A wonderful book full of intrigue and mystery. I really enjoyed this book. It was an emotional rollercoaster! 
The characters are strong and the descriptions are good. Great for reading at any time of year 
Thank you to Netgalley, Simon and Schuster and Catherine Isaac for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review

With secrets spanning three generation of Allie's family, the author presents a balance of past and present; we hear from Allie and Ed her best friend from childhood who has just left his wife after 2 years of marriage. 

Allie finds a letter and photograph hidden in her grandmothers drawers that suggests her dad is not her real father.  The man in the photo shares the gap in her front teeth!  Her grandmother Peggy refuses to acknowledge Allie with this and shuts her down.  Allie decides to find out for herself and when her best friend forever’s wife contacts her for help with her marriage to him she decides to let him accompany her on her journey to Italy to find some answers.

Allie feels very supported by Ed and he encourages and helps her navigate Italy in search of clues about her past, the pair are both forced to face some uncomfortable truths about their lives and make some difficult decisions.
I warmed to Allie and Ed and wished they would get together as they seemed to really match, I loved Allies dads character but Peggy’s character really irked me. Italy was vividly painted in this story and I really felt like I could see the scenery from the descriptions which I loved.

Overall a good pacey read once it got going; I preferred the second half when Allie and Eds relationships were raw and honest.  The story covered some tough issues too, which added another dimension to it. 

Thank you to Catherine Isaac, Simon and Schuster and Netgalley UK for my ARC for a fair and honest review.

What a well written and entertaining book. I loved how the author describes Italy as much as the great characters and the well crafted plot.
It's a story that keeps you hooked, complex and engrossing.
An excellent read, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I was given an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and independent review.
I just adored this book. A novel about love, loss, friendship and family. An emotional story with wonderful characters who were so credible. 
I also loved the descriptive narrative of the places in Italy that they visited. Brought me right back to some of the places I’ve visited there. 
I just could not put it down. 
4.5 stars

Messy, Wonderful Us was a book I liked, I just found it a little predictable and lacked a bit of oomph.
Allie is a research scientist and after being in her grandparents bedroom she finds a letter and this leads to her questioning everything she’s ever been told about her parents. To uncover this secret she travels to Italy with her best friend Ed. Ed spoiled this book in some ways as he got on my nerves but you may not find that happens to you. Ed has just split up from his wife and uses the trip to Italy to sort his head out whilst Allie uses it to find out more about her life that’s been kept secret from her since she was born. Lake Como sounds lovely and it’s somewhere I’ve always wanted to visit and this book reaffirmed that.
This was an emotional read at times and also perhaps a little dark as secrets on top of secrets are found. It was definitely a book that shows you that you don’t really know what’s going on in someone’s life.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Simon And Schuster UK for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Wow what I can say about Messy, Wonderful Us that hasn't been said already, it's a story that will take you on an emotional journey with Allie Culpepper as looks for answers about hers and her mother's past little knowing where it will take her. But at its heart is a story about self-discovery, a chance for Allie to take stock and think about what it is she wants from life.

As the blurb says Allie discovers a hidden letter which suddenly makes her question everything she thought she knew about herself and her family. She starts to question who she really is and knows that she won't settle until she gets the answers she so desperately wants, although the one person who could answer them is no longer around. So with her best friend Ed by her side she heads to Italy on a trip little knowing that how this will change their lives for ever. 

Interwoven with Allie and Ed's story is a third voice from the past and it's not until the midway point that it becomes clear who it is narrating this aspect of the storyline and the pieces of the deeply-hidden secret are revealed. With each chapter from Allie, Ed and the mystery narrator's point of view we get to know each of the characters a little better as we see an insight into who they are as people, what's happened in the past to bring them to this point and what is currently going on in their lives. 

As much as I was invested in getting to know more about Allie and the mystery narrator's past, it was Ed's story in particular that I found eye-opening, and one that made for uncomfortable reading at times, as it just goes to show you never really know what is going on in other peoples lives behind closed doors. 

Set against the backdrop of Northern Italy, the descriptive writing of all the places Allie and Ed were so vivid that it almost felt that I was there with them as they explored the narrow streets and took in the sights around them. Catherine Isaac has clearly done her research, not only about the locations within this story but also regarding Allie's job as a research scientist working towards a cure for Cystic Fibrosis.  

