30. Life Isn't a RomCom

How a dinner challenged the way I view things

Picture this. You’re eating dinner that you made at a cooking class with your family. You’re all laughing and made friends with the people who run the B&B. It’s on a mountain, and the family is restoring it to keep the business alive from when their grandfather bought the farm years ago. The chef is hilarious, the woman who is guiding you around has become an instant friend, and the owner comes to visit at the end of your meal. He’s gorgeous.

This literally sounds like a romcom.

If it was, he would sweep you off your feet. You would move to the mountains of Sorrento and help them run their beautiful, family owned bed and breakfast.

I’m not going to lie - that doesn’t sound bad at all. If it was a romcom, this would be an ideal life. Would this actually be sustainable in real life? A big, fat no.

I have a wonderful family who I don’t want to live across the world from. I can’t imagine how jarring the culture change is. It’s on the top of a mountain that I am way too fearful to drive up. Honestly, it’s probably too hot for me and too big of a change for me.

It’s important to remember that romcoms aren’t real life. Sometimes my imagination and dreams perceive romance book situations to be real. Sometimes, I think that by reading so many romance books through such a developmental stage of my life, I have allowed my imagination to see them as reality.

Realizing that this is false is hard to reconcile. It’s just like “Instagram vs Reality”. Let’s take my notes from Italy!

1. Duomo: woke up way too early for the time change/jet lag, climbed over 400 steps to reach the top, and we immediately went back to the airbnb to sleep.

2. The bookstores: I stumbled across the classics in a gift shop of a museum. The second was a passing photo of books that I saw. I meant to come back and go in the store, but never did.

3. First night in Sorrento: I was so tired at this dinner that I was dizzy. There were issues with our airbnb (nothing major!).

4. Capri: The island is heinous to walk through in the summer. We spent maybe an hour or two on the island itself, and half of that was waiting in the taxi line. The boat was super awesome though!

5. Sorrento dinner: See above! LOL

6. The Vatican: We woke up at 6 am and our tour guide was great - but that means that we had to rush through most of the museum. We went back to the airbnb and napped for a few hours. Also, it was 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

Always take what you digest - whether that’s a romcom book, movie, a post on social media - with a grain of salt. I adored each and every second of our trip, but it wasn’t some ideal situation where nothing went wrong. We were tired. I (obviously) fought with my siblings. I adore romance books, but sometimes my imaginative brain forgets that they aren’t real.

Anyway, enjoy the gallery of images from our vacation! This was the first trip I used my digital camera on, and I’m incredibly happy with the results. I honestly feel refreshed creatively. It was also my first real time off since I started my job in December (and it was needed). While I took the opportunity to ramble about a topic I’ve been thinking about, I loved my trip! It refreshed the traveler in me.

Moments in Italy

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New Link Note: I found a website, bookshop.org, which is all about supporting independent bookstores. I am going to try it out, but let me know if I should switch to Amazon - whatever you like best! (these are affiliate links.)

1. Reckless by Lauren Roberts (Fantasy): July 2, 2024

2. The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (Thriller): July 2, 2024

3. The Night Ends with Fire by KX Song (Fantasy): July 2, 2024

4. Body Check by Elle Kennedy (Sports Romance): July 2, 2024

5. The Undermining of Twyla and Frank (Fantasy): July 2, 2024

6. Breaking the Dark by Lisa Jewell (Mystery): July 2, 2024

7. The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali (Historical Fiction): July 2, 2023

Books I’ve compiled from mainly the NYT Bestsellers List, but also the B&N Top 100 and Amazon Bestsellers in no particular order. I’ve decided to simply add the books I haven’t before, since I’ve caught up to the new additions. If you’re curious, last week’s post can be found here.

1. Red Sky Mourning by Jack Carr (Thriller)

2. The Housemaid is Watching by Freida McFadden (Thriller)

3. Swan Song by Elin Hilderbrand (Women’s Fiction, Romance)

4. Winter Lost by Patricia Briggs (Fantasy)

5. The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley (Mystery/Thriller)

6. Middle of the Night by Riley Sager (Thriller)

7. Sandwich by Catherine Newman (Fiction)

This week I’m talking about an author I’ve known of forever but have yet to read a book by her. It’s Elin Hilderbrand.

via elinhinderbrand.net

My mom has many of Elin’s books. I remember her reading them for years now. I recently saw on Instagram that a bunch of people are reading her novels. Everyone raves about them. Elin looks like your best friend’s mom. The one that you see all the time and always gives you a smile and a wave.

And that’s because she probably is in real life. Elin has three kids. She loves her Peloton, enjoys cooking, and adores the beach. She moved to Nantucket in 1994, so Elin is very “East Coast Beach” - just like her novels. Elin has thirty published books. She worked without stop for years, including in 2014 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a double mastectomy.

Swan Song just released, and it is Elin’s last Nantucket novel. She planned this, actually. She wants to relax, slow down. Will she fully retire? I don’t think so - Elin plans on remaining active on social media, and I hope she might find writing fun again the future!

Now, it’s time for me to plan my Elin Hilderbrand Era. I have thirty books to read, after all.

Congratulations, Elin, on your retirement! You can keep up with her on her website and Instagram.

Just a reminder to submit any books you think others will love on the R&R page or to my email: thesundayreads@gmail.com!

1. Our Darkest Summer by Hanga E Paval

   1. I would be remiss not to talk about my first ARC. This is Hanga’s debut novel and she self published it. For a debut novel, I’m impressed. This is a fast paced and encompassing summer romance-mystery. She includes maps and letters in the book, which I really loved.

      Around 30% in is when I really got into it. At the beginning, I remember wishing I had gotten more background information, but it becomes clear that it’s withheld for a reason. It all puzzle pieces together; we’re learning as we go with our mystery gang.

      Honestly, I couldn't have guessed the whole story until it was uncovered at the end. !hen we find out what happened, it’s honestly rather sad and you can’t really guess it and just … sad. Spoilers in my GoodReads review.

      If I had to give this a star rating, it would probably be 3.5-4/5. The second half where we really dive into the mystery I liked more than the first bit. Things that stood out to me were: a bit stilted dialogue at points, convenient situations especially when forming our group (I wish we got to see them becoming friends more), and I wish we had a bit more build up with Thomas and Kinsley.

That’s all for today. Much love

Izzy