Wow. Wowowowowowowow. This book was so well-crafted! And it's a DEBUT?! WOW. I was expecting something more like Finlay Donovan, but I was overwhelmed by the depth of the beauty and heartache woven between generations. I recommend keeping a notebook handy to keep track of how all of the characters are connected, but this story is absolutely worth giving your heart to I can't wait to recommend this to everyone when it releases!

This book's blurb was not what I expected at all to how the book actually was- but ultimately I liked it!. This had a healthy mix of quirky and kinda spy mystery with a healthy dose of WWII historical fiction.

This book was laugh out loud hilarious, sad and fun all at the same time.

Thank you so much Netgalley for the eArc in exchange for my honest review!

I’ll be honest—I'm exhausted by WWII and Holocaust fiction. It’s not that these stories aren’t important (they are), but after so many books that tread the same ground, I often feel like I know exactly what’s coming. That’s why "Bearer of Bad News" was a nice surprise. Elisabeth Dini has crafted something fresh, blending mystery, humor, and historical intrigue in a way that caught me off guard. The setup is kind of absurd: Lucy, a down-on-her-luck Vegas hairdresser, takes a job delivering cryptic bad news in exchange for an all-expenses-paid trip to the Italian Dolomites. What starts as a quirky, low-stakes gig morphs into an international mystery involving stolen WWII-era jewels, feuding sisters, and long-buried secrets.

Lucy is an engaging protagonist—messy, funny, and self-deprecating. Her narration keeps things light, even as the story digs into some weighty themes. The dual timeline structure (modern-day misadventure mixed with historical documents) occasionally slowed the pacing down, but it paid off in the end. I especially loved the book’s setting—the author brings the Dolomites to life with such vivid descriptions that I was ready to book a flight. However, the ending felt just a tad unfinished, especially with Lucy's mother and Lucy's two possible love interests. Unless there's a sequel coming, I would have liked just a little more closure there.

If you’re burned out on WWII fiction but still love a good historical mystery, this one is worth picking up. It’s got heart, humor, and just enough twists to keep things interesting.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

3.5 - I had a hard time keeping track of what was going on at the beginning, but enjoyed it more as the story went on. There is a lot of mystery as part of the main character trying to share the bad news!

This book was like, such a whirlwind! What starts as a quirky, kinda hilarious escape to Italy with Lucy—who, let’s face it, is a lovable mess—takes a sharp left turn into something way deeper. Picture sassy Vegas vibes meets a decades-old WWII mystery, with secrets, stolen treasures, and betrayal galore. Not exactly what I was expecting from the synopsis, but honestly, it worked. Mostly.

The mix of humor and historical drama gave me emotional whiplash (in a good way... again, mostly). Lucy’s journey was fun and chaotic, but the historical flashbacks were, like, super heavy. They added depth, but also, I found myself needing to reread a few parts to keep up. The quirky present-day moments helped lighten things up, though. Oh, and the setting? Total wanderlust vibes. The Dolomites practically stole the show.

Lucy was super relatable with her “my life is a disaster, so why not take this weird job?” energy. I just wish some of the other relationships—especially with her grandma—got a little more love. And while the ending tied things up pretty well, I kinda wanted a bit more oomph to the big reveal. Overall, this one’s got mystery, drama, and plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. A unique blend that’s worth a read if you’re into unexpected twists and lots of heart.

I'd like to express my gratitude to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Absolutely loved this book! The writing flows so easily, it’s funny and fun. Starts off as a lighthearted mystery with loveable characters ( I think we all need an Adam in our lives), and then goes a little deeper with the WW II backstory. Just enough heart to make it touching without making you cry for hours on end. I also enjoyed reading the authors note with the historical pieces entwined within the story, added a level of depth to it. Pick up a copy, read it and enjoy!

4.5 stars

After discovering that her fiancé has been cheating on her with someone from his improv class, Lucy finds herself desperate for a change of scenery. Enter a most unusual job, a Bearer of Bad News causing Lucy to be launched into a world of betrayal and greed involving eighty-year-old secrets, stolen jewels, and a World War II-era mystery. The book headed in a different direction and contained more depth (and humor) than I expected, and Dini weaves in timely themes of heartbreak, resilience, and what we owe each other as humans. For fans of genre mashups and compelling reads.

3.5 stars. An interesting mix of a light hearted, comedic, modern day story with historical glimpses from such a difficult time during WWII. The humor/quirks from the main character’s story was a nice way to balance the harsh realities of the war. I found the entries/records at the end of each chapter were initially very confusing and tough to follow/keep straight, but I ended up really looking forward to them (once I started piecing the names & stories together).

Thank you Net Galley!

The cover and synopsis immediately caught my attention! When Las Vegas hairdresser Lucy Rey hits rock bottom after discovering her fiancé's infidelity, she realizes she needs a new job to stay afloat financially. While scanning the classifieds, she stumbles upon a unique opportunity: a bearer of bad news. The job comes with an all-expenses-paid trip to the Italian Dolomites and a $25,000 bonus upon delivering the news to its intended recipient. This mission plunges her into a World War II mystery that unfolds in the most unexpected ways.

