The Patron Saint of Second Chances is a sweet story about the lengths one man will go to to save his small town. Signor Spirenza is the self appointed mayor of Prometto, a town of 212. When he needs to come up with 70,000 euros to fix the town’s water pipes, he decides a small lie won’t be a problem. Of course, things quickly spiral out of control.
The book is cute, not overly funny. It’s somewhat uneven. The ending is fairly predictable and unbelievable. That said, it’s a nice way to spend a few hours with some lovely characters, many of whom are based on the author’s family.
My thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for an advance copy of this book.

A small and sleepy Italian village faces a looming water shut off and displacement if they can’t raise the funds for repair but one man has a plan to prevent that in Christine Simon’s The Patron Saint of Second Chances.

The self-appointed mayor, and vacuum repairman, of the small village of Prometto, Signor Speranza is faced with a significant problem after the water commission evaluated their pipes. They drastically need repair and it’ll cost seventy thousand euros to fix otherwise the commission will shut off water to Prometto, forcing the 212 residents to evacuate. The village doesn’t have anywhere near that amount of money in their coffers, especially as many residents owe back taxes. Inspired by a friend’s town that was revitalized by a celebrity supposedly interested in the town, Signor Speranza decides to spread a rumor that movie star Dante Rinaldi is interested in Prometto and may film his next project nearby to try to boost revenue opportunities that might help them out. The small rumor quickly snowballs and the entire village wants to be part of the fictional film and meet Dante Rinaldi, and Signor Speranza soon realizes that to keep up the charade he’ll need to make a movie for real and deal with whatever consequences arise if Dante does, or doesn’t, make an appearance and hope that the village is able to persevere.

A light, quick, and comical narrative, the story presents as a fun comedy of errors compounding upon themselves; predictable in its trajectory, if a bit outlandish, the tale is enjoyable with an engaging and feel-good message. Though set in a small and sparsely populated village, there are quite a few characters involved throughout, which at the outset was a bit overwhelming especially as names are prefaced by “Signor/a” and the eye can easily skim over the visual similarity, leading to confusion, but each character adds a layer of heart and humor to the story. While Signor Speranza chose not to be forthright with those in his village about their impending plight, which would have prevented the inevitable misunderstandings that provided reader entertainment, there is a good sense of community and camaraderie depicted throughout the narrative as they were all energized about the opportunity and eager to be part of something that would highlight their home.

Overall, I’d give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

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

I received an email from the publisher about this book which is, admittedly, not the type of book I usually read. I have been in search of more lighthearted reads of late, so I gave this book a whirl. I'm glad I did! This book was such a fun little jaunt through life in a struggling Italian village and the crazy scheme its mayor comes up with to save the town. Small town rivalries and comic misunderstandings abound to great entertainment. This was a quick, easy read that provided the little pick me up I was looking for.

Most of the little towns/villages would have grandpas like this. They don’t care about making fool of themselves, saying yes to things without really thinking what they are getting themselves into, and putting themselves out there if it’s to save his people. This honorary mayor was exactly doing this.

When patron saints of plumbers decided to actually help plumbers instead of pro texting those who need protection from them, grandpa was left with a 70k bill that he needed to pay in very near future. Otherwise the village wouldn’t have any water and 212 of the residents who stayed would have to relocate. You would think that you could ask residents to put their funds together and pay the bill, right? Nope! This grandpa decided to start an intricate scheme where super hot Italian actor would be filming in this little village. Was that true? Of course not!

Even though there was a chain of unfortunate events not letting this grandpa be, he ended up pulling through. People didn’t lose their water, village accumulated bunch of memories, and grandpa might have a chance to increase that population count! It’s a beautiful feel good stories, that could totally have happened.

The Patron Saint of Second Chances is a captivating novel.
This book was so refreshing. I don't have one critique.
I loved the little Italian village. The people who called it home.
The characters drew me in Immediately. Speranza was a delightful character, just so much fun following this journey. There was so loud out loud moments and some serious moments. The author really did do a beautiful job writing a wonderfully crafted book!

Atria Books,
Thank you for this utterly beautiful story.

What an absolute treat this book is! Set in the current time, it’s about the people still living in the long-forgotten village of Prometto, Italy. As their lives and prosperity have dwindled, their hopes and dreams have dwindled also. But with one seemingly insurmountable disaster, the self-appointed mayor is determined to do what he can to raise the unbelievably large sum of money to save the town. The biggest problem is that he can’t tell the other townspeople what the problem is. And he certainly can’t tell them what his plan is because it’s all based on a lie. Or, as the story continues, on lies on top of lies!
Hilarity ensues as first one plan and then another and then another goes awry. Every time it seems that he is about to succeed, something quite unexpected enters the picture causing him to make a new plan.
It is refreshing to read a book about the goodness and humaneness of ordinary people who are working toward a goal for the good of all even when they have no clue as to what they’re doing nor why.
I absolutely love this book and recommend it highly to everyone – all ages. I received it as an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher, Atria Books, in exchange for an honest review. 5* all the way!

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!

Patron Saint of Second Chances by Christine Simon is a wonderful debut novel that made me laugh, smile, and left me with a sense of warmth and hope for humanity after completion.

