A heartbreaking and moving, dual timeline WWII historical fiction book set in Rome, Italy that sees Vivian from The Bloomsbury girls travelling to work on the script of a new movie while also still grieving the loss of her dead fiancee and the child she gave up for adoption.

I loved learning more about this part of WWII history! The author does a great job writing relatable characters you can't help falling in love with and empathizing for, especially the strong women of Italy forced to endure unspeakable things under Nazi occupation.

Full of heart, loss, great nods to the other characters in her Jane Austen Society series and an interesting look at life in 1950s Rome too. This was great on audio narrated by Juliet Aubrey. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was another hit from a fav Canadian historical fiction author!! Highly recommended for book club groups and fans of Jennifer Robson's Our darkest night.

Another wonderful book from NatalieJenner. The characters are complex and brave. I love how we had cameos from famous people. The story is exciting, thrilling, remembrance of the past wars.

I really wanted to like this story more than I did. I loved the Bloomsbury Girls and was excited to read Vivien’s story.

Parts of this book were fascinating, the parts about Vivien’s fiancée, and the parts that went back to WWII.

The storyline set in the 1950s was where I really struggled. There were so many characters, so much going on, and at times it felt like the author just wanted to make unnecessary comments about the Catholic Church.

I found myself just wanting to get it over with and am sad to have felt that way. Jenner is a very good writer and I think this was just a miss with me.

The audiobook helped me get through this story which is why I giving the audiobook four stars.

Juliet Aubrey helped me keep the characters straight and helped me stay engaged in a story I was having trouble following.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio All views are my honest opinion.

"Every Time We Say Goodbye" is a captivating tale set in post-war Italy, weaving a narrative that explores the depths of its complex characters and the vivid backdrop of Rome's burgeoning film industry. Jenner masterfully tackles the intricacies of Roman culture influenced by the Vatican, alongside the moral ambiguities faced during wartime. The setting is both fresh and vibrant, providing a unique lens through which the story unfolds. This book delves into the nuanced complexities of its characters and their surroundings, making it a rich and engaging read. Juliet Aubrey narrates the audiobook beautifully. Highly recommended.

I’ve been a fan of Jenner’s since I read The Jane Austen Society in the early months of 2021 and had been eager to read this newest addition to the series. This story was really interesting thanks to the strong character backstories, complex scrutiny of the ramifications of war, and original take on the time period. I really liked the artistic and cinematic aspects along with a strong female presence and I loved how Jenner has connected these three novels over time and distance but in such a way that they are their own unique story.

It was really enjoyable being introduced to new characters and then being reunited with some of the ones I’ve gotten I know from previous novels. It felt like getting together with an old friend to catch up and feeling like no time has passed.

You should definitely pick this one up, especially if you’ve read and loved the previous two in the series. I did a combo of digital and audio, both excellent options!

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the alc and St. Martin’s Press for the arc via Netgalley!

Every Time We Say Goodbye (Jane Austen Society #3)
By Natalie Jenner, narrated by Juliet Aubrey

It took while before I could settle into this story and I was afraid that wouldn't happen. It's 1955 and we are seeing things from the POV of Vivien Lowry, who authored a play being performed in London, which received great audience appreciation but was panned by critics and promptly shut down. Vivien's dreams of a career as a playwright is over barely after it's begun.

Vivien is offered a job as a script doctor for a play being filmed in Rome’s Cinecitta Studios. Before she leaves for Rome Vivien learns information about her fiancé who disappeared/died during the war and with this new job she'll have an opportunity to search for more information about what happened to him. She can't help having a tiny hope that he could still be alive.

Scattered throughout the story is another POV, that of a young Italian resistance woman assassin, famed for her heroics and what happened to her during the war. It was this story that interested me the most and it took me a long time to see how the two POVs could come together. Vivien's story seemed so superficial (despite her many heartaches) with the party astrosphere on the film set, the glamour, the gossip, the drinking, the partying, the major movie stars. There is a lot of famous people name dropping and even cameos by stars we all know. It was fun seeing all the names I recognized but I'm really not star struck and hadn't expected such a "film making" oriented story.

But then things changed for me, as we get to the meat of the story. The fact that the Vatican is controlling each and every script that is made, that the truth of so many events of the war are being totally whitewashed and erased. That the corruption during the war is still ongoing and will mow down anyone who tries to reveal what really happened during the war.

It's as we learn of the ongoing heartache and trauma of those who were in the war that the story grabbed me. So many secrets, personal and political, and it is through sharing secrets that some of the characters begin to heal. Without opening up and sharing, healing isn't possible and this is the area of the story that drew me into it, the personal sacrifices during war and afterwards that weighed heavy on the hearts of the people Vivien meets in Rome. It turns out there are deep connections here to the young woman assassin and eventually we find out just how deep those connections run.

You do not have to read the previous entries in this series especially since each book can stand alone with no problem. But it was nice hearing about or seeing existing characters in the series and their stories made this story more endearing to me. It was such a surprise to feel so removed from the story at the beginning, thinking that it might not be for me, and then to have found myself emotionally involved in the heartbreak and healing of the characters, knowing that some would never be able to let go of their devastation due to earlier events.

Juliet Aubrey has a soft spoken approach to narrating this story and it took me a bit to get used to her manner of speaking. But once I was drawn into the story, her narration was perfect. This story won't be for everyone, it takes time to find its footing, at least it did for me, but then my emotions took over and I couldn't put the story down.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the audiobook and ebook copy of this ARC.

I was really excited when I received an eARC of Natalie Jenner’s third instalment of the Jane Austen Society, EVERY TIME WE SAY GOODBYE earlier this year (synopsis and ebook review below). I did not love this book compared to the previous two books, but thought I’d give it a second try with the audiobook. Historically, I’ve loved the narrators of Natalie Jenner’s books and narration has significantly enhanced my enjoyment of the books, but this was not the case with this one, as I didn’t find myself wanting to listen the same way I did with the other books. My review for the ebook stands true for the audiobook as well.

In this story, we follow struggling playwright, Vivien Lowry, who we are first introduced to in Bloomsbury Girls (book 2). The story mostly takes place in Italy in the 1950s and centres around the filming of an WW2 movie (about a female resistance fighter). It can be read as a stand-alone, but you’ll get little glimmers of context (with some previous characters popping in) by reading at least book 2 - though the original Jane Austen Society is by far the best book in the series.

I struggled with this book and sort of wish Jenner had kept this as a distinct stand-alone, as opposed to keeping it within the same “universe.” I did not experience the same quaintness with this story as I did with the previous two, and I realize that made up the majority of my enjoyment of those books.

All in all, Jenner is still a great writer, but I went into this one with different expectation that just weren’t met.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an audio ARC of the book.

After thoroughly enjoying the first two books from Natalie Jenner, Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls, I was eagerly anticipating Every Time We Say Goodbye. The book was very different and not nearly as enjoyable. Lots of characters (the list in front should have been a red flag) and excess stories that didn’t draw you in.

Historical fiction lovers will enjoy the tales of the Italian Film community of the 1950s. Juliet Aubrey does an excellent job narrating.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and Net Galley for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.