Oof!

This was a 4/5 star read until the final five chapters and it completely fell apart.

I loved the initial “meet-hate” , Rome back drop, fashion school competition, and funny side characters.

Matt and Violets banter turned undeniable chemistry was fun to watch blossom and I found Matt so endearing and Violet funny and determined.

Then chapter 18 hit and I couldn’t stand it, it became lazy and boring. Violet went from badass to insufferable victim, it was like I was as reading a different character and while Matt continued his mature and sweet take Violet just didn’t deserve him anymore she made poor choice after poor choice and continued to.

Cut to the end she makes a lacklustre attempt at reconciliation nothing happens.

Things tie up nicely for her.

Epilogue…

I loved Bromleys debut but this was just I don’t know a big let down.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the advanced copy all opinions are my own.

This book really made me want to take a trip to Rome! I loved every minute of this book and it was well written.

3.5 rounded up to 4!

This book gave me Emily in Paris but elder Millennial in Italy vibes. Author Ashley Winstead recommended it and I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to read an ARC - thank you NetGalley!

This book was one that hooked me from the start. I was laughing (and cringing!) at the meet-cute instantly! I was immediately intrigued by Matt and Violet's dynamic. I knew right away this was going to be an enemies-to-lovers romance I'd enjoy.

I felt like I was able to escape to Italy in this book. I think Kate Bromley did an excellent job of giving us a feel for the setting without filling endless and meaningless pages with architectural descriptions. Similarly, she did a great job describing the fashion element of this book and the clothes. They were very important to the story, but never overkill. Sometimes books about beautiful things can feel repetitive with how much they refer to those said beautiful things... but this book struck the PERFECT balance.

I liked that we had a FMC who was finding her footing professionally and non-traditionally. I won't give too much away in case you want to go in blind, but as a not-22-year-old, I found this to be quite refreshing and a really enjoyable piece of the story. The supporting characters were a blast and I'd read a same universe book about any of them! I did feel like perhaps there was one or two too many additional storylines that took away from my enjoyment of the book. There were a few mentions that felt like add ons and not meaningful to the story.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to those looking for a find-your-footing-girl-take-charge-of-your-life kinda read.

Sweet, summer romance. I enjoyed the romantic Italian settings and seeing Matteo and Violetta open up to each other. I enjoyed the quick wit banter between our two MCs. The different friends were fun supporting characters, especially bff Marco. I did include one of my least favorite tropes BUT moved on from it fairly quickly. Very enjoyable quick read.

This is a cute and quick read. Set in Rome, both the city itself and the fashion industry within create characters to complement Holly, Marco, Matteo, and Violetta. There's a lot of food (it's Italy!) and some romance...a little bit of mixed emotions, and a whole lot of fashion-speak. This would make a good, carefree, beach read.

*Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book made me laugh right off the bat. It was a funny book about enemies to lovers and I couldn’t put it down. Started it and finished it the same night.

This one almost lost me before it even really started , but I keep with it, and ultimately, I’m glad I did.
Violet and Matt’s meet not-so-cute was somewhat baffling – sure he was pissed she ruined his laptop, but it was an accident, and then instead walking away, she sat with him and then they antagonized each other? But once that stretches-belief scenario was in the past, this ended up being a lot of fun. The descriptions of clothes, fabrics and beautiful Italian sights were a treat for the senses, and once they stopped sniping at each other, Violet and Matt were refreshingly open with each other. I totally want to join Violet’s fabric girl gang (fabric store owner Louisa in particular is like a fabric fairy godmother).

