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This Time Around by Kimberly Packard

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This Time AroundThis Time Around by Kimberly Packard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Have you ever had a “what if I could go back in time” moment? Or what if you were forced to relive a year in your past? This is exactly what happens to the main character Josie in This Time Around by Kimberly Packard.

Josie’s life was turned upside down when her husband threatens to take her kids in their divorce, and the business she’s put most of her passion, time and money into building is at risk of failing. This leads to a reality shattering panic attack that causes Josie to wake up in her teenage home 30 years in the past, and now she is forced to relive her emotional senior year.

What an endearing story. I was pulled in immediately and didn’t want to stop turning the pages. This story is fast-paced, fun, and impactful with so many well-developed, intriguing, and interesting characters and with an ending that will make you laugh out loud and possibly shed a tear.

There is more to this story than just redoing a year of her life. There are choices to be made, memories to delight in, friendships to save, and deciding what she truly wants her future to look like.

I can’t wait to read more from this author.

Happy Reading!

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This Time Around by Kimberly Packard – Review by Kerry Carr

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This Time AroundThis Time Around by Kimberly Packard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a very interesting read with a unique twist. It is a story of romance, lost love, fate, rediscovering yourself, and learning about consequences of your decisions. My heart went out to our main character Josie has to comes face to face with problems from her past but while she has the ability to make these right how will changing past events effect her future.

Josie is a mother and business woman. When her life feels like it’s falling apart, her husband is wanting a divorce and custody of the kids and the big deal for her business falls through she ends up having a panic attack.
When she wakes up she finds herself back in time to her teenage self.
Suddenly realising she now has the opportunity to change things about her past, make things right and finally be with the man she truly loves Josie plans to do just that. However having the knowledge and experience of an older woman will she make the sensible decisions she knows she should make or will she follow her heart.
And what will happen to her future self if she makes those changes. Will she still end up married to Peter with her kids that she loves and adores or will she end up losing the one thing she loves more than anything in the world?
I really enjoyed this story and I loved the trip down memory Lane with a return to the 90s. I could really relate to Josie and I felt how hard things were for her having a choice between the person she always loved and her kids who are her world. This was a captivating read that I couldn’t put down.

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This Time Around by Kimberly Packard – Review by La Toya Lewis

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This Time AroundThis Time Around by Kimberly Packard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Josie Gardner is a mom in her forties going through a divorce and finds herself in a position that more than a few of us have dreamt about. She wakes up in her senior year of high school. Will this be a chance for a do-over? Josie is a highly relatable character. She feels like her life is falling apart. Her husband wants to take primary custody of their children and her business just suffered a terrible blow. The part of the plot in the nineties is a fun blast from the past. The friendships with Emily and Sofia were sweet and felt nostalgic. I also enjoyed the scenes with Josie and her parents. You could especially feel the longing for her dad. It was fun guessing how Josie’s actions would impact the future. This was fun to read. If you enjoy time travel plots, this is highly suggested.

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This Time Around by Kimberly Packard – Review by Whisper Hymer

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This Time AroundThis Time Around by Kimberly Packard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This Time Around by Kimberly Packard is a second chance romance in the vein of 17 Again or 13 going on 30 (well opposite on that one). It follows Josie – middle-aged anxiety-riddled divorcee and mother of two. Her life is in shambles, mental health a mess, and her heart still hasn’t gotten over the one that got away. When the pressure becomes too much, Josie wakes up from a panic attack to find herself back in her teens getting ready to start senior year of high school. Josie is determined to right the wrongs of the past and armed with love of children as yet unborn. This is one second-chance romance you don’t want to miss.

