Although the description of this book immediately caught my interest, I found myself rather disappointed with the way in which the story was constructed from the offset. 
Unfortunately, this book simply wasn't for me.

So this was a hard book for me to read and rate.  The characters were not that strong or developed and there was just no growth for them in the book.  It didn't seem to have a point in it so I didn't really enjoy it.

Enjoyable read. Interesting characters. Loved how this story unfolded and sucked you in. Would recommend

this book was probably honestly just lost in translation, but i honestly could not get into this book at all and i found it to be kind of boring and penny to be annoying

I'm a big fan of romance and always will be , whether is just sweet or dark and dangerous, i'm always up for one.
I enjoyed this story, Penny is a nice young woman that takes care of her grandmother and lives her life as a librarian by day and bartender by night trying to make amends.
For as interesting that it sounds, she's actually lonely and bored and of course something clicks when her new neighbour makes an appearance , especially since he is a bad boy and everything that she should stay away from in a partner. There are a lot of steamy scenes and everything you want from this story.
 I just couldn't connect with any of the characters, she even seemed a bit too weak and giving in too fast at everything he wanted because he gave her the attention she so much looked up for.

Marcus is gruff, rude and crude. Penny is hard working, caring and the total opposite of Marcus. Penny cares for her grandmother. Marcus cares for nobody, not even himself. As the saying goes, opposite attract much to Marcus shock.
This is a story of one person fighting their feelings and watching their world crumble away, while the other is struggling to know what to do with their feelings and doing the right thing.

⭐Review⭐
I really liked the cover and title of this book, but sadly that was about all. I finished it, but was a bit disappointed. The storyline had potential, but I did not like the actual writing. I don't know if it was the translation or just the book itself. Marcus was really rude and not in the fun way and Penny was awkward. This book does have two points of view, but it wasn't executed right: I felt like I was reading the same thing twice. 
***
⭐
Romance💙
Steam 🔥

This was an ok read for me, though I have to say that I am not a big fan of insta-love (with the exceptions of some authors and pnr)

I also found that the editing wasn't really up to par. It just didn't read smoothly and the pov's were a bit odd to be honest. 
Now as far as the characters go, I was not a fan of the heroine. I need my heroine to be a bit tougher than she was. She read like a doormat and that just won't do for me. This is personal preference though. 

The hero was a bit of an ass, but I can deal with redeemable assholes :P 

All in all, I wasn't really impressed and I have to go with 2,5 stars

Sadly this book wasn’t for me.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t get into the story.  I would try to read the author in the future.  

I voluntarily reviewed this book.

A chance meeting; two lonely souls meet. Both have past issues, issues with trust and in no hope jobs.
Penny, is a petite adult, who lives with her gran in a smal department block and has a few jobs. She's a loner but is being stalked by a bully.
Marcus, is a bad boy with a past. He's on parole and moves into a small department block.
A chance meeting, a strange friendship blooms; both have feelings for each other  but they continue to fight it.
Will their demons continue to escape or can they finally accept their fate?

I really enjoyed reading this book, I didn't want to put it down. I look forward to reading more from this autbor.

Trying Not To Love You by Amabile Giusti is the story of Marcus Drake and Penny Miller.  This is certainly a opposites attract book for me.  Penny was the sweet women who works two jobs lives with her grandmother and tries to do good even with her broken life.  Drake is a rough guy who doesn't see much good in life but these two rub each other wrong until they can't fight their attraction anymore.  Enjoyed this book.

I really enjoyed this novel. I came to care about the characters and was anxious to see how the story played out. This book wrings every emotion out of you and takes you on a heart wrenching journey. I absolutely adored Penny and Marcus. The way the author makes you feel what the characters are feeling is amazing. It was real, it was gritty, and it was down right heartbreaking at times. I loved it!! This book is definitely worth the read if you love being taken on a journey of growth and success redemption.

I did not like this book. What annoyed me most was the writing but since this is a translated book it's hard to know if the issues are from that or if it is simply badly written. For the most part it felt like someone describing movie scenes instead of writing a novel.

I also disliked the main character and how she behaved.

Finding a way to rate and review this book has been a struggle for me.

I think the first thing you need to know about Trying Not To Love You is something I didn't realize until after I'd requested it. This story was initially written in Italian and then translated into English. I think this is important to know because I am fairly certain there were things lost/confused in translation which may have, at least partially, been why this was a tricky read for me.

I was weirdly obsessed with the heart of the story. Even though a lot was amiss for me in the delivery, the heart of the story compelled me to devote an entire day to reading. I finished this book within 24 hours of starting it which happened to be on a day I had several other things scheduled so I couldn't solely devote my time to reading. But with every spare minute I was oddly drawn right back to this book. 

One thing that should have been an automatic no for me was the switching between third person past (in Penny's POV) and first person present (in Marcus's POV). On the whole I am very picky with first person present tense writing. It is a tightrope to walk for me and needs to be done exceedingly well. But when it shows up as an alternating POV? Yeah, that is even an even harder pill for me to swallow. Frankly, this was not the best delivery I've seen of that method, but, once again... it didn't deter me from reading.

