A very cute read! Sophie Kinsella’s characters are always so relatable! Great book to read while relaxing on the beach!

I LOVE Sophie Kinsella. Some of her books I would consider my very favorite in my life of reading and she truly made me fall in love with Chick Lit. It pains me to not love her book but I'll be honest, I probably only gave this 3 stars because it was a Kinsella, I started off liking it okay, and I did finish it. If you had given me this book without an author I would have never guessed it was a Sophie Kinsella book as it had a more immature feel to it. Looking back at the past few books I'm wondering if I'm just not compatible with Kinsella's new writing style. 
I have conflicting feelings as there were cute parts in the beginning/end and cute parts sprinkled throughout with some funny bits but as a whole I couldn't connect and found myself feeling meh. The biggest issue is I didn't really like any of the characters 80% of the time. Ava was a mess and I know it was suppose to be quirky but it came out annoying to me. Normally we would cheer for her on her growth but it felt a little meh. Matt became boring most the time with a few sweet moments. Ava's friends were not fun to read about. My favorites were Matt's roommates, esp Topher. But as this book had some moments that made me smile and overall I did root for Ava and Matt, I don't regret reading it. 
Of course I will continue to read Kinsella's books! She's one of my favorites. I've just been disappointed in 4 of the last 5 books which breaks my heart. I just want us to get back to the earlier writing style as it was perfect!

I have always been a fan of Sophie's ever since I read my first Shopaholic book! Love Your Life did not disappoint! 
Ava-Londoner, single, 30-something, dog lover, vegetarian...finds herself on a once in a lifetime writing adventure in Italy. As luck would have it at the same hotel, another workshop has just canceled, and several of their participants choose to join the writing workshop. Amongst them is super hot, super muscular "Dutch" whom Ava is immediately taken to. Ava and Dutch start a relationship while in Italy and decide to continue it once they return to London. They know little about each other as the workshop is meant to be focused on writing and not on the persons involved in it. As they return to London they Ava starts to realize that Dutch aka. Matt, is the epitome of everything she did NOT want in a boyfriend. Meat eater, golfer, and not the biggest fan of her true love, her dog Harold. What I really love about this book is how the not so perfect perfect relationship is put to the test. It is a story that really explores the boundaries of true love and two people who are meant to be together despite the odds. I barely could put this book down the whole night after I started reading. Had it not been so late I probably would have read it the whole way through in one sitting! If you believe in true love, READ THIS BOOK!

What’s the best way to find the a romantic partner? Algorithms and filters on a dating app, or an open heart and serendipity? 

In Sophie Kinsella’s latest novel, “Love Your Life,” young Londoner Ava would never go with the algorithm. She’s a freewheeling, quirky, whimsical kind of gal. When she meets the "perfect man" on a writing retreat in Italy, their effortless romance proves her right, or so she thinks.

Kinsella is writing at the top of her game as she brings her relatable main characters, Ava and Matt, firmly back down to earth in London, as they find out how incompatible they are in every way. Their personalities are polar opposites. Harold, Ava’s spoiled and destructive rescue beagle, wreaks havoc. Matt’s bullying parents and the family business pose obstacles that seem insurmountable, despite Ava’s cheerful determination. A blonde ex-girlfriend of Matt’s, Genevieve, is a spokesperson for the family company, and Matt’s parents want Matt and Genevieve back together. Ava is a vegetarian, and Matt’s an unapologetic carnivore. As Kinsella did throughout her "Shopaholic" series and in other novels, she spins a web of hilarious complications and makes the reader wonder, “how will they ever get out of this?”

With warm humor and hilarious banter (including a delightful supporting cast of girlfriends and guy roommates), Matt and Ava are each forced to grow up, break old patterns, and figure out what will work for their lives and ambitions. Kinsella keeps the reader guessing until the very end, and triumphs with a surprise ending that melted my heart. Highly recommended.

I received an advanced readers copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley and was encouraged to submit a review.

What a wonderful book! I am a huge Sophie Kinsella fan and this book did not disappoint! I really enjoyed the main characters and was quickly brought into the story by Kinsella's phenomenal writing. The world is a scary place right now, and this is the perfect book to escape into. I ended it with a smile on my face and laughed out loud quite a few times while reading it. Kinsella really is a timeless author. I'm so happy she gave us a new book!

