Liked this book more than I thought I would. I’ve struggled with her recent books, but this one reminded me of the early days with Shopaholic. It brought back all the good vibes with comedy, sarcasm, and heart warming moments. I thought the characters were well developed, especially the supporting ones.

Ava is a young woman who believes in love. While her friends in London obsess over the latest dating app, algorithms and deal-breakers, she believes an actual soul mate is out there in the universe just waiting to meet her. Ava joins a weeklong writing retreat in a charming Italian monastery. She is going to 100% focus on her novel and soak up the delicious food and sunshine. The catch is the attendees do not use their real names, nor talk about their home life. They are here specifically to put everything else aside as to better concentrate on their writing. Naturally, Ava (Aria), falls madly, and wildly in love with “Dutch”. And best of all - he feels the same. When the week is up they begin to navigate what life could be like if they are a couple at home. Work, friends, finances, family obligations. All the things Ava was confident one should put aside appear front and center. Along with her quirky friend group and devious dog Harold this exhausting young woman is absolutely adorable. Sophie Kinsella once again weaves a story that is laugh out loud delightful and the perfect romantic adventure.

A nice, light read.... nothing too heavy, as expected, but struggled a bit to complete. I appreciate the opportunity to review it!

As a long time fan of Sophie Kinsella, I was thrilled to be able to read her newest book. This book contains the usual charms, laughs, and lovably flawed characters you expect from her works. My only critique would be at times I felt that the main character, Ava, channeled more of Kinsella’s other leading lady Becky Bloomwood than I would have expected. No, this character is not a shopaholic, but some of her knee jerk reactions and internal monologue felt very similar to me. Overall, I would most certainly recommend this easy charming read!

Brief Synopsis: Ava and Matt meet in Italy and their whirlwind romance is full of beautiful sunsets and amazing experiences. But everything is easier on vacation and when they return to their real lives, they quickly discover that they aren't as compatible as they think. Will they be able to hold onto their love or will real life get in the way?

I love Sophie Kinsella so I was really excited for this one! The problems they had to overcome were relatable to any relationship, such as bedroom temperature preference or decorating styles, and it was hilarious to watch them struggle with them. However, the "rules" that Ava kept placing on their relationship regarding what they could and could not talk about or do felt mildly unrealistic and a little stressful. All in all though, it was an easy, cute read!

Kinsella has a way of writing that can make me laugh, even when I'm scratching my head. Certain scenes in the book had me doing a literal LOL! I loved reading about the writing retreat. I once did a weekend writing retreat (that was a bust - I just read books and relaxed the whole time) and I dream of trying that again one day, so I read the beginning of the book with pure envy.

I also liked that the secondary characters were well thought out and not flat one-trick ponies who are only there to propel the story. Instead, they had lives that continued on while Ava was away. Matt's friends also had distinct personalities, which I always appreciate. And then there was the dog who was untrained...Harold.

Unfortunately, I did not like the main character. And that was enough to turn me off of truly loving this book. Ava is supposed to come off as this whimsical girl trying to find her place in this world, who is romantic and falls in love with someone exactly her opposite. She basically wrote the story of Dharma and Greg but without the endearing parts. Instead, Ava comes across as naive, whiny, and immature. Phrases such as "but reality is HARD!" would be cute if she was 18, but from a 30 year old is just not what you want to read, especially during a pandemic when the world is HARD.

I was hoping to see some growth in Ava's journey, but I didn't feel like it was there. Even when she completed a goal, she spent more time throwing it in everyone's face that she did something than moving onto her next item.

There is such a thing as opposites attract, but there is also such a thing as too much of a difference that is distracting. Dutch/Matt was such someone more rooted to reality. He would question Ava's behaviors, which would infuriate her, but then would back down and allow it to continue.

One of the big criticisms I read in reviews about the Shopaholic series is that Kinsella does not have Becky grow. She's still acting the same as she did in book 1, but it's ok because she has people who love her. I felt like Ava could be Becky's sister.

What really drove me nuts is that there is a paragraph where Ava's family is discussed. I thought, "ohhh so THAT is why she is like she is with her hoarding." But I never saw Matt make that same epiphany. And it was never discussed again. That was a let-down for me.

And Harold. Poor untrained Harold. I am a dog rescuer, and love my dogs just as I do my actual children, but I would never in this universe leave them untrained. It is so irresponsible. It's a dangerous message to send. And, well...read up on what happens to Harold to prove my point.

Fans of Becky Bloomwood may enjoy this one, as to love Becky's antics can equate to loving Ava's antics. I didn't hate this one, but I didn't love it either.

This book was enjoyable. The male and female protagonists were a little annoying, but I guess you had to sit through that most of the book to get to the resolution at the end. The novel moved fast and had delightful secondary characters. I just wish the main characters were a little more likeable throughout the novel. Overall, that's a minor quibble. People should enjoy reading this book.