[book:Ciao for Now] by [author:Kate Bromley]
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.5 stars rounded up
🌶️🌶️ One room, on purpose
🪡🧵👗 For once, descriptions of design artistry actually sounded pretty
🏝️🌊⛴️👒 Everyone should go to Capri
🍝🥖🧀🥂 Violet loves her snacks, and I love that she loves them

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and Graydon House for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Main Characters:
-- Violet – a 29-year old New York fashion design student, participating in a four-week competitive internship in Italy
-- Marco – fashion design student, competing with Violet in Italy
-- Holly – fashion design student, competing with Violet in Italy
-- Professor Leoni – design professor who lives in Italy; Violet, Marco, and Holly are staying in her apartment during the competition
-- Matt – a television writer who lives in New York and Professor Leoni’s son
-- Mira – works in logistics for Gia Luca, the company sponsoring the internship

I wanted so badly to love this book as much as I loved Bromley’s last novel, Here for the Drama. Bromley’s formula places one of her romantic leads in a specific industry, and that allows her to give the reader a backdrop for the entire story. In this case, the industry is fashion design—fabric, seamstresses, fashion shows, design inspiration, Italy.

The premise works. Violet’s arrival in Italy finds her in a café where she falls into a table, spilling coffee and ruining the laptop of an attractive stranger, Matt. When she and her fellow classmates arrive at Professor Leoni’s, they are introduced to “Matteo,” the professor’s son, who is visiting and will also be staying at the apartment for the next several weeks. Violet’s attraction to Matt causes quite the distraction.

It’s a nice light story with a little bit of steam when Violet and Matt finally get together. (Not really a spoiler. It’s a romance.) But I feel like Violet and Matt don’t have a ton of chemistry. Their banter falls flat more often than not. And in all honesty, Matt was a huge di…jerk…at the beginning. I even made a note about 20% of the way in hoping that he wasn’t the love interest. While I love a good enemies to lovers story, Violet changes her opinion of Matt really fast, and they didn’t even spend any time together in two of the four weeks of the internship.

A couple other things don’t work for me. Mira, a woman who works in logistics at Gia Luca, randomly pops up into the story to be a friend to Violet. I won’t give away the role she plays at the end, but the chapters with her were so random that I was actually suspicious of her motives. There is also the element of Violet feeling extremely guilty for some reason that Holly will discover her involvement with Matt. She thinks that Holly will see it as Violet trying to get an edge in the competition, but Professor Leoni (Matt’s mom) doesn’t have anything to do with judging the competition. Violet’s relationship or non-relationship with Matt is kind of irrelevant.

My favorite characters are Marco and Violet’s sister Daniella. I just wish there had been more substance to them and their back stories because they seem like a lot of fun. In fact, I feel like the whole book needs more time. Maybe the competition should have been eight weeks or even the whole summer. The descriptions of Italy and the designs are great, but the development of the characters isn’t nearly enough.

The book is ok. I’ll read others by Bromley because I have enjoyed her writing in the past. This one just didn’t hit for me.

Kate Bromley’s writing has a way of making me want to travel and Ciao for Now makes me want to escape to Italy! Violet is off to Italy with two other fashion students to enter a once-in-a-lifetime fashion competition, but a coffee run gone bad has her trip starting off on a wrong foot, especially when it turns out the person she ran into is the professor’s son. This enemies to lovers / forced proximity is a delight. There were some predictable bits and I didn’t love how Violet first handles the third act conflict, but this book is a delight. There’s so much chemistry and banter. Matt too is a perfect Mr. Darcy-esque grump of a hero. He’s broody and kind and I just love the vulnerability of him. Violet too is lovely. She takes a while to really come into her own, but I love how she gets there. The cast of characters around them are so wonderful and generous too (Marco was a particular favorite of mine). The book is sweet and funny and I left it with a smile on my face. It’s a great rom-com.

Pour yourself a glass of Prosecco and enjoy being transported to the stunning, streets of Rome.

"Love isn't something you that you find or that finds you, love is something you gift yourself. You design it. You decide who you are going to love and who will have the privilege of loving you back."

This was everything I could’ve hoped for, in a romantic comedy! Flirty banter, cheeky humor, endearing & charming characters, great plot, Italian fashion, enemies to lovers vibes, and a beautiful setting. What more can a girl ask for? I was thinking this might be a cute, quick read. But I was pleasantly surprised, when this had so much more depth than that! I really loved the importance and development of mental health, internal thoughts, self criticism, and the emotional intelligence, that these characters showed. I don’t know what addictive element, Kate Bromley infused into her writing… but I couldn’t put this down!

