Loved it and would give the book 4.5 stars!! Love that the girls all have a gift, even if Nora denies it. Fosco Falconeri was an awful man. He was a horrible husband and father. Did he love his children? The torment he put his wife through. He sent his daughter to a mental hospital. I don't understand how Nora idolizes him? She can't believe he did anything bad and that everyone else must be lying. He boasted to Bianca about killing their mother. There was definitely something wrong with him. What was the real reason behind Fosco's will? Did her do it on purpose? Was he trying to hurt Lucrezia? Did he think she could save Casalta? Gabriella saved them all. She gave the girls a chance to reunite. It's hard to believe the sisters were apart from each other for so long. Family members were kept apart because of lies and secrets. I knew who had to have helped Emmeline, which caused Fosco even more hatred. There's a story between Bianca and Lorenzo. Lorenzo has so much anger and it can't all be from the accident. They are hiding something. It was easy to see that Vanni and Lucrezia were perfect for each other. There was no love between her and Claude. Claude just needed someone to manage his job. Loved getting to know all the characters, especially the sisters. I was shocked when someone suddenly showed up. It was unexpected, but a good surprise. The description of Italy was beautiful and would love to visit.

Definitely recommend the book. Loved everything about it- the story, writing style and characters. It's full of love, tragedy, family relationships, forgiveness, tons of secrets and lies and so much more. Loved the magic surrounding the family. Hopefully there's more books in the series. There's so much more to learn about the sisters. Look forward to reading more books by the author. Love the cover of the book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bookouture through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Lucrezia was just twelve when her mother died
She was unable to cope, no matter how she tried.
Her twin sister went quiet, her younger ones didn't understand
Their father sent her away to a new country and land.

Twelve years later, she hears her father has passed
So now she can return to her family at long last.
How will they greet her, what will she discover?
Why was she sent away, can the truth she recover?

A story with a mystery involving the four sisters together
With heartbreak and fresh starts, more possibilities than ever.
There are also revelations and even new chances
Together with the possibility of romances.

There are shocking revelations and so much to do
Nothing is straightforward, there's much to get through.
Can discovering secrets from the past
Help heal hearts at long last?

A beautiful story, an emotive read
In which finding the truth is what they all need.
For my copy of this book I say a huge thank you
As I share with you this, my honest review.

Such a great read! Highly recommend this one.

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

In this fascinating and complex women’s fiction novel, readers meet the Falconeri sisters Bianca, Lucrezia, Nora, and Mia shortly after their father’s death. Lucrezia, isolated and separated from her family, childhood home, and old friend for over a decade, has to rebuild these relationships because they all thought she had abandoned them, not knowing why she had disappeared all those years ago. As she rediscovers her childhood home and learns about her sisters’ lives, Lucrezia must also grapple with her father’s death, his secrets, and what it means for her family. The first book in Sacerdoti’s newest series, the four sisters are all unique, complex, and dynamic; while Lucrezia dominates the book, her other sisters have their chances to shine and promise to have equally fascinating storylines and character arcs. Set in the Tuscan countryside, location is particularly important in this book, as the family home of Casalta is an unifying thread throughout the book. The emotional storyline, developed through individual characters and through their interactions with each other, is incredibly strong, and the sisters’ evolving dynamic is particularly complex, detailed, and immersive. For those interested in family dynamics and family secrets, this is a fantastically intricate and emotional novel.

Atmospheric and tense with hints of magic and scenes of both cruelty and beauty -- to me, THE TUSCAN SISTER has much of what I look for a novel. I loved reading about Lucrezia, one of four Tuscan sisters, who is sent away when she is young, returning home to get her questions finally answered and to see if long-abandoned relationships can be reignited. I loved Sacerdoti's use of language, the images she created and the elegant and stirring way she explored Lucrezia's passions--her fury, her confusion, and her love even for those she believes once hurt her. I'm so glad to know that the other sisters will be getting their own stories, too!

I was introduced to the #TheTuscanSistersseries with this gripping & heartbreaking page-turner packed full of family secrets. This book is of Lucrezia’s story. Each book to follow will be the story of a different sister. I’m excited for the rest of the series.
Thank you, Daniela Sacerdoti, Bookouture, & netgalley, for my copy! All opinions are my own.

