DNF at 37%. I found the story to be slow and the characters to be insufferable. Every single person was obnoxious and I didn’t care at all about the outcome.

This book was pretty slow for me at first, but once Matt and Ava leave Italy, the pace and the humor really pick up, and I wound up loving the story because of that. Kinsella never disappoints in terms of the humor, and I definitely laughed out loud at several points. Such an enjoyable read!

I am always excited for another Sophie Kinsella book, but this one was a bit of a disappointment.  At about 20% done, I wanted to give up.  By 50%, still nothing had happened.   The book has a lot of eye rolling moments but there didn't seem to be a big story line other than these two were the worst match.   Some of her other books are better.  Skip this one.

Another hilarious adventure by Sophie Kinsella! Ava has so much spunk and Matt has so much.... intrigue! I laughed my way through this one and the crazy hijinks these two go through together as they get to know each other.

Sophie Kinsella is one of my favorite authors. This wasnt my favorite by her but it was a quick read. A very cute romantic story.

I feel like this book was just ok, a 3.5. I was just never sure how to feel about the main character, Ava. And I wasn’t sure if I should like her or not. She needed a little more description from the beginning

Ava and Matt are adorable in Love Your Life. I felt swept away with them, caught up in the idea of being anonymous adventurers. Stellar character development throughout. The cast of characters are quirky and add to the many joyful moments. This was for the most part a lighthearted story that left me smiling. I quick and engaging read.

I have loved Sophie Kinsella since I read I've Got Your Number years ago. Infact that book still remains my favorite Sophie book. 

LOVE YOUR LIFE is full of Sophie humor and wit that has become her trademark that is usually included in all her books. This one has unique plot filled with all the quirks and standout characters whether love or hate them. It helps that Sophie has a writing style that never falters. 

You meet Matt and Ava, who seemingly meet and fall in love without truly knowing one another. They met at a writers retreat where a rule is that you leave your personal baggage at home. So when both go back home to the real world they find themselves  feeling confused and wondering if they're really meant to be. Can they fall in love with the true versions of each other embracing their faults as well as their virtues. 

The story had so many other pluses: like Ava's dog Harold, who was a snack stealing, purse attacking shirt ripping little goober. I love when authors include animals especially little sneaky sneaks like Harold. The secondary characters helped make the book as great as it was. They actually felt like real people with afflictions that some of us unfortunately have. I could picture myself in their friendship circle. 

As far as the plot: The book essentially questions relationships after the fairytale has ended. What you may have overlooked while you were in you love induced daydream comes flying full force into your real life. That aside there were things that I didn't love. It annoyed me how scatterbrained Ava was. But that didn't mean she wasn't a funny and warm character. Matt felt somewhat standoffish and cold with Ava at certain times. His true emotions were not showed enough on the page for me. I'm also not a huge fan of insta-love. I like a slower paced love plot that feels more like the real world. 

But overall I was happy with the read. The humor and how the chemistry between the main characters are what pulls you through the book. Definitely recommend it.

This is possibly my favorite from this author! 

Ava is free lancer between jobs and focusing on different things including aromatherapy and writing a book! With her close gang of friends’ pressure she attends a writing retreat program in coastal Italy.

What I loved: 

- The characters! (Nell, Maude, Topher!!!) 
- The naked situations! (haha)
- The friendships 

Any rom com lovers you will love this one!

I flew through the first quarter of this book, and thought I found another adorable romcom. Although this was a cute and charming read, I honestly could have DNF this one.  I started this book in September before it came out and didn’t pick it back up till this week, if that tells you anything. Personally, there was just a lot going on in this novel for me to enjoy. 

Ava, attends a writing retreat, where no one can reveal any personal information about themselves in hopes they can solely focus on their writing. Within a day, Ava falls for one of the men at the retreat who goes by Dutch and they decide to keep their personal lives a mystery and to just live in the moment. They decide to tell eachother about themselves once the retreat ends and to make their relationship work in the real world. 

Once back in the real world of jobs, family and friends, their relationship is put to the test. Ava and Matt (aka Dutch) are polar opposite from each other and we watch as their love story begins to falls apart. In order to make it work between them, each has to give all that they’ve got to accept the others differences and quirks.

Overall, this was a light hearted read that stresses the importance of embracing others' differences. Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for giving me this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sophie Kinsella did it again: Love Your Life is fun read that pulls you in from the start. Grab a glass of wine, a cozy blanket, and curl up with this novel for the perfect night in with a story that you can’t put down.

Sophie Kinsella used to be one of my go-to authors back in the 2000s – I loved the #Shopaholic series and was heavily into “chick lit” at the time. However, I tend to be an unfaithful genre whore, and apparently that was right around when I dumped chick lit and moved on to my next love, paranormal fantasy. It looks like the last Sophie Kinsella I read was in 2008. 

Fast-forward to 2020: I was excited when I saw this #eARC on #NetGalley, but I got busy and missed the book’s pub date of October 27. Then I saw a few lukewarm reviews on #bookstagram and became less excited about reviewing this book. However, I’m on a mission to clear out my NetGalley shelf of overdue reviews by the end of the year, so I circled back around to this one. 

