Thank you to Random House – Dial Press and NetGalley for the advance reader copy of Love Your Life, releasing on October 27th!

I was floored that I had the chance to get an ARC of a new Sophie Kinsella book. I have actually never read a book by Sophie Kinsella but my entire time as a reader I have known who she is. From the Confessions of a Shopaholic series to standalone such as Can You Keep a Secret? and I’ve Got Your Number, Sophie Kinsella is a prolific writer and a titan of the romance genre. It is my honour to be able to review her new book months in advance.

Check out my more detailed thoughts below…
Characters: Ava and Matt are the main characters of this story. Ava is your classic quirky British girl heroine, to me, she was very reminiscent of someone Jojo Moyes would write. She is a bit scattered, she cannot help but pick up a hobby and discard it quickly with the justification that she will get back to it. Matt was very different, raised in a wealthy family he was a lot more refined and occasionally stuffy.
Setting: The book opens with Ava going on a writing retreat in Italy. The story spends a small amount of time in Puglia then because of Ava’s goal go to buckle down and write her book. Sophie Kinsella painted the setting beautifully and really demonstrated why it would be such a perfect place to fall in love. The majority of the book though is set in London as that is where Ava and Max live. London comes in more to be the stark reality to the Italy setting and how Ava and Max presented themselves there. This contrast was a very nice touch.
Romance: This has felt very different than many of the romances I have read recently. It was interesting to see how Sophie Kinsella went about writing this opposites-attract romance as for the longest time while reading I thought it was a lost cause. I got swept up in the meet-cute and how they fell in love in Italy. So once the story brought everyone back to reality, to two very different people with two very different lifestyles. I became much more pessimistic about the relationship. What Sophie Kinsella did a great job of reminding me of is the power of love, to bring the best out in you, specifically how it encourages you in the case of Ava and Max to live your life more openly and honestly.

Love Your Life receives four out of five stars.

This was my first Sophie Kinsella book and I enjoyed it. When Ava goes to Italy on a writing retreat, her workshop leader asks the students to use aliases and avoid any talking that doesn’t have to do with the writing process. Matt, a martial arts student who has joined the class catches her eye. They become quick lovers, but keep things pretty superficial, given the parameters of their communication rules. They agree to only reveal one thing about themselves each day. Luckily, they both live in London and when they return home, they can continue their love affair. But it turns out, not being able to fully communicate who they are has its disadvantages, Ava has completely idealized Matt, believing (without any substantiated evidence) that he is a vegetarian carpenter. She couldn’t be further from the truth and what follows is the two of them seeing if they can work through their differences. Parts of this book were predictable and long-winded, but other parts were sweet, funny and refreshing. There’s a lovely passion-for-dogs thread that runs throughout, which ultimately won me over in this quick read.

I could not get into this book and stopped reading it. I think I have outgrown Sophie Kinsella.dgfdsgfggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg

3.5 stars. I disliked the ending, like the last 20%. Just a little too much extra stuff tacked on the end. And, the first half of the book is much funnier than the rest.

LOVE YOUR LIFE by Sophie Kinsella is a super fun romantic comedy! It was really unique how the two main characters, Ava and Matt, started off their relationship not knowing anything about each other! As their relationship progresses there was great tension and the whole “will they or won’t they make it work” went right until the very end. I really liked all their quirky friends and the funny situations including Ava’s pet dog. I’d definitely continue reading about these characters if this became a series.

Ok, I don't want to say that I didn't like this novel. But I didn't love it. Love Your Life reads like most of Kinsella's work lately. The protagonists seem very interchangeable. Almost as if they could be the Shopoholic herself, Becky Bloomwood. Don't get me wrong, I did snort at quite a number of things in this novel (mostly the friends and their reactions to the protagonist, Ava), but it seems to be a lot of the same, over & over. British single gal, Ava, meets a man, Matt, on a retreat, they get to know each other (w/out baggage) and then try to establish a relationship when they get back to London. Of course they're complete opposites and a number of things go ridiculously awry. But it has a happy ending and I guess that's what we all need in our British comedies.

This was a delight. Ava has a great group of friends. She insists to them that she doesn’t want an app to help her filter out incompatible men. She’s willing to meet guys naturally, but her focus now is writing a novel so she goes on a writing course in Italy. There she meets Matt and they immediately fall for each other. The problem is that they have to return to London and see if their lives actually mesh with each other in real life. It turns out that, despite truly thinking they love each other, they don’t actually have much in common.

