I loved this book of a modern day couples loves who are looking to spice things up before tying the knot. Little do they know their relationship will be tested in so many ways, beginning with getting stuck in Barcelona with no way back to NYC! It was a quick and easy read, but by no means not complicated!

I was surprised by how I enjoyed Barcelona Days by Daniel Riley because the reviews are really quite bad. It follows a sort-of engaged American couple, Will and Whitney, on their vacation in Spain. They have spent the past month on solo adventures exploring their romantic options before coming together on this trip to commit to each other once and for all – but not everything goes as planned. Volcano eruptions in Iceland have grounded flights across Europe, so they are stuck in Barcelona and forced to confront their quickly unraveling relationship head on. For a novel set abroad, it didn't really evoke a strong sense of place. What I liked, however, was how Riley developed the tension and the emotions of the characters, however unlikable they may be. This book gave off some Sally Rooney and Emma Straub vibes, although it didn't quite hit the mark.

Be careful what you dream of; wishes come true at a price. A golden couple looking at a lifetime of commitment make extraordinary discoveries when “free passes” to explore other paths are given.

This one was really not for me. In this novel, we follow a couple who get stuck in Barcelona due to the eruption of an Icelandic volcano. When picking up this novel, I thought it would be filled with adventure and descriptions of Barcelona and make me miss visiting this wonderful Spanish city. Unfortunately, there was very little to do with Barcelona itself and the heft of this novel was centered around the relationship of the main characters. They have been together ever since the end of college and recently got engaged and decided to give each other three hall passes to sleep with other people before they tell others about their engagement, all of which they recount during the first chapter.

Overall, this novel was filled with contradictions, jealousy, immaturity, miscommunication, and an all-around toxic relationship which I was not here for.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the gifted e-book in exchange for an honest opinion!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. Whitney and Will are engaged but Whitney has a great idea to have a month long break to explore all the options before thy officially get married. After this month, they fly to Barcelona to bare all secrets. They thought they could tell each other all and then fly back home to start brand new. However, they get grounded by a volcano and they have to come to terms with their relationship. This book was eh. #barcelonadays #danielriley #jun2020

Barcelona Days By Daniel Riley

Rating 2 / 5 Stars

Publication Date - 6/23/2020

** Thank you to Netgalley, Little, Brown and Company, and of course, Daniel Riley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.


What I expected - A story based around a relationship (with happy and redemptive themes) set in Barcelona, Spain.

What I got - a slow burn novel based on a millennial couple (Will and Whitney) who are very unlikable and hard to read.

Barcelona has nothing much to do with this novel beyond being the setting. It is not explored much beyond the surface. The only reason this couple is here is because they are grounded do to an Icelantic Volcanic Eruption.

My biggest problem with this novel was...I was bored reading it. This couple fights all the time followed by insecurities. There was not much to make up for these scenes and the love scenes were boring as well.

I honestly just don’t think this book was for me. I truly thought I would like it, but it seems my anticipation wasn’t worth the read.

An engaged American couple is stranded in Barcelona because an erupting Icelandic volcano has grounded European flights. Of course, their relationship gets tested and it only gets worse when they meet another American couple. I get it. I understand the comparison of relationships and volcanoes, but I really didn’t like this book. I didn’t like the characters, they seemed so IMMATURE. I seldom give 2 stars, because I know that other readers have different interests than me, but I can’t think of one person who would like this book.

This book definitely wasn’t for me. I thought by the description it would be a fun romp through Barcelona. Instead, the book included constant fighting and insecurity, plus some descriptions of sex that I honestly felt bored reading. While I was reading, I was thinking of giving the book a rating of 2 stars. The present day scenes were uninteresting, but it wasn’t a total wash because I found the flashbacks interesting, even if the characters were a little self-important. However, I decided to give this book 1 star because of the ending. I get that finding out that the person you love has been keeping a secret about an integral part of their identity from you is definitely an issue. However, I think the way this secret- that Whitney had been with women and actually carried out an affair with one- was handled was problematic. It promotes a message that bisexual/pansexual/etc. people are promiscuous and not to be trusted, regardless of the intent of the author, unfortunately.

Barcelona Days
by Daniel Riley
Little, Brown and Company
You Like Them You Are Auto-Approved
General Fiction (Adult) | New Adult
Pub Date 23 Jun 2020 | Archive Date Not set

This was not my favorite book. I Loved the pretty cover and I really tried to read this, but I did not like the way the book was written.

