Abby was making him want to throw his own rulebook out the window. There was something about her that felt like home.
Stuck in a dead-end job and looking to spice things up, Abby Malloy decides to take a trip to Italy with two of her best friends. Two weeks of exploring the sights and partaking in all the yummy food she can consume is just what she needs to get her creative juices flowing again. It’s a bonus that their tour director is super hot. Emilio is smitten with Abby from the moment she crashes into his life but he’s not allowed to fraternize with members of his tour. The longer he spends in Abby’s company, however, the harder it becomes to resist her. When he learns a family secret that puts everything he thought he knew about his life into question, his resolve weakens even further. But the fact remains that they live on different continents and Emilio still has to deal with this new information about his family. Is the connection they’ve formed in their brief time together strong enough to overcome these obstacles?
He couldn’t help thinking that his future never looked brighter.
And it looked a lot like Abby.
This was so fun and very sweet! And the dash of suspense surrounding Emilio’s secret was a cool twist. Abby was a great character, she was relatable and very likable. It was easy to see why Emilio was so taken with her from the moment they met. I loved Emilio, he was very swoony and highly competent, which was quite hot. His life is turned upside down in this book when he learns a long kept family secret and I loved the way he turned to Abby for support. I thought they were so good together. They fell quickly but it made sense for them.
Another thing I enjoyed was all the travel bits. It felt like a tour I wanted to be on and there were just enough details included to make you feel like you were there without bogging the story down with unnecessary details. It was also great seeing Emilio in his element, he was so confident and knowledgeable, which really did it for Abby!! And I thought Italy was the perfect backdrop to watch these two fall in love.
I also loved seeing all the Cherry Stems friend group again, if you read the first book you’ll be familiar with everyone. Hailey and Elena went with Abby on the trip and their not-so-subtle attempts at matchmaking were very entertaining. It was clear how much they loved Abby and only wanted the best for her. The Cherry Stems group chat chapters were fun and I loved how supportive the whole group was when things go a little sideways at the end. The personalities of all these side characters are starting to emerge and I’m intrigued by the hints that are dropped for future books!
“…you’ve given me something to hold on to, something that feels real when I don’t know what in my life is real anymore.”
The Book Boyfriend Addict 