Coming from a small community myself, Signor Speranza's determination to do whatever it takes to save his village and the life he has known and built is very familiar to me.
Simon has indeed written a funny and heartfelt depiction of familial and community bonds, a shriveling economy, exodus of young people, and romantic longing that was such an easy and entertaining read.
Even as the lies and over-the-top shenanigans get wilder and larger as Signor Speranza moves to cover his slight of hand, I could not stop reading.

If you want a read that will warm you even as it wins you over with its humour, this is that read.

The Patron Saint of Second Chances takes the reader on a rollicking journey into a small Italian village on the brink of bankruptcy whose mayor has come up with a wild scheme to save the day. With a huge cast of characters, Christine Simon paints a picture of how Signor Speranza's white lie spirals out of control, at the same time as it pulls the town together.

I enjoyed many of the characters in the book, though sometimes the sheer volume of characters was a bit confusing. The situations the characters find themselves in were humorous, sometimes outrageous, and I found myself rooting for the town and its inhabitants. As I was reading, I could picture this novel made into a movie. Signor Speranza's heart is in the right place, though sometimes I felt like it would have been easier on everyone if he had just told the truth from the start...but then we would not have a story.

If you are looking for a light, entertaining, sweet novel, set in a small village in Italy, give The Patron Saint of Second Chances a try.

Thank you to Netgalley, Atria Books, and Christine Simon for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this novel. The opinions in this review are my own.

I'm so disappointed. I did not find this book to be “hilariously funny and beautifully written” as suggested in the synopsis. I found this to be a difficult book to get into. The usage of "Signor" became irritating, and the lies became cringeworthy.

It was a fast book to read so that's a plus. I imagine that a lot of people are going to adore this complicated novel-I'm just not one of them.

*ARC supplied by NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this book! It was heartwarming and charming and had such a genuine innocence to the comedy. There were moments where I actually found myself laughing out loud at the hijinks this town got into; I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a silly, lighthearted read with a lot of heart.

I will be sharing a review on my Instagram!

Cute, sweet book for summer. Was a quick read, but not a lot of depth. I did appreciate the love he had for his village and his family. The side love story between his daughter and the butchers son was sweet.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in return for an honest review.

3.5 stars for this sweet story set in a small Italian village...I felt transported to Italy! If you enjoy books about small towns, big families, and an eclectic cast of characters, this is the book for you.

Delightful look at an Italian village and what lengths one man will do to save both his town and his way of life. Sure, it's a bit too unbelievable but that's the magic of writing and being able to believe that things can happen sometimes. Lighthearted and greatly enjoyable read.

The Patron Saint of Second Chances by Christine Simon

This is a sweet little story of a beleaguered mayor and his tiny Italian village (population 212). Not having what it has taken to get the residence to pay their village fees over time, now the water commission needs 70,000 euros to fix the village pipes. Without that amount the town will be shut down and everyone will be forced to find another place to live. Signor Speranza doesn't have the heart to tell the people so he makes up a story or two or fifty and digs himself a deeper hole by the hour.

A tolerance for whoopee cushion jokes is needed to make your way through the story. Speranza concocts a tangled web of lies that build into something almost the truth as the village members get behind his story of a movie being made in the village. But that requires money and a backer and then a script and the entire shaky and not real way to rescue the village becomes so big that there is no going back. Speranza has built his lie on a famous actor coming to the village to make the movie. The story is one misstep and gaffe after another, with the village people getting more excited and involved along the way. If you like silly humor for a dilemma presented in a not too serious manner, this is the story for you.

Thank you to Atria Books, Edelweiss, and NetGalley for this ARC.

Christine Simon’s debut novel, Patron Saint of Second Chances, is a vacation in Italy. I was immersed in the tiny town of Prometto, Italy and the lives of the inhabitants. The story is told primarily from the point of view of Signor Spirenza, the self-appointed mayor of the town.