Reviewed by @WhisperHymer

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This Time Around by Kimberly Packard – Review by Jennifer Gordon

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This Time AroundThis Time Around by Kimberly Packard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this ‘what if’, second chance story and it kept me captivated throughout. Josie is given the chance for a ‘do-over’ of her teenage years, but whether she makes the same mistakes again is up to her. Josie’s life revolves around her children and her career, and is going through a divorce. When her husband threatens to take the children and then with her business at risk of failing, she suffers a panic attack. She then finds herself waking up thirty years in the past, in her teenage bedroom. She then has to relive her senior year at high school, which she found emotionally devastating the first time round. That year she cut her father out of her life, turned away the boy she loved and caused her best friend to sever ties. Josie is determined to get back to her own time and to her children. She tries to fix the mistakes she made, hoping that righting those wrongs will send her back to the present. But then she’s tempted by her high school crush to take a second chance at love. However, this may result in her losing everything she has in her future. The likeable and relatable Josie has a dilemma and I felt invested in her story. This is an enjoyable and engaging read which kept me happily turning the pages.

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This Time Around by Kimberly Packard – Review by Santana Hicks

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This Time AroundThis Time Around by Kimberly Packard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Josie’s life couldn’t get any worse right now. A divorce on the horizon, custody battle, and her business is not doing good. It’s just one thing after another and it is taking its toll on her. She spirals into a full blown panic attack and wakes up 30 years in the past. Her senior year. Josie thinks that this is just a panic induced dream since she has a few regrets at this time including turning away the one boy who had her heart.

When Josie realizes she isn’t waking up back in the present, she decides to fix her mistakes from the past. She wants to tell Daniel how she feels but in doing so, she might erase her current life and lose her 2 kids she adores.

Who doesn’t love a time travelling trope. You’ve heard of 15 going on 30 but have you heard of 47 going on 17? Redoing your senior year in hopes of getting it right this time around. If only I could go back. I really enjoyed the main character Josie. She spent so long being a wife and mom first that she forgot what it is that she wanted in life. She may spend a lot of time inside her 17 year old body but she still has the mindset of her current age. Everyone has regrets. Only difference is Josie gets to change hers.

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This Time Around by Kimberly Packard – Review by Trish Ann

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This Time AroundThis Time Around by Kimberly Packard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this one! There were many identifiable connection points for me. I thought the main character was relatable. I have often thought about the what if I went back and relived a point in time. I also appreciated the nostalgia of the piece.

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This Time Around by Kimberly Packard – Review by Maisie Dickinson

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This Time AroundThis Time Around by Kimberly Packard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Kimberley Packard’s This Time Around follows forty-seven year old Josie in the midst of a divorce, and the potential loss of her company looming in the distance. Then suddenly she’s seventeen again and faced with two options; to make the same choices she made the first time around, or to fix what she deems her mistakes. It’s a bit like Look Both Ways, or a reverse 13 Going On 30. I felt like there was a lot of unnecessary figurative language, and it could come across as a little misogynistic at times, but I got really hooked into the story and cried at the ending. Her relationship with the boys, her relationship with the girls, her relationship with her parents and ex-husband and children, her reunion with Daniel, it was perfect. I recommend this book because it really makes you think about life and is genuinely inspirational. I already believed this, but it reaffirmed that you shouldn’t regret any of the decisions you make as they all lead up to where you are now, where you’re meant to be. ‘I keep to myself that a decision only looks like a mistake in close proximity. When scar tissue grows around that mistake, one starts to realize something beautiful took root.’

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This Time Around by Kimberly Packard – Review by Shelly Kittell

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This Time AroundThis Time Around by Kimberly Packard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What an entertaining book. For the week I had, this book made it so much better. I love a good romance that I can dive in that’s full of humor, romance, and fantastic characters. Right from the start, the story engages you. As a mama, I thought I was going to fall off my chair chuckling at the beginning. I haven’t read any of this author’s books before but I am going to need some more. You come away with a smile from this one.

