
Member Reviews

This book caught me by surprise. I knew about Sophie Kinsella, of course, but I had never read one of her books before, so I went in blind regarding her writing style. I was immediately immersed the conversational tone of the narration and I imagine this book would be a fantastic fit for audio. I will confess that I deeply disliked the heroine, Ava, for a good first half of the book. She seemed all over the place, not very self aware and I just wanted to shake her. But somehow, I cared about her, even when I disliked her. While she doesn't hold back on Ava and Matt's many imperfections, Kinsella keeps a thread of humor and compassion towards her characters that makes them feel like those old friends that you keep rooting for—even when they make you cringe—. So, I got through that first half-and-a-bit just trusting that this author had a plan, and I am glad I stuck with it because I loved the second half. I loved Ava's and Matt's growth. I loved how their crew of friends came together. And I finished the book with a big smile on my face, wondering if some of the things I deeply disliked about Ava were just because they hit too close to home.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. Ava meets Matt at a writing retreat in Italy by accident. They fall in love instantly and soon find out they both live in London. Can they live out their fantasy when they arrive back in the real world? I have to admit, as much as I wanted to like this book, it was a real struggle to read. I love Sophie Kinsella and I was so disappointed. #loveyourlife #sophiekinsella #oct2020

Love Your Life By Sophie Kinsella
Rating - 3 / 5 Stars
Publication Date - 10/27/2020
** Thank you to Netgalley, Random House Publishing, and of course, Sophie Kinsella, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Well, here we are - another magical tale by the lovely Sophie Kinsella! Love Your Life features the story of Ava and Matt (or Aria and Dutch) who find themselves in love after a worldwind week in Italy. As complete opposites, these two are forced to navigate each other's lives, with all the bumps that come with the territory.
Now, normally I am always a giver of 4 stars for Sophie’s books - I absolutely LOVE her writing and the stories make me smile. The reason for the one less star in my case is AVA IS AN INSUFFERABLE CHARACTER...in the beginning. It took me until at least 60% to start to like her. I honestly considered DNFing this book, but I knew I needed to stick it out. One of the reasons I didn’t like Ava was strictly based on HOW MUCH of a romantic she is. She dates a man for a week and then suddenly, she is expected to Marry him once they return. Look, I get it - I’m a romantic, but it's not reasonable to feel that way so much after a week. Matt had his annoying quirks, but I came to love him before I loved Ava.
One other thing that I found slightly annoying was the use of (!). I know this is nitpicking, however, I couldn’t help but get annoyed by it.
As I said in the beginning - I LOVE SOPHIE’S BOOKS. Beyond these two issues, this book is great! I highly recommend it if these don’t bother you.

“Life, huh? It’s a shitshow. But we’re here for you.”
In this novel, we’re introduced to Ava, a dog-loving vegetarian with a house full of “rescue” furniture who decides to travel to Italy to write a romance novel. It is during this writing workshop that Ava meets the charming Matt. During this workshop, Ava and Matt become closer despite not knowing a single thing about each other. Instead, they get swept up into the romance of Italy and their escape from the real world. After the week is over, Ava and Matt are forced to deal with the lives they put on hold in the UK.
It is the characters returning to the UK that the book begins to shed a dreadful light on the couple and their unstable relationship. Once Ava enters Matt’s life, she is forced to deal with the baggage that puts a strain on the man she loves and her relationship. Within six weeks of their relationship, Ava is faced with multiple micro transgressions that leave her in a state of bewilderment. While entering Matt’s life, Ava begins to have a morsel of inadequacy and doubt that has her questioning if the man she fell in love with was genuine. However, Ava isn’t this completed work of a person. Instead, Ava has her flaws that she begrudgingly admits only when confronted.
In all honesty, the beginning of this book wasn’t eventful. The characters meet relatively early, and its instant chemistry. It isn’t until they reach the UK that the two face the reality that they genuinely don’t know anything about each other. As the novel progresses, the story begins to pick as Ava realizes that she is in love with a virtual stranger. The stranger being a meat-eating golf lover with a room at a temperature of below zero. Witnessing two polar opposite characters trying desperately to cling to the romance that brought them together resulted in a tale of angst and pity. The characters force themselves to adhere to the good that the bad begins to snowball to the point that it becomes unbearable to witness. As these two struggle to accommodate each other, it leads to frustration and bitterness between them.
In the end, the novel was an enjoyable read with fantastic side characters. So excellent that hopefully, fingers crossed, Kinsella will write Nell, Sarika, and Maud’s stories. One of the issues is the ending. I felt that the book should’ve cut out certain parts for the ending not to feel so rushed. But overall, the book was immensely entertaining.
Also, a big thank you to NetGalley and Random House, Inc for providing me with a free e-copy of this ARC.

