3.5 Stars Wonderful, warm characters. A loving Italian family that embraces Brooke as a new addition without being too overbearing. A sweet relationship between Brooke and Luca that feels very natural. A cute daughter who remains endearing without ever being annoying.

The sex scene is my main criticism. Besides being fairly graphic, it seemed very desperate and out of place in what is, otherwise, a really good novel. A second, very short one mirrored the first. Some PG language throughout, also, but not too bad.

If those scenes were significantly toned down or eliminated, I’d give it 4, possibly 5 stars.

Just read Catherine Bybee's upcoming release (on NG, it was on read now with Montlake) and absolutely LOVED it. She writes my favorite heroines, they're strong but with relatable fragilities. Brooke family issues were portrayed with sincerity and with an intimacy that got to me many times. Her male characters are dreamy and Luca was a fine specimen. Family man, supportive, protective, loving, caring and an Italian chef. MINE!
I also adored the family dynamics, the secondary cast was lovely and I can't wait to read more about Gio and Chloe next.
If you're in the mood for an Italian single dad with a loud, obnoxious, loving, meddling family, you're in for a treat.
When It Falls Apart delivered all the feels.

I flew through this book! It’s such a beautiful story with so many lessons about forgiveness, second chances and understanding. Prepare for a rollercoaster of emotions though! There are equal parts romance, heartbreak, rage, and just the right level of steaminess. I highly recommend!

This was a bittersweet romance about the power of love in the face of heartbreak and loss. A story of family dynamics…. I loved the emotions this book puts the reader through. Stunning…..

I thoroughly enjoyed this one! You’ll fall in love with the story and the characters. It hooked me from page one and didn’t disappoint! It kept me reading well into the night.

I’m giving this book 3.5 stars. I loved the character of Luca. His integrity was very admirable, and I appreciated how he prioritized his daughter. It was refreshing to have a strong father character and a weak mother for a change instead of the reverse.

My reason for giving it only 3.5 stars is that I found the first half of the book pretty slow. I wish the romantic relationship between Brooke and Luca had begun much sooner. The first part of the book focused too much on Joe and his health struggles. I think some of that could have been condensed so that the romantic storyline could have begun sooner. However, I did love the large cast of characters and will read future books about the family!

Charming, touching and romantic.
A story about family, loyalty and new beginnings.
When It Falls Apart is just the beginning of Brookes happy ever after.
Filled with drama and conflict with a balance of friendship and love.
I devoured this story in a long day.
I recommend it.

I really enjoyed this heartfelt book about Brooke and her journey to find love and happiness. I also loved learning more about the dynamic about Luca's family and the love they share for each other.

I really enjoyed this book with the element of family drama and romance. I do however wish we heard more about the dad at the end of his reasonings, but still god

When It Falls Apart by C. Bybee, published by Montlake, is the first book in the new The D'Angelos' Series.
The D'Angelos are a tight knit family with italian roots. They own a restaurant, work together, live together. Nick is the oldest of the siblings. The single dad has his hands full and doesn't want nor need a relationship.
Brooke is new in town. She's had it rough in the past and could use a breath of fresh air. And this breath seems is her new neighbor, his adorable daughter and his family.
This slow burn is a beautiful read. A contemporary romance of it's finest, the author did an excellent job and I loved just evereything about this book.

Wonderful book with realistic characters. The story draws you in slowly. Luca was married to a woman who decided she wanted a divorce when their daughter was as 3 years old. Brooke just left when her father needed her. Now, she’s near her dad and able to help him but she never expected what she walked into. The story has a fantastic large Italian family. It’s about trust, hard times, trying to find oneself, and romance. I look forward to reading future books by Ms Bybee. I received a complimentary copy of the book and chose to write a review.

Brooke Turner knows she has to drop everything to go to her father who is undergoing emergency surgery. Her long time partner can't see why she bothers, her father didn't really connect with her until she was an adult and she spent enough time with him when he suffered from a stroke. His attitude finally makes her realise her relationship just isn't working. Arriving at her condo she realises her father has obviously been struggling for a while and takes advice from her best friend to spend some time in San Diego to decompress. This is where her path crosses that of Luca D’Angelo who is the chef at his family's Italian restaurant. The beginning is relentless and grim and appears to be drawn from experience, you have my sympathy. The story becomes more hopeful as it proceeds which is good as Brooke needs a break. But the path of true love never runs smooth. Enjoyable story.