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This Time Around by Kimberly Packard – Review by Dawn Daughenbaugh

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This Time AroundThis Time Around by Kimberly Packard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5 Stars
This Time Around by Kimberly Packard

This Time Around by Kimberly Packard is a wonderfully written Women’s Fiction/ Second Chance Romance that I absolutely loved reading. I pretty much devoured this book in one afternoon because I simply couldn’t put it down. My emotions were all over the place with this story. Some parts really made me think back to my teenage years and I found myself asking if I could go back would I change anything? No I wouldn’t because everything happens for a reason. The characters are fully developed relatable and complex. The storyline flowed well even going back and forth. I highly recommend reading this book to find out what happens next. It’s worth the time and I’m looking forward to reading more from this Author.

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This Time Around by Kimberly Packard – Review by Angela Hayes

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This Time AroundThis Time Around by Kimberly Packard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

 

4.5 Stars

 

Ok- right off the bat, this story would make a great movie. It gave me ‘Peggy Sue Got Married’ vibes, which I love- but with its own unique spin on the whole time travel/do-over theme.
“Would you take a second chance for love… even if it meant losing everything?” Ms. Packard certainly packs a punch with some emotional and thought-provoking points. Depth and character ooze off the pages here, with plenty of life-lessons and meaningful content.
It’s a bit of a ‘journey of discovery/rediscovery’ of self and of life, second chances, and finding purpose- with family, friendship, emotion, fate/destiny, adventure, drama, angst, and much more.
Another superb read from Ms. Packard. Can’t wait to see what she delivers next.
Happy Reading…

Thank you, Kimberly Packard!

 

 

Reviewed by @angelahayes

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This Time Around by Kimberly Packard – Review by Jenni Bishop

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This Time AroundThis Time Around by Kimberly Packard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

4.5 stars
This Time Around is a heartwarming time travel RomCom that sees Josie Gardner’s life turned upside down when her ex threatens taking her kids away and on top of that her life as she knows it is falling apart. Suddenly finding herself thrown back in time what choices will she make?
I like that Kimberly gives us a more mature woman as the main character as she has life’s lessons behind her. Kimberly got the balance right.
This engaging tale had me from the start and I could not put it down. It is full of so many emotions as Josie struggles with what she wants.
Reminiscent of movies like Ghosts of Girlfriends Past and 17 Again, This Time Around begs the question if your life was turned upside and you go back in time would you do it differently or do it the same all over again? And isn’t that is the million-dollar question. You may just find the life you were always meant to have but to do so means giving up everything you ever had.
This wonderful tale not to be missed out on. It evokes many emotions within as you ruminate about your own past. Is love better the second time around?

Reviewed by @jennadb

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This Time Around by Kimberly Packard – Review by Alison Risher

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This Time AroundThis Time Around by Kimberly Packard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is totally relatable to anyone who has been out of high school for at least five years. Lost touch with one of your best friends? Check. Still hung up on what could have been? Check. Regret how you behaved toward your parents sometimes during your senior year? Check. Your current relationship and your business are both imploding at the same time? Okay, this is where it starts to get interesting. Have a panic attack? Relatable. The panic attack sends you back in time to re-do your senior year? Is time travel real? The main character discovers new friendships as she learns to cherish the relationships she already has.

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This Time Around by Kimberly Packard – Review by Kerry Baker

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This Time AroundThis Time Around by Kimberly Packard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When I started reading this book, I expected a lighthearted and fun story that involved reliving teenage years. I thought it would be an easy read with a great romantic storyline. And while it definitely felt like the book delivered on all that, but also offered a depth and emotion to the story that I wasn’t expecting. It added a whole other layer to the story that made it so much more enjoyable to read.
I loved all of the characters in this story. They were so well interwoven and found them all to be so relatable, but in entirely different ways. It was great to see the main character embrace her old teenage life, in a way I bet many of us wish we could go back and do. This is a brilliant book and my favourite from this author so far.

