I thoroughly enjoyed the first 75% of this book, especially the mutual pining and the friends / neighbors to lovers aspects. However, the last quarter of the book was an actual dumpster fire that tanked my enjoyment of this book for a handful of reasons. WARNING: the rest of this book review has major spoilers for the last quarter of the book.

Problem 1: this book was marketed as a "debut romance" however, the definition of the romance genre is a happily ever after, which this book does NOT have. The cover even gives off summer romance vibes, which you do get for the first 3/4 of the book. But as an avid romance reader, it feels like a money grab to market a book as romance and leave out the happily ever after. It also does not say that this book will continue in part 2 of a duet so it's safe to assume this is a complete standalone.

Problem 2: nowhere in ANY of the promo did I see content warnings for things like child abuse. Both main characters are struggling as adults because of the abuse that they suffered as children. Theo was abused after he caught his father cheating on his mother with Magdalen's mother & her mother witnessed the abuse but did nothing to stop it. But this was the same woman who abused Magdalen for not watching something in the kitchen well enough so she threw a pot of hot oil on her daughter across the room.

Problem 3: there was also NO mention of a content warning for suicidal ideation. I was absolutely thrown off when I got to the point of the book where Magdalen has a suicidal thought then follows it up about a page later with a more descriptive version of that thought. This can be a very triggering topic for me, especially when I go into a book thinking it's a fun summer romance then stumble upon something like that.

For these reasons, I absolutely cannot and will not recommend this book to anyone. Sure, I could get past the no HEA thing, but not taking the time to warn readers about VERY sensitive topics? It's an absolute NO for me.

Thank you to Forever Grand Central Publishing for sending me an early copy.

This. Is a good book. The two main characters are Magdalen and Theo. They have been neighbors since childhood. They are going to college. Magdalen goes to Oxford and Theo goes to Harvard. They have come home for the summer in Italy to attend Magadeln’s sister wedding. This is first time in seven years that they have seen each other. They both have grown up. There is an attraction. They both must face family’s secret that might pull them apart or bring them together.

I found this book very icky. Theo seemed creepy in how he spoke to Mag, how he treated her, the touching, the innuendos, the packing of lingerie in her bag, his sense of entitlement. The “mystery” was creepy, it was all creepy and gross. Skimmed over all the sex scenes and m6 least favourite description of “good girl” mentioned so often made me want to vomit being so very sexist.

Thank you @netgalley for this ARC - although I am a tad late to review it! 😬 This was such a good read. Childhood friends to lovers but set in ITALY... 🇮🇹 yes please! The story had me from the first page; 2 families that are very interconnected. Childhood friends who haven't seen one another in years and are now all grown up. Everyone is back in Italy for the FMC's sister's wedding. I love books around weddings so this was a no brainer. The attraction that crashes down on the FMC and MMC is electric. @thechamberofsecretbooks knows how to write a swoon worthy, sexy as all hell MMC. 🥵 Theo is ingrained in my imagination - likely for life. I loved the ending because it was a bit ambiguous and if anyone has read it, please DM me your thoughts. I need to discuss. Check trigger warnings for abuse before you read this one. Highly recommend it #romanticreads #childhoodfriendstolovers #bookstagram #bookstagrammer

Unfortunately, this book didn't work for me - I didn't click with the writing style, there was much more angst than I was expecting based on the blurb, and it wasn't even a romance?! Wouldn't have requested if I knew that was the case.

Thanks so much for the copy! This was a book i requested based on the cover and it didn't disappoint! This is a new author to me, and i cannot wait to read what comes next.

DNF @ 24%. I just couldn't get into the story--the writing isn't great (lots of phrases, unfinished thoughts), there were so many characters introduced at once, and none of them stood out as special or interesting in any way--except for how cringey they felt. And the club scene just felt so bizarre and out of left field--all of a sudden our FMC is involved in a drunken altercation and her back is so cut up by glass that our MMC has to take her shirt off and help? Yeah, no thank you. And I'm over the "she's my sister's best friend, I can't date her, it's so taboo!" trope. If you're both grown-ups, it shouldn't matter. By 20ish%, I could already tell we were headed toward toxic boy territory--hot and cold, insta lusty--and I just couldn't.

It had promise. The synopsis had me excited. But the poor execution left me unimpressed and bored. Life's too short to slog through bad writing in hopes that the plot will get better. Maybe I'll finally learn that the TikTokker to author pipeline is busted because this isn't the first time I've been disappointed.

Sorry, Forever. I love a lot of what y'all publish. This one just didn't work. Thank you for the ARC. I'm not usually a harsh reviewer, but I literally was so confused. I read hundreds of books a year. I shouldn't have this much trouble figuring out a basic romance plot.

This book was just not for me. Two young adults force each other to divulge their trauma and parental abuse instead of going to therapy. Theo is a walking red flag, and Maggie is insufferable. I couldn’t stand either of them so I don’t have any idea how they even liked each other to begin with. I’m also not a fan of when authors use other languages in their books and just immediately translate it right after. Just don’t bother doing it. It felt like Italy was just used to try and make the book interesting, and that the author really had no concept of the country itself. They swam in the ocean? In Italy? Excuse me?