This was my first read by Daniella Sacerdoti. The Tuscan Sister is the first of a four-part series about four sisters, two of which are twins, whose father has recently died, and Lucrezia must find her way home to Tuscany for the first time in over a decade.

Sent away at a young age for reasons sprinkled throughout the novel, I got a good sense of the family dynamics that rule many sisters because each family member remembers their time together in their first family from different perspectives. And boy, did the author make this a considerable part of her storyline.

In short, I loved this book. It was not only a great historical fiction novel set in a beautiful setting in Tuscany, Italy, but the author used words almost magically to describe her characters' emotions and the tiniest details of their thoughts and environments.

Told from Lucrezia’s perspective, she leaves a lackluster relationship with a chef behind for a few days and, after reconnecting with her sisters, realizes that maybe settling for a chef she doesn’t love isn’t what she wants in life.

The plot was intriguing, and the emotions were raw and well-told. The imagery took me back to Tuscany, a place I visited over fifteen years ago. To say the family dynamic was strained is an understatement. Still, the author revealed some family truths via interesting and captivating dialogue, and the sisters' interesting backstories and personal beliefs about the family completed the plot.

This is a four-star read all the way around with a hint of magic as the sisters all seem to have a special gift about them, which wraps up in an ending I expected but enjoyed.

I want to thank Net Galley, the author and the publisher, for the opportunity to read this advanced copy of a wonderful story for free. This review is voluntary and is mine alone.

This was a great story about family but not exactly my typical genre. However, I really enjoyed it and thought there was great nostalgia and great representation of grief in it!

I'll be mentioning it on my youtube channel and August wrap up on Instagram under @bookbrandhannah

We follow Lulu one of 4 sisters in Casalata 1970’s and Paris 1985.
Four sisters, four stories, 4 books! This is book one, this is Lulu’s story.
Returning to the home she was sent from on the news her strict father died, there are many things she and her sisters must face. You can’t turn the clock back or rewind time.
It’s such an emotional journey, laced with memories, grief, happiness, and so many emotions and internal triggers. Great book. 5 Stars.

The first in a series of four books about a Tuscan family, Lulu is the first sister and hers is a story that I could not put down. Banished from the family home as a child she returns for the funeral of her father and all sorts of family secrets start to unravel. The characters, setting and storyline are all very colourful and I can't wait for the next book to be released

The Tuscan Sister is the first in a new series from Daniela Sacerdoti which will follow the lives of the four Falconeri sisters. Series following sisters or women seems to be becoming quite popular with some Bookouture authors and I am loving it as it brings continuity to books and always leaves you wanting more. This is a modern story and was a welcome break from the abundance of historical fiction that I have been reading lately. The setting of Tuscany is fabulous and through such wonderful and detailed descriptions the setting jumps off the pages and really helps set the atmosphere and tone for the story. This was a quick and relaxing read with some very good twists and turns as the fall out from one event for a family is explored.

This book focuses on Lucrezia (Lulu) who has been in exile from the family home, Casalta, for over twelve years ever since she was only twelve years old. The vineyards, olive groves and special house had been her haven and sanctuary until terrible events turned into a place of loneliness and heartache. Her mother is found dead on the hillside and in the months that follow she has been rebelling and has become uncontrollable. It’s her way of dealing with everything and with a father who seems to care little for the four young girls left without a mother who could blame her for acting out in this manner. Her twin Bianca can’t reach her to offer comfort and solace and her younger sisters Eleonara (Nora) and Maria (Mia) themselves needing a strong figure they can do little to help. Each sister is blessed with a gift which manifests itself differently in different generations. This could have come across as too farfetched but it was woven very well throughout the plot. Lucrezia can see people’s inner emotions and thoughts as halos of colour around their body. The way Lucrezia is feeling now her halo is undoubtedly black as she is full of anger and rage at the loss of her mother.

A surprising event sees her banished from the house and to be honest I couldn’t believe that this was happening to a 12 year old and when the reasons for it are explained it very much seemed a complete over reaction and there was no way she should have been excluded from her family. It demonstrated what a cruel and callous man her father, Fasco, was. He ruled the house and his business with an iron fist and was not the loving male figure the girls needed in their lives with their mother gone. I did initially think where can the story go from here? We know why Lucrezia was banned and what else could be said about it but the author had lots in store for her readers and as the story moves to focus more on the modern day with brief glimpses into the past a fascinating tale unfolds and Lucrezia finds herself in a very difficult position.

