I have absolutely adored the author’s previous novels so was excited to read Stars in an Italian Sky.
It’s a bit of a departure from the authors contemporary US set novels as it’s told over two timelines and set in Italy and the US. We meet two couples and find out how their stories connect. As ever, Santopolo writes beautifully, her observations on love and relationships are intense and insightful and her characterisation is so well done. However I did think it was the weakest of her novels and I wasn’t drawn into the story as much as with her previous books as the Italian narrative didn’t work as well for me .
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.
3.5 stars

A dual storyline telling the stories of two generations and how their families are united after many years apart. We cross the oceans from America to Italy from WW2 to present day. We learn about Cassie and her Grandma and how the romances with the de souza family are intertwined. It was an interesting book as the story really concentrated on Grandmas life with little dots of Cassie intertwined. The storylines mirrored each other , and shows us how time may pass but each generation can struggle with the same problems.
We were also shown how strong bonds can be within families and how we try to make everyone happy, sometimes to our own detriment, but hopefully love always wins!

Cancel all plans while reading - I inhaled this amazing book over one weekend and resented everything that kept me away from it! The writing was top notch and the characters were very real.

Could there be a better setting than this gorgeous book? I think not! I adored everything from the cover, to the characters and the beautiful story

I love a dual timeline novel and I love Italy so this was a real treat as it combined both. Highly recommended

This was my first book by this author but it won't be my last. Beautifully written with an engaging and captivating storyline and well developed characters

This is the first book I have read by this author and like me once you have read this book you can’t wait to read more.
It is a very unique love story that stood the test of time.
It is multi generational and will make you laugh and make you cry.
You will love Giovanna and Vincenzo and Cass and Luca and the way their love stories cross.
A very heat warming read
Can’t recommend it enough

From the moment I read the opening line, I was drawn into the stories of Vincenzo and Giovanna who couldn't be more worlds apart. One helping her family with their business after the war, the other an aristocrat. But suddenly they find themselves in a deep and passionate relationship. Expect when a political shift happens, they have t chose sides and future they want known, is gone.

Meanwhile in 2017 we are introduced to Cassandra and Luca who deepily in love. Although they are a modern day Romeo & Juliet, they soon find themselves, just like Vincenzo and Giovanna, having to choose as their past and present collide as they secrets, well they never do, remain just that, secrets....

This is a gorgeous, well written book by Jill, my first of hers, that you won't want to put down. Trust me.

I was ready for a family oriented, star-crossed lovers, multigenerational epic saga, and I genuinely thought this would be it, but unfortunately it just didn’t tick all the boxes for me.

I didn’t like any of the characters. I thought Cassandra was awfully indecisive and intensely annoying, and Luca came across as so aloof and self-centred. I didn’t like either of their controlling families, I didn’t like Giovanna or Vincenzo, and I thought the story skipped way too much and too quickly between the timelines, so you have no actual time to connect to anyone or anything. It was just a little flatter than expected.

It’s a quick, easy read, but not the layered, deep, tragic romance I expected.

Outstanding read. Very strong storyline and likeable characters who were easy to relate too. I knew some of the history of Italy from my school days but learnt more through the book. It was well written and could even have been the second in the series with the first having explored the characters lived before and during the war.

I enjoy books which flip back and forth between the past and present and this was no exception. It was broken down well and easy to flip between the two different time periods.

It was the first book I have read by this author and I hope she will write more Historical Fiction coupled with Romance.

Beyond excited for this gorgeous book! I have read and loved all of Jills previous books. And nothing like a Italian love story mixed in with some modern day romance to make readers swoon. Sanyo polo has not only a history of gorgeous writing and covers, but of tying stories both past and present together. Sharing more thoughts soon…
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From the New York Times bestselling author of The Light We Lost comes a sweeping and achingly romantic story of the course of fate, the meaning of family and the power of love. . .

Genoa, Italy, 1946. Vincenzo and Giovanna fall in love the moment they set eyes on each other. The son of a count and the daughter of a tailor, they belong to opposing worlds - but the undeniable spark between them quickly burns into a deep and passionate relationship, played out against their post-war city, and Vincenzo's family's beautiful vineyard. But when shifts in political power force them each to choose a side and commit what the other believes is a betrayal, the bright future they dreamed of together is shattered.

New York, 2017. Cassandra and Luca are in love. Although neither quite fits with the other's family, Cass and Luca have always felt like a perfect match for each other. But when Luca, an artist, convinces his grandfather and Cass's grandmother to pose for a painting, past and present collide to reveal a secret that changes everything . . .

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