4.5 stars

Amy Lea's writing never misses 🙌🏻 I was concerned going into this that I wouldn't enjoy it as much as her other books because the characters are younger (early college age) and I find I often struggle to relate to them. However, this was not the case at all in Something Like Fate.

Lo & Geller's friendship was so fun. The weird fate love triangle worked weirdly well for me.


Thanks to NetGalley & Skyscape for an advance copy 🫶🏻

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️

A contemporary romance dealing with the concept of soulmates set in Italy? It’s like a mad libs designed specifically for me!

As someone who spent a summer in Italy at age 20, I really loved the descriptions of locations and just the overall experience really resonated! I also really liked Lo and Teller— and their dynamic.

Read if you love:
- friends to lovers
- magical realism
- travel romances
- Italy

Thanks to Skyscape, Amy Lea and Netgalley for the free eARC!

I just don’t think this book was for me, but it would appeal to others who liked her previous work.. though it is a bit different. This had some magical realism in it that I was not prepared for.

Review originally posted on March 4, 2025 on FYA blog:

Cover Story: Fancy Shower?

Is it a tiled spa floor, is it a tiled bathroom wall? We’ll never know!

The Deal:

Lo Zhao-Jensen’s female family members have been fortune tellers as far back as they can remember with the unique ability to foretell their own soulmate. Lo has lived with the shame of being the only one without this ability UNTIL a hot summer night between freshman and sophomore year at college, when the vision hits her in the middle of a make-out sesh.

The timing is perfect, actually, because it foretells that she will meet The One during her backpacking trip to Italy. Lo and her college roommate, Bianca, will be following the itinerary her aunt and deceased mom took on their trip twenty years ago. How romantic, right?!

Except Bianca breaks her foot the day before they leave, so Lo has to recruit her high-school boy bestie, Teller, to join her so she won’t be staying in hostels alone. She and Teller haven’t seen each other in a year…when did he get those abs?

BFF Charm: Roger Murtaugh

Lo puts a lot of stock in these fortune-telling abilities, especially as it makes her feel closer to her mom, who died when she was too young to have any memories of her. This means she clings to these visions a little too hard, even as the people around her tell her to trust her gut. The second-guessing, hemming and hawing was a bit much at times—just speak your truth, girlie!—but it was relatable—yeeeah, it’s not always that easy! I share in her love of romantic comedies, and as an introvert, I’d love someone extroverted like her to tag along on a trip to help me make friends with the randos at my hostel.

Swoonworthy Scale: 4

Lo meets Caleb as he’s literally saving her life, and he’s exactly what the vision ordered: gorgeous, spontaneous, and gregarious. But I’m sure you’ll understand by my inclusion of Teller in The Deal that the course of true love doth not run smoothly. Lo and Teller are pure opposites that share an undeniably comfortable rapport, and if Lo has always had the teeniest, tiniest crush on Teller since the 10th grade, well, it didn’t matter because he was always with Sophie, and she was always dating some underrated jock.

I appreciated that there were plenty of moments where Lo and Teller were truly just friends versus a constant, secret pining. Also…kudos to the author on the makeout moments!

Talky Talk: Serviceable

My interest in this book was piqued when I heard that Lea was inspired by the 1994 rom-com Only You (starring an adorable Marisa Tomei and a YOUNG Robert Downey Jr.), which I have seen multiple times. This book is not a one-for-one remake, thankfully, but does bring up similar themes of traveling in Italy, natch, and whether you’re fated to be with a specific person. Unfortunately, while Lea crafted a serviceable romance, there was nothing that particularly stood out to make it memorable long beyond closing the back cover. I got a bit frustrated with Lo and her decisions near the end of the book, and parts of the beginning of their trip dragged a bit.

Bonus Factor: Italy

It seemed like 2024 was the year everyone on social media traveled to Italy EXCEPT ME. I really need to make it there one of these days. That being said, I don’t think this book showed off the country as well as other travel-romance books. There were plenty of moments where Italian things were mentioned, or touristy things were summarized as “they went here and there”, but if you took those out and just read the major moments…would it have mattered if the story was set in Italy?

Bonus Factor: Kick-Ass Aunties

While Lo will always miss her mother, she has always had wonderful, unwavering support in her mom’s sisters, Ellen and Mei. I love a good auntie in a story; they are always ready with sound advice and some kind of treat.

Factor: Love Triangles

If you want me to believe in a love triangle, both love interests really need to be stellar options. Teller obviously got a lot of page-time, and, to Lea’s credit, Caleb was a decent dude, but he did a LOT of monologuing versus conversing. Perhaps he’d work for others, but some of his views on life were making my eyelid twitch.