Love Your Life is a delightful read. Kim's Ella has a knack for writing a story that offers so much escape. I stayed up extra late to finish it. The ending was sigh worthy perfection. I liked the spontaneity Ava and Matt enjoyed in Italy and was rooting for their relationship to work, despite the invasion of real life. Both sets of friends were an eclectic mix and hilarious. But the personality who absolutely stole the show and who was my favorite was Harold, the beagle. Beagles are my favorite dogs and Harold added so much life to the book. He was mischievous, cunning, amd loveable. I really loved this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Love Your Life by Sophie Kinsella. I was given this book in exchange for an honest review. I have read just about every book Sophie Kinsella has written and this one was not one of my favorites. The beginning of the book sucked me in. I couldn’t put it down and loved reading about how Aria and Dutch fell in love while at the writing retreat in Italy. But once they returned to reality if Ava and Matt and their lives in London, I found the story started to drag. These two were such polar opposites and while opposites can definitely attract, they didn’t in this case. If either had been a friend, i would have wondered why they were still with someone they had so little in common with and who frustrated them as much as they seemed to be with each other. At times, I wanted to reach into the book and shake some sense into both of them. The fact of the matter is, much like the title states, they both needed to learn to love their life in order to grow as a couple.
#SophieKinsella #Quirky #Writer #Retreat #FamilyBusiness #Friends #Dogs

A special thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Ava is a true romantic who doesn't think that love can be found using apps or algorithms. So after a recent breakup and dating app fiasco, she decides it is time to shelf her love life and pursue other opportunities. She's always wanted to write a novel and a writers' retreat in a picturesque coastal Italy is the perfect place to do so. But she will miss her friends and beloved dog, Harold.
At the retreat, you are not allowed to use your real name or reveal anything about yourself. So Ava, now "Aria," meets "Dutch" when he joins the writing retreat after his martial arts one is cancelled. The two are smitten, getting swept away by their romantic setting. But then reality sets in when they have to ditch Aria and Dutch for Ava and Matt.
With their fantasy whirlwind affair fading into the London fog, they soon realize just how different they are. Not only can they not agree on anything, but Matt also has a clingy ex-girlfriend. Can they reconcile their differences or were they only a holiday fling?
Overall, I enjoyed this book. Love Your Life is endearing and funny, a perfect feel-good romance. I loved the premise and the location—is Italy not the best locale for a holiday romance?
But the part is the supporting cast. Although there are a lot of characters, the two friend groups are what make this story. Especially Ava's friends as they usher her through her growth and empowerment. And we can't forget Harold...how can you not love a naughty dog?
My only criticism is that the book was a bit too long. It started to lag a bit when Ava and Matt got back to England and I thought that it should have been the reverse where more time was spent in Italy so that the romance would've been more believable and the ending not so rushed.
If you are looking for an adorable rom-com, look no further. Thank you, Sophie, for another gem! I adore your writing and your wit.

I really wanted to like this book. The premise is fun - a woman meets a man on an anonymous writing retreat, fall in love without knowing the personal baggage they bring to the table, and then they try to make it work outside of the writing retreat. Fun, right? But no. Not fun.
I just truly didn't like the main characters at all. There was no chemistry between them. They weren't compatible in any way. It's one thing to have characters who are a little bit opposite of each other, but it's another thing to have two people who are just clearly not meant to be together at all.
Ava makes Matt change everything about himself essentially all for her and her very poorly behaved dog. As someone who is probably a little over the top with the love I have for my dog, I feel like Ava should be relatable, but she isn't. Her relationship with her dog is insane and it made me really hate her. She lets her dog act like a total asshole the entire book and constantly makes excuses for him instead of trying to fix the behavior or just simply keeping him away from other people's belongings so that he doesn't destroy them. It's ridiculous.
The friends had a lot of potential to be good, but they are all very basic. You have the sick friend - who always serves as the weird "get us out of this intense scene" excuse with a phone calls that's always like:
*Main characters are in some type of heated conversation/argument, Main Girl's phone rings*
Main Girl: "Hello?"
Person on Phone: "It's *insert sick friend*. You need to come."
Main Girl to Main Guy: "I have to go. It's sick friend."
Main Guy to Main Girl: "I'll take you."
I never want to read a scene like that again I swear.
There's another friend whose whole thing is asking people for favors all the time, which is really weird. I think it's supposed to be humorous, but it's literally the character's entire personality that she's just always asking people to do things for her. There's another friend who is described as ugly when we first meet him because he's "hulk-like" and has acne. Then, every time after that when he is mentioned, we get a reminder that he has super bad acne and is super ugly - in case you didn't remember from all the other times it was said. You WILL know that he's ugly and has acne.
Also there is this scene toward the end that has absolutely no place in this book whatsoever, and I am severely disappointed that this made it into the book. It's a spoiler so I won't describe it here. It completely ruined an otherwise decent ending.
The ending is the best part of the book (minus the spoiler scene I mentioned). I still think the Ava and Matt are too incompatible to have a healthy, long lasting relationship, but whatever floats your goat I guess.