I am very impressed that this is a debut novel from the author. She has a real talent. I loved reading about this adorable, picturesque, and quirky tiny Italian village. It is placed into an unfortunate financial situation, and the well-meaning self-appointed mayor, Signor Speranza, creates an off the cuff rumor that a famous celebrity will be arriving for a movie production…all in hopes of raising enough money to repair the water system and save the village from ruin. Unfortunately, the situation becomes much more complicated and blows out of proportion as more people and issues snowball the original fib. Can Speranza fix the gaffe, save the town, and live to see another day? I enjoyed reading this book to find out.

Such a wonderful and eclectic cast of characters…such humor, one-liners and dialogue that produced banter and made me chuckle. I appreciated his good intentions…and I enjoyed how it all played out.

5/5 stars

Thank you to NG and Atria Books for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 4/12/22.

Synopsis : "Vacuum repairman and self-appointed mayor of Prometto, Italy (population 212) Signor Speranza has a problem: unless he can come up with 70,000 euros to fix the town’s pipes, the water commission will shut off the water to the village and all its residents will be forced to disperse. So in a bid to boost tourism—and revenue—he spreads a harmless rumor that movie star Dante Rinaldi will be filming his next project nearby."

The premise of this had me instantly sold as it was so unique! I loved how heartwarming the characters were and how special and close the village was.

This isn't a fastpaced read, but more of a walk in the park, relaxing and feel good read.

Thanks Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book! It is out on April 12th!

I really wanted to like this book (small town Italy? Yes please!), but unfortunately it was a DNF for me. I tried so hard to get into it, and made it about 25%, but the large amount of characters made it so hard to keep track of anything. The main character was Signor Speranza, and (I don't know if it's a respect thing?) everytime he was mentioned it said "Signor Speranza". Does he not have a first name? It's such a mouthful to read that multiple times per page. Bummed it didn't work for me!

This was cute and heartwarming but it seemed unrealistic and slow paced. I really enjoyed how funny it could be! Definitely a good read when you’re feeling down and want a good laugh and something light.

This book is so different from what I usually read (women's fiction, suspense, romance) but it was the right book at the right time. Christine Simon's story has quirky characters, some more larger-than-life than others, a beleaguered everyman protagonist in Speranza, and an almost hopeless cause that could either break his tiny town or make it stronger than ever. The author had me often laughing with the madcap happenings as the story played out. The pace was good and I was happy with how she wrapped things up. 
3.5 stars rounded up

I just couldn’t get into this one. I loved the Italian setting but the characters were so hard to keep track of. I kept having to go back and re-read parts to make sure I understood who was speaking or who was connected to who.

The writing was good and I did enjoy the humor dispersed throughout. Signor is a memorable character.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley at the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 This was a little different than my typical reads lately. I liked it. It took me awhile to get into it. Once I did it was a quick read. The premise was great. It made me laugh. I had to know how it was all going to turn out.
I received an e-arc from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a hard review to write. It's not a bad book at all, but I didn't enjoy it and perhaps it just wasn't the right book for me.

I found the beginning very hard to follow as we are introduced to numerous characters. It was hard to keep track of the names and with "signore" and "signora"used so frequently, as well as nicknames thrown into the mix, it was just cumbersome to get into.

Once you figure out the characters, you are led through a tale of one man trying to save his small Italian town's financial woes through a series of lies and coverups. Inspired by a neighboring town's story, Signor Speranza convinces the town that a famous celebrity is coming to town to make a movie. The community buys into this farce and we watch the community being pulled together and duped into something so unrealistic that it is only successful due to the characters living out their unrealistic dreams.

This book is utterly wholesome with some humor and numerous twists and turns. This book is also a slow paced and very low key so keep that in mind when deciding what type of book you are in the mood for.

The Patron Saint of Second Chances was the perfect book to start the new year with. It is charming, sweet and funny.

Signor Speranza is an incredible main character, a little misguided but well intentioned always. The entire cast of characters had such great personalities and added to the overall charm of the little village of Prometto, Italy.

If you’re looking for a light-hearted, charming read I’d recommend checking The Patron Saint of Second Chances out!

I was charmed by the title and the cover but I stayed for the story, finding this debut novel to be so wonderful that I absolutely fell in love with it; the characters, the descriptions. I am so very impressed with Ms. Simon’s story that I don’t know what to write that will convey how much I adored this book.

I am looking forward to reading more of the author’s future works.

I loved this delightful, quirky debut set in a small Italian village. Signor Sperenza, vacuum repairman and self-appointed mayor of Prometto (population: 212), has a major problem on his hands. Unless he can come up with 70,000€ to fix the town's failing pipes, the water will be shut off and the town's residents will all have to move away. He comes up with the preposterous plan of spreading a rumor that famous heartthrob movie star Dante Rinaldi is shooting a new movie in the area, and before he knows it, he finds himself in the midst of shooting an actual movie, lying to all his friends and neighbors, and desperately trying to raise the money needed. This book was exactly what I needed to start my reading year. It's heartwarming and hilarious, and I loved all the ridiculous characters. Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the digital review copy.

The story had a cute premise and I wanted to love it.....I mean HELLO Italy and a scenic setting. Unfortunately this was just fine. It was cute, but felt fairly forced and even staged? If thats possible for a book.

I went in hoping for an Italian holiday and this felt like a plucky romcom on Hallmark.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC for an exchange for an honest review.

Good story has serious and funny moments as well.