This book started off wonderfully. The first 50% I was hooked. I loved the narrators and the story and how Niall and Cordelia were connecting. It all started to go off the rails when they did get together though. I really enjoyed Niall, but Cordelia was a very frustrating character. She was very immature and selfish. I simply don't understand how it was perfectly fine for Niall to give up his entire life in Ireland but Cordelia couldn't move to London?? Girl is a street photographer she could literally work anywhere. She also didn't have to emotionally destroy him when she broke up with him she could've just been honest. It makes me mad that Niall had to be the one to go after her when she is the one who hurt him the most. This had the potential to be a wonderful book, but unfortunately, the second half did not have the pay off.

Well, thanks a lot. Now I need to go on a deep dive into every book Amy Ewing has ever written because The Irish Goodbye is so freaking good that I feel low key obsessed. This book is an awesome romcom. Drinks up, hands down.

I love Ireland so much. We recently took a 12 day trip that was just nonstop beauty and good food, so this book is perfectly timed for me. A story about a NY woman going to a fairly remote island in Ireland for a summer - sign me right up please! Everything about this book caught me in the feels. Cordelia is so likable - creative, kind, vulnerable, daring - and Niall is such an awesome MMC - brooding, talented, sweet, and he can cook 🤤. Their chemistry is natural and this book is equal parts heartfelt, funny, and 🔥🌶️. I love the setting of this story beyond words and the side characters are so quirky and delightful. Roisin is hysterical and I would happily reach a second book all about Collin! I am also a food lover so the descriptions of cooking were delicious. I definitely recommend for any rom com fans!

This was a fun audiobook. I loved the characters accents. I'm a sucker for books set in Ireland. I enjoyed the story overall I just found in the instalove to be a little unrealistic.

There was nothing particularly good or bad about this book, it’s just one of those alight books that you read and move on from. I did appreciate the sentiment of stepping away from something that you loved to be able to find it in a new way again. Just a good example of what a clear head can do. Other than that, the romance was cute and the plot was okay. Not my favorite book but I’d still recommend it as a decent read or listen.

The Irish Goodbye by Amy Ewing is a contemporary rom-com featuring an American tourist and an Irish chef.

Cordelia is a renowned NYC street photographer with a huge social media following, until the death of her father plunged her into a deep depression. When she sees an ad for a summer gig at a cozy cottage on Inishmore island, she decides she needs a fresh start to get back into the swing of things. When she arrives, she literally runs into Niall, an Irish chef returning to his hometown after betrayal from his fiancé and business partner.

This one was just okay for me, though I really loved the town's cast of characters. The audiobook narrators, Keval Shah and June DeBorahae, did a great job bringing the whole island to life and I enjoyed listening to them read. There's also a really adorable doggo named Pocket who wanders the whole island visiting everyone.

I initially picked this one up because the publisher blurb called it "hate-at-first-sight" but I don't really think the enemies to lovers vibe really comes through here. It felt quickly brushed aside to me. There's definitely grumpy/sunshine vibes, though!

I also didn't fully feel the chemistry between our main characters, possibly because everything moved so fast for me. I think maybe if it was a one-year sublet for the cottage, instead of just for the summer, the whole thing would have clicked better.

The Irish Goodbye, written by Amy Ewing, is my first by the author. When the audiobook became available, I was excited to give it a try when I found out the location was Ireland!

The book follows Cordelia James, a renowned street photog with a huge social media following. With everything seemingly perfect, after her father’s sudden death she can barely leave her own apartment. Deciding she needs to get away and refocus, she finds a summer job in a quaint cottage on Ireland’s Inishmore Island. No sooner does she step off the boat than she crashes into Niall O’Connor, damaging the camera her father gave her.

Niall O’Connor, a local to the island, has just returned from Dublin after being betrayed by his girlfriend and friend/ business partner. Not only is he heartbroken, but his pub is stolen out from under him. The last thing Niall wants to do is deal with American tourists.

Niall and Cordelia are off to a rough start. Each is annoyed by the other. This insta-hate quickly turns into insta-love. It was somewhat unbelievable to me, but that’s what fiction is. I did enjoy that they helped each other heal and be happy again. I enjoyed the supporting cast more than the actual main characters. This island is packed full of them.

The narration was ok, but it lacked something for me. I loved the accents and all the character’s voices.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for gifting me an eARC of The Irish Goodbye. I am leaving this review voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Irish Goodbye was a fun, atmospheric romance w great banter. Thoroughly enjoyed listening while taking afternoon walks.

With "The Irish Goodbye", Amy Ewing takes us to a coastal town in Ireland. This is Cordelia and Niall's story.

Cordelia is a photographer who needs to find her passion again after the death of her father 2 years ago. She decides to travel to Ireland for a few months to find her passion again. There she meets Niall and the sparks fly. The two meet again and again and their dislike grows. But are their encounters really coincidences?

