I went into this book expecting something a bit different than how the book actually unfolded. There was a lot of backstory about life in Ireland before Italy. Cute and at times funny, I liked it but didn’t love it.

Rosie Meleady's book "A Rosie Life in Italy" is a very personal telling of how a family moves to Italy....or tries to move to Italy. Every hurdle you could imagine tests Rosie to the limit and then you throw in COVID! I had heard of the strict conditions in Italy so it was interesting to hear how people coped on a day to day basis.
I smiled a lot reading this book. Although for sure the many trials and tribulations weren't all fun and games. I so admire Rosie's determination to keep striving for the ultimate goal.
We really only leant a little about Italian life.....I believe further books will expand on daily life renovating and experiencing more of Italy. If anything, this book with make you think twice about buying a property in Italy. The complicated beurocracy and volatile family dynamics were frankly archaic.
An easy read getting to know Rosie's family. Thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebooks and Rosie for my copy.

Although I thought it was an easy read, it felt really repetitive and I didn't enjoy the style of the memoir in the end.

I received an ARC of this book, courtesy of NetGalley.

If you love travel memoirs, you can put this one on your list.

I have a soft spot for books that document moving to a new country and finding yourself along the way. The author, Rosie, documents her and her husband’s financial crisis during the 2008ish housing crash. They fell in love with Italy years earlier and always had a plan to return, but their issues in Ireland pushed the dream forward.

Rosie and her husband fall in love with a crumbling Italian home in Umbria, but problems closing on it abound.

The ending is a surprise, but I loved reading about this family’s adventures in Italy. They have the same problems every family has, but through it all, they make it work with love and admiration of one another.

I really liked this book and would absolutely read another by the author.

🎢 Hold on tight because this book is a wild ride! I couldn't get enough of it! Rosie always dreamed of living abroad, but life had a funny way of throwing curveballs her way. Despite setbacks, she and her husband embark on an unexpected journey to Italy, where Rosie becomes a Wedding Planner extraordinaire. 🇮🇹 It's a rollercoaster of emotions—heartbreaking yet heartwarming. Rosie's vibrant writing, humor, and candidness reeled me in, and I couldn't put the book down!

Just when they thought they were settling into their new Italian life and buying their dream house, bam! COVID-19 hits, trapping them in Italy. 😱 But hey, life's full of surprises, right? I'm diving into book two to see where Rosie's adventures take her next! 📖 After finishing a book by a beloved author, I was craving another captivating read, and Rosie's story delivered big time.

Rosie's life takes unexpected turns, from plans to move to Spain dashed by family issues to navigating business challenges and housing woes. Yet, amidst the chaos, there's hope for a fresh start in Italy. Rosie's narrative had me hooked—I laughed, I cried, and oh boy, did I chuckle at her language mishaps! 🤣 Just when things seem to be looking up and they find their dream home, along comes COVID-19, offering a glimpse into lockdown life in Italy. It's a fascinating, appalling, and amusing ride through one of Europe's hardest-hit countries.

This book is pure entertainment, and I'm already diving into the sequel! 📚

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read the ARC of this book. I was expecting this to be more a tale of how a family adapted to their life in Italy. Instead, a lot of it involved their long process to finally get to Italy. I also found myself questioning some of the financial decisisions that this family made. Perhaps it wasn't for me, but I did finish it to see how it turned out.

Rosie Meleady's memoir is like a cozy chat with a friend, full of laughter, love, and unexpected twists. From pursuing her dream of starting a wedding planning business in Italy to renovating a rundown villa, Meleady's candid storytelling captures the ups and downs of expat life with warmth and relatability. Through language barriers, a global pandemic, and the joys of Italian culture, Meleady's unwavering optimism reminds us to embrace life's imperfect moments. "A Rosie Life in Italy" is a heartwarming invitation to savor the journey, celebrate resilience, and chase your dreams. 💖

Rosie Meleady, A Rosie Life in Italy Move to Italy. Buy a Rundown Villa. What Could Go Wrong?, Source Books, October 2024.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review.