The results are humorous, but also touching. I enjoyed the book from beginning to end. The secondary characters were lots of fun. Both Ava and Matt have friends who are fun and loving. And Ava’s dog, Harold, is a hoot!

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

Love Your Life by Sophie Kinsella is a thoroughly entertaining read. Ava and Matt meet at a writer's retreat where they are not to reveal any personal details about each other, including their name. Sparks fly, but when they are back in the real world, all of their differences start to seem insurmountable. Overall, the beginning of this book was fantastic. As it got to the middle and there lives intertwined, I became less interested in it, but then it picked back up. I laughed many times. The story became less about the romance, and one of love, friendship, and devotion. Ava grew in such a beautiful way and Matt too, and thanks to fully rounded side characters, I really ended up loving the way it ended.

A good, quick read by Sophie Kinsella, the author of the witty Shopaholic series. While the premise is a little goofy (the main character falls in love with a man she's known for a week, without even knowing his first name or a single thing about him), it is a good light-hearted read. We can all use that in 2020! At times I found the main characters a bit whiny and annoying, but for the most part I found myself rooting for them.

I enjoy Sophie Kinsella's books. I don't think I've missed a single one. I was excited, then, to get an ARC of her latest, Love Your Life.

This book was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I really liked it from the beginning and into the first half. Then it lost me for a little while. I felt for Matt and the family pressures he was under for sure-- that is a really crappy situation to be in. It's hard to find your own voice in a family like that.

I also enjoyed Ava's friends and hearing about their lives and what they were working through.

I know I am in the minority here but I found Ava's dog Harold to be too over the top and thus annoying.

I never regret reading a Kinsella book, ever. I didn't think this was one of her very best but it was enjoyable nonetheless!

I've read several of Sophie Kinsella's books now, just because they are so fun! This one was fun too. I love her upbeat, contemporary writing style and her characters are quirky, amusing and entertaining. The main character in this one is Ava who has gone on a writing retreat in a monastery in Italy. At the retreat she meets a dreamy guy, but she doesn't know anything about him because at the retreat everyone uses a fictitious name and isn't supposed to reveal anything about their real life. 'Aria' and 'Dutch' fall for each other and it gets kind of serious real fast. Then, when they return to their real lives, and their true personalities and lifestyles are revealed. What happens to their relationship? Are they really compatible? Are they the same people they were when they met at the monastery?

Lots of humor and romance - and a show-stealing dog. A family of friends with their own quirks. I laughed out loud sometimes in this book.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group through Netgalley for an advance copy.

Apologies to the author, I am a huge fan! - but I didn't get this book at all. I didn't buy the characters' instalove at all, it went from 0 to 100. I am so sorry to say I DNF this book.

Based on the description I would have guessed that the half, if not the majority, of the book would have taken place at the writer’s retreat in Italy, but nope, it lasted less than a quarter of the book. The rest of the book was Ava and Matt back in London trying to figure out if they could make their relationship work. Frankly, they should have stopped after the Italian affair. Literally I don’t think I have ever read a book with a more incompatible lead couple. By about the 50% mark I was hoping that they would somehow not end up together and the whole first of the book was an elaborate ruse to get them to the people they were meant to be with.

I genuinely liked Matt. I would happily have read a different book with him as the hero. I liked his roommates. I liked his quirky family. Ava on the other hand was exhausting. Her immaturity was just soooo out of place. I have the note “is she 12?” written in my kindle several times. I think she was meant to be in her 30s but you wouldn’t know that from how she was written. She was a stereotypical self-righteous judgmental vegetarian and had a weird obsession with “rescuing” random things like old books, used furniture, random garbage. She doesn’t need a relationship, she needs therapy. She also was very very obsessed with her dog. Like beyond that of a normal dog owner. Don’t get me wrong, I love dogs, but there were times when the song from the Aidy Bryant and Harry Styles SNL bit “My Dog is My Boyfriend” would come to mind. And don’t get me started on her friends. I really wanted to like Ava but I just couldn’t.

