Ten years ago, I was trapped between the boy I grew up with and the most forbidden man in my life. The comfort and familiarity of my best friend versus a ‘once in lifetime’ kind of love with a boy bound for greatness.
I chose wrong.
When a tragic accident and a manipulative man took away my free will, I fought to retain my identity. Bit by bit, he erased it. Erased me. Drowning us both in shared misery. His abrupt death should have freed the bonds, but instead they continue to tighten.
In an effort to escape it all, I find myself pulled by an invisible string right back to the man I’ve never forgotten. A man that would spend every second reminding me of who I once was. I wanted to hide while I battled the demons of my past, but he will not see me cower. And just when I think there could be happiness out there for me, the spotlight sparks to life and threatens everything.
Nichole is a contemporary romance author. When she isn't writing, she's chasing her four children around. Writing has always been her aspiration but it wasn't until her husband suggested she actually follow dreams that she took the biggest step. Her debut novel, Cold and Broken exceeded her expectations and she can't wait to share more of the stories taking up space in her mind.
Her other hobbies include baking, listening to music, and reading. She also has an obsession with true crime podcasts and cheesy 80s movies.
Under the Same Sky is a story that starts off sweet, turns a little bittersweet, then a little more bitter, then another dash of the sweetness to balance it, but finishes off with a super sweet HEA.
Told in two parts, we get Fia and Massimo’s forbidden beginnings that will have you rooting for them and probably stressed from all the teen angst. We also meet some other characters that you’ll love and some that I personally wanted to throttle. I’ll let you decide who is who. THEN, in part two we meet Fia and Massimo in a very different part of their story. A part that has a lot of emotion, pain, healing, love, heat, longing…etc. Ms. Greene really puts us through the ringer in part two, but the highs and lows of the journey are worth it to see Fia and Massimo get the ending they deserve and work hard toward.
A deeply emotional read that has the sweetness, love, and heat you want from a forbidden new adult to emotional contemporary romance novel.
This story is not what I was expecting. Massimo and Fia are everything and more.
No one expects to find their true love their senior year in high school, especially in the matter of a foreign exchange student. But sparks fly on both ends when Massimo and Fia meet face to face. With longing looks and secretive flirting, they knew they could never be more. Not to mention, Fia's friend-with-benefits childhood best friend Seth always made sure to monopolize her time whenever he could, as long as it was in private. When Fia decides to take that next step with Massimo, they have the best time and quickly fall in love. It's a definite love just like in the fairy tales.
"Kiss me now and promise to never forget me."
Massimo goes back to Italy after graduation and Fia goes off to college; Both ready to start their dream careers. When reality strikes years later and Fia ends up married to Seth, its more than Massimo can take, and he turns off all communication with the girl who holds his heart.
10 years later total from graduation, Fia ends up getting an emergency call one day with urgent news of her husband - her entire life changes in an instant. With this, also comes with so much to unload of his doings, Fia retreats inside herself and becomes numb. When her family steps in, they trick her into a relaxing getaway on the coast of Italy - only it belongs to none other than the man she let get away.
Having lived the last few years manipulated, gaslighted and constantly brought down, will Fia ever be the woman Massimo deserves? Can she love again? Can Fia own up to the wrong doings of her past and move forward to become a woman SHE wants to become?
I loved this story! I was rooting for Massimo since the beginning, and I could not believe the audacity of Seth throughout the book. The author did an amazing job at showing Fia's character depth and overall compassion for others. Fia's need to better herself afterward everything and want to be with Massimo was so encouraging and uplifting. Even though you saw where the story was headed, I could not stop turning the pages. I needed their love story to unfold before me asap. I wanted everything and then she wrecked me with that HEA. It was pure perfection and I never wanted it to end.
"When it gets too hard, I want you to look up and remember that no matter where we are in the world, we're under the same sky."
*Overall 5/5 *Heat? 4/5 *Med Burn *Multiple first person POV *MF Romance *Check for triggers!!! *Ends on HEA
This book was good! And sweet with a side of trauma
I only wish there were more details in the years apart. My stomach never dropped and I didn’t shed a tear because they weren’t apart (on page). There wasn’t any tension or angst. Which is kinda what I was expecting out of this book.
