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A Rosie Life In Italy: Why Are We Here?
Wedding planner Rosie is struggling with her grey, rain-soaked life in Ireland. Everyone dismisses her long-term dream to live in Italy as another ‘mad hippy whim.’ While she’s busy planning other people’s happy endings, grief, eviction and debt nip at her heels. Trying to stabilise her life as an entrepreneur in the middle of an economic crash is almost impossible.
When her landlord suddenly doubles the rent, Rosie is left with no choice but to pack up her family, two dogs and possessions into a 20-year-old camper van and head off in search of her own happy ending in sunny Italy.
She soon discovers integrating into life in a new country isn’t as easy as it looks on TV, especially when the language is a minefield of accidental sexual innuendo. And trying to buy an abandoned villa in Umbria from eight crazy cousins with a longstanding family battle bubbling under the surface doesn’t make it any easier. While Rosie is determined to create the perfect life for her family in Italy, despite a hurricane, a raucous family dispute and a little thing called a global pandemic to top it all off, she begins to realise that the Italian dream may be too big for her. Will she ever get to live her rosy life in Italy? Or has she bitten off more than she can chew?
When her landlord suddenly doubles the rent, Rosie is left with no choice but to pack up her family, two dogs and possessions into a 20-year-old camper van and head off in search of her own happy ending in sunny Italy.
She soon discovers integrating into life in a new country isn’t as easy as it looks on TV, especially when the language is a minefield of accidental sexual innuendo. And trying to buy an abandoned villa in Umbria from eight crazy cousins with a longstanding family battle bubbling under the surface doesn’t make it any easier. While Rosie is determined to create the perfect life for her family in Italy, despite a hurricane, a raucous family dispute and a little thing called a global pandemic to top it all off, she begins to realise that the Italian dream may be too big for her. Will she ever get to live her rosy life in Italy? Or has she bitten off more than she can chew?
370 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 1, 2020
868 people are currently reading
1000 people want to read
About the author
Rosie Meleady
24 books94 followersIrish author Rosie Meleady, has been a magazine publisher and editor since 1994. She won the International Women in Publishing Award 1996 at the ripe old age of 24. She couldn't attend the award ceremony in London as she decided it would also be a good day to give birth.
In her 'A Rosie Life In Italy' series, Rosie writes about buying a 22 roomed derelict villa in Italy by accident, renovating it and existing in Italy.
Her favourite board game growing up was Cluedo, and as an adult she started a Missing Persons Agency. Her love of solving mysteries led her to start writing her 'Deadly Wedding Cozy Mystery' series.
She now lives happily ever after in Italy while renovating the villa and writing long into the night.
Follow Rosie on social media to say hello, see photos of life in Italy and her renovation project.
http://www.facebook.com/rosiemeleadya...
http://www.instagram.com/arosielifein...
Follow Rosie's blog on www.rosiemeleady.com
In her 'A Rosie Life In Italy' series, Rosie writes about buying a 22 roomed derelict villa in Italy by accident, renovating it and existing in Italy.
Her favourite board game growing up was Cluedo, and as an adult she started a Missing Persons Agency. Her love of solving mysteries led her to start writing her 'Deadly Wedding Cozy Mystery' series.
She now lives happily ever after in Italy while renovating the villa and writing long into the night.
Follow Rosie on social media to say hello, see photos of life in Italy and her renovation project.
http://www.facebook.com/rosiemeleadya...
http://www.instagram.com/arosielifein...
Follow Rosie's blog on www.rosiemeleady.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 149 reviews
October 8, 2024
Italy was not really the plan: Spain was, when Meleady and her husband started thinking about escaping Ireland's grey weather and rising housing prices. They'd buy something more affordable and run Meleady's destination-wedding business from there. But plans change, as plans are wont to do, and instead they picked up and moved to Italy, where they bought and restored a crumbling old mansion.
...or that's what the book description would have you believe happens in the book. I love moving-abroad memoirs, but I'm particularly keen on moving-abroad-and-restoring-an-old-house memoirs (I'm a millennial; owning property is a pipe dream), so adding this to my TBR was a no-brainer. I went in eager for details of that run-down villa and stories about what it took to bring it back to life.
This turned out to be one where the description and the contents are a mismatch. In theory, the book is about moving to Italy and buying and restoring a villa. In practice, it's chapter 21 (47% of the way through the book) before the move to Italy takes place, and it's approximately 95% of the way through the book before we learn whether or not Meleady & co. will be able to buy the house they have their sights set on. When I look more closely, I see that Meleady originally self-published this and further books as a series, but the current book description doesn't make that clear, and to some extent it feels as though the series description was attached to just the first book.