Even though I'm old enough to be Ava's mom and haven't had to date in 30 years,  I longed this book.  Ava is adorable.  I was worried the plot would get schmaltzy but it didn't.  There was some really good insight in to what dating is like.  Really fun.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the free ARC!

This was a classic Sophie Kinsella and it was enjoyable to read!  The premise of the book is a classic girl meets guy on vacation and they have a world wind romance without finding out any details about each other. And then they decide to make in work in the “real” world when they finish their vacation. Ava and Matt , our two main characters are so incredibly different in the real world that they struggle to find that common footing ! Of course all their problems could be solved with communication but Ava decides that they should not talk about baggage stuff and live in the here and now, which obviously back fires on her, sometimes it was struggle to not yell at the characters to just talk about your issues!! The story really journeys through the idea of can you be with someone without knowing their entire history or much about them which I think Sophie does a great job at describing.

Along with Ava and Matt, Sophie created this wonderful group of secondary characters who are all very unique and depth to the story and by the end of the book I just wanted to end up know more about their stories as well! One of the characters who really stole the show for me was Harold... the dog ! He is just .... a special kind of dog for sure! This book had a lot of laughed out loud moments in it and the dialogue is witty and fun to read!

This is your perfect laid back reading material and if you are already a fan of Sophie Kinsella than you are going to love this!!

Opposites attracting is an understatement for these two totally different people. In Love Your Life, Ava and Matt navigate a relationship upon their return from a magical holiday. Ava’s free spirit and Matt’s structured life collide, while Harold the dog intensifies the chaos that exists between them. Sophie Kinsella presents a hilarious take on what happens when the initial relationship bubble bursts and couples have to face reality. A quick fun read that reminds us to Live our Best Life.

Matt and Ava meet during a magical week in Italy at a writing retreat. They fall in love while frolicking on beaches, building rock towers, and staying up all night with each other all while revealing no personal details about each other. When it is time to return to their real lives they decide they are going to make it work. 
Back home they launch right into the middle of a serious relationship, and  yet they still barely know each other. Obviously, this causes some rocky patches in their relationship, lots of fighting over work, clutter, and exes. Can the two make it work or was their week in Italy just a magical blip between 2 incompatible people in real life.

This is not among my favorite Sohphie Kinsella books; it lacks a lot of the charm of her best work. The main characters are not that likable; at the end Ava describes herself as having been shrill toward Matt and she was. She is very optimistic and sees her own life through rose colored glasses and yet yells at and is critical of Matt for him not having all of his life together. I found in the end I didn't really care whether they ended up together or now I was much happier when 2 of the supporting characters found love.

I am not the right audience for this book. The writing just seems so simplistic and the story boring. Sorry, but I tried. I'm sure we'll buy it for the patrons who will enjoy it. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

I flew through the first half of this book, thinking to myself that Kinsella has redeemed herself after some of her previous books have been let downs for me. I laughed out loud more than once and that's what I love about her quirky writing and characters. 
Then Ava just started to get down right whiny, annoying and I wanted her to grow up. I adored Ava & Matt's friends and the dog Harold- they made the entire book for me. 
The plot seemed a little weak and underdeveloped for me but overall it was a fun and lighthearted read and I'll always read what Sophie Kinsella writes, I just will. 

Love Your Life is out in October! Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for my advanced ebook copy.

I want the publisher to know that even though this one probably won't get as many positive reviews as her other books, I will always read what Sophie Kinsella writes! This one just wasn't a hit for me. I really didn't like Ava. I didn't find her endearing at all and it really took away from the story. I also didn't laugh out loud like I usually do with a Sophie Kinsella book, and the romance just didn't work for me. The ending felt a little weird to me, but I will say that the plotting for the rest of the story was very well done.

After her unsuccessful attempts with dating, Ava decides to put aside love and focus on writing her novel. She sets out to a remote writers retreat in Italy, leaving behind her best friends and beloved beagle Harold. The rules of the retreat are simple: no cell phones and no sharing real identities or personal information. When a martial arts retreat being held at the same location gets canceled, some of the students join the writing course. Ava now called Aria meets Dutch (Matt), who appears to be her perfect mach. Their relationship quickly turns into a romantic fling with both professing their love for one another. As the retreat comes to an end, they decide to continue their relationship despite knowing very little about each other. Reality kicks in when Ava and Matt return to their normal lives and quickly realize they don't seem to be compatible at all.

