The first thing that drew me to this book was a cover it’s a cute and colorful. The storyline sounded good and I did enjoy this book. I really liked Lou but her constantly putting herself down got a little old. I liked Nick, he was a really nice guy, with some major issues from his past, but he became less timid when they were together. I love Edie and she treats her mother wonderful. I enjoyed reading about the landscape, the farm, the trails, all the sites, it really made you feel like you could see it in your mind. I wanted to hit Phil, wow what a jerk. Now the things I did not like was, I felt the story had so many slow parts to it and I kept thinking wow how much more of this book is there, and that’s not always a good thing to think when you’re reading a book. Then I got frustrated with the constant back-and-forth between Lou and Nick and I just was thinking, come on, get together already. I did love the ending and I’m always a sucker for a happily ever after. I was given this arc from NetGalley for an honest review.

Leonie Mack brought the promise of the exquisite italian setting alive. I enjoyed reading all her descriptions so much... the convent, the lake, the moutains, the food, the market! It felt so good to travel to Italy with her words and to dream of one day going there, enjoying the warmth of the italian morning sun on my face. I also really enjoyed the passion she wrote with about music: all those scenes were some of her strongest and offered a lovely addition to the story.

Lou, our modern romance heroine, travels to Italy following her daughter on her music camp and hoping this will be a journey where she finds her true self as well. She is struggling with her divorce and all the insecurities that life has given her over the years. She was a touching character, as despite feeling untalented and unworthy, she goes through life day by day and stands her own mostly for her daughter and thanks to the love they share. Nick, the music theacher of said daughter will be there to help her see what she is unwilling to, and will be an overall sweet teacher (with a few struggles on his own).

If their romance was heartwarming (slow burn kind), i couldn't fully enjoy it. Until 80% of the story, their own personal struggles and the ex-husband being such an annoying human being stressed me out. After oh so many chapters, i was rooting for them but everytime something messed it up. They either got stuck in their own struggles or more annoyingly refused themselves any kind of bright future...

It was probably my fault for thinking this would be a breezy italian holiday romance and it turned out to be a romance with more pyschological layers. Leonie really wrote her characters feelings so well that it felt authentic and well thought but sometimes too overwhelming or too frustrating. I do enjoy reading those kind of romance as well but that was not what i needed. I was craving a romance holiday to take my mind of everything...

However, I think i will revisit this one later on when the world is right again as i really enjoyed Leonie's writing style and the authenticity of her characters and their journey.

This is a three and a half stars for me (what i enjoyed, i really loved but equally i really wasn't fond of some parts of the story).

ARC copy kindly provided by netgalley

This book is a must-read for fans of contemporary romance. I really enjoyed this cute fun exciting book!
Everything a romance reader would enjoy
The love story was compelling and I found myself avidly reading, desperate to see how it would conclude.

I felt drawn into this story from the first few pages and the book didn't let go of his hold on me until I reached the end. I felt instantly at home with these characters, and they are all brand new to the reader, it's just the writing is so comfortable that you can't help but feel you knew these characters.

And Lou and Nick are both flawed characters, they aren't the most confident in their own abilities, or elements of their personalities, and as a result they are very relatable to them.

And Edie what a star she is, central to the book, to how Lou and Nick respond to things but also not the most vocal of children, but just when she is in a scene she adds a lot.

And the trip to Italy, accompanying a music camp is a new situation for me which I loved. I enjoyed seeing how Lou is keen amongst all these talented children to try to find her own talent and thus takes part in various workshops with differing degrees of success.

I enjoyed the setting so much and the simmering chemistry between Lou and Nick even if for large amounts of the book they were both trying to ignore it.

I enjoyed the occasional bits of Italian being spoken, to add to the flavour of the setting, and meeting Nick's grandparents was really lovely too.

