Review: The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany

Title: The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany
Author: Lori Nelson Spielman
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Family Drama, Romance
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Berkley Books
Date Published: November 17, 2020
You can find it here: Bookshop.org

Goodreads Synopsis:

A trio of second-born daughters set out to break the family curse that says they’ll never find love on a whirlwind journey through the lush Italian countryside by New York Times bestseller Lori Nelson Spielman, author of The Life List.

Since the day Filomena Fontana cast a curse upon her sister more than two hundred years ago, not one second-born Fontana daughter has found lasting love. Some, like second-born Emilia, the happily-single baker at her grandfather’s Brooklyn deli, claim it’s an odd coincidence. Others, like her sexy, desperate-for-love cousin Lucy, insist it’s a true hex. But both are bewildered when their great-aunt calls with an astounding proposition: If they accompany her to her homeland of Italy, Aunt Poppy vows she’ll meet the love of her life on the steps of the Ravello Cathedral on her eightieth birthday, and break the Fontana Second-Daughter Curse once and for all.

Against the backdrop of wandering Venetian canals, rolling Tuscan fields, and enchanting Amalfi Coast villages, romance blooms, destinies are found, and family secrets are unearthed—secrets that could threaten the family far more than a centuries-old curse.

Overall Thoughts:

“When it comes time to watch the movie of your life, may tears run down your face, may you scream with laughter and cringe with embarrassment. But for Goddess’s sake, do no let your life story be one that’s so dull you fall asleep during the viewing.”

Simply put: there is some really great stuff in here – learning to find your inner voice and lead your best life – and this is pure escapist, light-hearted reading. But it was bogged down by an unnecessarily dragged out middle that read mostly like a travel brochure. The “big” reveals weren’t surprising, so when the author decided to continually stretch them out, I grew rather frustrated. Being bored, I found myself not wanting to pick this up as I slogged through the middle, when it finally picked up again in the last quarter … I really was just wanting to get it finished. I really adored Aunt Poppy but lord give strength to those who are cowed under a Nonna Rosa. If you’re looking for a gentle escape between heavy reads, give The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany a try.

Read This If:

• Are missing travelling and want to escape to Italy … I, of course, mean imaginatively.
• Are a foodie in want of a litany of food description.
• Enjoy a good dose of family drama with an extra good scope of melodrama. 

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