From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of I Owe You One, an utterly delightful novel about a woman who ditches her dating app for a writer’s retreat in Italy—only to find that real love comes with its own filters“As close to perfect as romantic comedies get.”—Jenny Colgan, New York Times bestselling author of The Bookshop on the CornerCall Ava romantic, but she thinks love should be found … Corner
Call Ava romantic, but she thinks love should be found in the real world, not on apps that filter men by height, job, or astrological sign. She believes in feelings, not algorithms. So after a recent breakup and dating app debacle, she decides to put love on hold and escapes to a remote writers’ retreat in coastal Italy. She’s determined to finish writing the novel she’s been fantasizing about, even though it means leaving her close-knit group of friends and her precious dog, Harold, behind.
At the retreat, she’s not allowed to use her real name or reveal any personal information. When the neighboring martial arts retreat is canceled and a few of its attendees join their small writing community, Ava, now going by “Aria,” meets “Dutch,” a man who seems too good to be true. The two embark on a baggage-free, whirlwind love affair, cliff-jumping into gem-colored Mediterranean waters and exploring the splendor of the Italian coast. Things seem to be perfect for Aria and Dutch.
But then their real identities—Ava and Matt—must return to London. As their fantasy starts to fade, they discover just how different their personal worlds are. From food choices to annoying habits to sauna etiquette . . . are they compatible in anything? And then there’s the prickly situation with Matt’s ex-girlfriend, who isn’t too eager to let him go. As one mishap follows another, it seems while they love each other, they just can’t love each other’s lives. Can they reconcile their differences to find one life together?
more
As close to perfect as romantic comedies get.
That writing scene in the beginning made me laugh out loud. Pure comedic gold! Brilliant!
Another lovely Kinsella book! The moment I saw this in the library, I snatched it up. It has your usual heroine that is outrageously herself, with a love interest to be invested in, and friends that you want to keep with you all the time. There were a few moments that I LOL’ed.
It’s one of those had-a-rough-day, need-a-good-book kind of reads, the way she always does.
Sophie Kinsella is one of my favorite authors, and Love Your Life might just be her best book yet. It’s a joyful, hilarious, and heartwarming tale of the challenges we face when we sign up to be part of someone else’s life. It made me laugh out loud and cry happy tears. I adored it.
Love Your Life is as warm as the Italian sunshine and full of fun: a fabulous Italian appetizer, like a platter of antipasti; a stunning, satisfying mix of romance and real life, with characters whom you will fall in love with and who will leave you smiling with joy. Like a glorious dinner party with friends, it kept me happy, warm, and staying up far later than I should so as not to miss a thing. I loved it! It left me wanting more.
Ava leads a very quirky easy going life. It seems a bit chaotic at times with an array of passions and jobs, but she loves it none the less. Despite what her one of her best friends thinks, Ava believes in finding a good man the old fashioned way; with no filters, no dating apps and most importantly, no deal breakers. Having just been through a breakup recently, she has decided to put men on hold while she ventures out to Italy to a writing retreat to help give her the nudge she needs in writing her book. The retreat is very simplistic offering vegetarian meals, prohibiting all members to withhold all personal information including their given names, and even providing a simple wardrobe. There were other retreats being held simultaneously but when the martial arts retreat is canceled and the members are combined with the writing retreat, Ava finds herself meeting what seems to be the man of her dreams. The two become inseparable right off the bat and vow to remain hush about their personal lives and names until the very end of the retreat. It’s truly a match made in heaven, or so they think, until reality hits and their true identities surface leaving them struggling to find out if love is really all that’s needed for their relationship to survive.
Thank you Netgalley, Sophie Kinsella and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book. I have read a few books by Sophie Kinsella and have always enjoyed them. This was no exception. It was a very cute and entertaining book yet it held a strong message that didn’t become apparent to me until a little over halfway through the book. I won’t spoil it for, but it was a good message. Although at times Ava’s character drove me a bit crazy, I enjoyed watching her grow. This is a good rom com for those who enjoy them. I rate this Sophie Kinsella
Enjoyed it a lot
Reading a Sophie Kinsella book is like eating comfort food. This story was more so because Ava and Matt reminded me of my favorite characters Becky and Luke.
This is a romantic tale that meets your expectations as a reader. Easy to read, entertaining, and allows you to escape reality for a few hours. What more could you ask of a novel.
I love all of Sophie’s standalone novels and never miss a new release! Love Your Life is yet another hilarious romp from this author who does fun romance with heart like no other.
