Rhys Bowen’s The Venice Sketchbook is an emotional dual-timeline novel filled with love, loss, and hidden truths. When Caroline Grant’s beloved great-aunt Lettie passes away, she leaves behind a cryptic inheritance—a sketchbook, three keys, and one last word: “Venice.” As Caroline embarks on a journey to scatter Lettie’s ashes in the city she loved, she uncovers a decades-old story of passion and sacrifice.

In 1938, art teacher Juliet Browning arrives in Venice, reconnecting with Leonardo Da Rossi, the man she loves but cannot have. As war looms over Europe, impossible circumstances test their star-crossed romance, forcing Juliet to make heart-wrenching choices.

The novel weaves together Caroline’s modern-day search for answers with Juliet’s gripping WWII-era tale. While both narratives explore self-discovery, romance, and resilience, I found Juliet’s story far more interesting. The historical sections brim with emotion and tension, while Caroline’s contemporary arc feels more predictable.

Though the plot isn’t the most original, the setting, characters, the emotional weight of the story, and the rich historical detail kept me engaged. I would have preferred a novel focused solely on Juliet, but overall, The Venice Sketchbook is a beautifully written tale of love and sacrifice.

4 stars.

** Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy. The opinions are my own.

Thank you to the publisher for the copy - all opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed how beautifully this book is written, it will utterly transport you and I enjoyed the writing so much from this lens. The story itself is strong, well plotted with wonderfully dimensional characters who keep you glued to the page from start to finish.

I'm not always a huge historical fiction fan, but this one hit the mark for me!

I keep thinking that I will like Rhys Bowen's standalone novels because I love the Royal Spyness series. And each time I'm wrong. This book is just fine, but the storytelling and the protagonist don't have the same charm as in the series.

This is a story about love, loss and friendship
The setting in Venice was really good
This is a well written multiple timeline book. I really enjoyed the story

Lovely stories, though tragic in some ways. Wonderful full characters, great sense of time and place. A very enjoyable read, quite the page turner. Good narrator. I had a hard time putting it down. So captivating. I felt part of the book. I'm bereft that it has ended. Where can I go from here?

Juliet first travelled to Venice as an 18 year old girl. She met Leo and fell in love. Returning almost 10 years later as an art student right before WWII begins, her life changes forever. Told also from the perspective of her great niece Caroline 60 years later. ARC from NetGalley.

I'm upset! I did not enjoy this book. It was pretty much okay, nothing particularly angering, until the ridiculous ending. I'm disappointed and frustrated. I am usually very gentle with authors, knowing it is not easy to produce a novel. But instead, even a few hours later since having read the ending, I am more like "What the Hell?!" I really disliked and failed to understand the modern day character.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC.

Rhys Bowen is quickly becoming a go-to author for me. I think she is a great storyteller, and this book is no exception. The ending was rushed, and I felt like there was quite a bit missing, but I really enjoyed the rest of the story.
Bowen does a great job of setting the scene so that I felt as if I was in Venice (although I have never been)! Also, the characters are likable, and I couldn't help but root for them. She does a good job of blending the stress of the impending war and the gaiety of young people learning and exploring in a marvelous place.

Before writing this review, I need to make two confessions.

Firstly, I’m in a reading slump and have been pretty much all year. As a result, I may not be in the most receptive of places when it comes to reading and I may, just maybe, err on the side of being a bit of a grump right now. That said, I read The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark last month and was blown away by it. So, there is still some feeling in this slightly miffed middle-aged woman yet.

Secondly, I am not a huge fan of historical fiction. So, it has to be good to get my reading motor going.

Sadly, this wasn’t. Not even a little bit.

To be honest, I’m not even sure I’d really call it historical fiction. The research was lazy, and at times, I felt like the descriptions of Venice were being written by a SatNav. Walk along the Rio di San Zuane, turn left onto Calle de Campazzo. See, I have Google Maps, too.

Rather than being a beautiful description of an amazing city, this felt like a knock-off attempt to emulate Dan Brown (let’s not get in to the quality of his writing, that’s for another rant – but his research, please, you can’t fault it). I didn’t feel I was in Venice. I felt Venice was being described to me by someone who had read a tour guide, but had never actually been there.

