2.75/5⭐️

I was going to give this a little higher nudge, but just too much frustration with it. And I’ll first be up front about something…I’m not much of a love triangle fan (especially as it’s depicted here).

This centers around Shea and John, long-time loves. When John proposes with a beautiful vintage ring, Shea says yes…BUT…she needs to research previous owners of said ring to make sure no bad karma is attached to it. Hmmm, OK. With John’s bewildered blessing,
she sets off to Italy (and several other destinations including Portugal) with her older sister, and an interested journalist, Graham. As the search becomes more convoluted so does Shea’s thoughts about marriage in general (her parents’ didn’t end well), and she begins to develop (possible) feelings for Graham. As she garners answers, will she allow her Nonna’s ring superstition to sway her own future happiness?

OK, my problem here was with Shea’s character. She allows herself to be swept along on a nonsensical journey to find answers when she should have listened to her sister and examined her own thoughts and motives. Also, ever thought of selling the ring, buying a brand new one and saving your fiancé some heartache and anguish? Guess not. Unfortunately, rather than seeing Shea grow much through her adventures, I couldn’t get past her immaturity, wishy-washiness and selfish behavior.

To be honest I felt like giving up on this book at one point, but I will say the last 20% (though rushed) got better. I had no problem with the writing (perfectly written), but I need characters to invest in and care about and a story to inform and entertain, and I just didn’t get those here.

My thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for providing the free early arc of The Heirloom for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

There is quirky and then there is travel across the world on a superstitious scavenger hunt quirky.

There is insecurity and then there is give your girl an engagement ring you know she won’t like to prove your point.

A match made in future divorce court heaven.

Shea Anderson has four superstitions she lives by. Everyone including her boyfriend, John are aware of these superstitions. Shea’s Nonna (Italian Grandma) taught her that she should never own any heirlooms unless she knew their lineage because they could hold bad karma. Despite know this John decided to take a chance on purchasing an heirloom engagement ring to propose to Shea, because this heirloom ring kept drawing him in, he decided to take a chance to propose to her with it. From the second Shea laid her eyes on it. She had lots of reservations because she did not want to carry out any of the bad karma that the Ring held. This took Shea and her sister on a long journey to Italy, Portugal, and a few other locations to find out the history of this ring. From the start of the search for the owners of the ring Shea met a journalist named Graham, who ultimately ended up accompanying them on this journey. The book was enjoyable, but it felt a little far-fetched and stretched out further than it needed to with so many previous owners of the ring. The rings past held so much of Shea’s decisions for the future, it became frustrating to all of those around her inclining myself as a reader.

“Energy? It’s what we’re made of-----who we are. It’s everything. And metal holds until it passes along.”

I would recommend this book if you are interested in a quick story surrounding self-journey and healing involving the history and travel of an heirloom. The Heirloom is a contemporary fiction about Shea, whose fiancé proposes to her with an heirloom engagement ring. With her superstitions leading her decisions, she puts her engagement on hold to learn the ring’s history and lineage before accepting John’s proposal. From there, she travels to Italy and learns of everlasting love through circumstances. Portugal is next on the list where tragedy strikes not once but twice, but faith and hope make finding everlasting love so strong. Boston is the final stop where the true origin of the story begins. In Boston, Shea not only unwinds the true origin of the ring but also discovers herself and heals from her past to move forward.

The journey regarding the history of the heirloom was intriguing and beautifully written. I loved how the story came together at the end and the comfort it provided. The multiple meanings behind the ring made me appreciate the story even more. Shea, as a character, was a disappointment to me. I love her character development and journey, but there were moments in the book where she got on my nerves. You would think a book surrounding an heirloom ring would be romantic, but it fell short. Her premise of love revolved around her parent’s relationship which didn’t end well. The trips to learn the heirloom history didn’t even involve her fiancé. She went on the trip without him, fed him bits and pieces of what was going on, and got involved with the investigator of her story while on the trip.

