Thank you NetGalley and Greenleaf Audiobooks, Greenleaf Book Group Press for accepting my request to audibly read and review Come November.

Narrated by Nancy Linari

Disappointing. The synopsis left hope for intrigue with some Italian romance, and I wanted and expected some history given the international and United Nations marketing.

At best this was a really long held grudge with a confrontation. From my perspective this could have been condensed to a short story and me wanting more as opposed to over 14 hours and me wondering why.

Linari's performance eased my pain, and helped me finish.

Of note: I'm not certain that finishing a book because it is from NetGalley is the right course of action. I finished Come November and lost time. There was nothing for the author, publisher, or myself to gain from finishing that I see.

2.5 stars not rounding up (language)

If child molesting doesn't bother you, you should enjoy this story.

This is a dual-timeline book. The history of the United Nations and the creation of Israel in 1947 made for an interesting plot. Most of the subplots, from the 2003 part of the book - son's finances, daughter-in-law's opera career, the professor on the airplane - were superfluous. The characters, while well-written, were too numerous and bogged down this already too-long story.

Back to the molesting - how much of a difference would it have been to make the main character, Jeanne, a college student? Being a high-school student, in 1947, secretly meeting up with a slightly older journalist chaperone was a bit preposterous.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this audiobook. All opinions are mine.

Jeanne is now 73 years of age when she receives an email from her first love, John. Good news? Not really, because of the hurt John brought on in the past. For this reason, she lets the email sit in her inbox while she makes the decision to respond. Meanwhile, Jeanne receives adverse news from her doctor, which she understands, she must live her last days on earth to the fullest while she still has the ability.
Jeanne travels with her family to Italy, where this first loves, John resides.

Back In 1948, John and Jeanne met on a field trip during her senior year of high school. As a young journalist, John joined the seniors on their trip to New York City to witness a vote within the United Nations. Before the UN assembly, John caught wind of a headline story he felt he must get to boost his journalism career. Thus, Jeanne was dropped from his life.
Now, Jeanne and John are reunited in Italy and are working through their misunderstandings.
Can these two, now older and wiser, work beyond the past and make the most of the life they have left?

Come November by Scott Lord is a super heartfelt story. As I listened I was walking alongside John and Jeanne throughout their journey. The dual timelines and dual points of view will keep you hanging on to the very end.

I would label this book as historic fiction, with little action and twists, but just a good story.

My only complaint is the ending felt a little flat for this reader.

A wonderful story. Fantastic narrative! I really liked this book.

The plot was worked out in a very beautiful style, going back and forth from the 1940s to the 21st century. I take my hat off to the author.

The characters were amazing and I love how the author wove them through the time periods.

Thanks in advance for this book to Netgalley.
#comenovember, #ScottLord. #netgalley

4.5 out of 5 stars

Come November (Greenleaf Book Group, 2023) is a love story spanning more than five decades with an international thriller in between. It is the story of Jeanne Carpenter (née Cooper) and John (a.k.a. Jack) McGrath, who first met in 1947 en route to New York City from Chicago, sent by the Chicago Sun newspaper to cover the United Nations vote that would lead to the creation of the State of Israel. At the time, Jeanne was a high school student-journalist, and John a young local reporter looking to advance into international journalism. The story is based on true events and not just the U.N. vote -- if you visit the author's website, you will see news clippings that are featured in the book, including a byline by one John McGrath. Don't be surprised if this novel inspires you to read up on the events surrounding that U.N. vote.

The novel's narrative veers back and forth between events in 1947 and 2003, with the more recent storyline involving Jeanne's family and the earlier storyline tracking events behind the scenes of the U.N. vote. The novel is well written and the story engaging, although some of the 2003 chapters seemed to drag on a little too much. The audiobook was excellently narrated by Nancy Linari, who was a compelling voice of Jeanne Cooper Carpenter.

The ending of the book at once seemed to resolve some problems a little too neatly while still leaving other issues unresolved (whatever did happen to that book contract anyway?). And there were so many happy coincidences (mostly in the form of characters who knew each other, or who knew people who knew each, other, all winding up in the same remote part of Italy at the exact same time) that I had to suspend disbelief a little more than I would have liked. But overall, I enjoyed this novel, and will recommend it to readers of historical fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley and Greenleaf Book Group for the audiobook for review. All opinions are my own.

i truly loved this novel! it ensparks on a journey of first love, nostalgic and beautiful memories & a life’s story of a strong main character. I see some complaining about the switches from past to present to past again and so on, but I must say this is what truly captures the beauty of this story and this book. It was wonderful to get an insight on not only one point in the characters’ lives, but interconnected others and this truly made me as the reader feel involved, especially to understand the actions at the end. will re-read definitely soon!!

Come November is a compelling story, especially the flashback portion at the UN meetings to vote on Israeli statehood. It was fascinating to get a glimpse at the politicking and uncertainty of the times, through the eyes of a young Chicago newspaper reporter, the high school girl on a field trip, and members of the delegations.
The present day story of the intertwined families was a bit more conventional, but had interesting flourishes around the dilapidated Italian mansion being renovated, and the opera performance. Overall, a good, entertaining read with great characters and relationships.

