The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany by Lori Nelson Spielman

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.

Paperback, 400 pages

Published November 17th 2020

 by Berkley

5/5 stars

I love Italy, this book took me across the country and brought back memories of my last vacation, reinforcing how this is one of my favourite destinations.

The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany started out with a great fable of the past and curse upon the second born daughters. What follows here is the story of Emilia who along with her cousin Lucy accompany estranged Aunt Poppy back to Italy in an attempt to break the curse.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, I found the authors writing style captivating, the witty banter  worked well. This is a dual-time story as Poppy reflects on her past as she approaches her 80th birthday. The plan is to meet the love of her life even though they have not communicated for decades.

The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany is the story of relationships, between sisters, cousins and in this case of family members. They are Italian so there are lots of them. What follows is not just a journey across the country but of self discovery and courage. Told from the point of view of Emilia as well as Poppy reminiscing about her past and what brought her to America. This book was a pleasure to read it was well written, it highlighted the struggles faced in Italy and of those seeking a new start in America. Definitely an author and book a highly recommend, I will be seeking out the authors back list

This book was part of my 2022 reading off my shelf challenge #52