All of which is to say: Meleady's adventures in both Ireland and Italy are compelling to read about. I would likely have put the book in my queue even with a more accurate description, but I would have adjusted my expectations accordingly—as a book about exploits in home ownership renting in Ireland and Italy, and the early days of COVID in rural Italy (to say nothing of unexpected and devastating events in Meleady's personal life), this is engaging; as a book about moving to Italy and buying and HGTV-ing a house, it's disappointing. The later parts of the book also feel a bit blog-y, and I ended up wishing that the COVID-related material had been condensed (although that may be because we all lived through that period and I'm not yet ready to read about it. Talk to me in a decade).
I may yet continue with the series—looks like books 2 and 3 have a bit more house?—and I think this'll still go over well for those looking for a (mostly) lighthearted adventure read, but I'd advise reading some reviews for a more accurate sense of what you're in for.
Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.
...or that's what the book description would have you believe happens in the book. I love moving-abroad memoirs, but I'm particularly keen on moving-abroad-and-restoring-an-old-house memoirs (I'm a millennial; owning property is a pipe dream), so adding this to my TBR was a no-brainer. I went in eager for details of that run-down villa and stories about what it took to bring it back to life.
This turned out to be one where the description and the contents are a mismatch. In theory, the book is about moving to Italy and buying and restoring a villa. In practice, it's chapter 21 (47% of the way through the book) before the move to Italy takes place, and it's approximately 95% of the way through the book before we learn whether or not Meleady & co. will be able to buy the house they have their sights set on. When I look more closely, I see that Meleady originally self-published this and further books as a series, but the current book description doesn't make that clear, and to some extent it feels as though the series description was attached to just the first book.
All of which is to say: Meleady's adventures in both Ireland and Italy are compelling to read about. I would likely have put the book in my queue even with a more accurate description, but I would have adjusted my expectations accordingly—as a book about exploits in home ownership renting in Ireland and Italy, and the early days of COVID in rural Italy (to say nothing of unexpected and devastating events in Meleady's personal life), this is engaging; as a book about moving to Italy and buying and HGTV-ing a house, it's disappointing. The later parts of the book also feel a bit blog-y, and I ended up wishing that the COVID-related material had been condensed (although that may be because we all lived through that period and I'm not yet ready to read about it. Talk to me in a decade).
I may yet continue with the series—looks like books 2 and 3 have a bit more house?—and I think this'll still go over well for those looking for a (mostly) lighthearted adventure read, but I'd advise reading some reviews for a more accurate sense of what you're in for.
Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.
July 5, 2023
Definitely not what I expected
I thought it was supposed to be about a family moving to Italy, buying a house and renovating it. This book is none of that.
The first half is basically about them living in Ireland and making one bad call after another. There is nothing funny about it. I actually found it quite depressing.
The 2nd half contains mishap after mishap in their quest to settle down and buy a house. Then we get a lot of depressing living through the start of covid (living through covid was bad enough, I don't want to read about it. They don't actually buy a house until the final chapter.
I only found one section funny and its right near the end. So much for reading a book for a bit of comic relief.
At this point, there are at least 4 more books in this series and I don't think I could take any more of their bad life decisions, lack of money, going online after one too many glasses of wine, etc, etc.
I thought it was supposed to be about a family moving to Italy, buying a house and renovating it. This book is none of that.
The first half is basically about them living in Ireland and making one bad call after another. There is nothing funny about it. I actually found it quite depressing.
The 2nd half contains mishap after mishap in their quest to settle down and buy a house. Then we get a lot of depressing living through the start of covid (living through covid was bad enough, I don't want to read about it. They don't actually buy a house until the final chapter.
I only found one section funny and its right near the end. So much for reading a book for a bit of comic relief.
At this point, there are at least 4 more books in this series and I don't think I could take any more of their bad life decisions, lack of money, going online after one too many glasses of wine, etc, etc.
August 16, 2024
I received a free copy of, A Rosie Life in Italy, by Rosie Meleady, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Rosie wants out of cold, damp, and rainy Ireland, so she decides to mover her family to Italy. Chaos definitively ensues, weather, sickness and other out of our control things happen. This was a nice read about change, a lot of change all at once.
September 3, 2022
Delightful! I’m so sad I’m finished. This book is really funny and has a lot of emotional depth. Who doesn’t want to run off to Italy? It’s a beautiful escape, and by the time you’ve finished, the people feel like old friends. Wonderful read if you want to experience a little adventure without leaving home! Loved this.