I need a Massimo in my life.. This man was so unbelievably dedicated to Fia, even through their separation. I love him. I hate that their story has ended.
I’m more than hoping for Guiliana and Stefan’s story after being introduced to them. I NEED IT.
Fia and Massimo meet by chance when his original host family falls through and he is placed with the Murphys instead. Sparks fly for these two right away, though they resist so that Massimo isn't sent home early. When their year together is up though, these two go their separate ways, each pursuing their dreams. Right person, wrong time.
I loved every second if this one. Massimo just loved her so much from the get go. When we see how they've followed one another over the years, we see just how long and how deeply these two have loved one another. The contrast between Fia's toxic marriage and the unconditional, supportive love between her and Massimo is so well written. I cried happy tears multiple times during this one. And, man, can Nichole Greene write a mirror scene. 🥵
If you're looking for a book hangover, this is an excellent choice!
Fia is suddenly freed from an abusive marriage and gets to have a beautiful second chance romance with the ever devoted Massimo. Forever love to Massimo, YES she deserves all the spoiling! A true happy ending, but be prepared to have to read about an abusive and manipulative relationship first, including some chapters from the POV of the abuser.
But I love that this tackles an important issue of emotionally abusive and manipulative relationships, and how they can be so easy to fall into. Also love that characters get healing from professional therapy and not just the magic of love. (which does help, but you also need therapy)
Under the Same Sky is such a great second chance romance with excellent steamy scenes.
Trigger warning for an abusive relationship between MFC and other guy(not main male lead).
The letter from the author in the book touched my heart and the Prologue breaks it a little just imagining what is going to happen in the story.
The story is a storm that takes over all my emotions while I DEVOURED the book in the best way possible. Hats off to Nichole to address all the tough topics which broke my heart badly but in the end, it all mended in a way that was as if nothing was broken. I am impressed with the plot and how close to reality it all resonates in human life.
I had my fair share of laughs, almost crying, and feeling deeply saddened in many situations in the book. “Right person at the Wrong Time”. Fia is a SAINT walking on Earth and embracing everyone with equal love and enthusiasm. She did not deserve to get hurt the way she did. I feel for her.
Massimo is a handsome, pure-hearted soul who impressed me at each and every step of the story. He is the man every woman should desire. The title of the book is so much important in Massimo’s dictionary, it’s a sacred thing going on.
I loved Jenna a lot, she supported Fia everywhere and have sound bits of advice even if those are ignored by Fia but they all were correct. Jenna and Justin added humor to the book and I enjoyed the bonding in the group.
I love and adore all of Nichole’s books but I personally feel this one is the EPIC WORK she has written so far. She wrote the Epilogue beautifully making me blush and happy about the entire book. Fate has its own way of working and nobody can challenge that even if we do or try everything we can.
I really wanted to punch ‘SOMEBODY’ badly, he doesn’t deserve at all not even a second of her life. He is batshit crazy, a typical man but I can find a little peace in all this that he might have loved her at some point in time.
Massimo and Fia were fated to be together from the start, but there were numerous obstacles in their way. Together, they navigated through most of them, even though it seemed as though they were not going to be able to be together. I loved how Nichole started us how she did, and then went back to the beginning of the story. It gave us the background that we needed in order to see how things began. I loved that Massimo never stopped thinking about Fia, even though they were thousands of miles apart. The feelings that he had for her had never faded, and he had lived his life with those thoughts.
This was an amazing story, full of second chances, and I'm so happy that I read this book!
Massimo, a foreign exchange student from Italy, ends up being placed with Fia’s family for their senior year. It seems perfect. Fia, a frizzy redhead with curves, is the editor of the school newspaper and a passionate photographer. She’s also secretly hooking up with her neighbor—the quarterback—but he’s a jerk who refuses to define their relationship. Not the most popular girl and a bit shy, Fia keeps her guard up. Massimo, on the other hand, is a quiet, athletic guy with dreams of being noticed in the soccer world. Though he’s reserved, he only has eyes for Fia. The two feel an undeniable pull toward each other but agree not to risk Massimo’s placement by becoming anything more than friends.
