What do you think?
Rate this book
The Italian Castle
One summer escape could change your life . . .
After a devastating break-up, budding artist Emma escapes to the sun-drenched Italian island of Giglio with her two best friends, determined to not let her own heartbreak get in the way of the ultimate hen weekend.
With sprawling sandy beaches, glistening turquoise seas and delicious food, Emma finally feels like she can leave her troubles behind - until her best friend reveals a jaw-dropping secret that shakes Emma to her core. Unable to continue with her girls weekend, Emma goes off on her own and finds solace deep within Giglio's castle walls, where she meets Jack, an Irish artist in Italy for the art festival, and sparks an instant connection.
As the pair grow closer over their shared passion for art, Jack instils in Emma the confidence to finally follow her dreams. But Jack has secrets of his own, and under the heat of the Italian sun, will those secrets come to light?
Escape to an Italian island with this perfect escapist summer romance, and fall in love with this irresistible holiday read, perfect for fans of Rosanna Ley, Nicky Pellegrino and Rebecca Raisin.
After a devastating break-up, budding artist Emma escapes to the sun-drenched Italian island of Giglio with her two best friends, determined to not let her own heartbreak get in the way of the ultimate hen weekend.
With sprawling sandy beaches, glistening turquoise seas and delicious food, Emma finally feels like she can leave her troubles behind - until her best friend reveals a jaw-dropping secret that shakes Emma to her core. Unable to continue with her girls weekend, Emma goes off on her own and finds solace deep within Giglio's castle walls, where she meets Jack, an Irish artist in Italy for the art festival, and sparks an instant connection.
As the pair grow closer over their shared passion for art, Jack instils in Emma the confidence to finally follow her dreams. But Jack has secrets of his own, and under the heat of the Italian sun, will those secrets come to light?
Escape to an Italian island with this perfect escapist summer romance, and fall in love with this irresistible holiday read, perfect for fans of Rosanna Ley, Nicky Pellegrino and Rebecca Raisin.
233 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 15, 2025
2 people are currently reading
20 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 18, 2025
🌸Book review 🌸
4 Stars
1.5 Smut
I was so surprised when i read this book. It stands out in its own little way. That ending had me second guessing just like the FMC.
This little Italian book was so good. I enjoyed following along with the FMC and how she explored this world with new eyes. Her perspective was done well even when it was not in first person.
I really ended up enjoying this book so much. Her throughs and how she acted were very realistic and i could relate to her very well. I also like to overthink and it just made me feel i wasn't the only one.
I did love the ending it was done well and i would like to have had more of what happens afterwards but this book was so good i understand why it stopped there.
Thank you to @jonathanballpublishers for sending me this amazing copy.
4 Stars
1.5 Smut
I was so surprised when i read this book. It stands out in its own little way. That ending had me second guessing just like the FMC.
This little Italian book was so good. I enjoyed following along with the FMC and how she explored this world with new eyes. Her perspective was done well even when it was not in first person.
I really ended up enjoying this book so much. Her throughs and how she acted were very realistic and i could relate to her very well. I also like to overthink and it just made me feel i wasn't the only one.
I did love the ending it was done well and i would like to have had more of what happens afterwards but this book was so good i understand why it stopped there.
Thank you to @jonathanballpublishers for sending me this amazing copy.
August 12, 2025
The Italian Castle is a holiday romance - with Emma in Giglio - Italy with two friends for their bestie's 'Hen's' holiday. Emma has been through a breakup with her cheating partner and Eve is all about the 'wedding'. Emma meets Jack and a spark ignites - he encourages her to pursue her art and reveals he is a sculptor of some renown. Following a bust up between Emma and Jo - Emma books alterative accomodation but bumps into Jack and passion ignites. A light read - a fairytale of Emma rising above her self doubts and reaching out for her life and love desires.
August 5, 2025
the story is beautiful. but the plot only starts after the second half of the book. the end is a bit flat, maybe because this will be a series?. It would be lovely if it was.This writter has lovely ideas.
December 4, 2025
The Italian Castle by Catherine Mangan 🏝️
•
thank you @jonathanballpublishers for this reviewer copy!
