⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

Thank you, NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this super cute spicy romance.
 
I am a complete sucker for a relatable FMC, strong side characters, and founded family books and The Irish Goodbye delivers!
 
Listening to the audiobook, and being an Irish name, I´m not sure of how her name is written, but the 80 yo firecracker neighbor was like EPIC! I loved every single one of her actions, dialogues, and so on. You can really measure the ability of a writer when there are side characters like this.
 
The plot itself was enjoyable, nothing too heavy, even though both the protagonists had to deal with pretty big trauma in the past.
Also, I started it thinking it was a cute romance, and it was, don´t get me wrong, but around 60% of the spice hits and it was ON POINT! I loved it!
 
I´m so happy to have listened to it instead of reading it since the audiobook production was flawless and the voice actor, with his thick Irish accent, was sooooo hot, helping a lot to deliver Niall´s personality.
 
Ps. What name is Cordelia? I could just picture a long lost Wednesday Addams cousin, and not a sweet blond New York girl (but that it may be just me)

Cordelia, a grieving photographer, finds healing and love amidst the island's beauty. Her encounters with local Niall ignite a passionate love story. This novel is a delightful escape into the power of love and belonging.

This book started out as a solid 3.5 stars. The premise is cute, and so is the story. Unfortunately, the male narrator is terrible, but I could overlook that for a cute story.

And then sex happened. Listen I'm not someone who doesn't read spice, but the spice in this book was so misplaced. It came out of nowhere and suddenly they were banging and every interaction became cringy. And then the third act break up came and it was TERRIBLE and went on for too long.

The third act break up is framed as noble idiocy, but it is actually selfishness and fear. She would rather be alone than take a risk. She is a photographer, on a working vacation overseas, but she can't move overseas because she *checks notes* can't work overseas? We get told how she could perfectly imagine slotting him into her life back home, but couldn't imagine living with him in a city she'd never been to. Everything about it screams selfishness and narcissism. By the end I just couldn't care.

This story is back-ended too heavily. The romance isn't built up enough in the front half to make the sex scenes sexy, or to make the angst of the break up believable. It's probably a 2.5 star that should be rounded up to 3, but I just can't make myself do it when I almost DNFed it at the 80% mark.

Such a sweet book! A photographer travels to Ireland for a summer to reignite her creative spark, falls for an Irish chef, and has to decide whether to try to make it work. Loved the ending so much! Great tropes and not much miscommunication 🙌🏼

The narrators were good, and I loved the Irish family! There’s a sassy grandma and everyone loves that. I appreciated the healing that went on with both of the MCs families over the course of the book. Well done, Amy!

I received an audiobook copy of this for my honest review. I love the narrators for this story, they did such a wonderful job!

After losing her father, and hitting road blocks in her career as a photographer, our FMC decides that she wants to spend the summer somewhere new to regain her spark. She finds an ad for a summer stay in a cottage on a small island in Ireland, and she jumps at the chance. On the ferry over she bumps into our MMC and he ends up causing her to break her camera, the one her father got her before he died, causing her to immediately hate him. He happens to have come back home for the summer after he caught his fiancé and his business partner together in the kitchen of their new restaurant. As they keep running into each other, the tension, both from the anger of losing her camera and the anger of losing his restaurant, friend and fiancé keeps boiling over. But as it happens in very small towns, they are too interconnected and become friends. Until there is a near accident and she ends up kissing him in front of the entire town. They become inseparable. She is gaining confidence in her photography again, even creating a viral series on Instagram, and he is working with his dad on new menu items for the family restaurant. But as her Visa comes to an end they have to decide what is next, and the decision becomes harder when both of them are presented with what they believe are their dream opportunities, but in different countries than each other.

This one sadly wasn't really my vibe — I expected more romcom/banter and a lot more from the enemies-to-lovers, but it was more of an insta-love contemporary romance which I just have a hard time getting into. That being said, the narration was EXCELLENT and I think contemporary romance readers will really enjoy this story!