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Greetings from Asbury Park: A World War Two Love Story (Jack & Mariella Book 1) by Luigina Vecchione – Review by Christie Mitchum

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Greetings from Asbury Park: A World War Two love storyGreetings from Asbury Park: A World War Two love story by Luigina Vecchione
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Greetings From Asbury Park was a heartfelt, emotional read!

I’m not usually a fan of WWII books, but this one was different. It didn’t take place in Germany. It depicted the brutal German occupation of Rome.

Mariella and Jack are the main characters, although Jack doesn’t appear until much later in the book. A good portion of the book is about Mariella and her family. They had already endured a horrific tragic event in their lives, and as the book opens, they are suffering from brutal treatment from the Germans and possible starvation. Fear rules their lives.

Mariella is forced to give up so much, like her education. However, her tenacity and perseverance is incredible. As the war ends, she meets a handsome American soldier and spends an unforgettable day with him. There is an instant connection between them, but he has to leave. The two become pen pals for years. As the years pass, readers see how the two of them are living separate lives, but that connection is still there. I liked that their love story wasn’t rushed, making the story so much more believable. They get to know one another through their letters to each other.

This was truly an incredible read. Vecchione’s ability to make me feel everything Mariella and her family felt is a testament to her skill as a writer. I’m eagerly anticipating the next book in the series to see where Mariella’s journey takes her next.

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Italian American (Jack & Mariella Book 2) by Luigina Vecchione – Review by Christie Mitchum

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Italian American: Jack & Mariella’s journey continues…Italian American: Jack & Mariella’s journey continues… by Luigina Vecchione
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Italian American is a poignant exploration of family dynamics, sacrifices, love, and hope set against the backdrop of significant historical events. The novel’s narrative is deeply rooted in the experiences of the Italian immigrants, making it a compelling read for those interested in family sagas and historical fiction.

This is the continuation of Jack and Mariella’s love story, set against the backdrop of significant historical events. The novel opens with Mariella and her adult daughters, a poignant scene that sets the stage for Mariella’s journey to America and her adaptation to her new life. The historical context adds depth to the immigrant experience, making it more relatable to readers.

The couple finally reunites in Italy when Jack returns to bring her to America for her new life. I loved seeing through Mariella’s eyes the first sight of America. It made me stop and appreciate this wonderful country in which I have had the privilege of being born.

As she begins her new life, she experiences some bumps in the road. There is a language barrier as she is still learning English. She also encounters some nasty housewives, and her mother-in-law is nasty to her. However, none of this stops her determination to make a happy life with Jack. As the years move on, she and Jack become parents, and she must return to Italy because her father is ill. Will this trip back home make her second guess her decision to make her life with Jack? Or will it make their love even stronger?

Mariella emerges as an extraordinary woman, a beacon of resilience. She endured the horrors of the German occupation during her childhood, and she bravely left her family behind for a new life in America, a journey not without its trials. Her unwavering determination to carve out her own happiness is truly inspiring. What’s more, this is a story based on a real woman! While the book’s pacing felt a bit hurried towards the end, I was left wanting more. I yearned to see if her relationship with her mother-in-law had evolved, and I was curious about the fate of her sister and brother. Nevertheless, this was a powerful read that further opened my eyes to the atrocities of the Nazi Regime and the profound damage they inflicted.

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This Time Around by Kimberly Packard – Review by Micalah Weatherholtz

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This Time AroundThis Time Around by Kimberly Packard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This Time Around is the first book I’ve read by Kimberly Packard and I’m really glad I took a chance on reading it. The premise of the book is what drew me in. I mean the biggest ‘what if’ scenario that most people have thought about is going back in time to make better decisions, change things, try different paths, and will she actually be able to get back to her own time. In This Time Around Josie Gardner, a forty seven year old, nearing divorce, and a custody battle gets the chance to do just that. She discovers just how much our past influences our future and she tells the story with such humor, interesting characters. This story actually felt believable, was fast paced, and such a fun read.

