Sophie is a spirited wedding planner who specializes in destination weddings and is always chasing her next adventure. When an unconventional couple approaches her with a unique wedding request set in the Italian Alps, it leads her straight back to her past—and to Andreas, the ex-boyfriend she hasn’t seen in eight years. Their relationship ended when Sophie proposed and Andreas turned her down.

Now, reunited by work, Sophie and Andreas are forced to revisit their unresolved history. As they collaborate on creating a dream wedding amidst the stunning Alpine scenery, old emotions begin to stir. Through scenic hikes, heart-to-hearts, and the magic of the mountains, the two slowly rebuild their bond and rediscover a connection that may never have fully disappeared.

This light and charming romance is perfect for holiday reading or when you’re craving a bit of escapism. While the chemistry between Sophie and Andreas is sweet, the story could have been enriched by diving deeper into their shared past. And although the setting adds charm, some inaccuracies in the use of Italian might bother detail-oriented readers. Still, it’s a cozy, feel-good tale about second chances and finding love where you left it.

This book was so hard to get into to. It took multiple days for me to get past the first few chapters.
It’s an adorable cover that got me wanting to read it in the first place. It’s a second chance romance. But the MMC seemed to be more into hiking than anything else. I honestly didn’t love nor hate this book. But it was hard to get into so that’s why it’s a 3 star rating as I wouldn’t read it again. But also don’t regret reading it.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to get this ARC and read and review it.

LM is one of my favourite writers. She creates credible and engaging characters I can identify with, and cheer on their journey to a happy ending. She always sets up a premise that is totally authentic and captures my interest in a setting which I want to visit.

Here we have Sophie and Andreas, a wedding planner and a mountaineer. Eight years ago she used Leap Year as the opportunity to ask him to marry her and he rejected her. Now the two companies they work for (Wedding Planner and Outdoor Pursuits) merge and they have to work together. This is so beautiful, I totally loved it. Andreas proves to be a delicious hero whose behaviour becomes very understandable as we learn more about him and watch him dare to be brave because of their love.. Sophie is lovable and complex and it's fascinating to see how she grows and develops as they reconnect.the

What I also loved was the time devoted to our couple. So many books neglect the romance in favour of a cast of thousands who I'm generally not at all interested in. LM doesn't do that. Her subsidiary characters serve a purpose, but they don't overwhelm the main characters.

The writing evokes settings brilliantly. And although I am no fan of outdoor pursuits, LM actually makes me understand why other people are.

A fabulous read, which I got as an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.
Highly recommended 5 stars!

I'm not a big second chance trope fan but who could resist Lake Garda?
I love Leonie's books because they are pure entertainment and usually introduce an infusion of cultures, languages and people of diverse backgrounds. Her books are definitely my comfort reads.

This book was really hard to get into and just felt kinda flat.
Like nothing was resolved. The MMC was a man child who couldn’t deal with emotions and the FMC was always the adult trying to understand him. I never saw how they could actually have a happily ever after. Even at the end, he didn’t change at all.
She just kinda gave up and gave in and is gonna live him of the man child he is instead of demanding more from him or finding more.
This would be a 2 star if it wasn’t for the backdrop of hiking and side characters
But while we are on side characters, the MMC had a casual relationship with a hiking student he’s known since she was a teen (if the math is correct) but it’s ok because she knew it’s always casual even though she wanted more?
Ehhh yuck plus she was named Kira, my name, and thus even worse to read.

