The writing was very well thought out and put together when it came to historical research, I felt I was right there with the Italians and Vivien enjoying everything Rome has to offer. There were many moments I felt Jenner was reaching out and forcing us to stop and think about what the victims of the Nazis must have endured and how we cannot let history be repeated again. All of the women characters proved to be incredibly strong including the Scolaretta. I was in fear of what they could have gone through and wondered what I would do in her situation.

The beginning dragged a little too long and I would have wanted to hear more from previous characters to see how they are doing, including Evie and Grace (possibly through letters), but other than that, once the pace picks up, I was soaring through each page wanting to know if Vivien would ever find her David.

Thank you to MacMillan Publishers, Natalie Jenner and NetGalley for the ARC!

I'm a huge fan of The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls, so I was very excited to read Every Time We Say Goodbye and continue Vivian's story. I don't think it had quite the same magic as the first two, but I did enjoy it. I did love the happy ending, and I wish there had been more focus on the characters involved in those storylines throughout the book instead of the time spent on other things.

For fans of her other books: you'll enjoy this. If this is your first one, I'd suggest reading the other two first bc I don't think you'd like it as much. It has to do with style, tone and topic for me and that's why I recommend not starting here. It's an interesting look at film making in the 50s, particularly Italy under the Vatican so stay for some historical takes that I can't say I've really ever studied before.

Upon reading this I did not know it was the third in a series. Regardless, it is a after World War Two book that was really good. I felt like it took me into the book and I was seeing everything like a book should. I think someone who would enjoy this would have to like historical books. I like most everything. I felt like it was missing something but it could be because I have not read the first two Jane Austen books before this. Something which I plan to remedy very soon. I would highly recommend this for my history lovers!

This was an ARC read for Netgalley. This is my own honest review and I was not paid to review it. Thank you to the author and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book.

I read this book without reading those before it but still enjoyed the book. In this book, we follow Vivien and her career as a playwright. After poor reviews on her play, she ends up in 1950's Rome hoping to be a part of successful film making. However in Rome at this time, there are their own issues post WWII 1950s with the Catholic church having a say in filmmaking. In additional with the dual timeline, there is a story on Vivian's search to find to what happened to her fiancé who was pronounced dead during the war. Many actresses we are aware of appear during this book as well including Sophia Loren, Ava Gardner and Daphne DuMaurier. Thank you to St Martins Press and NetGalley for a chance to read an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Every Time We Say Goodbye by Natalie Jenner is a post World War 2 novel. The author did a fabulous job making the setting come alive. Readers of the genre should enjoy this novel. The novel was a bit hard to read and not my favorite. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

Being the third book in the Jane Austen society I had high hopes. I adored the first book and the characters, but I struggled to get into this one it had the 1950’s aspects and the WW2 mentions but just not the feeling I was looking for in the first book.

I didn't realize that this book is part of a series. I love this time in history in general, but especially so when it's a woman's perspective. Thank you for the opportunity to review this book!

Every Time we say Goodbye - Natalie Jenner

Where to begin with this wonderful read? Set in Italy following World War II it shows a side of the war that I was not aware of. The movie set scene of Italy following the War.
As we follow a well defined, well developed up and coming actress while she navigates the Italian "Hollywood" movie sets as well as love and loss and all the haunting memories that war will cause in a person's psyche. Does she have what it takes to open up her heart?

I would highly recommend this book. Though it does start out a little slow it will not be long until you are thoroughly engrossed and wanting to know more. This post war novel will haunt you long after you turn the last page and make you happy that you stuck with it. Delving deeply into the Italian Movie scene, it educates and informs of Europe's movie scene following the war and how one lady easily navigates the scene. It is a book that will guide you, enthrall you and most of all keep you wishing for more.

Every Time we say goodbye is a good historical fiction read. I didn't realize that it's the 3rd in the Jane Austen series - I hadn't read the first 2 and it mostly worked as a stand-alone book but there are a couple of times characters from the earlier books make an appearance so I wish I'd read them. I did enjoy this one enough to go back and read the others. Vivien has gone to Rome in the 1950s to help with a movie but also to find out the truth about her former fiance who was presumed dead in WWII. Vivien makes interesting friends, takes a lover with a mysterious adopted daughter, and finds the answers to some mysteries.

The only thing I didn't like was that some of the chapters ended on cliffhangers that the characters clearly understood, but weren't obvious to the reader. But other than that, it's a good one!

Books like this always take me away to a different world and I love reading them! Everything was so different back then and I find it so captivating to read about the past, especially when I am learning at the same time. The writing was the perfect tone, the settings were so vivid and realistic, and I appreciated the dual storylines and characters. I somehow never read Jane Austen, nor do I really know anything about her, but I am intrigued to, and to also read the other books by this author. Beautiful and captivating (yet sad) - definitely recommend!

#everytimewesaygoodbye #netgalley #bookreview #StMartinsPress

Thank you very much @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of Every Time We Say Goodbye by Natalie Jenner. It takes place in Rome, about 10 years after the end of the second World War. It is a story about women authors and film makers. For some reason, I just could not get into it. The characters and story did not draw me in. Possibly I will try it again another time, but for right now, this is a DNF for me.

I really wanted to like "Every Time We Say Goodbye" since I enjoy historical fiction, and this seemed like a novel storyline. But honestly, it was very hard to follow and I ended up giving up on it halfway through.