Everything that Catherine Bybee writes is just so good. Her books have truly become an automatic buy for me. This one is no different. Brooke's family life has been non-stop drama from the time she was a very young child. For the last few years - things have been a roller coaster with her dad having a stroke - and now a serious medical condition that means he can't live on his own anymore. Add that to a relationship ending and you have an incredibly stressful situation - and no one for Brooke to lean on. Finding a home within Luca's family is exactly what Brooke needs.

Luca is definitely the whole package - a sexy, Italian, single dad and chef who takes his responsibilities incredibly seriously. For him - family is everything. Accepting Brooke as a tenant in his family's building is hard for him - especially after a few very difficult years for the hospitality business and their restaurant. But once he does - it is clear that they are definitely perfect for each other.

This story felt much rooted in reality and what so many people are going through. Caring for an aging loved one - and having to give up some of your own life along the way. Or sharing children with an ex, and having to standby and watch that person not care for your shared child the way you'd like them to. I deeply appreciated how real these things felt and were handled by the characters. It showed how our family ties - both chosen and blood can really impact our lives and decisions. It also showed how important it is to really talk and be open with your partner.

Overall - this is a great story where mature people make mature decisions and actually talk to each other. I adored it.

I received this via NetGalley as an ARC, but these opinions are all my own.

When it Falls Apart is a fast read like all of Catherine Bybee books. This one was different though. It had a little more heart and soul and we as readers saw a glimpse of her life in the story of Brooke and Luca. It’s the next chapter in her storytelling. I love this Italian family and can’t wait to read the next book. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

Catherine Bybee’s new book is Brooke Turner's next chapter in life When It Falls Apart. The chapter where the child takes care of the parent often out of sense of obligation rather than return of the love and devotion a child should have been raised with and felt all to happy to return to that devoted parent. Brooke didn't have that, but she still has a sense of duty and love for her father, her flesh and blood.

While you'd expect your boyfriend of several years to stand strong by your side while you are dealing with such a difficult time in your life, Brooke did not have that. So while she grew up without the nurturing of the love of neither a mother or a father, she doesn't get the support she needs from her long time boyfriend either when it's all falling apart.

Moving closer to her father, Brooke tents an apartment belonging to a very close-knit Italian family above the restaurant, which is actually on the top floor of apartments belonging to the entire family. Luca is the family chef and non too pleased with his mother for taking in a tenant exposing his daughter to strangers.

This story is engaging, heartfelt and draws Luca's daughter, Franny, in as dealing with similar issues with her own mother as Brooke dealt with growing up. Brooke is sweet, attentive and helpful to a tenderhearted Franny so confused over the sudden appearance of her mother.

Bybee writes a superb story addressing the hardships adult children face with parents entering the struggles of being unable to care for themselves and mad they can't; tenderly addresses childhood issues faced when innocent kids have selfish parents; and affectionately entertains with the big fun Italian loving family

Highly recommend.

Brooke’s life has had some big changes and she decides it’s time for a new start in a new town. While she is looking for an apartment she meets Luca’s mum and she offers her an apartment above their family restaurant. Luca is a single dad who isn’t too impressed with his mother offering the apartment to a stranger. When they do meet there is an instant attraction, but they are both very wary. Brooke’s last relationship wasn’t great and Luca had a bad experience with his daughter Franny’s mum. Brooke has had an difficult relationship with her father, but has turned her world upside down to look after him. Luca is completely focused on his daughter and her safety and happiness. He sees how Brooke treats his daughter and it makes her all the more attractive to him. She sees that he would do anything for his family. When Franny’s mum comes back on the scene trying to cause trouble, Luca really sees how much Brooke cares for his daughter. I loved how nice this story was, not too much drama and very heartwarming, I want to be part of this family! I kept waiting for everything to fall apart as per the title, but the title made sense at the very end. This is a story with lots of family, heart, love and passion and I can’t wait for more of this family.