Messy, Wonderful is a poignant tale that explores some taboo and sensitive topics within its pages but ultimately at its core it's a story about family, friendship and love.

This is my first book from Catherine Isaac and I absolutely loved it. Utterly dreamy, with a great lead and some lovely Italian settings. I'll definitely be reading more from her!

Having read - and absolutely loved the author's previous novel - You Me Everything (5*), I was rather excited to have this one making it's way up my reading list!

Allie has been well-loved all her life, but when a hidden letter shows up it opens a can of worms for her and makes her doubt who she is. Now she's had a peek into her family's past, she can't rest without knowing the full story and hires a private investigator which stretches her finances. With a bit of a lead to go on, she grabs a cheap flight to Italy to try and find out what happened all those years ago - and how it affects her.

This is my very favourite kind of novel; rich in detail with a fine cast of characters and a multi-faceted story, I feel as if I've been in a completely different world whilst reading. It gobbled me up, heart and soul! Catherine Isaac's skill as a writer shines through in her ability to weave such a luscious tale; with everything wrapped up in a tight ball it unravels slowly and deliciously with something new popping up every now and then. This is an author I shall be watching closely in future; with two such classy novels under her belt I don't want to miss her third. As with her first, this is a definite five star read and one I strongly recommend.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

This was a perfect weekend read, the settings were lovely, specially when in Italy. 

It kept me entertained while reading.

Made me feel, and there's even some little twists in the story that were so good! Definitely not expecting them. 

Allie was an identifiable character, however I do not support some of her choices in this book. 

First book I read by this author, and definitely need to go read You, me, everything.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this one.

Messy really is just the word to describe the family and friend dynamics in this book.  The further in you get into the story, the more you realise nothing is quite as it seems. 

There are secrets spanning three generation of Allie's family and you slowly get the real story filtering through in amongst the present day activities. 

In addition to Allie, we get chapters from Ed's point of view. He is Allie's best friend and again we get their story from childhood to present day story told interlinked with the current action. 

i was taken completely by surprise from most of this story, and it take in some tough issues too, which added another dimension to it. 

There is a big mystery that leads Allie and Ed, to Italy, and I loved the whole section in Italy. Including seeing Lake Garda and then Portofino. The scenery was described so well, I could have been there. 

The characters all seemed really realistic and there is no doubting that the book is well written.  I did find the timeline jumping back and forth was confusing at first with no real indicators, but I soon got into the swing of the book. 

This is a book that certainly kept me on my toes and I really did enjoy it. 

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Bookouture for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Very enjoyable story, with a few surprises that I didn't see coming!

Allie is a research scientist and is living a happy, normal life, until one day she finds an old letter in her grandma's drawer that reveals a secret that her grandma doesn't want to talk about, so without telling any family she sets off to Italy to find out the truth.

Along for the ride is her best friend, Ed, who has marriage issues of his own to try and sort out and needs a break so accompanies Allie.  There has never been any romance between Allie and Ed, but they have been the best of friends forever.

The book started out fairly light, with a mystery to be solved, but there were a couple of curveballs I didn't see coming, every time I thought I'd figured things out something else happened (right to the very end of the book).  It really kept me on my toes and had me glued to the story.

I don't want to ruin the story, but this was an unexpected gem of a book that I thoroughly enjoyed and would highly recommend.

Messy, Wonderful, Us follows Allie as she discovers a family secret that has been hidden since before she was born. Travelling to Italy with her best friend, Ed, Allie aims to uncover the truth and help bring clarity to those she loves most.

This book was a nice, feel-good read. It focused on the relationships we have with our families and how secrets can  put a strain on them. It also focuses on friendships we have had for our whole life and how even hidden feelings can be reciprocated .

Whilst I enjoyed this book, I have to say I didn't enjoy it as much as You, Me, Everything. I found some of the plot to be quite predictable. However, I would still recommend this book.

I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest and fair review.

I really wanted to like this book but struggled to care for any of the characters and their troubles. The only saving grace and made me continue reading was the Italian holiday and all the descriptions of Lake Como, the food and the hotels. 

Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to try it out.