There are two timelines and numerous characters, with cross-overs from one timeline to another. So it was almost impossible to keep track of which time we were in and what was going on. The story came across as cluttered and fragmented, and I found it hard to empathize with anyone other than Levi.

Thanks to Natalie Jenner, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

I love how each of this author's stories bring together a story and the history surrounding it. In this story Vivian is helping rewrite a movie in Italy. Readers are still getting glimpses of how the war affected characters, life and in this case even the movie industry.

This story gives flashbacks to the 1940's and it is clear when the reader is taken back in time to present time in the story. But, there are multiple stories going on within the story and sometimes I lose track of what is what, but it does come together.

We see a few characters from previous books make an appearance, but we are introduced to new characters. I found them all enjoyable to read and each is created with like they are a real person.

This is the third book in the Jane Austen Society series, but the books do not need to be read in order. I do plan to reread this series together.

Check TW.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Vivien's life, shaped by the aftermath of WW2, is marked by survival and loss. The death of her fiancé shattered her future and sense of self, leaving her to channel her pain into her plays. After critics criticized her latest work, a friend's suggestion to help save a dying movie script in Italy becomes a chance for Vivien to save herself. She learns that forgiving doesn't mean forgetting and that "time goes, it always does, and always faster than we want. But the past stays with us for a reason."

"Every Time We Say Goodbye" is a dual POV and dual timeline story set in Cinecittà, the "Hollywood on the Tiber." Vivien navigates the tangled world of storytelling, where the Catholic Church's censorship under the guise of script approval underscores how little people have learned in their rush to forget a painful past. She realizes that to move forward, we must look back.

Natalie Jenner offers a mosaic of insights on love, loss, memory, and endurance. I found myself heavily highlighting and annotating, as the book felt more like a journey of self-reflection than historical fiction. Despite this, I learned much about the politics and bustling Italian movie industry of the time. Whether you lean towards personal introspection or historical intrigue, you will find this thought-provoking, insightful story deeply engaging.

The third book in a great historial fiction series, I've enjoyed following the characters thru the books. The world the author paints is captivating.

I’m sad to say that it is not my favorite book in the Jane Austen Society Series.

This book has a large cast of characters and there are many storylines; I struggled to stay focused and couldn’t get into it. There is also a kidnapping plot that comes completely out of nowhere midway through the book.

I did learn a few things about the film industry during and after the war. I would’ve loved some historical notes or even an author's note at the end to provide more history and background information from the research that was done while writing this book. The historical notes are one of my favorite aspects of historical fiction novels. I was reading an ARC, so hopefully the finished copy has this information.

This is very different from the first two novels in the series; readers expecting the same might be disappointed by this one.

I received a free advance copy from the publisher; all opinions are my own.

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

Every Time We Say Goodbye by Natalie Jenner continues in the post-WWII setting of her previous novels, The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls. The current protagonist Vivien Lowry was one of the bookshop girls we met in book two, a writer with a tragic past. Her fiancé, David St. Vincent, the heir to an earldom, had been killed in the war.

When Vivien’s stage play flops in London, she escapes to Rome where she has been offered a job as a script doctor for a floundering movie at the Cinecittà studio. This world-famous studio was created by Mussolini as a propaganda machine and was then taken over by the Nazis. Now, in 1955, the studio is reviving, producing commercial films to international acclaim. A large number of American ex-pats, Hollywood-types escaping the restrictions and dangers of McCarthyism, have come to Rome to work at Cinecittà. Vivien is eager to work with these creative men and women.

She has another reason to come to Rome. She has just learned from her deceased fiancé’s sister that David did not die in a crash in Italy. He was reported missing in action and was likely a prisoner of war. At least for a little while. Vivien is certain he’s not still alive; he would have made his way home to her. But she’s desperate to learn the truth of what happened to him, and thinks she might discover more if she is physically in Italy rather than London.

While in Italy, she makes new friends, has a love affair, and struggles with the restrictions placed on moviemakers by the all-powerful Catholic Church. She also pulls strings to learn about David’s captivity.

Vivien’s story is interspersed with chapters about La Scolaretta, “the Schoolgirl,” a member of the Italian Resistance and a very successful assassin.

The storylines merge in a poignant way. Fans of Jenner’s historical women’s fiction, especially those wondering “what next?” for the Bloomsbury Girls, should love this novel. I particularly enjoyed the atmosphere – post-WWII Italy is an unusual setting for me and Jenner does a great job of immersing the reader in the time and place.

This book blew me away—it’s a bit of a slow burn to start but as the story started to come together, it picked up speed and the next thing I knew, I couldn’t put it down.
In 1955, Vivien has a chance to go to Rome and work in the burgeoning film industry there. But she also has an ulterior motive, as her fiancé never came home from the war. She hopes to find out what happened to him. An interesting cast of characters both fictional and real fill the pages, interspersed with a narrative from 1944. There’s plenty of heartbreak and Vivien, a playwriter, is a wonderful observer of the human condition.
Strong, vivid writing makes Rome come alive. Highly recommended historical fiction.
Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book review.

I thought this was quite the sad story. The narrative is split between 1943 and 1955.
I felt more drawn to the WWII chapters because I thought they were mired exciting and interesting.
I didn’t find the 1950s chapters as interesting because I thought they moved rather slow.
The novel’s message is sometime we regret decisions made.