Relationship Status: Fated? Eh…

You’re nice, Book, but I can’t imagine that I’d be hit with a vision of us together forever. If you’d like to show me around Italy on your Vespa, I’ll take the free ride, but please don’t get down on one knee.

FTC Full Disclosure: I received my free review copy from Skyscape. I received neither money nor peanut butter cups in exchange for this review. Something Like Fate is available now.

Thankyou to netgalley for sending me a copy of this book, unfortunately this wasn't for me. I don't like love triangles and it felt a little too young for me which is completely my fault for requesting a ya and I will be more mindful in the future to not request anything younger. I'm sure some younger audiences would enjoy this though.

Coming of age/romance

Lo is an Asian American and all of the women in her family have visions to predict who they will marry. Lo so badly wants to be like the women in her family but she also wants it to feel right. She struggles with her identity and who she is meant to be. Lo talks her best friend into going to Italy with her to search for her soul mate.

#netgalleyreads #netgalley #netgalleyarc

This was a cute read! I have really like Amy Lea’s books! This one wasn’t a standout one to me though, it was fine, and I liked it but I liked her other books a lot more.

this was such a fun and cute story! I've read other stories by Amy Lea before and I love her writing style. She is like hugs and sunshine in a novel.

thank you so much to NetGalley for an E-Arc!

Wowww I had such a fun time with this story! Trip-of-any-kind stories aren't my favorite. Especially when it's two friends who are denying their feelings for one another. But against all my dislikes of those aspects, I was charmed by these characters and this story.

Lo is an outgoing and extroverted character who is looking for her soulmate. She has been told her whole life that the women in her family will have visions about their soulmates and if they don't, then they're cursed to be alone forever. This was the only magical part of this story and I found it wildly fun and thought provoking. Lo has always had trouble having visions, so when she finally has one she has to decide if she wants to follow its path or forge her own. It was great to see her emotional character growth.

I ADORED Teller. He was Lo's opposite and it was SO SWEET. She's loud and he's quiet. She's outgoing and he's introverted. She likes to fly by the seat of her pants and he's a planner. Ugh I loved them together so much.

How long it took the characters to get together and Lo's father hiding things from her annoyed me, but this book was so worth the read and I had a great time!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This book was hard for me to finish. I liked the idea of psychics and magic behind the story but the main character was so stubborn and dull at the end that it was painful to read her random and repetitive thoughts and doubts over and over again.

Every woman in Lo´s family has psychics powers, especially when it comes to finding your soulmate. The few women who missed that ability had lonely and disastrous lives. So, when Lo finally, one night, got something close to a vision, she is determined to follow it until the end no matter the consequences.

Teller is her best friend in the world, but her total opposite in every sense or so she thinks. When her girl best friend and travel companion can’t go to Italy with Lo, it’s her male best friend who comes along. Teller and Lo will go through a series of emotional and life adventures that will finally shift everything they all believed in before.

Honestly, I enjoyed the part where they describe their travel journey but Lo’s constant hesitation, specially at end felt like forced tool to prolong an unnecessary agony.

This book was fun! I enjoyed Lo going on a journey to find her soulmate. I loved her and Teller together. There was such chemistry between the two of them. When she was considering other guys I just wanted to shake her and tell her to open her eyes. This was an overall cute read.

REVIEW
cw: mention of past parental death, anxiety

The fortune-telling women in nineteen-year-old Lo Zhao-Jensen's family have been able to foresee 'The One' for generations. Lo, however, has zero psychic abilities. That is until a searing vision leaves her convinced she'll finally meet the love of her life on her backpacking trip in Italy. In an unexpected twist, her recently distant best friend (and opposite in every way) Teller Owens joins her on her travels, and she hopes to rekindle their friendship. When Lo is saved from a runaway trolley by Caleb, a fellow backpacker, almost as soon as she arrives in Venice, her vision seems true. But fate might have other plans.

