Despite it being out for quite a few years now I did read it but somehow missed doing a review. This book has stuck with me as there are quite a few unexpected twists leaving you guessing what is going to happen next. Catherine Isaac always writes a great story

When Allie finds a letter hidden in her grandmother's house, everything she thought she knew about her life is thrown into disarray. On a quest for answers, she heads to Italy with her best friend, Ed, who is also going through a personal crisis and needs the time to work out where his future lies. The trip certainly isn't a holiday and they quickly get more than they bargained for, having to work through some uncomfortable truths before heading home to face reality

Messy, Wonderful Us is an easy-read, lighthearted rom-com, perfect for a summer beach holiday. The writing effortlessly transports you to the quaint towns and picturesque coast of Italy, with plenty of food and drink to make you wish you were there. Despite lacking depth, the main characters are likeable and it's easy to get sucked into their storylines. The story is a bit repetitive at times but the plot itself has some good twists, though is eye-rollingly predictable in parts. I particularly can't get my head around Ed spontaneously joining Allie on this trip to Italy because he was having marriage issues; I understand they are best friends but their friendship felt a little forced and try hard as adults (again, making my question why they'd suddenly take a trip together...). It felt like it was purely for the plot and that made it hard to believe.

I enjoyed learning about Allie's research into Cystic Fibrosis but this was also a bit overdone at times; I felt like it was there to ground the novel in something serious and balance out the lightheartedness but in a not-so-subtle way.

Having really enjoyed the author's previous novel, 'You, Me, Everything,' I expected more from this one but found it underwhelming and nothing I haven't read before.

This is such a wonderfully written story in the most beautiful setting which will move you, uplift you and will ultimately leave you feeling warm inside. Great characters, clever plotting and full of genuine emotion this might be my favourite by Issaac yet!

The writing style is well thought of. I did liked her first book, You, Me, Everything so I was curious for this one. The story is most of all told by Allie, some chapters by Ed and the mysterious chapters from someone else. It took me a while to connect all the dots and figure out who this mystery person was. The story is written in presents time but gives flashbacks from the past. Thereby it gives the reader a little bit suspension about what is going on and where its all headed to.
I loved to get to know Ed and Allie.

I liked the idea of this book but found the two main characters annoying in parts and their interactions with the child a bit too unrealistic. Lovely setting in Italy, however.

A well written read with a cast of believable characters and a beautiful and inticing setting. I enjoyed this.

A beautiful read with a fabulous selection of characters. I really enjoyed the story and I definitely believe this is the authors best book to date!

A beautifully written story. Characters that come to life through the pages. And also the setting is like a character in itself. Stunning.

I loved Catherine Isaac’s precious novels and this one is no different. Her books are joyous and all around brilliant!

Thank you to the publisher for my eARC copy of this book. Unfortunately I didn’t love this book and therefore didn’t finish, I just didn’t connect with this one. Not for me, sorry.

A lovely and poignant book with a beautiful setting. I've never been to Verona but this painted a wonderuful image of the city.

Brilliant. This was a well written book that I greatly enjoyed and already plan to recommend. Believable characters and an inticing setting. Some parts were perhaps a little lengthy, but maybe because I was impatient to reach the novels conclusion! Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Review by Kelly Lacey
Allie’s world is one filled with love and family. But when she accidentally opens an envelope in her Grandmothers drawer, her whole safe world begins to crumble.

I fell in love with Catherine Isaac’s writing style. It is beautiful, well-paced not to heavy on mushy emotion but just the right amount for you to connect and care about the characters. A terrific story weaver, tentatively giving you the bits of the puzzle to fit together and just when you think you have it solved whooshing you off with a new twist.

At the heart of the book is the affect secrets have on our lives. How many times do we not cause a scene or express our feelings because we wouldn’t want to make a scene or create a fuss? How many opportunities are missed in life because we are taught to have that wall of the face we put out to the world? In the book as well as secrets in her family, Allie has them too. But the angst it brought me as I read the book wondering what would happen was incredible. I could see and feel everything as it played out.

Italy plays a key character in the book and the descriptions were so perfect. Garda is an area I have visited and Catherine Isaac captures it perfectly.


My absolute favourite character was Granny Peggy. It was nice to see the history of the older characters in the book as well as following the younger Allie and Ed on their mission. Seeing life through Peggy in the ’60s was fascinating and heartbreaking.

The copy I read was the paperback edition and it is so fresh and lemony looking. The light sage green and the lemons on the front is a gorgeous and beautiful addition to my bookcase.

Catherine Isaac is a new firm favourite of my must-buy authors.

A talented storyteller with a knack for pulling on the heartstrings.

Kelly Lacey

Unfortunately I had to purchase a new Kindle device and could no longer access this book. I will come back and review if I read this in the future.

This is a beautifully written and evocative story of a woman trying to uncover the truth about her family. I don't want to say too much about the plot here as I went into this one slightly blind and I think my reading experience was all the better for it. However, I will say that this book is an emotional rollercoaster and you would be well advised to keep some tissues handy when reading it! Well written, and a beautiful setting too.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

Catherine Isaac has a warm and conversational prose style. I enjoyed the definite Englishness of her writing. Though sometimes I thought her scene setting was a bit labored, if I'm honest, but maybe that is just me though.

Anyway, childhood besties Allie and Ed travel to Verona while pursuing and/or avoiding some serious emotional baggage and upheaval. A beautiful setting for an enjoyable work of general fiction.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

A gret read that keeps you interested throughout. Some surprises as the book progresses.
The setting of the book also sounded amazing.

Emotional rollercoaster of a read. I loved this book & would highly recommend it to anyone. Love this author.

Well written novel and loved the twists and turns in the storyline along with the narration from different points of view. Its quite a light read and easy to get through