The pace is leisurely, just like a stay in Prometto would likely be. The story arc is defined by the significant problem that Spirenza is trying to avoid and how a small fib grows and grows to the point of taking over not only the story but the lives of most people in Prometto. The townsfolk are interesting and unique; I wouldn’t go as far as describing them as quirky, but they are none-the-less enjoyable. The kooky antics that Spirenza gets involved in are humorous. The banter between characters is beyond amusing.

From good intentions to happy ending, Patron Saint of Second Chances is a whimsical story that provided a much need escape from reality.

Delightful and unique premise of a story where Signor Spirneza, the self-appointed mayor of a small Italian town feels the pangs of his town aging as all the young people move on into the wider world. A town of 212 that never changes as when one dies, another is born. Signor Spirenza is the owner of a vacuum cleaner store that has seen better days. He is presented with the determination that the pipes will turn off soon if the town cannot pay the 70,000 euros due, and they don't qualify for a loan as they are not a viable town. However, no one has money to fix the ancient water pipes. He is afraid to tell the townspeople and instead choses to pretend that an Italian actor is coming to make a major motion picture in the town. Suddenly, everyone is interested and starting to wake up in the town. He gets an investment from the butcher, whom he dislikes, as long as he finds a part for his untalented son. It was almost enough to pay the bill and save the town. However, as a farce goes, one thing leads to another and things spiral out of control as longer the lie goes.

Slow moving at first, it picks up although it is very predictable. The story is a feel-good story where the characters learn to believe in themselves and find that their treasure lies not in a stranger coming to town but rather within themselves. Sweet is a great way to describe this story, there is nothing offensive. It is all with good intentions. Not a lot of engaging dialogue or setting descriptions, but the relationships between the characters and the slapstick comedy was a hit. Everyone deserves a second chance. I give it a 3.5 out of 5.

Many thanks to #netgalley #thepatronsaintofsecondchances #christinesimon for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Signor Spirenza is the self-appointed mayor of the Italian town of Prometto, population 212. When he realizes the town will be forced to shut down because they must pay 70,000 Euros they don’t have to fix the ancient water pipes, he springs into action by deciding to film a movie. Only he pretends an Italian movie star is going to come to be in it. What could go wrong?

The book is cute, and perfect for a light beach-type read. I didn’t find it incredibly funny, even though I’m a big fan of fart humor (it’s a theme throughout.) There are interesting characters and I did appreciate the setting and Signor Spirenza’s love of his town. The ending was as predictable as a Hallmark movie, but still pretty good.

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for an ARC of this book.

This was a seriously fun one.

When faced with the prospect of his town having to close/move, Signor Speranza plants the idea that a famous movie star will be filming his next film there. What comes next is the town coming alive; and Signor Speranza working to create a movie and keep track of all his lies.

I liked the cast of characters and how they all interacted with each other. I liked seeing Signor Speranza get caught up in this escalating lie and having to create different situations to deal with them. There were some scenes that had me giggling out loud.

It took me a bit to get into the story, but that was more of a me thing because as soon as I really sat down to read, I wanted to keep going.

I would definitely recommend this to someone looking for something fun and a little ridiculous. (3.5/5)

Thank you so much to Atria Publishing and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review!

This book was sweet. The characters were lovable and the town felt like a wonderful place to call home. Small town, big families, dogs, young people in love.

The book felt pretty predictable. The synopsis covered most of the plot. This is not a problem, because if you read the synopsis and it sounds like its for you- it probably is :)

The mayor of the Italian town needs money to repair the town's pipes, so he hatches a plot to drum up business in town by saying a famous movie star is coming to make a movie.

The next thing he knows, he’s having to make an actual movie staring the locals with no experience and the craziest script while keeping up the ruse that the celebrity is coming.

I laughed so hard at scenes in this comedic feel-good read that I woke up my sleeping husband. It was a charming tale and the perfect vacation read.

