If you have read any of Jo Thomas’s books before (or follow her on Twitter) you will know that food plays a large part in her novels. She posts foody tweets each morning which get my mouth watering and sometimes inspire what I’m going to have for tea! I highly recommend that you stock up on pasta and pizza ingredients before reading this book because that’s absolutely what you’re going to be craving while reading.

Chasing the Italian Dream is the story of Lucia, a hardworking lawyer who lives in Wales but who is half Italian. When she visits her Italian grandparents in southern Italy, she is horrified to learn that her grandfather has finally decided that it’s time to retire from his pizzeria and, with no son to pass it on to, is considering selling. Even worse, he’s thinking of selling to her not quite ex-husband Giacomo. She can’t bear the thought of it going outside the family and becomes set on the idea that she can take over the pizzeria. After all, she’s learned from her Nonno and Nonna and knows the family traditions. But is this quiet town ready for a woman pizzaiola?

Being a woman could brings problems in this very traditional part of Italy. A woman’s place is in the kitchen yes, but the kitchen at home, not in a restaurant. I was outraged on Lucia’s behalf! However, I loved how she gathered a team of women around her, women who were not necessarily conventional and who perhaps also needed that chance to break from old traditions.

One thing you can be sure of when reading a Jo Thomas book is a gorgeous setting to whisk you away somewhere and now more than ever we need that escapism in books. When you read this, you will definitely feel transported to a beautiful Italian town. You will feel the sun on your face, hear Angelo singing his opera songs, smell the fresh basil and almost taste the tomatoes on the vine. Chasing the Italian Dream is definitely a feast for all the senses.

Chasing The Italian Dream is a glorious celebration of food, love and following your dreams. It’s about family, friendship and love, and working out what matters in life. Throughout the book you get a real sense of love of food and for this Italian family, food is love.

Jo Thomas is the absolute queen when it comes to writing books that whisk you away to another country and in doing so really take your mind off everything going on in the world at the moment. Her new book is no exception, Chasing the Italian Dream is pure perfection from beginning to end. What’s even better is that recently we seem to be getting both a Summer and Winter book from Jo and I hope this will long continue as it means the gap between each new book is not too long and I feel I can just about manage the wait between reads. Although I feel like I say this every time I read a book by this wonderful author, this is definitely her best book yet and I couldn’t get enough of it. I was drawn in from the very first page and barely looked up to draw breath until I reached the satisfying end. I literally devoured this excellent read in one sitting, never wanting it to end and that’s always the sign of an exceptionally good book. You just know that Jo was enjoying writing this book as much as I enjoyed reading it and there wasn’t one fault I could find with it.

Lucia has a strong connection to Italy as her parents were born there and her beloved Nonno and Nonna still live there running a pizzeria. Lucia herself divides her time between London and Cardiff working as a business lawyer. The hours are endless and she devotes 100% always to a job she does like but she is always striving for more. She is desperate to win the promotion that has become available in her office and has dedicated all her waking hours working towards this. But now the time has come for her annual holiday to Italy. It’s time to switch off. The outcome of the promotion is out of her hands, she has done all she can and needs to relax and unwind. Arriving in the Italian town where her grandparents reside, old familiar memories of summers gone by coming flooding back and she instantly relaxes and pushes work to the back of her mind. A wave of contentment washes over her but will this feeling last when she hears some unexpected news?

As always Jo Thomas excels when it comes to creating such vivid settings that literally walk off the page to meet you. You are sitting at home looking out at dark grey skies but yet reading this story you feel like you are in Italy with Lucia. It’s so calming and relaxing and not to mention the tantalising descriptions of food, ingredients and cooking that have you growing hungrier with every turn of the page. Pizza is the food of choice in this book and it amazed me how so much thought and effort went into all the various pizzas that were made. They certainly weren’t your average run of the mill pizza picked up in the frozen food aisle of your local supermarket. The tradition and craft of pizza making are brought to life and the love Lucia has for her Nonno and his talent as a master pizza maker can not be under appreciated. In fact, the love she has for her grandparents in general just radiates from the pages and provides a real feel good feeling within the book and forms the basis of the overall plot.

Lucia’s world is rocked when her Nonno announces that he is to retire and the restaurant that has meant so much to their family will have to be sold. Nonno had been ill but is recovering and feels now is the time to pass the legacy on. Who is there to take it over? Lucia can’t believe this is happening. She came for her holiday expecting the usual, comforting routines to still be in place instead she finds her world turned upside down. But maybe this is exactly what Lucia needed as it forces her to question where her life is actually going? Does she want to be working in a high powered office job always striving to achieve more, to get the next promotion to earn more money? Only to spend it on what seeing as the hours she works would only grow longer. What motivates Lucia even more to try and save the pizzeria and continue the craft that holds a special place in her family is when she discovers just who has their eye on taking over the business.

