I giggled through the first 3/4 and sniffled through the last 1/4, and read this in one sitting. For a sun-drenched summer on the island of Elba, rub shoulders with a movie star and a pup named Lulu, and become part of a delightful found family in this sweet, heartbreaking story.⁠⁠

I am a bucket of emotions.
This was less of a “rom com” than I was expecting, but it was a welcome change!
The characters in this were A+. Well developed, realistic, and memorable.
The setting was also great and makes me wish I could jet off to Italy.
I thought this books touched heavy topics with grace.

Definitely grab your tissues for this wonderful book.

Lizzie & Dante will have you crying. Lizzie has basically given up on life as she spends the summer on th island of Elba. Against her better judgment she falls for 12 year old Etta and her dreamy father Dante. It's a summer of food, friends, fatalism, and the future. This book will stab you in th heart, it's so poignant. Food for thought for anyone facing the same diagnosis as Lizzie. As Dante said I choose love over immortality. I think that says it all.

This beautifully rendered love story reminds us of the fragility of life while celebrating the joy - and strength - to be found in loving and living each day with every fiber of our being. I don't have enough stars to do it justice. Word of advice: keep the box of tissues handy.


CW: Cancer

*ARC received for fair and unbiased review

LIZZIE & DANTE: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book is a sweeping tale- good for a summer holiday read. Lizzie and three other friends go to a small Italian town where Lizzie meets Dante. All she wants is a summer fling, free from attachments but Dante has different ideas. So does his young daughter Etta. But Lizzie has a secret she hasn’t shared with her new love and the book ponders how much life can go into a short timeline.

NOTE: I was provided an arc in exchange for an honest review. Thanks Netgalley and The Dial Press.

Loved the premise and characters at the beginning of this book but it seemed to just dig on and on until I lost interest and just wanted it to be over.

I reviewed this for LibraryJournal please check their website for release information where you can view my entire review

It was a pleasure to read this amazing story! The author did an excellent job of creating characters that I care about, designing a plot that is realistic and flowed naturally, and she described the scenery to perfection, so that I felt like I was also in Elba.

Throughout this book, the reader meets and gets to know a beautiful person and the family (of friends) around her. It is a fantastic tribute to all those who have battled against cancer or another illness and still lived live fully.

I definitely recommend this wonderful book that has touched my heart and will not be forgotten soon.

I want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House for giving me the pleasure of reading the advance reader copy, with no obligation to write a review. My review is written freely as a hobby, and is totally my own opinion, not influenced by receiving the ARC.

If I could give this 6 stars I would. This book had everything that I look for-some escapism, a beautiful yet somewhat realistic romance, and wonderful secondary characters. Mary Bly is also known as Eloisa James whose historical romances I've always enjoyed. Lizzie has been diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer and has gotten to the point where she's ready to let her life go. She accepts a 5 week vacation to Elba (a small island off the coast of Italy) with her ex/foster brother Grey and his boyfriend Rohan (a movie star). While snoozing on a public beach, she meets Dante-an Italian chef, his 12 year old daughter Etta and their goofy dog Lulu. Lizzie has to make decisions while in the Italian sun-does she let love happen? Does she give Etta the mother that she urgently desires? Does she just fight to die as she wants to? There is some definite sadness given her cancer diagnosis but it really doesn't hamper the story. I just loved all of the secondary characters: Grey- who's angsty over his love for Lizzie, Rohan-the flighty star who can't relate to Romeo and Juliet without Lizzie's help and Ruby, the childhood friend of Rohan's who has also suffered with cancer. Pieces of the story are told from Etta's POV as well which definitely added to my understanding of the story as a whole.
Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest review!

I have been a fan of the books of Eloisa James for a long time. Her books are very different from the ones I write in time period and heat level, but I love her quirky characters and wit. When I saw she was writing her first comtemporary under her real name, I knew I had to read it.

The book doesn’t release until June, but I was able to snag a review copy. Although I was somewhat surprised by the plot, I wasn’t disappointed.