I always enjoy Leoni Mack's European romantic adventures because they feature some physical activity I am highly unlikely to participate in. The descriptions are more than enough for me!
This time, I was transported to Italy with Sophie-Leigh, the FMC, a wedding planner, as she was instructed to help plan a wedding for two clients who wanted more than your average destination wedding. They are looking for the thrill of a climb, with commitment at the top of a peak, preferably with a cross there.
Memories of a past romance threaten to take over her mind, as Sophie begins the organisation, those memories become a reality as she is faced with the man who effectively popped her climbing cherry, and then her heart, after a whirlwind romance.
Combining the climbing and romance, we are taken on a journey, and several climbs where Sophie is paired with Andreas to scout suitable locations, with plenty of time to unpick and rehash their break-up.
As I always say in reviews, you don't want me telling you the plot; that is for you to read, but you want an opinion. Mine is that this is a fantastic read, with a hint of spice, and a shed load of precarious situations where there is a second chance, close proximity and one-bed tropes explored!
Thoroughly enjoyed the read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

3.5 Stars
One Liner: It was nice, but dragged a little
Eight years ago, on the leap day (29th Feb), wedding planner Sophie-Leigh Kirke proposed to her then-boyfriend, who broke her heart. She cut contact with him and moved on with her life.
Mountaineer Andreas is now back in her life, working for an adventure travel company; the same one with which her destination wedding company has been merged. With Andreas assigned as her guide, Sophie has to search for the perfect local for a destination wedding for the client.
Thrown together by circumstances, can the two sort out their past and decide their future? Will it be together or apart from one another?
The story comes in the third-person POVs of Sophie and Andreas.

My Thoughts:
Well, I liked the premise of a second chance romance with a virtual tour of the Italian hills, never mind that I’m not into mountaineering. Imagine wanting to climb a mountain as part of your wedding. Shudder! Good if you like it. Not for me!
This is quite an angsty book where the tension between the lead couple starts almost at the beginning. Some of it was well done, especially Sophie’s arc.
We also get a lot of descriptions of the places they hike and explore to finalize the venue for the destination wedding. I did enjoy most of it. Who doesn’t like a virtual tour of a new place?
There are a few side characters we meet at the beginning, but they don’t have much role to play until the end (not even then, TBH). However, the reason for their presence is hinted at in the epilogue and the acknowledgments. This is apparently the first book in the series. There will be more with the same team, but different couples.
However, the storyline seems to drag on for a while. The book feels longer than it should have been. There’s also a lot of repetition about the MMC’s opinion about marriage and weddings.
What made this a 3-star instead of a 4-star was the MMC. Even after reading the book, I couldn’t actually see the reason for his actions (except that he acted like a man-child afraid of emotions and commitment). Maybe his inability to express his feelings is realistic, but he annoyed me quite a lot for the majority of the book. He did manage to pull himself together, though.
They also go around in circles a lot. Cutting down some of this (and making the book shorter) would have helped a lot and also shown the MMC in a better light.
The epilogue has nothing to do with this story, so it is more of a teaser for the next one.
To summarize, An Italian Wedding Adventure is a decent romance with travel, adventure, and some drama. It could have been better, but it does have its moments.
Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

An Italian Wedding had everything I usually love: a second-chance romance, a dramatic setting, a dash of emotional history, and yes, a wedding (or several). And while there were definitely moments that made me smile—especially the banter between Sophie and Andreas—I struggled to stay fully invested.

The biggest issue for me? Way too many details that didn’t feel relevant to the main story. I love a richly drawn setting as much as the next person, but at times it felt like the plot was taking a back seat to overly specific descriptions—of landscapes, side characters, logistics, you name it. I found myself skimming whole sections just to get back to Sophie and Andreas and their very slow-burn reunion.

That said, I did appreciate Sophie as a character. She’s smart, capable, and has the kind of quiet vulnerability that makes you root for her. Andreas took a while to warm up to (gruff is right), but once the emotional walls started coming down, I could see the connection. The big reveal about what actually happened eight years ago was satisfying—if a little delayed—and gave their arc some real emotional weight.

In the end, this was a charming read that just needed a tighter focus. If you’re in the mood for a gentle, scenic romance and don’t mind taking the long way around the plot, you might find it worth the trip.

A really sweet romance that would be a great holiday read, as it's set mainly in Italy and features a lot of weather chat that made me incredibly envious.

I'm not usually a fan of second-chance romances but this was done well. The pacing was perfect: not too fast but not too slow, either. There were quite a few characters that we never really learnt a lot about, which was a shame as it just made it feel overwhelming.

