Demi Moretti is a 33-year-old in Melbourne with Italian parents who has her life on track--she has plans for her family's cafe, her boyfriend is a successful realtor, and she and her best friend have their lives laid out. Life isn't quite that easy, though, and after a series of setbacks, Demi finds herself on a plane to Bari, Italy to stay with her relatives and learn more about the classic cooking style of Southern Italy. Through food, family, (and a new love interest), Demi learns that plans don't always go the way you think they will and sometimes that's okay. It really is a sweet heart-warming book with relatable real characters, a storyline that keeps you interested all the way through, and, my favorite, fun descriptions of food and scenery!

A story about a mid thirties woman learning not everything in life can be planned out. I liked reading Demi interacting with her Bari extended family. I felt that problems were blown out of proportion but the characters but resolved too easily.

Fantastic. Reading The Five Year Plan is very interesting. It's real in a way where no matter how much you plan your life out things will not go the way you had wanted them to. There are times where you end up in the location you wanted but take a different route to get there or you get there and realize it was just a stop over.
The relationship ends up not being the center of the story and just another leg in the journey which is possibly the best aspect of the book. You watch the plans of this character fall apart and watch her move and live eventually instead of her just passively going through life.
Overall, it is a good book to read if you want the ease of a romance without as much focus on the romantic aspect.

The perfect beach read. A nice, easy read about Demi an Australian with Italian heritage who has a five year plan as does her best friend. Unsurprisingly whilst her best friend is achieving all her goals Demi's life is not quite going to plan. A very enjoyable book.

Having a plan allows you to glimpse a future you want .. but sometimes plans can go wrong or not in the direction you wanted.. Demi must get out of her comfort zone, and challenge herself to see what she trully wants .. that and another circumstances leads her to travel to Bari.. this story will transport you to the incredible and beautiful Italy, you'll be feeling every taste, aroma, see all the trattorias and meet wonderful people.. love can happen when least expected, and surely it can change the whole world for you.
Thanks to #NetGalley for this lovely Arc in exchange of my personal review.

A delightful and light-hearted read.

Demi, our Main character, thinks her life is following along with her five-year plan of being happy with her boyfriend an taking over her father's café.
But of course, this book wouldn't exist if everything went according to plan. Not only does Demi's dad decide to hand the reins of the café over to her older brother, her boyfriend Will is starting to act strange and Demi suspects he might be cheating on her.
So, to get away from it all Demi decides to head over to Italy for some much-needed change of scenery.

Overall, I found the plot somewhat predictable, but the characters are well written and likeable. I also really enjoyed the vivid depiction of the places Demi visits in Italy. And the way Jodi Gibson described all the food had my mouth watering.

Really enjoyed this book! Such a fun read with great character development! Such a fun one and great to grab!

This is a perfect escapist read, full of food, Italian culture, rivalry and forbidden romance. I loved getting to know Demi, a strong 30s woman who doesn't give up when life throws her a curve ball but works hard to go after what she wants. The romance between her and Leo was great and I fell in love with the country and food descriptions just as much as I did with the main characters. Highly recommended and perfect for fans of Love your life by Sophie Kinsella or Ramon and Julieta. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy!

The Five Year Plan by @jfgibsonwriter

Loved this little gem, the perfect holiday read whilst I was in Tasmania.

Demi has a five year plan, but nothing ever goes to plan!! Fun, lots of laughs and some romance along the way! Set in both melbourne and beautiful coastal Italy.

Th best part about this book is the food descriptions which made me crave for a snack during reading the book! I think the story grabs perfectly the struggle that our society puts on us about reaching goals by a certain age — although these social status check marks are not something to be validated by, feeling complete by,
It was a lovely read, funny at times and with enough depth without being depressing!

This book was the perfect rom com that will make you want to hop on a plane to Italy! Parts of it had a Romeo and Juliet vibe with the feuding families, but with a much happier ending!

This was a quick happy read..

Demi and Leo were good and I liked most of the secondary characters as well.

3.5 stars for an enjoyable read.

This rom-com was a fun ride. I enjoyed Gibson's banter and character development and would recommend this book to someone looking for a light beach read that incorporates some family dynamics into the romance!

I enjoyed reading this book. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of Italy (especially the food!)

Demi has her life planned. She is ready to take over running her family’s cafe. However things do not go to plan. When her father surprises her by giving the cafe over to her brother, Demi decided to visit the family in Italy and discover what exactly happened to make her mother and father leave and never return.
When in Italy she meets Leo, their romance blossoms but both families disapprove.

Overall, this book did a great job of transporting me to Italy. I could picture the town, the scenery, and the food made my mouth water. The underlying family feud gave the book another dimension. I would recommend to anyone looking for an enjoyable romance novel.

I really enjoyed this story full of hopes and wishes, set both in Australia and Italy. It follows the Moretti family, the ones who live in Melbourne, Australia and the ones that live in Bari, Italy.
Demi Moretti, and a friend, had written a five year plan of what they wanted to accomplish in those years. Demi had always wanted to take over her family's café when her dad retired, and she thinks she will get this wish in the near future, but out of the blue her father decides to leave the café to her brother.
She needs to get away after her dream is not realized, and she also has a falling out with someone special in her life,
Demi decides to fly to Italy to stay with relatives who have been estranged from her family for a long time. She wants to work in their trattoria and learn some authentic recipes from the Puglia region of Italy, which she can take home with her to the café in case her father has a change of heart.
Once there, she learns that there is more than just the long ago estrangement of her relatives to her family, but also an ongoing rivalry between her families trattoria and that of the Russo's competing trattoria.
This story is full of great characters, food, relationship, love, misunderstandings and wishes to make them all, right again.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Brio Books / Verb Publishing for a copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this book! The plot is good, the characters are well written and fun, and I loved the detailed descriptions of Bari, Italy and the surrounding area. This first half of the book was slow for me. I felt like it could have been shortened. It really picked up in the second half when there was more Leo and Demi time together.

I really enjoyed this book! The plot is good, the characters are well written and fun, and I loved the detailed descriptions of Bari, Italy and the surrounding area. The food sounds spectacular!

Demi Moretti has a plan - take over the family restaurant in Melbourne, get the right guy and get a house etc. Unfortunately, life doesn’t follow plans on paper, and when her father turns the restaurant over to her brother, Demi decides to go to her family in Bari, Italy and work in their cafe. Her parents left Bari and never returned, and Demi doesn’t know what happened to make them leave.

She is welcomed by the family, and learns how to make new recipes that made my mouth water! Demi also starts to go out with a guy she met on the plane, Leo. Unfortunately, his family owns the cafe across the square, and the two families are sworn enemies. The feud started over an incident with fish, and Demi can’t believe it’s still going on now. Her family finds out, and they disapprove, but Demi’s feelings from Leo, and his for her, are getting serious.

Demi isn’t sure how to overcome a family feud, as well as the fact that they live thousands of miles apart. Are their feelings strong enough to overcome these hurdles?

I recommend this book to foodies and romance lovers! 4 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A light fun read. Demi was a good character, a strong woman who didn't sit around moaning about her broken plans but got up and did something about it. Likeable characters, lovely Italian setting and plenty of food what's not to like

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC for an exchange for an honest review.

Loved the book, interesting.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

This was a joyful quick read! I loved the descriptions of Italian food, scenery and culture. I enjoyed reading about the bond between Demi and her family and her relation with her best friend Anna. Demi is the best example of a strong female protagonist that doesn't take anything for granted. She works hard to prove herself and cares about her family. As a whole this story was a sweet and fun read!