"The Irish Goodbye" by Amy Ewing is a cozy, steamy romance set against the breathtaking backdrop of Ireland. With a clash of cultures between a jilted Irish chef and a mouthy American tourist, sparks fly in more ways than one. While the setting adds charm, it's the fiery interactions between Cordelia and Niall that keep you turning the pages. Ewing weaves a tale of love, passion, and self-discovery, peppered with a delightful cast of quirky characters. While it earns points for its setting and character dynamics, the story falls a bit short in delivering a truly memorable experience, earning it a solid 3 out of 5 stars from me.

This was a super lovely listen! I loved Keval’s male voices! But his female characters are… interesting 😅. Good thing June makes up for most of it! Lol. Keval’s female characters didnt bother me enough to not like the book, but made me LOL at times.

Now for the story itself. It was really sweet. Cordelia & Niall definitely started off on the wrong foot! But since its a small island and they keep getting thrown together… it’s almost inevitable they may start to see each other in a new light. They’re different but also are dealing with the same things too…. Finding their way out of their grief.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸:
🇮🇪Enemies to lovers
🇮🇪Grumpy MMC
🇮🇪Slow Burn
🇮🇪Found Family
🇮🇪Self Discovery

I received an advance listening copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I listened to the audio of this book, and personally, I would not recommend it. The females voice is great, and the males voice isn't bad, but when he does his women's characters, it's so hard to listen to, and I almost dnf the book.

I loved the banter and enemies to lovers at the beginning, but it went to lovers pretty quickly, and insta love isn't really my favorite. The timeline of this book was a month, and that just didn't seem believable and didn't give me the chance to fall in love with the characters. And the epilouge was quite literally the next day. They could have easily added it into the chapter before and ended the book.

The Irish charm, the photography, and the FOOD gave such a pleasant, cozy setting. I also adored all the side characters! It was a cute, steamy romance that had a fun found family vibe.

I listened to this book as an ARC from #netgalley. The Irish Goodbye is a perfect book to read as a palate cleanser, and I mean this in a positive way. If you want something light and airy after something heavily emotional then this is the book! I liked this book but wasn't blown out of the water. It was a cute, but a very generic Rom-Com. I did enjoy the characters especially Roshene (apologies if that is not spelled correctly). I liked the narrators at first but by the end was annoyed with the narrators trying to change their voice to read the other characters lines. The Irish accents was great though and I thought added a lot to the book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an advance audio-copy of The Irish Goodbye, in exchange for an honest review.
'The Irish Goodbye' transports readers to the charming shores of a small Irish island, where a whirlwind romance blossoms between Cordelia and Niall, two individuals navigating heartbreak and seeking solace.

Cordelia, a New York City photographer grieving the loss of her father, embarks on a journey to the island in search of inspiration. Meanwhile, Niall, a chef recently betrayed and evicted from his Dublin restaurant, finds himself stranded on the same idyllic haven.

As fate would have it, Cordelia and Niall's paths cross, and an unlikely friendship begins to form. Despite their initial reluctance, they find themselves drawn to each other's company and the undeniable chemistry between them.

Ewing skillfully weaves together the dual perspectives of Cordelia and Niall, providing a nuanced exploration of their emotions and motivations. Cordelia's grief is palpable, yet her resilience and determination to find joy in the present shine through. Niall's vulnerability and longing for redemption add depth to his character.

The supporting cast of characters is equally captivating, including the warm and welcoming islanders who embrace Cordelia and Niall with open arms. The small-town setting creates a cozy and intimate atmosphere, further enhancing the romantic tension between the protagonists.

Ewing's writing is both evocative and emotionally resonant. She paints a vivid picture of the Irish landscape and its captivating culture. The dialogue is natural and witty, adding to the overall charm of the novel.

'The Irish Goodbye' is a heartwarming read that will leave a lasting impression on readers. It is a story about love, loss, and the unexpected connections that can heal our broken hearts. Highly recommended for fans of enemies-to-lovers romances, small-town settings, and heartwarming tales of resilience and redemption.

Thank you to NetGalley for this audiobook!