That promise doesn’t last forever. At the end of their senior year, they finally give in and spend one unforgettable night together. It’s perfect—they’re perfect—but when Massimo returns to Italy, they don’t make any plans for the future.
Years later, Fia is—was—married to her old neighbor, the same guy who once refused to call her his girlfriend. But fate has a cruel sense of irony. He dies in a car accident alongside the woman he’d been cheating with—the same woman he’d gotten pregnant. The mistress survives. Fia’s grief is complicated. She isn’t mourning her husband so much as the closure she never got—the answers he took with him. Now, she’s built a life on her own terms. She’s a renowned photographer who’s worked with National Geographic, constantly chasing new places and moments to capture. Meanwhile, Massimo has become a world-famous Italian soccer star, living in Italy and thriving in the spotlight. But he’s never forgotten Fia. In fact, she’s closer to him than she realizes—because Fia’s latest client, the one she manages remotely through her father’s firm, is Massimo. When he learns what she’s been through, Massimo decides it’s time to stop watching her life from afar. He arranges for Fia to stay in his guest house, offering her a quiet escape to “find herself” again—without revealing who he is. Fia agrees, unaware she’s about to walk back into the orbit of the one person she’s never truly moved on from. When they finally “run into” each other in Italy, it’s like no time has passed. The moment they start talking—about what they were, what they lost, and what they still feel—it’s game over.
Tropes: Second Chance Its Always Been You Then and Now- Timeline Toxic Ex Soccer Romance Curvy FMC He Fell First and Hard
2025 has only just begun, and I have already had my first 5-star read of the year.
I read this book after reading a post on Instagram, where the person recommending this novel said you’d finish it with a severe case of book hangover. Spoiler alert: this person was right.
From the very first pages of this book, I knew I wouldn’t be able to put it down until I finished it. I was immediately drawn into Fia’s mind and just wanted to know more about her story.
The Murphy family is used to welcoming foreign students who come to the United States for a year as part of their studies. But with their daughter Fia entering her senior year of high school, they decided not to host this year so that she could make the most of her last year before college. One phone call and the withdrawal of one host family later, they agreed to temporarily host an Italian student, Massimo, until another family could be found to host him for his exchange year. As soon as Massimo and Fia see each other, their hearts beat faster. But what can they do when the fact of them getting close to each other could jeopardise Massimo’s time in the United States?
It’s impossible not to love Fia and Massimo, individually and together. They are both sweethearts. They are loving, generous and selfless. They are the friends we all wish we’d had in high school. I was rooting for them from the start of the book, and like Jenna—Fia’s best friend—I developed a visceral hatred for Seth, Fia’s male ‘best friend’ (when you have a best friend like him, you don’t need enemies).
I enjoyed discovering the protagonists as teenagers and then seeing them reunited as adults. It made me care for them even more, because you realise that they’ve grown as people, but still some things remain the same.
I’m now going to nurse my book hangover and add Nichole Greene to the list of authors whose other books I want to discover.
4⭐️ Under the Same Sky pulled me out of a reading slump and completely stole my heart. This story has all the feels—tenderness, heartbreak, slow-burn tension, and a love so intense it hurts in the best way.
Massimo is the absolute dream. A swoony Italian exchange student who wears his heart on his sleeve and adores Fia from the start. Their chemistry? Off the charts. 🔥 You could feel every glance, every moment of longing. He’s everything a book boyfriend should be—loyal, emotional, and endlessly patient.
Then there’s Seth… Fia’s childhood best friend and the definition of emotional chaos. Honestly, I hated him. Watching Fia try to untangle herself from the damage he caused was frustrating but incredibly real. Greene does a great job showing the messy, painful side of toxic ties.
Told in two parts, this book gives us a forbidden first love and a powerful second chance. It’s angsty, emotional, and beautifully written. Some scenes had me choked up, others had me smiling like an idiot. The supporting characters, the family dynamics, even the world-building—it’s all so well done.
Only small critique? I wish the Italian dialogue had inline translations—it would’ve made it even more immersive. But overall, this book was so worth it.
