Member Reviews
I loooooove books set in Italy, so when I saw the title of Ciao for Now my eyebrows immediately shot up and I was interested. I loved the idea of a fashion intern falling for her boss’s grumpy son, and I also really liked the idea of an almost-30-year-old college student. Most college romances involve characters in their early twenties (or maybe 18/19), so I was excited to meet Violet. Ciao for Now also has multiple tropes that I love: grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, and a mild enemies to lovers (just how I like it). While there were a few things that prevented this book from being a brand new favorite of mine, I did enjoy many parts of it and ultimately enjoyed my reading experience. I had so much fun walking the streets of Rome and riding the waves in Capri.
1. Right off the bat, I knew I was going to simply adore Violet’s best friend, Marco. He is a shining, shimmering sunbeam and I could not get enough of him. He’s one of the three interns in this design competition, and I would have been happy if there was no romance at all and the story just focused on him and his friendship with Violet. His snark and humor and personality shot off the page and into my heart, and he was definitely the most dynamic and interesting person in this book. I need a best friend named Marco.
2. Marco and Violet arrive in Rome together and almost immediately Matt enters the scene with one of the cutest and most embarrassing meet-cutes I’ve read. I seriously had so much second-hand embarrassment for Violet, who stumbles and ultimately destroys Matt’s laptop in a cafe. They sit and chat for a while, and the banter was off the charts. My grin was as huge as Marco’s as I read the interactions between Violet and Matt. It was so electric and exciting. Shortly after this unfortunate (yet delightful) encounter, we discover that Matt is the son of Violet’s boss and they will be living in the same house for the entirety of Violet’s one-month stay in Italy. Neither one of them is very happy about it.
3. After the initial meet-cute, though, Violet’s and Matt’s chemistry fizzled and I never got fully back on board with the two of them. What started out as exciting and sexy kind of spiraled down into… well, not much of anything. They really just don’t like each other and I never understood why. Did they not like each other just so the book could be marketed as the ever popular enemies-to-lovers trope? I mean yes, Violet accidentally destroyed his laptop and he lost a lot of his work (he’s a writer for a popular sexy space TV show) but he never gets mad at her for it. He’s actually way nicer than anyone would expect. Because he was so nice, Violet has no reason to hate him. She caused all the problems and he was nice about it. lol. I actually had no idea this was supposed to be enemies-to-lovers. I thought they left the cafe happy to have met, and I assumed they would be happy to run into each other again. This mutual hatred came out of nowhere for me.
4. While Violet and Matt do have some great moments together and some really fun banter, I didn’t feel like the romance was strong enough. These two also seem much younger than the 29 (Violet) and 32 (Matt), neither one of them acted mature enough to convince me they were the ages they were supposed to be. Violet in particular grated on my nerves. Yes, she’s going through a growing phase in her life but she just came off as selfish and immature. We learn about Matt’s past, which I think was supposed to add depth to his character and explain why he’s so surly, but I didn’t buy it. I think their lack of maturity made the inevitable third-act break-up much more dramatic than it needed to be.
5. BUT. I loved the friendships in this book, and that’s what propelled my reading forward. I’ve already mentioned Marco, but there’s also Holly, the third intern. I really liked her, and she gets a cute little side romance that I found myself wishing was the main romance because she is so likeable and the guy is pretty swoony. Violet also becomes close friends with Mina, an employee at the design firm. Mina introduces her to a group of other women who work in fashion, and they have the coolest support system and friendship. Then there’s the woman who own the fabric shop down the street, who has so much wisdom and gives great advice. And Violet’s boss was amazing! She’s like the opposite of Miranda Priestly, with her brightly colored flowing dresses, her bubbly enthusiasm, and her propensity to rain showers of compliments and affection down on everyone around her. Ciao for Now has the strongest cast of secondary characters ever–possibly the strongest cast I’ve ever read about.
6. Italy delivered for me. I loved when the characters were sightseeing, and found it to be so much more entertaining than all the fashion talk. Violet, Marco, and Holly take the city by storm for an assignment and visit so many touristy spots in Rome that I’ve been to, so I could picture everything in my mind so perfectly. Violet and Matt go on a weekend trip to Capri and stay in what sounds like the most magical oceanfront hotel in existence. I loved the descriptions of all the scenery and the things they did. The characters spend time walking the streets and sitting on the balcony working in the evenings. I loved these parts of the story the most.
