Mia takes the opportunity to go and live in Florence, hoping that spending time in the city will help inspire her to find her mojo again. What she didn't expect was to meet someone who makes her feel alive the way that Luca Bonnici does. But can she let herself love him when she knows that there is a strong chance that the cancer might come back.
Together Luca and Mia explore Tuscany and further afield including the beautiful Amalfi Coast, living life to the fullest. Mia tentatively starts painting again with the encouragement of Luca and others around her, many of who believe in her talent and actively want to help her be successful
When tragedy strikes, Mia channels all her memories into her art, creating a series of paintings that tell the story of her Tuscan Summer but can that sustain her?
This was the author's first book, which was originally published here in Australia under the title The Florentine Bridge. I suspect if I was to read one of her later books I would find that it might be a bit more nuanced. Mia and Luca fall into an allconsuming love very quickly and when things go wrong it is equally dramatic. Having said that I was really invested in the story and the relationship made me smile. The book was easy to read, to the point that I got through the last third of the book while I was sitting in the car for the drive through COVID test so it was a welcome distraction.
I also felt that I was in Tuscany and visiting the dramatic Amalfi coastline, eating the pasta and gnocchi and people watching while sitting in a small cafe. Can I go now? Given that we are currently back in lockdown, probably not, but one day. One day.
In the meantime I have several more books from Vanessa Carnevale to read and get lost in. Lucky me!
Rating 4/5
Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for the review copy
Book Description:I take my spot behind Luca and soon we’re racing down winding country roads through the breathtaking Italian countryside, with postcard-perfect sunflowers that carpet faraway fields. I have no other place to be, and no other person I’d rather be with.
Mia Moretti has always dreamed of becoming an artist. But after a fierce battle with a devastating illness that she is terrified will return, Mia is heartbroken to find herself unable to paint like she used to.
So when an opportunity to spend the summer in Italy presents itself, Mia jumps at the chance for a fresh start. She hopes that by travelling to the sun-drenched streets of Florence, surrounded by Tuscany’s rich green vineyards and sweeping hills, she will finally be able to heal.
What Mia doesn't count on is meeting handsome local mechanic, Luca Bonnici. With his smouldering chestnut eyes, charming smile and irresistible joie de vivre, Mia can’t resist the invitation to jump on the back of his motorbike to the see the country she is already falling in love with. And as she slowly lets down her walls and opens her heart to Luca, Mia starts to fall in love with life again too.
But just when she is ready to let go of her past, tragedy strikes. Will Mia’s strength and her love for Luca be enough to save them, or will they lose each other forever?
Lose yourself in the blue skies and sun-kissed streets of Florence with this gorgeous, heart-wrenching story about love and second chances. Perfect for fans of That Month in Tuscany, T.A. Williams and Lucy Coleman.
Author Bio:
Vanessa Carnevale is an Australian author of women’s fiction. She is also the host of Your Beautiful Writing Life retreats held in Tuscany and Australia.
Vanessa loves to travel, and spent several years living in Florence, Italy, a place she considers her second home. She lives in Australia with her husband and two children.
Her previous novels, THE MEMORIES OF US and THE FLORENTINE BRIDGE are published by HarperCollins and have been translated into German and Slovenian. Vanessa’s third novel will be published by Bookouture in August 2020.
You can connect with Vanessa on Instagram and Facebook or via her websites: www.vanessacarnevale.com | www.yourbeautifulwritinglife.com
Love the sound of this so will definitely be reading it at some stage.
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy it Cath
DeleteI'm going to look for that book. This is how I travel - through books!
ReplyDeleteIt's how we are all traveling right now Tina!
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