I enjoyed the latest offering by Sophie Kinsella—Love Your Life—more than I enjoyed her last two stand alone novels. Kinsella has such a gift for writing quirky optimistic endearing characters. She got away from that a little bit in Surprise Me and I Owe You One. The characters in Love Your Life were more real to me even though I realize they had quirky jobs and interests and friends. They were more real because of their personalities and some of their character traits such as kindness and patience and empathy.

The basic premise of the book is a romance between Ava, who goes to a writing retreat in Italy, where she meets Matt, who thinks he is going to a martial arts retreat at the same place, but ends up at the writing retreat when the martial arts retreat is canceled. Ava is a free lance copy writer with a generous heart, a quirky spoiled rescue dog named Harold, and varied interests. Matt comes from a pretty stern home where the family business and being a winner is prized. But, both have good hearts despite lots of differences. Whether their quirky friends and lives and jobs will separate them as well as their disparate personalities ties into the story. I liked the supporting characters—their friends—in the novel too. Here is a quote about one of Ava’s friends to give you a feel for the writing:

“ I don’t have many life tips. But one of them is: If you’re ever feeling sorry for yourself, visit Nell. She’s tough in all the right places. She bounces back stupid thoughts at you. Her matter-of-fact attitude whips through you like a gust of sharp, cold air.”

Here you will not find deep reading, but instead fun escape reading. Thank you Dial Press and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book and for allowing me to review it. Release date: October 27, 2020.

Book Title: Love Your Life

Author: Sophie Kinsella

Genre: Fiction/Romance

Published Date: 27 Oct 2020

No. of Pages: 432

Line Summary:

Two unknown persons met at the retreat and had a baggage-free, whirlwind love affair! When they came to the reality of real time world everything fall apart! 

My Review:

The queen of fiction proved herself again. Such a lovely story. The storyline was very simple, there were no big twists or suspense but still, she made it very engaging and interesting without lacking anywhere! I don’t know how she did it every single time !! She never stopped amazes me! I liked this story. It’s very subtle with an hour of the need message! I love the plot and narration. And the very natural, flaw full characters! I like the optimism spilled throughout the story! The only part I felt a little uneasy was the love between the dog and human because I don’t love pets, but that may be a major lovely part for the majority of people( I am the exception here ) overall I love this story and I highly recommend it!

Thoughts while reading:
At first, the story seems very ordinary, I wondered what way it’s going to travel, but after the retreat, the story started to pick up!

There were no nail-biting moments but sure the story made me at the edge at a lot of moments!

Each time the characters suppress their feelings or in denial, I want to shout! But then I realized how realistic it is !! How many times we would be denial like the characters and not doing the right things for one or other reasons!!
The heroine made me so judgemental about her judgments !! That made me almost hate her! But her optimistic side was amazing and irritating at the same time !! Such a colorful character !!
As I told above the dog love part was too much for me, and I didn’t enjoy it but I am sure that would be a special part for somebody who loves their pet!
Even after I finished the story I was in the setting mentally and I would love to be a part of that wonderful friend group !!The climax is something more realistic, practical and I love it !!
If you are a Sophie Kinsella fan ( who doesn’t ??) you would love this one too!

SYNOPSIS
Ava is a dreamer. She is continually insprired by her life to be more. Her most recent adventure brings her to Italy where she hopes a writing retreat will put on her the path to becoming a famous author. The retreat is very strict, no phones, no personal belongings, and no identity. While there “Aria” meets “Dutch” and a whirlwind romance ensues. Without a history or a past the writer’s retreat becomes a perfect bubble for the new couple.

But bubbles pop. When the retreat ends so does the magic. “Aria “ and “Dutch” struggle with the truth of their lives. As each new aspect of their lives is revealed the stress levels in their relationship increase.

Can love survive? Is love truly blind?

REVIEW
This was a quick read for me. I read it in one evening.
Ava is quirky (think Blossom all grown up)- she is the friend that doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her and is brave enough to follow her passions and confident enough to defend them if needed. I wish I were as brave as Ava.Her squad of friends are diverse, each with a strong personality type and they have Ava’s back- especially in matters of the heart.
Matthias is your typical rich kid trying to run the family business and be happy about it. Pleasing his family and living up their expectations is his number one goal, with love on the back burner it doesn’t seem like Matt is entirely invested in this budding relationship.
While the writing fit each of the characters I quickly became annoyed by the back and forth between Ava and Matt. It seemed like the same argument kept repeating with the same shortcomings being banded about and that always ended with the inevitable “we’ll try harder” and kiss (end scene). It was full of cliches and the typical romance tropes and while as a reader I expect some, this book seemed to be overloaded with them, like it was trying too hard.

Overall an okay read, but not a favourite of Sophie’s (I loved the Shopoholic series).

This was a cute and corky read. I am not normally a fan of instalove, but the way this story played out I didn’t mind it. It really shows not only how hard starting a new relationship is, but how you learn to love and truthful tolerant the little things that people do. No one is perfect and Ava and Matt show us that in a fun little adventure. The two meet in an oddball way and then try to continue their new love connection once they come back home. But life is never easy and once they get a glimpse of each other’s worlds they find there is things that they would never normally want to be around. Humor is always a huge part in Miss Kinsella’s books and this one had me laughing out loud many times.