The audiobook was narrated by Keval Shah and June DeBorahae. Both audiobook narrators really did a fantastic job. With their pleasant voices and clear pronunciation, they made it easy to follow the story.

If you want to read a story about someone finding their dream again, then "The Irish Goodbye" might be for you.

I loved how Cordelia came out of her shell more and more. I also really liked her direct manner.

Niall has been betrayed by his fiancée and his dream of owning his own restaurant is disappearing. So he returns to his Irish hometown of Inishmore. At first glance, Niall seems anything but friendly and I have to admit that it took me a really long time to make friends with the rude and gruff Irishman.

I really liked the beginning of the story. The atmosphere and the setting were fantastic and the cat and mouse game between Cordelia and Niall was also entertaining.
I found Niall's family simply enchanting and they always made me laugh. But after that, it went downhill fast for me. If there's one trope I hate, it's instalove. And for me, their relationship suddenly had a very distinct Instalove flavor.
The love story between Cordelia and Niall was unfortunately very shallow, superficial and implausible. At a certain point, the plot picked up speed and then finally lost me.

I give "The Irish Goodbye" 3 out of 5 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

I really liked the characters in this book, lead and side characters, but the love story didn't quite connect with me

I enjoyed this contemporary romance between and American woman and an Irish man - both grieving different life events, both who dislike each other on their first few encounters, but their feelings evolve as they get to know each other. I liked them both and enjoyed watching their relationship evolve while learning their backstories, and the characters surrounding them were charming and interesting. And I loved the setting, an Irish village that's his hometown - he's just returned after a big life/career change, she's taken a temporary job there to try to get her career as a photographer back on track. It hits on some deeper themes as well, the nature of grief and how we all grieve differently; how do we rebuild a life when it's gone off the rails. I listened to the audiobook, and the narration by Keval Shah and June DeBorahae was excellent. I especially enjoyed hearing correct pronunciations of Irish names & places that I'm quite sure I'd have butchered in my head had I been reading with my eyes.
Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for providing a digital copy for an unbiased review.

The Irish Goodbye is a delightful offering from author Amy Ewing. Cordelia James has yet to recover from the sudden loss of her father, literature professor Christopher James. Her brother Toby and his wife Nikki and their two children have seemingly returned to normal, her mother Louise has even begun dating Gary. Once a creative and applauded street photographer, Cordelia has sunk to the point she no longer posts her photos, if she takes them at all.

Her best friend Liz has suggested a getaway, but Cordelia doesn’t have the money. However, when she is looking for an island getaway she stumbles upon what just may be a perfect spot. Free cottage with small stipend in exchange for light housekeeping and looking in on an older lady for three months on the island of Inishmore off the west coast of Ireland seems perfect, her only real expense would be the plane-train-bus-boat journey to get there. Maybe this change of scenery will even reboot her career.

Also on his way to Inishmore is native son Niall O’Connor. Returning from years in Dublin, Niall has come home to help in the family owned pub alongside his father, Owen, but only after the devastating betrayal of his fiancé and business partner. Finding them together in an unmistakable embrace at the Gastro pub where they were about ready to open and then being taken for his piece of the investment had put Niall in a tailspin. He never would have chosen to return home in this state, but could not refuse his mother Fiona’s request.

As a jet lagged foreigner and an angry young man, the two first see each other on the ferry, but then literally run into each other after disembarking the ferry with dire consequences. And subsequent meetings don’t get much better. However, at one very special dinner, and with some very strong statements made to Owen, the tide changes, thus leading to a wonderful story of second chances.

This is such a good story!! Well plotted, beautifully drawn characters, and a wonderfully described scenic backdrop makes this a perfect read. I very much enjoyed this book and I do recommend it!

3 Stars

This was a cute story. Grumpy Sunshine turned hotty sunshine. I loved the found family and of course the Ireland setting. It was a nice little quick read that will make you smile. The female narrator was great but the male narrator did not do female voices well so his parts weren't as enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape media for the opportunity to listen to this book.

This is a cozy romance about 2 people Cordelia and Niall who are trying to start over and find there new path. Both are heartbroken for different reasons.

Cordelia goes to Ireland for the summer and Niall comes home. What they don't know they will spend the summer growing and From the town and there friendships and each other they start to come back to themselves and discovery new passions. Its set in a small town in Ireland and it makes it for a beautiful backdrop for this story.

The people in the town are a great side character and makes you enjoy every part if this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for this audio ARC!

i read amy’s first trilogy and was so excited to see she’d switched genres years later to a contemporary romance nonetheless! and, as i am partial to the irish, i KNEW i had to get my hands on this one way or another- and i definitely wasn’t disappointed!

she was a cute lil romance with writing that surprised me (in the best way) in comparison to her previous work and i found myself giggling, swooning, and kicking my feet galore. the narrator did a fabulous job of encapsulating this character and i can’t wait to read more from her!

3.5 ⭐️

this was a cute book! the audio was fun and the narrators brought the story to life very well. there were times I felt lulls in the story and I wanted to jump to the next exciting part but overall I liked it. the setting was fun and cute!

