The audience loved Vivien Lowry’s new play but the critics panned the production, which quickly closed. At a friend’s suggestion she takes a job as a script doctor in Rome, where movies are once again in full production since the end of the war. At the war’s outbreak Vivien was engaged to David, who later became a prisoner of war in Italy. His death was reported to his family, but she was never told how he died. This is a chance for her to finally find out what happened and find closure. This is also the story of La Scolaretta, a young girl who joined the partisans, became an assassin and was finally murdered by the Germans. Her boyfriend was Nino Tremonti, a director who wants to tell the story of her sacrifice. The Vatican, however, is censoring movie production, concentrating on positive family content and denying the horrors of war.

Natalie Jenner populates her story with memorable characters, both factual and fictitious. Vivien lives with the pain of not knowing David’s fate. She is an angry and damaged character. She enters a relationship with John Lassiter, a married man with a questionable background. She is friends with several associates at the studio, some of whom have come to Italy to escape prosecution by McCarthy and his witch hunt. There are appearances by celebrities such as Ava Gardner and a young Sophia Loren. Throughout the story the luxury and glamour is offset by the grim reminders of the war that touched everyone’s lives. Jenner’s story is beautifully told as Vivien comes to terms with David’s death and can finally look forward to finding her own happiness. I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing this book.

This is the third book in a series. It is well written and can be read as a standalone.
I did enjoy the writing style so will look for more books by this author.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC

Complex, compelling, and immersive!

Every Time We Say Goodbye is an alluring, atmospheric tale set in Italy, predominantly during 1955, that immerses you into the life of British screenwriter Vivien Lowery who, after having her latest London play fail miserably with reviewers, travels to Rome to start a new career using her writing talents in the film industry while also discovering the fate of her late fiancé who never made it back from the war.

The prose is seamless and expressive. The characters are compassionate, intriguing, and scarred. And the plot, including all the subplots, intertwine and unravel effortlessly into a vivid tale of life, loss, family, friendship, self-discovery, regret, grief, sacrifice, love, war, and the glitz and glamour of cinematic theatre in the 1950s.

Overall, Every Time We Say Goodbye is a lush, intriguing, absorbing tale by Jenner that does a lovely job of blending historical events, palpable emotion, and thought-provoking fiction.

This is the third of The Jane Austen Society books. I remember enjoying the first in the series and this tale of post-war Italy is a welcome addition to historical fiction. Themes of theater, art, post-war life, religious oppression and censorship, romance gone wrong and deep friendships make for a good book. I highly recommend for book clubs due to the varying discussions on topical issues.

I think there are some beautiful things to be learned from this book, particularly in the last 40% or so. It didn’t resonate with me as much as I’d hoped it would (I was a big fan of The Jane Austen Society), but I am certain it will work for other readers.

Vivien’s career as a playwright has been destroyed with the savage reviews of critics after seeing her last play. She moves from London to Italy, where she works as a “script doctor,” tidying up and fixing a movie script that doesn’t pass muster. In this new world, she is faced with challenges and setbacks, unwanted admirers, oppression, and several mysteries, including what happened to her fiancé after the war. Vivien has to face difficult truths and learn to grow past the grief that has kept her tethered for the past decade.

I think I struggled to connect with Vivien. She is supposed to be a woman still grieving the loss of her fiancé, but she felt passionless to me, and much too willing to give in to everything she said she wouldn’t. I didn’t like John Lassiter and his whole part in the story—particularly what we find out about him later—just confused me and didn’t feel necessary. I loved Claudia and Levi and would have loved seeing more of them on page. And I really loved Sir Alfred. I think that’s a big reason why the last 25%-30% or so was my favorite—Vivien finally started figuring herself out and we got more of Sir Alfred. Overall I think the history is interesting, and I was sad for Vivien and her loss (there is one particular scene that really finally helped me see what she’d gone through, and I wished we had gotten it sooner).

I think if you like history, 1950’s films or filmmaking, women’s fiction, and mysteries, this book could be for you.

