San Diego is already dreamy, but add in an Italian neighborhood, family drama and hottie love and you’ve got this book. This was a quick contemporary romantic read.

Brooke didn’t have a relationship with her Father growing up, but she has stepped up to the plate and been helping him. His health issues are getting worse, and with her boyfriend not supportive of her choices with her Father the relationship ends. Brooke moves to be near her Father to care for him and ends up in the middle of a boisterous Italian family. There are some times in the book when things are beyond frustrating for Brooke but she soon finds out the Italian family she has come to know is right there for her, especially the oldest son Luca. This is a story about family and romance. The characters are a delight, especially Franny. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

Catherine Bybee simply does not disappoint! When It Falls Apart is her latest novel that lived up to my very high expectations (and more)! This addictive romance has not only a wonderful love story, but is also packed with a really fantastic storyline! Catherine Bybee has a real gift with creating realistic characters that you can’t help but root for. I adored the main and supporting characters and really hope Catherine Bybee makes this a long running series. When It Falls Apart is a 5 star book that would make a fantastic beach read! I am already looking forward to seeing what Catherine comes out with next!

Overall, I really liked this book. I loved Luca and Brooke’s relationship and how sweet they were together, Italian men are a weakness of mine… There were a few things to note though. It mentions ’the pandemic’ a few times throughout the book but never actually explains what happens. It makes sense to someone reading it right now but a few years in the future it may not be so clear. I also felt like they got together too fast, but that’s just a personal opinion, I love slow-burns.

Much as Brooke loves her father, she doesn’t agree with many of his decisions. But when he falls ill, she hurries to his side at the cost of her rocky relationship with a longtime beau.

Faced with her father’s terminal diagnosis, Brooke makes the call to uproot her life and permanently move closer so she can be there for support. It’s heart-wrenching to see the man who lived life large brought down by disease and this part of the story hits the hardest.

The prohibitive cost of palliative care forces Brooke to sell the condo she bought for her dad, many of his tools, and whatever else she could liquify, leaving her to find a cheap apartment in Little Italy- a decision that changes her life.

The D’Angelos have owned the restaurant and apartments above for generations, but a downturn in the market is endangering their livelihoods. When single dad Luca’s mother rents out the top apartment to a stranger, a beautiful, melancholy woman, he is annoyed. Trust doesn’t come easy to Luca, especially with an impressionable young daughter to protect, but he can’t deny his attraction to the vulnerable Brooke.

The relationship between these two is real and authentic, though cute little Franny steals the show!

This is a heartwarming read about reconnecting with loved ones before it’s too late and believing in second chances. A great read!

I haven't found a book by Catherine Bybee that I dislike. This one is no different.

I love this new family of characters to follow! From little Franny to Mari. I loved the instant chemistry of the characters. I loved the give and take.

I can't wait for what I'm sure will be another superb book in this series! I need more!

I have been a fan girl from Catherine Bybee books since the weekday bride series and kept on reading her books from then on. Read it.

I just reviewed When It Falls Apart by Catherine Bybee. #WhenItFallsApart #NetGalley

I really enjoy Catherine Bybee's writing and was happy to snag an earlier copy of her latest work. What I like best is she gives enough real life romance with a good amount of tense conflict to make you want more. I appreciate the emotion she puts into the characters and their relationships and I appreciate the tense conflict not being immature or about just miscommunication. I don't care for language and sex scenes but like that there's not that many throughout the novel. Really good! Highly recommend!

The book comes out in June, so check it out or any of her other novels! I'd like to thank Netgalley for the advance reader copy.

When It Falls Apart by Catherine Bybee is a wonderful story of family, elder care, and second chances! Brooke Turner receives a call in the middle of the night from a hospital in San Diego informing her that her father needs surgery for an abdominal obstruction. Brooke lives in Seattle but gets her things together, feeling hurt as her live-in boyfriend complains and does not offer support. Brooke has assumed responsibility for her father's well-being since his previous stroke, even though he had been an absent father when she was a child. Brooke soon realizes she will have to make some challenging decisions for her father and herself.
Brooke's best friend comes to be a support and convinces her to take a few days to relax and look for an apartment in the "Little Italy" area. They have lunch at a family-owned restaurant owned by the D’Angelo family. I enjoyed reading about how closely this family worked and lived together. They were the perfect loving family that Brooke had never experienced. Luca D’Angelo is a dream come true for Brooke, although there are some challenges as their relationship progresses. I appreciated the honest character of Brooke! She did not tolerate secrets and was reasonable in dealing with Luca's ex-wife.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC. Publication date is June 21, 2022.

I absolutely loved this book, the first in a new series, and I can't wait for the rest of the series now.

Brooke's father has been in and out of her life, having had multiple wives, and hasn't really been there for her, but when he had a stroke she dropped everything to nurse him back to (relative) health, and now that he's had another bad turn and can't stay in his home (a house she bought and he lived in) she again is there for him, finding a care facility to move him into as he can't be on his own anymore. Of course he's not happy about it and he causes Brooke a lot of headaches. Her boyfriend isn't very supportive either, and Brooke decides it's time for a complete change for them all.

So to keep everyone happy she sells her/her father's house, relocates to San Diego, specifically Little Italy, and manages to find her father a care home nearby so she can be there for him. Through a stroke of fate she manages to rent a top floor apartment above an Italian restaurant, which is where she meets all the lovely Italian D'Angelo family, specifically single father Luca, and her life starts getting better.

