Lovely feel good book to read. It was a joy to read. Lovely characters. Great plot. The book was charming. Very well written. I’d definitely recommend this book. Idyllic location to draw you in. The author described it to perfection

This is a gorgeous romance story, and the Italian setting was a beautiful distraction from the grey days I'm going through right now.

I enjoyed the narrator but often found her accents a little trying.

This was my first Sue Moorcroft book but I will definitely be back for more.

Under the Italian Sun - Sue Moorcroft

I was rooting for the main character and felt swept away to Italy (which would be perfect right now). I enjoyed the romance aspects but did find Zia's friend quite irritating. A lovely little read, but I did find it a bit slower paced than other Sue Moorcroft books that I have usually always given 5 stars to. Thank you NetGalley and Avon publishers for me E-ARC in return for my honest opinions.

I really enjoyed Under The Italian Sun - it made a great audio book and I think it would make an equally great page turner as a light hearted summer read.
The narrator was great- her accents were fab and fitting.
Thank you Netgalley for this audio book.
4 stars.

This is a perfect summer holiday read. I enjoyed delving deep into the italian sun, along with Zia-Lucia and her friend. The reason Zia and her friend are in Italy is to look for Zia's birth family. She finds her family but she also finds a handsome vineyard owner called Piero. Will she find love with him?

The descriptions of Italy were beautiful and I felt like I was inside the book, enjoying the hot, sunny weather and the traditional food and drink. The characters were perfect for the story and I enjoyed the family focused element of the book.

The narrator of the book was great and her different accents were superb. The book was easy to listen to while I was doing my gardening work. I enjoyed using the Net Galley app.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins Audio and Sue Moorcroft for an Audio ARC in return for an honest review.

I didn’t realise how much I needed this book until I read it. What a beautiful, heart-warming and loveable story. I genuinely felt like crying when I finished it. It is beautifully written and you feel like you are in Italy with the characters. There were some comedic points also. A wonderful plot and book. I hope there will be a second instalment!

What a beautiful story.
The story plot is super interesting and so, so emotional. It's not the average happy go lucky plot but there is so much hurt and secrets it keeps the story interesting.
The characters are also super interesting. I really liked the relationship between Zia-Lucia and Piero and how they manage to stay together even after all the obstacles they face. I also really like that their relationship doesn't start immediately romantic. It grows steadily.
The narrator of this audiobook is good. I like their voice a lot and I think they bring Zia alive particularly well.

*ARC received from publisher via NetGalley

I really enjoyed listening to Under the Italian Sun.
The story lines were very enjoyable and the descriptions were fantastic. I was transported to beautiful Italy and intrigued by the wonderfully written characters.
I found Zia-Lucia to be a likeable protagonist, she's feisty and grounded; determined to rid herself of her feeble ex and the chemistry between her and Piero is sizzling at times.

I found the narrator pleasant to listen to aswel.

Given that we can't travel at the moment due to Covid, the next best thing of course is to travel by book. This novel will take you to the heart of Umbria, to a fictional village called Montelibertà set at 600M. It is near to Perugia, and Orvieto was in part the inspiration for Montelibertà; Lake Trasimeno is not far away. The whole book conjures up the feel of this beautiful area of Italy. It is full of sunbaked terraces, vineyards, the lavender fragrance mingling with the herbs that dot the countryside, the chirruping sound of crickets punctuating the balmy evenings and pure skies at night are speckled with stars.

Zia-Lucia is living in Brighton and has just been made redundant, and now she has emotional space perhaps to delve into her past. She was brought up by loving grandparents but somewhere along the line there are holes in the fabric of her family history and she decides to trawl through old papers to really get to the heart of her own story. She discovers discombobulating information that wobbles her to the core, and the deeper she goes, the more she is driven to set off in search of her biological father, who seems to hail from Italy. After all, she hasn't randomly been given an Italian sounding name and there is quite a mystery to resolve!

She is hoping that she could perhaps ultimately take up residency in Italy, after all why not as she is half Italian! However, in order to facilitate this, given that the UK is now outside the EU and the ease of movement between countries has been scuppered by Brexit, she encounters so many more hurdles to jump through. Confirming direct blood lineage would certainly expedite the process for her and thus, another incentive to discover the true identity of her father.

She is soon on her way to Italy with her great friend Ursula - both women are having man trouble at home - so a break from the quotidian seems like a promising idea. What's not to like about Italy and the glorious weather and perhaps an adventure or two!

They book into a property run by the family with whom she believes she has links and being at the heart of a voluble and hearty Italian family, headed by the welcoming Lucia (and yes, it seems she has the same name as Zia!) proves to be a whirlwind baptism of fire, with a rather dashing Piero in the adjoining property. There is wine to be made, ceramics to be painted, family disagreements to be settled and property issues that need addressing. Zia has propelled herself onto a real rollercoaster of family discovery.

Of course there is heartache along the way, the path of true love never does run smoothly. There are bumps along the road, both physical and emotional but this is a lovely uplifting novel, full of heart, with likeable characters that takes the reader to the heart of Italy. I listened to this as an audiobook and on my Covid walks I was transported from the mizzle and mist, the grey clouds swirling above (Summer in England, you know how it is) to Italian sunshine, love and a real zest for life.

A beautifully narrated, uplifting escapist read, set in the glorious Italian sunshine. Following the death of her grandparents, Zia suspects family secrets have been kept from her and heads to Italy with her best friend in search of answers. The road is not smooth and Zia faces difficulties with her ex-boyfriend as well as encountering obstacles and disappointments in Italy. Immersive and enjoyable with great narration. This is my first book by the author but I would love to read more.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What more do you want on a rainy day in England, but to be transported into the Italian sunshine. The author definitely took me there with the beautiful descriptive writing. And it will probably be the closest I get this year.