Guys, let me tell you that I was so pleasantly surprised! I really enjoyed this one, and those who know me well can tell you that I am not easy on contemporary romances. However, this couple had some serious, real-life issues to overcome, not silly obstacles. I really genuinely liked all the characters in the book, especially their friend groups, and was rooting for all of them to find happiness. Ava and Matt reminded me a little of my husband and me – we are opposites in a lot of ways (he’s an extrovert, I’m an introvert; he’s the life of the party, I’d rather stay home; he’s a risk-taker and entrepreneur, and I’m a dream crusher, lol) but in the end, we’ve made it work for almost 25 years. 

Synopsis: Ava and Matt meet on a remote writers’ retreat in Italy and fall in insta-love. There is just one catch: they don’t really know each other. It’s not just that they know each other in superficial holiday mode – they don’t even know each other’s real name, residence, or occupation. It’s a rule of the retreat. 

In Italy, things were perfect. But when Ava and Matt return to London, they discover just how different their personal worlds are. From food choices to annoying habits to work philosophies … are they compatible in anything? 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? 

Thank you #NetGalley for the #ARC of #LoveYourLife in exchange for an honest review!

Ava meets Matt at a writers retreat in Italy and falls instantly in love.  She is sure - even though they haven’t been able to share their real names or have personal conversations - that he is “The One.”  As they leave the retreat and commit to continuing with the relationship, the two realize they both live in London and as they begin getting to know each other, they find out how opposite they really are:  she is a vegetarian/he loves meat, she has a “portfolio” career/he is workaholic COO of the family business, she loves color, color, color/his apartment is shades of gray and black and he only wears black slacks and blue shirts.  Nearly every aspect of their life could be considered incompatible, except for the love of ice cream.  The two try to work through their differences and this ends as a story of “opposites attract.:”

If you have read any other Kinsella books, Ava’s character is quite formulaic to the lead character in the other books:  flighty, scattered, and disorganized, but with a genuine love of life, big heart, and the desire to be a good and honest person.  Likewise, the arc of the story:  single girl looking for companionship, unexpected meet cute, a period of new love, the big fight where she decides she can’t be in this relationship, and then the guy comes back for her.  

I am a pretty big Kinsella fan, and keep an eye on her website and recent publication news in anticipation for her new books.  I especially like the Shop-a-holic series, and “I’ve Got Your Number.”  Outside of the most recent Shop-a-holic book, the last two of Kinsella’s have been a little disappointing.  This one was just “ok” for me, but not as humorous as hers usually are.  Ava’s character was a surface character - Kinsella really didn’t dig too deep with her.    If you are looking for a light, predictable rom-com that you don’t have to pay too much attention to as you read,  this is a good pick.

Kinsella is back! And I think we're all happy that she's found her groove again and crafted such a sweet confection of a story this time around. She overcomes a slow start here, seeming to race into the in-love part (and skipping all of that fabulous interplay of finally connecting after unique challenges) but soon we step over the threshold into a wonderful scenario, setting, rich characters and golden dialogue. It would make a fine movie if we could chop off the first little bits, but once you get there, it's a pure delight and a reconnection for all of Kinsella's loyal fans. This is what rom-com should be.

sophie kinsella is such a great author. i'm so glad i got to read this one early. thanks so much netgalley! it's the very best and i loved and adored it so very much.

Ava goes to Italy on a writing retreat but ends up falling in love. She's a bit of a romantic in that she doesn't think that anyone needs to meet a list of criteria, you either click or you don't. She clicks right away with "Dutch," the dark handsome man at the retreat. The retreat has a rule - no exchanging of personal information. 

The two click instantly and Ava's theory is proven right! She's fallen in love and she doesn't even know anything about him! But then they return back to life and everything suddenly doesn't seem so perfect. 

This is a sweet rom com that keeps you giggling to yourself with Ava's quirky personality. She is ever so hopeful, as most of Kinsella's heroines are. You are cheering for her and for love and it leaves you feeling a little bit more joy. In real life, love can be messy, chaotic and imperfect. This book does a lovely job of demonstrating that. 

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys chick lit! 

Thank you to Random House Publishing House and NetGalley for the eGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

Sophie Kinsella tends to write the same character over and over, a kind of flighty fibber who ends up having to face up to her own lies. All books are formulaic, so I don't really have an issue with that-- however this is one of her books where she does not rely on this character archetype. 

Ava is unfailingly optimistic and a planner, and when she meets "Dutch" on a writing retreat where they are advised not to disclose personal information, she falls in love, but can they make it in the real world, where they may not fit together?

Overall, this was a nice read. I liked the characters, but thought some of her friends were a little overbearing. I personally thought that Matt was right in their argument and that many aspects of Ava's life would be a "deal breaker"

Also, I personally thought that the book focused too much on her relationship with her dog. Harold kind of annoyed me? The dog felt like a self insert for the authors own pet, if she even has one.

While I have loved Sophie Kinsella books since high school I feel a little let down with this one. I don't know if I just couldn't jell with the characters or the concept or the story, but in the end Ava just ended up making me mad with her naive thinking and I had to put the book down. Maybe it was just me and I need to give this book another chance later on down the road, but after my first read...I just cant.

No her best novel but still enjoyable - you can't go wrong with a love story set in Italy. Perhaps she is trying a little to hard to be funny.

3.5 stars

The beginning of Love Your Life is a bit rough.  I kind of hated everyone but I think that was the point.  Once everyone gets back to London it picks up and I really enjoyed the story for the most part.  

As with all of Sophie Kinsella novels, the girl is a bit maddening yet charming.  She wasn't my favorite of her characters but she wasn't the worst.  

Overall it was a fun story that was light and nice to read during the pandemic and I'd recommend it to fans of her works.