July 20, 2023
A real rollercoaster of a book, I just loved it. Rosie had always had dreams of living abroad,but at times, life just got in the way. She and her husband have many setbacks but through a series of random events they find themselves, not in Spain as planned but in Italy where she works as a Wedding Planner. It's heart-breaking at times but also heart-warming, Rosie's lively way of writing, her sense of humour and her honesty just drew me in and I just wanted to keep reading to see how things would turn out.
They were in the throes of buying a house when they were trapped in Italy by Covid. Could life get any more difficult? Well of course it can, but it can also get better. I'm off to read book two now to find out how things progress.
They were in the throes of buying a house when they were trapped in Italy by Covid. Could life get any more difficult? Well of course it can, but it can also get better. I'm off to read book two now to find out how things progress.
July 3, 2023
It's a no from me
It was hard getting through this book, I skipped to the end but I have no idea why. Bad or no editing, grammatical and formatting errors. Most of the story about this ill fated family was focused on their issues, no house renovations. I'm happy to be done reading this.
It was hard getting through this book, I skipped to the end but I have no idea why. Bad or no editing, grammatical and formatting errors. Most of the story about this ill fated family was focused on their issues, no house renovations. I'm happy to be done reading this.
January 21, 2023
I'd just finished reading a book by a favorite author, and wanted another good read. I couldn't have picked a better book. To say Rosie's life didn't go to plan is an understatement. A wedding planner, she was going to move from Ireland to Spain with her husband and two children until a family situation changed everything. Business woes and housing issues are only two of the problems she faced. A few years down the line there is a chance to make a new life in Italy. Rosie draws you into her story: I didn't want to put the book down I was so enthralled. I cried with her at some events, but I cried laughing at others - oh dear, the perils of learning a foreign language! And just as things are starting to improve, and they find their dream house, along comes the coronavirus. I was fascinated, appalled and amused at lockdown life in one of the hardest hit countries in Europe. This is an entertaining and amusing book. And I'm already reading book two.
May 26, 2021
Funny, Charming, yet Heart wrenching at Times!
I decided to read this book because it looked like an easy read; light and fun. It surprised me many times . Although it was fun and light at times, there were also parts that were heart wrenching and tear inducing. Because we all had to endure COVID, many of the events and struggles were so relatable! WELL written...an excellent author!
I decided to read this book because it looked like an easy read; light and fun. It surprised me many times . Although it was fun and light at times, there were also parts that were heart wrenching and tear inducing. Because we all had to endure COVID, many of the events and struggles were so relatable! WELL written...an excellent author!
January 7, 2021
I really loved this book. I felt like I was sitting at a table, with a glass of wine, listening to a friend tell me her story. It was funny. It was touching. I fell in love with her family and it made me miss Italy more than I can bear. Best of luck on your reno Rosie. Thanks for sharing your story!
July 6, 2023
This book reads like an exaggerated (author admitted) diary about a move from Ireland to Italy, ending with how they experienced COVID. You can actually read some of it on her blog. Given the reviews, I expected more. It was not worth my time. The printing is inconsistent, with mid-sentences starting on the next paragraph.
December 23, 2022
Very enjoyable read. These guys clearly didn't need Italy to end up chaos as the first half of the book is dedicated to their incredible adventures in Ireland. After that the real Italian fun starts, very recognizable and hilarious for us readers that is. Curious about the next puntata.
January 19, 2022
I liked this book but didn’t love it as most of the reviews here did. I get there was a lot of backstory to get thru before the move to Italy but for me it was too much of that and not enough of Italy ( I’m sure her next book will cover this) I was also frustrated with the authors jumping into financial commitments without much forethought. Sorry but it really bothered me lol
April 20, 2024
This book is not only about a story of someone’s life in Italy. It’s about Rosie trying to find a home after her landlord has to double the rent. She has to deal with it during difficult time like COVID. It’s good that the book is based out of blog posts about Rosie’s life in Italy.
Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to read this book and do a review.
Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to read this book and do a review.
February 12, 2022
A great read, that I definitely recommend.
Captivating, funny and just enjoyable. I finished last night and today I’m starting book 2. Rosie brings her family’s Italian moving adventure to life with humor.
Captivating, funny and just enjoyable. I finished last night and today I’m starting book 2. Rosie brings her family’s Italian moving adventure to life with humor.
February 5, 2023
I don't find this book at all funny.
