I really enjoyed this book following Lucia as she visits her grandparents in Italy to find the family business on the brink of being sold or worse to be run by her ex husband.
She’s torn between her successful career in Wales and her Italian roots.
A lovely story that draws you in with the sounds, smells, emotion and passion of Italy.

This is a great pick me up of a read with a fantastic main character in Lucia and a good dollop of female positivity. Lucia has Italian parents, grew up in Wales but loves her Italian roots and ensures she visits her grandparents Italian home every year. She tried to make her home in Italy a few years back but struggled to find her place so threw herself into work back in Wales. A combination of factors leave her wanting to carry on the legacy of her grandparents pizzeria but she has to face up to her Italian ex to do so. This is so warm-hearted with a real feel of family and tradition but also second chances and moving on, there’s some fantastic characters especially the females and it makes for fantastic escapism in these bleak times, really wish I could get to Italy myself but this is the closest I’ll get for a while!

Jo Thomas at her best, incorporating all the things she loves, food, Italy, Wales sunshine and true love what a combination. Eagerly awaiting promotion at the law firm Lucia work at she takes het annual 2 week trip to stay with nonna & nonno in Italy. Part Welsh & part Italian her loyalties become divided when she realises that nonno's pizza restaurant is having to close and that her ex husband might be taking over. The battle between the 2 of them to see who becomes the next owner is fun and lively with a few twists on the way. You'll want to read from start to finish without a break, characters that you love and hate along the way make it a great read.

A perfect lighthearted read with characters that are easy to love.

The story follows Lucia, who is a hardworking Lawyer, that takes a much needed holiday to Italy where she plans to stay with her Grandparents and have a break.

Upon her arrival she finds out that her Nonno is wanting to retire from the family pizza restaurant and will need to sell as there is no family members that are wanting to take it over.

Lucia is upset that her Nonno is going to have to sell and even more upset when she finds out that her Nonno has lined up for her ex-husband Giacomo to take over the business!

Another great read from Jo Thomas. Her books never fail to disappoint.


Thank you to Netgalley & Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lucia has worked hard as a lawyer in Wales, aiming for a big promotion she hopes will shortly come her way. Finally taking a well-earned break at her grandparents' house in southern Italy, the sunshine, lemon trees and her nonna's mouth-watering cooking make her instantly feel at home.

But she's shocked to learn that her grandfather is retiring from the beloved family pizzeria and will need to sell. Lucia can't bear the thought of the place changing hands - especially when she discovers her not-quite-ex-husband Giacomo wants to take it over!

Then bad news from home forces Lucia to re-evaluate what she wants from life. Is this her chance to carry on the family tradition and finally follow her dreams?

Thanks to Transworld and Netgalley for an early review copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I have yet to find a Jo Thomas book that didn't make my stomach growl and this one is no different! Between the pizza and the mozzarella my mouth was watering throughout this book and is now again, just thinking about it! A fantastic read, a lovely story and would highly recommend, if for no other reason that when you read it its so well written you feel like you are there!

This is a completely charming book! Italy, food, family, romance, women doing it for themselves and the most wonderful Nonna - what is not to love?
The women are definitely the stars of this novel and I loved them all. They were all great characters, each worthy of their own book. I will definitely read more from this author.

I have been on many holidays with Jo Thomas, she’s taken me to a German Christmas market, to some gorgeous lavender fields in France, and now this time, she has whisked me away to a small village in Southern Italy, introducing me to all her friends on the way. This time, no Air B&B was needed as we stayed with Lucia and her Nonno and Nonna.

Lucia is a lawyer working tirelessly for her firm in Wales – while she is waiting for an email to ping into her inbox to tell her she’s been promoted, she takes her annual holiday to visit her grandparents who run a pizzeria in a small village just outside Naples. Whilst there, she receives two bits of life changing news…she was overlooked for the promotion at work, and Nonno has decided to retire and as there is no male in the family who wishes to take over the running of the business, he is forced to sell up. When Lucia’s ex husband turns up the story really gets going!!

This was such a lovely, pure story about families, friends, community and love and with the dreaded pandemic at the back of everyone’s mind, this was also a true antidote to the travel ban that we are all living under, and so it was fantastic to be able to “travel” to this quaint region in Italy. Jo has a wonderful talent of placing you smack bang in the middle of the piazza, so that not only can you hear Angelo singing every morning, but you also feel the ambiance of the town, the clatter of the chairs and tables being set up outside the restaurants and the smell of the marvellous food being prepared in fact I’ve still got the smell of fresh basil up my nose!!

