This was extremely underwhelming and drove me to DNF multiple times. It was a snooze fest. Who has the ability to just pick up and leave to another country for days at a time to go on a wild goose chase to find the history of a ring? Apparently Shea. I’m sorry, but as an Italian American myself, I wouldn’t even go to that length for a superstition (and we have many!). The entire story just seemed so far stretched and not relatable. And who kisses another man while you’re engaged to someone else and the whole reason was to find out the history of the ring he gave you? Ugh. The whole thing just frustrated me.

Read if you like:
💌 Letters to Juliet
🔍 Mysteries
💍 Antique Rings
😬 Fear of Commitment
✈️ Atmospheric Reads

I would say for most people that enjoyed Letters to Juliet and the mystery of finding the people attached to the letter, you will love this plot as Shea searches for the history and prior owner of her engagement ring before she is willing to wear it to ensure it doesn’t come with as vibes.

Throughout her exploration of the history of her ring, she is forced to confront her fears of commitment and that love won’t be lasting as she has to determine does the answer to the history of the ring really matter or is it her own fears.

If you like books with a lot of travel around gorgeous locations and feel like an adventure and a vacation all in one I would recommend this one!

Thank you to Berkley for my ARC and PRHA for my gifted audiobook!

How do you convince an Italian American to read a book? Tell her it includes the story and superstition of a "Nonna." Tell her that it includes the "Nonna and Nonno's" sweet love story. Tell her they travel to Italy. Tell her the main character's family is from the same region as her own. She'll be immediately sold.

The Heirloom by Jessie Rosen is a cute women's fiction book. The story follows Shea, an Italian American on her way to being engaged. Shea's Nonna had many superstitions (as many Italian Nonna's do). The most important one was to never get engaged and then marry someone who proposes with an Heirloom ring, Shea's boyfriend, Jason, does just that. This sends Shea on an adventure to see if the heirloom engagement ring was filled with hope and love from its past relationships or filled with dread and sadness. With the help of Annie (Shea's sister) and Graham (a journalist), Shea goes on her way.

The premise of this one hooked me right away. I really enjoyed watching the story of the ring unfold. However, I did have some difficulty with this book. For one-new characters kept being spoken about without ever introducing them. There's no mention of how these characters came about or how they fit into Shea's life. The author just casually mentions them and then all of a sudden they are part of the story. Also, there seemed to be very minimal connection between Shea and Graham, but all of a sudden Shea is thinking she's engaged to the wrong man because of her feelings for Graham. If it wasn't for these two inconsistencies, the book would have been much more enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group/Putnam for the ARC of The Heirloom by Jessie Rosen in exchange for an honest review.

Quirky premise, and not my usual type of read, but I really enjoyed this romcom. It was sweet, although I really didn't like the main character, but I am happy with how it ended!

Thanks to Netgalley, Penguin Books, Putnam Books, and Penguin Random House for this copy of "The Heirloom."

Shea has 4 rules that she tells John when they first start dating and the 4th is no heirloom jewelry since she's superstitious about potentially bad karma.

So when John proposes with an heirloom ring that he thought was perfect, Shea feels compelled to track down the story of the ring's owners.

But her journey helps her to realize that she has some unresolved family relationships and questions that need answers.

This was such a sweet, heartfelt story and I loved Shea and John's honesty with each other.

Also the "Only You" movie references were wonderful!

Thank you to @netgalley for the ARC.
One of Shea’s main rules in life is to never get a previously worn engagement ring. She thinks that ring will reflect what the previous wearer dealt with while wearing it.
Of course her fiancé gives her a beautiful heirloom engagement ring, and before she can accept, she goes to Europe to find out the history of the previous owner and if it is cursed.
I initially liked the premise, but after a while it felt ridiculous. She could have just said yes but not this ring, or no-you didn’t listen to what I wanted. But that wouldn’t be a book, would it?
It was fine.

The locations of this book were by far the biggest “character” for me! Between LA and NYC to Italy and Portugal, the setting was the best part. I’ve been to many of the places in Italy that were mentioned so that was so fun!

I thought this was a good concept, but one that fell a bit flat for me. I had a difficult time connecting with the characters, so I found I ultimately didn’t care too much what would happen with Shea, her ring, and her marriage.

I felt as though Shea’s superstitions were taken a bit too seriously, and the search into the heirloom went a bit too long. Both of these facts not only made the story even more unbelievable, but also a bit frustrating at times.

Overall, it was a cute read, and I did love the settings. I also appreciated the inclusion of trauma response and interpersonal relationships, and I did like the ending.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pub Date: 5/07/24

Thank you Penguin Group Putnam, the author, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When Shea’s boyfriend proposes, she goes against her beloved Nonna’s rule to never accept a marriage proposal with an heirloom ring. She loves her fiance, John, but can’t shake her Nonna’s worries about heirlooms carrying the energy of their former owners.

Now, with the help of her big sister and a journalist, she will travel to New York, Italy, Portugal, and Boston to meet the previous owners and make sure the ring has forever marriage energy.

Why I Loved It: Between the gorgeous settings and the hunt for the ring’s origin, this story was easy to fly through while remaining utterly enchanting. I might not agree with all of Shea’s decisions but the journey to happily ever after was so enjoyable!

