Unashamedly romantic, Only You is such a beautiful modern day love story without all the fluffiness that can often be par for the course in books of this genre. What makes a great love story are obviously the couple involved and Alf and Letty are no exception to the rule. If the main characters are so well imagined that the reader has a feeling they could be people you would want to know in real life and you feel bereft at the end of their journey then this is a novel for you. That’s exactly how I felt, having been so invested in Alf and Letty’s romance from start to finish, rapidly turning the pages of a story that will delight all of us hopeless romantics out there. This is a love story that touched my heart and soul,with me cheering them all the way through, hopeful for a happy ending where complications of real life can be swept aside and forgotten.
The setting for this novel appealed to me immensely despite the fact that I’ve never visited Italy or Blackpool!! Places and sights are brought to life in a way that awakens your senses and made me wish to explore this wonderful country for myself. Instead I had to console myself with imagining I was there with Alf and Letty revelling in all the beauty and culture and history that Italy has to offer. They are both in Rome, trying to escape from events that have turned their worlds upside down and it is virtually love at first sight for Alf when these two meet at language school. I absolutely loved the fact that despite their obvious differences they felt like two pieces of a puzzle that fit together. Handsome and charming, Alf is a confident character in many ways, offering himself as a tour guide to the many tourists keen to discover more of the history behind famous landmarks/settings. Letty meanwhile is an earnest academic, a student at Oxford and incredibly knowledgeable about the Latin language. In contrast to Alf she is a fragile young woman who clearly has had a troubled past and decided to close off many parts of herself. Can Alf reignite Letty’s passion for life?? It is their love of dancing, Alf once a champion ballroom dancer and Letty, a ballerina that cements their burgeoning friendship and my heart melted as their love blossomed.
With such glorious heartwarming scenes in Italy, I was already thoroughly engrossed in the storyline when the author takes us back in time to reveal Alf and Letty’s backstories and what significant events had taken place to bring them to this moment. For all their differences I loved both characters equally so to discover how life and their families had shaped these two individuals was immensely satisfying. Plus the past offers the reader other explanations that connect Alf and Letty in ways beyond their love of dancing, which I didn’t anticipate but which made me enjoy this novel even more. Although this is fiction,at no point did I feel anything went beyond the realms of possibility, retaining that sense of relatability all the way through.
As you’ve probably gathered this is my type of read. It’s beautifully written as well as enlightening and one that will definitely make you smile . Only You is a captivating love story that has such wide appeal. If you love Italy, it’s history culture and language, ballroom dancing or ballet or simply like to lose yourself in an intelligent romantic book then you’ve found your next read. Easily a five star review for me and I can’t wait to discover what this author has in store for us in the future. My thanks as always to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read.

Lovely story with good wholesome characters. Was laughing one minute and then crying the next. Beautiful!

Lovely story which I enjoyed reading. Loved the characters and was totally engrossed with the plot.

The writing in this story is strong and pulls you into the story of Alf and Letty who meet in Italy. They fall in love but it's not that simple because they each have a past. An interesting way to explore abuse and manipulation in a relationship and a page turner of a book where Letty and Alf learn to fall in love. A brilliant and unique romance which I really enjoyed. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me review this book.

I desperately want to go Italy after finishing this. Letty and Alf’s story is a gentle romance, but the descent into their back stories and what led them to Rome gives a lot more depth to the story. A great easy read.

21 year old Letty and 19 year old Alf meet at a language school in Rome. Both have a dance background. Letty attended ballet school and Alf was a junior ballroom champion. We follow them as they fall in love, then learn their back stories...

I found the story slow moving at first but steadily became engrossed. The detail of the first part of the book caused me to want to return to Rome. There are plenty of travel tips for visitors. I'm also a Strictly Come Dancing fan and enjoyed the dancing references. A romance with charm, with twists and turns and with sympathetic characters.

