4 stars
Hey guys, so I'm not usually into billionaire romance novels, but I do have a soft spot for the grumpy/sunshine trope. So, I was pretty thrilled to pick up this book. But as I dove in, it seemed like the grumpy/sunshine theme was a bit lacking.
The main gal Olivia works at an art gallery and she's a bit of a worrywart. At 28, she's let go of her dream to be an artist. When she was 18, she met Gianni on a school trip to Florence and fell head over heels. They spent some magical days together but he ended up ghosting her on her last day in town which left her heartbroken. Now she's kind of lost her spark and is more on the practical side.
Our main guy Gianni is an Italian billionaire who once dreamed of being a famous footballer until a knee injury ended his career prematurely. This also caused him to miss his final meeting with Olivia (or Libby as he knew her), something he's regretted ever since. During his recovery, he adopted his daughter who lights up his life. He decides to buy an art gallery in NYC to sell Italian art as part of expanding his family business.
Gianni ends up buying Olivia's workplace and soon enough, she realizes that her new boss is actually her old flame! I found it kinda funny that Olivia saw Gianni as grumpy - didn't seem all that grumpy to me. He was my favorite character in the book with his daughter coming in close second.
Overall, I enjoyed the book but thought Olivia acted pretty immature when she figured out Gianni was her long-lost love. Thankfully, she snapped out of it and they got their happy ending!
Thanks Sasha for a fab review! 😍