3.5 stars

This book really made me want to be back in Italy, touring around, eating all the amazing food and drinking all the wine. I got serious FOMO and am now craving some soft, juicy mozzarella with sweet tomatoes. Fuuuuuuck. My mouth is watering.

For some reason I liked the FMC, Lo, when she was with the MMC but found her kind of annoying outside of those interactions. It was her back and forth with Teller and all their shared in jokes that made this book funny and enjoyable to read. Maybe because I didn’t like Gabe (was that even his name? I’ve already blocked him out) at all that I didn’t like Lo when she was around him.

It was fun and not that serious. I would recommend if you’re up for a light read where you get to live your Italy travel dreams out through someone else. Or if you’ve read, and enjoyed, Amy’s books previously.

Thanks to #NetGallery and publisher for a copy of this book.

Genre: Romance
Format: Digital
POV: Single (FMC)
Tropes: childhood best friends to lovers, backpacking across Italy, only one bed in the hostel, fated soulmates, psychic visions
Spice: 0.5 /5 fade to black
Age suggestion: 16+

Amy Lea has a new book releasing 3/1/25 called Something Like Fate and I was able to read it early. The story is about Lo who comes from a long line of female psychics. All her elders have the ability to have visions of their soulmates. They find their soulmate and live happily. Lo is one of only two other women in the family who do not have the powers. The other two women that either didn’t have the powers or chose someone who was not their soulmate led miserable and often unlucky lives as a result. Just before Lo’s big trip to Italy, she has a vision of her soulmate and is convinced she will meet him in Italy. Her male best friend Teller says he will accompany her to Italy and help her find her soulmate, but Teller is harboring a secret of his own. On one of their first excursions, Lo nearly gets rundown by a runaway trolley, but a man named Caleb saves her and Lo thinks he’s her soulmate. The only way to find out is to travel Italy together and spend time with each other. This was a nice book. Lea does a great job describing all the places in Italy the characters travel and as a reader, you’re made to feel as though you are right there in the hostels with the characters. Sometimes love triangles can become complicated, but this was written in a great way. Lea made each MMC very likeable so you were rooting for both. Family and familial expectations play a huge role in this book which really helps ground it and build a solid foundation. Lo’s family is very supportive and funny which is good because Lo is not only struggling with her love life, but also her educational and career path. Lo is only 19 but she is written in a very mature way. Overall, this book is highly entertaining and beautiful. It’s a perfect springtime read.

This is the first YA book I've read by Amy Lea! I do have to say I definitely prefer her adult romances more. It was a cute concept, but it felt quite juvenile and maybe that's just not for me anymore. The friends to lovers relationship between Loren and Teller was the highlight and I almost wish we got a bit more of them before the end of the book!

When I saw Amy Lea had a new book coming out, I was so excited. I have loved her other work. But this one was just okay.

Some of the characters in the book have psychic abilities and that sounded so cool. But the execution of it fell flat for me. Lo has a vision that she meets her soulmate while in Italy. Due to certain circumstances she ends up going to Italy with her best friend. Teller instead of Bianca. As you could imagine, feelings start to happen.

Reading about the Italy vibes was well done. But the rest of the novel didn’t hit for me. It was just okay.

This was a cute one! I really liked it and would recommend it to others. I have liked all her books!

I have really enjoyed some of Amy Lea's books so I was excited for this one. I also am a sucker for friends to lovers so this was fun! I did kind of struggle with the reason they wouldn't be together and how she handled things after they revealed feelings. It wasn't my favorite but was fun!

This was a very cute rom-com. You could see the romance brewing but had to watch the sidetracks Lo and Teller go on thru the story. I have loved Amy’s influencer series books and this one felt just as good. The fortune telling history was a sweet twist and kept you connected and guessing.

I loved the Italian setting and also loved when they got sick of Italian food and wanted to try something new. It felt so real!! ;)

This comes out next year March 1st and I can’t wait to reread it then!

Swoon! I absolutely adored this new book by Amy Lea. I love her previous YA novel and this one was spot on. The locales were beautifully written and I loved the premise of the book. Amy never disappoints. Cannot wait to read her next adult novel.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I love this authors debut work and this was no exception! I feel like I'm back in high school with this authors work in the best way possible!

SOMETHING LIKE FATE ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5. I’ve read all of Amy Lea’s novels so far, and this one was okay. Lo is 19, and comes from a long line of women who see visions that lead to their soulmate. When her vision finally comes, and she’s planned a summer abroad in Italy, who could it be? This was a cute book, with emotional depth. I almost just wish the leads were older? I can’t imagine 19 year olds with this type of emotional maturity, maybe they are out there, but even at my age of 36, it’s rare to have people with this many emotional epiphany to realize love. Absolutely a book to easily read, but nothing memorable. Thank you for the ARC NetGalley!

