A heartwarming romantic read!
The descriptions of the food & scenery were spot on.
I really enjoyed this one

Such a cute cover! It looks like such a fun read!

The story has a cute premise, as Lou travels to Italy with her daughter who is attending music camp. Once there the newly divorced Lou connects with music teacher, Nick.

Is it a fun summer romance? Or are there too many entanglements and too much baggage to help it be a care free escape?

I don’t love the divorced mom and music teacher concept, but there are aspects of it that work.
The setting of Italy is amazing!

This one has some hits and misses for me. Something didn’t fully draw me in and keep me invested, but there are plenty of good parts with great potential.

Wanting to escape the dreary, cold weather? This book expertly transports you to the Italian countryside with warmth and charm. However, the same could not be said about the key characters and I found myself detached from their struggles and insecurities.

The best thing about this book is the Italian setting. Mack portrays it brilliantly and the descriptions were incredibly vivid. I felt like I was with Lou and Nick, escaping to experience an Italian summer by Lake Garda. Knowing how stunning this area is, I think Mack really recreates this setting through such immersive descriptions. It was the most enjoyable element of the story.

On the other hand, whilst I truly sympathised with the inner demons that both Lou and Nick carry, I could not express any true interest in their growing connection. Lou’s lack of self-belief was a little frustrating, especially where she felt she needed to discover a new talent of hers. It felt like she was trying to justify herself for the sake of her ex-husband. I could understand why Lou felt so low and lacking confidence, but I was exasperated by the exaggerated attempts to prove herself. Furthermore, I don’t think she was quite the most supportive of parents for her daughter, Edie, and although she was more there for her than her ex-husband, thought that Lou conveniently forgets about Edie with the excitement for Nick.

Nick: the stereotypical teacher that many mums can picture. He is young, attractive and clearly single. Popular in the playground, Lou cannot deny her feelings for him, even if he is a bit younger than her. The two connect over their belief in Edie’s musical talents, leading to Lou accompanying the orchestra to the music camp in Italy. From meeting family and taking time out together, Lou and Nick’s connection grows, creating a summer love story.

But this failed to ignite any spark with me. I think this was because it didn’t feel too original and I was exasperated by the lack of belief either character felt. With so much baggage, I thought it took a long time for both characters to work through their issues, before eventually moving forwards and leaving the past behind. In my opinion, I thought Mack took a long time in establishing some of these elements, which is how I found my attention wandering.

For an Italian escape, this is definitely up there and it has certainly increased my hunger to visit such an apparently beautiful part of the world. For a romantic read, I was not really charmed by the protagonists and frustrated by their feelings.

With thanks to Boldwood books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Oh I read way too many books centred in Italy, get me there asap! I was so excited to travel there once again through the power of books & Leonie made it such a mesmerising and magical experience. This was a beautifully written slow burn romance, which had me smiling and giggling.

Italy has been on my travel bucket list for quite some time, Luckily, this book really will transport you there, so I felt I was sitting on an Italian Rivera while reading it.

This is well written, hilariously funny, and the slow burn romance was as beautiful as the setting

I am obsessed with traveling to Italy and so I was all for this read!! Sadly, it just couldn't hold my interest. I was only able to get through a quarter before I moved on to other reads. I really wanted to like this one, but I don't have the time I used to to push through a slump. Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a review.

This book was adorable and honestly kind of cheesy but the good kind of cheesy. The kind of cheese you eat while you drink a good glass of wine while reading a good book. This book was cheesy for sure but good. It definitely is a fluff read but if you're like me and into that, then this will be right up your alley.

Not only is this cover bright and beautiful but so was the story. In these times of uncertain travel books are great escapism and this was exactly that. The descriptions and settings were really well done but the characters conversations did feel a little stale sometimes and a bit repetitive.

I was sent this book by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

To say I loved this book is an understatement. I REALLY loved this book. It is written beautifully, it has a great story and I have completely fallen in love with both Nick, Lou and Edie. Not to mention the descriptions of northern Italy have me wanting to visit so badly. I loved everything about this story.

Nick is a former child protege of all things music - the violin, the piano and singing. But after suffering terrible stage fright, he settled into becoming a middle school music teacher in London. Meet Edie - his youngest student that is terribly gifted with the violin. And her mom, Lou - a very beautiful woman who is going through a divorce from her nasty husband, Phil. Phil constantly puts down Lou and makes her doubt everything about her own worth. But a three week trip to Italy for her daughters music camp totally changes her life.