Love Your Life is a charming, fun, and somewhat quirky romance novel in which two people who think they are perfect for each other soon realize they couldn't be more opposite. I don't typically read books from the romance genre, but I wanted something a little more fluffy and upbeat than my usual selections. I have read and enjoyed several of Sophie Kinsella's novels (shopaholic series) in the past. There were definitely some endearing moments and a few times I even laughed out loud but there were also a few themes that were a bit disheartening. Although there were some really loveable moments, the characters are absolutely ridiculous and their interactions after Italy are almost cringe-worthy. I found most of the friends to be quirky and more charming than Ava and Matt and the clever and witty Harold (the Beagle) ended up being my favorite character. Overall this was a fun and flirtatious novel with several laughable moments that I am sure many romance lovers will enjoy.

This was one of my favorite Kinsella novels to date! Her characters are quirky and flawed, with enough redeeming qualities to make them easy to root for. This was a light and fun romance, a bit predictable, but just what I needed.

Love Your Life by Sophie Kinsella was a light, fun, cute book which I needed in-between everything going on in the world and the darker novels I gravitate towards.

Ava and Matt meet at a writers workshop where they have taken on fake names and can’t speak of anything personal. Despite this, they instantly connect and have a week long romance. When its time to get back to their normal lives, they decide to make this new relationship work.

As they get to know each other, they realize that they might be way more different than they first thought. Are they truly compatible? Or was their week long fling just a vacation romance, not meant to go the distance?

Heres the official synopsis:

Call Ava romantic, but she thinks love should be found in the real world, not on apps that filter men by height, job, or astrological sign. She believes in feelings, not algorithms. So after a recent breakup and dating app debacle, she decides to put love on hold and escapes to a remote writers’ retreat in coastal Italy. She’s determined to finish writing the novel she’s been fantasizing about, even though it means leaving her close-knit group of friends and her precious dog, Harold, behind.

At the retreat, she’s not allowed to use her real name or reveal any personal information. When the neighboring martial arts retreat is canceled and a few of its attendees join their small writing community, Ava, now going by “Aria,” meets “Dutch,” a man who seems too good to be true. The two embark on a baggage-free, whirlwind love affair, cliff-jumping into gem-colored Mediterranean waters and exploring the splendor of the Italian coast. Things seem to be perfect for Aria and Dutch.

But then their real identities–Ava and Matt–must return to London. As their fantasy starts to fade, they discover just how different their personal worlds are. From food choices to annoying habits to sauna etiquette . . . are they compatible in anything? And then there’s the prickly situation with Matt’s ex-girlfriend, who isn’t too eager to let him go. As one mishap follows another, it seems while they love each other, they just can’t love each other’s lives. Can they reconcile their differences to find one life together?

In her signature writing style, Sophie Kinsella delivers a perfectly good book that is pure entertainment. Just grab this book and relax for an afternoon of reading! You don’t have to focus on it too hard, just enjoy this sweet and humorous story!

 

Don’t miss this, due out on October 27!

Love Your Life is an entertaining book.  It is a typical Sophie Kinsella book with a cute story line, fun characters, romance, and laughs.  Sophie Kinsella's books always make me happy and this is no exception.  Love Your Life is  a perfect book for something lighter during 2020.

Love Your Life is about a women, Ava, that is done with online dating and goes to a writing retreat in Italy.  At the retreat everyone makes up new names and doesn't share any personal information.  Ava falls in love with Matt but doesn't know anything about him.  After the retreat Ava and Matt find out who the other really is.  Do they actually know each other? Will their relationship last? 

I highly recommend Love Your Life to all Sophie Kinsella fans and anyone looking for a cute fun story.  Anyone looking for a happy story Love Your Life is for you.  This book will make you laugh and you will feel like the characters are your friends.  Anyone that is a hopeless romantic and sick of online dating will love this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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

4.5/5 stars

I've loved Sophie Kinsella books since the Shopaholic series and this one didn't disappoint. 

Ava is a romantic and flits from one thing to the next. Never really finishing anything. She decides to join a writer's retreat in Italy to work on her novel. She meets Dutch, aka Matt, who attended because his martial arts retreat and the same location was cancelled. They fall head over heels for each other.

