Always have the eyes on the prize, but what is the prize?

Synopsis

When Robin finds out she’s going on a work trip to Italy she can’t wait for a week away in the sunshine, away from the daily grind. So what if there’s a client pitch to do while they’re there? The thing Robin is most excited about is the chance to show her work crush, James, what she’s really like outside of work, and divert his attention from Liz, her work rival.

To make things even better, Robin realises that the town they’re going to in Italy is the same place that her childhood penpal, Andrea is from. So it’s the perfect time to re-connect and finally meet her old friend over some delicious Italian food and wine (between work obviously…) But when Andrea doesn’t turn out to be the person Robin thought, things get a little complicated…

So it’s set to be a week of all sun and games… Until someone falls in love of course!

A friends-to-lovers, only-one-bed, fake dating romance from million-copy bestseller Portia MacIntosh.

My review

Robin has had a crush on her colleague James for a long time, but not only he never showed any interest, but she is also in competition for his affections with her constant rival Liz. And Liz is not only her rival in love, but also at work. They couldn’t be more different or have different views on how to make the perfect advertisement for their clients. So when for a client pitch, they all have to head of to Italy, Robin sees this as the opportunity of a lifetime. Because now she can show James what the real Robin is like. And when she discovers that they are going to stay at the same place her old childhood penpal Andrea lives, she hopes she can find her friend, meet up and rekindle their friendship. Between food, wine and work, Robin not only has the shock of her life when Andrea doesn’t appear to be what she thought, but also that her fight for affection isn’t turning out as planned…

Let’s start with stating the obvious, that I was over the moon with this new story from an author that I love. To make it more amazing, I loved it how it’s taking place in Italy. Could the author make this reader happier? I don’t think so!

For so many reasons, I could relate with Robin. She is just a regular girl, not someone extremely extraordinary. She is just like us, a normal young woman, doing her best at her job. And having a (perhaps not so) secret crush on her colleague James.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with being normal, so I got angry at her place with all the not so subtle digs at her.

If her colleagues and boss cannot see how amazing Robin is as a person, it’s absolutely their loss!

At the start of the book, I was hoping that at least James would rather quickly start to see what a treasure Robin truly is. But the more the story evolved, the more I started to dislike James and his behaviour, and I found myself cheering for a complete different ending.

Because as a real Italian, I had a real good idea what the shocking discovery would be. And I loved it to read how that discovery just was applicable in both directions! 😊

I found it heart – warming that, once the shock passed, Robin and Andrea just clicked in real life just like they clicked on paper. Despite their differences, not only linguistical ones, it shows that real friendship is strong enough to withstand each difference. Even years apart cannot break up what was meant to be solid.

Now, of course there had to be found a way to have Andrea more in the story than just a fleeting meeting with Robin. And thus the misunderstandings, and deceptions made with the right intentions start. And thus the great fun for us as readers also start!

Deceit is never good, but in this case, why not? I loved reading how Andrea was willing to help Robin out, not only with translations, but also making her understand what the Italian life truly is about. And it was sweet to see how Robin was willing to also help Andrea out, to release the pression.

But with their deceit, while for us it’s crystal-clear, for both the characters it’s difficult to understand what is still deceit and what is reality and honesty…

I absolutely devoured this book, had several laughs and many many swoons. But I also learned a few things about how marketing works, and how difficult it can be to find the perfect pitch. Some times you nail it, and sometimes you just don’t. And with an Italian brand, with their focus on its ‘Italianity’, it cannot be easy to put that feeling in a pitch. And I loved it how Robin tried to understand what that Italianity means, and how she can put it to use. The contrast with Liz’s idea couldn’t be bigger, but also shows that Robin in the end just got it.

There is one thing that truly put a smile on my face while reading, and even making me hungry, was the Italian client. Come A Casa is a real brand in Belgium, and it makes, just like in the book, Mediterranean ready meals. So whenever the name came up, I was longing for lasagna, and had their tune in my head! 😊

Portia MacIntosh has written amazing books in the past, always making me smile and laugh at loud. But this book, quickly had me all loved up, in many different ways. And for so many different reasons, this may be my favourite one for the moment!!!