Messy, Wonderful Us, this story, at the end of it, put a big smile on my face. It showed the beauty of human emotions.

Highly recommended read, I adored this, such a moving story about family, grief, loss, friendship and seeing beyond friendship. Wonderful twists and turns, amazing writing that makes you want to keep reading after the book ends. A completely unpredictable read for me, nothing predictable at all which I loved.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Loved this just as much as I did Catherine's last book - the setting, the characters, the twisty plot. Highly recommend!

This book was a true rollercoaster read! Allie has uncovered a family secret and with the help of her best friend Ed she is determined to discover what really happened in the past.

The friends head to Italy to try and fit together the missing pieces of her family history. What unfolds is magical storytelling . The surprises and turns in the story keep the reader wanting to know more.

Everyone can relate to having a messy wonderful family and this book definitely has the most perfect title.

The characters and locations are so well observed I felt I knew them personally and had travelled to Italy without leaving my armchair .

When all the pieces of the puzzle start to come together you cannot help but be touched by the captivating story.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for my chance to read this wonderful emotional book.

This is such a lovely book - its about Family life, secrets, grief, loneliness and friendship . Allie has a simple uncomplicated life or so she thinks - she discovers a letter which leads her to think she hasn't been told the truth about her upbringing and travels to Italy to find some answers. She is joined on her journey by her best friend Ed who welcomes the chance to escape and think over his life choices. Its an easy to read book and perfect for a holiday read .

What a wonderful book.
This book moved me so much. It’s a book about how messy love can be and how that changes us.
The ending was maybe not as I had exepected.
This book is perfect for anyone loving emotional family dramas

Just has wonderful has her first book! Heartwarming with twists and turns that aren’t expected. Can’t wait for the next one already and I need to book to visit all the places in Italy

I loved this book, I love the authors writing style and its so easy to get into the book and the characters lives and then you just want to keep reading until you find out what happens. I thought that the storyline was great, and there was some unexpected twists along the way. a brilliant read.

I loved this book - it was just so well written and a lovely well rounded story, I didn't want to put it down and spent a very happy day reading it.
The characters came alive through the writing and the only disappointment was I wanted a bigger comeuppance and the end!

This is an enjoyable read about family, friendships, love and heartbreak.
It’s an easy read, perfect for the beach,

Allie finds a letter, whilst at her grandparents house and it’s contents throw her into turmoil. What follows is a trip to Italy for Allie and her childhood friend, Ed and a story told, both in present time and the flashback memories of an unnamed woman.

I found it slow in parts and a tad predictable, but, overall it’s an easy, enjoyable read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I absolutely adored everything about Messy, Wonderful Us as it had a great attention retaining storyline, fabulous characters, heartache and happiness. My favourite characters were Allie and her Grandmother Peggy as both shared a special bond between them and secrets that as they unfold make this book such a page turner.

When single laboratory scientist Allie who is passionate in her work finding a cure for Cystic Fibrosis, discovers a hidden letter in her Grandmothers bedroom drawer their relationship shifts and not only between the two of them but also Allie’s childhood best friend Ed.

Ed and Allie embark on a wonderful trip to Italy, Allie to seek out a man who could possibly be her Father and Ed to contemplate the state of his marriage. As they do they both come to realise that their friendship has always been something more than that, but is it too late for them?

Emotional and captivating story that I had no problem in giving a 5 star rating.

My thanks to Net Galley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

The chance discovery of a cryptic decades-old letter hidden in her grandmother’s belongings sets in motion a chain of events which lead Allie Culpepper and her childhood friend, Ed to an idyllic Italian setting. In their search to uncover the truth about family secrets, they discover so much more. Sun-drenched dreamy locations, mouthwatering descriptions of food married with likeable characters, believable dialogue and an thoroughly enjoyable plot. A perfect frothy confection of drama and heartwarming romance. Highly recommended, particularly for the beach.

I expected Messy, Wonderful Us to be a pleasant, predictable story but I was in for a surprise! It is a story of love, secrets, family and grief with perfectly written strong - and sometimes, flawed - characters. Once I started, I couldn't out this book down. I look forward to reading Catherine Isaac's other books.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

was reading this wonderful story then suddenly there's a series of "OMG" moments that turn it on its head and suddenly I couldn't put it down and stayed up late to finish it. It's fascinating, shocking, touching and completely addictive.

This was a very moving read. This book follows the story of Allie who finds a letter in her grandmothers draw that turns her
life upside down. The letter in question makes her rethink what she’s been told about her parentage. A private investigator tell her that the answers she’s looking for are held in Italy. She brings her friend Ed along for the adventure and we find out the answers to the questions that Allie is looking for. This book focuses on the secrets held within a family and what impacts it has on them when they are discovered. This book had so many twist and turns that I could not put it down! A must read!!

Ali has been friends with Ed since schooldays. There have been a few times where their relationship could have became more intimate but due to circumstances it passed them by. Ed is now married to Julia but things are not going well so when Ali wants to go to Italy for some research into a family secret Ed decides to tag along to give his marriage some space.
The background of Lake Garda and other parts of Italy are amazing. I felt like I was walking the streets myself.
I wanted Ali to get together with Ed but with the obstacle of a wife in the way it seemed impossible.
It took a while to get to the family secret but it was worth the wait to find out.
Another good read by Catherine Isaac.

Messy, Wonderful Us is a nice story about two best friends destined to be together but don’t realise it until it is way too complicated.


A predictable read, but nice all the same. I enjoyed the travelling description and the plot that followed the main character through her journey to uncover the secrets her family have been hiding from her which make this one stand out.

Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy in return for an honest review
A very good read and one I can highly recommend to others.
I could not put this down.
Thoroughly enjoyable with an amazing cast of characters that you cannot help but engage with.

Whilst there is no doubt, this is beautifully written, it failed to engage me in the way I was hoping it would. Maybe it was because there were two points of view and random bits of back story nestled in amongst this.

A well written story, with strong, relatable characters (not always likeable) and a plot that kept me engaged and made me gasp out kid with some of the twists. The plot built till I was utterly gripped and couldn’t put it down! I was a bit lost by some of the science terminology at Rome’s and am not sure that the level of research detail added anything to the story for me. Would love to read the next part of Allie and Ed’s story- hope it’s being written!