October 12, 2024
I really enjoyed reading this memoir about Rosie, an Irish wedding planner and her husband Ronan, relocating from Ireland to Italy right before the Covid outbreak.
They had a plan in place to relocate to Spain, but a family tragedy put those plans into disarray. Instead they took a trip to Italy for some time to heal. One thing leads to another and “Voila!” They have bought a property in Italy.
I was immersed into the story of their lives, but I must admit, once covid hit Italy, I was not so interested. Luckily, they were in a part of Italy that wasn’t so affected. I didn’t realize how strict Italy had been on their covid precautions. Once things began to die down, Rosie and Ronan proceeded with their dream of renovating their new Italian home.
At the end of the book, I read that Rosie has a blog, so now I am interested in taking a look and finding out how things are going with the renovation.
Many thanks to NetGally and Sourcebooks for allowing me to read an advance copy. I am happy to recommend this memoir to others and give my honest review.
They had a plan in place to relocate to Spain, but a family tragedy put those plans into disarray. Instead they took a trip to Italy for some time to heal. One thing leads to another and “Voila!” They have bought a property in Italy.
I was immersed into the story of their lives, but I must admit, once covid hit Italy, I was not so interested. Luckily, they were in a part of Italy that wasn’t so affected. I didn’t realize how strict Italy had been on their covid precautions. Once things began to die down, Rosie and Ronan proceeded with their dream of renovating their new Italian home.
At the end of the book, I read that Rosie has a blog, so now I am interested in taking a look and finding out how things are going with the renovation.
Many thanks to NetGally and Sourcebooks for allowing me to read an advance copy. I am happy to recommend this memoir to others and give my honest review.
April 28, 2024
I received an ARC of this book, courtesy of NetGalley.
If you love travel memoirs, you can put this one on your list.
I have a soft spot for books that document moving to a new country and finding yourself along the way. The author, Rosie, documents her and her husband’s financial crisis during the 2008ish housing crash. They fell in love with Italy years earlier and always had a plan to return, but their issues in Ireland pushed the dream forward.
Rosie and her husband fall in love with a crumbling Italian home in Umbria, but problems closing on it abound.
The ending is a surprise, but I loved reading about this family’s adventures in Italy. They have the same problems every family has, but through it all, they make it work with love and admiration of one another.
I really liked this book and would absolutely read another by the author.
If you love travel memoirs, you can put this one on your list.
I have a soft spot for books that document moving to a new country and finding yourself along the way. The author, Rosie, documents her and her husband’s financial crisis during the 2008ish housing crash. They fell in love with Italy years earlier and always had a plan to return, but their issues in Ireland pushed the dream forward.
Rosie and her husband fall in love with a crumbling Italian home in Umbria, but problems closing on it abound.
The ending is a surprise, but I loved reading about this family’s adventures in Italy. They have the same problems every family has, but through it all, they make it work with love and admiration of one another.
I really liked this book and would absolutely read another by the author.
November 5, 2024
How can you make the larger-than-life people and culture of Italy dull? I was anticipating a vibrant adventure similar to A Year in Tuscany. Instead I slogged through a very dry account that has been dragged out to create a series. What made it even worse was the fact that much of this part of her story took place during the worldwide COVID pandemic. Living through that once was enough.
I will not be reading the rest of this series.
I will not be reading the rest of this series.
October 28, 2023
Very sweet, readable book about an Irish couple that, struggling through life, end up in Italy. This is about them finding just the right careers, house and the life they finally dreamed of —- then the pandemic hit. As with a lot of us, it changed everything. Great easy read, entertaining. Recommended.
April 29, 2024
Just DNF'ing at this point. While I thought it was an easy read, I feel like it just felt too repetitive and I couldn't get myself to be excited about the book. I knew I was probably not going to keep reading it. I think I'm just not a memoir type of girlie.
Thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
March 10, 2025
A rosie little book! You couldn’t hate it if you tried. Sections made me laugh out loud.
Good characters and enjoyable storyline.
Will I bother with the rest of the series - maybe/maybe not? But this little book came at the right time for the headspace I was in!
Good characters and enjoyable storyline.
Will I bother with the rest of the series - maybe/maybe not? But this little book came at the right time for the headspace I was in!
May 7, 2023
I enjoyed this book l always find it interesting hearing about people’s escapes to another country and their resilience when things don’t always go according to plan.
March 29, 2024
A Rosie Life in Italy
5⭐️
The memoir of an Irish woman following her dream of moving to Tuscany and fixing up a derelict old villa.