I do feel like this would've been better as a dual first person POV or at least naming the chapters from the perspective we were reading from. Additionally, some of the plot points and key events felt a bit too convenient, especially as we never got much background on their relationship: it was almost a guessing game trying to work out how serious it had been with nothing other than vague clues.

Second chance romance? I'm definitely here for it!
Being Italian, I was so curious to see how this was developed, so I had to read it! I don't know why, but sometimes when authors talk about Italy, they tend to use so many chlicés it's boring: I must say Leonie did a really great job because none of that is in that book. I was, indeed, surprised to find out the actual venue was not the Amalfi Coast but the Trentino!

I loved that the main characters are a bit older than usual for a romance. They have a shared history as well as individual pasts that influence their choices. This made them feel wiser and more reflective, as their decisions weren't solely based on their feelings for each other.
There are just two things I didn't enjoy: I felt that there were too many details at the beginning, with a lot of information that wasn't useful for the storyline. The number of characters was overwhelming, and at times, I got confused about who was who.

Leonie's writing style has great potential: I think that captured my attention the most. I'd have preferred if the story had been written in the first person rather than in the third.

For those who love outdoor activities and are looking for something fun and adventurous, this book might be just for you!

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books, who provided me with an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read The Italian Wedding Adventure. The “Adventure” was definitely the main theme of the book. I didn’t realize there would be so many details about mountain climbing, hiking, etc. It’s not really my thing, but I still enjoyed the book. This book would actually make a great movie. I wish I could have seen the views from the mountains, the lakes, and villages of Italy. The romance was good enough. Again, it would make a great movie with a really hot rugged actor to play Andreas.
Overall I enjoyed the book.

⭐️ 3/5
Third person POV, dual narrative
Linear timeline
MF Romance
FMC: Sophie | MMC: Andreas
Main setting: Italy
This book cover is so vibrant and fun! Though I’m surprised there weren’t any mountains anywhere in the scene…

I was really excited for this because I’m an event planner and love to travel, especially expedition type travel. The concept is so fun and I was looking forward to them rekindling their relationship amongst challenging environments and terrain. The storyline got very redundant and scattered at times. I was very put off my just how many times we hear Andreas talk about not approving of marriage or being marriage material. I didn’t like the negative mindset either of them had, and it wasn’t into a cute little bantering way. It really felt at times that they aren’t meant for each other and shouldn’t be together again.

Thank you to Boldwood Books for an electronic ARC of this book which was provided to me via NetGalley for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Thanks Boldwood Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read the ARC of this very cute book in exchange for an honest review.

Sophie is a wedding planner, her agency specialises in Destination weddings so she's always looking for her new adventure. A one of a kind request from an adventurous couple will change not only the future of her wedding enterprise but also Sophie's own life.
In order to plan this wedding and make her clients' wishes come true Sophie has to get back in touch with her ex Andreas, their relationship ended 8 years before after she proposed to him and he refused.

For both Sophie and Andreas this will be a chance to rediscover themselves and their feelings, to talk a bit more and clarify some things left unsaid so long ago.

It won't be long before old feelings start to resurface (were they really ever gone completely?) and both of them, helped by some hikes and the beauty of the Italian Alps, will find themselves rebuilding that connection in no time!

An Italian Wedding Adventure is a cute little romance, the perfect read while on holiday or just before going on one, to get in that vacation mood. I'd maybe have appreciated a bit more of the backstory between the 2 main characters. We've been told that they dated for almost a year only to go two separate ways for 8 years after that, yet apparently they are each other's happy handing and soulmate so those 10months must have been quite something and I would have loved to know more in order to build a stronger connection with them and root for them even more while reading the story.

