Review: 24 Hours in Italy

Traveling the world through a book will never get old and I loved experiencing Italy while reading Romi Moondi’s latest book, 24 Hours in Italy. It picks up just about where 24 Hours in Paris left off (review here) and I really enjoyed getting back together with Mira and Jake and seeing if their romance could finally stick this time around.

Here’s the book’s description:

Two years have passed since Mira and Jake missed their flight and spent a magical 24 hours together in Paris. Sparks flew. Romance bloomed. But life got in the way. When they’re reunited for another whirlwind adventure, will they connect in the same way?
Mira’s living her best life, having started a new chapter by taking a leave from her high pressure corporate position to spend time in Italy. Surrounded by amazing scenery, fantastic food and wine, and endearing locals, her life is nearly perfect—except for the thoughts of what might've been with Jake.
While Jake’s career has never been better, the move to California has been less than perfect. Still, he’s got high hopes that seeing Mira at their friends’ destination wedding can right past wrongs. Except travel has never been his strong suit, and his reunion with Mira is punctuated by another, more recent heartbreak.
When the pair collide again on the gorgeous Amalfi coast, the spark they felt in Paris is reignited, but their quest for a happy ending will surely be as rocky as the Italian coastline.

I don’t know if it’s because I, like Mira, am an elder millennial, but Jake is a pretty great book boyfriend. *fans self* I’ll get into it more below but Mira was the one who destroyed their relationship so any less-than-ideal behaviour on Jake’s part while they were together in Italy was, in my opinion, totally justified. I really loved how much you could tell that he did care for her. He was also just trying to protect himself and you can’t blame the guy. On the flipside, you can also tell that Mira is just as head over heels for Jake as he is for her. Their relationship isn’t perfect but there’s an ease there than most couples can only dream of. The everyday experiences (though I’m not sure you could call their 24 hour escapades “everyday”) the pair have are just as magical and impactful as the Big Moments can be. Not to mention the sexual chemistry between the two! It’s impossible not to root for them (a double negative Mira would be proud of and Jake would be exasperated about) and that’s part of what makes this rom com so delightful.

All that said…I know it would have been difficult for Mira and Jake to have stayed together doing the long distance thing after just 24 hours together in Paris. But the way they fell apart? I couldn’t buy it. I can understand to a point that Mira was dealing with a lot but she was acting more like a mid-twentysomething than a mid-thirtysomething and I guess I just expected more from her. Which I admit is kind of ridiculous and unfair because, hello, I quit a job during a global pandemic to go back to school at the age of 34. But I had a plan. (And I’m happy to say it’s worked out remarkably well.) Maybe I just wanted her to figure out what she wanted and stop blaming outside forces because I knew she was smart and driven, just a bit…aimless. I wanted her to stop being scared and just freaking talk to Jake. He wasn’t blameless either - he could have tried a bit harder - but Mira was definitely the one blowing up the relationship and I wasn’t sure how they’d come back from that. (But don’t worry - this is a romance!)

The other thing that kind of nagged at me was the side story of Eloise and Dembe. They’re the reason Mira and Jake have been thrown together once more as the pair was having their second wedding on the Amalfi coast. There was some sort of drama there and I found it took away from the overall story. I like the couple, don’t get me wrong, but I didn’t need Eloise being an idiotic drama queen and not trusting her husband (to be) and worrying so much about the “perfect” day.

But boy was I glad Eloise and Dembe decided to have their second wedding along the coast - somewhere I’ve neve been and don’t know if I’ll ever get to. It really felt like Moondi knew the area and loved it. Experiencing the area alongside Jake and Mira was so lovely. And had me craving sunshine and everything lemon! I could perfectly picture everything and that’s a credit to Moondi’s talent and care for the country.

24 Hours in Italy is stronger than Romi Moondi’s last novel and I can’t wait to see her grow even more as an author. She writes rom coms that have an equal balance of romance and comedy with a heap of reality tossed in - nothing seems fake or manufactured just for the sake of the storyline, it’s so refreshing. Just as refreshing as traveling through Italy while reading. Check out this book if you’re in the mood to “see” Italy while rooting for a couple you can’t help but love.

*An egalley was provided by the publisher, Wattpad, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*