Published By: Renegade
Pages: 448
Released On: 02/07/2026
Two sisters she’s never met
A first love who’s impossible to forget…
For Jade, life in Lake Como is la dolce vita. Until her beloved grandmother passes, leaving Jade not just the family’s bustling guesthouse to run, but two life-changing secrets to confront…
The pensione hasn’t just been left to Jade, it’s also been inherited by her sisters – who she had no idea existed. As Erin and Rosalie arrive in Italy, Jade is forced to face the heart-wrenching prospect of sharing her last remaining tie to the woman who raised her.
Jade is desperately trying to hold on to the past, but there’s one person she would prefer to leave firmly behind: her first love, Leo. He’s back in the city that is filled with the memories they once made together. But as Jade fights to take control of her future and her heart, why do all cobbled roads lead back to Leo?
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Renegade for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
Oooh I love a new Sue Moorcroft book, especially if it’s set in Italy. I think it’s my 11th novel of hers.
I’ve never been to Lake Como but I have been to Lake Garda, and whilst I know they’re different places, I did keep imaging this book set on the banks of Garda, accompanied by a glass of white wine, which made it even more beautiful. It’s a place I need to go back to.
This is a good 100 pages longer than my preferred book length, and yet it flew by as if it were half the size.
This was delightful from the start. The characters, story, setting – just everything is wonderful.
It’s a lot more moving than I expected. I won’t go into detail for fear of spoilers but just the relationships – friendship, familial, romantic – were so beautiful that you couldn’t help but be swept up in it all.
I don’t mind books that have more female characters than male, or books that have more male characters than female, as long as they’re good characters. But this has got to be about 90% female, and I really enjoyed that because you got to see all the differences between them and how they all interacted – especially the comparisons between the Italian woman and the British.
I’d be amazed if anyone reads this without a big smile on their face. It has its down moment but overall it is so uplifting.
I know it’s not a thriller and so there was no whodunnit moment, but I still tried to work out how it was going to end and came to my own conclusion and….I was partially right. I’ll take that.
I prefer her Christmas books but that’s because I’m a winter gremlin and hate the hot weather and summer (ironic considering I rea this when it was 33 degrees and I was dying in front of the fan), but this was definitely up there with her best.
I’m looking forward to book number two which I believe is a wintery one so that instantly gets five stars from me.
Books By Your Bedside 