If you love second chances, complicated emotions, and stories that stay with you, don’t sleep on this one. I’ll definitely be reading more from Nichole Greene!
“No matter where we were in the world we were under the same sky.”
•Forbidden romance •Sports romance •Right person, wrong time •Friends to lovers
Fia and Massimo meet at the age of 18 when he joins her family as a foreign exchange student. They reconnect after 10 years after they’ve tried to live separate lives. Fia is such a beautiful person and Massimo just steals your heart ❤️
This book is a feast of the forbidden, a painful glimpse into the messy way one moves through grief, and ultimately a celebration of love that was always meant to be. I especially loved the extra glimpse into their future as I am invested in the HEA.
A little bit of slow burn and only a few steamy scenes but they were good and even a little back door action 🥵
I’m glad we had a couple of POV chapters for Seth to understand where he was coming from. It’s so sad what he did to both Fia’s and his life with his bitterness 😟
Loved Justin and Jenna who are the greatest best friends a person can have… and their love of romance novels 🤩
Giuliano and age gap, ummm are we getting this story ⁉️
𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 Under The Same Sky Nichole Greene
My name is Stephanie and I'm officially obsessed with Nichole Greene...in a very non-creepy way of course. The way that I devoured her holiday novellas and then felt the need to immediately pick up something else from her. I chose this book and it totally did not disappoint!
I go into all of my books blind and at one point was all caps yelling at her because I was certain that I had picked up a trope that I don't HATE...but I have to be in the mood for. While it was only "kinda" that trope...I was on pins and needles and honestly there was one clear and concise winner...and you can't convince me otherwise. I hated one character with a PASSION! But the other one? He was PERFECT and I will defend his honor at all costs!
If you love a book that has some emotional damage but also deeply lovable characters, then this book is for you. I absolutely loved every single second that my eyeballs were on this book and I miss these characters so much!
Would have been a decent book if not for the excessive talking about all the women he's been with but Fia was always the one That's not how always been the one works lol you dont date around and then say she was always the one , you fight for the one you dont let her get married like a coward.
He let her got for 10 years and never pursued her but suddenly that she's a widow for less than a month he decided to barge into her life and seduce a grieving widow? No matter how shitty her husband was she still lost him and was depressed and what massimo did was disgusting.
And the author's obsession and insistence to make Fia be besties with Massimo's ex gf ? Why tf would you be friends with a woman who slept with your boyfriend ? It's ridiculous we arent meant to be friends with every girl especially your man's ex sex buddy that's not how human nature words
That's what this book is, unexpected. Ashley Mack is a Tik Tokker and more recently, an author. Well, she and I have similar tastes in the books we read. Any way, she recommends this book and refers to the soccer god, Massimo. Me, I love soccer, futbol, so it makes my choice to read it even easier. I am so glad I did. This has love at first sight, a Romeo-Juliet sensibility, a broken girl, a manipulative boy, and a determined, possessive man. It's also a story about healing and second chances. The storyline is in two parts, and it doesn't drag us through all the unnecessary mud. It gives all the angst and hope you want to see in the two main characters. It also has really good spicy scenes. God, who doesn't love an Italian man who knows what to do. This is my long winded way of saying, I love this story. Thank you Nichole. Enjoy
“When it gets too hard, I want you to look up and remember that no matter where we are in the world, we’re under the same sky.”
I don’t know that I can come up with words to explain just how much I loved this story. It was so special and I’ll think of it often!
This is a right person, wrong time romance. Massimo is a foreign exchange student from Italy and staying with Fia’s family. They share an instant connection and form such a beautiful friendship. At the end of the year, he goes back to Italy to start his professional sports career. I’m not a crier, but I was sobbing when they had to say goodbye. This book touched my soul.
Massimo might be one of my favorite MMCs of all time. He had me swooning from start to finish. He was perfection!
