Member Reviews
The Rome Apartment is a story of self-discovery, growth and strength. This is a story that stayed with me well after having finished reading it. Beth takes a chance with an ad in a magazine about an apartment in Rome available for rent. There are some conditions to this which we come to realize, much later on, had specific purposes. Seeking an escape and time to think, Beth jumps at the chance once she is approved for the stay.
The author brings out Beth's fears, insecurities, hopes and dreams through her three month journey and adventure in Rome. She meets some amazing people and forms the kind of bonds and relationships that she has always dreamt of. In the midst of dealing with her husband's request for a break, Beth is forced to re-evaluate her life, her options and reconcile with herself who she wants to be. She also learns how to deal with her daughter and eventually to have open and honest conversations to strengthen their relationship.
Ronnie is the kind of person I'd love to meet and spend time with. She adds the most flavour to this story while steering Beth in a direction of healing. Her story is unique though we only get glimpses and in the end, I would love to know more about her! After all, she owns this delightful apartment and is responsible for changing the lives of so many others.
I loved reading about her exploration and her journey of discovery. Each moment is magical and filled with wonder while support and encouragement comes in the most unexpected ways. This is truly a wonderful story and I look forward to reading the next book in The Italian Escape series by the author.
This was a fun, fast read mostly set in Rome. After dropping off their daughter at college, Beth's husband tells her he wants some time apart. He's taken a job in Paris for about 8 weeks while figuring out what he wants to do regarding the marriage.
Looking for an escape, she spots a room for rent at Villa Alba in Rome, Italy for 3 months. It's available for a woman of a certain age, looking for a change. The owner Ronnie, and her friend Marina, encourage her to rediscover herself and enjoy Rome, through a series of challenges.
I enjoyed this book and read it in 2 days. I enjoyed Beth and her efforts to rediscover herself and her zest for life after spending years holding down the fort, supporting her husband, and raising their daughter. I love Rome and Italy so it was a fun read as she wandered around and explored Italy. I've always wanted to rent a place in Europe, preferably Italy, and soak up the culture. This book allowed me to enjoy it vicariously through the author's writing. This is the first in a series and I'm looking forward to immersing myself in Rome and learning more about Ronnie and Marina.
Thanks to @netgalley, @bookouture, and the author of this ARC.
Loved!! I think this is definitely one book I want to throw myself into! And the subsequent books! Yes I was waiting until the third book was approved for me before I started and now am binging on them. I loved everything the author described. I want to see the villa and Rome! I want to meet the ladies, hear Rico sing, taste the food, see the street art! I know the next two will be just as engaging so I am off to read the next two!
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.
If you need escapism then you need to read this. You travel to the most beautiful city in the world and boy is it gorgeous. Heartstopping romance is a must!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for Kerry Fisher’s The Rome Apartment. Veronica (Ronnie) owns a villa in Rome, which is broken into a few apartments and in which her close friend Marina also lives. Ronnie has a difficult relationship with her daughter, who wants to come and live in one of the empty apartments. Attempting to avoid that, Ronnie places an ad in an English magazine offering the apartment to an English woman of a certain age.
Beth, an English woman who has just taken her daughter to college, suddenly finds her life turned upside down and happens upon Ronnie’s ad. As Beth arrives in Rome, Ronnie and Marina send her off on a list of tasks to help her find joy and rediscover herself and her interests.
This was a fun read. I really liked the characters and the great descriptions of the various Roman settings.
Thank you to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for the eARC. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
I listened to this on audiobook.
Well I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Rome and I so didn't want it to end. I loved getting to know all of the characters especially Beth and Ronnie, the main stars of the story.
Right from the start, I was drawn into the story, it was a real page turner and there was always something happening, going on, not to mention the challenges that Ronnie kept setting Beth. I was routing for Beth from the get go.
I've not been lucky enough to have had the chance to visit Rome, but having read this book, I can almost feel (a very small tiny bit) that I have been. The way in which the author Kerry set the scenes and described all the different places in Rome, it just felt so real and bought it all to life for me.
Kerry truly is a delightful author, her books are well written, heartwarming, emotional and deal with real life issues that life can throw at us all in today's world.
Escape and find yourself!
When Beth's empty nest plans suddenly change, she finds herself adrift. Who is she now? On a spur of the moment impulse, she travels to Rome and takes on a short term apartment lease, interesting to her because it was listed for a "woman of a certain age". After she meets Ronnie, and they begin to form a friendship, the healing begins!