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It had the lighthearted feel of a YA romance while also hitting on heavier topics like parental loss. It paid homage to a lot of classic rom coms, which I tend to love. However, it did often highlight the fact that this book didn’t feel very fresh or new. I feel like I have read similar books before.

While I did enjoy this book, there was nothing that made it stand out from other romcoms I’ve read.

The whole psychic abilities and being able to know who your soulmate is going to be sounded like a cool concept, but the execution was okay. There were a lot of cringey and juvenile moments because of it which didn’t work for me. It did get better in the second half though.

The relationship between Teller and Loren was probably my favourite part of the entire book. They had a good foundation as friends which eventually developed into something more. They just understood each other so well and I loved whenever they were together. I wished we got more moments of them as a couple before everything wrapped up. Ending a book without an epilogue is always a crime in my eyes🤷🏻‍♀️

Overall, despite some of its flaws, this was a very cute read.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I struggled with this review, because I didn’t love this book, but I couldn’t put my finger on why. It just seemed kind of all over the place and honestly frustrating. The whole vision/fate thing was a cute idea, but it just became redundant and I needed her to just move on. The story was very drawn out, but then felt rushed in places I didn’t want it to be. It wasn’t a bad book, but not my favorite by this author. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The exploration of destiny versus free will in love resonated deeply with me. Lo’s journey of self-discovery and her gradual realization of where her true feelings lie is both relatable and inspiring. This book is a delightful reminder that sometimes, the best love stories are the ones that blossom right under our noses. If you’re in the mood for a sweet, humorous romance set against stunning vistas, this one is a must-read!

Another addictive YA story from Amy Lea!

I still haven't gotten around to reading her Adult books (though this was definitely more of a New Adult) but Amy's YA books are always so much fun and impossible to put down—they are such comfort reads for me.

Something Like Fate is a perfect summer/end of summer read.
I absolutely loved the vibes—it was so immersive, felt like I was travelling Italy with Lo and Teller!

Lo was a great MC, she's easy-going, fearless and super extroverted and even if she was a little lost and frustrated me when it came to her feelings, I understand why she was struggling so much.
Teller, who's the complete opposite of Lo and the grump to her sunshine, was her perfect balance. I adooooored them together, so much so I screamed "NO!" every time Caleb was in the scene. 😂
Even though Caleb was frustrating the sh*t out of me I found out his purpose by the end, especially after everything that Lo's dad revealed to her. So just trust that there's a reason for all of the frustration he brings lmao, though I wish his relationship with Lo wasn't taking the focus from Lo and Teller every time.

I love that both Tel and Lo had relationship experience and they weren't clueless about what kind of love they wanted and they deserved and that showed especially later on.
One of my absolute fav scenes was when they got the tattoos together, literally can't get over it.

The supporting characters were also fantastic, Amy always writes such well-rounded casts.
If you love romcoms with friends to lovers, grumpy sunshine, only one bed (more than once 👀), summer Europe adventures and psychic elements you should check this one out!!
Can't wait for Amy's next book!!

Thank you NetGalley and Skyscape for this ARC! Amy Lea writes such amazing books. My first book by her was the catch so it was interesting to read this one of hers! Friends to lovers rom com! So good!

4.5/5 - I was very lucky to get an ARC of this book from
NetGalley, and I devoured it in a day. This is a rom-com, friends to lovers, love triangle of complicatedness story about love and fate. Lo comes from a family of women psychics who have talents and visions - specifically they have a vision of their true soulmate. The consequence of not finding your soulmate is to be destitute, alone, unlucky (as per her Aunts). Lo has never had any inclination towards any visions or "powers", until one day she has a vague vision. And it just so happens she's heading off on a month long backpacking trip to Italy - the place her vision showed. Convinced she will meet her soulmate, Lo and her best friend Teller travel to Italy. Along with a lot of bumps along the road and less than ideal situations - Lo ends up meeting Caleb and is convinced he is her soulmate. But what if her true love has been there all along? What if soulmates are overrated? It's a story about love, loss and finding yourself. So well done, loved this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Skyscrape for the ARC of “Something Like Fate” by Amy Lea.

This is such an incredibly sweet, light hearted YA romance novel. Despite a heavy reliance on fate, destiny and soulmates in the plot line throughout the story, the characters in Lea’s novel are flawed and show that free will and shucking the expectations can make you just as happy.

I enjoyed the slow burn, friends-to-lovers trope in the novel, although I must admit I was frustrated it took so long for Lo and Teller to “discover” their feelings for one another. I was even more frustrated by Lo’s decision to just stay in Italy with Caleb so close to the ending of the story.

