I was hesitant on this one at first because I'm not the biggest fan of books with psychics. However, this one pleasantly surprised me. While it was very predictable throughout the entire book, i still had fun on the ride. Overall, I would recommend for a quick, cute read!

3 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

It’s been over a year that I’ve read something from Amy Lea so I was really excited to be able to read her newest book. I loved the premise and the idea that the women in Lo’s family have been able to predict their soulmates and that it’s something passed down from generation to generation. I think at the end of the day, i didn’t care for much about the history. I also wasn’t expecting it to be friends to lovers, which was a good storyline between Lo and Teller, but both characters weren’t too memorable for me.. It was pretty cliche at some point and felt a little more on the YA side, being closed door as well. I guess that’s why it’s called “something like fate”, since Lo couldn’t predict her soulmate because Teller was there all along. I enjoy Lea’s writing but this wasn’t my fav.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: March 1, 2025

A friends to lovers travel romance traipsing through Italy?! Yes please.

Adorable but unremarkable. This follows the trope exactly as you’d expect. It starts and ends strong, but there’s a big lull in the middle. I never believed her relationship with Caleb so I felt it got away from me when she just couldn’t get past this fated soulmate vision. She catches up, but slowly. The cast of family in this is truly lovely!

If you like travel, Chinese fortune telling, and friends to lovers this is a really cute and easy read. I loved the character’s month long trip around Italy and tried living vicariously through the book since I’ve never been. I’ve read a few books where fortune telling and matchmaking is central to the plot and thought this was a fun take on it. I like how the family traditions, loss of Lo’s mom, and pressure to follow fate was woven throughout the story and led her to make some of her choices. And I’m always a huge fan of friends to lovers and really enjoyed watching Lo and Teller move from best friends to more. The characters were a little juvenile acting to me, but that’s to be expected since this is technically YA and they’re 19 years old. I’m apparently getting too old to read from a teenager’s perspective 🤪. Otherwise I really enjoyed it!

This was the second book I have read by this author and I am really starting to love Amy Lea's writing! Teller is freaking hilarious. His nerdiness is top notch and just so so adorable that you just have to root for me. I found myself cheering him on throughout the book. Lo is trying to connect with her mother, her passed away when she was a little girl and comes to find out that sometimes fate isn't always who you think it will be with and it may just surprise you. Absolutely adored this book and ate it up!!

Amy Lea doing what Amy Lea does best! This was a heartfelt love story from beginning to end and was written so well I truly didn’t know how it was going to end. Lovely characters, places, and a little fate made this a great read for me.

I love a book with a travel vibe done well and I loved travelling around Italy with Lo, Teller, and friends. The story unraveled and matched each new place we travelled and I enjoyed how it pushed the story along in an organic way. Meeting new characters like Caleb and Riley as we travelled was a nice addition and was realistic so nothing ever seemed so far-fetched that it wouldn’t have happened in real life (a problem I have with a lot of books that revolve around travel). I loved how towards the end Lo got to have so many new adventures, but each one only pushed her closer to where she was “fated” to be.

The family vibe was so sweet and I enjoyed each of the characters and the role they played in Lo’s life. Her aunts were amazing and all of her bonding moments and jokes with her dad added depth to each of the side characters, but never so much that they overshadowed Lo. Family was so important to her and she never lost sight of that.

The book revolved around fate but it was up to each character’s own interpretation and that was really cool. It added an extra twist at the end that I genuinely never saw coming and I loovveee when every once in a while a book surprises me!

If you love Amy Lea’s other books you’ll definitely want to add this to your TBR, and I bet you’ll love it too. I could’ve curled up and lived in this story for a little while longer, but it was so much fun and had a picture perfect ending you’ll definitely swoon over.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Skyscape for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