I enjoyed this book, it is nice to read a story about a woman who is able to reinvent her life's path even at "a certain age". Ronnie was a great example, and Rico, well...wow.
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.
Wow, this was such a fantastic read, I have read several Kerry Fisher books and they don't disappoint! This was twisted and made me wonder if I knew early on what was going on , it was an unexpected twist! I love that it's part of a series and can't wait for book 2 in the Italian Escape Series.
The Rome Apartment by Kerry Fisher is the first book in the new The Italian Escape and what a lovely read this was. Once I opened my kindle and found a shady spot in my garden I was transported back to Rome one of my favourite cities. This book was beautifully written from start to finish and had a lovely charm to it, especially as the book cover just pulled you in as well.
A much loved book and a great holiday read. I can't recommend The Rome Apartment enough Just amazing. Plus, 5 big stars.
Big thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review.
Beth's husband announces he wants them to separate on the night after they drop off their daughter at university. He heads off to Paris leaving Beth to cope alone. She sees an advert for an apartment in Rome where she will be challenged to rediscover herself and prepare to face whatever the future holds...
The Rome Apartment is a book about re-evaluating your life and trying new things. It is set in the UK and Italy in the present day.
Seventy something Ronnie and her friend Marina have been inspired by their life in Rome and are eager to show the joys of the city to other women struggling with life. Beth has an empty nest and finds her husband is fed up with their marriage. She needs to find herself again rather than being just a mum and wife so accepts the opportunity to visit Rome and face Ronnie's challenges designed to inspire her.
I was absolutely incandescent with rage at the selfishness of Beth's husband and daughter. Neither showed any gratitude for the sacrifices that Beth has made even though she willingly gave up everything for them. Even when she tries to find herself, they are still trying to hold her back and made demands of her. I felt totally invested in Beth's journey and was keen for her to find happiness within herself.
The geographical setting is absolutely vividly described. Rome is high on my bucket list but I almost felt transported there as Beth explores the city. Ronnie and Marina are interesting secondary characters, pushing Beth out of her comfort zone for her own good but not without their own histories. The ending felt a little abrupt and I wanted to know what happens to Beth next.
The Rome Apartment is a richly descriptive book as well as a massive emotional journey.
What a beautiful book this is, from the cover to the story on the pages, this book brought me joy.
It had everything, from the story of a Beth and her plans for the future and the beautiful and charming setting in Rome. What is there not to like? I love the risks Beth takes, the challenges and the fun she has. There is a real story to this book and one so many can probably realte to. There is humour, light, life and joy in reading thsi book. Loved it.
Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.
Beth is a new empty nester. She dropped her daughter off at college just a few months ago, and she’s trying to adjust to the new normal. So when her husband Joel tells her he wants a break from their marriage, that the thrill is gone and he’s going to Paris indefinitely for work, her world is completely thrown off its axis.
Then she finds a listing for a rental in Rome for – well, for her. An apartment is available for three months for an English woman of a certain age. A friend encourages her to give it a try, and she does. Veronica (Ronnie), the owner of the apartment Beth rents, wants to help her guests break out of their ordinary lives, see the possibilities and beauty all around them. To that end, she gives Beth challenges to complete. At first Beth balks. She resents what she sees as intrusion. She wants to curl up and lick her wounds – her marriage is falling apart, her daughter is growing up and trying to move on. She even considers just forgetting the whole thing and going back to England.
And then she meets Rico. But nothing can happen between them, can it?
This is almost a coming-of-age story, but I guess it’s more of a coming-into-your-own story. I think we’ve all felt like Beth at some point. Life stretches out, mostly comfortable but sometimes not, and we feel a little at loose ends but not enough to really make a change. And then POW! Right in the kisser, here comes something we never saw coming. And we have to decide what we’re going to do with the broken pieces of the life we thought we knew.
I’m probably pretty close in age to Beth. I wanted to hug her and sometimes shake her. My heart ached for her when Joel told her he wanted time apart. I could just picture how dispirited she felt, hearing that she was boring, that her husband didn’t find their marriage exciting any longer. I cheered for her when she took the big step of going to Rome, of not doing what was expected and moping at home. And I wanted to shake her when she found possibilities and kept shying away from them! I wanted to see her fling herself wholeheartedly into a new adventure.
So did she? Well, you’re going to have to read the book to find that out. Kerry Fisher spins an engrossing tale, and she tells Beth’s story well.