Sophie Kinsella has done it again! Kinsella is one of my favorite rom-com authors, and I went into this book with high hopes. It did not disappoint!

I think Ava was a super relatable, if not quirky, female lead. I really admire the way Kinsella made two polar opposite characters (Ava and Dutch) both extremely relatable. At times I was definitely siding with Dutch, and other times I was definitely siding with Ava. The friend groups added to the hilarity of the whole situation, and I loved all of the distinct personalities each of the friends showed.

This book was funny from the first page, but also evoked a range of emotions as the book went on. Towards the middle of the book I felt tension, and found myself outwardly cringing because of it. By the end of the book I had laughed out loud, cringed as mentioned, let a few tears escape, and smiled a lot!

We also got the representation of a hidden chronic disease which I really appreciate. The only way to continue to bring to light the reality that so many people suffer with silently is continued visibility of these diseases in all forms of media.

Way to go Sophie Kinsella! You've written another phenomenal book!

I have received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This book was an emotional roller coaster. I loved the beginning when we met Ava’s friends, and when Ava met the love interest. The middle for me was a little hard to read because the characters were now in reality and had to deal with hard situations that they were in and I think it brought out the worst in them at times. I liked that they had to face the problems that they were in and that this made them become more developed characters. I loved how both friend groups came together, how hilarious the book was at times, and I loved how it all wrapped up.

This was my first Sophie Kinsella book and I LOVED IT! I feel like she gives off a total romcom vibe. I really love Ava's character, I loved how she was a total romantic, I felt like were similar in a lot of ways. When she meets Matt I was SWOONING! Gah I loved Matt so much! but when they return to reality I felt like the honeymoon stage was over and reality really set in. I think this book is really relatable to readers who are out of that honeymoon stage in their relationships and it was really enjoyable!

Ava is out to find love. Not online but in the real world. She heads to Italian retreat to write a novel leaving her beloved dog behind. While at the retreat she meets someone and they begin a love affair. Things are perfect until they return home to their real lives.
The premise of this book sounds amazing but I could not get into it. I found myself skimming through the dialogue and waiting for each chapter to be done. I’ve read other books by this author but this one didn’t hold my interest. At all.

This was an entertaining and easy read which, given the current state of the world, provided a welcome break from reality. The book provides an interesting look at dating today and also how we connect (and judge) other people. I did feel the story lagged in a few places and wanted it to speed up a little. Also, I found the supporting cast of characters were much more interesting and, at times, likeable than the two main protagonists. In particular, Harold the dog is a wonderful and welcome scene-stealer.

Overall, I enjoyed LOVE YOUR LIFE and recommend it if you are looking for a light and fun rom com. Thank you to the publisher for the advance reading copy.

Sophie Kinsella was the first author my mom and I bonded over. I remember vividly sitting in the same room as her, hearing her roaring laughter over something Becky Bloomwood did and wanting her to read faster, so I could borrow the book from her.
Now that we live 6000 miles apart, I still tell her every time there is a new Kinsella book on the horizon and we discuss the book at length after we have both read it. So naturally, I was so happy and literally squealed when I received the advanced copy for Love Your Life.
Ava is a quirky and relatable heroine, who meets Matt while they are on a writing retreat in Italy. They fall head over heels for one another and decide, as per the policy of the retreat, not to disclose anything of their lives at home. A whirlwind romance begins and, when they are forced to go back to reality, both are committed to make it work. It turns out everyone has baggage and sometimes, no matter how much you try, the baggage can tumble and bury the romance with it.
Love Your Life is a great read about love, friendship, overcoming once differences and, of course, Harold the dog.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and cannot wait to discuss it with my mom over a steaming hot cup of coffee.

Another great read from Sophie Kinsella. Matt and Ava meet and fall in love on a writing retreat in Italy and as they journey home, they think they are ready to join they lives together. However, once they get home, they realize that their lives may not be as compatible as they previously believed. As they struggle to mesh their lives and dreams, they realize they may not be ready to meet in the middle.
Fun story, good character development and subplot, and kept me reading until the end. Recommended for anyone who likes a nice light read (with a chuckle or two!)

*I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review

Sophie Kinsella is my go-to author when I need a pick-me-up. We live in stressful times but her work always puts me in a great mood. Love Your Life did not disappoint. Beautiful.

Sophie Kinsella's romances have always been one of my favorites. And, this book was one of my anticipated releases of this year, however I did not love it as her other romances. The story and the romance is cute, but for some reason it was lacking something. The characters were okay, not bad, but also not complex enough for me to actually be invested in their stories. Sometimes simple things are better, but weirdly I LOVE complex characters that have so much angst between. I've read most of Sophie Kinsella's books that are romcoms, and she does have this way of writing sweet and laugh out loud type of romances, but this book cannot be compared to those. Hopefully, I will like her next book better even though this wasn't all that great, it also wasn't bad, but just not typical Sophie Kinsella book.