Once I got into the book, I read it in one sitting. It flowed and connected simply with the message the author was illustrating. The message was solid and relatable, and I appreciated it. My overall thoughts, even though the book is a work of fiction, would be that her journey to know the history of the heirloom was unnecessary. Therapy would have probably been cheaper without the heartbreak and trust issues. Shea didn’t consider anyone’s opinions or thoughts about her actions because she thought she knew what she wanted. I felt terrible for her fiancé and what she put him through. Considering he gave her options, she still chose the disruption route.

What a fun read about a bride to be and her journey of self discovery! Perfect for fans of armchair travel, her journey takes her to Italy and Portugal to find answers to her questions about an heirloom ring. The main character Shea gets a proposal from her boyfriend with an heirloom ring. She has many superstitions about accepting a ring that has been worn by other women during their marriages.
This opens up a quest for love, truth, adventure, and destiny. Of course there are engaging characters along the way and even another love interest. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good story about finding love and creating a worthwhile and rewarding life with someone. It will make you think the next time you see an heirloom jewelry piece!
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Going into this book I didn't understand how it could be about an Heirloom, until the main character was proposed to with an heirloom ring. She has a superstition that she shared with her boyfriend about other peoples wedding rings and how she would never want an heirloom because of all the baggage it might carry. She would want a new engagement ring. I found it rather rude that despite her boyfriend knowing this that he'd by her the ring. This book follows her journey of trying to find the people that wore this ring in the past to see if it holds bad luck. I found the travel to all these different places around the world far fetched but the people she encountered were interesting. Her boyfriend being annoyed at her for not just accepting the ring but instead having to find out what energy the ring held was pretty ridiculous seeing as he started this and knew her superstition. I found him very difficult to like and I really thought by the end of the book she'd kick him to the curb.
The story ends up being about how all along she is the one that gives the ring her energy now that it's hers so she doesn't have to worry about other people energy ruining her marriage.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC.

Shea's boyfriend John proposes with a ring that is an heirloom. She had told him early in their relationship that she would never accept a marriage proposal given with a used ring because it may be bad luck if the marriage(s) weren't happy. This was a superstition of her Italian grandmother and Shea took it to heart. Shea does say yes but needs to find the history of the ring and does that leaving John at home while she travels to NY and then to Europe. Shea has to come to terms with so much from her childhood during this book. I cried so many tears the last few chapters. This book was a really good read- 4 1/2 stars.

This book has an interesting premise and is mostly set in a beautiful location (Italy) but I think this would make a better movie/show than a book.

I liked the premise of this and was invested until about half way through. The main character started to get on my nerves and I found her kind of unlikable.

Although well-written with a good story that keeps you engaged, I couldn't really get over my hatred for the protagonist, Shea Anderson. She does (FINALLY) learn her lesson at the end of the novel but she's pretty insufferable throughout the story. Basically, Shes's boyfriend proposes to her with a gorgeous, antique ring. The only problem is that Shea's Italian grandmother had a long list of superstitions that people need to follow in order to have a good life. Accepting an heirloom ring (or a prior-owned item, something with history and its own karma), is a giant no-no. Shea feels compelled to look into the history of her ring and in doing so, almost wrecks her relationship with John. Who is blameless and has his own list of reasons why he bought the ring in the first place. Anyway, Shea finds herself and the novel ends happily but like I said, she's definitely too neurotic for her own good and caught up in way too many selfish things.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and GP Putnam's Sons for this e-arc.*

A story on how one woman’s superstitions sent her around the world. Shea is a woman deeply in love with her boyfriend John, but when he proposes with an heirloom she panics and struggles to accept his proposal. Shea’s grandmother had many superstitions for a happy marriage and life, and one was never accept an heirloom since you don’t know the karma associated with the ring. So Shea decides if she can just track down the rings owners and learn the karma of the ring, maybe things will turn out ok. So Shea embarks on a journey that takes her all over, and during that time she learns some hard truths about herself. This was an interesting story with some good character growth, and an ending that felt appropriate. A quick light read. I received an ARC, and this is my honest review.