I thought it was just sheer genius to introduce the character of Giacomo, who turns out to be Lucia’s husband. That certainly surprised me. The reasons for their estrangement become clear pretty fast and soon they were pitted against each other in a deal which was struck. It sees the pair taking over half of the restaurant for a trial period. The end of which will see one of them taking over the restaurant permanently. It was just brilliant that Giacomo wasn’t some random man brought in. The fact that Lucia had a previous and existing connection to him made the tension between the pair palpable and Lucia was desperate to win. Her stance was made even more challenging when it has to be kept secret that she is running half of the restaurant. Women pizzaido’s, master pizza makers, were frowned upon in Italian society. If customers knew a woman was making the pizzas served up to them they would abandon the restaurant in their droves.

Lucia was up against it so much as she really feels Giacomo isn’t the right person to takeover the business. I think her history with him, and how she feels about the way she was treated, played a big part in the drive she had to try and win the competition and also the fact she felt she owed it to her Nonno. I loved how the competition unfolded as so many obstacles were paced in her way. I did guess who was behind certain things but it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the story and to be honest the way the story was written you just didn’t have a clue as to what the eventual outcome would be. I was so absorbed in the storyline which had the perfect pace, a brilliantly developed plot, a stunning setting and a whole wide range of characters that had me rapidly turning the pages. I just didn’t want to reach it and at one point I didn’t want either of them to win for that meant the end had been reached all too soon for my liking.

The various people that helped Lucia had their own interesting storylines. I won’t delve into them but suffice to say I enjoyed seeing storylines of this nature in this type of book and they were dealt with sensitivity and tact and the sense of humour which always shines through from Jo’s books. Serious issues blend perfectly with more lighter moments and they see Lucia truly questioning what she wants from her future. Should she return to London or is the restaurant her future? Life is too short not to do the thing you love or to follow your heart. Lucia continues on her quest as she feels she is doing it not only for her family but for all the Italian women who have been denied their chance to follow their dreams. How will it all turn out? Will she find happiness? Who is the winner? You’ll have to pick up a copy of this engaging, sparkling and exciting book to find out.

Five star reads are few and far between for me as I can be very picky and judgemental in what achieves that rating but I have no hesitation in giving Chasing the Italian Dream a big fat five stars. I highly recommend this book and urge you to grab a copy as soon as possible. If you have never read anything by this talented author before than make sure you do. You really won’t regret it and what better book to start with than a stunning read set in Italy, featuring mouth-watering pizza and a brilliant storyline.

Yet another success from Jo Thomas, thank you Net Galley for allowing me to be one of the privileged few to read an early copy. Jo's books are always so warm & inviting & this one was just as good as all her others. Thoroughly enjoyed the story of Lucia holidaying in a different way at her Italian grandparents home.

Chasing the Italian Dream is a nice, feel good book about lawyer Lucia who returns to visit her Nonno and Nonna in Italy and ends up attempting to run the family restaurant. It’s unheard of for a woman to try and do this in the area of Italy so there are many challenges to overcome... not least having to share the kitchen with her estranged husband.

I enjoyed the book and the descriptions of all the food succeeded in making me very hungry and in need of a holiday to Italy!!!!

I would have rated it higher but there were times which were really repetitive. The same facts being told to us over and over. This also made some of the dialogue feel quite clunky.

Jo Thomas is queen of the travel novel, and this time she effectively whisked me from my armchair and straight to the heart of an Italian village near Naples where the air is fragrant with the scent of flowers, lemons…. and pizza! Workaholic Lucia is taking her annual holiday with her grandparents in Italy, while she waits to hear about a big promotion at her law firm back in Wales. However, she finds that her stable world in Italy is about to change when her Nonno retires from the family’s generations-old pizza restaurant, and passes it on to her estranged ex-husband of all people. Lucia begins to wonder is her future lies in law, and in Wales, at all.

Jo has created a wonderful mix of characters here. Lucia is a modern woman to whom we can all relate. Independent, feisty and not prepared to take no for an answer when she wants something, but at the same time generous and caring in the way she deals with other people. The relationship between Lucia and her grandparents is heart-warming and honest and I really loved watching it being explored on the page. The friendships she has in Italy, and the way the women all help each other out, is a fabulous dynamic to explore and I absolutely loved the theme of women’s lib playing out in a small, Italian pizzeria. I was cheering them on all the way!

At the same time, what is a holiday novel without a holiday romance, although in this story it is with a bit of a twist because Lucia and Giacomo have a long and tangled history, so they are not just getting to know each other. I found this a refreshing twist on the overseas romance novel, and enjoyed the way their past played into the story and caused the tension in the events unfolding on the page. There was definitely heat between the two of them coming off the page, and it wasn’t just from the hot Italian sun or the forno!

