Very well written book. Really enjoyed this author, would definitely read more by this author and recommend on my book IG

I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review. Honestly, I'm not sure what drew me to this book because it's not like it is amazing cover or anything but I am glad I requested it. Set partly in Australia and partly in Italy and centered around food, how could you not like it? Add in some growth and self discovery and an aging family feud and you have the makings of a great book. Oh, don't forget about the love story...you gotta have the love story. I would recommend it to anyone that likes contemporary romance. I would definitely read other books by this author.

Perfect holiday read. This book follows along Demi as she finds herself in her home roots of Bari, Italy. Sprinkle in some family drama, romance, humour and family feuds, and I'm hooked. The scenes being set in Italy were to die for, and really made me want to go on holiday. I loved the character development, and writing style throughout the book.

I just love Jodi Gibson and I really loved this book. I could not recommend enough!

This book was such an amazing story and honestly such a good escape. You fall in love with the characters and their world immediately. I can not wait to read more from Jodi.

I don't know why I waited so long to read this one! Thank you to Netgalley for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The writing absolutely sucked me in and I finished this one within 24 hours. What I loved:
- Italy and the food!
- the growth of her family relationships
- Leo
- the fact that even though her plan went completely sideways she looked into herself to find what would make her happy and went for it

Highly recommend and would make for a great beach read!

I love a book that just transports you to a totally different country when reading & Italy is one of my all time favorite places to live vicariously through characters! This is a great story about how our plans tend to not always go…according to plan…and sometimes we need to push ourselves outside our comfort zones to find ourselves as well as to just live in the moment. I also appreciated a main character that’s within mh age group! A wonderful choice for a summer read

This was a cute love story focusing on Demi Moretti and her five-year plan, which implodes in a matter of days leaving her to pick up the pieces of the life she had been dreaming of for years.

The story begins with Demi’s intentions of changing things in the family cafe she has been running for the past few years. Demi knows that her dad is set to retire soon, and her plan is to make some changes in the place to allure a new set of clients to the place she loves so much. But then, she gets the news that her father is not giving her the cafe but instead she is handing over the reins to his older son Nick. On top of that, Demi’s boyfriend Will has been acting suspicious, sneaking around, and hiding things from her, and she believes that he is cheating. With nothing else left for her in Melbourne, she decides to reach out to her stranged family and visit her parents’ hometown in Bari, Italy to embrace her heritage and learn more about her family’s legacy.

This quick rom-com type of novel was something right by my alley. Not only did I enjoy getting to read about Demi’s journey connecting with her Italian heritage, but I also loved how she shifted her life when she realized that her plan had gone down the drain. She is not the typical twenty-something who is finally in the real world, and I found it so refreshing that she is in her 30s trying to make the best out of a situation that completely changed her life. I loved that she didn’t just accept what was happening but decided to take her fate in her own hands and find the happiness she knew she deserved. Her journey is inspiring and I loved how she was willing to get out of her comfort zone in order to get her life back on track.

I would say that this is less of a love story and more of a personal development journey novel. While Leo and Demi’s relationship becomes an important storyline in the plot, it is not the main narrative in the book. And I loved that about it. Yes, their emerging love story is adorable, and I was rooting for them to be together and fall in love with each other, but I loved that so much of the book focuses in other aspects of Demi’s life. I love getting to see her connect with her estranged family, finding out the reasons her parents left their hometown and seeing her being the bridge the family needed to connect again. It was so wholesome and I loved how all of the secondary storylines simply made sense.

Overall, this is a great pick-me-up book. While the romance is there, it is not the focal point of the story, and seeing Demi finding out her purpose after losing everything was inspirational in many ways. I loved the plot and the characters, and it was an easy and quick read.

Sadly this book just wasn't for me, I couldn't get into the writing style and it was a struggle to finish

I really enjoyed this book! The plot is good, the characters are well written and fun. Thank you Netgalley for The ARC

I had to order pasta to eat while I was reading this book. The descriptions of the restaurant scene and culture were *chefs kiss*

Could have used a little more steam from the relationship but overall a very enjoyable read about life, love and family.

This book follows along Demi as she finds herself in her home roots of Bari, Italy. Sprinkle in some family drama, romance, humour and family feuds, and I'm hooked. The scenes being set in Italy were to die for, and really made me want to go on holiday. I loved the character development, and writing style throughout the book.

I loved the five year plan. It is about Demi who has a 5 year plan and it crumbles. This food has lots of fun aspects to it such as travel, food and romance. It was a four out of five star read.

Demi thinks she is content living with her boyfriend Will and running the family business alongside her father in the hope it will one day be hers. Along with best friend Anna, she has a five year plan and is quite comfortable. Then everything goes wrong. Will is arrested, her brother is set to take over the business and her life is a mess so she travels to Italy to meet her extended family and learn traditional Italian cooking. She meets the handsome Leo and quickly develops feelings for him despite the long standing feud between their two families. But what is the secret her parents and hiding and what happens when she has to go back home? A great story that I really enjoyed.

If you like romance, romantic comedies, traveling, and/or Hallmark movies, then you'll adore this book. It was SO GOOD that I found myself retelling the story to my partner. I don't even know where to begin with sharing why it's amazing. There's a great complexity of storylines and character development, so the book is never boring. The Italian setting and culture really come alive through Jodi's writing. And, I enjoyed the Romeo and Juliet vibe of forbidden love. Jodi isn't trying to recreate Romeo and Juliet, but there's just enough of that essence to make it fun. Also, the ending leaves you so fulfilled, light, happy, and your heart and soul warmed. I am a big believer in happy endings, so I love stories that have minimal climax and drama and maximal happiness! That's 100% this book. I highly recommend it.

I quite enjoyed this one, though I did find Demi grating on me toward the end. I enjoyed the banter and chemistry between her and Leo and felt they were well suited! A lovely romp through Italy, it felt very well described.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC!

I love a book that lets me really visualise the scenery. I could almost smell and taste the food too, a beautiful journey from the comfort of my own home!

Very well written. Loved the themes around family, love and throwing caution to the wind when you know you're in love.

A fantastic addition to Jodi's growing repertoire.

The scenery? Gorgeous! The food? Mouthwatering! This was a fun, fast read centering on changing up your plans when life throws you a curveball. Demi was a wonderful character and I loved her relationships with her family in Australia, her family in Italy, her best friend Anna (adorable!) and, most of all, Leo. Every time Demi and Leo danced together, I swooned! 

I especially loved the orecchiette competition and also the impromptu trip to Switzerland at the end- love is worthwhile!

This is a well-written and fun book, I'd definitely recommend to someone looking to escape to Italy (in book form, of course). The storytelling is top notch and the characters are multi-layers and interesting to read.

I enjoyed this book. Mainly because all the food and the descriptions of Italy were amazing. It made me desperate to go there and eat all the food!
Good story about Demi too!