This delightful book is a must for those who love to be transported to different countries, cultures and drool at the exquisite descriptions of food!
Thea a widow, with two young children, finds herself in Tuscany, where her deceased husband had purchased an old, dilapidated house, which needs to be renovated to either inhabit or sell, otherwise Thea will be left with the hefty purchase price of the house.
This story hits the emotional points, and has a twist, which you don’t expect.
Throw in two dashing and decent men for Thea to also consider, three nonnas who know how to hold a grudge, the spirit and care of a community coming together- what more could you want!

Another wholesome delight from a trusted and favourite author! I loved it, Thea, Marco, the kids, Giovanni and the 3 Nonnas. Jo Thomas, as usual transports us right to the location which is the core of the story, and the hearts and minds of the characters. The characters are 3 dimensional which I adore. I always feel Jo Thomas is a safe pair of hands, and I like that her books follow a similar pattern. However, I can't say they are predictable by any means, I was genuinely worried that the love interest would end up being the wrong one! I won't say anymore than that, to avoid spoilers. I love the warmth with Jo's books, the love, the inclusivity but also the jeopardy that underlines her stories.
Another great one from Jo Thomas and I'm excited for the next one.

bought in Tuscany wasn't pristine. But when she relocates to Italy for the summer with her children, she's shocked by how much work Casa Luna needs. And she only has six weeks to fix it up ready to sell! Her only option is to ask the tight-knit Italian community for help.

In return, Thea and her children become involved in the community kitchen, working alongside handsome chef Giovanni and three very competitive nonnas. Gradually, Thea begins to open up to the people around her for the first time in a long while. But just as she's beginning to wonder whether this small Tuscan town could become a new place to call home, a surprise visitor turns everything on its head . . .

I do love a book from Jo Thomas. I know when I pick one up to read I will find myself transported to a world of new characters and usually another country with interesting sights, sounds and smells. Often, I find myself keen to try out some new dishes that I have read about, because food always plays a big part in Jo’s stories. This latest book promised a trip to Tuscany, its bright cover giving a clue to a busy time for the characters.

The story centres on Thea and her young family, who have travelled from the UK to spend the summer in a small town in Tuscany where her late husband, Marco, bought a house as a surprise for the family. Thea learns that Marco bought the rundown house cheaply on the understanding that it would be renovated within a given time period, and that time has almost run out. There is so much to do to bring the house up to standard that Thea realises she must ask for help from the local community. She makes a deal with chef Giovanni, who runs a community kitchen in the town, that he and his friends will help with the house if she and the children will help run the kitchen, side by side with three elderly nonnas who have lived in the town most of their lives and pride themselves in their cooking skills. As the young family become immersed in the community, Thea finds herself relaxing more than she has been able to in a long time, and even wondering if this small town could become home to her and her children.

I very much enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it as an absorbing summer read. It has so much going for it, with its combination of drama, mystery, romance and comedy, combined with a cast of captivating characters and a wonderfully warm community feeling. I absolutely loved the three nonnas, who were at loggerheads for most of the story. I could almost picture them hanging out of their windows shouting at each other. On the other hand, Thea’s children were almost too good to be true; she was very lucky to have such compliant companions. Thea herself was a courageous woman grieving for her husband but always doing what she thought best for her young family. I hoped she would find time to examine her feelings for handsome Giovanni. All through the story, the reader and Thea are presented with mouthwatering dishes made using traditional Italian recipes. This is definitely one of those books liable to leave you hungry for some good food.

It’s always an experience in food and culture reading one of Jo’s books and I loved spending time with Thea, Luca and Aimee in A Place In The Sun.
Emotional and full of heart - this is a beautiful story of second chances and community.
I thought the idea of the community kitchen idea was lovely - bringing food and people together in the beautiful Italian countryside.
The Nonna’s were hilarious- the archetypal Italian grandmothers - they were brilliant, larger than life characters.
Seeing Thea and her family take stock of their lives in Casa Luna was a wonderful adventure and another masterpiece from Jo Thomas.

This was a beautiful story of rebuilding, community and a mouthwatering selection of food!

Thea's life had imploded around her, with the loss of her husband, Marco, and their restaurant collapsing she takes their children to the last place she has left, a home that Marco had purchased just before his death which she knew little about other than it needed some renovations.

There is a lot of humour in this book from the Oops moments and especially from the Nonna's as well as their take on 'real' Tuscan food. There is also a lot of heart in this book, not just Thea's suitors and her children but also the community and the way they all come together for each other. It was a wonderful read that I have enjoyed greatly and one I really hope there might be a follow up book to as the characters in this one are just fabulous, many being a little larger than life, and yes I mean those Nonna's!lol

My final thoughts are that after reading so much about one of my favourite foods over the last few days, I'm just going to have to have lasagne for dinner this weekend and enjoy it our way with those closest to me and lots of love, just as the Nonna's recommend.

Such a touching read. From heart break to happiness and all the emotions in between unfold in the pages. The scenery is fabulous the three nonnas quite funny. This is as much a nostalgia journey as it is the present day. Wonderful.

Jo Thomas is a go to author for me when I want a "good read," meaning one that will keep the pages turning, has a delightful setting (with yummy food), and characters with whom I want to spend time. All of these are present in A Place in the Sun as I (virtually) traveled to Italy with widow Thea and her two young children.