It's a story that I just thoroughly enjoyed reading and this book cements my opinion that Leonie Mack's a fabulous writer who seems to love all elements of music and stunning settings. If she keeps up like this she will be a must read author for me, without even looking at the blurbs. I'm enjoying her writing that much.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Any book set in Italy is an automatic read for me and this book lived up to my expectations. I liked that the main character was an older woman getting her second chance at life after her divorce. At times, the story seemed a little drawn out to me but overall it was fun and tied up nicely!

I enjoyed this book the happy ending especially. Even though i enjoyed the read at times I found it a little long winded. But then again I love to read anything about my favourite country in the world to visit ... Italy :)

After I had got over the shock of thinking that comedian Lee Mack had branched out into romantic fiction, I settled in to this nice book!

A lovely sunny read for this time of year. That cover is lovely and the adventures within too. You can't beat a bit of romance and what better place to have it! The school camp in Milan sounded wonderful and I wouldn't mind going there myself.

A nice easy read and one that lets you see a different side to things.

I truly loved this book, way more than I expected too!

Lou is getting divorced after twelve years of marriage to a man who made her feel talentless and ordinary. She’s poured all her focus and love into her eleven-year-old daughter Edie, who’s a violin prodigy. When she gets the opportunity to accompany her daughter to a music camp in Italy over the summer, she jumps at the chance. It doesn’t hurt that right before the trip, Lou and Edie’s super-hot Italian music teacher, Nick, catch each other's attention.

I loved Lou. I loved watching her come into her own, learn to stand up for herself, and go after what she wanted. I loved that she was able to realize what a jerk her ex-husband is and step out from under his shadow. She and Nick were both living in fear and were unable to move forward, but through each other are able to grow and thrive. They had great chemistry and banter; Lou in particular was hilarious. They balanced each other really well and I loved watching them grow closer. I appreciated that this book was mostly from Lou's perspective, but occasionally from Nick's, so we got to know what each of them was thinking as situations unfolded.

This book is a must-read for fans of contemporary romance. Plus it doesn't hurt that it is set in beautiful Italy and the author does a great job painting a rich picture; I only wish I could have been there in person!

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. A great feel good read, made me smile. Liked the storyline and the characters and of course the location.

I loved I was into this book from the beginning. Loved the fact it’s about an older woman who gets her life back after a divorce! Italy plays a small part of her journey too! Loved the story.

I saw this book on NetGalley and fell in love with the cover and title. YES, I judge a book by its title sometimes, oh well! This was a cute story about a newly divorced mother of one, Lou. Lou is feeling down about herself after her husband,Phil, cheated on her with a younger woman. She feels like she is still tethered to Phil emotionally and wants to break apart from to find her way, to find something that she is good at. She chaperones her daughter's summer music trip to Milan and while she's there she becomes close with her daughter's music teacher, Nick Romano. Nick is good with the children; patient and kind. Lou feels like he is too good for her, but Nick finds Lou equally attractive. The two embark on a summer love affair while in Italy.

This book was so cute! Lou was a relatable character, I felt for her. I wanted her to have a second chance at love. Nick was so sweet! I loved how awkwardness. I loved the setting of this book. I have always wanted to go to Italy. I wanted a little more of Italy in this book. The major thing that was lacking from the story for me is that I wanted more conflict. I felt like everything was resolved fast and tied up in a neat bow.

Overall, if you you enjoy second chance romance books, this is the book for you. It was a quick, light read.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC. Italy Every After releases on May 11, 2021.

The start of this book made me so angry! The main character is 37 and a divorced mum; her love interest is 32. The references to this are plentiful, at one point describing her as a cougar and the character saying she didn't have any right to flirt with anyone. I think the author was trying to show to character's state of mind but it really frustrated me. Maybe it's just me being not too far off 37 myself....

That said, I enjoyed the story, the setting and seeing the characters in the book overcome the obstacles they faced to find happiness. Lou, Nick and Edie are all likable and you warm to them more and more as the story goes on. A lovely, light-hearted read once you get past the age thing!

Just what I needed in lockdown and the recent cold snap. The beautiful Italian landscape and warm sunny days were the perfect compliment to the story.
I loved Lou and her journey to find herself and repair her self esteem. The music theme was great too.

