BOOK REVIEW: Love Your Life
by Sophie Kinsella
⭐️⭐️⭐️
ABOUT THE BOOK (from Amazon):
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 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?
MY REVIEW:
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I started working my way through Sophie Kinsella’s standalone novels a few years ago. I had read them all until Love Your Life was published recently. Now I’m caught up again!
I enjoyed this book, but I definitely enjoyed it less than any other Sophie Kinsella book I’ve read so far. I didn’t feel drawn to the storyline of this book like I normally am with her books. I usually look forward to reading them at night and find myself wanting to read extra chapters before I go to bed because I’m hooked. But not with this one.
Here are a few of the reasons I came up with:
- I couldn’t identify as much with the main character (Ava) who is a bit flaky and really in love with her disobedient dog.
- There was too much tension (or it lasted to long) between Ava and her love interest, Matt. This tension involved him, his family, his ex-girlfriend, and then another ex-girlfriend. For most of the book, I kept thinking they were terrible for each other which didn’t make it feel very romantic.
- There was less comedy in this book than other Kinsella books.
I am a huge Sophie Kinsella fan, so I’m still glad I read it. I just couldn’t rate it quite as high as all of her other books. If you’re also a fan, I recommend reading it. If you haven’t read any of her books yet, I’d recommend starting with a different one, like one of these.