In the present day, Lucrezia is living in Paris and is in a relationship with Claude, a famous chef. Whilst attending an event she sees something which she thought was just her eyes playing a trick on her and then she receives a phone call which changes everything. Her father has died and she must return for the funeral. The love she has for her sisters shines through here as she has not been back to Casalta since she was sent away and though tempted to leave things that way deep down she knows that she must return and in doing so hopefully she can put old demons to rest. ‘I longed for it, yet the darkest part of me also longed to see it disappear destroyed with all the awful memories it carried’.

I thought it was very admirable and brave to go back considering the heartbreak and devastation that had been enforced upon her. She has had little or no communication with anyone since she left and the reasons for this and the backstory to everything are tantalising drip fed to the reader. You become indignant at what Lucrezia was forced to endure and question why didn’t someone do more to help her? Yes she is filled with bitterness, fury, anger and resentment but yet the reader could see there is a pat of her that wants to find resolution, acceptance and forgiveness. Forgiveness on all the sisters parts for the role they played in everything. For Lucrezia, Tuscany and Casalta bring about mixed emotions but now she must confront everything and be prepared for the consequences.’ I loved it. I loathed it, I longed for it, a combination that pulled and tugged at my heart so violently, it left my head spinning’.

Lucrezia arrives at Casalta to find in some ways everything has remained the same but there are changes around the corner that will be challenging to traverse. Brief information is provided about the other sisters and knowing there are more books to come in the series I found myself trying to suss out what there stories could be about and Nora is the one whose story I am really keen to read. Bianca, Nora and Mia have been at Casalta living with their father whereas Lucrezia has seen more of the world through no fault of her own. I didn’t like the way Nora reacted to Lucrezia’s homecoming. I felt they should have welcomed her with open arms but there were a lot of secrets and things no one knew and that’s why this couldn’t have happened. Only for she loved her sisters so much I thought Lucrezia would have upped sticks and fled back to Paris when she hears some very unsettling news that places her in a very awkward position. It was almost as if her tyrant of a father was playing mind games with her from the grave. After all that was done to her you wouldn’t have blamed her for abandoning everyone as was done to her so many years ago. ’I just wanted to go back to Paris, where everything was regimented, contained, all my walls were safely up and my heart was locked away’.

There are so many things not said, plenty of misunderstandings and of course secrets that are uncovered the further the story develops. Some of them seemed to come out of nowhere and be a bit just too convenient and at one point I did find myself thinking oh of course this happened and this is just too easy. I understood the necessity for their inclusion so as to allow other things to happen but a slight more secrecy to the build up of the reveal I felt was necessary. The inclusion of the Ovali family really helped bring the story full circle but I did think the plot regarding Vani although helped me understand the bigger picture being explored, it did feel too rushed. To be honest I wouldn’t have minded if he hadn’t been included because Lucrezia and her story were strong enough without him. Lucrezia showed such grit, courage, determination and above all else strength as she waded against the tide of change. She was a remarkable character and readers will identify with her and feel great empathy for her.

In the end notes Daniela Sacerdoti said she is painting the sisters world one novel at a time and that sums up this book perfectly. There are hints that there is lots more to unravel about the sisters and after this very promising start I hope the wait for book two won’t be too long. Family and sisterly relations, secrets, the sense of belonging and so many complicated feelings are explored in The Tuscan Sister and I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book. It was a really good read that left me wanting to know more about the other Falconeri sisters.

Lucrezia has recently lost her father and retuning to her childhood home in Tuscany is not something she is looking forward to. She wants to confide in her sisters and tell them the truth as to why she really left all those years ago. Her father has left a mountain of debt and her home is at stake. She is determined to save the only home she has ever known and will do everything possible to keep from losing it. When Lucrezia runs into her long lost love, Vanni all the feelings she had for him resurface. He wants to help her save her family’s home and in doing so she must uncover the truth to the lies she has always believed.