The house that Thea's husband had bought needs A LOT of work; will the multi-talented Giovanni, help? The meet cute of Thea and he is indeed cute and he will indeed help.

Readers will hope for good things for Thea as she gets to know the people in her new community. Her husband died too young. Her finances were a mess but perhaps Italy will have the answers. This is what the reader will want.

Spend time with the people in this part of France. You won't want to leave.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for this title. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Marco brought a holiday home is Tuscany before he died unexpectedly. Thea relocates to Italy for the summer only to discover the house needs major work doing before she can put it in the market. Her only hope of getting the house ready in time for her to return to the UK she needs to ask the tight-knit community for their help.

Can she get the house ready in time?

Could not have loved this book more, warmth and good feeling just oozed out of every page. The story is centered around Thea who has travelled to a small village in Tuscany with her two children after becoming widowed and losing her business, the only thing left of her late husband is an old property in the village badly in need of love and renovation. Thea wants to turn the property around quickly and return back to life in the UK but the longer she spends in the village the more relaxed she becomes and begins feeling torn between her old life and her new one.

What a beautiful story about healing, set in a remote Tuscan village filled with colourful characters, including three hilarious nonnas! Be warned though, this book will make you very hungry! The food all sounds so mouth-watering and is sure to get your tummy rumbling!
I loved seeing how Aimee and Luca were able to learn to be children like they deserved, it was a wonderfully hopeful story.
Giuseppe and the nonnas provided so much comic relief throughout, they really embodied the stereotypical older Italian generation.
Giovanni and Thea both had much to teach one another, they were wonderful leading characters.
I loved the idea of La Tavola, what a source of community joy.
This was a super quick read, that very quickly hooked me into the story, there was nothing I disliked about this and would definitely recommend it.

A lovely, feelgood romance novel set in Tuscany. Thea and her children find themselves with a run down house to renovate in rural Italy. But her plans to sell it and return to the UK are in turmoil thanks to the people that she meets over the summer.
I can never work out with her books how the non locals manage to communicate with the old ladies, for example. Imagination clearly has to be suspended!
Escapist and fun.

Thea arrives in Tuscany with her2 children after tragically losing her husband. It’s a real tale of the community coming together . I loved the countless dishes of lasagne and the building of friendships.

What a wonderful story set in beautiful Tuscany. The author described everything perfectly to the point you could close your eyes and picture yourself there. The characters were really well written and I found myself laughing out loud at the tales of the 3 nonnas . I devoured it in 1 siting and already recommending to friends

I love a new Jo Thomas book especially as this one is a perfect summer read. Thea arrives at Casa Luna, a little Tuscan village, with her two children on a hot sunny day after a long journey. Casa Luna is the house that her husband Marco bought for their future together but Thea has never seen it. Sadly, Marco died unexpectedly, their restaurant business went bump and now this is all that Thea has. She plans to do it up, sell it and return to the UK so the children can start the new school year in September. Little by little, Thea and her children meet the not always welcoming locals and become involved in the community kitchen and the lives of the locals. A huge surprise awaits Thea too in more ways than one. I really enjoyed this book, easy to get into and I couldn't put it down! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this lovely book.

A lovely summer read. Thea and her children Luca and Aimee arrive in a Tuscan village to renovate the house their husband/dad bought two years previously. Marco died shortly after purchasing the house so it's all a surprise to Thea and the children. They find an old dusty house needing a lot of TLC- and they only have the summer to get it done. But when you have a whole community helping, anything is possible. Such a lovely happy community- I want to be part of their Sunday dinner. And the nonnas are great - this would be a fab TV show. #netgalley #aplaceinthesun

Lovely story that follows on from a previous story. Full of sad times and unsurity but brings the ethos of friends, family and community with it. Shows that a person is always with us even when they’ve gone and that a person isn’t just about a place

A Jo Thomas book is always one to look forward to and this one is no different. Set in Tuscany she does her usual trick of making you feel like you are sitting around rhe table with the characters eating the food - another excellent read.

I was given the opportunity to read ' A Place in the Sun' and being an Italophile it appealed to me. Coincidentally during the time I was reading this novel I heard Jo Thomas interviewed on the radio. It was interesting to hear how she draws on life experiences whilst writing and she gave some examples used in this most recent novel.

A young widow, Thea and her two children travel to Italy for the school summer holidays to renovate and sell a property belonging to them, in a Tuscan village. They quickly find themselves drawn into the community life of this small village. There is heartbreak for the family but along with that comes the heart warming way that the locals accept them.

A gentle romantic read with realistic characters that will definitely appeal to lovers of Italy and its food.

With thanks to NetGalley, Transworld and Jo Thomas for the opportunity to read and review.

Emotional, escapist and evocative are three words that capture the essence of this destination and food-orientated, feel-good story. Thea and her children undertake a road trip to Tuscany to spruce up the house Marco bought for them. What they find is something that needs a little more than tender loving care, but the quirky community where the house sits may be just what they need. I love the story's inclusivity, the good-natured interfering community, and the stunning descriptions that make you feel you are in the Tuscan countryside. It has a small cast of distinctive characters who provide the humour, especially the Nonnas. I like the possibility of gentle romance, the chance to start again and the tale's heartwarming emotion.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.