I just finished The Irish Goodbye by Amy Ewing audiobook - Narrated by Keval Shah; June DeBorahae and here are my thoughts.


Cordelia James had the kind of career other photographers only dream of. Big social media following, gallery showings of her street photos and a book deal. Her whole world unravels after the death of her father. She cannot bring herself to take a photo, she cannot get herself out of her bed.

Knowing she has to do something she makes the snap decision to answer an ad for a short term position in Ireland. The second she arrives she crashes into Niall, a local man nursing a broken heart…. He makes her drop her camera and their rivalry begins.

The more they are thrown together by circumstance, the more they realize they have things in common and are awakening something inside them both.

* Grumpy/sunshine CHECK
* Sexy Irish Accent CHECK
* Enemies to lovers CHECK
* Small town CHECKKKKKK

The narration is perfection in this book. I don’t think they could have done a better job. They brought Cordelia and Niall to life for me and the rest of the characters. Everyone is quirky and lively and I needed that in this book.

Cordelia has let her life slip through her fingers after the loss of her dad. She forgot how to live. Niall finds that his girl is having an affair with his business partner and has to walk away from the restaurant they were opening as well. They needed each other in the best ways. They reminded each other that one road bump doesn’t mean the road has ended.


I loved the storyline. I found the romance came on quickly considering they didn’t like each other at first but I didn’t care I was so ready for that. It was a fast pace cute romance with a little steam and you should add it to your summer reading.

4 stars

Thank you to @netgalley and @dreamscapemedia for my gifted ALC

This book made me want to quit my job and spend the summer in Ireland. Cordelia and Niall are both struggling in life, and it was so enjoyable to see them heal together. Overall, this was a really fun read; however, I really wanted more from the ending. The ending kind of felt abrupt, and I wish there were more to the epilogue.

Cordelia has had a rough year. After her dad dies she has had a hard time finding herself and the joy in making art again. When she stumbles upon an opportunity to spend her summer in Ireland on a small island called Inishmore taking care of an old lady she jumps at it. On the first day, she literally bumps into a rude Irishman and breaks her camera. Later on, she discovers that the rude Irishman is the son of the local pub owner coming back home from Dublin to run away from his big city troubles. And so the grumpy meets sunshine summer romance begins.

"The Irish Goodbye" is a rather fast-paced summer romance with some added steam. Cordelia and Niall started as enemies and slowly eased into being friends and became lovers. The enemies-to-lovers part felt way too rushed and didn't give me the satisfaction a nice summery enemies-to-lovers should give. Their romance went from 0 to 100%, and the conflict midway (okay, 77% into the book) was just bland and pointless, and I felt it was just due to lazy writing. The characters lacked personality and the comic relief character was also written in a rather boring way.

So overall I'd give it 2.25 stars, considering it wasn't the author's debut. So overall I'd give it 2.5 stars, considering it wasn't the author's debut. I wouldn't recommend it unless you're really into summer romances and want to devour in them the whole summer.

I'd like to thank Netgalley, the publisher and the author for giving me a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

oh my goodness, i adored this book so much. i'm not even surprised, i'm a sucker for most books set in ireland. i just fell in love with the town & it's people. it was a phenomenal love story, but also a great read about family, grief and reinventing your dreams. cordelia & niall were such well written characters & i loved their love even though i could've done without the third act break up. that being said, i need everyone to read this book as so as possible!

The Irish Goodbye by Amy Ewing falls into one of my very favorite niche categories: Running away to Ireland due to an existential crisis & a deep want to avoid our personal issues. (It’s truly my dream to just leave one day, go to Ireland, & never return!) Did I also pick it up for the potential Leap Year movie vibes? Why yes, yes I did? And it truly delivered on that. We have the American woman, Cordelia, who has recently lost her dad & is struggling to process her grief, so she books an extended trip to Ireland. And she clashes - literally - with the local town rebel, Niall, just as he’s returning to his small town after losing his fiancée & his dream restaurant in one go. (The literal clashing comes from these two colliding on the street right as Cordelia leaves the airport.) What follows is a journey of processing grief, finding joy, new adventures, & some truly delightful side characters. Overall, a lovely book that makes me throw my cares away & book that ticket to Ireland!

I specifically read this book via audiobook, so I wanted to make sure that I include that in my notes. This audiobook has dual narrators, which I love (& prefer). Both performances were solid & great quality; the accents were amazing & they gave all the characters distinctive voices. (But for my Letterkenny girlies, please know that whenever the male narrator does a female voice - other than the FMC, Cordelia - it honestly sounds like Shoresy & I truly couldn’t unhear it ha. But I promise, no stars were knocked for this!)

This is a great book to add to your vacation reads list as it gives all the best travel & escapism vibes!

Thank you to NetGalley & Dreamscape Media for sharing the advance audiobook copy with me. All thoughts & opinions expressed are my own.