This story is such a feel good story - I recommend it highly.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions stated above are mine without biases.

Such an amazing read I loved the whole book. Getting lost in Lou's world and feeling every emotion with her over Phil and Nick this book most certainly draw's you in. Highly recommend! It's a book you don't want to put down in the anticipation of what's coming next. Should be on everyone's summer read list!

This is the story of Lou and Nick, which is told over the course of 26 Chapters (+Epilogue). This story is intriguing from the start, the author really knows what to write in order to get the reader hooked. This opening is brilliant in the aspect that it gives the reader just enough information to keep them reading.
The descriptions of the locations given throughout this book are really top notch to the point that readers are able to visualize the scenery. The descriptions make the reader feel like they could be at these locations.
Readers be warned, this book gets emotional. Lou is on a journey following her divorce to get her life back. This journey is filled with twist and turns. Nick is also on his own journey, to face his past in Milan. Where these journey's cross is what the reader finds out.
Overall I really enjoyed this book. It was emotional for me, but I loved every minute. Although the book took me a hot minute to get addicted, it still kept me reading.

This book took me away to another place. I’m became a fan of this author from reading this book. Good read. Really enjoyed this story. I will read more. Go read This now

This was a great read and gave me all the feels! I want to go to Italy so badly and this just heightened the need.

A wonderful story of how when your feeling unloved, unappreciated and totally down about life. A trip to Italy as a companion to a school music festival opens your eyes to new surroundings, love and a whole host of new beginnings. Loved it

Sue Moorcroft and Jo Thomas fans will not want to miss Leonie Mack’s charming, witty and heart-warming new novel, Italy Ever After.

TV journalist Lou’s divorce from her husband Phil has left her with her confidence in complete and utter tatters. Lou has had the rug well and truly pulled out from under her feet and now she barely recognises herself any more. With her joie de vivre and sense of fun severely depleted, Lou needs to keep a smile on her face for the sake of her beloved daughter, Edie. When Edie needs someone to accompany her to music camp in Italy for a whole month during the summer, Lou jumps at the chance. She cannot wait to see the sights, treat herself to all the culinary delights Italy has to offer and make new friends and broaden her horizons. The last thing Leonie is looking for is romance, but fate might have other ideas…

Edie’s teacher Nick Romano finds being at home in Italy completely reinvigorating. However, old memories and past regrets have come back to haunt him and he is in desperate need of distraction – which his fledgling romance with Lou is certainly providing! A summer fling far from his mother Greta’s interfering eye is just what the doctor ordered. However, the more time Nick spends with Edie, the more he finds himself falling for her…

As their feelings for one another grow with each passing day, Lou and Nick find themselves falling head over heels in love with one another. But with the summer coming to an end and Lou about to head back home, is a future for the two of them possible? Or should they just cut their losses and resign themselves to the fact that their romance was just a summer fling?

Leonie Mack’s Italy Ever After is a fun read that ticks all the boxes for the perfect summertime romance: a gorgeously recreated setting, fabulous characters, poignant emotional drama and laugh out loud humour.

A heart-warming and uplifting read about second chances, starting over and taking a leap of faith, Leonie Mack’s Italy Ever After is an indulgent and escapist summer romance readers are going to love.

I've never read anything from this author before but as soon as I saw Italy in the title I knew I needed to read it. Italy is my absolute favourite place to visit and I've stayed in Lake Garda twice and it's such a beautiful place. So I just saw the cover and said this will be amazing.

With not being able to travel anywhere at the moment with Covid travel restrictions it was nice to read something and it take you away for a little while.

The story was brilliant and I loved Lou, Nick and Eddie so much.

I can't wait to read more from this author xx

The scenes and descriptions of Italy are great in this book, but it bogged down in details that only exist in the main character's head. The romance is hot, or as hot as it can be at music camp with a group of high schoolers. It was a good story, but it dragged a little for me.

I absolutely loved the dynamic of this romance. It is not totally typical - it follows a recently single mom who wants the best for her daughter so she volunteers to chaperone a school trip to Italy! During their time in Italy an unexpected romance sparks for mom and its just the cutest thing ever.

