Oh this was just brilliant,

Right from the start I was rooting for Ramona and for her pitch for Curvalicious to go well, as it is such a great concept for a fashion label.

Unfortunately haute couture companies aren't into size inclusivity, and Ramona on the verge of giving up ends up in Tuscany.

Where she becomes key in various aspects of village life, and also learns all about an inspirational milliner too.

I also loved her best friend Fabrice, who doubles as Polly Darton, and I am a lover or a drag queen! And Polly in her act is formidable.

Admidst some fabulous Italian food and climate, we have a fabulous story about body positivity and the fight curvy larger than sick figure girls have to get clothes that not only fit but also that they feel good in. And given I'm in that size range too, I was intrigued and excited by Ramona's designs.

I absolutely loved every moment of this book and once again I'm keen to read more from Ginger Jones.

Thank you to Zaffre and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

it was a lovely summery read for a sunny day in the garden (trying to pretend I was in Italy!). It's an easy read for the beach/hols and I enjoyed it. The main character and her friends were all likable and if I saw another book by this author, I'd give it a try based on this one.

A fun read with great plus size representation and a really cool insight into the fashion world, with fun characters and a really charming storyline. The friendships in this were great, too!

What the Focaccia by Ginger Jones

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Zaffre and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

Escape to Italy with the brand-new foodie romcom from the author of You Had Me at Halloumi.

Ginger Jones is back with her next laugh-out-loud, mouth-watering tale from the rolling fields of sun-drenched Tuscany.

Add a dash of romance to your life with a spicy tale that's sure to satisfy your appetite . . .

My Opinion

This is a fabulously entertaining rom-com from Ginger Jones. It was full of chaos, but I loved the determination that Ramona had to bring to life her inclusive clothing range. This will make for a lovely, entertaining holiday read.

Rating 4/5

Ramona is a fashion designer trying to launch her new size inclusive clothing range, but her current employer don't want to know, so off she flies to Milan to showcase her wares to the big fashion houses.
Things don't all work out and she runs off to the hills of a tiny village and trusts the wrong person, but could she also find her new path?
This was a fun read about community, finding your calling and helping each other. I found it a bit too fashion heavy in places, but the cast of characters was fun and it was an easy and for the most parts light read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bonnier Books for the ARC.

What the Focaccia? is the perfect summer read. Are you going to feel like you've read something life changing? No. Is it meant to be? I doubt it. But it is sweet and has something to say and does so in a way that doesn't feel like you're being preached to.

Ramona's career is dramatically knocked off track and she decides the best way to fix this is by hot-footing it to Italy to knock on the doors of the fashion houses in Milan and gate-crash fashion week. Her plan is scuppered pretty quickly and she comes up with the most bonkers solution which I did struggle to understand that anyone would think that was a normal thing to do....maybe ;m too straight-laced?

I found Ramona and the characters she meets endearing and her friends were all likeable and supportive. I just always felt like I wanted a little more from this novel. Maybe I've read too many romance books and it takes a lot to knock my socks off? This isn't a bad book by any means and is a wonderful summer book but I just wanted more.

One to pack in your suitcase when you're heading to the sun...or you wish you were!

Really wanted to like this one as I felt it had such great messages coming across, but I just couldn’t engage with the characters at all really.

Ginger Jones is quickly becoming an autobuy author! Her storytelling is so vivid and evocative. A perfect summer read!

This was a very fun read set in Italy and following Ramona, a young aspiring fashion designer who escapes to Italy after being rejected at many attempts of launching her new size-inclusive fashion range.

I loved the size inclusivity in this book and it was so nice to see both male and female main and secondary characters be ‘plus size’. There was a lot of discussion on the fashion industry and how the definitions of plus size and curvy change so drastically, and I really enjoyed these elements. I found them to be so relatable, and a comfort to read about these issues, despite them making me angry too, being a curvy gal myself.

The romance side of things I found a little odd. There were a couple of tropes introduced briefly that then fizzled away very quickly, and although I was kind of glad about this as one of these was my least favourite romance trope, it did feel odd to be that misleading with the plot at times. There were plenty of unexpected surprises, but I just wanted an easy predictable plot with this one to be honest and I found that the ‘twists’ weren’t very successful.

The author references her previous book in the narrative which I thought was fun, and also The Shining, so bonus points there 👀 the writing style was super easy to get through and the plot and characters were a lot of fun.

I didn’t dislike this book by any means, but it didn’t excite me. It didn’t have me on the edge of my seat wondering if they were going to get together. It didn’t have me rooting for the main character’s career goals. But it was an enjoyable and light read that would be perfect for sitting down with at a cafe or poolside on holiday. The descriptions of the scenery and the frequent use of Italian language in conversation made for a perfect escapist novel that will lift you up and drop you right in the midst of bustling Milan and scenic Florence in the height of summer.

This was really fun! I enjoyed the ride: with interesting characters and a fun plot. It's a good book to read when you want to feel cozy.