Essentially all of Marcus's chapters were repeating Penny's chapters, but from his POV. It was too much and, I'll admit, I hardcore skimmed those parts.

Throughout the entire book it is a weird love... triangle (which is again, typically, something I dislike)? Marcus is "in love" with Francisca, but they can't be together for 2 more months (no spoilers) but she's given him freedom to have sex with whoever he wants. Penny isn't normally that type of girl, but despite knowing how everything is and that Marcus is only present while he waits for Francisca, she falls for him and they wind up in what's supposed to be a sex only relationship. 

Of course this is a romance and of course Penny is the MC so they wind up together, but it's a very oddly created pairing. I didn't see the emotional lead up to Penny's realization of love that I would have liked. And with the way the story ended (frankly the entire Francisca plot line was tied up way too conveniently for me) I almost feel like if you took out every POV other than Penny's, fleshed out her grandmother's story line a bit, and expanded on Penny's part of the ending this would have been a unique and dynamic women's fiction book. 

At the end of the day, I didn't love this story, but I also couldn't seem to put it down. This might be a very YMMV type of read that becomes someone's favorite while others just don't see it. Frankly, I have no clue what camp I fall in.

As I was reading specific scenes all I could imagine was this gif, albeit a simple drive-a truly heartwarming experience where bonds are built.

Like Penny, I was enchanted and intrigued by the mysterious guy who had moved upstairs where as the pages become read he becomes a character that I have become quite fond off. Most of the characters were likeable and there were some gaps in the storyline towards the ends of the novel that could have been elaborated for greater depth and understanding over that period.

Overall, an enjoyable read where there will be heartwarming moments stemmed from letting go of ones prejudices and assumptions.

I received a free copy of Trying Not to Love you in exchange for an honest review.  Overall, this was a good read. I always like novels that are a "little rough around the edges," and this didn't disappoint.  Marcus had a very difficult background, and probably wouldn't be someone you brought home to meet the parents, but he ended up being a stand up guy to Penny.  Penny probably could have done better, but circumstances led her to Marcus, and in the end they were the perfect compliment to each other.

I found myself drawn to each of these characters once I started the book. Penny who lives with her grandmother and looks after her. I found myself liking the calm she was looking for. When she sees a new tenant to their apartment complex, she finds herself drawn to him though others are fearful of him she is not. She hires him as her bodyguard. 
   Marcus Drake has just been paroled and is waiting for his girlfriend Francesca to be paroled. Staying at an apartment he found he is hoping he can just make do until she is released. Seeing Penny has changed something in him and when his parole officer shows up, she announces that they are dating this is where the story really begins and you are taken on a ride of emotions highs and lows. You never know where the story is going that is what the beauty of this book was really about. The author captured everything from a woman taking care of her grandmother, to two people dealing with having been in foster care and not the good part. To a husband and wife grieving still for their child that they buried way too soon. Those were the real stories of the emotions tied to this book. When you finally get to the end I was hoping for more pages or at least an epilogue, that was just me. Overall a very good book with good characters.

Had a feeling I would like this book but didn't expect to absolutely LOVE it all!!!
Penny and Marcus are both a hot mess separately but their broken lives are forever changed when they bump into each other. Their start as awkward neighbours turns after a weird proposition is made that eventually leads to an unexpected "benefits with a time limit" that ruins them both. Not your typical love story, because that's the one thing they will avoid at any cost. 
Heartbreaking and frustrating emotions lead you through their story while your rational side fights the idea of them ever ending up together. Obstacles are everywhere but you can't help but want these two to wake up before it's too late. 
A must read if you want to give all your senses a serious workout. 
I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley for my honest review.

Trying Not to Love you is a standalone novel by Amabile Giusti, and translated by Hilary Locke. It was published on July 28, 2020, by Montlake. I was able to read this novel by receiving an ARC on NetGalley after requesting it.

The novel centers around two individuals, Penny and Marcus, who could not be more different. Penny is shy and stays out of trouble while keeping her nose down and helping to take care of her grandmother. Marcus has just been released from prison and is counting down the days that his girlfriend will be released as well, and they can leave this boring town.

However, they realize they both need each other in their time of need, so they come to an arrangement that forces the pair to spend a lot of time together. This causes unwelcome feelings to arise in both, that could affect a lot of people around them, not just their hearts.

I enjoyed this novel. I came to care about the characters and was anxious to see how to story would play out. I ended up speeding through the end to ensure the ending was a positive one.

The only issue I had was the translation. There were a few errors in the novel where words were not correctly used, or the grammar was off. It would throw me off a bit, but not too much to deter me from finishing the book.

I rate this book as 4/5 stars. I recommend it for romance fans, but not for fans of other genres, since there is not much else within the pages.