Member Reviews
A story about a woman who goes on a European trip that she had planned with her mother who died just before they were set to embark, this story made me want to pick up her travel guide and book a plane ticket. Her experiences in each City were interesting and captivating and fit very well with the dialogue regarding her overcoming the death of her parents and reimagining her life.
#arc
#netgalley
#theitinerary
This was a cute and refreshing love story about travelling. I really enjoyed the itinerary that Lisa's mom put together and how she met Rocky. Thank you for allowing me to read and review this ARC
Lisa's trip to Europe alone, her mom and traveling partner having died before the trip, leaves her less alone than she had thought. She meets another traveler, Rocky, not just once, but again and again in the various cities of Europe that she visits. She wonders if he knows her preplanned itinerary or if these meet-ups are mere coincidence.
The reader is hooked not only by the detailed travel experiences and sights Lisa relates to us as she goes from country to country, but by the question of when, why, and how Rocky might show up again along her travel route.
This was an enjoyable armchair travel to cities in Italy, France, Germany, and I loved visiting the famous sites with Lisa. I was surprised at how easily Lisa developed a romantic relationship with Rocky while always thinking they would never see each other again each time they meet each other.
Easy to read, with interesting main characters. the book was delightful as a light summer book.
A great travel read, following Lisa as she embarks on a trip organised by her late mother. Along the way she meets Rocky, who seems to have the same itinerary as her - but there is more to it than that so what happens when she finds out who he really is?
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy. The Itinerary is the first book that I have read by Penny Pentley. It follows Lisa as she travels around Europe from Rome to Paris. Lisa is alone on this trip due to the sudden passing of her mother. The itinerary that her mother decided on was written by Bob Adam’s. This specific itinerary takes Lisa to Rome, Florence, Venice, Munich, Geneva, and Paris. Along her way she meets Rocky, a fellow traveler. The itinerary is a fast-paced romance. It was interesting to hear about the different sites in the different cities.
'The Itinerary' by Penny Pentley is the ideal summer companion, whisking you away on a European adventure through Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and France. The protagonist, Lisa, embarks on a solo journey across Europe, and her vivid descriptions of the locales, the delectable cuisine, and the intriguing people she encounters are utterly captivating. Each new destination unfolds through her eyes, making you eagerly anticipate the next. The added element of romance only heightens the charm of this narrative. For those seeking a quick yet engaging read, this book hits the mark, especially for readers preferring romance without explicit content. Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for providing an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this delightful story.
Penny Pentley's "The Itinerary" is a heartwarming and poignant tale that expertly blends themes of grief, travel, and serendipitous romance. After the sudden death of her mother, Lisa decides to honor their planned European vacation, embarking on the journey alone with only her mom's sparse itinerary and a beloved travel guide.
The narrative captures the essence of solo travel in a foreign land—full of unexpected challenges and delightful surprises. Pentley's vivid descriptions of European cities make you feel as if you're strolling through the streets of Rome, Paris, and beyond, savoring the sights, sounds, and tastes of each unique location. The authenticity of Lisa's travel experiences, from minor mishaps to awe-inspiring moments, adds a layer of realism that travel enthusiasts will appreciate.
Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
After the death of her father, Lisa and her mother plan a trip to Europe to celebrate life and grieve the death of Lisa's father. But just weeks before their big trip, Lisa's mother also dies. Lisa decides to honor her mother's wishes by going on the trip solo. The book follows Lisa through Italy, Switzerland, Germany, and France, where she grieves her parents and maybe even finds love.
This is a sweet story about grief and love and adventure. And while I enjoyed the descriptions of the various European cities and sites, I could not relate to the main character, Lisa. I get that Lisa is supposed to be a young(ish) adult (I think), but she's written more like a cautious, paranoid older woman, which was hard for me to relate to.
I was provided an advanced copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this before publication (tomorrow). The Itinerary
by Penny Pentley.
After Lisa's father passed away, her mom wanted to plan a 2 week trip traveling Europe but a week before they go her mom also passes away. The holiday is non refundable so Lisa travels alone, dealing with her grief but also trying to have the holiday her mom wanted them to have together. Her mom wrote an Itinerary that she tried to follow and her mom also wanted Lisa to find love... She meets some interesting people on her travels and the same guy (Rocky) keeps appearing in the same cities she is in, is it fate, coincidence or is he a stalker!
Lovely book and well written. Some sad bits when her grief gets the better of her. I travelled on a holiday not long after my fathers' passing and he was supposed to be there with us. Made it bitter sweat but I know he would of wanted me to still go!
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
✨ spoilers ✨
This book really reminded me of my first few solo trips, the family feeling that hostels bring, the wonderful 1-day friendships and the need for connections with strangers 💕. Also it is nice to read about other characters in the book being queer and the author didn’t bet an eye.
