This book is full of sunshine and love. Love of a family and also of a community. There is romance in there too. Food is used to bring the community together and everyone helps everyone else out. A house to be renovated, a community centre to be funded, animals, a dead husband, a grown up unexpected child and the central character has a lot to balance. Luckily, love wins out and everything else clicks into place. A very enjoyable read.

A lovely read. When Thea's resterant buisness fails and she loses everything there is only one thing she can do and that is that is take the children to Tuscany to the holiday home her late husband Marco bought with the intention of fixing it up and sell it but things don't always go to plan. When she meets Giovanni and gets involved in running the community kitchen he runs along with the three Nonna's who are very competitive and really were hilarious at times really enjoyed their part in the story, Thea really starts to enjoy herself and her children love the place so much will they really return home. A well written story and I really enjoyed it

Feeling tired of the cold, miserable weather and your life has suddenly turned upside down? take a trip to sunny Tuscany with Thea, Lucas and Aimee who have recently lost their father and they find he has bought a cottage in a remote isolated village as a family holiday home to remind him of home in Tuscany. They eventually find it rather run down and in need of much tlc. Hungry and tired they find somewhere to eat. A community cafe which looks after the local population by delivering free food on a Friday and a Sunday lunch. As a welcome Thea is given three lasagnes by three spirited nonnas who are always arguing. With only six weeks to get the house habitable and save the cafe from closing down can all the locals pull together and perhaps find love and happiness along the way? Another great read that has the right mix of humor whilst dealing with a sensitive subject, Do not read at bedtime as you won't want to put it down

Jo Thomas transports readers to Casa Luna, a home in the Tuscan hilltop village of Citta dei Castagni where Luca, Aimee, and their mom, Thea have arrived for what they believe will be a relaxing and rejuvenating summer. They soon discover that they need to pull together for 6 weeks to make the impossible…possible.

“I’ve come to realize the past is a place I shouldn’t go back to. But it’s not a place to stay. Time moves on.”

Thomas’ book is about new beginnings. You’ll discover why Thea has arrived with a broken heart, why a young girl keeps visiting their home, and why the village handyman/entrepreneur feels he needs to leave a village he loves. When Thea gets a chance to pick up where she left off in the past, she soon realizes that grief has changed her and she is no longer the person she was in the past.

“It’s not what you put into the pasta as much as who you share it with.”

Thomas also writes about the heart of the village. You’ll meet Nonna Rosa, Nonna Teresa, and Nonna Lucia and find out why they are at odds with one another and what it’ll take to get them to work together. The key to the heart of the village is these three. Fix what’s wrong with them and everything else will fall into place.

My takeaways:
✔️Change or get left behind
✔️Learning to work together to overcome differences is as important for yourself as it is for others
✔️Our identity is tied to place and experiences
✔️The past needs to stay in the past; don’t pull it into the present and future.

I thoroughly enjoyed my armchair travel to Tuscany and felt inspired to make lasagna for dinner!

I was gifted this copy by the publisher through NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

I’ve read several books by Jo Thomas and enjoyed them so I was pleased to receive an advance copy of this one. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley.
This story is set in Italy in a small village in the mountains. There are great descriptions of the countryside and the inhabitants of the village some of whom, the three Nonnas are particularly well-written. It’s an interesting book with a great background feel, lots of cooking and renovation of a tumbledown house. Plus a pinch of a love story thrown in.
Highly recommended

I was asked by the publisher to review this lovely book.

This will be a great sunbed read this summer.

Thea has come to Italy to sort out her late husbands holiday home, she takes her children with her - the plan is to sell to enable them to have better lives in the UK. Alongside sorting this house, they are drawn to the community kitchen- wow you want to go there just for the food - the author really knows about seasonal and italian food.

This is about, community, love, friendship and new beginnings you were not expecting.

Beautifully written loved this story.

I love Jo’s books. This one is superb. The characters become friends as their trip to Italy for the summer holidays unfolds. Thea and her children arrive at a house that her late Husband had purchased just before he died almost two years before. It needs some restoration before it can be sold and time is against her. They find solace in La Tavola which appears to be the centre of local village community. Step inside you won’t want to miss it

Beside the romantic storyline this book is also about the healing ability of a bighearted community. It was great to see how the characters find home in the end. The story is set in beautiful Tuscany. After reading the captivating descriptions of the landscape you'll want to visit at once!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld for this ARC.

