In "The Heirloom," Shea Anderson's grandmother had numerous rules for a happy, healthy life: avoid owls, never put a hat on a bed, and never, ever accept a marriage proposal accompanied by an heirloom ring. Navigating life and love is challenging enough without tempting fate.

When Shea's boyfriend, John, proposes with an heirloom ring, she panics. Despite her initial surprise, Shea says yes, but her grandmother's warning sends her on a quest to ensure the ring's past won't jeopardize their future. Determined to uncover its history, she tracks down its previous owners, wherever they may be.

The premise was absolutely captivating. It's intriguing to ponder the myriad stories that different pieces of jewelry and heirlooms can hold.

Personally, I adore a good romance, so I felt a bit disappointed that the love story seemed to take a backseat. I wish there had been more focus on Shea and John's relationship. I didn't find myself as invested in the characters as I would have liked.

Admittedly, John wasn't particularly likable at the beginning. I couldn't quite comprehend why he would propose with an heirloom ring, knowing how Shea felt about it. His reasoning felt weak and disconnected from Shea's concerns.

Thank you to GP Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for providing the opportunity to read this book.

Ultimately I ended up enjoying this book and the way it came around to a satisfying closing. However, I will admit that this was almost a DNF for me. The plot veered off in a way that I couldn't wrap my brain around and kept hoping that it wasn't going to end "that way". I thought the plot line was creative with the story centering around the background of an heirloom ring. I think this had potential to be a five star read, and four stars is a round up for me from 3.5.

This was an engaging read for me, but there are some issues I had with it.
Shea was borderline intolerable. She constantly made excuses to justify the things that she wanted to do for herself instead of thinking of those who cared about her in her life. I understand that you must do things for yourself, but this was just over the top for me. Noone just drops their life and their fiancé to figure out a ring’s backstory. Her sister is 100% correct that she is selfish and probably borderline narcissistic.
In regards to Graham, I felt zero connections to him and no chemistry between him & Shea. While he did some leg work for the story, I just don’t feel like he came across in the way he was intended.
John - poor dude, but also, so dumb. He was just a doormat. I didn’t feel a connection to him either.
HOWEVER – I did somewhat enjoy the ending once she stopped traveling and really did the work on herself for a while. I think that is something that most people can learn from. I just thought that the story was wildly unrealistic and I think I would have liked to see some character development changed.
I am giving this book a 3 star rating. I finished it quickly and I wasn’t bored. I just wish I felt like there was one person that I liked and wanted to root for.

I really had high hopes for this one! I did enjoy the MCs motivations being informed by her upbringing and life experiences, but she came across often as more of a spoiled brat and less of someone who was trying to find herself and come to terms with her life choices. The pacing and descriptions in the book were good, but at times felt a little abrupt and choppy. I could definitely see that being used to make the reader feel what Shea was feeling in the moment though and I didn't find it too disruptive. I would definitely still recommend this story to the right type of reader I just don't think I was it!

I started out liking the premise but as the book progressed I was disappointed that the female MC Shea put more value on her Nonna’s superstition than on her actual relationship with a decent guy. She was willing to do almost anything to find the history of the ring, even if she had to sacrifice actual people. 2.5 stars.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

A fun story about the journey of self discovery. I really enjoyed the various elements that played into this story such as travel, familial traditions, and navigating relationships. It was a delightful read and the Italian backdrop made for the perfect escape. The book while it had a happy ending reminds us of all the beauty and adventure life has to offer.

3.5 rounded down to ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Have you ever been given an Heirloom and wonder what type of superstition it might hold? Shea grew up in an Italian family. Her Nonna had superstitions and Shea followed them. When John proposed to Shea with an heirloom ring, she refused to wear it until she learned who had the ring and if it was bad luck.

Shea, Annie & Graham take a trip to Europe to start the journey of finding all the history on Shea’s engagement ring. Along the way, Shea is met with a lot of uncertainty in which she must dive deep to decide which direction she needs to go next.

Thank you to NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and Jessie Rosen for an ARC of The Heirloom.

Shea Anderson has always followed a list of superstitions passed down to her from her beloved Nonna. One very important item is to never get engaged when your fiancé offers an heirloom ring. There’s potentially too much bad karma.

Her longtime boyfriend, John, knows this, so it seems inexplicable when he proposes with a beautiful heirloom. He has lots of logical reasons for choosing it, but it completely throws Shea.

She decides to search for the previous owner, so she can make sure that woman and her husband had a long, happy marriage. The search ends up taking her from Los Angeles to Italy, Portugal, Boston and New York.

Shea is joined for part of the time by her sister, as well as a journalist who loves to track down interesting stories to write about. Her journey brings up a lot of emotions and memories, not just from the people she talks to, but especially within herself.

The Heirloom isn’t quite what I was expecting; I think I was imagining perhaps a little magical realism or more of a sweet rom-com kind of adventure. Instead, it’s an exploration of the heart of a woman who has seen too many love stories go wrong. We get a heroine who goes on a wild goose chase and who has to finally take a good hard look inside. I think that part worked pretty well, though I felt the tone or direction of the story sometimes went astray. I didn’t know quite what kind of a book I was reading at times. Overall, a nice effort but not as cohesive as I would have liked.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This a really good book. I enjoyed it a lot!

A completely unbelievable premise. Who blows-up their life to jet set for the history of a ring? Shea's journey was selfish and narcissistic.

Thank you, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons

Shea loves her boyfriend, John, so when he proposes of course she says "yes." But with some reservations. He knows that she is superstitious and that one of her superstitions is not to get married with a hand-me-down ring. Who knows what kind of energy it will bring to the marriage?