Love Your Life definitely fits the Sophie formula of a haphazard female character who falls for a business-minded man that can be a little too work consumed, but once again – it works. I love this idea that they try to work on a relationship that was originally based on knowing so little about one another. The friendships were hilarious – I almost liked those background stories more? Not more, per se, but the book wouldn’t have been half as good without them. Is it something that would happen in the real world? Probably not. But, that doesn’t mean you don’t want it to. Definitely a fun, and also a little insightful read this year!
Ok read.
I liked the premise of finding a way for people to fall in love without the interference of social media, and then figuring out how to make it work when faced with the challenges of “real life.”
Great fun!!
LOVE YOUR LIFE
By Sophie Kinsella
This is an amazingly fun contemporary romance read about a writer and, her writing retreat, fun friends, an dog named Harold, and an every so handsome man of her dreams. This book was quintessential Sophie Kinsella in that it was fun, fabulous and a fantastic read I really loved and enjoyed. It made me long for a vacation in a beautiful location so this definitely is a great lockdown read and those longing to be immersed to exotic locations outside of their over lived – living rooms and work at home conditions. I had fun with this one and great escape read for sure.
I recommend this one for contemporary romance and Kinsella fans.
It’s been many years since I read Sophie Kinsella’s Confessions of a Shopoholic & Shopaholic Takes Manhattan, but I haven’t read any of her other books. I decided to read Love Your Life as a buddy read. As much as I enjoyed discussing this book with other readers, this book just wasn’t a big hit for me.
The story started good, I was really into the writers’ retreat and the start of the main relationship.
Unfortunately, Ava is a very unlikable character. I get that we’re supposed to see the main character grow and learn from their mistakes as we read, but that took way too long for me.
I didn’t get the romance at all. I didn’t believe they had a connection and the fact that Ava annoyed me for 75% of the book, I just kept wondering why they were even trying.
There were some funny moments and the friends of both Ava and Matt are interesting. The ending was really good and made me smile.
If you’re a die hard Sophie Kinsella fan who loves her quirky characters, you’ll probably like this book.
Starting the year with a Sophie Kinsella book was exactly the right note. Classic Kinsella has a zany heroine making sense of love in an unusual situation. It also had depth, exploring the relationship beyond its surface attraction and really getting to the heart of what makes a long-lasting one come about. (It’s not chance – it’s work!) Already looking forward to her next one.
Read in one day. Cute characters.
It’s no secret that Sophie Kinsella is one of my favorite writers. I can always count on her to make me laugh while still pushing me to think of common–and not so common–problems of our lives, especially when it comes to relationships. This book was a delight with her usual imperfect but lovable characters always a bit clueless but full of good intentions. It was just what the doctor ordered for this gloomy time we’re living in. Great inner dialogue as always and the dog! OMG, Harold was a character indeed. Great story, great characters. Thank you, Ms. Kinsella.
I have loved Sophie Kinsella since I read I’ve Got Your Number years ago. Infact that book still remains my favorite Sophie book.
LOVE YOUR LIFE is full of Sophie humor and wit that has become her trademark that is usually included in all her books. This one has unique plot filled with all the quirks and standout characters whether love or hate them. It helps that Sophie has a writing style that never falters.
You meet Matt and Ava, who seemingly meet and fall in love without truly knowing one another. They met at a writers retreat where a rule is that you leave your personal baggage at home. So when both go back home to the real world they find themselves feeling confused and wondering if they’re really meant to be. Can they fall in love with the true versions of each other embracing their faults as well as their virtues.
The story had so many other pluses: like Ava’s dog Harold, who was a snack stealing, purse attacking shirt ripping little goober. I love when authors include animals especially little sneaky sneaks like Harold. The secondary characters helped make the book as great as it was. They actually felt like real people with afflictions that some of us unfortunately have. I could picture myself in their friendship circle.
As far as the plot: The book essentially questions relationships after the fairytale has ended. What you may have overlooked while you were in you love induced daydream comes flying full force into your real life. That aside there were things that I didn’t love. It annoyed me how scatterbrained Ava was. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t a funny and warm character. Matt felt somewhat standoffish and cold with Ava at certain times. His true emotions were not showed enough on the page for me. I’m also not a huge fan of insta-love. I like a slower paced love plot that feels more like the real world.
But overall I was happy with the read. The humor and how the chemistry between the main characters are what pulls you through the book. Definitely recommend it.
Special thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the ARC.
It is no secret whatsoever that Sophie Kinsella is my favourite writer. The queen of romcom strikes again with yet another perfect story full of love, humour, misunderstandings and friendship.