What if you have the power to picture your true love before the meet cute even happened? What if this same power was passed down from generation to generation from the women in your family?
This premise alone of Amy Lea's novel, Something Like Fate, gathered my interest and also I just love Amy's books! But the fate reminded me of my team Jacob faze back in my Twilight years and I could never quiet get over the whole imprinting debacle. I mean to set eyes on someone and just know you found the ONE is quiet astonishing. Except when you're Lo Zhao-Jensen and you seem to think that fate is not on your side.
Lo thinks she's destined to live alone in this colorful word and so she takes a gamble on life the Lizzie McGuire way and travels to Europe. With her backpack on and her Gordo like best friend, Teller, by her side Lo is ready to find love. Is this what dreams are made of? Maybe.
I so wanted to live this book, but it lacked the special feeling that Amy sprinkles in her stories. Yes there was so many times I laughed at Lo's jokes and her snippy commentary on life, but other times it the story just carried on. I kept thinking to myself what a lot of pressure the Lo's aunts are putting on her to find the ONE at age 19. I went to a private Christian college and the pressure was ON to find the ONE and get your MRS. degree. So I feel for her and also just wish I could tell, her that there's no rush or need to place yourself in those confines of love. She's only 19 people, 19!
Overall it was a cute read and I wish I could have seen more of Teller's and Lo's friendship after the chapter 43.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5! Thank you very much for this ARC! Although I thought that this was very cute and I absolutely adore the author, I found that the story was wrapped up very fast and I wish there was a little bit more time when Lo got home. It was easy to follow, I loved the different representation that was throughout and it made me feel like I was travelling right alongside them all! Only thing I would change is that I felt the beginning and middle dragged on for a while and the ending was rushed!

Very cute premise which is what attracted me to this book. While there were so many good moments in the book, I didn’t love it. The whole psychic ability didn’t blend with the rest of the book. It almost felt like it was “oh don’t forget about your psychic abilities”. I did do a bit of skimming to get through it because I did want to know how it ended.

4.5 stars

Amy Lea's writing never misses 🙌🏻 I was concerned going into this that I wouldn't enjoy it as much as her other books because the characters are younger (early college age) and I find I often struggle to relate to them. However, this was not the case at all in Something Like Fate.

Lo & Geller's friendship was so fun. The weird fate love triangle worked weirdly well for me.


Thanks to NetGalley & Skyscape for an advance copy 🫶🏻

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️

A contemporary romance dealing with the concept of soulmates set in Italy? It’s like a mad libs designed specifically for me!

As someone who spent a summer in Italy at age 20, I really loved the descriptions of locations and just the overall experience really resonated! I also really liked Lo and Teller— and their dynamic.

Read if you love:
- friends to lovers
- magical realism
- travel romances
- Italy

Thanks to Skyscape, Amy Lea and Netgalley for the free eARC!

I just don’t think this book was for me, but it would appeal to others who liked her previous work.. though it is a bit different. This had some magical realism in it that I was not prepared for.

Review originally posted on March 4, 2025 on FYA blog:

Cover Story: Fancy Shower?

Is it a tiled spa floor, is it a tiled bathroom wall? We’ll never know!

The Deal:

Lo Zhao-Jensen’s female family members have been fortune tellers as far back as they can remember with the unique ability to foretell their own soulmate. Lo has lived with the shame of being the only one without this ability UNTIL a hot summer night between freshman and sophomore year at college, when the vision hits her in the middle of a make-out sesh.

The timing is perfect, actually, because it foretells that she will meet The One during her backpacking trip to Italy. Lo and her college roommate, Bianca, will be following the itinerary her aunt and deceased mom took on their trip twenty years ago. How romantic, right?!

Except Bianca breaks her foot the day before they leave, so Lo has to recruit her high-school boy bestie, Teller, to join her so she won’t be staying in hostels alone. She and Teller haven’t seen each other in a year…when did he get those abs?

BFF Charm: Roger Murtaugh

Lo puts a lot of stock in these fortune-telling abilities, especially as it makes her feel closer to her mom, who died when she was too young to have any memories of her. This means she clings to these visions a little too hard, even as the people around her tell her to trust her gut. The second-guessing, hemming and hawing was a bit much at times—just speak your truth, girlie!—but it was relatable—yeeeah, it’s not always that easy! I share in her love of romantic comedies, and as an introvert, I’d love someone extroverted like her to tag along on a trip to help me make friends with the randos at my hostel.

Swoonworthy Scale: 4

Lo meets Caleb as he’s literally saving her life, and he’s exactly what the vision ordered: gorgeous, spontaneous, and gregarious. But I’m sure you’ll understand by my inclusion of Teller in The Deal that the course of true love doth not run smoothly. Lo and Teller are pure opposites that share an undeniably comfortable rapport, and if Lo has always had the teeniest, tiniest crush on Teller since the 10th grade, well, it didn’t matter because he was always with Sophie, and she was always dating some underrated jock.

I appreciated that there were plenty of moments where Lo and Teller were truly just friends versus a constant, secret pining. Also…kudos to the author on the makeout moments!