I will tell you that the setting is fantastic. The food, the history, the light, all of it makes me want to visit Italy even more. The characters are engaging and realistic. Rico is a wonderful foil to Beth’s reserve. He travels light, and he has already figured out how to see the beauty in the moment. Maddie, Beth’s daughter, is perfectly written as a young adult on the edge of independence – pulling away, yet not cutting ties with her mother entirely. Ronnie sounds like someone I want to know and hang out with. I’ll take her challenges any day! (Except no dating an unsuitable man, because I’m quite happily married.)
I haven’t yet read Secrets at the Rome Apartment, but I can’t wait to jump into it and learn more of Ronnie’s story.
I highly recommend both books for a good summer read!
When Beth is stunned by her husband’s announcement that he “needs a break” from their marriage, she is at a crossroads. He thinks the marriage is stale and Beth is not the fun-loving risk taker he married. Beth is shaken until she sees an advertisement for an apartment in Rome for three months for a “woman of a certain age”. Beth is intrigued and answers the ad, and before she knows it she is off to Rome.
In Rome, Beth is greeted by the villa’s owner, Veronica who is a 75-year-old widow. Veronica along with her best friend Marina who is also a senior, set out a list of tasks for Beth so that she can experience life to it’s fullest while in Rome. These tasks send Beth on an adventure of a lifetime and leave her with some difficult life decisions.
Kerry Fisher who is a new author to me had me hooked on Beth’s story from the very first page. It was refreshing to read a novel about a middle-aged woman who just became an empty nester and had her marriage fall apart instead of the usual heroine in romance novels. Veronica and Marina also bring such love and light into the story and I can not wait to see what they are up to in the next book. This novel was fun, exciting and uplifting. Thank you Bookouture for my advanced readers copy which I voluntarily read and reviewed.
This is a perfect summer read which transports the reader to the beautiful city of Rome.
When Beth’s husband of 24 years announced he is considering a divorce as she has become too boring and with their only daughter, Maddie is off to university, Beth is bereft.
When her friend sees an advertisement for someone to move to Rome for 3 months in order to overcome heartbreak, Beth seems to be the perfect candidate.
Ronnie, a 74 year old widow and Marina, her best friend, live in a beautiful apartment building in Rome and to keep Ronnie’s daughter from visiting they hit on the scheme of renting the only empty apartment in their building to English women who need cheering up.
Ronnie and Marina’s idea of setting Beth challenges in Rome to boost her confidence leads her to fall in love with Rome and even contemplate a romance of her own instead of wait for her husband to decide whether he still wants her.
This is a lovely heartwarming story with some wonderful characters, all of whom I’d love to meet in person, particularly Ronnie and Marina!
I was really keen to read the next book in the series, having thoroughly enjoyed my sojourn in the Eternal city, described so beautifully by an author who obviously knows it really well.
Definitely a five star escapist read which left me with a big smile on my face.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for my review copy.
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'The Rome Apartment' by Kerry Fisher.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Kerry Fisher, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 28th July 2023.
This is the third book I have read by this author. I have previously read 'The Woman In My Home' and 'Another Woman's Child' which I also recommend. This is also the first book in 'The Italian Escape' series.
This novel consists of a prologue and 18 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is beautifully written and completely absorbs you in the stunning atmosphere of Rome and really sucks you in with the vivid descriptions leaving you feel the warmth of the the sun and smell of the sea. The synopsis and cover suits the storyline perfectly.
The storyline is authentic and realistic as well as easy to read and heartwarming. There was plenty of events going on throughout and it kept me hooked from start to end, I read it in one sitting while mainly sitting in the garden with the sun warming my legs at the same time Beth, Ronnie and Marina were being warmed by the sun in Rome, making it feel like I was there even more than Kerry's evocative storytelling did. The storyline was filled with a range of emotions and was heartwarming, heartbreaking and had friendships, new starts, relationships, fun,joy, living in the moment and everything you could ask in the perfect book for escapism!!! There were several times that I had got so lost in the storyline that when I finally looked up it took me a few moments to even realise where I was!!! There were countless times I told myself one more chapter then bed but I ended up devouring it in one sitting while walking around with my kindle glued to my hand!! It felt like a lovely break away from a rainy Wales!! I loved how the story ended and I would love to read more about this amazing place and fantastical people and cannot wait to return in Kerry's second book in this series 'Secrets At The Rome Apartment' that I am off to delve into next!! I was absolutely devastated when I came to the end of this book as I was truly whisked away to Rome feeling the fresh air on my face and looking at the stunning views. I absolutely loved the gorgeous atmosphere and the warm embrace of Ronnie and Marina. The storyline was so heartwarming and it was such an easy and relaxing read with moments of laughter, some tension and sadness but overall happiness. It ended absolutely perfectly and I would love to see what everyone decides to do next. This would make a lovely movie!!! An absolutely gorgeous book!! I cannot wait to go on my next Rome adventure with the very talented Kerry Fisher.
