie Kinsella is hit or miss for a lot of people. If you love her shopaholic series, you might not like her standalone books, and if you like her standalone books, you might not like ALL her standalone books, which is the case for me. I am not a fan of the shopaholic series, and her standalone books are hit or miss for me. Some of them are super cute and fun. However, this felt like it was written after watching one of those reality shows about people dating or getting married right away and then realizing that, oh-em-gee, it's not really that simple! I mean, come on now.

I've been a huge fan of Kinsella's books for years. However, the past few just haven't hit the mark with me, sadly.

I had a hard time staying engaged, and the second half of the book felt rushed. The humor I've come to expect with Kinsella's books wasn't really there this time. There were some humorous moments, and I did like Ava's growth throughout the book. I liked Matt, too. However, some points on the Harriet dolls were overdone and annoying. Ava and Matt didn't feel like a great fit, and time jumps are added to try and fix that, but failed.

While this wasn't my favorite, I'll likely continue to check out the author's future books.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

While on a writing retreat in Italy, Ava and Matt embark on a baggage free holiday romance. Upon learning that they both lived in London, they decided to continue their relationship, but would it survive outside their little bubble?

After twenty books, I am happy to say that Sophie Kinsella still delights me. Once again, she has presented me with a quirky and lovable heroine, who I could not stop rooting for. At times, Ava could be a bit flighty and maybe blind to the truths that were standing before her, but she had a heart of gold.

I was very excited for her when she met and hit it off with Matt, but it was obvious that things were not going to be easy for these two. The exploration of the difficulties of merging two lives was honest, but in a hilarious way. I laughed a lot, while still realizing how truthfully this represented relationships. They are hard and require work to be successful. There were many ups and downs for our couple, but also a lot of growth as they learned about each other and themselves.

A Kinsella book always has a great supporting cast, and both Ava and Matt had some fantastic friends (extra points for the stupendous dog). I was filled with glee, when they started playing a larger role in this tale, and I adored getting to know them. They were a big component in the "heart explosion" part of the story. If you have read any Kinsella books, you know what I am talking about. It's that part of the story, where the gloves come off, and Kinsella hits you hard in the feels. I found myself doing that crying laughing thing, and I am getting a bit emotional just recalling it right now. It was THAT wonderful!

Overall: An adorable and amusing romance, which took a look at the challenges of blending two lives successfully and filled me with glee.