I fully enjoyed this audiobook - we love a good Irish accent, and we absolutely get that in this dual POV romance book. Niall and Cordelia get off on the wrong foot, but the enemies-to-lovers was satisfying, especially coupled with everything else the author does well - the setting, the fully fleshed side characters. Niall is jaded after his fiancee leaves him for his business partner, leaving him heartbroken and bankrupt, his dreams of opening a pub crushed. Cordelia, on the other hand, is trying to regain inspiration for her photography - at first, I was a little worried that I would find her annoying with her "omg I found the perfect shot" especially against the backdrop of what I felt were much worse, real-er problems that Niall was facing. But I think ultimately what made the book for me were the side characters and how lovable and interesting they were!

Wow I truly loved this book. Pure escapism, with every word I listened to I felt I was there! I only wish I really was on Inishmore.

Cordelia and Nial were great main characters who I really enjoyed reading about. The dual pov worked brilliantly and they both had their own complexities, goals and interests which made them great individuals whilst also having lovely chemistry that meant they felt perfect together too. Sometimes I feel books can writer focus too much on the individuals so you don’t see much of the couple or only focus on them as a couple so you don’t get a sense of them as individuals, this book had the perfect balance of showing all aspects.

There were also so many amazing supporting characters, everyone truly felt like they had their own role and weren’t just a filler for the story. I have to say though Roshien was a real character and I loved any appearance she made.

This was a really beautiful and enjoyable story that I would gladly listen too/ read again in a heartbeat. I personally would have liked slightly more of an epilogue but that’s just personal preference because the one Amy gave us was still beautiful.

I listened to an audiobook version of this book which I would definitely recommend. Both narrators were brilliant and really brought the characters to life!

A cute and tender romance novel with lovable main characters, a charming small town and silly dialogue. I enjoyed this novel

The Irish Goodbye by Amy Ewing is a romcom and the story of Cordelia and Niall.
 
Cordelia is a city girl, and all her life takes place in New York. But she is rather unhappy and grieving her dad there and needs a change of scenery and she takes the opportunity to go to Ireland. I loved seeing how this change of scenery gave Cordelia a new perspective and the people of Inishmore were amazing and provided the perfect small town island vibes. I also share Cordelia’s love of photography and loved all the scenes with it.
 
Niall is a chef, and his love of cooking was amazing, and I love men who can do that. His ex took his dream away and he is heartbroken and goes back to his home of Inishmore. At the beginning, he is giving off grumpy vibes, but he is actually such a gentle soul and an amazing bookboyfriend, and I absolutely loved him.
 
This story is such a good romance with following dreams and finding happiness again. I loved Cordelia and Niall together and they support and love each other beautifully. The only thing I didn’t fully like was the third act break-up and it was a bit unnecessary and a minor inconvenience in this story. I listened to the audiobook and June DeBorahae and Keval Shah did a wonderful job in bringing these characters to life and I especially loved their accents. If you like stories along the lines of Much Ado About You by Samantha Young or Tessa Bailey, you’ll love this one as well.
 
Overall, The Irish Goodbye is such a great romcom and I loved the setting in Ireland. 4,5 stars.
 
(ARC kindly provided in exchange for a review.)

Charming, super escapist, lovely romance, adorable characters and a captivating audio listen!
Absolutely loved this - so cute!

Charming and escapist. (Long live Roisin!) A recommended purchase for collections where contemporary romance is popular.

Both narrators for this book were great. Easy to understand, great tone and speed.

The book itself was cute with spicy scenes. I enjoyed the premise of the book but struggled sometimes with the plot as it felt too fast and I never really cared enough about the characters and where they’d end up. The voice actors did a great job at telling the story and making it entertaining.

Thank you to NetGalley, DreamScapes Media, and Amy Ewing for this ARC and making me want to return to Ireland for another trip!

This book was perfect! It was such a comfort that I could just curl up to it with a tea in my hand. I love an overseas romance with grumpy x sunshine and this book did it well! I’m so glad I read it and would recommend it to anyone looking for a romance set in Ireland.

An American tourist and an Irish chef clash when they first meet. But once they get to know one another sparks fly. But how will they make it work when one has to return home?

While the story was exceptionally done on audio (the accents were fab!), I do feel our two main characters' story progressed pretty fast, which made it hard for me to feel their chemistry. The storyline was good though and I am always a sucker for a grand gesture and this one was super sweet. I'd be keen to read more by this author.