TW/CW: war related stories and deaths; giving up child for adoption; child abduction; church oppression; kissing; mention of sexual relations

3.5 stars, rounded up.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: Narrated by Juliet Aubrey—I am torn about this reader. On one hand, I thought her accents and voices were really good, so I knew who was speaking and where they were from immediately. On the other hand, her narration for the narrative and the main character’s voice felt so apathetic and lackluster, even when the character was feeling something deeply or emotional in some way. While her voice is soothing, I didn’t feel like it fit with the emotions of the character. Unfortunately, I do think the narrator made it hard to feel engaged with the character and negatively influenced my overall opinion of this book. There are some really redeeming qualities, but still not my favorite.
3 stars for the narration.


**Many thanks to the publisher, Austen Prose, and NetGalley for the e-copy and audio. A positive review was not required.

This is the third book I’ve read by Natalie Jenner and I’ve loved them all. Jenner has a knack for creating fascinating characters and mixing them with real people and her sense of place and historical elements are top notch. This is another winner!

Before I dive into my thoughts, I should say- this is in the Jane Austen Society universe but is a stand-alone book; you could absolutely read it without having read the first two. However, TJAS and Bloomsbury Girls are wonderful books, so I would recommend reading them regardless!

Every Time We Say Goodbye was not what I expected, in a wonderful way. As an historian, this novel spoke to me like few truly do- I feel like Jenner dove into a little known area of history and brought it to life for us. I think that many of us are familiar with Hollywood in the 1950s and how communism affected it. However, I had never considered the film industries elsewhere, especially not somewhere that the church could play a role.

I was immediately pulled into this complex and seemingly-almost dangerous situation where things could change in a second. Many of us (myself included) have the impression that things largely calmed down in Europe after the Second World War, but other forces continued to push and pull society into these difficult and fraught situations. Jenner’s characters show us the longer lasting effects of war, even on those who were not on the battlefield themselves. Although Vivien has carried on with her life, we see how drastically both she and her life have changed in the aftermath of the war.

The secondary plot (the film’s plot) also pulled me in. I think that it is a creative way to touch on another story line without jumping around too much within the story itself. While I normally find dual timelines to be distracting, this set-up worked perfectly. I was entirely invested in this gorgeous novel, and I think it is a must-read for anyone who loves historical fiction!

While this is book 3 in a series that I haven't read yet I read many reviews that said the first two weren't necessary. After reading this I can agree that I didn't feel like I missed out on anything by having not read them.

Typically I love historical fiction but this one fell flat for me. I wasn't invested in the characters and didn't connect with any. If you have a 2 page list of characters in the beginning of your book, guess what, you have too many characters for me to care about. The storyline dragged and I found myself zoning out and not caring about what occurred. The Italian film industry in the 1950s was interesting but not enough for me to truly enjoy this book as much as I wanted to.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

I was very excited to read this one, Cinema in post war Italy... sign me up!

I am a fan of Natalie Jenner's work, however, this one was not my favourite. I felt that it was missing the emotion and depth of her previous novels. The plot lines jumped around a bit which made me feel disconnected, also the sheer number of characters made it confusing. It was a good read, just not what I was expecting. I also wish that there was a little more in the author's note, perhaps that would have left me with more of a takeaway.

Overall I think I had set my expectations too high, as mentioned it was a good read, it just didn't hit the mark of a great read for me. I look forward to future works of Jenner!

Thank-you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

Natalie Jenner is such a force in the historical fiction genre. I’m always in awe of how impressively researched her stories are while keeping them gorgeously entertaining. And they always transport me to a time and place that envelop me as if I’m alive in the story, experiencing it firsthand. They are so vivid and cast the most interesting and fascinating of characters - some real, some fictional - all brilliantly depicted.⁣
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Every Time We Say Goodbye takes us readers to 1950s Italy - where Vivien is a script doctor working in the world of Italian cinema and finds herself seeking answers to find out how her fiancé was killed in the war. It includes dazzling movie stars, handsome men, post war resistance, gorgeous Italian settings, and the struggles of moviemaking under the strong arm of the Catholic Church and its’ restrictions.⁣
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A stunning and sweeping tale that expertly balances tragedy, hope, and new beginnings in the world of The Jane Austen Society and The Bloomsbury Girls - but can most definitely be read as an incredible standalone novel.