What is one to do when her fiancé proposes with an heirloom ring, and all you can think of is your grandmother's warning about karma associated with heirlooms? You say yes and go on a journey to prove the ring had a happily ever after! Shea enlists her sister and a male journalist to travel across the US and to Portugal and Italy in search of answers.

The premise was intriguing, but I have to say it fell a little flat for me. Shea had a one track mind and went off on her venture without the consideration of others. Superstitions are taken way out of proportion, and the main characters just did not a great deal of chemistry. This could be due to the novel not being much of a romance.

The writing is not bad. It was the story that just could not hold my attention.

Thank you Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you, NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons, for my free copy for review.

How far would you go for a superstitious belief? The protagonist of "The Heirloom" has a strong superstition against heirloom engagement rings. However, when her soon-to-be fiancé presents her with one, she embarks on a quest to uncover its history, determined to ensure it carries no negative energy. It's quite remarkable how committed she becomes, traveling to Italy to investigate the previous owners' relationship. Despite the chaos, I was struck by the protagonist's unwavering determination. Her personal struggles, stemming from her parents' divorce and her mother's death, are deeply explored in the novel. Through adventure and heartbreak, she discovers what truly matters. While some moments felt a bit corny, overall, I found the book to be a touching exploration of coping, healing, and the power of our beliefs.

I was not able to finish after 60% percent of the book. I had a hard time staying interested in the story. I think there’s too much superstitions and it was overdone to the point that it took away from the actual storyline. It was very predictable and I just wanted more tension of some other kind. I really liked finding out the history of the ring and the beautiful world build of the different locations. It could be that this type of book isn’t for me. I think my mom would actually love it. I will definitely recommend it to her!

This book was an okay read. It was hard for me to connect with Shea and her obsession of finding out where her engagement ring came from instead of living in the moment of being engaged. John seemed kind of weak for going along with her shenanigans. It was very cool to travel to exotic places but overall I just couldn't like the MCs. Probably just a me problem and others will find this searching enjoyable.

Rating is more of a 3.5 but rounded up

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for advanced copy, and I give my review freely

I’m a sucker for any book with a #mediterraneancoastline featured on the cover so that helped #theheirloom rise to the top of my #netgalleyarc reading list. When Shea’s boyfriend proposes in her favorite spot everything should have fallen into place for a magical engagement. Instead, she begins questioning everything since he did not follow one of her superstitious rules about no heirloom rings. Now she must embark on an adventure across the Atlantic to discover the history of the ring. And an unexpected partner on the journey could disrupt all her future plans. This ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ book will be out next week and will make a great #vacationread this summer. 📚📚📚 #netgalley #bookstagram #my2024readingchallenge

I really liked the premise of this book but found Shea to be a bit unlikeable and didn’t love the constant superstition element. I felt like a big chunk of this turned into “why didn’t you just communicate with your fiancé” which got frustrating. It was all Shea, Shea, Shea and who cares about anyone else mostly. I felt like it just kept going and going and going, and went in circles with no end to the background of one ring. There were some parts that I felt were completely unnecessary, especially with the budding romance with Graham and some of the previous ring owners. Overall, it was a cute and quick read but nothing that I really fell in love over in this book. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the eARC!

I loved this book! I love how Shae goes through many changes internally as she does through the travels of figuring out the story of the ring. Though I can’t imagine many feeling this story to be “believable” or “realistic” in story, but that is part of its charm. The book, like love, is magical in its own way and different for everyone.

Shea is very superstitious. John proposes with an heirloom ring. It’s her mission to find all she can about who the rings original owners were. She goes all over the world to find out the truth. Only to come back and find out John gave her that ring to see if she was loyal to him or the ring.

What could be better than a “proposal” with an heirloom ring? Nothing…unless it’s a superstition of yours. John proposed to Shea with an heirloom engagement ring even though he knew she was afraid of the karma that might come from the love story behind the ring. Author Jessie Rosen came up with the most creative novel “The Heirloom” which takes Shea on a search to find the rings owner. She had to know the “ love story” behind this vintage ring. Holding onto her dreams in hopes of a happy married life, she had to seek out the rings past.

Along with her sister and a journalist who was looking for his next big story, Shea traveled from Los Angeles to NY, Italy, Portugal then Boston. On a wild goose chase through a beautiful countryside, there might be more they discover than just the history behind the ring. Shea’s Nonna had instilled her heritage and her own superstitions that held steadfast in Shea’s heart, including the energy that can come from a piece of heirloom jewelry, good or bad.

Thoroughly entertaining with a plot that had me so engaged I didn’t want to put it down. For those who have been to Italy, they will really connect with the names of hotels, places and things. A beautiful story about love, doubt, growth, family and trust, it has it all.

Thanks to Putnam Books and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up-

I really enjoyed this book overall, especially the last 25% or so! The trek to Italy and Portugal was so fun and made you want to be there. Parts of the storyline felt a bit disjointed, but overall a really sweet story with a happily ever after!

3.5 stars. I loved the premise and the search for answers but I didn’t love the ending. Spoiler: that she learned her fiancé set her up to chose him vs continuing to believe her superstitions, and she still ended up with him, irked me. Team Graham!

I liked the concept of this book, but with the way everything flushed out it just made me dislike the main character. I enjoyed the mystery of everything and the descriptions of the European places. Unfortunately overall though, this book was just ok.