Third and final blog tour of the day, and we head to Italy for my stop on the ‘Three Days in Florence’ tour! Huge thanks to Jenny Platt and Hodder Books for the blog tour invite and ARC. Here is my review:
Kathy Courage has never visited the famous Italian city of Florence before, so she’s thrilled when she and her boyfriend Neil are invited there for a wedding. Unfortunately, with Neil’s constant complaining and his teenage children in tow, it’s not exactly the romantic break Kathy was hoping for.
But when a mix-up with her flights leaves Kathy stranded in the city, she decides to embrace the unexpected and stay on alone.
What follows is a life-changing few days in the Tuscan sun, as Kathy begins to question the choices that have led her here. With the help of the colourful Innocenti family, who offer Kathy a place to stay, she gradually begins to realise that there’s a much bigger world out there, if only she can be brave enough to explore it.
Could Italy hold the answers to her future happiness? Or is Kathy destined to return to her old life?
What does TWG think?
Please say that I’m not the only one who thought that Neil and his kids were absolute doorknobs?!?! Oh, wait…that would make them useful. Ugh! I didn’t like them AT ALL…..if you hadn’t already guessed that. I just wanted Kathy to turn round to Neil and go, ‘you know what f’WIT, go to hell!’. But she didn’t. I think she would have been well within her right to do that though, wouldn’t you agree?!
Kathy has longed to visit Florence for as long as she can remember and, thanks to Neil’s brother getting married in that very city, Kathy is over the moon that she can finally step onto Italian soil. Best laid plans and all that meant that Kathy’s trip didn’t exactly go the way that she had hoped it would. I won’t spoil it for you, but judging by what I’ve said above, I’m sure you can guess who the culprit was!
Anyway, through lack of communication and clerical error by Neil’s PA, Kathy found herself staying in Florence longer than anticipated. Not that she would have complained!
Is it mean that I laughed out loud at Neil being annoyed? It wasn’t Kathy’s fault! I was so pleased that we were able to watch her personality flourish in her beloved city, and watch the person she has kept under wraps, finally spread its wings and be the person she is meant to be. Honestly, it was as though I reading about a completely new person and, as weird as this sounds, I felt proud as punch. It was as though she had had a lightbulb moment regarding her worth.
I really enjoyed getting to know the Innocenti family, and I absolutely loved being caught up in the beautiful story that Chrissie Manby had created. The underlying message about happiness and living life to the full, really hit home and is definitely something people should do their bests with. Life is incredibly short, so why should we spend it being unhappy and stuck in a situation that we had no say in?
‘Three Days in Florence’ is a home away from home novel which filled me with hope.
The Writing Garnet 