Guest Review: To Italy, With Love by Nicky Pellegrino

Love happens when you least expect it...

Assunta has given up on love. She might run her little trattoria in the most romantic mountain town in Italy, but love just seems to have passed her by.

Sarah-Jane is finished with love. She's hiring an old convertible and driving around Italy this summer - it's the perfect way to forget all about her hot celebrity ex-boyfriend!

But when Sarah-Jane's car breaks down in Montenello, she has to stay longer than she intended! And the trouble is, love is everywhere...

Review: I have read, and enjoyed, a few of Nicky Pellegrino’s books, with stories set in Italy and brimming with the culture and, especially, cuisine of the country. This book is a sequel to an earlier title, A Dream of Italy. I have not read the earlier book, but did not find that prevented me from enjoying the current story.

This story centres on two women. Assunta has lived in Montenello, considered the most romantic mountain town in Italy, all of her life. She currently runs a trattoria there, where she prepares a meal daily for the local residents, but she is beginning to find the work too much for just one person. She also wonders if she will ever find love. Sarah-Jane has included Montenello in her road trip itinerary after reading an article about this romantic place where the mayor has sold off some of the cottages for just one Euro in the hope of regenerating the dying town. She has been badly let down by her celebrity chef ex-boyfriend and hopes to overcome her heartbreak while seeking out her Italian ancestry in the company of her cute little dog Baxter. Unfortunately, Sarah-Jane’s car decides to let her down, and she ends up stranded in Montenello, where there is a wedding almost every day to remind her of her loss. As her stay becomes more and more extended, she begins to relax, enjoy her surroundings and become drawn into the lives of the town’s inhabitants.  

I can recommend this charming story that left me with a desire to travel to Italy and enjoy some of the delicious food cooked up by Assunta and Sarah-Jane in this unusual town. I loved the characters in the story and the wonderful sense of community in the town. I felt for Assunta who worked so hard to feed her friends but felt that love was never going to come her way. How frustrating to watch all those weddings but fear that it may never be her turn. I also felt sorry for Sarah-Jane who had been taken for granted and used by her boyfriend; it was heart-warming to see her change as she spent more and more time in the town. What a great idea the mayor has had in selling the cottages so cheaply rather than let the town die completely. The story is cleverly told from the point of view of each woman in turn; it is lovely to see their friendship develop gradually through their common love of cooking.

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US