DNF

I mistakenly requested this after seeing it was about a young woman who was a gossip columnist traveling through Italy. I did not realize we were going to have two male POVs and deep dive into the difficulties of living under Mussolini. While that is certainly a deep and complex historical time period, it is not what I was expecting from this cover and title.

Sally Brady's Italian Adventure by Christina Lynch is an utterly delightful romp through wartime Italy, featuring a heroine who is as bold and clever as she is charming. Set in 1940, the story follows Sally Brady, a sharp-tongued, irrepressible gossip columnist who’s found herself embroiled in the chaos of World War II Italy. Abandoned as a child and adopted by a Hollywood star, Sally has grown up with a knack for navigating high society and using her wit as both a shield and a weapon.

I wanted to love this one, but I struggled a bit with the pacing. I think may will love this one, and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

Told in several perspectives, it tells the story of a young girl of Asian descent who is taken in by a Hollywood actress. She is renamed Sally Brady and embarks on a wild journey through the U.S. and Europe at the start of WWII and through Mussolini's rule in Italy. It's a story of perseverance and history.

This was a great story that was well written, interesting and told from many POV. I loved everything- the story, the people, the setting! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher

Ugh. This book could have been great - but the fact that the author was blatantly obvious about stealing plot points from today's day and age and then tweaking them to fit into a plot based almost 100 years ago. This could have been a great book, but the attempt fell flat. 2 stars.

The synopsis to the novel sounded very interesting. However, I really struggled this one. It was very slow moving. I also couldn’t connect with the characters. Therefore, this book was not my cup of tea.

Historical fiction spanning the Great Depression to the aftermath of WWII. I enjoyed the war scenes and learned so much about Italy during the war. Sally was a fun character, full of heart and moxie. I recommend it for historical fiction fans who like to learn about unknown parts of WWII and those who like learning about the lifestyles of the rich and famous.

Sally Brady’s Italian Adventure by Christina Lynch is a fun novel. This fabulous heroine charms her way out of homelessness, poverty, fascist Italy and overall through life threats. Light and enjoyable. Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for the review copy. All opinions are my own.

SALLY BRADY’S ITALIAN ADVENTURE
Christina Lynch, St. Martin’s Press, 2023, $29.00, hb, 368pp, 9781250286154

Sally Brady is a child of the Dust Bowl whose chance adoption by a Hollywood star, Patsy Chen, changes her life but then leaves her rootless. Patsy takes Sally to Italy and there she finds herself stranded as WWII breaks out. Sally’s first-person narration alternates with close third-person sections that follow Lapo and his son Alessandro, reluctant participants in Mussolini’s war.
The author’s intent to spotlight parallels to current events is evident. The characters discuss the war and its causes in ways that seem too knowing for people in the midst of turmoil, but the dialog is skillfully rendered.
Sally’s story has the bones of a fairy tale, its protagonist an abandoned child bouncing from one adventure to the next, finding guides and rivals along the way, moving through unexplained abrupt transitions, and improbable almost magical rescues, sometimes by characters who appear only once. Escapes from peril may be too easy, Sally too invulnerable, and the frame stories of Sally’s family and foster family arranged awkwardly around the other pieces, but if we read her story as a myth for the mid-20th century, they fall perfectly into place.
Sally is an intrepid heroine and we root for her and for the ordinary Italians caught up in a war they don’t want. “There are, I’d guess, six people who actually want this war,” says Sally.
— Amanda Cockrell
This review ran in the August 2023 issue of Historical Novel Reviews

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The story is Italian history in WWII, perfectly written, characters one loves and quite mesmerizing. A page turner that's not easy to put aside for a break. Definitely recommended.

I found this book.... okay. It was interesting but didn't always hold my attention.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC copy.
All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a different take on WWII historical fiction than I'm used to. You never really get to read about the Mussolini side of it. I absolutely adored Sally and she fit the strong female lead character perfectly. I was immersed in the story and I'm excited to read more by Christina Lynch.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC

Christina Lynch's Sally Brady's Italian Adventure takes its irrepressible young heroine from 1931 Los Angeles to World War II Italy.

She was adopted by Hollywood movie star Patsy Chen, who eventually took her to Naples. She remains in Italy after Mussolini declares war on the U.S.. She meets Alessandro. They share danger and hardship, but are separated.

This is quite a story, at times tragical but at others funny and verging on farcical. Highly recommended.

I love historical fiction so Sally Brady’s Italian Adventure was right up my alley. In her sophomore novel Lynch addresses one of the worst times in history with humor and the seriousness it deserves. It is a story of resilience, and determination, showing the lengths desperate people will go to survive. I highly recommended it.

Kicking myself for waiting so long on this surprise gem!!! I love a memorable, plucky female MC and Sally Brady was pure delight! Sent to California at age eleven during the 1930s Depression by parents who had too many mouths to feed, Sally gets taken in by a movie star looking to improve her image. As an adopted socialite, Sally travels the world and finds herself stuck in Italy under the height of Mussolini's tyranny.

What follows is a story of romance, courage and bravery as a country and its people try to survive under the worst of conditions. Perfect for fans of books like Our darkest nights by Jennifer Robson or The four winds by Kristin Hannah and great on audio narrated by Elise Roth. I am excited to read more by new to me author Christina Lynch!! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for early digital and audio copies in exchange for my honest review!!

Sally Brady's Italian Adventure is a well researched historical fiction told via three POVs between Sally, Lapo and Alessandro before, during and after WWII. I ended up switching to audio as I couldn't seem to get into the story until the second half. It's a great story of resilience, friendship, and kindness with wonderful characters. I enjoyed the story; I just didn't love it.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for a review.

I unfortunately had to DNF at the halfway mark. It wasn’t holding my interest, and I didn’t particularly like any of the characters. I will try something else by this author.

Seeing the background that Christina Lynch has having previously written in this time-frame before, shows that she knows her stuff. Surprisingly thoughtful and takes care.

Pub date: 6/13/23
Genre: historical fiction
Quick summary: Sally Brady goes from Dust Bowl refugee to adopted daughter of LA royalty to an undercover gossip columnist traveling through Europe. Can her charm and sense of adventure help her survive Fascist Italy?

I love lighter historical fiction, and this fit the bill! Sally's story sucked me in from the start - wow, her life was just fascinating! I really enjoyed her as a gossip columnist - it was fun to be a fly on the wall for the glitzy European social scene. The section in Italy was also enjoyable, with the addition of some other side character perspectives to fill out the narrative.

If you enjoy books with "maverick" main characters and/or lighter historical fiction, give this one a try!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.