One thing that really bothered me was the constant insistence by Ava and her friends that the Harriet dolls, made by Matt’s family business, were anti-feminist. Dolls are not inherently anti-feminist. The idea that a doll is anti-feminist is such an out of touch second-wave feminism thing that really showed the age of the author. Can certain dolls be problematic? yes. Are they inherently evil? no. Even if the dolls were only housewives, the intersectionality of third wave feminism would accept them.

Back to the incompatibility of Ava and Matt. As I approached the end of the book, it became clear that the author didn’t even know how to resolve their differences. By the end both Matt and Eva, but especially Eva, had said and done unforgivable things. Rather than have the pair grow and resolve their issues on the page, the author relied on time jumps and overview paragraphs to do the heavy lifting. Seriously, chapter 24 starts, “seven months later,” and 27 starts “six months later.” There was no apologizing, no groveling, no making things write, no anything that made the end feel realistic or satisfying.

Am I glad to have read this book? sure. Like I said I enjoyed Matt and his friends and there was bits of humor sprinkled throughout the book. Did I immediately download other books by Sophie Kinslla? no.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dial Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Major thank you to Netgalley, Dial Press and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I’ve read several of Sophie Kinsella’s books before -- I had picked up a copy of Confessions of a Shopaholic at an airport once, and a couple of her standalones (I Owe You One, Wedding Night, I’ve Got Your Number) shortly after. Just like all of Kinsella’s other books that I’ve read, Love Your Life was equally charming and heartwarming. I had a fair idea of what to expect from Kinsella -- An optimistic heroine, witty banter, and a scene where the love interest and main character pretty much give each other a piece of their own minds for the first time, which leads them to reevaluate their life choices. And while all of that was true, I was still pleasantly surprised by Love Your Life.

I’m not going to lie, I was a little nervous about this one -- It took me a couple chapters before I really started to enjoy it. First, I felt like the “instant attraction” trope to be a little unbelievable. It felt like Ava and Matt - or Aria and Dutch - were exchanging “I Love You”’s within three days of knowing each other. Three days! Which is why I wasn’t surprised when their relationship started to fall apart in London. What I love about Kinsella is that everything is clearly laid out for you. You can see where the relationship starts to crumble; things that seem like throwaway bits in the beginning are never that. I remember thinking “I’ve never wanted a love interest and a main character to NOT work out so badly” for the majority of the book, but by the end of the book, I came to understand why Ava and Matt had fallen for each other in the first place, and was rooting for them.

I found Ava to be likable, but frustrating at times. She was a refreshing main character, one riddled with faults - as most Sophie Kinsella characters are. Ava is a hoarder. She’s flighty. She has a need to “rescue” everything, from books, to furniture, to anything and everything else. But for all of her faults, there’s some redeeming factors: she’s loyal, she’s optimistic, she’s passionate and curious and dedicated. Ava would drop everything at a moment’s notice for her friends and family, including her dog Harold.

Yes, Love Your Life is a rom-com, but the real love story in Love Your Life isn’t between Ava and Matt -- or Aria and Dutch, but more so, their friends. Ava’s friends are truly what you’d call ride-or-die. I don’t think there’s anything they wouldn’t do for each other. We’ve got Nell, a brutally honest friend with some serious health issues, Sarika, a logical dater who believes that love can be found through algorithms only, and Maud, a single mother with a never-ending list of favors. I was charmed equally by them all. On Matt’s side, we’ve got Topher and Nihal, two antisocial friends, that are just as loyal. All of whom don’t shy away from telling Ava and Matt what they need to hear. Something that I’ve always loved about Kinsella’s books is how well-fleshed out every character is. Each character is brimming with personality, including Harold. Oh, I absolutely adored Harold! Such an endearing dog, and his personality reminds me of my own Toto.

Overall, I would give Love Your Life 3 stars, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a quick and easy read!

[ Note: I will be posting a fuller version of this review on October 19th on teatimelit.com!

I did not enjoy this book as much as I have enjoyed other Sophie Kinsella books. The main character was downright unpleasant at times, and the romance wasn’t organize. To me, it seemed that Ava and Matt shouldn’t have been together, and that would have been a more interesting book, to explore how to be friends with a person you used to be in a relationship with.
Overall, a disappointment, but not a bad read.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I like Sophie Kinsella and the books she writes. This was an entertaining, good, quick read.