The star of the show, and the reason we all pick up a Jo Thomas novel, is, of course, the setting. It is a holiday in book form. Jo is the mistress of actually bringing her settings to life on the page so you are actually THERE as you read. Her books are a feast for every sense, with all of the sights, sounds, scents, textures, and particularly tastes, described in detail. You can feel the sun warming your shoulders, hear the waiter singing, feel the stone of the piazza under your flip flops, smell the earthy tomatoes and the zesty lemons, and taste the food.

Oh the food, the food, the food. Anyone who has read her books or follows Jo on Twitter will know how much she loves to describe food, and she does so in such a way that you can actually taste it. It instantly makes you want to eat whatever she is describing, and here it is one of my favourite cuisines… Italian. You can virtually enjoy the soft dough, the tangy tomato sauce, the melting mozzarella and the earthy basil. The gelato. The pasta, the vegetables. I’ve made myself hungry again just thinking about it, just as Jo did all the way through the book. If you love to read about food, you have to read this book.

The book was everything I wanted in a travel romance. I spent a day (which is all the time it took me to read this, I couldn’t put it down) in the sun-drenched Italian countryside with some lovely people eating pizza, drinking wine and enjoying the family drama. What more do you want? Can’t wait to get the paperback to slide on to my bookshelf next to Jo’s other books, ready for the next time I want to be whisked away to Italy.

A wonderfully enjoyable book filled with so many vivid characters & descriptions I could almost feel the warmth of the sunshine and smell the cooking.
I found the author’s previous book a little disappointing, it just didn’t grab my attention, however, I found myself completely hooked with this book and read it in two nights - I just didn’t want to stop reading as the fully formed characters, storyline, and delicious sounding food, really caught my imagination. It soon had me rooting for a reunification between almost-divorced Lucia and Giac as they battle it out in front of the forno for the right to run Lucia’s Nonno’s restaurant. A real ‘finding yourself and finding love along the way’ style of book with a great bit topping of sisterhood (and Nonnahood!) with women supporting other women to reach for their dreams.
Thoroughly enjoyable & made me want to head to Italy ... and definitely eat pizza.

This was such a heartwarming story, I really enjoyed it. The characters were likeable and I was rooting for them the entire way.
The descriptions of the food made me want to jump on a plane back to Italy, so I could enjoy/devour margarita pizzas!!
I loved the sense of family and traditions that was such a strong driving force in this story.
I must put out a serious warning though, reading this will drive a force in you to get on a plane to Italy as soon as possible!

Thank you to Netgalley forcthis ARC. I loved I felt I was in Italy such a lovely laugh a minute book. Thoroughly enjoyable

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I absolutely enjoyed this very heartwarming story.

Reading it, I felt like I was there on holiday in near Naples. So well written and so beautifully descriptive story.

You could taste the fresh, sun-drenched ingredients, the lovely crisp pizzas, as well as feel the sun on your skin.

The story involved you with the characters, it had me gripped to see how everything was going to turn out.

The characters were very well described, you could relate to them.

Lucia is coming to Italy, for her holiday, she works as a lawyer in Wales.

It was lovely to see the way her character relaxed, as she went to her Grandparents home and her involvement in her Italian family.

Nonna, , her grandmother, was so adorable and a strong person, not to mention dependable and clever too.

A must-read. Although it’s fun and light, it’s got enough emotion to keep you engrossed to the end. I love reading Jo Thomas’s books.

Highly Recommend This.

This is one I just could not put down.
It was so good I felt I was in Italy and could smell the wood burners for the Pizza.
Brilliant story and great characters make this a wonderful holiday read.

Lucia, a business lawyer has gone to Italy to visit her nonna and nonno. Every year she takes the trip and helps out in the restaurant. However this year its different. Nonno has decided that the time has come to retire and has decided that Giacomo, Lucia's ex- husband should take over and run it.
A deal is done that Lucia and Giac will each run half of the kitchen and whoever has sold the most at the end of the month will run the restaurant and rake over the family business.
The storyline is a little predictable but enjoyable nonetheless.

The perfect slice of escapism. This book follows Luce, a welsh-italian business lawyer as she travels back to Italy to stay with her grandparents, Nonno and Nonna. Soon after arriving she learns that her ex will be taking over the restaurant as her grandfather is set to retire.

This book was gorgeous, a host of inspiring female protagonists who challenge tradition perfectly. As for the food... mouthwatering, I would recommend always reading this on a full stomach!

This tale made me very hungry.

Business lawyer, Lucia Rossi, is passed over for promotion and yearns to take over her beloved Nonnnos pizzeria

but it's not for a woman to have such a status in the Italian male world of pizzaiolos. So many feel that she has

crossed a line. Her almost ex-husband is against her too. This is a great read as we see Luce battle outdated

tradition and make friends with many wonderful characters. All she wants to do is cook excellent food and

continue her family's heritage, A down to earth lovely story. An uplifting story told with hope and compassion.
.