“There’s beauty in every inch of a woman. In art, in fashion, in life, there will always be people who want to mold our bodies into ways that will suit them, but this can never be. There is nothing more beautiful and deserving of respect than the shape of a woman.”

Since I didn’t want this to end… I would HIGHLY recommend this fantastic book, if you’re looking for a new, fun, modern, romcom, or like me you’re in a constant state of wanderlust. I’d suggest throwing on your favorite Italian music, and pouring yourself a glass of Prosecco, maybe a delicious charcuterie board, because (you deserve it *winks*.) It almost felt like I was enjoying the hot, sunny streets, of Rome, while reading this.

“I’ve never experienced this level of natural beauty and I doubt I ever will again. I don’t know how to process. I could laugh, I might cry and both options would be appropriate.”

Also, can I start a petition for this to become a full length film?!? Because I’m dying to see these scenes play out in real life!

“Leaving me nostalgic and hopeful in an unexpected way.”

Thank you to Kate Bromley, and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

A book set in Rome? SIGN ME UP! Reading this made me feel like I was taking a casual stroll through the Piazza Navona or visiting the Trevi fountain. Would definitely recommend if you're looking for an easy, light read set in the eternal city!

This is my first Kate Bromley book and won't be my last! Her writing is fun and light and she did a beautiful job taking us to Italy and the fashion world as the main character Violet serves as an intern at a fashion house there. It was a bit convenient that the instructor's son from America Matt was her enemy to lovers target, but it worked. Lots of laughs, not too steamy, and great scenes with friendships- it was a fast, easygoing, feel-good read and I am looking forward to her next one. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Kate Bromley’s books kind of sneak up on me. Her first book is set in the publishing world, her second in the theatre, and now in fashion with Ciao For Now. I’ve gone into reading each book knowing that I’ll enjoy it, but I finish loving each book even more than the last and HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?! I’m simply going to have to own that I’m a Kate Bromley fan-girl, and proud of it.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

Reading back-to-back books set in Italy has me really wanting a vacation, and I really enjoyed the vacation-fling-turned-romance. Coming out 6/6/23, Ciao for Now is a fun, enemies-to-lovers story of an aspiring fashion designer in Rome for her internship. It had some great Project Runway vibes, and fantastic chemistry and tension between the main characters that made it almost impossible to put down. It was an easy read that I got through pretty quickly, but I still enjoyed it as much as plenty of other longer books. Add to your TBR for the summer, I know you won’t regret it!

“…𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙨𝙣’𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 - 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙞𝙛𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣 𝙞𝙩. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙜𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠.”

If I was to be super specific, I’d probably give this book a 3.25 stars. I wanted to love it SO BADLY because I was taking it with me as my read on my trip to Italy, but ultimately, the amount of things I liked and disliked were about the same.

What I liked:

✨Violet’s journey to find herself.
✨The supporting characters - ALL OF THEM. This is one of the best supporting casts of characters I’ve read in a while. They’re all SO FUN.
✨The setting - both in Rome and the fashion world. The descriptions were detailed and oh so dreamy.
✨The laughs - I found myself giggling on multiple occasions.
✨The banter - when Matt gave it to us, it was TOP NOTCH.

What I disliked:

✨Violet’s immature nature for someone her age - I know she’s in a growth period in her life, but she (and sometimes Matt) read as early twenties to me instead of late twenties/early thirties. In my opinion, the author was trying a bit too hard to make her *~quirky~*.
✨The quickness of the switch from “enemies” to lovers - there was a lovely moment of protective TENSION at the first party but I would’ve loved a little more lead in to them becoming friendly/interested romantically. It felt a bit like a switch flipped, which isn’t my cup of tea.
✨Repetitive phrasing - If she said that she “chooses not to mention it” ONE MORE TIME in reference to him holding something back from her, I was going to 🤬. I get that she doesn’t want to push as he’s opening up to her. I GET IT. But eventually that has to serve some purpose where they address it if she continues to comment on it, and it never really turns into anything.