Plus Size / Curvy FMC Love Triangle Forbidden Romance Forced Proximity Mutual pining Sports romance Angsty Right Person, Wrong Time
I don’t even really have words for just how good this book was. I mean down to every single chapter it was gripping it was emotional, this couple has pulled me in and drowned me in their love. It was so unexpected since I found this scrolling through TikTok one night, I was just looking for a quick read and this is now in my top 5 of the year. If I had to knock anything I would just say it would’ve been an easier read if the author put the translation of the Italian spoken in italics next to the text. But that’s literally me having to dig deep to even criticize. The writing is gorgeous. The world building is stunning, the trauma? The FMCS relationship with Seth? Painful but so unbelievably REAL. I could go on forever and ever. Thank you for all the hard work you put into this book, I will think about it for the next few months.
Nichole will always be a one click author for me!!
Under The Same Sky is a beautiful, emotional story. Make sure to check the trigger warning.
Fia, this girl is such a pure, beautiful soul. When she loves, she does it completely and I just adore her. She goes thru so much in this book and I just wanted to hug her so bad!
Massimo is so freaking dreamy and I am so in love with him. The way he loves Fia, the way he fights for their love, this man is incredible!!!
I cant say enough good things about this book, just go read it right now!!!!
*Sweetest love story *Romantic *Love after loss *High School Romance *Sports Romance *Insta love/ infatuation *Forbidden Romance *the one that got away
What a surprise this book turned out to be. I usually avoid high school romance books because they aren’t for me, but I needed to read this! I wasn’t disappointed. The love between the FMC (host family’s daughter) and the MMC (foreign exchange student from Italy) was so captivating and beautiful. I fell in love with the MC’s passion, need, and love for the FMC. This turned out to be such a beautiful love story!
The storyline was good I love a second chance romance It starts from the past them as 18yr to present time 10yrs later 28yrs I would have love it if it had more angst and emotion ... I felt like the story was writen to fast.. it was skiping so much to quick .. i need it to slow down i wanted to take my time and feel the romance but i can see where the story was going either way Yes they did get their happy ending The spicy scenes where 2/5 Tropes Soccer player Italian mc Second chance Emotional abuse Geographic journalist fmc
First off. The cover is great. Exactly how I pictured Massimo. This was fantastic. I don’t know how this isn’t viral everywhere. I guess a lot of times the begs aren’t. I loved this story so much. I will go to war for Fia and Massimo. Fia had a lot to overcome in the span of 10 years. She had a lot to heal from. Massimo was the perfect man. Like wow. Italys top soccer player. Simply in love with KC’s sweetest. Don’t get me started on Seth. Side eye. This book had everything I love in a book.
This was a rollercoaster of emotions. Fia made me frustrated sometimes on how she let Seth treated her, I understood that she cared for him but the guy was such a bad person, I can’t believe I got to read his POV ugh. The way Massimo loved Fia was amazing, he would have waited years for her and that’s what he kinda did, he knew that deep down they would find a way back to each other!
This book was just OK. I loved the story between Fia and Massimo. But I feel like the "traumatizing" part with Seth was completely glazed over, so we don't really feel her struggle and loss of control over her life. Reading the trigger warnings before reading the book, I thought there would be something triggering happening in the book, but there's not. At all. So, in the end, it's a decent story but not at that interesting.
strangers to friends to lovers to strangers to lovers ???? this one ate so well. the writing was kinda fast paced but overall i liked this book. ended it in a day. i don't usually enjoy dual time pov thing but the dual pov in chapters made up for it. Massimo is a cutie green flag and i wish we would've gotten more details about Seth's abuse and stuff but still it was a cute read. nothing really heavy and the author note in start with trigger warnings was so cute <3
This was so sweet. High school turned second chance romance. Fia is too nice of a person and completely deserves a man like Massimo. Hated what drove them apart and what she had to go through until Massimo came back into the future.
And Jenna and Justin are the best kind of friends to have in her situation.
My dear friend Brittany recommended me this book and I’m so glad she did. I wanted a soccer romance and got soooo much more. Massimo, hot as all heck Massimo. His love and devotion for Fia makes this story. Their love is beautiful. The soccer was the added bonus, Massimo was the golden star!
As always Nichole does it again. Whenever I read her books I fall in love with the characters, the spice and the storyline. I always have to read on my days off as I can’t be interrupted ever. Massimo and Fia were EVERYTHING. So emotional. Auto buy author forever. READ THIS BOOK. That’s it! That’s all