. It is a typical Sophie Kinsella book with a cute story line, fun characters, romance, and laughs. Sophie Kinsella's books always seems lighthearted and make me laugh and this is no exception. Love Your Life is a perfect book for something lighter.
I did not love the characters as much as I have some of hers in the past but I am sure someone else might feel differently. Always enjoy reading this author.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy!

I was provided an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I love a Sophie Kinsella book! Love Your Life does not disappoint -- it is funny, light, and full of friendship, travel and romance. A great book to read if you're looking for escapist entertainment. Highly recommended for fans of Lianne Moriarty or Marian Keyes.

***I received a copy through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. ***
Kinsella is no stranger to writing unique characters and fun storylines. Love Your Life follows the storyline of Ava/Aria and Matt/Dutch when they meet at a retreat where they cannot discuss anything personal. They fall for each other fast and hard in the bliss of vacation. But once they arrive back to the real world, they learn that their true selves are very different and maybe not as compatible as they thought.
I loved the storyline of this book, it was interesting and fun and kept me on my toes. Sadly though, I could not stand the characters. Ava/Aria was delusional, whimsical, and frankly immature. Obviously, her personality was a major plot point but as a reader I found it annoying. Matt/Dutch was boring, flat, and kind of rude. There was nothing special about him so it was hard to be interested in his relationship with Ava/Aria.
The ending was interesting enough to keep me engaged with the book, but there were a few times that I wanted to put it down because of how annoyed with the characters I was. I enjoyed this read but it wasn’t my favorite.

Ava believes that love can’t be found through algorithms and scientific elimination; it’s something you experience and feel in the moment. When she arrives in Italy for an anonymous (to cultivate creativity and diminish distractions; nicknames only!) writing retreat, she’s surprised to find someone who piques her interest. Ava and “Dutch” (later/actually Matt) quickly become involved and within the span of the weeklong retreat have professed their Italian vacation inspired love for one another. While still not knowing one another’s actual names or any real information about each other. Once they get back to reality, things are not as picture perfect as the rosé-colored glasses made them seem. Matt and Ava are two very different people. Matt lives in a corporate world, whereas Ava is a bit…flighty, for lack of a better word. Matt is more by the books and omnivorous, Ava is more free-spirited and a steadfast vegetarian. It soon becomes clear that they live very different lives, but will they be able to reconcile their differences in order to create a compatible life together?
Though I have not read all of Kinsella’s work, I have enjoyed her stand-alones from time to time and was hoping to find something fun and new in ‘Love Your Life.’ A story that starts out in Italy on a writing retreat? Sign me up! Unfortunately, I felt that this one just didn’t quite hit the mark for me. It felt like the relationship between Ava and Matt was too forced rather than two actual adults with a foundation of a real relationship trying to better communicate and work together to merge their lives. Both main characters, but Ava in particular, were frustrating and downright obnoxious at times; they felt like caricatures of people rather than believable characters. I enjoyed the friends more than them, but they still made me feel a bit annoyed. I appreciate the spirit of what I think Kinsella was trying for here: two very different people trying to learn how to communicate and forge a life together. But, unfortunately, I feel that it fell short, the characters were too flat, and it just wasn’t for me. I look forward to seeing what Kinsella comes up with next!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