After things going wrong at work, Ramona is in Italy, in a small town following a chance encounter with a man on the plane. There she meets Marco - there is more to him than meets the eye so will she give him a chance?

Ramona, is fabulously talented, chronically overlooked and her ideas for inclusive sizing are ridiculed. When her so-called colleague stabs her in the back she is determined to get someone at the top to see the potential for her line of clothing.

On her flight to Milan she meets Raffa, handsome Italian-Aussie, who is returning for his grans funeral. When her fashionista dreams go up in flames once more Romano takes Raffa up on his recommendations and decides to do some touring in his small town. But believe it or not this is only the start of her drama!!!

(I completely missed the first book by this author - You Had Me At Halloumi - which I've suitably chastised myself over and added it to my TBR. I love reading romances set in Greece - my fave place in the world)

Ramona is just so endearing. She loves her family, her selective group of friends and fashion. Her friends are wild, diverse and oh so determined that she is going to make it in the fashion world. I loved meeting the Drag Queens and the way that it's nothing out of the ordinary to have a 6ft Dolly Parton-esque Queen as one of your besties!

All Ramona's troubles and insecurities resounded so much with me as a fellow non-standard sized woman. The feeling of being weirdly highly visible and invisible at the same time.

There are a range of quirky characters and the charismatic Raffa - such a dark horse! Ramona just seemed to be made for Italy and I loved the way the village just kind of accepted her into their fold. She cemented herself as a favourite so quickly. The laughs increased once her crew arrived too and wedding drama unfolded.

The Ramona-Raffa-Marco storyline was well paced but weirdly could have been so easily resolved so quickly if Ramona had pulled her head out of the sand and asked some questions! If you are not a lover of miscommunication tropes this is not for you.

Perfect beach/summer read. Quickly paced, engaging characters, beautiful setting and strong friendships to ground our FMC.

Loving the Italian adventure between the main characters. Liked the use of the Italian words within the story too. A really good summer read for all.

Another fun read from Ginger Jones! Italy is one of my favorite places to visit, and this book thoroughly sated my wanderlust. And this would absolutely make a perfect vacation read!

Thank you Vicky at Bonnier Books UK and NetGalley for the ARC, this review is my personal, unbiased opinion.

I didn't hesitate when given the chance to read Ginger Jones' latest book,. But I ended up disappointed.

What the Focaccia mostly contains Ramona’s thoughts and actions, conversations were in the minority. I could never quite connect with her, the continual comments about her size was unnecessary, we readers don't need so many reminders about the physical characteristics of the main character.

Probably because I was comparing this to the author's previous book which was happy and amusing, almost as good as a holiday, it all seemed a little false and found myself jumping sections just to get to the end.

If you're mad on fashion and follow all the trends, just ignore my comments, this might be a good choice for you.

Firstly I would like to thank Bonnier Books UK and the author Ginger Jones for access to what the focaccia.

The review I am going to make is an honest review regardless of the access I received for this book. It should be noted I was not paid for this review and ensure honesty in all my reviews.

Ramona wants to release a size friendly close lines and is pitching designs to the fashion place she works for. But she doesn’t get selected due to the exclusivity of the fashion world.

She leaves for Italy and to prove that she can make this dream come true.

This is a laugh out loud book and with it being set in Tuscany area it makes me want to travel and eat gelato. This would be a perfect light hearted (with some serious messaging) holiday read.

OK, I am officially in love with Ginger Jones! On finishing this, I went to download her first book, You Had Me at Halloumi, which has even more foodie stuff in it. The heroine of What the Foccaccia (bold, great title), Ramona Matthews, is a Plus Size fashion designer whose genius is only appreciated by her two besties and her drag queen mentor, Fabrice, aka Polly Darton. When she goes to Italy to make a splash in Milan, she finds herself making a detour to the beautiful village of Altaterra in search of handsome Australian-Italian Raffa, who she meets on the plane - but is he all that he seems? What do YOU think?

Honestly, this was just such a lot of well-written fun, perfect for a bank holiday weekend - and with some serious focus on the importance of creativity, family and friendship that kept it from tipping over into pure fantasy. Well, almost!

What does a famous hat collection, a drag Queen, a wannabe fashion designer, and a not at all legal firing have in common, evidently an Italian adventure. I wasn’t keen on all the Italian words in the book as it assumed the reader knew what it meant, and also the long descriptions of things the main character was seeing, along with her constant comments on her size (we get it, she’s not a size 12, but seriously how many times does the author need to give a physical description of her characters). Also I wasn’t keen on Polly Darton the drag Queen, or Fabrizio I think he was called when in everyday attire, as I just found him quite self-centred and rude. The book seemed overly long, and to be honest I started skim reading towards the end as I was getting fed up of it. Overall this book is ok but I wouldn’t recommend it

Great light holiday read that makes you want to visit Italy (if you arent luck y enough to be there at the time of reading)

I adore the name of this book. I love the settingof this book. I mean who doesn't love Italy. I also thought the characters where just really fun. I thought there were some great laugh out loud moments in the book as well and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.