•
The Italian Castle follows Emma and her two best friends on their weekend get-away to the Island of Giglio. A summer holiday romance intertwined with Italian culture and cuisine—what’s not to love? 🤭
However, the foundation of the trip is rattled by the unveiling of a secret from one of Emma’s friends. As the time ticks toward the final day, Emma decides to have a solo vacation on the island instead. Within a matter of moments, she meets her next inspiration, Jack, who turns all the bad into the good she’s been aching for 🩵
The first few chapters of this book held quite a bit of promise. The plot started instantly & the vacation to Giglio became the centerpiece of this story without delay. Emma & the girls’ journeys were scattered throughout the book, highlighting their activities and adventures 🍷
Sadly, the manner of the author’s writing caused these travel stories to feel like a documentary. Instead of impactful descriptions that encouraged entertainment, information about the island & scenery was relayed in lengthy, plain, paragraphs.
This extreme detail, however, was never carried over to character interactions, hence making the emotional connections & dialogue monotonous and uninspired.
I sadly couldn’t get myself to enjoy The Italian Castle 😕 The author’s writing style didn’t have much variation, nor any developmental progression of the characters.
Emma held shallow traits and the whole disappearing act she pulled on her friends was completely unnecessary and frustrating to read about the entire time. Her negative views on those who live in the countryside was repeated often and it felt rather…out of touch 😬
I truly do not intend to be harsh with this review 🩵
The concept of The Italian Castle is sweet and holds a lot of cute ideas that have the potential to become the impactful summer romance that this story tried to be x
|| rating: 1/5 ⭐
•
thank you @jonathanballpublishers for this reviewer copy!
•
The Italian Castle follows Emma and her two best friends on their weekend get-away to the Island of Giglio. A summer holiday romance intertwined with Italian culture and cuisine—what’s not to love? 🤭
However, the foundation of the trip is rattled by the unveiling of a secret from one of Emma’s friends. As the time ticks toward the final day, Emma decides to have a solo vacation on the island instead. Within a matter of moments, she meets her next inspiration, Jack, who turns all the bad into the good she’s been aching for 🩵
The first few chapters of this book held quite a bit of promise. The plot started instantly & the vacation to Giglio became the centerpiece of this story without delay. Emma & the girls’ journeys were scattered throughout the book, highlighting their activities and adventures 🍷
Sadly, the manner of the author’s writing caused these travel stories to feel like a documentary. Instead of impactful descriptions that encouraged entertainment, information about the island & scenery was relayed in lengthy, plain, paragraphs.
This extreme detail, however, was never carried over to character interactions, hence making the emotional connections & dialogue monotonous and uninspired.
I sadly couldn’t get myself to enjoy The Italian Castle 😕 The author’s writing style didn’t have much variation, nor any developmental progression of the characters.
Emma held shallow traits and the whole disappearing act she pulled on her friends was completely unnecessary and frustrating to read about the entire time. Her negative views on those who live in the countryside was repeated often and it felt rather…out of touch 😬
I truly do not intend to be harsh with this review 🩵
The concept of The Italian Castle is sweet and holds a lot of cute ideas that have the potential to become the impactful summer romance that this story tried to be x
|| rating: 1/5 ⭐
June 11, 2025
Picked this one to cleanse my palate.
Lightread, and I adored the banter, but the plot was so predictable.
Lightread, and I adored the banter, but the plot was so predictable.
January 15, 2026
A cute holiday read, and yes, we’re all hoping to find someone like Jack. I absolutely adored the friends’ Italian getaway, especially the vivid descriptions of the scenery and the food they ate. The fallout between the friends, however, felt a little immature, and I didn’t love that it was used as a plot device to place Emma alone in a different location so the story could move forward.
I did laugh at a review that rated the “smut” level at 1.5, this is definitely not that kind of book if that’s what you’re looking for. That said, the one intimate scene felt slightly hesitant, almost as though the author didn’t really want to write it, which is perfectly fine. Ultimately, it was the beautiful world the author builds, the holiday destination itself, that I enjoyed most.
I did laugh at a review that rated the “smut” level at 1.5, this is definitely not that kind of book if that’s what you’re looking for. That said, the one intimate scene felt slightly hesitant, almost as though the author didn’t really want to write it, which is perfectly fine. Ultimately, it was the beautiful world the author builds, the holiday destination itself, that I enjoyed most.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews