🔎✨This book is NOT FUNNY or HUMOROUS in any way🌍💌

This had a unique blend of mystery, history, and personal discovery set against the stunning backdrop of the Italian Dolomites. While this intriguing journey begins with a great premise, it quickly transforms into a series of nonstop flashbacks of betrayal, secrets, and family dynamics. 🏞️🔍

Lucy Rey, a Las Vegas hairdresser reeling from her fiancé's infidelity, finds herself in an unusual job delivering a mysterious message across the globe. What starts as an adventurous escapade with the promise of financial reward soon morphs into an unexpected dive into World War II secrets and stolen jewelry—a past that is more intricately linked to her than she ever realized. 💫🔒

Dini’s story is layered, intertwining a light, modern-day quest with the weighty echoes of historical events. As the narrative unfolds, Lucy is more than just a bearer of bad news; she becomes a catalyst in a saga of long-held grudges and secrets buried since the wartime era. While the book addresses themes of history and legacy, some might find the transitions between timelines and the complexity of the family drama somewhat challenging to navigate. 🕰️💼

The flashbacks and layered storylines feel overwhelming, with the pacing occasionally disjointed, affecting the smoothness of the reading experience. Some readers might find the mix of modern quirkiness juxtaposed with historical gravitas created a huge tonal imbalance. 🤔📜

Overall, I have no idea what I just read. Was this a serious tale of family betrayal told in annoyingly placed flashbacks or a women's fiction book for finding yourself after being cheated on? I don't even know how to describe this to someone else if they asked - is it a mystery, a romance, women's fiction...???

I’m not the target audience for this book, though I’m sure others will enjoy it. While the book is quirky, it’s not funny the way I expected based on the description. The opening is slow-paced, with more telling than showing. DNF after chapter 2.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This book was not what I was expecting. It was written well and flowed nicely, just was not for me.

DNF @21% // Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing me with an ARC

This book put me in my first reading slump of the year. I had to DNF it after I didn’t pick it up for several days because I was not invested in any of the characters or the plot and I had no interest in reading it AT ALL. I had a goal to not DNF a single book this year but after 3 straight months of being obsessed with reading, this book made me not want to read a single page. I still don’t want to read even a few days after reading this.

I found the main character quite annoying. She gets this sketchy invitation to deliver bad news to some random person in Europe and gets this huge lawyer agreement thing that could ruin her life if broken, and SHE DOESNT EVEN TAKE IT SERIOUSLY???? Her friends even say how crazy this is. She goes to some random town having to google the person who gave her this task because SHE DIDNT USE A REAL NAME??? WHY?!?!?! And she doesnt know what the person she is trying to find even looks like. I just can’t wrap my head around this. Good for the plot, but there are too many plot holes with this to make me like it. Yes, she’s grieving her relationship but nobody would act like this in real life. Why couldn’t the other person just email the bad news?? Or send a letter?? Why did MC have to go to Europe??

This book is stated to be “sharply funny and moving” and for me it was neither. I was looking for a fun mystery where I could laugh along with the characters and one where I would fall in love with the characters. I didn’t care for any characters and I didn’t find any humor, instead I thought the overall premise was so unrealistic but not in a funny way.

I don’t think I will be reading from this author again. I didn’t like the writing style that much. It was disappointing to me because I went into this expecting to like it a lot.

What a ride. I got to love Lucy, who is facing a breakup and finds herself in a real personal crisis as she has to evaluate what she wants. Estranged from her only known living family, she answers an ad to go to Europe and deliver bad news.
Lucy is awkward and funny and likeable, but somehow gets blamed for breaking an influencer's camera and has to hide out. But there is so much more going on! I found myself laughing and then, at the end, crying, as Lucy learned about family secrets dating back to WWII.
I ended up loving this and hope we get more adventures with Lucy. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

A very different book then the synopsis led to believe. Was prepared for a certain type of book and found something very different. It was a great read with lots of cleverly crafted plot twists. A little hard to keep track of the characters with all the back a forth. Print edition is probably an easier read then ARC.

What a read! I am beyond pleasantly surprised by the depth, layers and emotions throughout BEARER OF BAD NEWS. Lucy is a hairdresser from Las Vegas and is hired to deliver some bad news. We are then transported to the Dolomites and taken on an adventure that includes an influencer, some mishaps that will make you laugh, some flirty romances...but also on a trek into at so many women did to stand up in resistance during WWII. I felt myself become more and more invested in the story as the plot unfolded. I really appreciated Dini's views on using our voices, doing our part, standing up for good and using the examples from WWII that will certainly have the reader thinking. I found myself taking screenshots of quotes, feeling inspired and fired up and also crying throughout...while also chuckling along the way.

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

This was an interesting reading experience. I'm pretty good at knowing what books I'll like based on the cover and the description. I adore this cover and loved the book's description, but in this case, after having read the book, I feel that there's a mismatch between those elements and the book itself. I generally don't gravitate toward WWII plots and that played a fairly significant role here (serious in tone).

The book is kind of a dual timeline plot with the main story (Lucy is a very entertaining character, and her growth arc was enjoyable and satisfying) and interstitial chapters written as interoffice memos/communications. Readers who enjoy WWII history will probably embrace these.

I mention Lucy's character journey, because to me that was the highlight of the book. So much wisdom dropped along the way through her observations in the face of adversity and in the face of success. Her story alone kept me turning the pages!

I received an ARC of this book; opinions are my own,

A light-hearted, funny book that manages to handle a sensitive topic with grace. Lucy is asked to become a Bearer of Bad News and travel across the world to give someone bad news. Lots of hijinks and an interesting cast of characters await her!

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!