Did not finish.
This wasn’t a bad book, the writing was good - the setting was beautiful and the characters were likeable.

But the plot was just a bit boring. I read up to 60% through and got to my fifth day of trying to read it and just found that I couldn’t quite be bothered. I didn’t gain anything from reading this book apart from googling a few of the locations and thinking ‘that’s nice’.

I just kept waiting for something more to happen. The plot twists that did occur were expected and easily resolved. Sucked in by another nice front cover I guess...

4.5 stars

I don’t often manage to read ARCs months in advance, but as soon as I was granted access to Italy Ever After on Netgalley in February, I dove right in. After eleven months of isolation due to the pandemic - plus a long, cold winter - I’ve been dreaming of sunshine and beautiful far-off places. Italy Ever After was the exact vicarious holiday I needed to lift my spirits and bring me hope for better days.

Lou is getting divorced after twelve years of marriage to a man who made her feel talentless and ordinary. She’s poured all her focus and love into her eleven-year-old daughter Edie, who’s a violin prodigy, and is coasting by in her career. When she gets the opportunity to accompany her daughter to music camp in Italy over the summer, she jumps at the chance and sees it as the perfect way to explore different hobbies and find something that makes her extraordinary. It doesn’t hurt that Edie’s super-hot Italian music teacher will be at the camp too.

I loved Lou and found her so real and relatable. She barely knew who she was anymore outside of being a wife and mother, so her idea of seeking a talent was really her way of seeking validation and fulfillment after her husband made her feel so small for so long. I loved watching her come into her own, learn a lot about herself - often with help from others - and learn to stand up for herself, speak up, and go after what she wanted. She and Nick were both living in fear, embodying past mistakes, and were unable to move forward. They had great chemistry and banter and they really saw each other - and weren’t afraid to tell the other what they saw, good or bad. They balanced each other perfectly, and I loved watching them grow closer. I also really enjoyed Lou’s relationship with Edie, and how much Nick cared about her too.

This book is a must-read this spring and summer for fans of contemporary romance. Prepare to be whisked away on a virtual trip to sunny Italy and fall in love with the setting and characters.

Loved this gorgeous sun filled book.
I loved watching Lou find herself and connect with her daughter in the beautiful setting of Italy. The book is uplifting and inspiring, the characters are fragile, yet together they make each other stronger.
I enjoyed the music theme, it was a clever way to introduce the benefit of music for mental health.
The love story was compelling and I found myself avidly reading, desperate to see how it would conclude.
A wonderful book that really brought sunshine ☀️ and blue sky’s to my life as I read.

A very intense love story that covered post natel depression, confidence, useless x husbands and clever children who still need love.At first I found the book a bit slow then it just flew by and I did not want to finish it. Made you want to listen to some violin music and visit Italy. A perfect ending

How I loved this book, so much so that I devoured it in one sitting! It was so refreshing that Lou, the main character, is a 30 something divorced woman with an eleven year old daughter and an ex husband who has taken away her confidence......... whilst struggling with her ex she agrees to help out on her daughters school choir and orchestra trip to Italy for a competition. It doesn’t help that she’s attracted to ‘hot music teacher’ Mr Romano (Nick) who she believes would not be interested in her. As the trip continues it becomes clear that they are attracted to each other but both have their own insecurities to deal with...... can they overcome the odds and fall in love?
This is a lovely, feel good book about love, divorce, family and finding yourself. I feel like I’ve been on a mini break to Italy, breathed the mountain air, admired the vast lakes and tasted the gelato - perfect!
I am looking forward to reading Leonie Mack’s books in the future - she’s definitely one that I will be keeping an eye out for! Highly recommended for fans of Heidi Swain and Jo Thomas.

I received an advance copy of, Italy Ever After, by Leonie Mack. This is a fun book, great setting and great characters. You can find love at any age, as Lou finds out, after getting divorced.