3.5 Stars

EVERY TIME WE SAY GOODBYE is a story about a woman who has let her past stint her present and must find the will to let go of her past in order to truly live. With poignant themes and a snapshot of a turbulent time in history, it's an overall compelling story and ideal for readers who enjoy languidly immersing themselves in the movie industry in Italy after World War II.

I fell in love with the heroine, Vivian, in the previous book from this author, Bloomsbury Girls, although readers don't need to have read that story to enjoy this one. I was looking forward to seeing what would happen next for her. I liked that her story finally unfolds as so much was a mystery in the other book. Here readers finally get to know her past and why she has made the choices she has and, to an extent, why she is who she is. I liked her overall character arc here as there were some poignant, and pointed, questions that prompted Vivian to turn to self-reflection and possibly face her past enough to really live her present and hope for a future. I also loved a few of the parts that skipped to the past, Levi saving a baby in particular. Then there was a secondary storyline during World War II set in Italy that focused on a girl who worked for the resistance. That was interesting as it unfolded and gave a very honest view of the time period. It also was intertwined eventually with Vivian's story. The last twenty percent of the book was a five-star read for me.

There were several poignant themes throughout this book. Adoption, giving up children, loss, grief, religious turbulence, power, governments, war, censorship... it would go on and on. A lot of these are themes that are very pertinent today. This story gives glimpses into a history that we can look at to help us understand and hopefully learn from. There were also many types of relationships and sides of humanity as they fight to survive and even thrive in a world trying to piece itself back together after WWII, and women trying to fight for their own independence and place.

Here is one part that especially resonated with me:

"Lisetta sits alone in the kitchen, thinking as she so often does about goodness, and how complex the fight for good can be. Yet in the end, goodness is fixed and steady, and not so difficult to spot. It is evil that takes a bewildering number of forms and keeps changing its shape, tricking you with false promises and reasoning, taunting you into resignation. At this stage in the war, Lisetta has absolutely no doubt of either goodness or the truth, and what is necessary for its preservation, no matter what anyone else might call it."

However, I honestly struggled quite a bit with this story. I'd say the first half to three-fourths was maybe three stars for me and I didn't even want to keep reading. I had a hard time connecting with the characters, but more so, connecting emotionally. The story felt very nostalgic and languid, with a pace that somewhat meanders. I didn't feel like the emotions grew in intensity or the story was driven. It's also a bit wordy and immersed in movie culture, so lots of references to what characters were wearing or how they're acting or what was going on generally with the movie studios, their staff, actresses and actors regardless if all that information was pertinent to the story. Lots of information dumping, and name and brand dropping, such as "Guggenheim threw her black Chanel clutch purse onto the writers' table." All of that made this story somewhat disengaging and drag, so it felt a lot longer than it's 300 plus pages. There also was a love interest and I felt like the relationship was very disconnected. As a reader, I wasn't invited in to experience that relationship with her. I felt like that was one example of this whole story feeling very emotionally disconnected, so it didn't fully draw me in, which also made it a story that didn't always keep my interest.

In the end, was it what I wished for? This story had such potential. I didn't connect with it emotionally as I would have liked and as I expected I would have. However, it still is worth the read with the poignant themes, good character arc, and last fith of the book. As I enjoyed this author's previous books, I plan to pick up her next release.

Content: Innuendo, suggestive content, some violence, blunt discussions and references of mature content.
Source: I received a complimentary copy through Austenprose, which did not require a positive review. All opinions are my own.

This is the third book in a series, but it could be easily read as a stand alone. It is set in Rome around the film industry in 1955, with some flashbacks to the actions of a young woman resistance fighter during WWII. It deals with the complicated results of the war and the power of the church as well as the misogyny of the times. While the story was slow in some parts, I really enjoyed it and found it took a somewhat deeper and more nuanced look at the war's effects on the area than I usually see in historical fiction.. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for making the digital advance reading copy available to me. 4.25/5 stars!