The beginning of the book had me hooked, but the historical storyline lost some of its grip on me. There was a lot happening, and I felt the relationships, especially between Lucy and her grandmother, weren't as fully developed as I would have liked. Overall, it was an enjoyable read, though at times a bit challenging to follow.

This book was such a pleasant surprise. Lucy, who is operating among a hot mess of a life, gets hired to be a bearer of bad news. Along her journey in Italy, we get flashbacks to events from WWII. This book was not at all what I was expecting, but definitely kept me engaged and questioning what would happen next. Such a fun read to start off 2025!

Okay first of all, the author’s note deserves all the heart emojis. Also the concept of this book was so intriguing to me.

This book is a split timeline between WW2 and a finding yourself across the country, Eat,Pray, Love type story. The present day portion is very quick paced and kept my interest but the historical fiction was not necessarily my cup of tea. However, this book is still a very cute read and I can’t wait to read more from this author!

3.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc!

This book was not quite what I was expecting because the cover was a frolic and Lucy
was not at all what you’d expect for the part she played in the role fashioned with the
fictional Bearer of Bad news. The story did take the reader on an adventure to the
Italian Dolomites, and the historical component was good, if not unexpected. Lucy,
desperately in need of so much, finds herself involved and looking to be well
paid, but the task becomes so much more than she expected. Parts of the book
required an awful to to get through, but it’s worth it to follow the money.
My thanks to Gallery Books for the download of this book for review purposes.

“The Bearer of Bad News” by Elizabeth Dini is a unique story. The concept of the book intrigued me immediately. The idea that a young unemployed hairdresser would accept a job to be the bearer of bad news and deliver it to a person in an estranged family in the Dolomites sounded fun and adventurous. Unfortunately for me, the book became a complex story of the hairdressers all expense journey muddled with feuding sisters trying to recover a Nazi stolen artifact from WWII. Told in duel time lines, I found the historical portion hard to follow and the current family drama with our heroine and her aging movie star grandmother unsympathetic.

From other reviews I see people feel very differently so it may be this book was just not for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 rounded up to 4.

The cover and first chunk of this book are completely different than where this book netted out. Even the genre’s listed on goodreads “mystery” and “contemporary” don’t feel right. I thought this was going to be a lighthearted ~finding yourself~ book but it was more of a deep cut finding yourself with WWII details. I think I liked the bouncing back between quirkiness and heaviness but the historical fiction aspect of this book was not at all what I thought I was going to get and I think anyone picking this up would be surprised by it based on the blurb. Also, it might have been the formatting of the ARC but I felt the flashback documents were a little hard to follow.

Felt like the author’s note made me like this book a lot more too, which doesn’t happen too often.

TY netgalley for the ARC.

3/5 stars - This book took me awhile to get into. I thought it was going to be different. I will comeback to it in the future when for when i’m in the mood for more mystery ! :)

I think this book gave Lucy a new adventure in the aftermath of heartbreaking news about her fiancé. I personally lost interest at times, having a harder time connecting to Lucy as a narrator, but the writing overall was smart!

❤️❤️❤️❤️/5

Don’t let this cute book cover fool you! This book has a mixture of mystery, WW II history, and a little a bit of romance.

What I liked:

The author put A LOT of research! She based the names of the women fictional characters to the different women in history who risked or gave their lives to fight against the Nazis.

Lucy was such a fun character. She was kinda of a mess but so lovable

the balance between comedy and heavy topics like WWII

What I had hard time with:

Took me a while to get into it because hard time keeping track to the alternating timelines

A unique blend of quirky spy/mystery and serious WWII historical fiction to create a novel I was unable to put down. The novel is told from one POV but has historical artifacts such as letters and case files mixed into the story to provide context for the historical fiction aspect of this novel.

I felt an immediate connection to the female main character, Lucy, is sassy, strong willed and cunning. After her life is upended she accepts a unique job as "Bearer of Bad News" that takes her on a journey to Italy to uncover the truth behind an 80 year mystery wrapped in WWII secrets and betrayal.

If you are looking for a lighthearted historical fiction novel I would highly recommend this one!

Thank you Gallory Books for the ARC.

I love movies and books about quests through Europe so I was very excited to be approved for this book. Refreshing premise about a bad news bearer (is that a real job?) set in Europe. It is a bit confusing with the way the flashbacks are written which made it hard to follow because a lot of characters were introduced. The names were also a bit pretentious.

Lucy's life just went from generally dull to unaccountably awful. An accidental photo showed her fiancé in an amorous embrace with another man. His "work" trips have become exceedingly more explainable. Lucy is about to lose her apartment (not that she liked it anyway) but has nowhere else to go, and has never been that great at her salon job. Coming across a questionably chance advertisement for a bearer of bad news job, Lucy thinks, "why not?" and applies. She of course gets the job which sends her to Switzerland where she slowly begins realizing she is connected to both the author and intended recipient of the bad news and those origins trace back to mistaken identities and a Nazi-stolen necklace worth millions.

I expected something completely different in this book, and ended up with much more of a drama story than one with comedic vibes. Lucy quickly across as very troubled and not exactly stable. I was glad to see her finally see her own stubbornness in the rift with her grandmother. Many parts of this book were confusing for me - I had a hard time keeping the characters in the flash backs straight.