So all in all, I enjoyed Ciao for Now! I really think my only problem with it was that I didn’t like the two main characters, so the romance didn’t work for me. Sometimes I skimmed their long discussions because I didn’t care about them. But I loved the secondary characters so much that I felt so many happy feelings while reading. Kate Bromley did such a great job with the cast of characters and their friendships and banter and love for one another, and she did such an amazing job writing about Italy that I didn’t even care that the main characters and their journey to find love didn’t work for me. And honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever been able to say that before. So I’m surprised and happy to say I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a kind of Devil Wears Prada-esque fashion story set in Italy, with a slew of characters to fall in love with.
Unfortunately, this romance novel was not for me. It just didn't come together in a way that compelled me to keep reading, to follow the trail of breadcrumbs to HEA. Other people have loved it -- especially if you love novels set in Italy -- so I still recommend checking it out if you're looking for a light, fun read.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of Ciao for Now by Kate Bromley.
KATE BROMLEY DOES NO WRONG! This book was SO darn cute! Matteo and Violet were such a fun (and grumpy) little couple and I could not stop reading. Another fun read from Kate!
Fly me to Rome and give me all the romance!
Violet and her fashion school friends Marco and Holly have earned internships at a premier fashion house in Rome. They will staying at Professor Leoni’s high-rise apartment, where they will also be working on designs for a competition. The book takes right off when Violet stops at a cafe, this is where she has a horrible run-in with a grumpy stranger. They have a very awkward exchange, and she’s thrilled when Marco rescues her. Once she’s at Professor Leoni’s, Violet is floored when the professor introduces them to her son, Matteo, or Matt - and you guess it he’s the grumpy handsome man from the cafe. Violet begins spending her days working and learning and determined win the competition, but Matt seems to be in her space and her thoughts. It’s hard to concentrate when she and Matt have undeniable chemistry, plus they’re forced to spend a summer of parties, adventures through Rome and throw in sharing a home.
As Violet chances to win the competition slipping out of her grasp, Violet has to decide whether to say ciao to Matt or ciao to her dreams.
As someone who grew up during the height of the Lizzie McGuire movie I could not pass up the opportunity to read a romance set in Italy. This is such a cute and fun read.
I adored this book. I love Italy and this book does such a great job of transporting the reader there. The characters were realistic and believable and I would up falling in love with them, especially Violet and Matteo. Following their journey was so sweet.
I honestly loved that this book was set in Rome, but I felt that the main characters did not have enough chemistry and their relationship progression was too fast.
🗺✈️Book Review:
Title: Ciao For Now
Author: Kate Bromley
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/3 stars
When you can't afford to travel, read about it, right?! This time, Bromley takes us to Italy in her newest rom-com!
Violet Luciano has earned an internship in Rome with a fashion brand that has huge potential to become the newest "it" label. Working as a future fashion designer is cutthroat, especially when a competition is announced. The winner will receive a job at a highly reputable fashion label in New York City! As luck would have it, on her first day at her new internship, she's selected to go on the coffee run. Which wouldn't be so bad if she didn't accidentally spill said coffee onto the laptop of Matteo, her professor's son! Being that it's a rom-com, this is the meet cute, right? Enemies to lovers?
Violet will be faced with deciding between love or her career all too soon!
Published: June 6th, 2023
Thank you, @netgalley, and @graydonhousebooks for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I read this one awhile back (because I absolutely ADORE everything Kate Bromley writes!!) but I haven’t reviewed it yet, so here we are!
This book was so cute. I loved the traveling component, as I often do with Kate’s books. This one traveled to Rome, bringing readers on the journey alongside Violet’s dream of becoming a fashion designer. But of course a horrifying meet-cute in a coffee shop leads her to meet the one person she really shouldn’t get involved with.
If you’re looking for fun travel-filled romcoms where characters strive to chase their dreams, Kate’s books are perfect for you!