I must say, I'm very picky and the attention to details for me is key... so I'd appreciate if editors would put a bit more effort and care when foreign languages are used, as some of the Italian phrases in this book were not 100% accurate. I appreciate that Andreas is not native Italian, but it says on the book that he's fluent and could basically almost pass for one, hence why my comment... Other than that, a very pleasant read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
3.75 stars

This book was so close to a 4 star read for me, the only thing that held it back, is that I struggled initially to get absorbed into the story. I think for the most part, this is because especially the mmc was a little unlikable, this definitely changed throughout the book but it was hard to root for him at the beginning! (It was very nice seeing his character progression)

I loved the diverse cast of characters, who felt unique and made it fun to read about them and how they fit into the story. I also particularly loved the setting and how it felt like the author fully integrated the mmc’s background into the story, including the different languages he knows and uses, his love of climbing and the technical language used to go alongside that.

If you are a fan of climbing or wedding planning, you will particularly enjoy this book.
This story had passionate characters, second-chance romance, miscommunication, character progression and a slow-burn.

(I was very much looking forward to the epilogue and would have loved to have had more from the mc!)

I will definitely read from Leonie Mack again!

An Italian Wedding Adventure by Leonie Mack is my first experience reading this author’s work. The blurb interested me immediately and I couldn’t wait to dive into it. This is a second-chance romance set in the beautiful country of Italy and I have to say the first one-third of the book held my interest, mostly because of the excellent description of that country by this author. On the other hand, from that point on the story line seems to drag a bit. I felt as though Sophie and Andreas were experiencing the same things over and over and over, just written a bit differently each time. I think I would have enjoyed it better if it had been a bit shorter with less redundancy the second half of the book. That being said, it was an enjoyable contemporary second chance romance and I would recommend it if you’re a fan of Italy. I’m grateful to have been given the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book through NetGalley.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for a copy of the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Sarah spontaneously proposed to her boyfriend Andreas 8 years ago but he rejected her and left her heartbroken. Now, the wedding planning company she works for has merged with the outdoor adventure company that he works for. They are thrown back into their unresolved past and the drama that comes with it. It would be a cute summer read but I feel like it could have been shortened. There were parts that dragged on and seemed unnecessary to the story.

This is a perfect lazy Saturday afternoon read. Loved it . A wedding company and an adventure centre join force. You learn about climbing. Makes you want to go to Italy. The romance part is very deep . Read in one go. Brilliant ending. Hard to review but a fab romantic read .

✨🍋 An Italian Wedding Adventure by Leonie Mack 🍋✨

This book was like a romantic escape to the Italian coast—sun-soaked, heart-filled, and full of that delicious chaos only a wedding can bring. I laughed, I sighed, I may have googled Amalfi flights halfway through. 💌

It’s not just about the dresses or the drama (though there’s plenty of both). It’s about second chances, unexpected love, and finding the courage to say yes—not just to someone, but to yourself.

If you’re in the mood for a book that feels like a vacation for your heart—with stunning scenery, charming characters, and a story that wraps around you like a warm summer breeze—this one’s for you. 🇮🇹💍💕

#BookReview #RomComReads #AnItalianWeddingAdventure #LeonieMack #RomanceBooks #EscapeIntoAStory #BooksToMakeYouSmile #BookstagramRecs

Leonie Mack knows how to fulfill the statement, “a book takes you to a different place” and for this momma of four, I was in the beautiful land of Italy! This book was so descriptive and just had the sweetest story! Such a fun read.

This book offers a breezy, heartwarming escape, filled with witty banter, endearing mishaps, and just enough chemistry to keep the pages turning. The love interest is suitably charming, with enough depth to make their dynamic engaging, even if some of their conflicts feel a bit predictable.

While the book excels in humor and sweet moments, the protagonist’s personal growth occasionally takes a backseat to the romantic plot. A deeper exploration of their emotional journey could have added more weight to their happily-ever-after.

That said, the supporting cast adds plenty of fun, and the romantic tension is well-paced, making it easy to root for the central couple. The writing is light and engaging, perfect for readers looking for a feel-good story with a few laughs along the way. If you don’t mind a little predictability and enjoy banter-filled romance, this book is a charming pick—just don’t expect too much introspection between the meet-cutes and grand gestures.