Of course there are bumps along the way, her dad isn't initially happy in his care home, and Luca's ex-wife reappears, but in the end it all works out. I'm a big Catherine Bybee fan anyway, I love her way of writing, and this book just had such a lovely feeling running throughout it. It made you want to move to Little Italy and be part of the wonderful community there! I can't wait for the next book in this delightful series now.

What a great story! This reads like a Hallmark movie, and in fact, I could totally see some of the Hallmark faves playing these characters. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this story. I will be looking for other books by this author to read.

This latest book by Catherine Bybee is a winner! And surprisingly based on the author's note at the end, much of the story had roots in Bybee's own life. When Brooke gets a late-night phone call that her father is in the hospital, she knows she has to be by his side in his latest health crisis. What she doesn't expect is for her longtime boyfriend to act the way he does but then it forces Brooke to realize she hasn't been happy with him and their life together for a while. Brooke then takes the opportunity to start over in a new city while still looking after her father. What follows is the story of Brooke after it [life} falls apart.
This heartwarming novel is at times a romance and at times more women's fiction. It deals with some serious issues as a child as to take on the role of the parent and how much that role reversal impacts all aspects of your life. In truth I can't wait to read more about these characters and hope there are more books to come in the series!

When it Falls Apart by Catherine Bybee is her first book in a new series, The D'Angelo's. I really enjoyed the writing, the characters are well written, and the connections between the characters are wonderful.

Thaks NetGalley and Montlake for the opportunity to read!

MORE! MORE! MORE!

This is what I was left screaming after this booked ended. I want more!!

When It Falls Apart by Catherine Bybee is, for me, the perfect romance novel. It's a bit cheesy, the characters are loveable, there are sufficient levels of drama, and the love interest made me swoon. Seriously, I'm tempted to move to Little Italy and find myself a Luca (no one tell my husband....). This is one of those books that I can see myself reading over and over again as a mood booster.

The first few chapters give the impression that this will be a sad book, but it is not at all. It is hopeful, uplifting, and full of life. Honestly I just loved every moment of this wonderful, wonderful story. Please tell me that there will be more adventures with the lovely D'Angelo clan?

I wasn’t really expecting to like this book, though I’m not sure why. But the everyday realness of the storylines (especially the struggles of dealing with aging family members) just felt so relatable and the characters felt like actual humans, not stereotypes or formulas. I want to be friends with these people and swap stories and know how their lives turn out. I truly enjoyed this book. Everyday drama that is just as captivating as far fetched scenarios that many romances rely on. It was an excellent read.

(I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.)

It never fails, when you see Catherine Bybee's name on a book you are pretty much guaranteed a good solid read. One of my favorite authors, haven't read any books by this author that weren't full of wonderful characters and a gripping story. I received an e-book from NetGalley in return for an unbiased review.

Such a WONDERFUL story! I always select my next read by the cover and based on experience I have had with previous books by the author. I hardly ever read the description because I want it to be a surprise. In the beginning, I thought that Brooke might end up meeting and falling for her father’s doctor, but I was pleasantly surprised when she met the D’Angelo family but especially Luca and his daughter. I enjoyed this book so much that I have placed it in the TBRA (To Be Read Again) pile! This book had me craving to find time to read it amongst everything else I was supposed to be doing!

I devoured this book in 2 days! I love love loved the family dynamics of the D’Angelos! I was entirely pulled into the world of Little Italy, with the emotions and hopes and daily life of the family. They were open in their communication, yet still had their own private lives and dreams.

We pick up in media res of Brooke’s “falling apart” - a phone call in the middle of the night to come once again to the hospital bedside of her elderly, ailing, semi-estranged father. As the plot continues, we learn more and more backstory, about both her relationship with her parents as well as overall life details and romantic history. As she picks up her life and transplants herself into a new city, she finally finds the place, and the person, she didn’t even know she was missing.

I appreciated how real this book was. The romance was there, the sweet moments, the unfolding of a relationship, but interspersed with real, relatable things like less-than-ideal family dynamics and work stress.
Can’t wait for the rest of the series! I hope both Chloe and Gio get books.

When It Falls Apart is a book to remind you that good things may come when it feels like nothing else is going right.

Brooke is called in the middle of the night when her dad is rushed to the hospital... again. She packs her things to rush to his side because they are the only family the other has, while her boyfriend complains that she has to leave him again. Deciding that her relationship with her dad is more important, she continues on her way to her dad's side. After a series of down-right annoying situations, she takes a mini-vacation with her best friend to San Diego where a run-in with the young daughter of an Italian chef changes her life forever.

I have never read a book by Catherine Bybee but I wanted a lighthearted read so I picked this one up. I'm really happy I did. This book is easy to read and understand. It's not overly filled with too much romance but it does have some in it, which I like. The drama is good as well, but just took a little bit to get to the core drama of the book. That's the reason why I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

BOOK: When It Falls Apart
SERIES: D'Angelos #1
GENRE: contemporary romance
TROPES & THEMES: family, caretaking, single parent, food, neighbors to lovers
CLIFFHANGER: no
HOTTIE METER: 🔥🔥🔥
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
RELEASE DATE: June 21st, 2022

If you are in the mood for a feel-good contemporary romance check this book out.

When Brooks's father needs her, she drops everything goes back home and takes care of his business, and put him in a care facility.  Her relationship is already on the rocks and the new situation forces her to make a final decision and they break up. Settling in San Diego Brooke meets the D'Angelos while having a meal in their family restaurant. The sparks fly between her and Luca D' Angelo, a single dad of an adorable girl and the chief of the restaurant.

I enjoyed reading this book. The characters were realistic and interesting. There were sweet romance parts, with emotional moments.

*thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion of the book