Please Note:  I received an advance copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Caroline Grant is struggling to accept the end of her marriage when she receives an unexpected bequest. Her beloved great-aunt Lettie leaves her a sketchbook, three keys, and a final whisper…Venice. Caroline’s quest: to scatter Juliet “Lettie” Browning’s ashes in the city she loved and to unlock the mysteries stored away for more than sixty years.

It’s 1938 when art teacher Juliet Browning arrives in romantic Venice. For her students, it’s a wealth of history, art, and beauty. For Juliet, it’s poignant memories and a chance to reconnect with Leonardo Da Rossi, the man she loves whose future is already determined by his noble family. However star-crossed, nothing can come between them. Until the threat of war closes in on Venice and they’re forced to fight, survive, and protect a secret that will bind them forever.

Key by key, Lettie’s life of impossible love, loss, and courage unfolds. It’s one that Caroline can now make right again as her own journey of self-discovery begins.

Review:

As someone who has read a lot of historical fiction (one of my favorite genres), I was really looking forward to this book.  Venice, WWII... I should have loved it.  While it had wonderful historical detail about life in Venice in the 1930's through the end of World War Two, the story was full of cheesy, unlikely scenarios, meant to throw the main characters together.  It took me out of the story and had me shaking my head at how silly it got.  I would recommend this book as a library read only.

What I Liked:

Historical Details:

The author does a credible job of showing life for a British expat living in Venice.  As Lettie learns about the city, we see Venice in all it's magic.  There are no cars, and streets bend and turn around on themselves.  It's inevitable that people get lost.  And that is the city's charm, turning a corner to find a hidden gem in this impossible city.

I also appreciated the details of life during WWII.  For much of the war, Italy is aligned with Germany, so life goes along no differently than before.  There are numerous festivals and traditions that only locals know about.  Then, when Italy breaks from Germany, the reality of war finally sets in.  Jewish people begin to be persecuted, there are checkpoints everywhere.  People can be arrested and put in camps just for not having the right papers.  It must have been terrifying.

Characters:

Lettie, Caroline's quiet spinster aunt, is anything but reserved in her youth.  An art student with a thirst for life, she is torn over her attraction to Leo, a handsome Venetian.  Leo is set to be married, so a relationship with him is impossible.  But fate seems to always throw them together (which I found to be a bit much).  I did like how strong Lettie was in a scary, stressful situation.  And I could understand why she didn't ever speak of her time in Venice with her family in England, later in life.  Perhaps her niece would have been impressed.  But her family in the 1940's would have disowned her for what transpired.

What I Didn't Like:

Story:

There are many situations in the story that hinge too much on chance to be a credible way to advance the action.  For instance, Caroline is given some keys, and the word, Venice, from her dying aunt.  Somehow, she is able to get to Venice, and find out what the keys are for?  This happens only be chance, as she walks by a bank with the same design on their logo as on one of the keys.  Could it be a safety deposit box?  Why, yes it is!  I found this way too convenient to be believable.

In the earlier story, there are numerous situations where Lettie runs in to Leo at just the right time: as she falls into the canal, as she falls into the ocean, as she is in a prisoner camp.  Wow, Leo has impeccable timing!  I would have found all these situations more credible if there was more deliberate purpose to the characters finding each other in these encounters.  Instead, it just seems incredibly lucky that these two are near each other in the exact right moment, again and again.

Romance:

I found the romance between Lettie and Leo to be very melodramatic.  There is the convenient obstacle of Leo being married to a beautiful, yet cruel young woman.  It's also handy to the story that he can't divorce his wife because her family are in the Mob (stereotype much?).

In the present day, Caroline (seperated from her husband) meets a Venetian who she might be related to, and jumps into bed with him.  If I found out I might be distantly related to someone, my first reaction would not be, "Wow, he's just my type!".  I was super icked out by this!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  April 13th, 2021

Author:  Ryes Bowen

Publisher:  Lake Union Publishing

Genre:  Historical Fiction

Page Length:  412 Pages

Source:  NetGalley

Format:  E-Book

Recommendation:  While there are wonderful descriptions of life in Venice, I found the story to be silly.   I would read this as a library check out only.