It felt like so much of the story moved slowly through Teller and Lo’s travels through Italy (the span of only a few short weeks), only to hit the fast forward button and speed through nearly 6+ months of Lo’s extended travels in Europe with Caleb.

While I understand his motivations, I was also frustrated by Teller’s lack of fight for Lo - a part of me really wished he would realize at the airport he should stay and fight.

In the end, I’m happy that Lo came to her senses and returned home, and while the predictability of her vision actually referring to Teller (as soon as I learned his mom owned a coffee shop, that was game over) was an easy one to sense from the beginning of the story, I still enjoyed the cute reveal at the end.

All in all, I am a little disappointed by the abrupt ending of the story - it would have been nice to have a small epilogue to learn about what happened to their budding relationship - I definitely think this is a story worth reading.

Amy Lea has such a lovely writing style and while it’s not spicy like some of her other novels, the chemistry is there between the characters.

If you’re a fan of Lynn Painter’s “Better than the Movies” and Ai Hazelwood’s Check & Mate, you will want to grab a copy of “Something Like Fate” when it becomes available!

“The sun to my moon.”

I loved 'Woke Up Like This' so the second I saw Amy’s post, I rushed to get my hands on this book and locked in.

- nerdy mmc & sunshine fmc
- invisible string coded
- fun dialogue & banter
- if you loved 'People We Meet On Vacation' by Emily Henry, you might like this!

Thank you to Amy Lea, Netgalley, and Skyscape for the advanced reader copy!

I was a little worried about the potential love triangle (I'm not too fond of those), but this was a well-executed slow-burn friends to lovers. Lo and Teller are hilarious together. I love that Lo respected Teller’s boundaries but still made way for him to step out of his comfort zone at his own pace. Additionally, Teller is the sweetest guy ever and is always considerate of everyone, especially Lo! These two are so patient with each other. Despite being best friends, they continue to learn more about each other and feel safe with one another. They even help each other out with their respective romantic endeavours. But then there's Caleb, the guy Lo falls head over heels for after he saves her from a runaway trolley. Caleb is hot, spontaneous, and loves to adventure. Best of all, she's convinced he's her soulmate.

"Do you want to be someone else?"
"Doesn't everyone?"
"I wouldn't want you to be anyone else."

Amy Lea does a great job setting the scene because I literally want to hop on a plane right now. This was such a charming book that I finished the book in one sitting. I truly admired Lo's connection and love for her family. The last third of the book was a bit relentless with the whole ‘soulmate’ stuff, but I can understand why Lo was so desperate to find her soulmate. I would've loved to see more tension/romantic build-up between the main characters, especially in the earlier parts of the book. The ending was also slightly rushed but everything tied up quite nicely. There is something like fate, and it’s called choice. Will Lo continue to let her search for her soulmate overcome what her heart truly wants?

Something Like Fate will be released Feb 2025, right around Valentine's Day 💌

3.5 ⭐️s

I am a huge Amy Lea fan, she is an auto buy author for me and her first YA book “Woke Up Like This” was my favorite of her books so far.

I was over the moon to get an ARC of this book and was even more excited when I saw that it was best friends to lovers. The premise with the two backpacking through Italy together sounded fantastic and the added magical realism w/ her family’s psychic abilities & the curse made it really promising!

The vibes very much felt like Love & Gelato meets Red String Theory (both books I LOVED) and I enjoyed the setting a lot! :)

Where it started to lose me was with the feel of the book. While the book is labeled as YA, the characters are college students putting it more in the older YA category of New Adult. However, the characters themselves acted very much like younger YA MCs would. So it got a little confusing at times trying to figure out who the intended audience would be for this book. I still absolutely fell in love with the characters, but I kept being pulled out of the story when they’d mention college and marriage because they really did act like younger high school students. I feel like this could have either been a great YA book or a great adult book but it kept floating back from one to the other and it was harder to focus on the story.

Things I Loved:
- the family dynamics and drama (they were seriously adorable and funny)
- the best friends to lovers trope (it had all the awkward will they or won’t they chemistry of friends realizing they want to be more and I LOVED that!)
- the humor and quippy dialogue/banter was perfect and made the story fun

Things I Didn’t Love:
- the love triangle (I’m a fan of love triangles but I couldn’t stand the other love interest in this one)
- the pacing got a little funky and slow towards the 75% mark
- the internal conflict of the MC got a little repetitive, it was mentioned over and over and over and it got a little frustrating

Overall, this was cute but it wasn’t my favorite of Amy Lea’s books. I will definitely still be picking any book she writes up because they’re so fun but this wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this ARC!