Rosie Meleady has written a lively account of her and her family in Ireland, and later in Italy. She encounters personal, financial and business setbacks with equanimity, and pursues her dreams of a business venture in Italy, complete with the purchase of a huge, tumbling down house. Initially having planned to move to Spain with her family and divorced sister to conduct their wedding planning business there, the plans must change. Life then continues in Ireland, along with the problems of changes there and family commitments. The move to Italy eventually takes place, and this too is an adventure with both its challenging and charming settings.

However, I was disappointed in this book as I thought that it would provide many more of the aspects of living in Italy, coming to grips with a different community and making efforts to become an important part of that community. Instead, one problem that really leapt out at me, was what seemed to be an unwillingness to learn the language. Although translation was necessary for the important legal aspects of purchasing a property, I would have liked more about the way in which an Irish family adopted the language of their new environment. There are some passing references to the difficulties of misinterpretation, but these seemed superficial. What efforts did the family make to learn? What are some grammatical hints that others who wish to visit or live in Italy might find useful? What do Italians appreciate hearing?

The impact of Covid in Italy was informative, with the experience of the Italian concern for health well drawn. Going on the journey of purchasing the house, the personal impact the owners were able to exert, the intricacies of ownership and the legal aspects of property purchase was valuable. The descriptions of the property and its furnishings, including the unique doors was interesting.

However, when I had finished A Rosie Life in Italy I felt that I knew far more about Rosie and her family than their lives in Italy. Italy has so much to offer, as I have found on short visits. In my limited familiarity just a mention of the Buongiorno to wish you good morning the length of the main street gives a flavour of life in an Italian village. In reading this book I had wished to add to this experience with the detail that I thought would be part of a story about living in Italy. This expectation was not realised.

The title led me to believe most of this book was moving to and settling in, in Italy. It is more of a memoir from Rosie, about her life and family in Ireland, moving to Italy and living through the first few months of Covid. About different career paths and trials and tribulations.
The book, and I guess like her life was a lot more tense than I anticipated. So it doesn’t make for the most relaxing read and comparing this to “Under the Tuscan Sun” doesn’t seem like a good match.
The writing is fairly smooth, although sometimes the inner monologue gets a bit long winded.
The actual Italy portion of the book doesn’t start until well into the book, so be mindful of that. It baffles me that in preparing to move to Italy, very little Italian was learned, and that the first period there also wasn’t devoted to learning the language.
Perhaps I wasn’t the target audience for this book, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Ive read a few similar books which I enjoyed more.
I did not find this book humorous, and am a little surprised she has 5 books in this series now.

This book is not only about a story of someone’s life in Italy. It’s about Rosie trying to find a home after her landlord has to double the rent. She has to deal with it during difficult time like COVID. It’s good that the book is based out of blog posts about Rosie’s life in Italy.
Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to read this book and do a review.

This book didn't really "click" for me. I couldn't get into it, and the writing style just wasn't a good fit for me. I think it was an okay book, but just not for me.

I was intrigued by the concept - who, after all, hasn't dreamed of picking up and moving to another country to life a storybook life?? I was expecting disruption and humor, heart and pathos. What I found was much more serious and more like a study of a marriage/family - for more than 50% of the book, this is ALL you get. They don't even decide to move until well into the second half of this rather massive story... That's how it lost me.

There's nothing wrong with a dramatic tale about family life. I have a family - I get the ups and downs, and can see how this backstory is a prelude to the move. But I picked up the book for the "in Italy" part of Rosie's life, and it was a bit disappointing to me to have to wait so long to even get started on that part... By then, frankly, I was already out of steam. Not because there's anything wrong with the writing or story, but because it wasn't the book I was expecting based on any of the information offered about it. I think this, for me, is definitely a case of a blurb-miscasting. If I'd known it was primarily a family drama, frankly I wouldn't have requested it as that's not to my personal taste.