My Review:
I have read other Sophie Kinsella books before and was so excited to read this one. The main character Ava is a character who likes to multi task with many things and never seems to finish any of them. So her newest thing is to write a book and ends up going on writing retreat. I loved how this character wanted to write a book. It's one of my dreams to do one day too! Anyways at the retreat she uses a fake name "Aria" and ends up meeting "Dutch." She and Dutch have an instant spark which I thought was adorable. They become an item which I was excited for. I began to wonder what was going to happen next with them.
While at the retreat she and Dutch find out that they both live in London. They decided to actually meet up and date in the real world. Well things change! Drama ends up coming! Dutch's real name is Matthias aka Matt and Aria is Ava. Well Ava as I mentioned is a person who multi tasks and is such a free spirit. She's a vegetarian. Matt on the other hand is completely the opposite. He is more orderly and modern. He even eats meat. There are many more quirks about them that are so opposite.
I love how they are so different from each other. They learn from each other. They began to wonder if this relationship is worth it? Can they live with such differences between them? I love this part of the story: how they see the differences between each other and how real emotions come out to play to seeing their differences. Can they make it work?
I liked this book because it was so different. It showed a relationship with characters that are opposite attract. I thought it was a cute, funny and such a rom con, chick lit adventure. I am glad that I got to read this heartwarming story. If you want something different to read, check this story out!

I miss the old Sophie Kinsella books I must admit. This was an ok read, better than the last two, but I really miss the magic of Twenties Girl and Shopaholic. This was a cute read but it fell flat for me. It started strong for me but then just kind of fell off.

Wow did this main character annoy me. I think she was meant to be quirky but not my kind of person. There wasn't a lot of romance, the entire book kept reiterating how incompatible the couple was and there was always an issue going on making it hard to like their relationship. Didn't get a lot of depth from the male lead, and the characters I did like had pretty small parts. Just a rather negative story.

This was a cute story. It was a little "out there" in regards to the context of the story, but I enjoyed the characters immensely. Matt grated on me at times, and I wished that Ava wasn't so in love with him, and willing to compromise so much. But the theme of love and friendship which is threaded so nicely into the entire story really warmed my heart. This is a light, fun read. It arrived just when I needed it, as I could not handle a heavy book right now. I have always loved Sophie Kinsella books, and this is no exception. It was a great book. This book was sent to me as an ARC in trade for my own personal opinion. Thank you to the publisher and netgalley.com for chosing me to review this book.

Two and a half stars. I always love grabbing the newest Sophie Kinsella book, especially in the summer. This one came just as I was headed out on a beach vacation - the perfect setting to read a contemporary romance!
Unfortunately, this one left me very disappointed. From the start, it was clear that the narrator, Ava, was not a character to root for - she’s supposed to be endearing and quirky, but in fact she is immature and has her head in the clouds. Her love interest, Dutch (later named Matt) doesn’t even get a personality in the first quarter of the book - other than telling us how attractive he is, there’s no character building to make us even remotely interested in him.
When the setting changes from a writers’ retreat to “real life,” it’s immediately clear that Ava and Matt don’t belong together. They are polar opposites and don’t even seem to compliment one another. When you realize 25% of the way into the book that you have no interest in seeing the central romance play out, you’re in for a bumpy remainder of your reading.
I allowed myself to round this up to three stars because I did think the last few chapters were slightly redeeming, primarily due to the supporting characters. But, this novel was a slog to read and utterly forgettable.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book blew me away! I was unable to but it down. Perfect, dazzlingly, very well written. The details the author described throughout the book was so amazing. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

Cute story about two people falling in love at a writing retreat and not knowing anything about each other. but then they have to go back to the real world and fit their lives together.

I always love Sophie Kinsella’s warmth and sense of humor, and both are on full display in this sweet book. I love Kinsella so I didn’t read the blurb and just dove in, which I think is a good way to go with this book because it doesn’t take the expected chick-lit path. In the beginning, our heroine is at a writer’s retreat in Italy where no one gives their real name. She goes by “Aria” and meets a gorgeous man named “Dutch.” They have a whirlwind romance but come to an agreement not to ask eachother any real-life details, including names. And that’s just the beginning of this sweet, affectionate book.
Without giving away the plot I have to say there were several unique heartwarming aspects I loved most. One is Ava’s dog, Harold, who is a character unto himself. Another is Ava’s close friend Nell. Nell has a serious illness and all her friends rally around her. Her disability is presented always in a realistic, kind and well-considered way. As someone who has had my own health challenges in the past, I love to see disabled characters thriving in books, particularly romantic books like this one. And my final two favorite things were the two main characters. As always, Kinsella creates a magical and vibrant world with loveable characters in which you can totally lose yourself. I always emerge happier after reading one of her colorful novels, which are always a little deeper than they first seem.
I give this book 4-plus stars. It’s a great, heartwarming escape when you need a little runaway time to another place where you can feel good about life, love and the world (like say in the middle of a pandemic or a contentious presidential election).
Thanks to NetGalley, Random House and Sophie Kinsella for the advance copy of this sweet and warm book. I am looking forward to reading Harold the dog’s book next.