I’ll be honest, that made me angry.

That out of the way, let’s discuss the story. Unfolding over a dual timeline, this book focusses on the life of Juliet Browning, and her Great Niece, Caroline. The modern-day story is quite uninspiring, the character of Caroline is barely sketched out, and there is zero closure on her story arc. If you’re tempted to bail at any point, I’d go with your gut before you invest too much time.

As for Juliet – that story is far more interesting, and actually, would have worked better if we’d just stuck with that throughout. That said, Juliet is a really tedious and boring character. Her great love affair is told to us, rather than shown, and I didn’t buy into any of it at any point. I just couldn’t. The side story of her as a potential spy/reporter was completely dropped, and frankly, could have been a great addition to her character development.

Finally, the ending was just – huh? I’ll be honest, it felt like the author just got really bored, wasn’t sure how to end it and thought sod it, “words, words, words,” the end.

This was such a disappointing book and I honestly couldn’t recommend it to anyone. Unless I didn’t like them.

This is the first book I read by Rhys Bowen, and I ended up having mixed feelings about it. There are two storylines that intersect, the descriptions of Venice are gorgeous and brilliantly written, but as historical fiction, it seemed missing something, but as a romance and family saga, it was perfect!
I downloaded a free copy of this book through NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

Tried so many times to finish this book. I got to 60% and it's just not working for me. The characters seem flat and stereotypical and the writing isn't engaging.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title. Since I DNF the book I will not publish a review on any purchasing sites :)

This might be my favorite Rhys Bowen book! Venice is so well done here and it transports you, and the mystery between the two time periods really keeps you reading!

While the writing was well executed, I could not get into the story. Neither the characters or the plot line drew me in. Still will read and have read other works from this author.

This piece of historical fiction was a pleasure to read, as I’ve been catching up on old ARCs. I love the city of Venice, so I always enjoy books set in this beautiful city, but this had the added bonus of being a gripping tale. Dual timelines are sometimes messy and difficult to follow, but this was clear and easy to negotiate. In 2001, Juliet finds her family separating; she and her husband are fashion designers, but he is asked to design for a pop star in the USA. He travels there with their son and Juliet finds her own fortunes drawn to Venice. She is offered a bursary to study at art school in Venice and she aims to research the time her Great Aunt Lettie (Juliet) spent in the city back in the early 20th Century. As Lettie died she left her niece a sketchbook, some keys and her ashes to be scattered in the beloved city she first encountered in the 1920’s.

Totally unknown to her family, Lettie led a romantic life in Venice. Leonardo Da Rossi was the love of her life, but he is bound to a future life that isn’t his choice, but that of his noble family. As WW2 approaches can their love survive, can they protect each other and a secret they’ve been keeping which binds them forever? This is an interesting mix of love story, historical fiction and adventure story. I had the sense that both timelines would have a sad ending, but I couldn’t stop reading.

Rhys Bowen hits another home run with this novel! I absolutely love her books, and this did not disappoint in the least! I enjoyed the setting, in Venice. I also enjoyed the dual timelines.

I always love Rhys Bowen books and this one doesn't disappoint. Told in two timelines by Lettie at the outset of war in Venice and Caroline in the present it works really well and I especially loved the historical parts. Great characters and storyline make it a memorable book

Good book, not like anything I've read before. Enjoyable from a writer who is new to me. Would recommend.

Caroline Grant's maiden great-aunt, Juliet "Lettie" Browning, gives her a chance for adventure when she leaves her a sketchbook, 3 keys and a request to scatter her ashes in Venice. Caroline's marriage is ending and she returns to the city that Lettie loved and lived in during WWII. Told in alternating viewpoints between current day Caroline and 1938 Lettie, the story of a younger Lettie is unveiled while Caroline gets to explore her own identity and bloom.

I thoroughly enjoyed Bowen's writing. I felt completely immersed in the world of the writing. Amazing descriptions of characters and places really lift the words off the page. Hands down, a keeper!

This is the story of Caroline, her Aunt Lettie and Venice. Lettie leaves Caroline a sketchbook when she dies. Caroline goes to Venice where it all happened for Lettie in 1938. This is a great book with interesting characters and a great plot. I highly recommend this book.