Life in Italy is a dream many hold. Rosie and her family decide it is worth the jump. But before they do, we have the back story that leads up to that rosy life in Italy and it is quite the ride. Life's twists and turns are evident in the story of Rose and Ronan as they try to get it under control. From indecisiveness to impulsiveness to the rocky road back from addiction, the family is trying hard to make it work. And dreams are a big part of that. With the online destination wedding planning business off to a start, things seem to be finally heading in the right direction. Then another major event happens that changes it all once again. Will the dream ever come true?

Following a dream such a living in a new country, taking that leap of faith, becomes the daily purpose for Rosie and her family. But it isn't an easy road and they are certainly jumping into the deep end of it all. But The Sighing House is calling and they desperately want to answer that call. The hilarious antics of the mulitple owners create enough chaos but then the worldwide pandemic comes about and it all goes completely haywire. But it will work out, even if we still don't know the complete story by the end of A Rosie Life In Italy. To find that out, you are going to have to read several more books, it seems. Which might be okay. Because following your dreams is seldom what you expect and often takes you for quite the ride.

I received a free copy of, A Rosie Life in Italy, by Rosie Meleady, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Rosie wants out of cold, damp, and rainy Ireland, so she decides to mover her family to Italy. Chaos definitively ensues, weather, sickness and other out of our control things happen. This was a nice read about change, a lot of change all at once.

Well the title is ironic, this is not a story for the softies. This tale of resilience and courage is wonderful. You have all. Drama, fun, exotism, and very nice characters you wish they could be your friends. The writing is very personal, you can hear the voice of the writer while reading, and with all that is inferred as well. It is like a long conversation with a dear firend, telling you about her life. Thank you to the author and to NetGalley. all opinions are mine.

I thought this was an interesting read.it was quite a long book ,and I think it could have been punchier if it was shorter, but overall a good read.

I give the book 4.5 stars. I received a free ebook from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review. This was the first book I have read from the author. I like travel and reading about travel.

I didn't know what to expect from the book. Soon I got swept up in Rosie's life. The book let me feel like I really knew her and her family. The family and Rosie go through a lot. I loved seeing Ireland and Italy through her eyes.

The book is long. I honestly don't know if you have made it any shorter. The chapters are fairly short. The book is really interesting. It's a fun read. The descriptions in the book are really good.

The book lets you reminisce about the early days of the pandemic when we thought the world was ending. She describes it so well. She explains the added stress of buying a house and trying to pay the bills.

I really want to go back and read the authors other books. It is so fascinating. The author seems so likeable. You are rooting for her and her family with everything they are going through.

Thank you so MUCH for the opportunity to read this wonderful book. A great book to understand Italy and Ireland more. Look forward to reading more from the author in the future.

I am in love with the book! I am so enchanted with Rosie’s story of resilience and humour doing my absolute dream. Italy has always been one of my favourite places in the world and looking at all the trials and tribulations it took to get Rosie and her family to where they were meant to be spurred my own get up and go feelings. I feel like this book spoke to the adventurer in me in a relatable and engaging way. An easy read, which I’ve already gone to Amazon to purchase the second in the series

I love old, really old houses, and bringing them back to life, so this book called to me. After a glimpse of the really old house, we are taken on the story of the authors' life and her family. I was a bit disappointed when the really old house seemed to be forgotten about as the author tells of her life with family, husband, children, jobs, moving away, moving back, dreams, broken dreams, and heartbreaking loss. It was easy to laugh out loud and cry while reading. When I had to stop my reading, for one reason or another, I couldn't wait to get back to it. Now that is a sign of a good book! But what about the really old house? I thank NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the delightful advance read!

I don't often read non fiction books but this one really called to me, especially due to the time period and the heartbreak and truth behind it but it show's the chances are worth taking.