Sentirsi bene storia ambientata nella bellissima Italia!

I really enjoyed this book, it's set in a little village in Italy where Lucia's Nonna and Nonno live. Luce a business lawyer, whose Italian parents moved to Wales when she was young, goes back to holiday there every year. This year when she goes back she finds out Nonno has decided to retire and pass on the business of his pizza restaurant. Enter Giacomo who has history with Lucia.

You realise quickly what way the story is heading but it doesn’t hurry to get there and I liked the flow, it was easy and relaxed.

All the characters were relatable and likeable (apart from Dante!) and the descriptions of the food made me yearn to be there eating antipasti, pizza (although not the rhubarb one), gelato and drinking good red Italian wine.

I might be a little biased as I love everything about Italy, the people, the language, the food, the country but for me this book took me away and for just a little while I lived la dolce vita.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK for the ARC

It was very obvious what was going to happen in this book after reading the first few chapters. The story seemed very forced and not very believable. A grandfather who loved his granddaughter that much would not behave in that way. Two people still in love would not have just stopped speaking for 7 years. So much hatred against women wanting to work?

I loved the setting though and I felt like I was in Italy. The story just didn’t work for me.

A light romantic read where you know what`s going to happen and the journey is very colourful.

Luce returns to Italy for her yearly holiday to help out in the family pizza restaurant only to find out her grandad wants to sell the business and retire and has offered it to Luce`s estranged husband who she left years ago to move back to Wales to follow her career as a solicitor.

When she finds out she didn`t get the promotion she expected she dives into making pizza hoping to take over the business but has to compete with her ex Giac.

Everyone loves a happy ending and this keeps you reading to find out if it is.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I seem to be reading a lot of books set in Italy at present! Must be my desire to get away and not being allowed to due to Lockdown!
I got engrossed in this book and spent many nights trying to stay awake long enough to read more than a couple of pages. Not because the book wasn't engaging, but becuase I couldn't stay awake!
I loved the 'girl power' theme that emerges from this book and the celebration of the 'Nonna Network'.
From Lawyer to wannabe pizzaiola (or is it pizzaiolo?) I thoroughly enjoyed this story.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC to review.

Lucia takes a well-earned rest from her business law job, visiting her Italian grandparents in her late father’s hometown in Italy. Shocked to learn that her beloved grandfather is retiring and handing over the family pizzeria, she takes matters into her own hands and finds herself in a tetchy competition with her ex. This is a light-hearted read containing a mixture of romance, soul-searching and fabulous, evocative descriptions of Italian cuisine. Feel-good, escapist fiction.

I absolutely love Jo Thomas' books and this was no exception – an incredible stunning read! I was transported to beautiful Southern Italy where the sun is shining amongst the thriving lemon groves, the delicious pizza aromas are beaming out from the Pizzeria and the wonderful close family and community come together to help everyone out at all times.

I was rooting for Lucia and for her dreams to come true from the very start of the book. Chasing the Italian Dream is full of delicious Italian food from the pizzeria - I was yearning for a pizza every time I picked up the book! I loved how the author gave so much detail about the making of pizzas and working in a Pizzeria - it really made me want to start making my own dough and pizzas! The characters were portrayed so detailed and vividly that you feel that you really know them and get so involved in their lives. The places were incredibly depicted - you felt you were there in stunning Italy, immersed in the Italian culture, their customs and you felt such a large part of Lucia's tight knit family. I loved Nonna and Nonno and their love for their family shined as bright as the Italian sunshine!

Living in Wales, I loved the Welsh and Italian heritage side to the book. A perfect summery read taking you on a wonderful holiday to Italy! An absolutely enjoyable read which I thoroughly enjoyed and I would love to go to escape to Italy and a visit to Nonno's Pizzeria would definitely be first on the menu!

When Lucia arrives in Italy for her annual visit to her grandparents she has no idea how much her life will alter during her 2 week holiday. During her stay she starts to discover what is really important to her and makes plans to turn her life around. However, this is fraught with difficulties and things don't quite turn out as she expects. This is a story about women fighting for and finding their places in a patriarchal society. It is written in a gentle and descriptive way which makes the reader fall in love with the location and characters, especially the "nonnas".