Two young souls meet in Rome and end up striking up a friendship which turns to an intense romance. With a dance background behind both of them, music and dance bring them together more.
Until their pasts catch up with them.
I must confess that it took me a while to get into this book. Written from two perspectives, we learned about Alf and Letty, how they were feeling in Rome, but it took a little while to get in the swing of things. The second section, which jumps back, explaining the whys of the story, gave me a good few Aha! moments. And the conclusion... well, it was what we all would want from a love story.
But, I have to say, I did enjoy it, once I got into the story.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a lovely story and I instantly fell in love with both Alf and Letty and so wanted everything to work out for them. I enjoyed the setting in Rome and the language school with its different characters (wonder if they can be expanded upon in a sequel?) It was a charming story interweaving between present day and the events that had lead them both up to meeting. I’m also a huge Strictly fan so I also enjoyed all the references to the dancing and thought it was beautiful how the opera stories were also blended into the storyline. Very enjoyable – I look forward to reading more by this author.

The copy I downloaded from netgalley quite frankly was awful, it had half of words missing, so you had to guess the word from the context of the sentence and the few letters that were there.

The story itself was brilliant and every bit as good as Kate Eberlen's first book, I'm so glad she's written another one. I loved how you couldnt predict where the story was going, it left you guessing. I felt a whole range of emotions while reading this and stayed up until 4am on a couple of nights to read it. There were a few modern references which was awesome. Perfect for fans of strictly come dancing.
Absolutely brilliant!

A lovely romance set in a language school. A few challenges in store too so this is no smooth path. Oh and you’ll all be wanting to go to Rome after this! I really enjoyed the writing and the characters .

What a lovely book. I have been in a bit of a reading slump recently due to the current global pandemic taking up so much of my mind but this book helped me get back on track. It was bittersweet reading about beautiful, lively Italy. The characters were endearing and the way their lives overlapped was intriguing. A great read overall, thank you netgalley!

Such a lovely, sweet story. I liked that characters and how they met. I also liked the descriptive setting, it felt like I wanted to visit!

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

This sweet romance is the perfect treat for fans of Kate Eberlen's debut novel, "Miss You". The exotic locales and warm characters draw you in, and the excellent writing holds your attention the whole way through. Word to the wise: keep a notepad handy for all of Kate's travel recommendations. This sumptuous story acts as both novel and travelogue, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

An excellent story, poignant and engrossing. I liked the plot, full of twists and turns, the great characters and the setting.
It was an excellent read that kept me hooked, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Initially this seems to be a simple romance between Alf and Letty, set in Rome. As we progress though their back stories explain why they are both there and we discover the shadows and secrets of their pasts which have led to this point. This is an engrossing story with some great characters and a lovely setting. Mental health plays a key part in the story. There is one really hateful character whose sadism is not really explained. Enjoyable.

A beautifully written book, whats not to like in reading this? its one of those you know you have domestic chores to do but, you carry on reading another chatper to finsih the book. This is the second book from I miss you....
It s set in stunning Rome and makes you want to visit there with all the top destinations and more, even moreso now theyre locked down. Letty and Alf met in the language school in Rome, Then they begin to find each other and become soul mates but you learn things from both of the characters and how they intersect with the other characters.
I oved the setting and the characters very much. A great read and well written

Letty and Alf meet taking language lessons in Rome. She was a ballet dancer and Alf a ballroom dancing champion. Then they fall in love
Both have secrets in the past and when these secrets collide in the present world will their relationship last?

Kerry and Alf meet in Italy at a language school, the only English students in the course. Petty is prickly and a closed book and all Alf can think of, as they grow closer Alf know he must end things with his current girlfriend Gina but when Letty sees them together she runs away.

A really great book with some great twists I didn’t see coming.

This book took a couple of starts for me to get into it, I liked being taken to Rome and gradually fell in love with the clever plot detailing which fell into place as we went along. Romantic and cleverly crafted this is such a great summer read.

I enjoyed the debut “Miss You” by Kate Eberlen and was certainly not disappointed by this, her second novel.
The book develops at a gentle pace, which gave me time to really start feeling an affection for the main characters Letty and Alf.
I loved the inspiring descriptions of Rome, where a lot of the novel is set, and it would make this a perfect book to pack for your summer holidays!
The plot has been beautifully thought through, with the story being told from various points of view.
Although, for me, this is a classic “romantic summer read” the storyline actually touches on a number of quite poignant real-life issues, which give this book more depth than you might expect at first glance.
Overall I would recommend this and rated it a strong 4⭐️.