This was such a cute new adult rom-com. I was invested pretty much from the beginning, as It also felt like a love letter to rom-com movies. As a huge fan of the genre, that spoke to me instantly.
I liked Lo immediately. Her confusion about what she wanted to do in life felt realistic, and, while she could sometimes be a little bit oblivious, she was immensely lovable and her thoughts and fears felt authentic for her age. My heart ached for her whenever she tried to talk about her mum with her father, but I appreciated it when they finally were able to fully communicate.
Teller was so adorkably funny, even though he often wasn't trying to be. I found myself rooting for him SO much. I particularly loved how careful and caring he was with Lo, especially whenever she was struggling, or unsure of herself. The flight diversion was absolute comedy gold and felt like a scene from a rom-com itself, as was tipsy Teller. I also ADORED the memory of how Lo and Teller first met and then became friends. Their friendship seemed so effortless, and though they were complete opposites, their connection felt authentic. Lo's meet-cute as well as the morning after with Caleb were hilarious, especially Teller's input. But, as the days passed, I grew more and more annoyed with Caleb's passive superiority towards Teller. Still, he seemed to care about Lo, and, despite his initial scepticism, I appreciated that he tried.
I loved the setting of the story, with the beauty of Italy almost another character in itself. I whooped at the mention of Largo di Torre Argentina, a place that is one of my favourites in Rome - although the lack of mention of the scent made me wonder if the author had ever been *winks* (IYKYK). I ADORED the scenes at Villa Campagna. It was such a thoughtful and sweet idea. The Tuscany chapters were SO cute, and the kiss was EVERYTHING, as was the rom-com quote. They were so adorable together and I loved how natural the transition felt. But, of course, my heart was aching for them both the following day because they were so awkward and reluctant to speak their truth. The pining afterwards was palpable. I thought the intimacy was beautifully written and age-appropriate, as was the teenage angst, and indecision throughout the story.
I felt for Teller so much when the subject of fate came up again and again. As for the revelation in chapter thirty-five? My heart ached for both Lo and Teller. Meanwhile, the next couple of chapters absolutely wrecked me. Still, I'm glad Lo did what she had to do, to be completely sure about her life and feelings.
There were some fun supporting characters along the way. I loved all of the people they met on their travels. Lionel was so sweet, and his commentary on travelling solo as a person of colour was poignant. I also liked Nettie and Loraine. Meanwhile, Lo's Aunt's Mei and Ellen were both hilarious. Their deadpan delivery of comedic lines made me snort laughing, especially when Ellen told Mei about Cousin Lin's fate early on. But they were also such wonderful guardians to Lo, and their heart-to-heart near the end was beautiful. Scheana seemed lovely and I was so happy to see how well she'd integrated into the family at the end. I did see the little twists coming, but I thought they were both well-written and the ending was adorably satisfying. I could definitely see this book as a rom-com movie, which I mean as the highest compliment, as, alongside the swoony moments, and the beauty of Italy, there were a lot of comedic moments.
An adorable romantic comedy.

Overall Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️.5
Heat Rating: 🔥

*Thanks to the publisher for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own*

Favourite Quotes:

We spent the rest of the evening taking turns trying to unclog the toilet (unsuccessfully) before deeming it a lost cause and calling our manager to get a plumber. It was revolting, but the smile never left my face all night. Because that day I’d accomplished something huge. I made Teller Owens laugh for the first time.

He cuts me a serious look and sits up. “This isn’t a nineties rom-com. You look great. You don’t have to change a thing.”

"That’s why I was so . . . weirded out when you wanted to be friends with me. My whole life, I’ve never been a person anyone wanted to be friends with.” He hangs his head.

“Do you want to be someone else?”
A pause. “Doesn’t everyone?”
That made me sad. “I wouldn’t want you to be anyone else.”

“The sun to my moon,” he’d said, which would have been more adorable if he hadn’t slurred it, hand over his eyes so he didn’t have to see the needle.

“It’s the most worthwhile expense so far,” Teller says, looking me in the eye. “Seeing you sad is the worst thing in the world. If I can make you laugh by eating random pizza on a curb and making an ass of myself at the pub, I will.” It hadn’t occurred to me that he went out of his comfort zone just for me.

"Here’s the thing. I think I could believe in soulmates, but only if you can have more than one.”
“It would be cool if there was more than one out there,” I say.
“Yeah. And if you can find one of them, I’d say you’re pretty lucky.”

I don’t know who, but one of us closes the gap. Our lips touch and it’s soft, undemanding, lighting me up like the tiniest pinpricks of static shock. Then we pull away and just look at each other for a moment. I silently count to three. Just after I hit two, his mouth meets mine. His kiss is achingly soft and slow, like he wants to take his time.

He kisses me like I’m already his, like I’ve always been his. Like we always should have been doing this. And it’s everything.