The characters were all unique with their own realistic traits, strengths and weaknesses. It was intriguing to watch Beth, Ronnie and Marina's friendships grow, develop and change throughout the the storyline. I loved meeting each and every one of them The friendship between the women was beautiful and it must be amazing to have such friendships where they supported each other so much. Anyway, I best not say anymore as don't want to give anything else away for future readers!! It's just so easy talking about this fantastic book and so much I want to tell you all about but i really need to control myself!!! Needless to say I absolutely adored each and every character each for a different reason. All characters worked perfectly with the storyline and I would love to meet them again and hope to see this made into a series or even a movie!!! Kerry's evocative writing skills ensured they all leapt out of the pages and came to life before your eyes as you read the pages.
Well done Kerry on another absolutely gorgeous book!!! A completely different genre to what I am used to reading by you but absolutely amazing and shows how much talent you have!!I will definitely be looking for your books any time I need to be swept off to another country!!! This is exactly why you are one of my favourite authors. Here's to your next guaranteed success 🥂
Make sure you read to the very end of the book to read the prologue and first chapter of Kerry's ''Secrets At The Rome Apartment'' which promises to be just as gorgeous as this book and is one I'm definitely looking forward to reading myself!!
Overall a perfect light hearted, stunning unputdownable escape that will sweep you off your feet and land you in Rome.
245 pages.
This book is just £1.99 to purchase, free on kindle unlimited and £6.99 in paperback (at time of review) on kindle via Amazon or free on kindle unlimited which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
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I read Book 1 and 2 back to back as they are such beautiful stories. Now I just want to get to the airport and go to Italy. The writing is so evocative and even in dreary UK you can imagine the food, scenery and beauty of Rome. The story of Beth, Ronnie and Marina is a lovely read. I am always excited when a book from Kerry's comes out and this is a double bonus of two!
Ronnie is a remarkable woman living in Rome with an apartment to let out to a woman who needs the excitement of Rome. Beth's husband blames her for their marital difficulties, and she needs a change and takes the opportunity Ronnie offers in Rome. A lyrically written story full of humour and introspection that sees Beth finding the woman she is now, with Ronnie's help and the vitality of Rome. I like this story's descriptions, character development and uplifting quality.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
When her husband takes a trial separation, Beth flies out to Rome. She faces a series of challenges from her landlady designed to give her a new outlook on life .A moving and emotional story, full of hope.
The descriptions of Rone are breathtaking. I enjoyed reading this book so much.
Beth’s empty-nest syndrome did not turn out as she planned. While happy that her daughter is now in college, Beth had thoughts of a new chapter in her life with her husband Joel. However, his view is entirely different from hers. In short, Beth heads to Rome - alone. After finding an ad for a three-month apartment rental, Beth is intrigued.
The apartment owner, septuagenarian Ronnie, does more than rent the apartment to Beth. She gives Beth tasks each day, and it doesn’t take Beth long to begin living life to the full. For years, Beth was the dutiful wife and responsible mother. She lost a bit of herself, and now has the opportunity to discover the woman inside.
When Ronnie challenges Beth to have dinner with a man, a man she’d never met, this brings new light to Beth’s life. His name is Rico and after spending time with him, Beth’s heart begins to feel much lighter.
What a lovely story. I enjoyed Beth, Ronnie and Ronnie’s friend Marina. These three women were wonderful characters. This book was a joy to read and I loved moving right on to book two, Secrets at the Rome Apartment.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
I absolutely loved this book! There are just so many things to love about this book, I apologize in advance if I just gush about it. First of all, I loved the setting – ROME! I was there for my honeymoon and so this brought me back. Everything is described perfectly. Second, I love the friendships that are within this book. Third, of course, I loved the Romance. Were there a few times I wanted to shake Beth and say “wake up?” YES, but that just made the book even better – it evoked feelings! But “watching” Beth change was such a huge reward for this reader. This book definitely gives you all the feels. I’m so grateful that I had the chance to read this. It’s a quick, easy, summertime read that will transport straight to Rome.