This book has so many qualities that are super popular right now that I’m really surprised I’m not seeing this one around more.

Dual Timelines, Multiple POV’s, Historical WW2 Drama, Second Chance Romance, Character Growth and Mystery.

My first time reading this author and I was really happy with the overall read though it was a bit long. I definitely recommend!

SUMMARY
It's 2003, and at 73 years old, Jeanne receives an email from her first love, John. Weary about responding to his message because of the hurt John had brought onto her in the past, she lets the email sit in her inbox while she considers. Meanwhile, Jeanne receives unfortunate news from the doctor, which she takes to mean she needs to live her life to the fullest while she still has the ability. Jeanne travels with her family to Italy, where John resides, to discuss their past and a potential book deal regarding a fateful night they both experienced while visiting New York City as young journalists.

In 1948, John and Jeanne met while Jeanne was on a field trip during her senior year of high school. John was a young journalist who joined the seniors on their journey to New York City to witness a vote within the United Nations. Before the UN assembly, John caught wind of a headline story he knew he had to land to launch his journalism career. With John's career his priority, Jeanne ultimately became second, and life continued.

Now, Jeanne and John are reunited in Italy and are working through their misunderstandings. Their story is one of heartache and redemption, and it is up to only them to see if they can work beyond the past and make the most of the life they have left.

REVIEW
Come November by Scott Lord is a great book! From the complex characters to the detailed storyline, I felt like I was alongside John and Jeanne throughout their journey in NYC. The dual timelines and dual POV kept me hanging on throughout their story.

I will say I was a bit disappointed with this book's "mystery/thriller" aspect, as advertised. It was historical fiction, but there needed to be more action or twists and turns to consider it a thriller. Of the book as a whole, I enjoyed the 1948 storyline much more than the 2003 story. The 1948 story was full of hope and desire and left us wanting more. The 2003 story seemed disconnected and needed a strong protagonist.

This book was such a touching story with so many beautiful moments. Though the climax fell flat for me, I adored this book overall. Ultimately, the message is one of love, and that's what life is all about.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC of Come November by Scott Lord. I accepted this ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased book review.

This was a little hard to get through. I enjoyed the story line and how genuine the relationship between the characters felt. That’s really what got me through this read. I mainly struggled following the switch between characters and timelines. Interested in giving this author another try.

Beautiful book that explores love, life, romance, growing up, coming of age, breaking hearts, facing life, loss, and living again and finding happiness. Add in many years of growing up, and dual timelines, and you have a winner!
The story begins in the 1940’s with a journalist (John) and an aspiring journalist (Jeanne) who is still in HS.
They meet up, and she pretty much instantly falls in love. She is on a HS trip for aspiring journalists…with many of her friends. Oh…and the nuns!!
But, his story is much more involved…and being an established journalist, he is involved in many things he has no business being involved in!
She ends up getting mixed up in some of the crazy stuff going on, but still feels like he is the one for her!
They continue to see each other as time permits…and life goes on.
Fast forward to 2003. Jeanne is a grandma. She is traveling with her son, his estranged wife, and their daughter to Italy to see her daughter in law perform in a show.
John now lives in Italy, and has contacted her.

That’s all I’m giving you…

Beautiful story. So many touching moments throughout.
And kudos to grandma on her love life, as well as her love for her son and his family…and her unending drive to see that her family is all right in the end!
Very sweet!

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me!

Thanks to NetGalley and Greenleaf Book Group for the ARC of the audiobook!

Come November, by Scott Lord.

Look for this soon as the release date is July 18th!

This should have been more historical fiction or romance/women’s fiction. It definitely wasn’t thriller and I wouldn’t even classify it as mystery either. It just followed historical events that you knew were going to happen, without much suspense.

I didn’t dislike it but honestly I got kind of bored. I didn’t feel like Jean and John had any extraordinary chemistry that prompted them to have a sort of soulmate connection that spanned decades. It could partially be lost in translation the way the audiobook was narrated tho. The narrator didn’t have much, if any, change in her voice for different characters outside of a handful of accent changes for foreigners. It was the same voice, inflection, octave for men, women, etc, which gave it sort of a flat and sometimes confusing feel.

While it ended well, the dynamic of the adults in the 2003 timeline felt like everyone was just not communicating, assuming the worst, and giving up really easily. It made the way everything wrapped up feel a bit contrite and simple given the up-to-this-point fully self-focused perspective they all had.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this audiobook. All opinions are mine.

This book promised to be a historical thriller but it totally fell flat. There was some interesting history, sure, but the way it was told in the past was so anticlimactic, there was no urgency, no worry, nothing remotely thrilling about it. The present day story was disjointed and honestly, unnecessary. The sons bankruptcy and marital issues were a side plot that didn't add anything to the story. The main character's thrice attempted love story was pretty bland, and the ending was extremely predictable. The book would have been better if it was just the 1947 timeline, in real-time action.