Talky Talk: Serviceable

My interest in this book was piqued when I heard that Lea was inspired by the 1994 rom-com Only You (starring an adorable Marisa Tomei and a YOUNG Robert Downey Jr.), which I have seen multiple times. This book is not a one-for-one remake, thankfully, but does bring up similar themes of traveling in Italy, natch, and whether you’re fated to be with a specific person. Unfortunately, while Lea crafted a serviceable romance, there was nothing that particularly stood out to make it memorable long beyond closing the back cover. I got a bit frustrated with Lo and her decisions near the end of the book, and parts of the beginning of their trip dragged a bit.

Bonus Factor: Italy

It seemed like 2024 was the year everyone on social media traveled to Italy EXCEPT ME. I really need to make it there one of these days. That being said, I don’t think this book showed off the country as well as other travel-romance books. There were plenty of moments where Italian things were mentioned, or touristy things were summarized as “they went here and there”, but if you took those out and just read the major moments…would it have mattered if the story was set in Italy?

Bonus Factor: Kick-Ass Aunties

While Lo will always miss her mother, she has always had wonderful, unwavering support in her mom’s sisters, Ellen and Mei. I love a good auntie in a story; they are always ready with sound advice and some kind of treat.

Factor: Love Triangles

If you want me to believe in a love triangle, both love interests really need to be stellar options. Teller obviously got a lot of page-time, and, to Lea’s credit, Caleb was a decent dude, but he did a LOT of monologuing versus conversing. Perhaps he’d work for others, but some of his views on life were making my eyelid twitch.

Relationship Status: Fated? Eh…

You’re nice, Book, but I can’t imagine that I’d be hit with a vision of us together forever. If you’d like to show me around Italy on your Vespa, I’ll take the free ride, but please don’t get down on one knee.

FTC Full Disclosure: I received my free review copy from Skyscape. I received neither money nor peanut butter cups in exchange for this review. Something Like Fate is available now.

Thankyou to netgalley for sending me a copy of this book, unfortunately this wasn't for me. I don't like love triangles and it felt a little too young for me which is completely my fault for requesting a ya and I will be more mindful in the future to not request anything younger. I'm sure some younger audiences would enjoy this though.

Coming of age/romance

Lo is an Asian American and all of the women in her family have visions to predict who they will marry. Lo so badly wants to be like the women in her family but she also wants it to feel right. She struggles with her identity and who she is meant to be. Lo talks her best friend into going to Italy with her to search for her soul mate.

#netgalleyreads #netgalley #netgalleyarc

This was a cute read! I have really like Amy Lea’s books! This one wasn’t a standout one to me though, it was fine, and I liked it but I liked her other books a lot more.

this was such a fun and cute story! I've read other stories by Amy Lea before and I love her writing style. She is like hugs and sunshine in a novel.

thank you so much to NetGalley for an E-Arc!

Wowww I had such a fun time with this story! Trip-of-any-kind stories aren't my favorite. Especially when it's two friends who are denying their feelings for one another. But against all my dislikes of those aspects, I was charmed by these characters and this story.

Lo is an outgoing and extroverted character who is looking for her soulmate. She has been told her whole life that the women in her family will have visions about their soulmates and if they don't, then they're cursed to be alone forever. This was the only magical part of this story and I found it wildly fun and thought provoking. Lo has always had trouble having visions, so when she finally has one she has to decide if she wants to follow its path or forge her own. It was great to see her emotional character growth.

I ADORED Teller. He was Lo's opposite and it was SO SWEET. She's loud and he's quiet. She's outgoing and he's introverted. She likes to fly by the seat of her pants and he's a planner. Ugh I loved them together so much.

How long it took the characters to get together and Lo's father hiding things from her annoyed me, but this book was so worth the read and I had a great time!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This book was hard for me to finish. I liked the idea of psychics and magic behind the story but the main character was so stubborn and dull at the end that it was painful to read her random and repetitive thoughts and doubts over and over again.

Every woman in Lo´s family has psychics powers, especially when it comes to finding your soulmate. The few women who missed that ability had lonely and disastrous lives. So, when Lo finally, one night, got something close to a vision, she is determined to follow it until the end no matter the consequences.

Teller is her best friend in the world, but her total opposite in every sense or so she thinks. When her girl best friend and travel companion can’t go to Italy with Lo, it’s her male best friend who comes along. Teller and Lo will go through a series of emotional and life adventures that will finally shift everything they all believed in before.

Honestly, I enjoyed the part where they describe their travel journey but Lo’s constant hesitation, specially at end felt like forced tool to prolong an unnecessary agony.

This book was fun! I enjoyed Lo going on a journey to find her soulmate. I loved her and Teller together. There was such chemistry between the two of them. When she was considering other guys I just wanted to shake her and tell her to open her eyes. This was an overall cute read.