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This Time Around by Kimberly Packard – Review by Sheri Schrader

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This Time AroundThis Time Around by Kimberly Packard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This Time Around is a story about returning to your past and the potential to make changes. Josie is a 47-year-old woman, a mother, a business owner, and in the process of divorce. She is relatable as she deals with all the challenges life brings her way. After she has a panic attack, she awakens in her teenage bedroom, about to start her senior year of high school. Is this a time to change the “what ifs” or to repeat the past? Josie’s character draws you into her adult and teen life because she is realistic and understandable. Most of us have those experiences in high school that we know we could have handled differently now that we have the insight of living in the adult world. She handles everything carefully, trying not to give herself away to her friends and classmates that she is 47 in a teen’s body. With the opportunity to make changes in her past, does Josie change her future? If you enjoy a bit of time traveling with women’s fiction, this is a great read that explores the “what ifs” of life.
I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

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This Time Around by Kimberly Packard – Review by Karrie Sears

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This Time AroundThis Time Around by Kimberly Packard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When I first started this this book, it seemed meh. Then I got really into it and made me think, what I would do if I was transported back to my senior year in high school? Would I make changes to affect my future self? This was a great story. I couldn’t wait to see what would happen. The story line was well written and thought out. Even though Josie made some slight adjustments that affected the future, it righted itself out in the end. She wasn’t the hormonal teenager who wasn’t thinking about anything but what she had going on in her life. She used that 40-something year old to thoughtfully make decisions. While she was dearly missing her children, you could definitely tell the shift in the book when she wasn’t as fretful over getting back to them and focused on the last couple of months of her senior year. She has the same Aubrey and Ben. Maybe even the happier ever after part. I cannot wait to see what may come next after this book. Definitely going to keep an eye out on future books.

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This Time Around by Kimberly Packard – Review by Jennifer Crain

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This Time AroundThis Time Around by Kimberly Packard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“This Time Around” is a captivating and emotional read that explores the complexities of second chances, self-discovery, and the power of love. Kimberly Packard has woven a thought-provoking narrative that delves into the intricacies of Josie’s past and present, making it difficult to put the book down.

Josie’s relatable struggles and inner turmoil make her a well-developed and endearing protagonist. Her character growth throughout the story is impressive, as she learns to confront her past mistakes and prioritize her relationships.

The book has an engaging plot- the time-travel element adds a unique twist to the story, keeping the reader invested in Josie’s journey as she navigates her past to fix her mistakes.

Even with the cliched elements of the “high school sweetheart trope,” this book is still a really fun read. I also really connected with Josie’s life in the past, growing up in the 90’s (Choose Your Own Adventure books, Back to the Future, etc.).

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This Time Around by Kimberly Packard

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~ ♦ ~ ♦ ~ ♦ ~ ♦ ~ BOOK SPOTLIGHT SHOWCASE ~ ♦ ~ ♦ ~ ♦ ~ ♦ ~
This Time Around by Kimberly Packard
Hosted by Itsy Bitsy Book Bits
Genre – Women’s Fiction
Page Count – 321
Cover Designer – Sarah Hanson of Okay Creations
Most of us would jump at a chance for a do-over of our teenage years…but what if our worst mistakes lead to our happily-ever-after?
Josie Gardner’s life revolves around her amazing children and her career. But, when her husband threatens to take her kids in their divorce, and the business she’s put most of her passion, time and money into building is at risk of failing, a panic attack shatters her grip on reality… and the present.
Josie wakes up in her teenage bedroom, thirty years in the past. She’s forced to relive her emotionally devastating senior year of high school — the year she cut her father out of her life, caused one of her best friends to sever ties, and turned away the boy she loved.
Determined to get back to her children in her own time, Josie tries to fix the mistakes she made, in the hope that righting wrongs will send her back to the present. But when tempted by her high school crush Josie faces the real possibility of losing her future for good.
Would you take a second chance for love…even if it meant losing everything?