Thea's husband Marco has recently died, so now here she is in Tuscany with their children Aimee and Luca, to renovate the dilapidated Casa Luna that he had bought shortly before his death. Apparently it needs to be done within two years of purchase to avoid a fine which Thea wasn't aware of, and there are only six weeks left.

She also hadn't counted on the strong sense of community and soon has plenty of helpers, most notably Chef Giovanni who ropes her into helping with his community kitchen in exchange for his handyman skills. Marco was a chef and they lost their restaurant after his death, so the kitchen is the last place Thea wants to be now but she lets herself be persuaded.

Enter three Italian nonnas, sisters and sisters-in-law who have been waging war over a lasagne recipe for over thirty years. The hilarious "try my lasagne, it's the best" scenes evoked memories of Geraldine Granger's three Christmas dinners in The Vicar of Dibley.

Then a mysterious young woman named Stella turns up who seems to know her way round Casa Luna a little too well. Who is she and what is her connection to Marco?

This is a heartwarming read about family and community against the backdrop of gorgeous Italian landscape, yummy food and a laid-back lifestyle, with enough animals including a herd of lawnmower goats and nonnas to shake a stick at. However, the romance is barely there and the nonnas with their matchmaking are beyond clichéd. I liked the children though who seemed to have more sense and better ideas than the adults.

If you like lasagne and new beginnings in Tuscany in another story that ignores the realities of Brexit entirely, this book is for you.

3.5 stars

I couldn’t wait to start reading this book as I love all of Jo Thomas’s books and I think this is her best one yet.

When Thea’s husband Marco dies suddenly her life begins to fall apart, she loses their business and home and must move temporarily to Tuscany to the holiday home he bought before he died.

What follows is a beautiful story of love, family, friendship, community, good food and never giving up.

The characters were beautifully written especially the hilarious nonnas and I just was totally transported to the fantastic Italian setting.

A beautiful 5 star read that I would definitely recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley, Jo Thomas and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for an advance copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Thea's husband Marco has suddenly passed away and, after losing everything, she takes her children to find the house he'd bought in Italy in the hopes of selling it to enable them to restart their life in the U K.

Whilst in the little Tuscan town, Thea and her children find themselves drawn into La Tavola, the community kitchen and as they rebuild their house, other things change too.

I really like Jo Thomas's writing but really didn't like the starting point of this story, it's a personal thing rather than an issue with the story, but the characters having had such a brutal loss made this less of an escapist read. Once the story got going, it became more enjoyable to me but I found that initial bit such a destroying event.

As One would expect from this author, the book is well written, entertaining and an enjoyable read. There was an interesting premise which was very well executed and I really did enjoy the growing love story between the Thea and Giovanni’s.

It was somewhat predictable and I found myself underwhelmed by the stereotypical Italian Nonnas.

I thought the side character were very well drawn and I particularly liked the children.. I was hoping for a bit more from the romance and I’m really puzzled as to why so many books recently insist on introducing an unnecessary triangle at late stages in the book.

This was an enjoyable read with a lovely Italian setting. 3 stars

What an absolute delight! As is anything by Jo Thomas. The lovely descriptions of the sad little Italian village where Anna and her children arrive are so meaningful. The house her late husband bought turns out to be a bit of a wreck, but with help from the gorgeous Giovanni it is soon made right. In six weeks, no less!
Anna's profound grief and loss are gently treated. The Tuscan food is as ever, robustly treated and hungry making. It's just a delightful story, and the Nonnas make it perfect!
Thank you for the chance to read and review this book, which I totally recommend.

This latest book by Jo Thomas certainly didn’t disappoint. The setting is wonderful and having visited Tuscany I could imagine this wonderful village. An uplifting story with a happy ending what more to wish for.

Set in the stunning countryside of Italy, with mouth-watering food, and the possibility of a fresh start.

Anna and her children leave Cardiff for the summer holidays, her late husband Marco died two years previously from a heart attack, no money, the restaurant they owned gone and so is her house. Just before he dies, Marco returns home from a trip to Italy where he buys a dilapidated house - the condition which he failed to tell Anna was that it needs to be made habitable within two years. As the family embraces a new way of life which Anna is certain will last for just 6 weeks when she will sell the property and return home. The book is as usual all about unexpected challenges and a potential love interest—she discovers more about herself than she ever imagined.

Anna is a relatable heroine, and her journey of self-discovery is both touching and inspiring. The romance is slow-burning yet satisfying, making it a perfect feel-good read for fans of uplifting fiction.