Louise “Lou” is recently divorced from her husband Phil, who is now in a relationship with a younger woman. Phil’s impression of Lou is that she is average and has no talent which weighs on Lou, even though the romance is gone. They have a musically gifted daughter named Edie, who is eleven and about to go to a music school next year. Before her time at her current school ends, she is offered a place in a music camp for the summer that is run by her music teacher, Nick Romano. The camp also happens to be near Nick’s hometown in rural Italy at Lake Garda with a final performance at a competition in Milan. To support her daughter, Lou volunteers as a chaperone for the trip and also wants to use the trip as an opportunity to try and find her calling and talent.

Lou finds herself quite enamored with Nick and Nick finds himself attracted to Lou. Both know they need to keep their distance as each not only have their own personal issues that they are working through, but they also have to tread lightly since Nick is still Edie’s teacher for the summer. Their relationship does develop slowly over time as they work their way from a purely professional teacher-parent to friends to more over the course of the summer. Lou is a tv journalist that does occasional pieces on tv where her ex-husband is a major producer. She lacks confidence in herself and does not see her potential to shine. On the other hand, Nick has many demons of his own where he also doubts his own worth.

Both character’s not only go through their own journeys, but they also work through it all together along with the wonderful secondary characters, such as the other chaperones and Nick’s mother, who happens to come be a part of the camp. There are moments where Lou’s self-deprecation can be a little wearing on the reader, but you still find yourself rooting for her to grow and learn just how great she actually is and you wish her happiness. For both characters, I loved how the children, Lou with her own child and Nick as the teacher for the whole class, always came first. Even if the two of them wanted to be alone, they would put the children’s needs first as this was a school trip.

The passion for music in this story is apparent and I love how the author wrote about the various viewpoints. Edie (and the other students) and Nick have a huge passion for music and play their instruments and sing every chance they get as they find music to be their calling. Then there are those, like Lou and Phil, who do not share those talents and are more outsiders. Lou appreciates the hard work and dedication and tries her best to understand the way of a musician. Alternatively, there is Phil, who does not understand and does not see the value in dedicating so much time when there is a high probability of rejection. These differences were seamlessly woven into the story of personal growth and romance.

Overall, this story was a nice light-hearted read. There are many heart-warming moments as the two main characters are on a journey of self-discovery with a great cast of secondary characters that are all written well. There are characters, such as Lou, that you obviously are meant to root for and there are characters, such as Phil, that are written well as the villains. The first interaction the reader gets to experience is Lou trying to convince Phil to let their daughter attend the music camp and it beautifully sets up the two characters without the need to fully explore their backgrounds. This story was cute and I loved the gorgeous Italian setting and wish I could visit with the olive trees and beautiful lake!

**I give a special thank you to Rachel @rararesources, the author, Leonie Mack, and the publisher, Boldwood Books, for the opportunity to participate via Netgalley with this excellent and heartwarming novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

Favorite Quotes:

She always looked as though she were hurtling through life straddling a hydrogen bomb.

She was finally letting go of her identity as Phil’s wife and latching on to the first man who came into range. Urgh, it made her sound like a sniper peering through her scope.

Watching Lou suppress a moan at the mushroom ravioli was like accidentally catching a glimpse of someone in the shower.

He knew it hadn’t been easy for her, but she didn’t just accept life’s lemons, she grabbed them off the tree and made silly faces with them.

My Review:

I adored every word of this cleverly amusing and delightfully engaging tale. It was my first chance to read this witty and talented author and I found her work pleasantly entertaining as well as insightful and deliciously textured with humor, lush descriptions, and keen observations.

A newly divorced mom finds she is crushing on teacher – her daughter’s teacher – but it is a huge crush and she can’t stop looking at his delectable backside while he conducts her young daughter’s music group. And that could be a problem as she is to chaperone her daughter’s class of preteens to a musical retreat with the hot teacher at his family’s farm in Italy. And be still my heart, the hot man blushes, a lot.

The struggling characters were fun to unravel and endearingly appealing, except for the heinous ex-husband, he was a waste of good skin. The premise was inviting while the writing craftily took us on an exploratory adventure of the heart and soul as well as exposure to a new country. Sigh. I seem to have an intense craving for pasta with some gelato for dessert. There goes my diet…