Sophie Kinsella’s latest is told from the perspective of a woman named Ava, who meets a man while on a writing retreat where participants are not supposed to reveal anything about who they really are. The challenge comes when they return to the real world and have to reckon with their compatibility or lack thereof. Kind of a silly book with some slightly over broad characters and plot points, but at the same time a fun and light read. 3.5 stars.

I have always loved Sophie Kinsella’s books! Can You Keep A Secret and I’ve Got Your Number are two of my favorite books. However, I had felt it hard to connect with her last couple books and was questioning whether she would remain an auto-read author for me. I am happy to see Love Your Life redeemed her for me and I really enjoyed the book. It features romantic and whimsical Ava who is an aspiring writer that attends a writing retreat in Italy where you have to call everyone by an alias. Ava who is now “Aria” meets “Dutch” at the retreat and the two instantly connect and fall into a whirlwind romance. By the end of the retreat their feelings have evolved and they both believe they are in love and want to try their hand at a real relationship in the real world.

When Aria and Dutch aka Ava and Matt return to London and their real lives, they are surprised to discover how completely different they are. Ava is a vegetarian who has many different career aspirations but can’t quite seem to finish any. Her apartment is filled with furniture she has rescued and books she has purchased because she believed no one else would buy them. Her lovable dog Harold was also a rescue who is rambunctious and often causing trouble. On the other hand, Matt is extreme straight laced working for his family company and lives in a cold and modern high rise with art that Ava can’t begin to understand. The two try to navigate how they can make their relationship succeed. Can they find anything they are compatible with?

I really enjoyed reading about Ava and Matt. While I seriously questioned whether they should be together at times throughout the book, by the end I really was rooting for them. The friends were everything in this book! I loved both Ava and Matt’s friends, especially Tucker. They added so much depth and humor to the story. I couldn’t get enough of them. Overall, I would give this one 4 stars and am excited for Sophie Kinsella’s next book!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random Press Publishing for sharing this ARC with me in exchange my honest review.

For me Sophie Kinsella can be hit or miss. I think I liked her writing more in the earlier days. I didn't hate this book, but I didn't love it either. I thought it was super funny in many places which I absolutely adore, but the actual story line was not doing it for me. Ava and Matt meet at a writing convention under pseudonyms and are instantly attracted to one another and decide to keep the mystery alive by not telling each other a thing about the other. When the conference is over, and reality sets in they find that they both live and London and they give it a go. The compability seems to have been all physical but Ava is so determined to make it work even though they have nothing in common, Matt seems to me like a huge jerk, and Ava has a lot of her own issues she needs to deal with. Some of this makes for some great comedy, but it was painful getting through this book of time after time of things clearly not meshing with them, and Ava pushing to stay together thinking they are "perfect" for each other. It is almost cringy. and because of that this book was a little difficult for me to really enjoy. For the comedy though, I gave it an extra star.

Ava always the optimist believes in romantic love and not dating apps. Having broken off her last relationship Ava decides to go on a writer’s retreat in Italy hoping to finish her romance novel. Ava must leave her beloved dog Harold with her friend Nell.
The leader of the writer’s workshop instructs the students to pick a new name for themselves. They are not to share any personal information until the end of the retreat. Ava becomes Aria.
The members of the self defence retreat were offered an opportunity to join another workshop since the workshop had to be cancelled. Some joined the writer’s retreat in particular a good looking man who picked the name Dutch for himself.
Dutch and Aria felt an immediate attraction. They spent much of the week together enjoying the beautiful Italian countryside and each other’s company. At Aria’s insistence they did not reveal their real names or backgrounds during the retreat. On departure day they discover they are both headed to London.
Now in London they continue the relationship as Ava and Matt. While they try to maintain the idyllic aura of their Italian romance work, family and responsibilities tend to get in the way. Also little differences start to weave their way to surface like Ava’s constant communications with her friends and Matt’s constant involvement in his family’s doll house business. Striving to maintain the ideal many things are left unsaid which turns out to be a recipe for disaster.
Will Ava and Matt’s relationship be able to survive in the real world is the big question?
I enjoyed LOVE YOUR LIFE. There were romantic moments, funny moments and sad moments. I think Sophie Kinsella managed to achieve the right balance between the moments. LOVE YOUR LIFE was the perfect palate cleanser and a pleasure to read.
Would make a great gift at holiday time since the release is in November.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for allowing me access to an advanced ebook edition of LOVE YOUR LIFE.