This book was well written but was really slow and I had a very hard time getting and staying into it. It's listed as mystery/thriller but is really more just fiction w/a little mystery thrown in. It was a very long read and I would like my time back.

#ComeNovember
#NetGalley

I've listened the audiobook which was granted to me on NetGalley (a book review platform). I really enjoyed the story which was a combination of a conspiracy and international diplomatic affair related story along a love story between the two main protagonists. In parallel several other subsequent stories evolve that add to a complex and interested novella.

However, I found it overall too long. I strongly believe that several parts of the book could be narrated in less details and so it would be the book reader's or listener's interest unaffected.

Come November by Scott Lord is a very rich and diverse historical novel. I am glad to have had a chance to enjoy an advance audio copy from NetGalley. The story follows a pair of young lovers that meet in 1947 while traveling to see an important vote in front of the United Nations—the partition of Palestine to create the State of Israel. Along the way they learn of an assassination plot and race to stop it. And that’s only the beginning of their love story. This is filled with love, politics, history, and redemption and will stay with you long after you finish the book.

Great intertwining of plots and story lines amongst the characters. It was a page turner for sure. I found myself connecting with the characters.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Greenleaf Audiobooks, Greenleaf Book Group Press for the free audio book in exchange for my honest review. This is narrated by Nancy Linari who does a fabulous job reading the book and pulling you into the world of Jeanne and John!

This is such a sweeping, historic account of the lives of Jeanne and John, two young journalists who met covering the UN's plan to partition Palestine into Jewish and Arab sectors and Israel's ensuing declaration of statehood, post WWII. The story is told in multiple parts with several narrators and is very well researched.

Spanning decades, the story opens present day with a plan to meet one last time as both Jeanne and John are now in their late 70's/ early 80's to see if a reconciliation can be made. The story explores their shared time in New York in November 1947, their failed romance, and the struggles to define what might have been. Ending in a quaint Italian town known to both of them from prior visits, the truth comes out in this story that is rich with politics and romance.

Highly recommend!

Why do grandparents get along with their grandchildren so well, because they have a common enemy.
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Jeanne and John have traveled with the high school group to NY to witness the vote of the United Nations, however they are getting more than just a seat at the event. Jeanne a student and John a young journalist uncover a plot to assonate one of the leaders at the vote. Jeanne has caught the attention of John, he is not only interested in her but he is equally interested in allowing her to help him with his reporting of the school trip and now the documentation of what he has investigated about a possible assassination. The story starts in November of 1947 and continues through 50 long years in the future.
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Jeanne and John have some unfinished business and he has reached out to her from Italy to ask her to meet with him to discuss some things. Jeanne debates on the thought of going but after a current health scare when her daughter-in-law gets asked to perform in the Opera in Italy Jeanne takes the opportunity to bring her family back together and see John at the same time.
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Michael, Jeannes son has agreed to go only because he wants to ask her for money to help him out of some debt he has gotten himself into at work. The trip ends up being way more than that for Michael as he tries to rekindle his marriage with Carrie and spend quality time with his daughter Alice.
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Johns investigation and dealings with the Lilyann his informant leads to devastating consequences for her. John feels as though it is his fault and spends the rest of her life making good on his promise to take care of her.
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Fast forward 50 years Jeanne and John (aka: Jack) have some unanswered questions to workout between them, with his new house project and his debt to the "wrong people" they have to determine if they can finish what they started so many years ago.
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I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this story. I was gifted a ALC of Come November in return for my honest review. As an avid thriller reader I would say I would lean more to Historical Romance than thriller but there was the assassination plot so I guess it could be thriller. Narrated by Nancy Linari I feel as though it fit the story well her soft voice really helped to feel Jeannes age of 72. Giving this one a 4.5*
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Thank you Netgalley, Scott Lord and Greenleaf Book Group Press.

<i> A historical thriller with a love story at its heart November 1947: Jeanne and John, two newspaper journalists, fall in young love as they travel from Chicago to New York to witness the momentous vote of the United Nations to partition Palestine and create the State of Israel. When they discover an assassination plot meant to swing the outcome, they must put their personal lives on hold and race the clock to stop it, uncovering elaborate details of international politics along the way. Fifty years later, having gone their separate ways, the two reconnect in Italy. Set against a stunning pastoral backdrop, Jeanne and John relive those turbulent days together and explore whether their love has stood the test of time. International thriller meets operatic Italian romance in this intricate tale of love, politics, and misunderstandings. Come November is a celebration of history, family bonds, redemption, and second-chance love sure to please fans of thrillers and romance alike. </i>

I enjoyed listening to Come November, but, description aside, I definitely thought it leaned far more heavily towards romantic drama than thriller, though it did have occasional wisps of one,
underpinned by international politics. Quite an epic tale, regardless.

Nancy Linari did a lovely job with the narration.

Thank you Scott Lord, NetGalley and Greenleaf Audiobooks for providing this ALC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.