A great holiday read.

received a digital ARC from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed the escapism of this book and the descriptions of the Italian scenery and food. Also loved the relationship between Lucia and her Nonna and Nonno. (Grandparents). A delightful, easy going read.

Really enjoyed this book. It is very light reading and a great book to escape into. I enjoyed following the story of Lucia who was brought up in Wales by Italian parents. Following her dreams Lucia returns to Italy for her annual 2 week holiday and it is whilst she is in Italy that she finds what she really wants to do and be.
Lucia catches up with her ex Gio and makes some really special connections with the women in her life. A heartwarming tale of love, life and what brings us joy.

This was enjoyable in parts. I didn't completely love it, while the story was quite fun, I couldn't work out the historical setting. It was written as if in current time, but the premise of women chefs not being accepted is completely outdated. Given that wasn't particularly believable in context, for me it meant the book lacked any integrity.

Another fantastic read from Jo Thomas, Everyone of her books I have read I haven't been able to put down.....This is no exception, I red this is one day!!

As a firm fan of Jo Thomas’s books, I was very much looking forward to this new offering. I knew from the book’s title and evocative cover that I would be off for a glorious trip to Italy and, from past experience, that there would be some mouthwatering descriptions of food along the way. I was proved right; the story had me transfixed from the word go up to the very last page.



When Lucia arrives for her annual holiday at her grandparents’ home in southern Italy, she is dismayed to find that her grandfather is about to retire and is planning to hand over his beloved and well respected restaurant to her estranged husband, Giacomo. As she realises that the career path she has been following as a lawyer is actually not what she wants in life, and that she would like to take over the pizzeria herself, she has to find a way to convince her grandfather that she is capable of doing just that. She has learned to cook at her grandmother’s side and helped in the restaurant over the years, but a major worry is that a female pizzaiola (master pizza-maker) will not be accepted by the traditionalist customers. As Lucia sets out to follow her heart and prove the doubters wrong, she must also learn to work alongside Giacomo and examine what went wrong with their marriage.



This is a fantastic story of family, friendship, love and tradition that I have enjoyed reading and was sorry to finish. Along with Lucia, I was instantly transported to sun-soaked Italy and could smell pizza all the way through the book. I would defy anyone to read this book and not be craving pizza at some point, although I was not too sure about some of the innovations in toppings being suggested by Giacomo! Throughout the story, there is a strong message about the importance of women in the family and in business, and that they are well able to fill roles traditionally left to men. As with any of Jo Thomas’s books that I have read, I can throughly recommend this one to other readers. It is an excellent read, not just for summer, but will lift the spirit at any time of year.

Such savory stories and writing. I would like to thank Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for providing me with an advance readers copy via access to the galley for free through the NetGalley program. I'd recommend it to anyone, especially those who are looking for a refreshing travel escape while on lockdown or feeling bogged down by life circumstances.

<b>The Story</b>
Reading stories by Jo Thomas are always such a treat to dive right in and be whisked away to a lovely place.

Reads like the first glance at a restaurant menu, where everything sounds so delicious and you want to devour it all, a good restaurant with good conversation, one where you leave happy and satisfied.

Took me right there. First sip of morning coffee. An early day’s work of homemade pizza dough divided and ready for a lunch time feast, fired in a wood oven. Wandering around the plaza, the market, the people I might meet. The aroma of fresh cut citrus, garden basil, garlic, tomato, mozzarella bubbling, ready for your heart’s content. I was there enjoying it with Nonno and Nonna.

And this one was all about Italy, family, and love. With deeper sentiments, life circumstances, with crossroads that were unexpected, interesting, and dynamic enough to make me think about my own.

<b>The Writing</b>
Every book I've read thus far has delivered its promise and this was was no exception. Inviting and not overly descriptive. Just enough to create alluring atmosphere while just enough to allow my imagination to feel like it was my own experience.

I really liked the initial and subsequent use of Italian language and translational presentation.

Questions I had were later answered in more subtle, internal monologue and character interaction. Super gratifying when that happens and when it doesn't feel forced, jarring, or overly-explanatory. Makes for a good reading experience that doesn't feel either rushed or boring.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one and am looking forward to the next read!