Once back in the real world, they find out how different they really are. There were times I wanted to slap Ava upside the head because she was so flighty. But can her and Matt make it work? If you want to know, you will have to read the book  :)

This was a fun read that I couldn't put down.

4.5/ 5 stars

Sophie Kinsella is one of my favorite authors. I'm pretty sure that I've read every book that she has written. So I was beyond excited to read her newest book, Love Your Life.

This book is Chick Lit and takes place in London and Italy. The narrator is Ava (1st person POV).

Ava is quirky and funny and I loved her right from the start. She has a dog named Harold and best girlfriends named Nell, Maud and Sarika.

The book begins with Ava going on a writing retreat. I loved this part of the story.

The author is an expert at writing this type of heroine. Someone silly and charming. But she usually has some habits that border on annoying. So the author has to balance the funny stuff and make sure that it is actually funny. In this case the book is definitely full of mishaps and funny situations. Some of them were great. And a few were just so so for me, until the end when the author tied everything together (she is great at doing this).

I really liked the beginning part of this story. But there was a part in the middle that wasn't quite as enjoyable. I guess I just wasn't expecting it re: the romance. But the second half and end were very strong.

Ava's job is writing pharmaceutical leaflets and online copy. However she has so many other careers that she wants to pursue. She is a bit all over the place in this respect. She wants to write a book. But she also wants to do something with aromatherapy...

Romance is definitely a main part of this story. And for the most part I really enjoyed it. However I was not expecting the middle part of the romance to be like it was. So that took time for me to get used to.

So much of the story is set around her dog, her group of friends, his group of friends, and his family. There is also a serious part of the story re: one of her friends. I thought that this added a lot to the story.

Overall, the end is everything to me. And I found the last part of Love Your Life to be very strong.

I enjoy reading Sophie Kinsella books and this one did not disappoint. Love at first sight, opposite attractions, friends, family, and dogs. In the beginning I was a little bit annoyed with Ava because I felt that no one can be that happy, but as the story moved along you got to see why she was the way that she was. And sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith and do something you're not comfortable with. I'm happy with the ending, and enjoyed the story.

Ava, a writer who strongly believes in true love and romance whisks off to a writing retreat in Italy after many failed attempts at dating. While in Italy, meant to be working on her novel, circumstances lead her to meeting Dutch, a mysterious and handsome man who joins the retreat as a late entry. The two have an instant attraction and begin a relationship-maintaining the rules about not sharing any personal information. The whirlwind love affair continues back to London, where Ava and Dutch (Matt) begin to discover each other for their true selves. Quickly, they realize that they aren't who the other thought they were, can they make it through? 

I want to start this off by saying I am a huge Sophie Kinsella fan. I own and love all of her books, that's why I was beyond excited when I received this ARC, especially since Ava is my name too (spelt differently, ha)! So it greatly disappoints me to say I could barely make it through this book, I strongly disliked every single character. Everything about this book felt amateurish and if Kinsella hadn't written it, I would've dropped out very early on. 

First, the characters. Ava, while good intentioned and loyal, is a mess. I think she was meant to come off as quirky and different, and she does, but she's also annoying, frustrating and delusional. She seems to lack understanding of the world as it happens around her, is attached to her dog in a way that made me cringe and lives this all over the place, super disorganized life. She constantly makes excuses for those around her, claims she's a feminist but allows herself to be treated horribly by her friends and Matt, and continuously stops herself from expressing her true thoughts and feelings. The fact that she "fell in love" so quickly with someone she had zero chemistry with, and claimed to stay in love with that person was so unbelievable. Matt is a liar, he's inconsiderate and secretive. He came off as so bland and boring past the beginning of the book it was hard to read about the relationship with Ava. Again, absolutely zero chemistry between the two. I found the countless friends, I believe who were also written to be different and quirky, annoying, weird and rude in their own way. While I found them realistic, which I appreciated because Ava certainly wasn't, Ava brushed them off and they were present but just odd. Next, the plot. Basically if you want to read a book about two characters who have absolutely nothing in common besides a love of ice cream, with zero chemistry, who in no world should be together, this is the book for you. The entire book is just them realizing they're not meant for each other but staying together anyways. I thought the side plot with Harold just made Ava weirder. Ava is just so naive and all she wanted was to make something work that so clearly wasn't, although it tried, this book was about little else. I do not recommend this read at all. I would rate it 1 star but since I finished I'll rate it a 1.5 rounded up.