Every Time We Say Goodbye is a historical novel set in 1955, with flashbacks to the years of World War II. Vivien Lowry has written a play that received bad reviews and quickly closed in London. She has the opportunity to become a script doctor in Italy, and takes the opportunity. During her time in Italy, she looks for answers about her fiancé, David, who was lost during World War II with little information about what happened. She becomes involved with a mysterious American, John Lassiter, who works in the movie industry. She makes Italian friends and becomes acquainted with actresses including Gina Lollobrigida, Sophia Loren, and Ava Gardner. But most of all she seeks answers about the past, closure from her grief, and a new sense of direction.

I wanted to read this novel because I loved The Bloomsbury Girls. This is the third book in the Jane Austen Society series.

This is a fascinating read, with details about the Italian movie industry in 1955 (booming but also heavily censored by the Catholic church) and life for expatriates in Rome. It also has flashbacks to World War II, including a female resistance fighter. Some of those flashbacks are difficult to read because they detail great suffering. However, they also speak of great courage.

The writing is lyrical with vivid descriptions like:

"Here couples danced on floating barges with straw roofs, the men wearing short-sleeved white or checked shirts, the women in embroidered peasant blouses and ballerina skirts. The river during the war had been an escape route for those fleeing Rome or trying to smuggle messages back in. Now twinkling coloured lights were strung along the cables that moored the barges, long gangplanks creaked under the weight of the crowd, and live music filled the air. Italians in the fifties loved to dance to a mix of American jazz, Latin rhythms, and traditional instruments such as organetti, brassy clarinets, and softly melodic guitars" (eBook location 2810).

I recommend this novel - and the Jane Austen Society series - to fans of historical fiction, and especially for anyone who is interested in 1950's movie-making or World War II history.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance reader copy of this story. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I've picked up and put down this book several times. The blurb is what enticed me to ask for the ARC, it sounded more like a movie making story. I couldn't stay interested in all the characters coming and going. I really tried.

#EveryTimeWeSayGoodbye #NatalieJenner #Netgalley #StMartin'sPress

This novel by the author of The Jane Austen Society takes place after WW2; so many are wondering what happened to their loved ones. It also takes place in the film industry - the main character is making a film that the is opposed by the Church.

I love when a story has a setting that's its own character in a novel and Every Time We Say Goodbye didn't disappoint! Post WWII era fiction is quickly becoming a favorite of mine because I'm learning so much.

I’ve been reading Natalie Jenner’s work since her debut novel, The Jane Austen Society, was released in 2020. She writes really thoughtful and quite interesting historical fiction stories with characters who feel so familiar even though they lived so long ago. Every Time We Say Goodbye is her latest and readers will recognize some of the characters in this tale and will feel as though it’s like revisiting an old friend.

Here’s the book’s description:
In 1955, Vivien Lowry is facing the greatest challenge of her life. Her latest play, the only female-authored play on the London stage that season, has opened in the West End to rapturous applause from the audience. The reviewers, however, are not as impressed as the playgoers and their savage notices not only shut down the play but ruin Lowry's last chance for a dramatic career. With her future in London not looking bright, at the suggestion of her friend, Peggy Guggenheim, Vivien takes a job in as a script doctor on a major film shooting in Rome’s Cinecitta Studios. There she finds a vibrant movie making scene filled with rising stars, acclaimed directors, and famous actors in a country that is torn between its past and its potentially bright future, between the liberation of the post-war cinema and the restrictions of the Catholic Church that permeates the very soul of Italy.
As Vivien tries to forge a new future for herself, she also must face the long-buried truth of the recent World War and the mystery of what really happened to her deceased fiancé. Every Time We Say Goodbye is a brilliant exploration of trauma and tragedy, hope and renewal, filled with dazzling characters both real and imaginary, from the incomparable author who charmed the world with her novels The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls.
There was something niggling at me while reading this one, making me wonder why I wasn’t loving it as I expected to. As talented as I think Jenner is, I didn’t feel like she quite brought all the stories together in a cohesive way. There was a lot going on - in two timelines - with a lot of characters. Probably too many characters. I appreciated that Jenner wanted to include some of the real folks who would have been in Italy at that time (Sophia Loren and Ava Gardner to name two), but I felt they didn’t really add anything to the story. Another blogger put it well when we were talking about why this one didn’t hit as we expected. We both love Natasha Lester’s novels and she is a master at sharing information about a specific topic (usually fashion in Lester’s case and the film industry in Jenner’s) and weaving a historical story around it. The weave in Jenner’s story was loose and I think that’s why we were struggling a bit.

