Messy, Wonderful Us

Allie finds a letter in grandma Peggy’s drawer and in makes her question her parentage. She takes best friend Ed whose on an adventure to Italy after a private investigator suggests the answers to her questions are there. Ed is going through some relationship problems so it’s the ideal getaway for him. Meanwhile there is a sub story of Peggy’s youth running through the story. This was the most wonderful story of a family with secrets, I thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend.

What an incredible setting for this book! Sun-drenched Italy, was as much a character in this story as Allie and Ed. Full of twists and turns, this family saga kept me turning the pages, right to the end.
Catherine Issac expertly untangles the hidden secrets of best friends Allie and Ed. The perfect read to add sunshine to your life - any time of the year.

This book had me feeling a rainbow of emotions.

Allie finds out something about her mother's past and takes off to Italy to get some answers because no one else is willing to speak about it. Last minute, she is joined by her BFF Ed who is going to sort his thoughts about his marriage. Totally platonic friendship; he's sorting and speaking Italian and she's coming to terms with her mother's past and what that means for her. All should be well, right? If so, I wouldn't have felt a rainbow of emotions.

I was gripped, I tell you. And whilst I was trying to hide from my husband the fact that I was welling up at a book, I was pleading that my heart wasn't actually going to rip in two. This story unfolded in ways that I didn't expect. It feels like a little secret surprise - like you're getting 3+ stories in one package. The weaving of timelines was done so well, and there were surprises that popped up every now and again that just made me go "wow, I didn't expect that" and I loved it for that. This wasn't just a romance, this was heart breaking and soul repairing and uplifting and at times you wanted to wring people around their necks and just say "use. your. words!!!" but you know what? It was messy and it was wonderful. And "Us" covers a whole spectrum of people.

This is actually THE PERFECT title for this novel. Messy, Wonderful Us. Loved it! Five stars with no hesitation.

This is my first Catherine Isaac book and it certainly did not disappoint.
A wonderful, emotional read, which follows Allie as she tries to find answers to a family secret she uncovers by accident.
She travels to Italy in search of the truth, accompanied by her school friend Ed, who is escaping his own troubles.
As they search for answers, the families back stories are revealed to us and we learn about their love, heartbreak, strength and life long friendship.
This is a book you would read in one sitting if on a long journey or sitting on a sun lounger, I squeezed it in between school runs and after bedtime.
Thank you for such a heartwarming tale, I now must read You, Me, Everything.

I really didn't expect to love this book as much as I did! The story starts with Allie who takes a trip to Italy to uncover some of her family history. I don't want to go into the plot too much as it was a book that constantly surprised and delighted me. It's beautifully written and a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. It's a perfect summery beachy read but to be honest wherever you read it- you can't go wrong!

An emotional rollercoaster of a book that I couldn’t leave alone!

Allie questions everything she knows when she uncovers a family secret. She heads off to Italy in search of answers, with her childhood best friend Ed in tow, who is keen to escape his crumbling marriage.

Messy, Wonderful Us is a twisty, intriguing tale of family, love, secrets and misunderstandings. As with all complicated situations, things get heart-wrenchingly worse before they get better. I was totally invested in Allie and Ed’s story and was not disappointed with its bittersweet ending.

An uplifting and moving read.

If you want a book that will take you on a rollercoaster of a journey, then this is it. Finding a letter that could have potential to be a life changer, Allie embarks on a trip to Italy with her oldest friend Ed in the hope of finding answers. There is so much more to this book, but i am not going to give anything away. The story is so skillfully written and the author does not shy away from sensitive issues. A wonderful story.

This book is the sheer definition of a summertime beach read. Familiar characters, a great story line with just enough twists to keep it interesting without being hard work and a great ending.
I read with envy as I envisioned the perfectly described stunning scenery and was left fully satisfied at the end of the book which is rare with so many series of books these days, although, I’d be more than happy to read more about this lovely family

I can't even describe how excited I was for this book. Ever since Catherine Isaac published You Me Everything last year, I wanted more. And she topped it with this!!!

We follow Allie in this story, who is an academic research scientist and has always been careful and organized in her life.
Well, she finds a letter in grandmother's things, talking about a possible boyfriend her mother had, when she was young, namely 9 months before Allie was born. She can't ask her mother, because she died when she was six years old. Her grandmother didn't want to talk about the topic, so Allie decides to go to Italy and find out herself.

Always by her side is her best friend Ed. They have been best friends since childhood. Ed is married to Julia, but things aren't easy. Him going away with Allie doesn't help.
Well, their path leads them and us readers on a journey through Italy. The way of finding Stefano isn't easy, they are not successful everywhere. Of course, they spend a lot of time together and one thing kind of leads to another.
When they eventually find Stefano, things also turn out to be a bit different than expected.

The great thing about this story: we can read it from different perspectives: Allie, Ed and also the grandmother, which means we learn a lot about her past as well as Allie's mum's past.

I loved seeing Italy through their eyes and I think Catherine Isaac captured all their feelings beautifully, it was very touching and emotional. A roller-coaster ride with ups and downs and the ending, omg, quite something.

Loved it! Just the sort of intelligent romance for when I want an easy read. Really entertaining, heartbreaking at times and also filled with joy, would happily recommend this book!

A beautiful compelling book. Messy Wonderful Us is one of those rare reads which spans romance, intrigue, thrilling twists and history. It’s perfect. Even better than You Me Everything.

I really enjoyed the last Catherine Isaac book so was thrilled to see she had another out and better still it’s as good as the previous one. Allie is a great character, single but a real family woman and very close to the dad who raised her from the age of 6, she has a job is passionate about and overall is happy with life. When she stumbles across an old letter she can’t get the contents out of her head even though she’s warned to forget about it. Ed is her best friend from way back, highly intelligent and with a very successful career, happily married and appears to have it all, so why is unhappy? They travel to Italy to uncover the answer to Allie’s past and try to work out just what is wrong with Ed. This story has secrets in abundance, brilliantly revealed drip by drip, fantastic locations and a very deep chemistry between the best friends. It’s wonderfully told by Catherine Isaac and I highly recommend this book.

Wow! I read it in one sitting. It’s a roller coaster of emotions which will have you laughing, sobbing, smiling, hoping, loving! Allie is a grown-up, you know, a proper grown up with a responsible job and everything! But when she accidentally uncovers what may be a secret, what maybe a huge secret she knows she must investigate further. So off she heads to Italy. And you will feel the sun, smell the herbs, taste the wine and have your heartstrings tugged like crazy
If you only read one book this year, let it be this one!

Wow. What an amazingly heartfelt novel! I knew by reading the synopsis that it was going to pull on the heartstrings but when I started reading it it was quite a bit more emotional than what I thought it was going to be! The location was idyllic and sounded so beautiful and I really related to the characters - more than I initially thought I would actually! I haven't read many novels by this author but I'll definitely be on the look out for more in future!

Another fab read from this soon to be must read author, a great rom com with touching characters and a great thread pulling the different narratives together.

Firstly I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. I thought I knew what to expect after reading the synopsis but nothing prepared me for the emotional roller coaster that followed, The descriptions of Italy were so perfect I felt I was there with Allie and Ed and I could feel the sun on me and taste the food and drink. I couldn't put it down and I thought the ending was superb, I will be recommending it to everyone I know.