It’s been a restless couple of months.
I feel slightly unhinged from the circumstances we’re all finding ourselves adjusting to and nothing feels quite right or even remotely normal. More and more frequently, I’m sagging under the uncertainly of tomorrow. The tightness of anxiety squeezing in my chest, once a symptom of having to deal with a situation that would end sooner rather than later, has now made a cozy home right behind my heart. “Worrier” is not a label I would generally give myself, but I think even the most laid back of us can admit this endless loop of gloom and doom is chipping away at our armor and is now reality at its worst.
I’ve had to bypass quite a few books because of our current world order. Not because they weren’t well written or entertaining, but because right now I just don’t have the emotional capacity or headspace to properly appreciate them. So my usual diet of dystopia YA, sci-fi catastrophes, and horror have not been in circulation.
No, right now, I need happy, upbeat, funny, hopeful, and maybe a little romantic. The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany delivered on all of these selling points, PLUS being set in Italy. It’s exactly what the doctor ordered, hunny.
Emilia, a 29-year-old baker living in Brooklyn and working as a pastry chef at her family bakery and deli, could not be more content with life. Single and care-free, Emilia believes she has everything she could ever desire; a cute little apartment with her cat Claws, a stable job in the family business, the constant presence of her loved ones, and absolutely no fear of falling in love and becoming victim to a broken heart.
How can Emilia know she won’t fall in love? Because of the Fontana family curse, of course! The one that claims the second-born daughter will remain single and marriageless for the rest of her life and there’s absolutely nothing that can be done about it.
Then enters great Aunt Poppy, the disgraced and ostracized sister of Emilia’s Nonna. And she’s arrived with a tantalizing proposition – Emilia must accompany her on an all-expenses paid trip to Italy, where Aunt Poppy will break the curse once and for all. For Emilia, this decision is both bizarre and cumbersome, but undeniably tantalizing. Will she chose to be adventurous and go against the wishes of her controlling, heavy handed Nonna…or will she bend to the wishes of her family per usual?
With the pushy insistence of her cousin Lucy, another Fontana second daughter recruited for the journey, Emilia finds herself traveling across the world with a flamboyant and colorful eighty-year old woman and a surly, scantily clad twenty-one year old girl to put an end to a hex Emilia’s not even sure she truly believes in.
Thus begins the adventure of a lifetime, where Emilia learns more about love, loss, family, and herself than she could have ever imagined possible. Will Emilia make her own life’s path? Or will she fall victim to the same curse set before all the Fontana second daughters before her?
Okay, I needed this book in my life.
So well-written, so beautiful, so uplifting, and so very entertaining. I loved everything, from Emilia’s dorky mousiness, to Poppy’s over-the-top optimism and stunning insight into life and love. My all time favorite character had to be Lucy though. Outspoken and hard-edged, but with a heart of gold. The sights, sounds, and smells of Italy were so vivid, it was enough to close my eyes and picture myself looking out onto the beautiful blue horizon of the Amalfi Coast with an espresso in hand.
The depth of feeling from this book was truly and pleasantly unexpected. I knew it would be romantic and somewhat sugary sweet, but it was emotional. The theme of family in this book is relatable in so many ways, from family loyalty to feeling an obligation to bow to expectation rather than pursuing personal happiness. I think above everything else the biggest lesson was, you have to live for yourself and do (or not do) the things that fulfill your soul. Emilia truly grows into herself and her transformation is an inspiring representation of what can happen when you stop letting others dictate your choices.
10 out of 10, 5🌟s, 100% amazing.
If you need happiness in book form, this is a great option!
Happy & healthy reading!
Lexi
Can’t wait to read it!!!!