~ AMAZON ~

Click here to view the Book Trailer for This Time Around by Kimberly Packard

Click here to experience a Chapter Reading of This Time Around by Kimberly Packard

Kimberly Packard is an award-winning author of women’s fiction.

When she isn’t writing, she can be found planning her next trip, asking her dog what’s in his mouth or curled up with a book. She resides in Texas with her husband Colby, a clever cat named Oliver and a precocious black lab named Tully. 

Her debut novel, Phoenix, was awarded as Best General Fiction of 2013 by the Texas Association of Authors. She is also the author of a Christmas novella, The Crazy Yates, and the sequels to Phoenix, Pardon Falls and Prospera Pass, and her stand-alone titles Vortex, Dire’s Club and This Time Around. She was honored as one of the Top 10 Haute Young Authors by Southern Methodist University in 2019. Vortex was the 2019 winner of the Pencraft award in Women’s Fiction, and Dire’s Club, was awarded the 2021 General Fiction of the Year by the North Texas Book Festival.

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Five Tries to Get It Right by Kathryn Dodson – Review by Amber Howard

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Five Tries to Get It RightFive Tries to Get It Right by Kathryn Dodson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was an emotional journey and a great story of friendship. Starting over is rough. Having your life turned upside down and navigating a new reality can weigh heavily on a person. I loved that Kate and Lydia had each other to help deal with the new challenges they faced. Definitely a good read.

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Italian American by Luigina Vecchione – review by Emily Jensen

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Italian American: Jack & Mariella’s journey continues…Italian American: Jack & Mariella’s journey continues… by Luigina Vecchione
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was a continuation of Greetings From Asbury Park, continuing the story of Jack and Mariella – the soldier who met his Italian bride during WWII.

In the continuation, he’s taken her home to Asbury Park, and Mariella must learn all the nuances of American culture and struggles a great deal about the whole process. Through making friends in her neighborhood, to dealing with Jack’s mother who does not like her, to having her children and figuring out the American ways of childbirth are nothing like the Italian ways, Mariella thinks she finally has a foothold in this whole American thing… Then she’s called home to Italy, and everything she thinks she knows for sure about her life are questioned and new fears are unlocked.

The only problem I had with this book is how neatly it wrapped up. I wanted more story to devour!

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Greetings From Asbury Park by Luigina Vecchione – review by Emily Jensen

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Greetings from Asbury Park: A World War Two love storyGreetings from Asbury Park: A World War Two love story by Luigina Vecchione
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is one of those books that I mostly loved because I just love historical romance novels. This is a sweet story about Mariella, an Italian with a huge family, falling in love with an American soldier during World War II. She’s lost so much already, and so when he goes back to America and writes about his engagement, she assumes she’s lost him, but fate has other plans for both of them.

While it was a very sweet love story that had a lot of stakes involved, I also loved how they showed the humanity of both Jack and Mariella and where they both seemed to want the both for themselves, their families and their countries and also showing the hell that war is for everyone involved, no matter whether they’re on the front lines or not.

I was so glad this book had a sequel!

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Italian American (Jack & Mariella Book 2) by Luigina Vecchione – Review by Gillian Fawell

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Italian American: Jack & Mariella’s journey continues…Italian American: Jack & Mariella’s journey continues… by Luigina Vecchione
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I so wasn’t ready to let go of Mariella and her family’s story so I was grateful for this 2nd installment. I have always found it fascinating how immigrants brought so much to their new homes especially in the mid to late 20th century so this story really intrigued me. Highly recommended!

Reviewed by @sparkinside

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Greetings from Asbury Park (Jack & Mariella Book 1) by Luigina Vecchione – Review by Gillian Fawell

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Greetings from Asbury Park: A World War Two love storyGreetings from Asbury Park: A World War Two love story by Luigina Vecchione
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This story swept me away right from the start. Mariella’s story gives a true insight into how many everyday Italians and others around the world had to fight to survive during World War 2. Neighbours spying on each other, very little food, the list goes on. Do yourself a favour and read this book!