Overall, Ciao for Now was a cute and lighthearted read, but I would’ve loved to see it given a bit more emotional depth with the incredible backstories and journeys of both main characters. If you’re looking for a fairly fluffy romance where The Devil Wears Prada meets Emily in Paris but in Rome, don’t hesitate to give this one a try! I tried extremely hard to take my editing hat off while reading this and while I did enjoy it, I think it could’ve benefitted from more development.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘏𝘛𝘗, 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘥𝘰𝘯 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘒𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺. 𝘈𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

𝗖𝗶𝗮𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗯𝘆 𝗞𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗹𝗲𝘆⁣
⁣
This book was the perfect escape for me. I’ve always dreamed about traveling to Italy and this book makes me want to make that dream a reality. ⁣
⁣
This book follows the journey of fashion student Violet as she embarks on a trip to Italy and an internship at a fashion house there. ⁣
⁣
She has beautiful relationships with those around her. Both old and new. These friendships make her realized she needed to start living for herself first. ⁣
⁣
There’s different kinds of love. And Violet not only fell in love romantically, but she fell in love with her friends, with Italy, and finally with herself. ⁣
⁣
Overall I really enjoyed this story of adventure, love, friendship, and finding your joy. ⁣
⁣
𝗣𝘂𝗯 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟲, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯⁣
🌟🌟🌟🌟

This was my first Kate Bromley book and I loved it! Ciao for Now is a cute contemporary romance with fairly low angst but is funny and believable.

Violet lands a competitive fashion internship in Italy and along the way, ends up connecting with the instructor’s American son, Matt, who happens to be visiting.

There were so many laugh out loud moments - the mention of childhood friend Angela Murkowski, or the scene when Violet totally dresses down Matt at dinner. And speaking of that scene- it was hilarious and smart and I loved that the author didn’t drag it on for chapters or turn it into a main trope. The dialogue in this book is clever but without being over the top. It feels real and honest. We have all read books where the characters seem like they are trying too hard and this wasn’t it. Bromley strikes that perfect balance of making it look easy. This book is also touching - there is personal growth for both MCs! They are on separate journeys and must answer some hard questions about themselves and each other.

I loved the best friend Marco and the sister Daniella. They are witty (again without trying too hard) and supportive. I LOVED that Violet developed some strong friendships while in Italy. That felt so important to me. I was so glad the author didn’t go down the path of any coworkers or friends sabotaging Violet.

A few quibbles here and there but I would rec this book to anyone. It had some sexy times but nothing overly steamy. It felt like a book that could become a go-to comfort read for me. (I haven’t felt like that about a contemp romance since The Hating Game!)
I was a little thrown by a literary device used in the last 5 percent but I get why the author did it.
Overall 5 stars! (It’s been awhile since I gave a contemporary romance 5 stars!) This was a treat! I am so looking forward to more by this author!

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, Graydon House for the advanced digital copy.

I think I went into this thinking I was getting Rom-Com White Lotus. This absolutely wasn't that, but was still a really fun read!

Such a wholesome rom com set in Italy. The characters were funny, real and kept me engaged throughout the whole thing. The chemistry between Matt and Violet is undeniable. Their banter is everything. I also loved the side characters in this book as well.

Kate Bromley's previous novels were huge hits for me, and so I was instantly intrigued by Ciao for Now -- especially after just returning from my own trip to Rome. This romance has it all from self-growth, enemies to lovers, grumpy-sunshine and forced proximity.

However, I did find the action a bit slow to start and really find its groove, like some of the backstory took awhile to finally be revealed. Other than that, the writing is (of course) very compelling and fun. It's definitely a saccharine, almost-wholesome destination romance.