I’ve never had a better kiss. Ever.
“Wait a minute . . . I didn’t think nice boys kissed like that,” I say when he pulls away.
His brow flicks wickedly. “Oh yes, they f**king do.” I’m not sure if it’s that he knows the quote from Bridget Jones’s Diary, but I’ve never been so turned on. I tug him back toward me immediately.

“Why are you smiling?”
His eyes flick back to mine and the blood rushes through me, pounding through my ears. “Because you’re perfect. Even more perfect than I already thought,” he whispers, lips catching mine again.

There’s nothing quite like witnessing Teller laugh. The crinkle of his eyes. The way he shoots his head back in a roar. It’s joy personified.

“I’ve never wanted a tattoo before, that’s true. Because there was nothing I could imagine wanting on my body forever. Except you.”

“I don’t want to be your second choice . I’ve been invisible my entire life. The backup. The brother only played with when everyone else is busy. I can’t be your second choice.”

Maybe epic love is when there’s no one else in the world you’d rather have a million mundane Tuesdays with.

"Fate shouldn’t be a straitjacket, Lo. You should never feel forced to love someone. It should be easy, like second nature. Like breathing, so natural, you don’t even realize you’re doing it.”

"Your sunshine is the closest thing to magic I’ve ever experienced. You’ve completely ruined me for anyone else.”

Whether by cosmic design or free will, or maybe a mix of both, being with him is exactly where I’m supposed to be. I just know.

Something like fate
By Amy Lea
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Amy Lea is one of my favourite Canadian rom-com authors so I was totally thrilled to get an arc for this, her second YA venture.

Lo’s Chinese family have always been known for their ability to have visions of their soulmates before they meet them. Lo is 19 before hers appears. She sees a blurry glass building skyline and a cotton-candy blue sky and feels flushed hot from the sun. Lo believes this vision means she will meet her soulmate on her upcoming trip to Italy with her bestie. Unfortunately her BBF Bianca breaks her foot and has to cancel last minute, but it’s something like fate that Lo’s other best friend, Teller, just happens to be home for the summer. The two of them end up in Italy together following her mother’s itinerary.

There were lots of things to love in this story: the exploration of Lo’s family dynamic, her adorable aunts and lovely father, Bianca and how hilarious she is as a foil, and Teller and his dorky organizational skills and killer abs. You are really rooting for Lo and her soulmate to work things out after they have a falling out and Amy Lea delivers for you. It’s a lovely story of growing up, the expectations we put on ourselves, and in the end, how we need to choose happiness for ourselves.

Thank you so much to Skyscape Publishing and NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

2.5 ⭐️

The idea of this is amazing, and I love teller so damn much, but I rather unfortunately did not enjoy some parts of the book.

The idea of a book where a girl whose family can predict their soulmate goes on a road trip similar to her mams is an excellent one. The Italian atmosphere was great, and all the food descriptions made me hungry.

When it came to the love interests, I didn't like caleb at all. You could tell he was wrong for her despite the visions. He spends the whole time telling her that he doesn't like to be in one place, and yet she thinks he'll be chill with settling down with her? What?

Teller is a cutie, i just wish their side of the triangle had been a little more gradual rather than an encounter, and boom, the world is different now and I've always wanted you. They're in Italy let it be slow and romantic.

Plotwise, every reveal was obvious from the beginning, and I just think that if the MC and several side characters are going to be shocked by it, we probably should be too.

The last 15% really reminded me why I don't love contemporary romances with soulmates. They always change themselves to fit their idea of fate even though it's obvious it isn't right. Lo changed a fair bit to match what caleb wanted, and honestly, it sucked.

I received an advance review copy of this book, and this review represents my honest opinion. Thank you to netgalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Two best friends, Lo and Teller, find themselves on an Italian adventure when Lo’s other best-friend injures herself and can’t go. So instead she asks Teller, her ex-coworker, other bestie, and her secret crush, to go with her.

Throughout the trip we see how different Lo and Teller are – she’s a free spirit, whereas Teller is a planner. They are opposites but they work so well because they are both kind of gentle spirits. We learn a lot about their past, their dating histories with other people and I thought they had a sweet friendship.

But Lo isn’t only on this trip to go on vacation, she’s there to meet her soulmate. Her family is famous for being kind of psychic. But everything gets muddled when she meets Caleb (clearly her soulmate because of a vision?) and yet her feelings that she accepting about Teller.

I loved the traveling that is happening in the story – a trip all over Italy? How fun and romantic.

Things do get complicated for Lo and Teller, and Lo has to question her feelings or fate. I think I wanted the ending to be a bit more romantic. Lo makes a choice, which shows how she grows. But I wanted more romantic moments between Lo and Teller.