Shea believes deeply in many of the superstitions she learned from her Nonna. So when John proposes to her with an heirloom ring she is distraught. She loves John and she wants to marry him, but heirloom jewelry is a big no-no, and John knew that about her. Shea begins to wonder about the history of the ring and if she can clear her superstition by figuring out if there is good karma attached to the ring. This leads her on a journey to Europe and back with many trials and tribulations and self discovery along the way. While also, unfortunately putting her relationship in jeopardy.
This was a roller coaster of a book. I was so torn on how I felt about Shea and John’s relationship and then with the introduction of Graham and the wrench her threw in things. For a moment I was team Graham but ultimately I hopped for John and Shea to be end game. I really loved the mystery solving aspects of the story and the characters Shea met along the way. I also really appreciated the personal journey that Shea ended up taking and how she confronted her grief and trauma and reflected on how that effected her relationships. This felt like a unique story and I enjoyed reading it.

I found this to be a charming story about challenging your long held beliefs, finding yourself, and understanding what love really means. I was pleasantly surprised by Heirloom.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

First of all, a book where someone travels around the world to attempt to solve some far-fetched mystery will always have me intrigued. I enjoyed the uniqueness of this story since the mystery comes from an antique engagement ring and superstitions passed down from grandmother to granddaughter. I was intrigued but despite the short chapters, this one took me awhile to really feel connected and invested in the story. Maybe it was that I felt Shea was a little naive and stubborn or that when I got to the end, I felt like I was missing resolution between Shea and Graham. I definitely enjoyed the read and do recommend it as a good beach read!

I hoped this book would be a fun little jaunt around the world, but it ultimately was a little slow moving for me. I had a hard time connecting with Shea and I think that impacted my ability to really love this one.

I had the opportunity to receive an ARC of this book through Net Galley, and I enjoyed every second of reading this! I flew through this book. Following Shea's adventures through New York, Italy, and Portugal was exciting, and I could imagine the beautiful things she was seeing in my head. You will not want to put this down!

When I first picked up The Heirloom, I wasn't sure what to expect. As someone who often looks to the past, the premise of a character delving into the history of an engagement ring immediately piqued my interest. The book proved to be a nice match for my tastes.

I'm a "look to the past" kind of gal. So a book that surrounded a character wanting to find out the history of an engagement ring was sure a good fit for me. I found myself relating to the main character in several ways, not only wanting to learn the history of a ring's owner but wondering - "Do I look too much into the future that I forget to see and enjoy what is happening right now?"

It made me think about my own engagement and plans and what I missed out on because I was looking too much into the future.

Overall, The Heirloom is a thoughtful exploration of the connections between our past and how we navigate our present. If you enjoy a blend of history with a personal touch, this book is a good fit for you, too.

Thanks, Jessie Rosen. #TheHeirloom #NetGalley for letting me read and review.

2.5 stars rounded up.

If you believe in superstitions this book may be a fun read - for me I simply am not a superstitious person so I found this book to be a bit taxing.

The MC of the book after getting engaged with a heirloom ring decided to fly off to Italy with another man's assistance to find out the origin story of the ring, while leaving her fiancé at home.

I found the rabbit hole the MC went down to try and find the original owner of the ring to be annoying and then the story of the ring didn't seem to end as there had been multiple past owners and the MC wanted to track them all down. The whole time I just wanted her to go home to her fiancé.

While I understood what the author was getting to with the MC's journey and the MC's desire to know about the ring, I just couldn't get myself to care.

Honestly, this book had me worried for a bit. The romance took a strange turn at one point, and I wasn't sure I liked where the author was going with it, but it ultimately turned out great. This book is full of twists, turns, mysteries, and revelations. Great settings, including New York, California, Boston, Italy, and Portugal. Wonderful character development and a tear-jerking family side-plot.

I loved the beautiful journey Shea took to find out the story behind her engagement ring. She learned a lot about herself along the way and that made the ending of this book so much better in my opinion. This was a rarity for me, in that I found it such a quick page turner that I fully adored. I don't personally have any superstitions like this, but if I did, I would love for my adventure to turn out like Shea's did! I very much enjoyed this book!

I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book from NetGalley.