Love Your Life

Love Your Life by Sophie Kinsella, Narrated by Fiona Hardingham

Published October 27th 2020 by Dial Press, Recorded Books

About the Book (From Goodreads): Call Ava romantic, but she thinks love should be found in the real world, not on apps that filter men by height, job, or astrological sign. She believes in feelings, not algorithms. So after a recent breakup and dating app debacle, she decides to put love on hold and escapes to a remote writers’ retreat in coastal Italy. She’s determined to finish writing the novel she’s been fantasizing about, even though it means leaving her close-knit group of friends and her precious dog, Harold, behind.

At the retreat, she’s not allowed to use her real name or reveal any personal information. When the neighboring martial arts retreat is canceled and a few of its attendees join their small writing community, Ava, now going by “Aria,” meets “Dutch,” a man who seems too good to be true. The two embark on a baggage-free, whirlwind love affair, cliff-jumping into gem-colored Mediterranean waters and exploring the splendor of the Italian coast. Things seem to be perfect for Aria and Dutch.

But then their real identities–Ava and Matt–must return to London. As their fantasy starts to fade, they discover just how different their personal worlds are. From food choices to annoying habits to sauna etiquette . . . are they compatible in anything? And then there’s the prickly situation with Matt’s ex-girlfriend, who isn’t too eager to let him go. As one mishap follows another, it seems while they love each other, they just can’t love each other’s lives. Can they reconcile their differences to find one life together? 

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3.5 Stars:

Love Your Life is a typical Sophie Kinsella book. It is a romcom with a cute story line and fun characters. This book had me laughing at times, shaking my head at others and scratching my head as well. I loved Ava. She was such a free spirit. She believes in love, but does not want to spend anymore time on apps promising true love. She is also trying to write a novel and has been for many years. Her friends are very eclectic and not always the easiest to get along with. She has a dog named Harold who seems to have a lot of fears and neurosis. Ava heads off to Italy to a writing retreat where she meets another guest. As they are not allowed to use real names or tell anyone about their real life, Aria meets Dutch and they fall in love, very quickly, but deeply. When they get back to real life, they find out that not only do they both live in London, but they learn about each other’s lives. The are completely incompatible, but they keep trying to find middle ground. It is hilarious. As usual, the more staid and uptight person in the relationship is the one who changes the most but not without several situations. There was quite a bit of angst in this one, but all’s well that ends well. I enjoyed this lighthearted story and it was just what I needed going back into lockdown for the third time since the pandemic began.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Fiona Hardingham. She is a narrator that I have listened to several times and I always enjoy her performance. She makes this an easy listen using her expression, emphasis and inflection to keep the reader fully engaged with story. I was gifted a copy of this book upon request. The rating and opinions shared are my own.