I’m obsessed with this book! I absolutely loved every second reading it. This book gave me the happy warm feeling but also really started to make me feel like “hey, should we move to Italy too?”
Rosie’s larger than life tale feels like a fantasy but is infused with just enough real world problems, chaos and delusion to feel incredibly relatable, earnest and accessible. Her humour had be chuckling and shaking my head… while also googling how much it would cost to buy a villa in Tuscany. I finished this book as an ARC, then immediately went to Amazon and purchased the second book in the series under her self publication title. There are 5 in total and best believe I will be reading all 5.
Read this book if:
- you’ve always had a dream and just needed the push to go for it
- you love Italy or plan to go
- you enjoy travel YouTube channels or HGTV fixer upper shows
- lived through the horror that was COVID-19
- love a supportive MC duo
- have always wondered about living abroad
Give this warm and adventurous little book a go - you won’t regret it! And it might just make you want to pack your bags and pursue La dolce vita
5⭐️
The memoir of an Irish woman following her dream of moving to Tuscany and fixing up a derelict old villa.
I’m obsessed with this book! I absolutely loved every second reading it. This book gave me the happy warm feeling but also really started to make me feel like “hey, should we move to Italy too?”
Rosie’s larger than life tale feels like a fantasy but is infused with just enough real world problems, chaos and delusion to feel incredibly relatable, earnest and accessible. Her humour had be chuckling and shaking my head… while also googling how much it would cost to buy a villa in Tuscany. I finished this book as an ARC, then immediately went to Amazon and purchased the second book in the series under her self publication title. There are 5 in total and best believe I will be reading all 5.
Read this book if:
- you’ve always had a dream and just needed the push to go for it
- you love Italy or plan to go
- you enjoy travel YouTube channels or HGTV fixer upper shows
- lived through the horror that was COVID-19
- love a supportive MC duo
- have always wondered about living abroad
Give this warm and adventurous little book a go - you won’t regret it! And it might just make you want to pack your bags and pursue La dolce vita
October 20, 2022
This was a really cute book and was really enjoyable. While Under the Tuscan Sun glossed over a lot of the gritty details and endless complications, this book did the opposite. And the fact that the series continues and we can follow along with the family is something I’m looking forward to.
My only complaints really come from the fact that this book could have used a bit more editing. Odd phrasing, spelling errors, and mistakes aren’t the end of the world but can be distracting. There were also a few spots that really could have been refined more. A shopping trip towards the end of the book in particular was one I skimmed through because it took up more space than was necessary.
Overall a really enjoyable book and a fairly quick read.
My only complaints really come from the fact that this book could have used a bit more editing. Odd phrasing, spelling errors, and mistakes aren’t the end of the world but can be distracting. There were also a few spots that really could have been refined more. A shopping trip towards the end of the book in particular was one I skimmed through because it took up more space than was necessary.
Overall a really enjoyable book and a fairly quick read.
January 25, 2021
An excellent read, especially if you’re in anyway interested in buying and renovating property in Italy. Rosie takes us through the ups and downs of the boom and bust of the Irish economy, dreaming of escape from the daily grind to the sunshine and good life in Italy and ultimately achieving “la dolce vita”.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 3, 2021
Humorous and well.written
I think the series will be enjoyable, but this ebook from Amazon is horrible. The font was highlighted a pink colors on some pages, highlighted throughout chapter 47, also highlighted sentences on other pages. I read with the blue filter so turned it off and it was still highlighted. Why? I don't know? But the book was a good read.
I think the series will be enjoyable, but this ebook from Amazon is horrible. The font was highlighted a pink colors on some pages, highlighted throughout chapter 47, also highlighted sentences on other pages. I read with the blue filter so turned it off and it was still highlighted. Why? I don't know? But the book was a good read.
December 11, 2020
Rosie's struggles are neverending and her indomitable spirit is a bright light for our times. Her literary style reminds me of Marian Keyes and I'm a big fan. Looking forward to the second book already.
March 11, 2023
I get discouraged when I read a well written book that's meh. This read more like a diary than a novel. There were a few passages that made me laugh which was the point of me reading it though. Maybe I'll try something else by Rosie Meleady as I do like her style.
April 7, 2021
An interesting read, very topical
I really enjoyed this book. The very readable autobiography of a spunky Irish woman achieving her dream after a life time of hard knocks
I really enjoyed this book. The very readable autobiography of a spunky Irish woman achieving her dream after a life time of hard knocks
December 3, 2022
I did read it to the end hoping I would enjoy it. Unfortunately, not the best book I've read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 149 reviews