The story isn’t exactly all happiness, because Lisa is grieving both her parents. Because of that, it is so nice that she has a ‘stable’ connection with Rocky. He gives her direction and something to fall back on. And he shows up for her! First accidentally, but the gesture in Venice was to die for 🥹. “What happens next is between me and Rocky.” I disagree with this decision haha, I want to know all about what went on! Throughout this book Penny mostly skips through the explicit scenes, so the book isn’t that spicy or smutty 😅🤷🏼♀️.
The built-up to Rocky telling Lisa how he knows her itinerary goes on longer than needed, but their chemistry makes up for it! And the crux about why he seems to be stalking her is very funny, after what happend with his Bob Adam’s copy earlier 👀.
After all, this is a great rom-com which could turn into a sappy movie with me crying in my popcorn at the end! It reminded me of the beauty of Europe and the never-ending twists and turns in flings; which hopefully always end good 😉💕.
Fun and quick read. Lisa is on the trip of a lifetime, but it is one she was supposed to be on with her mother. After her passing, Lisa is forced to go along due to non-refundable tickets. The book delves into Lisa's emotions as she processes her grief, but it kept from being too maudlin with the "is-it-fate" or "is-it-stalking" interactions between Lisa and Rocky. Quick read, was able to read it in a day. Loved that the book didn't get overly bogged down in descriptions, but still felt like I was on the trip with the characters.
I hadn't heard of this author before but was intrigued by the title and the cute cover, and I ended up enjoying the endearing story. Lisa has lost her father and mother in the span of months but decides to still embark on the journey to Europe that her mother had planned for both of them to take. While the European journey isn't necessarily a new theme in novels, I appreciated the unique spin that the author put on this one with aspects of Rocky's character (don't want to give it away!). While I didn't love the writing (a lot of it felt very cheesy and not enough contractions made many sentences feel stilted and not like real conversation), I would recommend it as a light, easy romance read for summer.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an advanced copy of this in exchange for an honest review.
This was a quick, easy read once the story got going. I felt the storyline took a few chapters to pick up, but then I really loved getting to know the characters and their travels. The author did a wonderful job narrating Lisa’s grief in a realistic way; grief is messy and is not linear, which we got to see as Lisa explored Europe. This romance is a perfect summer vacation read!
The Itinerary had everything I was looking for - international travel, an adorable MMC and a heartwarming HEA. Perfect - no notes.
I enjoyed the premise of the book but found the characters quite underdeveloped and felt the reader could benefit from understanding why the reacted the way they did at times.
Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of The Itinerary by Penny Pentley.
These are my thoughts:
The last thing Lisa was looking for was to meet a kind, handsome stranger and have a summer fling.
Grieving Lisa, goes on a two-week trip to Europe. This was supposed to be the trip she and her mother took together, after Lisa’s father’s death a year ago. Now, on a plane to Italy, Lisa nurses a double broken heart, as her travel companion died merely two weeks before the trip. Since everything for the trip was booked and mostly non-refundable, Lisa decides to embark on this journey and follow the handwritten itinerary her mother put together.
This was a fun, light read; perfect for summer!
It was interesting to see how Lisa dealt with her grief and all the mishaps that upended throughly the trip. How she started off quite unsure and somewhat, inflexible and gradually opened up to different and new experiences.
I loved all the random strangers that popped up through the trip as well. It just comes to show how small acts of kindness can change a situation and how, even the smallest of gestures, can make a difference, even if it’s just for a moment.
I thought Lisa and Rocky had great chemistry and he was just such a gentleman.
I recommend this to anyone who wants an entertaining and relatively fast read (less than 300 pages). It is also perfect for the no spice readers, since this book is a closed door romance (sexual intimacy is implied/alluded to; some “naughty thoughts”, but no on page descriptions).
I liked what this book was trying to do and think it could have been better with more description, more action, and a little editing. It’s on the right path. It was sweet and dealt with loss in a caring way. I liked the romance as well.
As a lover of Europe and travel, this book was kind of fun. The idea of going on a 2 week European vacation alone after the death of a loved one is horrifying, and the author has her heroine go through these emotions. The romance is sweet, but the big "plot twist" is way too obvious and overblown. All in all this is a cotton candy romance with a travel theme. They could easily make it a Hallmark movie if they cut all the heavy handed sex suggestivity in what is a closed-door book.
This sounded like a great book. I loved the premise and had high hopes. However, for me, this started off rough and I could not get past it. I loved how the book initially started. We got some background about what was happening, but then there was like 18% of the book was just straight description of her days and I was so bored. Then she decided to go out, get drunk, and make out with a random guy. Then runs into the main character and it goes back to describing her days. After the constant description of her days, I just decided this was not the book for me. I am not someone that can just read descriptions and be into the storyline.
I had high hopes. The writing was beautiful, but the characters and plots were just not for me and I, personally, would not recommend this book to someone.
This book was a cute concept but it fell flat for me. I felt like I didn’t learn much about the characters and the time they spent together seemed so surface level that I want invested in their relationship. The writing also seemed like it was more in the planning stage. Like it was just ideas of what would be happening at that point instead of into a fully developed story. It has potential but needs a little more development to be a more convincing story.