I wanted to love this, but I struggled to get into the story. I do not think I was the best audience as the characters felt too young and immature for me.

This was enjoyable, but not one I will remember or one that stands out to me. I enjoyed that it took place in Italy and surrounding countries! Magical realism is sometimes a hard sell for me, and this one kinda kissed the mark. Also, there’s a love triangle aspect to it, which isn’t my fav.

4.5⭐️ | 1.5🌶️

Something Like Fate is a heartwarming friends-to-lovers romance with just the right touch of magic and self-discovery. Loren and Teller have an undeniable connection—one that’s clear to everyone but them. Their friendship is filled with years of shared memories, inside jokes, and an unspoken bond, making their slow-burn romance both frustrating and rewarding to witness.

I loved how their relationship unfolded naturally, balancing lighthearted banter with deeper emotional moments. The story isn’t just about love—it also delves into themes of destiny, grief, and the power of choice. Loren’s family has a unique ability to foresee “The One,” which adds an interesting magical realism element. But what happens when fate and feelings don’t align? That’s the emotional core of Loren’s journey.

The Italian setting and mouthwatering food descriptions made the book even more immersive, and the audiobook format enhanced the experience. The narrator did a fantastic job bringing the characters to life, making their emotions feel authentic and their conversations easy to follow. Teller, with his old-soul wisdom (and abs), was especially endearing.

While the characters sometimes read a bit younger than their age, the story remained engaging. If you enjoy slow-burn romance, heartfelt friendships, and a little bit of fate-driven magic, this one’s worth a listen!

I absolutely adore Amy Lea’s adult books, but this NA book unfortunately wasn’t for me. The characters felt a bit immature and I just can’t get into a love triangle! I did enjoy the family dynamics and of course, the Italy setting!

Audiobook/Book Review 🍨✨

Thank you so much partner Skyscape and Brilliance Publishing for the gifted copy and audiobook!

Something Like Fate
by Amy Lea
Narrated by Jennifer Aquino

About the book 👇🏽

For generations, the fortune-telling women in Lo Zhao-Jensen’s family have foreseen The One—the great loves of their lives—before ever meeting them. Except for Lo, who has zero psychic abilities. Just memories of old rom-coms and a lot of poor judgment when it comes to love.

Until now.

When Lo finally has the vision she’s been waiting for, her delighted aunties are convinced she’ll meet The One on her backpacking trip in Italy. Vero amore, here she comes.

Along for the summer is Lo’s best friend, Teller Owens, her opposite in every way. Upon arrival in Venice, Lo is saved from a runaway trolley by Caleb, a fellow backpacker. It’s a meet-cute so swoony, it has to be fate. But with each destination, Lo’s complicated feelings for Teller are becoming harder to ignore and Lo begins to wonder if fate has other plans.

🍨 My thoughts:

This was a really fast and sweet read/listen! If you enjoy YA romance, this will be a cute one for you. The family dynamics is ultimately what sold this story to me. And I know it’s YA but with the main character’s actual age and the way Lo was acting… it drove me a little crazy because I felt like she was acting younger than her age. Despite that little blip for me I did find this to be enjoyable and fluffy. The audiobook narrator was fine, and didn’t sway my opinion of the book one way or another. And overall, I enjoyed my experience. Star wise, it landed right in the middle for me! I enjoyed Amy Lea’s The Influencer series and would continue to pick up her books. Something Like Fate is out now!

Happy reading 📖 🍨✨🎧

Dnf at 36%. I really wish that this was following slightly older characters, It felt a little immature. I also just wasn’t a fan of the male love interest, so I had a hard time rooting for the romance. The audiobook was not my favorite to listen to. It sounded very robotic and almost like AI.

I was not able to download this books audio, but I ended up purchasing the audio file on Libro and Amy Lea this book was so fun to read! I enjoyed the a story, enjoyed the up and down. I love the idea of traveling with your best friend and then realizing in that travel that there may be somthing more than just friendship in the mix. I adored the location setting and I enjoyed the audio narrator.

Althoigh I enjoyed this book. I did feel it was very similar to Exe's and O's different characters, different setting but similar storyline. I was a little disappointed and was forever waiting for something different to happen.

I enjoyed the audiobook. The male characters were given questionable voices but it worked, just..

This book was actually really good and if I'd read it I'd have given it 4 stars, but the narrator made the audio experience really hard to get through. The female voices were perfectly fine, but the masculine voicing by the female narrator were grating on my ears and really affected my appreciation of this audiobook. I could not connect with the male characters because I didn't enjoy listening to their dialogue.

Oh my gosh this was such a CUTE audiobook! I love Amy Lea, and she did it again with a cute romance you cannot put down! Loved!