Final Thoughts:

This was a cute, easy read. It’s a friends to lovers romance with a fun tour around Italy. I thought Lo and Teller’s friendship was really sweet and it was nice to see them realize their feelings for one another. The whole vision and fate aspect of finding her soulmate was interesting, but more so for the fact of her questioning the idea of a soulmate when someone else fits better for her. I just wanted a little more romantic scenes between them but overall, an easy, light read.

An adorable romance, with travel vibes, young love, family lore, and a bit of a love triangle, this book was precious.

Lo’s family is blessed - or cursed - with psychic visions of their soulmates. When she has her vision and decides she will find this person on her summer trip to Italy, she embarks on a whole adventure to figure it out. What she doesn’t realize is that her best friend and travel buddy Teller has been there all along, steady and supportive, as she figures everything out in her own time.

This friends to lovers is a touch unrealistic, but still a fun romp. I enjoyed being in Italy via their travels, and even the other love interest was charming and fun!

I will for sure keep reading Amy’s books!!

I was really excited by the premise but it fell kind of flat for me. I found. Myself comparing this book to other romances featuring young people in college or travelling and this one just didn’t live up to my expectations. I did love the bond and connection between Lo and Teller. I feel like it will be the right book for someone else.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I adored Woke Up Like This, so I was happy to get Something Like Fate.

Lo Zhao comes from a family of psychics who have visions of their soul mate. Her best friend Teller Owens has been her platonic best friend for 4 years, but after their 1st year at college, when they barely talked, they see each other just after Lo finally has a vision. She can't see her soul mate, but she believes it takes place in Italy, where she's supposed to go with her friend Bianca. Then Bianca breaks her foot, and Lo gets Teller to go with her instead.

The trip gets off to a rocky start. Lo wanted to retrace the steps her late mom and her aunt Mei's trip 30 years ago. They go to Venice, Rome, Florence, Tuscany, and the Amalfi Coast. I've never been to Italy, so I wanted to live vicariously through Lo & Teller.

Then Lo meets Caleb, who rescues her from a near accident. She's convinced Caleb is her soulmate. I was very doubtful, but I liked the group of traveling people they met at the hostels. All this time, it was so obvious who Lo should date. When it finally happened, I squeed. Then, unfortunately, they got in their own ways. I couldn't understand the characters' insistence in believing this Caleb guy was the One for Lo. Also hard to understand the decision she made before coming home.

I enjoyed the banter and witty writing, though, so I rounded up from 3.5 stars to 4. Available 3/1/25 or earlier through Amazon 1st reads.

I have to be honest and say I DNF this book at 30%. I loved Amy Lea’s previous YA release so I was beyond excited for a chance to read Something Like Fate.

Unfortunately, there was a lot that didn’t work for me. Fore-mostly, my biggest issue is that this is being marketed as YA. However the characters actions and language definitely land it in the NA category instead. I mean, the book opens up with our FMC mid-hook up and we constantly hear about di** pics - like to an absurd degree. Despite them acting like they are grown (but only being 19) I found Lo particularly to be very immature and self-centered.

I think this may work for someone else, unfortunately I found I was not the targeted audience.

Thank you for the chance to read and enjoy early and provide feedback, NetGalley and Amazon publishing.

Out March 1st, 2025

Thank you @netgalley and @amyleabooks for the free digital arc of this one 💖.

✨What it is about:
Longtime high school best friends Lo and Teller, go on a summer trip to Italy where they discover whether true love is up to destiny or free will.✨

💭My thoughts:
I had a really great time reading Loren and Teller’s individual journey to love. I particularly loved the Italian setting and all the food talk. It was interesting to watch Loren be so focused on her destiny, without paying attention to what was right in front of her. She had many internal conflicts regarding school, her connection with her mother, as well as with her family traditions. At her young age I can see how these could have prevented her from grasping the obvious. I loved learning all about her friendship with Teller through the years, their patience with each other, and how even though they were complete opposites, somehow they managed to make their friendship work with not much effort. Their emotional connection was there. The love triangle wasn’t my favorite, but it was handled nicely. Overall it was a very cute read.

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read if you like:
🇮🇹 Friends to lovers
🇮🇹 Love triangle
🇮🇹 Italian settings
🇮🇹 Opposites attract
🇮🇹 Invisible string/Soulmates
🇮🇹 Grumpy sunshine
🇮🇹 Closed door romance
🇮🇹 One bed

⚠️CW: Death of a parent off the page.