Tropes:
- Rome setting
- Meet cute
- Forbidden romance
- Enemies to lovers
- Strengthening friendships
- Chasing dreams
- Vacation romance
- Work-related romance
3.5 stars [Liked it] - This book started out strong, I loved the premise, the characters and the writing but as I read on the story fell a little flat. I still enjoyed it and would recommend checking it out.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a free advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.
I love the setting in this book— Italy! Such a beautiful backdrop for this fun romcom. Violet is a 30 something fashion intern and meets Matt who’s a writer. Both from America. It’s a whole grumpy/sunshine ordeal. I love seeing how ambitious she is and even if she feels like she’s behind her peers, she keeps focused on her dreams and what she wants to do. I thought this was a fun, uplifting read.
WE LOVE AN ITALIAN SETTING! I'm so obsessed! Very much Emily in Paris vibes which I loved! Meet cute and enemies to lovers! Such great banter and grumpy/sunshine! It was such a fun relationship. I loved the setting of course and it just added to the chemistry. I really had a good time with this book.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing/Graydon House for sharing this heartfelt book's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.
Ciao for Now is like Roman Holiday meets Project Runway and on paper is the absolute perfect book for me, however I didnt love it as much as I was hoping for. Here is what i did love- the banter, omg it was so good and the entire book of just that would make me happy. I loved the two of them together a lot, I loved their chemistry and their sarcastic back and forth. I loved the setting as well, I want to go to Rome. But I just think everything else didnt live up to the amazing potential of the characters. I thought the side characters were ok but did not add as much to the story, with the exception of Mira and Louise who should have been featured even more. I did end up liking the book and would definitely read more from the author.
I loved this book, and Bromley keeps getting better and better. This book was swoon worthy, fun, and hopeful. I loved the characters and the relationships, both romantic and friendly. I loved how the main character grew and came into herself.
Buon giorno book friends!
Do you know more than one language? I can get by in Spanish and am fluent in 'Jersey' (fugeddaboudit!) … and that’s about it.
But I can assure you that Kate Bromleys' books are my book love language … and Ciao for Now was the most charming and adorable read by her yet!
Forget Emily in Paris… and hello to Violet in Rome! This was the most fun escape to Italy with the beautiful atmosphere, the incredible fashion, swoony grumpy Matteo, and all the banter and hilarity that will have you laughing out loud and scrambling to book a trip to Europe!
It’s a unputdownable story of stepping out of your comfort zone, choosing yourself first, and that it’s never too late to follow your dreams. Ohh … and with all the forced proximity and grump + sunshine vibes … there’s also a bit of falling in love.💕
Such a delightful read and adorable story - grab this one - you can say “Grazie!" to me later!
I just couldn't get into this book despite the fact that I was beyond thrilled there was a rom-com finally set in Rome. Unfortunately, it dragged for me and I didn't love any of the characters.
This is an adorable rom com set in Italy. It's a grumpy/sunshine romance set against the backdrop of the fashion industry. It doesn't take much to make me want to visit Italy and this book definitely did that with it's description of the food, island of Capri and general Italian lifestyle.
In this 3rd novel from the author, two Americans collide (literally) in Rome as they both are there temporarily to work on projects and visit families. Both are in their thirties and pursuing their dreams. Violet feels behind schedule as she is in her thirties and just now pursuing her dreams after putting them on hold for years for Greg, who ironically broke up with her for not being ambitious enough. Matteo is an established writer, but has little patience for Violet and seems closed off to love. Their chemistry is off the charts, but will they have what it takes to navigate attempting a real relationship.
This is a good book. The two main characters are Violet and Matt. Violet is a student who is interning in Italy. Matt is a screenwriter. It is an instant attraction when they meet at a cafe. Violet is interning at a fashion designer company. She is one of three designers up for an award. Violet and Matt each have issues but together they work them out and fall in love.
This was a super cute enemies to lovers and a bit later on in life finding yourself romance. The setting in Italy was truly perfect and described so well, I felt like I as wandering the streets of Rome with Violet. Matteo was just *chef's kiss* swoony. I also loved the fashion element. This was super cute. Thank you to Netgalley and Graydon House for the ARC.