All that said, I didn’t find this to be a bad book. I was still interested in the story and wanted to find out how it all ended. I was invested in Vivien’s life and wondered how the tale of la scolaretta would unfold. How did a young, female resistance fighter tie into Vivien’s story? (You’ll have to read it to find out, obviously!)



I remember learning about the Hollywood blacklist and the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) way back in university. It’s a fascinating and heartbreaking part of history. So many folks in the film industry were pressured to give up information on their colleagues during the witch hunts simply because Hollywood was trying to prove they were patriotic and not supporting communism. Jenner’s novel didn’t feature the hearings or what was happening in Hollywood. Instead, it showcased how many American filmmakers fled to Europe (the reverse of what happened during the war) to avoid persecution. I don’t think I’ve come across many novels that feature this so heavily and I’d be interested in reading more fiction stories about it.

Even with the inclusion of the WWII storyline, Jenner’s novel is a quieter historical fiction tale. She’s explored topics and a point in time that some may not have read about (I certainly haven’t seen it often in novels) and gives us a glimpse of what life could have been like in 1950s Rome. The war is behind them, but the effects of it were still being felt strongly and on an almost daily basis. It’s not going to be for everyone but if you’re genuinely interested in history and getting a feel of what the time period could have been like? Jenner’s novels are for you.

Every Time We Say Goodbye by Natalie Jenner wasn’t a winner for me but I’m still glad I read it. I enjoyed getting a glimpse into the film industry of 1950s Rome and revisiting characters I had met in her previous novels.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, St. Martin's Press, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

I do love a good historical romance however there was too much going on here to be able to focus on one plot line. It was hard to get into and keep my attention.

Title: Every Time We Say Goodbye
Author: Natalie Jenner
Genre: Historical fiction
Rating: 4.0 out of 5

In 1955, Vivien Lowry is facing the greatest challenge of her life. Her latest play, the only female-authored play on the London stage that season, has opened in the West End to rapturous applause from the audience. The reviewers, however, are not as impressed as the playgoers and their savage notices not only shut down the play but ruin Lowry's last chance for a dramatic career. With her future in London not looking bright, at the suggestion of her friend, Peggy Guggenheim, Vivien takes a job in as a script doctor on a major film shooting in Rome’s Cinecitta Studios. There she finds a vibrant movie making scene filled with rising stars, acclaimed directors, and famous actors in a country that is torn between its past and its potentially bright future, between the liberation of the post-war cinema and the restrictions of the Catholic Church that permeates the very soul of Italy.

As Vivien tries to forge a new future for herself, she also must face the long-buried truth of the recent World War and the mystery of what really happened to her deceased fiancé.

I do love these books by Natalie Jenner! This was a unique setting—film industry in the ‘50s, in Italy—and I enjoyed reading something set someplace new to me. There are several different threads in this novel, and the author did a great job of balancing them all out and tying them together. It felt a bit slow at first, but soon enough, I was completely engrossed.

Natalie Jenner is a bestselling author. Every Time We Say Goodbye is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

I’ve read a lot of WWI historical fiction and loved that this novel is set in the post-war period, where the wounds are still so fresh but the world is trying to move on.

Set in Italy, author Natalie Jenner does a fantastic job immersing you in Rome with Vivian. I lived for her walks around the city and their travels around the country, it gave me the itch to book a trip and enjoy an Italian summer!
While I read her debut novel from this series, I haven’t gotten around to reading Bloomsbury Girls yet, so these can certainly be read as standalone novels. It was nice to see the thread woven throughout the Jane Austen Society!

There are SO many characters and quite a few different subplots in play throughout this one, so it did give me a little challenge at first, just keeping everyone and everything straight. I wanted a bit more of the past as well and maybe more movie-making around her story, but I found this to be an enjoyable read! The ending and epilogue were perfection.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this. All thoughts and opinions are my own.