The Tuscan Sister, written by author Daniela Sacerdoti is a heartbreaking and amazing story of returning home to family. I loved the storyline and the family saga made this an unputdownable rapid page turner. Sacerdoti’s vivid description of Tuscany made this a much needed escape. I loved the rolling hills and I could actually smell the roses and rosemary wafting in the air. This story of returning home is a masterpiece and gives the reader hope of going back. I truly enjoy this author’s writing style, with awesome and smooth flow to her stories. I really enjoyed Lucrezia’s story and found myself cheering her on. I wanted her to find happiness at home. I loved this amazing story of love and family and is one that I highly recommend.

A rich and deeply evocative novel about family, nostalgia and longing. Everything I love about Daniela Sacerdoti and probably my favourite book of hers.

BookTok review to follow.

The first of the series about four sisters whose lives have been wrenched one way and then another.
Lucrezia was tossed away by her father whose cruelty reached epic proportions but he got what he deserved.
Many secrets are revealed but I empathized with Nora’s attitude toward one character who makes a surprise appearance, Forgiveness doesn’t come easy.
I,liked that it was set in 1985 and that the sisters were named and modeled after four paintings.
I wonder whose story will appear next.

This is the first book in a four part series about a family of four sisters in Tuscany. Daniela writes beautiful descriptions of the Tuscan countryside. There’s dark secrets & deception. The dual timeline narrates the events of 1973, when Lucrezia (Lulu) is only 12, & 1985 when she is 24. This is Lucrezia’s story. Subsequent books will be about the other sisters. Bianca is her older twin sister, & Nora (horse-lover), & Mia (artist) are her younger sisters. Emotions are raw & fraught. The story is sometimes heart-warming, & at times heart-wrenching. (I didn’t like the auras). Late in the story there’s twists & important revelations. This book is complete in itself.

A story about family and one sister returning to their family home. This is book one in a new series. It’s very descriptive and well written. It has some secrets and a little magic to it. It’s a good start to this series.

Fantastic new read from Daniela ,a fabulous story so well written and beautifully descriptive. The Tuscan Sister is a wonderful story full of good characters, some nice, some not so nice , but all good in their own way.,Highly recommended.

When Lucrezia returns to the family home upon hearing of her father’s death, she knows that confronting her sisters will be emotional. She had been sent to boarding school as a young child, after the death of her mother, never to return until she feels safe to do so. Whilst her sisters welcome her home, she is unsure of the response from Vanni, her childhood friend. When she discovers that her father left debts that threaten to cost them the house, Lucrezia feels passionate about doing all she can to save their home. Yet, Lucrezia still wonders about her mother and soon she discovers that there are still secrets that must be uncovered, before she feels truly at ease in her home.
The plot was well paced with emotions flying freeing throughout the story. The description of the Tuscan countryside is well described, helping to justify the ties that the sisters all feel to their home. I did feel that the romance between Lucrezia and Yanni was strained and I would have like to have read more about them together when they were younger to understand the depth of their feelings. An entertaining read,
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Another amazing story from this author. Love, loss, families reconciliation with the backdrop of Tuscany and Paris. A multigenerational saga. I loved the story, the characters, I was rooting for the sisters throughout and was invested in each of their journeys.

Lucrezia is an Italian woman who lives in Paris where she is the assistant and partner of a famous French chef. When Lulu receives news that her father has died the reader soon discovers that she is not living abroad of her own free will and that there have been serious issues with her father who sent her away when she was a young girl.
Her sisters welcome her back and Lulu is happy to be finally home in Tuscany only to discover that her father has left te four sisters heavily in debt. She also renews her acquaintance with Vanni, a boy who was her friend and for whom she developed a crush at the time she was sent away but who is also one of the sons of the family her father was in a feud with for decades. What's more, Lorenzo, Vanni's older brother had an eye on the sisters family home.

The story is interesting enough with just a whiff of the supernatural in it, the sisters all have a peculiar "gift" but somehow I found this book lacking in comparison to previous books I read by Daniela Sacerdoti. All the ingredients are there: past romance, intricate family relationships, suspicious death, nice Tuscan landscape etcetera, but somehow I got the feeling that emotions are switched on and off like you push a light switch. transitions are to abrupt and there is no real development in feelings and character.

Well, it still is a decent enough read and the setting is lovely, I would love to see the frescoes that the two woman painted in the house.
Three stars for the setting and the general story, I just think it could have been better.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.