Reviewed by @sparkinside

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Italian American (Jack & Mariella Book 2) by Luigina Vecchione – Review by Charlisa Wahtomy-Alba

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<a href=”https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/210680162-italian-american” style=”float: left; padding-right: 20px”><img border=”0″ alt=”Italian American: Jack & Mariella’s journey continues…” src=”https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1712083018l/210680162._SX98_.jpg” /></a><a href=”https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/210680162-italian-american”>Italian American: Jack & Mariella’s journey continues…</a> by <a href=”https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21894769.Luigina_Vecchione”>Luigina Vecchione</a><br/>
My rating: <a href=”https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6598238823″>5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This story continues from Greetings from Asbury Park and picks up 9 years later. The war is over, Jack and Mariella are married and ready to start their new lives. Even though is pains her, Mariella moves across the ocean to be with her husband in a country where she knows nobody. When she gets a heartbreaking call she returns to Italy, but will she be able to leave her family again? It was hard the first time, but a second time will be devastating. This was a great continuation of Jack and Mariella’s story. Even though this is a series either book can be read as a standalone.
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Greetings From Asbury Park by Luigina Vecchione review by Charlisa Wahtomy-Alba

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<a href=”https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60886985-greetings-from-asbury-park” style=”float: left; padding-right: 20px”><img border=”0″ alt=”Greetings from Asbury Park: A World War Two love story” src=”https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1650982037l/60886985._SX98_.jpg” /></a><a href=”https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60886985-greetings-from-asbury-park”>Greetings from Asbury Park: A World War Two love story</a> by <a href=”https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21894769.Luigina_Vecchione”>Luigina Vecchione</a><br/>
My rating: <a href=”https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6598210530″>5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Like many young people back then, our main character, Mariella, has to be mature beyond her years. She meets a nice young GI, Jack, who has very little time left to spend in Italy. He is about to shipped to Japan but they make the most of their time. Before he heads off they exchange addresses and a promise to keep in touch. Will they be able to endure the time and distance? I enjoyed the characters and how this story was written. The characters are very likeable and their story draws you into their world. I’m looking forward to the continuation of Mariella and Jack’s story.
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Italian American (Jack & Mariella Book 2) by Luigina Vecchione – Review by Shannen Kern

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Italian American: Jack & Mariella’s journey continues…Italian American: Jack & Mariella’s journey continues… by Luigina Vecchione
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I wasn’t sure how much I’d like this book as I didn’t think it could be as good as the first one. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was wrong because this book absolutely surpassed my expectations. I truly loved Jack and Mariella in the first book, so I enjoyed seeing their relationship evolve even further. There was even more emotion, turmoil, and drama included, so prepare yourself in advance! You may be able to read this as a standalone, but I think it would be a mistake to miss out on the background of Jack and Mariella. They’ve been on quite a journey before this story, and while the author tries to provide as much information they can as a catch-up, it can only contain so much. I highly recommend this book and this series, so pick it up and get lost in a historical romance for the weekend!

Reviewed by @shannlynn

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Greetings from Asbury Park (Jack & Mariella Book 1) by Luigina Vecchione – Review by Shannen Kern

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Greetings from Asbury Park: A World War Two love storyGreetings from Asbury Park: A World War Two love story by Luigina Vecchione
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was such a beautiful and emotional story! It is set in World War II which is apparent in the way the author portrays amazing imagery with their words. The character development is quite incredible as they are relatable even from a different time period. Mariella is a teenager, but like so many during WWII, she was forced to be very mature for her age. Jack is a nice soldier that gives her hope until he gets stationed far away. While my heart felt squeezed through many of these pages, I still highly recommend it. If you enjoy historical fiction with romance and drama, please pick this up and give it a chance! I am eager to read the next book in the series.

Reviewed by @shannlynn

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