Deliciously Satisfying.....
A life quest, a deep history, a love story and an impossibly beautiful setting. Perfect ingredients combine to make a rather beautiful novel. A pleasure to delve into and a shame to end. Deliciously satisfying.

Messy, Wonderful Us is the first book I’ve read by Catherine Isaac and what a first book to begin with. I started this book on my train journey to London and couldn’t put it down. I loved the strong characters and the back stories that wove through each turn of the page. It’s a beautiful story that will enthrall with each chapter and I can highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster UK and the author for the chance to review.

Brilliant, brilliant read. Not my normal choice but so glad that I read this one. A real summer read, full of everything that a good novel should include Must add it's not all sunshine and roses and Catherine Isaac deals with tricky issues with sensitivity. Lots to keep the interest going and well.written. My first novel by this author and I shall be looking to read more.

The thing that intrigued me most while reading, were the different POV's and the time jumps. Apart from our main characters' perspectives - Ed and Allie - we also get glimpses of the past, before Allie was born. Those had me hooked, I tell you. They were full of information, but you had to figure out for yourself how it'd fit into the story. Trying to puzzle it all together really was half the fun!
Basically, there's the past before Allie's birth, the past where we see her budding friendship with Ed and then the present. Those three keep switching throughout the book, making it a wonderful ride in which you see a lot of events and evolution happening.

The emotions! This truly was one hectic ride. There's hope, love and family. There's loss, grief, unanswered questions. There's this undertone of something darker going on, of secrets better kept secrets and.. the combination of all those things had me hooked. I kept wanting to find out what was really going on, how it was all going to fit together. Not to mention what role certain side characters would get in the long run!

Talking about characters.. Although Allie left for Italy in order to find out more about her family, I found it frustrating how she would be there and.. avoid the whole ordeal? I can see how you'd still want to enjoy the country and all, but the avoidance was real and it got on my nerves at times. I felt like it should've been balanced out a bit more. It sometimes took away from the story in a completely unnecessary way.

3.5 / 5

Messy, Wonderful Us is a hectic ride with a lot of emotions, a lot of hard topics and a wonderful story. Although Allie's focus could've been a bit more on getting answers, I did still enjoy reading and couldn't stop turning [digital] pages. An intriguing read that got wrapped up nicely - albeit with a bit of a bang!

This is the first book that I’ve read by this author and I will definitely be searching out more. A lovely summertime read, making me want to visit Italy again, in particular Portofino. Plenty of twists to maintain interest, touching on domestic abuse, adoption and keeps you turning the pages. A great holiday read, would recommend.

I really enjoyed reading this book 
All its twists and turns definitely kept me hooked throughout. 
It also made me want to visit Italy and see all the wonderful places in the book.
The storyline was really engaging,the author definitely knows how to pull you in to the story and make you feel the characters.
Great book would definitely recommend you read it as soon as you can

It doesn’t get much more soap opera than this book. Because when Allie opens a letter addressed to her grandmother thirty years ago, she finds out that her mother had an affair- and that she might have been the result of it.

Seeking to find out more about her past, she journeys to Italy, the home of her potential father, along with Ed, her childhood friend who is currently contemplating whether or not to divorce his high-flying wife Julia. Along the way, she’s about to find out more than she ever thought she would about life, love and family.

This is an interesting one. On the one hand, I really appreciated Catherine Isaac’s sensitive discussion of domestic abuse, especially as male domestic abuse victims are people we don’t often hear about. Ed’s fraught relationship with Julia, which unravels the more and more we learn about it, is definitely packed full of pathos and makes you really feel for the situation that Ed’s in. On the other, quite a few of the characters are hard to like. 

The characters are all flawed, which makes them relatable, and you do sympathise with them. However, Allie and Ed’s relationship feels a tad forced and awkward- which I imagine it would do if you were falling for your best friend- but makes you roll your eyes rather than sigh wistfully at the thought of whether or not they’ll get together. Catherine Isaac has definitely got me with the Italian holiday, though: it’s wonderfully well-described and made me yearn to book a flight there.

All in all? This was an interesting read that bravely tackled several controversial subjects- which I won’t spoil here, though you’ll probably spot the plot twist coming from a mile off- and the descriptions are lush and gorgeous. One for your holiday read next year.