But Shea loves the ring and she loves John, so she is determined to learn the history of the ring so she can make an informed decision on whether she should keep it. Her research takes her to New York, where John bought the ring and proposed, where she picks up a writer who thinks she will make a good story. She and her newly pregnant sister travel to Italy to the town where the original owner of the ring lived. To her surprise the writer follows them there. And suddenly seems very appealing...

Not gonna lie--Shea annoyed me at times. Talk about first world problems--whether the gorgeous ring your boyfriend gave you meets your expectations. But the story was good and the setting superb, so I rolled with it. If you're interested in taking vicarious trips to Italy and Spain, this book is for you. #TheHeirloom #NetGalley

I feel very meh about this... on one hand, I think it's was an overall attention-keeping story that felt similar to me to Rebecca Serle's books. Unfortunately I just found it SO UNBELIEVABLE of a premise to begin with. Maybe it's just me, but I don't see proposals with heirloom rings (or even knowing if a ring is new or used or passed down) being a common-enough occurrence to have a full pre-conceived superstition around. And maybe it's also just me, but NEVER WOULD I EVER go on such a wild goose chase to track down people I know nothing about. It's definitely a me thing, but I do think having buy-in to those two ideas is a prerequisite to enjoying this book. If that's you, then I do recommend it and think it's an interesting story into the history of multiple couples who were engaged with the same ring. But if you're skeptical from the synopsis, then I think I'd recommend steering clear.

Thank you so much for this ARC!

Such a fun and lovely adventure. I really enjoyed traveling and learning with this story. Light hearted and romantic, a perfect palette cleanser after reading so many thrillers.

This book had me intrigued from the blurb. Ultimately, this story was not for me. I found myself questioning the mc's decisions and honestly didn't understand why certain plot twists and scenes were included.

The Heirloom by Jessie Rosen has been one of my favorite recent reads!

What I loved:
This story is so full of heart. The mystery and journey to finding out more about the heirloom ring was so entertaining, I absolutely loved following along on the search. The ending was not what I expected but I adored and appreciated the way it played out.

The Heirloom digs into family relationships, questioning yourself and long held traditions, and commitments.

This wonderful story released May 7th so grabbed it now!! Thank you Putnam Books and Netgalley for my e-arc.

Shea Anderson’s beloved Nonna had endless rules for a happy, healthy life such as avoiding owls, and never, ever accepting a marriage proposal that comes with an heirloom ring. Happily ever after is hard enough without bad karma. So naturally panic sets in when Shea's boyfriend proposes with, you guessed it, an heirloom ring. Yes is her answer, but Nonna’s warning sets Shea on a mission to ensure the ring contains forever. She searches for its previous owners with the help of her big sister and a nosy journalist eager for a big story.

A quick read but I still found myself skimming to get through it. I liked the premise and I loved the setting, but the characters fall a little flat for me. It’s not a story that’ll stick with me. The romance aspect of this wasn't my favorite. But Shea's relationship(s) took a backseat to the exploration of the story of the ring. This does mean there's a lot of exposition via dialogue at times, which may not be for everyone. But if you are usually a historical fiction/romance fan or like the Hallmark Wedding Veil series this might just be for you.

3 stars even

Thanks to Netgalley for the free early arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was a joy to read. It's smart, quick, and insightful. I loved the surprises this book held - it's always a joy when characters can surprise me! The writing is tight and evocative. Truly, a fantastic read.

A book that includes a Nona, superstitions and heirloom jewelry history? I'm so in!
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Shea always had a close relationship with her Nona. Nona had a few rules for a happy, healthy life: avoid owls, never put a hat on a bed, and never, ever accept a marriage proposal that comes with an heirloom ring.
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John, her boyfriend, knew these rules....didn't he? So imagine the shock when he proposes to her with an heirloom ring! Panic sets in and the panic sets her on a journey around the globe to find the previous owners, their stories and hopefully some good karma along the way.
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Shea is determined to conjure the good vibes and come back to her fiancè having made right his "wrong" choice.
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Between the gorgeous settings, spitfire main character and creation of one's own path post-family traumas, this was such a wonderful story! I can't wait to host Jessie Rosen tonight in conversation with me in celebration at Thunder Road Books!

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book. While I absolutely love romance books this one was a miss in a few ways. I feel that in the beginning I was hooked and excited to keep reading and find out more but as o read superstitions involving the heirloom seemed to be what kept me conflicted. Are superstitions real? Find out when you read this book!! I will recommend this book to audiences that love superstitions!

My sincere thanks to Putnam and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read The Heirloom. I give my unbiased opinion of it in the following review.

The Heirloom begins with Shea and John getting engaged. What should be an exciting moment for them has a damper put on it because Shea has a superstition about heirloom engagement rings being bad for a marriage. John knew about her phobia, but still decided to take a chance because he thought it to be the perfect ring. She would choose him over a superstition, right? Shea really does want to marry John, but she decides she needs to find out the history behind the ring in order to rule out any bad karma. This leads her on an extended trip following multiple clues to hopefully put her mind at ease so that she can enter into marriage to John with confidence.

I'll be honest, I had some trouble getting into this book and caring about these characters. I had trouble sympathizing with Shea. By the end of the book, I understood her story a lot better, but it was over 50% before I really cared much about the story at all. I really loved the idea of this quest for the truth, but it moved a little slow for me. The ending was satisfying, and I do know a few people that I think would enjoy this book more than I did. Perhaps I just wasn't in the right mood for this story at this time. I am not opposed to trying another book by this author in the future.