Zia, discovers that her mother isn't who she thought she was, after finding some papers in the attic from her Grandparent, she follows the only clues she has and tried to make sense of her Mums letters. Zia travels to Italy, in search of some answers, hoping to get some work whilst she is out there. She takes along her bff Ursula who is having marital problems and the girls following the paper trail find themselves in Umbria, an Italian region bordering Tuscany. Once there we are introduced to so many amazing, colourful characters. Especially Piero, their attractive neighbour, who runs the family vineyard, He definitely brought the romance element to the book.

This is a really nice feel good book set in an amazing location.

My thanks to the publisher Avon and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sue Moorcrofts Under the Italian Sun is a beautiful, warming romance story with a few crazy ex partners and a family mystery to solve.

The narrator is fantastic with different accents and you can really distinguish the characters.

The descriptions of Italy, the accommodation, the wine and food makes you wish you were there with Zea.

Review of Under the Italian Sun by Sue Moorcroft - Audiobook

This is the story of Zia-Lucia Costa Chalmers who has lost both her Mother and Grandparents, who helped to raise her after her Mothers untimely death. Having never known her father, other than being told he was Italian. She finds a pile of old letters and keepsakes when clearing out her Grandparents house, this sets her off on a journey of discovery to Italy to try and find her father. She wants to live in Italy, so figures out having a Italian father will help with the application visa process. As well as needing answers about her past. Along the way she meets Piero, who lives next doors, and provides the romance element to the story.

A lovely story set in a fabulous setting. The location was set out so well it felt like you were there in the warm sun drinking wine. I had the audiobook version, this was well read and clear and easy to listen to. Recommended

Zia Lucia- Costa has got questions that need to be answered. Time to travel to Italy for a summer with her best friend Ursuala. Pack your bags and go on her adventure to find more about her ITalian family. Zia finds a lot more than just her family. Will she find the answers that she is searching for ? Will she gain what she is longing for?

I really enjoyed being taken to Italy and find out more about Zia. Nice to escape and a great narrator too. Thank you Net Galley and Avon Books.

Mystery,Romace, Sizzling Sun....
A touch of mystery, a touch of romance and a touch of good living under the sizzling Italian sun. Some perfect escapism again from Sue Moorcroft in the most glorious setting. Narration is seemless in this audio edition with good switching between characters and intonation. Enjoyable, relaxing listening experience.

Exactly what you come to expect from Sue Moorcroft. Well crafted, relatable, multi layered characters and an absolute joy to listen too. Works beauas an audiobook

Under the Italian Sun - Sue Moorcroft
Narratedby Tamaryn Payne

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review thanks to HarperCollins UK Audio and Netgalley.

Welcome to Italy. A place that holds the answer to Zia-Lucia Costa Chalmers’ many questions. Not least, how she ended up with such a mouthful of a name.

When revelations close to home turn Zia’s world upside down, she realises the time has come to search out the Italian family she’s never known.

But as she looks for answers, she can’t help but notice Piero, the vineyard owner next door – a distraction who may prove difficult to ignore…

I was hooked from the beginning of this book, I stopped the other book I was reading because I just had to read on! I was impressed with just how many different topics had been squeezed into this book and how they had all been cleverly intertwined.

In a story clearly set in recent times, due to the mention of Brexit, I was pleasantly surprised that the dreaded Covid-19 pandemic was not mentioned at all.

In all, this is a beautifully written story that you will just fall in love with!

Rating 5/5

I challenge you to read this book without becoming hooked

I thoroughly enjoyed Sue Moorcroft's Under the Italian Sun once I finally got into it, which took about 5 chapters. The story revolves around Xia who discovers her life has been one big lie and that she has Italian relatives soon after her grandparents pass away. She travels to Italy with a friend to learn more. Like with any book there are plenty of twists and surprises, along with the obligatory love interest.

Sue could not have painted a picture of the Italian vista any better if she had well, painted a picture. She 'paints' with words like I have never seen before making me feel like I was actually there.

There was plenty of emotion throughout from anger, sadness, compassion and a few laugh out load moments. I love a book than can really make me feel and this book definitely did that!!!

Tamaryn Payne's narration was perfect and truly enhanced the story. Her use of voices, and relevant accents - american, English, Irish and of course Italian was spectacular. She spoke the Italian phrases exceptionally well too.

I truly believe that this is one book where the narration enhanced the story rather than just tell it.

I enjoyed listening to Under the Sun, however, I did find that I wasn’t gripped - I didn’t find myself looking for any spare moment in the day to grab the headphones and listen.
The narration by Tamaryn Payne was great, and it was refreshing to have the different accents covered throughout.
One thing I really did enjoy is that Zia is strong and determined, despite the road to her finding her family truth being somewhat rocky, something that isn’t often portrayed. And the level of detail Sue Moorcroft went into, did allow you to close your eyes and imagine you were in lovely Umbria, Italy.
As previously mentioned, I did find that I wasn’t hooked by this Audiobook. I found the characters difficult to become emotionally attached too, but perhaps listening to this at home on a rainy day was not giving the book the best chance. I think this would make a good holiday read/listen, with the waves in the background to really help set the scene.

Under the Italian Sun has all the elements you would hope for from a summer read (or listen in my case), a wonderful setting making you wish you were in an Italian vineyard and well rounded characters having problems with their relationships.

I enjoyed the story but the only slight downside I found was that I didn’t take very well to some of the accents the narrator gave the characters, particularly the Italian men. Although I got used to it I found it quite distracting to begin with. If I had read the book rather than listened to the audiobook I probably would have given 4 stars.