This book delivers a heartfelt and engaging friends-to-lovers romance with a fantastic opposites-attract dynamic. The main characters complement each other in a way that makes their relationship both compelling and frustrating in the best way. Their undeniable attraction is obvious to everyone but them, and the tension of watching them fight their feelings adds to the excitement. Every little moment between them carries weight, making their journey feel real and rewarding.

The romance develops naturally, with a great balance of lighthearted banter and deeper emotional moments. Even though I don’t usually read much YA, I really enjoyed this story. It’s perfect for readers who love slow-burn relationships, strong chemistry, and characters who take their time admitting what’s been clear all along.

Something Like Fate was not bad of a book. It wasn't my favorite of Amy Lea's book, but it did tell an interesting story. I do like the concept of fate and soulmates, but that will only get you so far. Sometimes it makes you miss out on what's around you. There were some sweet parts in this book and the traveling around Italy sounded like a lot of fun. I would recommend if someone is looking for a nice friends to lovers romance should be happy.

This sounded super cute and interesting, but it fell flat for me. The romance just did not work for me and the story just wasn't my favorite. Love triangle and miscommunication is truly not my jam.

It was cute and sweet, but the romance didn't fully captivate me or feel entirely believable. This story seems aimed at YA readers who enjoy a mix of fortune-telling, romance, and coming-of-age themes.

The novel centers around Lo’s Chinese heritage, particularly her family’s ability to see glimpses of their future soulmates. Lo finally experiences this vision, catching a scent and a brief visual of her soulmate—without seeing their face. She’s excited, as this moment comes later in her life, making her feel more connected to her mother, who she lost at a young age. Her father rarely speaks of her mother, so Lo can only piece together what she learns from her aunties.

Lo and her best friend, Bianca, had planned a summer vacation to Italy, but after Bianca has an accident, she tells Lo, “You’ll have to find someone else to go with.” Fortunately, Lo’s other best friend, Teller, has just returned home for the summer, and his girlfriend recently broke up with him. To lift his spirits and to make her trip to Italy feasible so she can meet her soulmate! Thus, Lo recruits Teller as her travel companion.

While the premise is cute, the story sometimes dragged a bit. I listened to the audiobook, and while I had no issue with the narrator voicing Lo’s character, the portrayals of other characters fell flat and felt robotic. There were moments when the writing seemed too young for the intended audience, making me pause. Overall, it was an okay read, though not what I had hoped for. The story was a bit predictable, but it was still a cute audiobook to listen to.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Brilliance Audio for providing an audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a cute romance. I liked the narrator but was not a big fan of her male voices. They sounded more like cartoon character voices. Thank you for the opportunity to listen!

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

I really wanted to love this book. It had all the makings of an amazing romance. Friends backpacking through Italy with forced proximity and occasionally only one bed! While I enjoyed it, I found myself getting frustrated with the repetitiveness of the reason why they wouldn’t get together.

I still enjoyed it, and their moments of knowing and understanding each other were really sweet.

2.5 stars

I really like Amy Lea's work, but this one did not work for me at all. Basically because I don't think the two main leads should have a relationship to begin with. They are friends and they should have remaining friends. The fact that the author was teasing that there was something brewing, since the beginning but seeing the female main character try so hard (with the support of the main lead) to find and keep her "one true love" just didn't make me root for them at all.

Lastly, I found the narration fine. Nothing super elaborate, but it took the message across

“My whole life I’ve thought with my head, and you, you make me think with my heart.”

I’ve always enjoyed Amy Lea’s books, so I was incredibly excited to read this one!

This story reminded me a bit of Mazey Eddings’ Tilly in Technicolor as far as the young (new) adults traveling through Europe and falling for the person they least expect.

I loved the ability to travel through Italy with Lo and Tenner and all the people they meet along the way!

I will say that this book did read a bit slowly to me (beyond just being a slow burn), so I was grateful when I was able to simultaneously enjoy it through an audiobook listen thanks to @dreamscape_media! The audiobook helped pick up the story for me and the narrator did a great job, although I do wish there had been at least a dual narration for it. Hearing Tenner’s voice as only a slightly different pitch from Lo’s was a bit jarring at times.

Even still, I definitely recommend checking this one out for an adventurous, friends-to-lovers, coming-of-age, discover-yourself story!

“It’s easy to have fun with someone on all these elaborate adventure, but the real challenge is finding someone to enjoy the mundane. Someone who makes you look forward to the blurry grey of everyday life. That takes someone special. That’s what’s real.”

Check this out if you enjoy:
- Best friends to lovers
- One bed
- Forced proximity
- Italy setting
- Opposites attract
- Fate
- Coming of age/finding oneself