DNF at 44%. I really wish I would have known this was written by a popular booktok creator before requesting. No character development and no plot. I have many questions but no motivation to waste my time and continue this book.

This book is pure toxicity and verbal abuse. The MMC was unlikeable at best, trash at worst. Hated the way the FMC was depicted. The book went nowhere and the ending pissed me off.

Theo and Magdalen are forced to take stock of their lives and their potential for a relationship as they navigate a wedding party in Italy. Can they get past their past hurts in order to claim what's been deep below the surface all along? You'll have to read to find out!

The pacing of this story was super! It went really fast. I love a story set at a wedding, and one in Italy is even better!

I am generally more of a fan of cinnamon roll heroes, so the hero in this case didn’t really work for me. He was more on the gruff side. I often had a hard time really rooting for this couple. The miscommunication was a bit frustrating, and it had more drama than I tend to enjoy. Family drama, specifically, is stressful for me. (I read to get AWAY from family drama, haha!). At least this provided an escape in a beautiful country!

I'd like to thank Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and Netgalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book started off insanely strong but about 18% of the way through became something entirely different. Also not sure what the point was of being in Italy.. served no purpose

I’ll Look For You Everywhere by Cameron Capello. If you like books that take care place of Italy, gossipy families, angst, and spice then you will love this book.

This book takes places in Italy and getting to explore it with the characters was pretty amazing. The plot and story line were good. I enjoyed the characters and their complexities. I loved Capello’s writing style.
Magdalen and Theo, are home to attend Magdalen’s sister wedding. Both have been away for a while and have come back different people. They are both different but are getting to know each other and falling in love. This is not your typical love story because at the end of the book they don’t get their HEA which is so much like real life. Thank you to MacMillan and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions.

All the Summer vibes!

Like a trip to Italy? Say less! This book genuinely gives off all the summer vibes, and the characters are fascinating, but I did not like the plot. I found the characters relatable at times and enjoyed their vulnerability, but other than that, it fell flat for me. The miscommunication sizzled out at some points, and it was never resolved. Overall, it is a great quick read, but I don't think this book is for me.

Unfortunately, I found the writing in the book pretty bad. I kept thinking maybe the plot would improve or surprise me, but it didn’t. That being said, I did like Thei and Magdalen and they’re what kept me reading this novel. I also loved that it was set in Italy.

Honestly, I should have passed on this once I saw the Colleen Hoover comparisons. I'm a little shocked this was even published.

I don't know what I was expecting with this so maybe it's unfair to call it a let-down, but not a single line of this book entertained me, or resonated with me, or made me want to keep reading. First of all, there's no plot. None. This is a book about hookups in Italy. It’s basically a mix of casual sex, talking about it, and then throwing a few cheap insults at each other for the ~drama~ of it all. Honestly, I was hoping for a classic romance, not some messy attempt at a deep story that reads like bad wattpad fanfiction. The MMC is the stereotypical bad boy with daddy issues who treats the FMC like trash, and no one seems to care?? This guy needs serious therapy, and to be as far away from women as the planet will geographically allows, not another woman to chase. The FMC is just as cliché—a shy, traumatized girl with zero confidence. Their supposed chemistry? Didn’t buy it for a second. The Italian stereotypes were uninspired and borderline insulting (I'm not even Italian), and there was no consistency re: setting or time.

This book was toxic and juvenile and so, so badly written, and I'm really sorry but I don't have a single good thing to say about it. I'm will not post this review to my social media platforms because even I'm not that mean.

I have tried reading this book numerous times, but I just cannot get into it. The cover is beautiful tho!

I really wanted to love this book and I did at the beginning but then it was pretty hard to get through it. The premise was promising, and I was here for the tension. But after a while, it just felt like way too much. If the characters had just talked to each other, they could've figured things out so much sooner. Instead, they spent forever pining, and when the big reveal finally happened, it felt anticlimactic. He made it seem like some unforgivable secret, but she forgave him instantly. And her own revelation? It barely affected him, and honestly, it didn’t even explain why she was the way she was.

I also struggled with their romance, it didn’t always feel right, and some of the dialogue was so cringy and then he ended up being super toxic. The MFC's insecurities got frustrating, especially when she freaked out over small things. By the end, it felt like all she did was lose her virginity and get her heart broken. And him? He just left to deal with his own issues. I swear it felt like he was more into the chase than actually being with her. Then that ending what was that? Too much angst for no reason.

Overall it kept me engaged at the beginning but then it lost me half way through. Defintiely a book I probably wouldn't recommend.

A fun romance book that takes place in Italy. With lots of angst, it was a fun read, but it was just that, a fun filler book.

Wow, this book was longer than I expected, for not much to be happening. I loved the ideas of the tropes, settings, and premise behind these two. But I couldn’t get over the characters. They weren’t like able, and throughout the entire story I was just waiting for the reasons why I was supposed to be ok with not liking them. It didn’t come until the last 10% of the book. It just made Magdalen look naive and Theo look like a jerk.

However, the bright spot for me was introducing me to 2 new book narrators. I enjoyed Cam Wylder’s performance as Theo as he was able to share a nuanced performance. Grace Blyth’s performance as Magdalen did capture her naivety and growth in self discovery well.

Thanks to Forever for an ARC and Hachette Audio for an ALC in exchange for my honest reviews.