Coming-of-age novel set in CHIVASSO (Italy)

3.75*

Magdalen (pronounced maudlin, perhaps pertinent given the withdrawing nature of the character) is studying at Oxford and she has come out for the Summer to be with her best friend and her family in Chivasso. Her best friend has a brother, Theo, who has been off the scene, living in New York for several years, due to family dynamics; but he is back and finds himself drawn to his sister’s friend. They are in Chivasso for a family wedding and it is natural that they would hang out together, because their families are very close.

Maggie is incredibly inexperienced when it comes to sex and matters of the heart. He, in contrast, has a wealth of sexual conquests under his belt and therefore they are already a mismatch. His family members are very much aware of his proclivities. A pivotal moment comes when they are at a tennis-cum-disco when Maggie sustains an injury and Theo has to patch her up and catches sight of her breasts. Embarrassment ensues all round but Theo can handle it, Magdalen struggles with the impropriety of their encounter.

Run a mile, I would say, if any lothario calls the target of his advances ‘baby girl‘, ‘good girl’ or ‘sweet girl’ but Magdalen’s attraction to Theo is starting to run deep. A quick fumble up a back alley in Turin shifts the situation up into the next gear. There is much verbal sparring to cover up vulnerabilities as things evolve. The dialogue and embarrassment, the interchanges, the agony and the ecstasy bubble away, and the body language of the two people is acutely well observed and feels almost palpable against this sweltering summer backdrop of Northern Italy. There are plenty of snippets of Italian which are threaded through the narrative, handled in a cohesive way, adding texture and atmosphere to the text.

We learn of family discord and dynamics, with backstories and archaeology (the Egyptian Museum in Turin gets a good look-in because Chivasso is not far from that city), all offering a rounded story of two young people trying to work out what they feel and what they want. In different ways, they are both incredibly smitten. They are in their early twenties and it is the will they, won’t they drama of a sexually repressed woman (who is seemingly up for a sexual awakening) sliding into the predatory (could one call it that?) orbit of a sexually fluent man, that keeps the story going. Their getting together is described in overly minute detail and generally the pacing is much too slow – pages of interminable foreplay, sucking and slurping. I still had 4 hours to go on the audiobook and I was longing for them to move past the flirting and fingering stage to the actual intercourse, which at that point already felt inevitable, and then on to the post-coital dynamic – will they make a go of it longer term or not? Despite the slow pace and interminable sexual navel gazing, this novel does actually have something about it …..

This kind of burgeoning, angsty relationship is of course all-consuming for the pair involved but less so for someone looking in on their mutual self absorption, although overall it makes for a rounded, nuanced and well-observed read. And the novel is very well-written so I will be interested to see where this author goes next.

Loved this audiobook and recommended on my platforms. Magdalen Savoy has just finished her first year of university at Oxford, where she has finally built a life for herself away from the demons she has done everything to try to forget. But, when she can no longer ignore the growing pile of invitations to her sister’s wedding she must leave her feelings behind and return to Italy.

Theo Sinclair was the golden boy of Chivasso: athletic, intelligent, too suave for his own good. So, when he cut all ties and boarded a 5 a.m. flight to Connecticut seven years ago, no one could understand what had pushed him to leave.

Pulled back to their small Italian hometown for the wedding, Magdalen and Theo soon realize they’re no longer the children they once were. In the winding streets of Chivasso and under the burning summer sun, there are only so many corners for the two to hide behind. Confronted with the ghosts of their pasts, they must face both the growing tension between them and the long buried secrets that threaten to tear their worlds apart – secrets that could separate them for ever . . .

The burb for this leads you to believe you are listening to a in deprh romance with hidden depths. It was easier to listen to than read. There is a lot of description and depth regarding sexual acts etc. At times this felt more consumed with sexual description than feelings or secrets. The pov worked well. The secrets felt like they had been added as an after thought and were not fully resolved. The ending didn't really seem like the ending.
The narration was good but the true nature of the characters was lost in the physical attraction not a love story of the ages but s good first attempt.
Thank you netgallery and publisher and author and narrator but thus is a 3 star listen perfect for anyone who prefers to hear about sex than love.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked the complex characters. Although the ‘twist’ was pretty obvious it didn’t detract at all. I particularly liked that the ending wasn’t predictable and was not what you would expect from a romance book

Ruinously romantic.
Sizzlingly sexy.
Achingly beautiful.

This is the kind of love that’ll ruin you forever. A spectacular debut!

I don’t have any other words. Solid 4 🌟 no notes.

My thanks to MacMillan UK audio and NetGalley for this ELC

It's technically a DNF at 82% but I didn't suffer through 82% of that to just mark it as a DNF. It's a 1 star. It was so cliche and cringe I couldn't handle it anymore. The Amish romance I read before was more tolerable than that. It just felt like something straight out of Wattpad with our virgin heroine and way too much emphasis put on that particular aspect of her, the brother's bff who also used to be a f*ck boy but now isn't anymore. He's also a bad boy and has unresolved daddy issues. It truly felt like something straight out of Wattpad with one round of edits on top of it so it was more bearable but aside from the setting and the first few chapters that had me intrigued, I absolutely despised this book.

3.5 stars

Headlines:
Gossipy family and friends
Hedonistic
Angsty

This contemporary fiction had strong romantic elements but couldn’t be classified as being under the romance genre. Set in Italy, the story tracked two families coming back together with childhood friends as adults. The main characters, Magdalene and Theo were complicated individuals but none moreso than Theo.

The whole vibe of this read was hot summer, hedonism, longings and angst. It was fast-paced and kind of addictive with side serving of frustration. My frustrations sat with Theo, a hard to like guy, cocky but with issues around self worth. Magdalene (pronounced Maudlin on the audio) desired Theo from a distance with zero expectations of that desire being returned. She had a naivety to her characterisation which I liked reading but Theo treated her like trash back and forth.

Some of the parents of the piece were garbage, Theo’s father especially and I began to see why Theo was the way he was. Friendships were knotted up and everyone had family that connected them in some way.

I wanted more at the end but the ending also seemed authentic to the push and pull of the characters.


I listened on audio and the narration was dual POV, dual narration, done well.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy.

Can you ever go wrong with a love story set in Italy? Absolutely not, although fair warning that this is more like a Normal People kind of love story where there are no guaranteed happy endings…

In a strange way this felt like the opposite of Romeo & Juliet, where it’s actually the closeness of their two families which is keeping Theo and Magdalen apart, as well as a fairly explosive secret (although you will likely guess this very early on). It’s a story full of yearning, passion and even violence (not towards each other thankfully) as the two fight an uphill battle to be together.

As much as I enjoyed it, I don’t think Theo will necessarily be for everyone, as he can feel problematic at times, especially towards the beginning. Having said that, he’s all tall, muscular and brooding so anyone who loves a bit of a bad guy will probably love him, and his behaviour is somewhat explained by the big reveal at the end. The chemistry between them is certainly compelling, and it’s also a good level of spice to storyline which I always appreciate 🤣 Definitely a great coming of age type of summer read!