Thanks to Penguin and Netgalley for a ERC.

This was a lovely book full of summer sun, family, food and fun!

My favourite bit had to be the goats, whose owner was responsIble for Thea meeting Giovanni at La Tavola in the first place. The place of reconciliation.

The nonnas are at war, and want to welcome a new family to their town. They become a key part of reviving their town, as they reconcile after the Lasagne War. It is an interesting concept, but also not unexpected when writing about Italy, and the families in the country and firey tempers,

The 1 Euro house concept to revive a town is an interesting one. This book shows how things can change and become much more valuable than you can ever imagine. And the memories attached to your life are even more important to do this, to revive a life and have new beginnings that you can never imagine.

This is a lovely book! Full of hope, and love, and delicious food, did I mention lasagne... in Tuscany? A place where dreams are made of... and found again!

I love when a Jo Thomas book can whisk you away to another country. It is making me want to go to Italy and experience the life out there. I could feel the sun's warmth on my face whilst reading this book. Thea has come to Italy to sort out her late husbands holiday home. With her children to think of too, she does not realise how much she will have to do. Also the mayor has given her a time line. Thea starts to meet the locals and they need her just as much as she needs them in her time of need. Such a beautiful setting and the descriptions of food sounded wonderfully sumptuous. I love how the community brought everyone together. A wonderful read to escape with. I love how Jo writes about food it always makes me hungry whilst reading one of her books. I cannot wait to see what Jo writes about next.

A place in the sun is yet another culinary delight from Jo Thomas, I adore how she has the unique ability to instantly transport you to the books setting, in this case Tuscany, the vivid descriptions of the landscape,community and the most delectable tantalising local fare so wonderfully described you can almost taste the food!
Thea and her children head to Casa Luna a rundown little house in Tuscany that her deceased husband had bought several years ago,they intend to do up the property, sell it and head back home to Cardiff, however they are welcomed into the community by the locals they become absorbed into the culture and ethos of the village and flourish and heal.
Surprises,cooking, new ventures, and romance make for a great read that epitomises the wonder fullness of friendship, community, live and second chances.
Thank you net galley for this early read

I’ve only read 1 x other book by Jo Thomas so far, which was Chasing the Italian Dream and was a Five Star Read.

After her husband, Marco unexpectedly passes away, Thea has to close the family restaurant and their home is repossessed so she relocates to Tuscany for the summer with her two children, Aimee and Luca to try and sell their holiday home (Casa Luna) so they can make a fresh start back in Wales.

Casa Luna is in a struggling community, which is slowly becoming abandoned and doesn’t attract many tourists. At its heart is La Tavola, a community kitchen which provides food and a safe haven for those in need.

Thea is reticent to get involved at first because her late husband was a chef and after losing both him and their restaurant, she’s fearful of going back in the kitchen. However Casa Luna needs a lot of work doing before it can be put up for sale and so she strikes a deal with Giovanni, who runs La Tavola that she’ll help with the kitchen if he’ll take care of the repairs.

I really liked how Thea and the children became part of the community, rediscovering their love of food and began to have doubts about whether they wanted to return to Wales after the renovations were finished at Casa Luna.

After all, where else can you borrow a neighbour’s herd of goats to take care of your overgrown garden?

A Place in the Sun is a lovely, feel-good read with plenty of comic relief from three feuding nonnas and their abundant lasagnes. The descriptions will definitely make you hungry and/or want to book a trip to Tuscany asap. The romance felt a little rushed though, which is why I’m giving it 4 x Stars.

This was another warm uplifting read from Jo Thomas, this time set in a remote Tuscan village. Thea’s husband Marco bought a cheap house here nearly 2 years ago then died almost straight after, after a difficult 2 years where she lost her business and her home Thea has come to Tuscany to do the house up to sell so she can start rebuilding her life back in Cardiff.

I loved the village here with the community cafe and especially the Nonnas, there’s a real mix of characters some of whom have lived there forever and others who have discovered a safe haven and they work together really well creating a gorgeous close knit community. Thea herself evolved well as she found a way to be useful which was what she didn’t realise she needed and her children found somewhere they felt they could relax again. I’m probably in tje minority here but I didn’t really feel a genuine attraction to Giovanni and would actually have liked her to settle without a romantic interest but he’s a great character and a good influence on her. I would love to read more about the Nonnas I really loved the dynamics between the three of them, they were definitely my favourites in this and added a lot of fun and dramatics to the story.