Brooke knows that she can’t carry on something has to give. Her father’s health has gotten worse and her boyfriend is more worried about their upcoming trip. She is devastated when she gets to see how her father has been living and she knows that she can’t look after him. She can only see one way out and that is to move somewhere new for them both. She finds a lovely place to live and the family is so welcoming.
Luca knows that he mustn’t push Brooke he needs to take his time as Franny his daughter is the most important thing in his life. He has to be sure that this is right for them all.
Brooke knows that she is falling for Luca but just as everything is falling into place the ex wife rocks out. Where to from here for them? Can they get through this together?
A great enjoyable read. I was lucky enough to receive a copy from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

I really wish I could love this book. It has a heartwarming premise - Brooke goes to live in San Diego after breaking up with her sad-sack boyfriend and moving her elderly father to an assisted living facility where she can be near him. She rents a room above a family restaurant in Little Italy and gets hot for the chef there, single-dad Luca.

The Author’s Note explains some elements of the novel are something like creative non-fiction, “Oftentimes, I start with completely made-up people in made-up worlds with made-up drama. That is not this book.” Though we don’t know which bits are based on reality-ish, certain things ring very true, from the difficulty of a relationship with a parent who wasn’t around when you were young, to dealing with the mundane complications of their ailing health. I appreciated the way medical professionals were written - not like dramatic shrinking violets, but people who could calming explain the risks of surgery, the possibility of death, and the practicalities of carework.

The prose, while clunky in places, was light and easy to read, and the cast of characters brought a sense of friendship and family. But no matter how relatable the complicated familial relationships were, and how (mostly) sweet the romance between Brooke and Luca was, I couldn’t enjoy it. There was a constant stream of irritants interrupting the good bits of the story.

My biggest problem? The diet culture. Considering that Luca is a chef and the restaurant features heavily, the food had so much potential. I love reading about people cooking as an act of love. Except the food was always accompanied by a comment about weight, the food is called “sinful,” or Brooke asks “how do you stay thin with all the pasta?” There was even a thinly-veiled comment made towards a child. It was constant, and frankly ruined the book for me.

It also ruined what I think was supposed to be a ‘female empowerment’ moment in the middle of the book, when Brooke works on an advertising campaign that involves “real women.” Brooke says they have a chance to “stop making women believe they have to starve themselves for fashion.” Sure, except after a so many comments about staying thin and “keeping her figure,” it just felt disingenuous.

And because of all this, I was also bothered by little things I’d usually forgive. Ellipses were overused to the point that they pulled me out of the story. Luca’s sister Chloe mentions a yoga teaching certification she did in a week - impossible, unless it was a scam, because 200h of learning is considered the minimum for teacher training. Luca’s mum was given a few point-of-view scenes which didn’t add much to the story and the information could just as easily have been presented during one of the Brooke- or Luca-POV chapters. And the ending was rushed - the big, dramatic ‘uh oh’ moment was resolved without examining the emotional impact of it, and the epilogue also took a few sentences to gloss over things that, if given more space, would have made a satisfying denouement.

That’s not to say there weren’t elements I enjoyed. The relationship between Brooke and Luca’s daughter Franny was very sweet, and it felt poignant that Brooke was able to advocate for Franny when the little girl goes through something she experienced too. The romance between Luca and Brooke was well-paced, and their moment of misunderstanding came from misguided concern, which allowed for a trouble-free resolution. And I love that Brooke found a family, after a lifetime of difficulty with her own.

When It Falls Apart, Catherine Bybee’s new book is about the relationship between children and parents…good, bad, selfish, concerned and indifferent. It deals with the insecurities and longings of the children of divorced parents especially those who were abandoned by a parent. The story contrasts the “me first” parents with those who truly try to consider how their actions affect their offspring. The topic may sound depressing but it’s really uplifting and inspiring and a very fine read because of the warmth of a big Italian family that takes center stage. This reader does advise reading this author’s acknowledgments at the book’s end that brings a lot into a clearer focus. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. Most highly recommend.