Wanted to like this, but it was terribly slow and didn't seem to start at any point, and also found Niamh to be a bit too judgy and rehashing her life on and on and on, so much so that nothing was actually happening in the read

I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

Lovely feel good book to read. It was a joy to read. Lovely characters. Great plot. The book was charming. Very well written. I’d definitely recommend this book

Looking for a glorious summer read that transports you to the sights, sounds and smells of the Italian coastline? Then, this is the perfect book for you!

In the Italian Escape, Catherine Mangan has created a delicious tale of fresh starts, new beginnings and of course, an idyllic setting in the small town of Camogli on the Ligurian Coast.

Life is far from plain sailing for main character Niamh, who ventures to Italy to accompany her sister on a conference after being unceremoniously dumped by her boyfriend and boss. The trip gives her a new perspective on life and she decides to stay and set up her own business with the help and encouragement of the glamorous and rich Emily who befriends her early into her stay. Add in a little romance and you have all the elements you need for a tale of escapism and sunshine.

Grab yourself a spritz, don those sunglasses and get reading!

Catherine is a new author for me and certainly one I will read again following this debut book. Her book is set in Italy where you feel as though you are there and part of the book. Best wishes Catherine.

I will start by saying that romantic / chick lit type novels are not my usual genre but when I saw this book and the beautiful cover I just wanted to read it. Well I am so glad that I did. This was a wonderful story that I was hooked on from the very start. I absolutely adored the descriptions of Italy and of the people and the coffee shops. This is a delightful read that totally absorbed me.

One of my guilty pleasure is reading rom-com set in Italy even if I'm Italian born and bread. It's a good way to see my country through the eyes of somebody who didn't grew up in Italy and I'm always happy to discover something new about the places or the people.
This one is a good story, engrossing and entertaining, and I liked Niamh and rooted for her.
The plot is tightly knitted and flows, the characters are fleshed out and I found it heartwarming and moving at moments.
It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This book does not disappoint. From homely Ireland to the beautiful landscape of Italy. Niamh is once again living at home and is feeling less than enthusiastic about life. Her sister offers her the opportunity of travelling to Italy with her on a work trip; however after enjoying the short time in this luscious landscape, Niamh makes the decision to stay and start again away from her family. She makes friends with the locals and ex-pats and starts a new business. However, when tragedy strikes and she has to return home, it takes every ounce of her being to get her to return.

Not wanting to spoil this brilliant book I will give no more away. However, I will say you should read it for yourself and hopefully enjoy it as much as I did. I am a fan of Italy but this transports the reader to the heart of the people, traditions and fantastic food.

So put your feet up, grab a drink and take off on a journey of discovery.

Transport yourself to a beautiful Italian town with Niamh Kelly. Recently single and back living with her parents, Niamh has the opportunity to visit Italy for a week with her older sister Grace who’s attending a conference there. Niamh quickly realises she’s fallen in love with Italy and wants to stay. With her new found Italian friends, ex-pat Emily and a potential business prospect, that might just be something she can achieve. This book is so descriptive you can almost smell the local dishes and taste the wine. I really enjoyed this novel and can recommend it. Thank you to NetGalley, Little, Brown Book Group and the author for the chance to review.

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

Thirty three year old Niamh, she’s still living at home, doing a job that’s she’s not too happy with, but now can’t go back to as she had a relationship with a colleague that’s gone pear shape.

Then her sister Grace, asks her to come along with her, she’s going on a work trip to Italy's Ligurian coast. As she’s impulsive, Niamh jumps at the chance to leave with her. Pretty soon, she discovers a world of wine, a different culture and friendship.

When visiting a town called Camogli, she falls in love with and comes across a empty shop, in her mind she’s going through the possibilities of what it could become, and suddenly she’s decided to stay and open a coffee shop. Bearing in mind she has no idea what she has to do or whether it’ll work.

There’s a family tragedy and as is the way in Italy, a tricky tourist season is now threatening her new business.

Debating throwing in the towel, with help from the new-found community, can she turn the business from a fail to a success?

Loved the setting of this book.

A really encouraging and solid debut that transported me to the Liguria region of Italy, via Ireland.

Oh I do love Irish Womens Fiction authors, and I think Catherine Mangan could be one to watch as she develops.

I found myself wondering after the first few chapters whether I was going to be able to get on with Niamb as a main character, as she seemed so miserable, and wasn't really displaying much personality at all, but once her sister Grace offers her the chance to go to Italy with her, and we get to Italy the book picks up.

From then I was really rooting for Niamh, and really enjoying the person that she starts to become. I loved seeing places like Portofino through her eyes, and it was all really well described.

And then Niamh makes a brave rather out of character decision at which point I was hooked and couldn't get enough of the book, and all the first bit of the book, really made sense, as without it the contrast just would be there.

There are elements of life in a small Italian town that were so interesting and I loved all the new friends Niamb made, her attempts at communicating, and I honestly at one point wasn't completely positive who the love interest was going to be, although I'm very happy with the ending!

This I feel would make great garden reading while wanting be transported away from your own life for a while, and I'm very curious as to what the author will write next.

Thank you to Sphere and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

A quick and easy read that is a perfect escape to sunnier climates which is needed at the moment. I enjoyed the rom com feel to the book. Good debut novel from Catherine Mangan. Likeable characters and scenery.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this book. Niamh tags along on her sister's business trip to Italy's Ligurian coast following a romantic break-up, complicated by the fact that her ex is also her boss. She falls in love with the area (who wouldn't from Catherine's lovely descriptions?) and decides to stay in the little seaside town of Camogli and open a coffee shop.
Things, unsurprisingly given her lack of experience, don't always go to plan. But she learns so much about herself and her life. The details of the food are gorgeous and you find yourself rooting for Niamh and wanting her to make a success of her new venture. The characters are likeable and there are some truly moving moments.
It's a genuinely lovely read, perfect if you are missing holidays at the moment and guaranteed to make you want to head to Italy as soon as possible!

Three and a half stars.

After being dumped by her boyfriend (and boss) after four years, Niamh Kelly is down in the dumps, especially because at 33 years old she's back living with her parents. So when her impossibly glamorous and successful older sister invites her to Italy for a week while she attends a conference on the Ligurian coast Niamh has nothing to lose.

Niamh falls in love with the Italian coastline, especially the small town of Camogli, and she quickly makes friends with two locals, a lawyer called Giorgio who she spills Aperol Spritz over at a cocktail party, and a glamorous, wealthy, Englishwoman called Emily.

At the end of her break Niamh decides she isn't going back to Dublin, instead she is going to open a salad and sandwich café in an old derelict building which belongs to Giorgio's brother. But when tragedy strikes in Dublin and her old life beckons what will Niamh choose?

I really enjoyed this book until close to the end, where I felt that Catherine Mangan ran out of pages or steam or something. There was a plot by unknown persons which fizzled away (being deliberately vague to avoid spoilers), followed by a counterplot and then a third solution. It was as though there was one too many sub-plots and so they didn't get sufficient attention. Also, there were too many coincidences. So overall, I knocked off half a star because it all ended so abruptly and felt like a bit of a rush. But I would definitely read another book by this author.

Recommended holiday reading, or just if you want to imagine you are on holiday.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

With thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest opinion.
Nice debut novel good characters well planned slightly predictable but still a nice story.