Romance readers, be aware that Lizzie and Dante is not a romance. While wildly romantic, it is women’s fiction, and the genres are not identical. The snappy dialogue is there, but the subject matter is far from light-hearted. That said, I couldn’t put it down. Her Dante is irrestible. She throws in a precocious child and a lovable dog for added measure.

Another draw for me was the setting. I’ve longed to visit Italy but am unlikely to get there. Bly is married to an Italian and spends considerable time in Italy, so her descriptions of scenery, residents, and cuisine are lavishly appealing.

Finally, I love Bly’s erudition no matter what century she is writing about. A Shakespeare professor in real life, her education in literature and culture in general shows.

I was expecting to like this book because of the author, and I did. Would I have chosen it if not for the author? No. Am I glad I got out of my comfort zone to read it? Yes.

For those hungry for a vacation in Italy, this one is a delight. Summer breezes, a dash of Hollywood glamor and romance make for an enormously satisfying read. This is not your typical summer fling story at all. For the foodie folks, Bly's culinary prose is delicious. I was captivated by the story, setting and characters.

I loved this book. The setting is a small coastal village in Italy. Days of sunning and reading on the beach, luxury hotel suite, and priceless Italian food with memorable characters. Lizzie has stage 3 cancer. She has accepted her fate and is going to enjoy her vacation with her best friend from foster care, Grey, and his partner, Rohan, an accomplished actor, and People’s Sexiest Man. Grey is an author, writing his next horror book, and Rohan is working on producing a new Romeo and Juliet film with Juliet as the star. This leaves Lizzie to enjoy her days. One day Lulu, Dante’s dog, jumps on Lizzie’s sunbed. She claims Lizzie as her own. Dante’s twelve-year-old daughter, Etta, quickly gravitates to Lizzie as well. Dante also becomes enamored, and Dane and Etta are included as part of Lizzie, Rohan, and Grey’s family. Lizzie is going to enjoy the relationship she has with Dane and Etta, knowing she does not have a long time to give them. She is not willing to subject Dane and Etta to the pain of losing her. This book is about love, laughter, facing death and abandonment, and working hard at life. Great life lessons told through a wonderful romantic story.

Lizzie & Dante has all the trappings of the perfect summer read: a beachy Italian setting, a likeable heroine, a charming (if a bit grumbly) hero, an excellent cast of secondary characters, and even an adorable dog. Yet Lizzie & Dante, like any truly good summer read, doesn't shy away from heavier themes like cancer, survivor guilt, painful childhoods, and how the loss of a parent resonates through your life.

Lizzie Delford is set to spend the summer in Elba with her ex/foster brother, Grey, and his current boyfriend, Rohan Das (who just so happens to be a movie star). There, she meets Dante, an Italian chef and his 12-year-old daughter, Etta. What is already a complicated situation is made even more fraught by the reality that Lizzie has Stage 3 cancer.

The book stumbles a bit in its uneven treatment of both complications: Lizzie's cancer diagnosis and redefining her relationship with her best friend Grey, and it often feels as though the book is withholding information for effect (particularly around Lizzie's cancer diagnosis).

At the same time, the cast of secondary characters buoys the book, particularly the sections with Etta. And, I confess, I cried my way through some of the scenes. If you want your summer reading to have some emotional depth or if you simply want to do some vicarious traveling to Elba, this one is for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

(this review will be posted immediately to Goodreads and will be posted 2 weeks in advance of publication on Instagram)

Despite a few in-text comments poking fun at Hallmark movies, this will most appeal to fans of the same. The main character is resigning herself to her imminent death but while on a 5-week Mediterranean vacation falls in love with a single dad and his pre-teen daughter. Her gay foster brother (and ex-fiance) isn't ok with her upcoming death, and he's also on the trip, along with his famous but in-the-closet quasi-current-fiance. The ending made me cry, and I'm not a crier.

The beginning was a bit slow; specifically, the main character mentions her physical attraction to her eventual love interest, but it's not believable. Once the story gets past the initial attraction and into something verging on a relationship, it becomes more believable.

I would put this in a category with bookgroup-type books. This isn't romance, more women's fiction or "relationship fiction."

This gave me some serious wanderlust. A love a good story like this, filled with hope and change. Sometimes, you need to just jet off when things get real and start over.