Set in Italy and Blackpool this book follows the lives of two younger adults who meet and fall in love almost instantly. The second half of the book had me wanting to read more and there were certainly a couple of shocks along the way. Well written so that you like or dislike certain characters. I felt the first section of the book could have had more going on as I seemed to be reading it for quite a while with not many changes to the direction of the story however as I got further into the book I realised that part really helped to set the scene for the rest of the story. A little disappointed that we didn’t get to see more of the love story between Alf and Letty towards the end. All in all a nice read.

With thanks to Netgalley, Pigeonhole, the publishers and the author for the arc. An enjoyable read by Kate Eberlen, Only You is a story of two people who meet, fall in love and then live happily ever after? Letty and Alf meet in Italy and spend time together while taking Italian lessons. The scenery was wonderful and the story easy to read.

I'm not one hundred percent sure that I am the target demographic for Only You but I decided to give it a go anyway - always good to expand one's horizons particularly during this very strange time! Only You is a pleasant love story with Alf and Letty as the leading characters. We get to see things from both their points of view as they take it in turns to narrate each chapter. Initially this was a bit confusing but I eventually got into the rhythm. The story moves along nicely but overall it was a little bit long for me. It took me quite a few chapters to get into the story and start to care about the characters. Overall I quite enjoyed reading and although not entirely my cup of tea, it would make a good present for someone who wants a light, fun and not too taxing read set in a beautiful city.

My score is more 3.5 than 3 and I'm sure I would have scored it higher if I'd been what I think is the target market for the book. Letty is 21 and Alf 19 and while I was very fond of them both I also felt a little removed from their lives because it's a while since I was there age. I found the first part of the novel - when they are both living in Rome and attending the language school - a little hard going, but it remained relatively engaging none the less. It was when they left Rome behind, however, and went their separate ways that the book really started to open up for me and I find myself enjoying it more. We start to go back to the periods before they turned up in Rome and what brought them both there which also allowed us to find out more about who they were and why they were the way they were. The writing was lovely and it was a real pleasure to be taken around Rome and to get to read a little ancient Roman poetry. All in all, this is a decent read and I think that for younger readers it will be just the ticket. Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

There is a lot about this book to love - beautiful descriptions of Rome and some nice little twists. Not to mention some lovely moments between characters. I found the start of the book enchanting (but also sad as it made me yearn for the time when I lived there) but I was starting to worry that the book would dwell on Alf and Letty, our two main characters, just wandering around Rome. The book picked up in the middle section when we find out so much more about what brought both of them there. This is where some of the secrets and twists come in. However, some of the twists and events were just TOO convenient and didn't feel realistic enough for me. I tried to brush aside my cynicism though, as that's kind of what you have to do with this book - just go with the romantic story. That said, I kept getting frustrated with some of the overly descriptive sections devoted to dancing. I get that it is a shared passion for the characters but I did find myself skim reading these parts. Also, the bits with Letty's mum Frances also seemed overly long and didn't really hold my attention so I skimmed some of those too. Alf is a charming young character and you do find yourself rooting for him. Letty, I am still undecided about her. As for Gina and her father and some of the other characters, they didn't seem particularly nice people so I just did not invest in them. It's a pleasant read, and some beautifully written descriptions.