An adorable sweet story filled with charming characters. The story shows how a lie told even with the best of intentions, can spiral out of control. The mayor of a tiny Italian town needs to raise money to repair the water system. If it is not repaired, the residents will have to leave. His attempts to raise the money are hilarious.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This kind of reminded me of Britt-Marie Was Here, but lighter and a tiny bit funnier. Unfortunately, I didn’t love either of them. With this one, I had issues with the main character (idk I’m not going to really like anyone a ton who genuinely says that nobody likes dogs), lack of consequences in the end, and how truly unrealistic the whole plot was. But this was fun for the most part. A lot of the side characters were interesting and funny to get to know. It had its moments where I really enjoyed it and it was cute for what it was. I’d recommend it if you liked Britt-Marie.

What a fun and quirky book The Patron Saint of Second Chances was!

The self appointed major of a small Italian village gets himself into a big mess while he was trying to find the money to fix the old water pipes. Prometto (population 212) is a sleepy Italian village. Signor Speranza needs 70,000 euros to replace the water pipes but that money won't come from the villagers who owe thousand of euros in back taxes, So Signor Speranza simply makes up a story about a famous movie star potentially shooting a movie in the village. Everyone in town wants to be a part of the fictional film.
(PS they end up making the said movie!)

But first Signor Speranza needs to find an investor. Signor Maestro, the butcher, has the money but has conditions. Anyway Speranza will take the money, pay off the dept then he'll work something out with the butcher, right? Nope, things start going South. Every time Speranza is close to paying off the dept something unexpected comes up, More people gets involved in the ruse. Even the priest. His wife Betta, his trusted assistant Smilzo, his emotionally distant daughter.

This book came to me at the right time. I needed something lighthearted to balance out my other heavier reads. it is full of hilarious antics and I had a good laugh once or twice. I rolled my eyes a few times too. Yes, the plot requires you to suspend belief because sometimes everything works out too conveniently but overall this was an entertaining, uplifting and whimsical story about a well-meaning man and an eclectic cast of characters from the village. While I was reading the book I kept thinking that it would make a fun movie.

There is a book called The Compendium that Signore Speranza turns to whenever he needs a specific saint to pray to. I think that was a great edition to the story. I mean there is St. Barbara, who is the patron saint of death by cannonball! Isn't that neat.

When Signor Speranza, the self-proclaimed mayor of Prometto, Italy pop. 212, must come up with 70,000 euros to repair the town’s water pipes, he hatches an elaborate plan to produce a movie. But things really get crazy when it’s rumored a famous movie star might participate.

A fun read that will have you laughing out loud.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Christine Simon has written a fun, old fashioned story. It reminded me of the movies from the 50s and 60s with Marcello Mastroianni as the lead! The cell phones and computers bring it into the 21st century.
What do you do when you're the mayor of a small Italian village and the water system fails? You try to raise money. By lying that a famous actor has decided to use your town for a movie and let you be the director and your money keeps disappearing and the priest is suspicious and you resort to crazy schemes.
An offbeat cast of characters keeps the fun going.

Thanks, NetGalley . Thanks, Christine Simon! I think a movie of this would be a riot!

✨Book Review✨

Patron Saint of Second Chances
by Christine Simon
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
➡️Swipe to read the Goodreads synopsis

This book had me actually laughing. I loved how close the whole town was, the side hilarity of Bambolina the Pomeranian and the attacking hoard of schnauzers, and I loved the whole concept of this book. However, I think it moved slowly, and included a lot of unnecessary details and “plot twists.” I also could not stand how oblivious everyone in the town seemed to be. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I do still think it was hilarious and lighthearted, and an overall enjoyable. It probably didn’t help that I was reading this while stuck in the car for 8 hours, so I guess I was hoping the quicker I could get through this one, the quicker I would be home. Even though I know it doesn’t work that way. 🥴

I am so thankful to @atriabooks @netgalley and Christine Simon for the opportunity to read and review this book. If you need a lighthearted comedy about a small Italian town and it’s residents, definitely pick this one up! Releasing 4/12/2022!