What a cracking book this was. In this book Lucia has gone on holiday with her grandparents in Italy and finds her grandfather about to retire and pass the pizzeria business on to her ex-husband, something that Lucia is determined to stop at all costs.

This was such a great story, with some great characters and alongside the story this addressed the sexism angle. The story moved along at wonderful pace and introduced us to a great array of characters. Throughout the book we see Lucia trying to decide what she wants out of life and you feel yourself fighting her corner at every opportunity.

Many things happened in the story to challenge Lucia but she rose up above them and showed great drive in going to get what she wanted but at the same time you felt you wanted to sit her down and explain a few home truths. Loved this book and look forward to reading more by this author. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing a copy of this book for me, for an an open and honest review.

Loved this book. Lovely feel good storyline and characters. You could easily see yourself eating at the pizzeria being served by Lucia.

Thanks to #netgalley for letting me have an advance copy of this book.

For those of us stuck indoors for yet another COVID Lockdown, this books lights the sun in your life.

Lucia leaves her high powered lawyer job in the UK for her annual holiday to her grandparents in Italy.

The story is based on Nonno's retirement and desire to hand his restaurant to his family to continue the pizza tradition.

A competition is set between Lucia and her estranged husband, Giacomo... never an even playing field with several twists.

Enjoy, the mouthwatering food makes me want to make more pizza's !

#jothomas. #chasingtheitaliandrea #netgalley

The timing of this escape to Italy, was just perfect. Winter weather was taking its toll and I found myself craving sunnier climes. Jo Thomas delivered, and then some!
Lucia is exhausted by the pressures of work, hindered by her colleague’s incapability to respect professional boundaries and her inability to say no. There’s a promotion on the table and Lucia is convinced that it’s just a formality. She is more than ready for her annual trip to Italy where she happily works alongside her grandfather is his pizza restaurant.
Discovering that her grandfather has decided to retire and hand the reins to a successor, Lucia is shocked to learn that his first choice is her estranged husband, Giacomo. Determined to keep the restaurant in the family, Lucia makes a deal that could lead to her becoming the new owner and Giacomo being sent away.
This is a truly joyful story, packed full with gorgeous characters who are easy to imagine. It’s impossible to pick a favourite, but it would be a close call between the Nonna’s and Veronica. Fine examples of strong women.
The food, of course, takes centre stage and it was in this book that I learned about the difference between a Pizziaiolo and a Pizziaiola; a term bestowed only on the most talented of pizza makers. I was insatiably hungry, reading about all the fresh ingredients and imagining the plates leaving the kitchen.

A lovely book - filled with imagery from Italy and delcious sounding food. Feel good and easy to read, would be great as a beach/holiday accompaniment.

I gave this book three stars as although I did love the story and the characters, the ending came quick without much fanfare and I felt the book just came to an end. I would have liked a longer epilogue to find out how the restaurant was doing after the competition.

Will definitely be looking out for more from Jo Thomas

Lucia is not sure where she fits in, When she is in Italy they call her Welsh, when she is in Wales they call her Italian. all Lucia wants is to find her place.

Working all the hours she has to become partner in a law firm each year Lucia spends two weeks back in Italy helping her grandfather in the family Pizzeria which she loves and where she truly feels at home but now hearing that her grandfather is thinking about selling and being passed over again for the promotion she knows she has earnt she decides that maybe Italy is really where she belongs and sets out to prove to everyone that she could become a pizzaiola, but in their small village a female pizzaiola is simply unheard of.

To make matters worse for Lucia she finds out her ex husband Giac is also considering taking over the pizzeria so now they must go head to head and battle it out to see who will win the pizzeria but with all the competition and working closely together Lucia soon realises that maybe her heart will also be won in the battle for becoming a pizzaiola.

I thoroughly enjoyed this heartwarming story, it felt like I had been on holiday to the lovely town near Naples. It is a well written, beautifully descriptive story; I could taste the wonderfully fresh, sun-drenched ingredients, the crisp pizzas and feel the sun on my skin. I got very involved with the characters and was gripped to find out how everything would turn out.

I loved the characters, they were well described and very relatable. Lucia returns to Italy for her annual holiday from her job as a lawyer in Wales. I loved the way her character relaxed once she had reached her Grandparents home and how involved she was in her Italian family. I adored Nonna, her grandmother, she was so solid, dependable and clever too. Giacomo, Lucia's nearly ex-husband, grew on me and I so wanted the pair to work out their differences both in the restaurant and their lives.

This story is a must-read. It is fun, light but with more than enough emotion to keep me gripped right to the very end. I will be looking at more of Jo Thomas's stories after reading this one.

#ChasingtheItalianDream #NetGalley