Thanks to Net Galley and Little, Brown and Company for the ARC. I so enjoy being pre-approved for books.

Will And Whitney, a you g millennial couple on vacation in Barcelona questioning if they should marry at the location. This part is a ok, but their relationship, conversations and actions are cringe-worthy after they meet two other people at a party; one is a basketball player, trying to start over after a severe injury, The other is a moody exchange student hiding their true identity. A catastrophic volcano erupts in Barcelona and strands both couples. Do Will and Whitney make it to the altar?

So the cover drew me in; who doesn't love a pretty cover? And again the premise was interesting but this book was anything but enthralling and I was struggling to complete this because I found Will and Whitney irritating and immature. Their relationship really falls apart like any book but their journey back to each other was annoying AF. I didn't need to know the TMI and every little thought in their heads.

Frankly, I was glad when this was over. I Just wanted the couple to make a decision and stick to it. Definitely not a favorite. The author could have done so much more with this and the book had potential for so much more but fell flat instead. Perhaps a different novel would be better than this one by the author, idk. Don't bother with this one.

Thanks to Netgalley, Daniel Riley and Little Brown and Company Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Little Brown and Co is definitely becoming a favorite publisher and I appreciate being auto-approved for future titles. <3

Available: 6/23/20

Sometimes being stranded forces you to deal with your problems head on.

Whitney and Will, a couple in love, are vacationing in Barcelona. After a freak volcano hits, however, they get stranded there. Will being stranded make them come face to face with the issues they've been trying so hard to avoid?

Although I was initially attracted to this book's premise.. I found it to be a bit slow. While I did complete it, I wasn't enthralled or taken by the writing.

2 stars.

Vapid. Pretentious. Insecure. Unlikable. Will and Whitney are every millennial couple that makes you roll your eyes when you overhear them talking. But as with any relationship, is it what it seems on the surface?

The premise and the first few chapters draw you in. This 'sort of' engaged young couple is stuck in Barcelona after the volcano in Iceland erupts, they've just spent a month a part exploring their romantic options before they commit fully to one another. The story starts with them recounting the (very) explicit details over dinner in beautiful Barcelona. They are just two young who proved to themselves that they belong together. Or did they?

A chance meeting of two interesting contemporaries at a party has them questioning everything. The middle of the book follows them as they unravel completely as a couple and individuals. Here's where there is lots of vapid, pretentious dialogue between two drunk, bitter millennials. I struggled here but there were glimmers of some driving force beneath the surface so I soldiered on. In the end there was a revelation that explained the uncertain, over-sensitive, over-thought interactions between the two.

I liked the story but the characters were mostly annoying and there was entirely too many words. I didn't need to know every thought in their heads. I would have enjoyed the story much more with a strong editor trimming back about 100 pages. Two and a half stars from me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.

Barcelona Days tells the tale of an engaged American couple, Will and Whitney who are grounded in Barcelona due to the invading chaos of an erupting volcano in Iceland that has stopped European flights. As the days pass, Will and Whitney's relationship is put to the test and all that has been unspoken between them now comes rushing to the surface. Matters become even more complicated when they encounter another American couple at a party. Will they make it to the altar?

Frankly, my dear, I didn't like this book. I get the metaphor of a couple's relationship being mirrored with the stages of a volcanic eruption. I really do! Daniel Riley is brilliant at creating a tense atmosphere around his characters. I didn't mind that they were all unlikeable but by the end I hated them passionately. Honestly, I just wish I had never met them! My goodness they were so shallow and immature and UGH! Actually this book reminded me of the 2004 film Closer with Julia Roberts, Clive Owen, Jude Law, and Natalie Portman. Just because this book gave me the exact same feelings! I just want to scrub my brain and forget this encounter every happened.

But remember that reviews are very personal and although it wasn't my cup of tea, it may very well be yours.




Goodreads review published 21/05/20
Expected Publication Date 23/06/20

This books has nothing to do with Barcelona, unfortunately. It is a story of a couple who decides to have casual sex with other people when their plans are upended by a volcano in Iceland which precludes their travel plans and forces them to extend their stay in Spain. They talk about how much they love each other and are committed to each other, but most of their exchanges with each other (and the individuals who they choose for encounters) seem hostile and snarky. Did not finish the book. Found all the characters unlikeable.