I have been looking forward to this second book in the Not in Love series with Maya and Conor’s story but I didn’t love it quite as much as the first book. It has a beautiful Italian beach setting and it was fun to see characters from Not in Love return but I found the different timelines confusing and the discourse around their big age gap repetitive. It is lighter on spice than her last few books but has plenty of Hazelwood’s snarky banter.

Maya is Eli’s little sister from Not in Love. She is twenty-three now and has had a crush for the last three years on Conor, Eli’s best friend, who is thirty-eight. He is a successful finance guy for biotech companies. Maya was raised by Eli, after their parents died when she was eleven. She was a wild teen and had therapy for anger management and now she and Eli are very close. She went to Edinburgh for her undergrad degree but was heartbroken when her boyfriend of over a year broke up with her to date her roommate. She tried to call her brother at work but he was on his way to Australia so she ended up talking with Conor. When he heard her crying, he flew to help her and it was then that she fell in love with him. He thought she was beautiful and brilliant but held himself back from her because he feels their power dynamic is too unbalanced due to their fifteen-year age gap. 

Now, they have both come to Italy for Eli’s wedding.

The twelve people in Eli and Rue’s wedding party arrive in beautiful Taormina, Italy. The setting is breathtaking at the villa where they all plan to stay for a week. The villa is on a beach with turquoise waters and beautiful sunsets. There is fabulous food, lemon trees, and a view of Mt. Etna. Then disasters start happening to the wedding party – first it was food poisoning, followed by more mishaps that have them wondering if there is a curse on the wedding!

The playful, teasing banter between their friend group was top tier. The conversations added so much humor to the story as they dined on delicious meals, played soccer, and went sightseeing. Maya and Conor can’t keep their eyes off each other. There are some spicy-ish scenes where they mess around a little but they don’t make love until the end so this book isn’t as spicy as her other recent books.

The timeline got confusing as it bounced around between Italy, Edinburgh and Austin (where Maya has been in grad school). Also, they discuss the age gap so much throughout the story that it got repetitive. The age gap didn’t bother me as much as them constantly talking about it. I found Conor frustrating at times. He suggests that she date younger guys but gets jealous when she does. He has dated two of the women from the wedding party and one of them wants him back so that gets awkward. As the story went on and I got to know Conor better, he grew on me and I liked him more by the end. Maya was loveable, flaws and all, for her loyalty to her friends and family (including their dogs). She is trying to decide what to do next as she considers offers from prestigious labs. We see mentions of some characters from Hazelwood’s other books which was fun.

I enjoyed this story–I loved the incredible Italian scenery, the stellar characters and the romance, even with the awkwardness of the fifteen year age gap. While it might not be everyone’s cup of tea, it could be a fun summer beach read, especially for readers like me, who enjoy Hazelwood’s hilarious banter and humor.