Release Date: Nov. 17, 2020

About The Book: 

Emilia Fontana lives a very ordinary life in her small Brooklyn apartment, surrounded by the family and friends she has always known, earning her keep at the Fontana family bakery—and that’s how she likes it. She is a second-born daughter—and the Fontana Second-Daughter Curse dictates that second daughters will never find long-lasting love or amount to much, anyway. So Emilia is content to spend her days quietly, living out the only life she’s ever known.

Enter eccentric Aunt Poppy, the black sheep of the family. Emilia knows she’s not supposed to speak to the woman who betrayed her nonna many years ago, but when Poppy calls out of the blue and offers an all-expenses-paid trip to Italy for Emilia and her cousin, Lucy—the 20-something generation of Fontana second-born daughters—she can’t exactly turn down the opportunity of a lifetime.

It’s not long before Emilia and Lucy learn that the vivacious Aunt Poppy, who dresses in colorful scarves and lives life to the fullest, has ulterior motives for this trip. The real reason for their adventure: she’s determined to break the Fontana Second-Daughter Curse once and for all and live out the rest of her days with the man she fell in love with many years ago.

What follows is a whirlwind adventure across the Italian countryside that will make you laugh, cry and root for Emilia and Lucy as they challenge tradition and decide their own fate. Overflowing with imagery of Venice, Tuscany, and the Amalfi coast, a bit of history, all-too-relatable and hilarious moments, and touching family tenderness, this book is as sweet as cannoli.

About The Author: 

Lori Nelson Spielman is a New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling author whose novels have hit #1 in six different countries. Formerly a homebound teacher in an inner-city school district, she holds master’s degrees in speech pathology and guidance counseling. She lives in Michigan with her husband. http://lorinelsonspielman.com/ 

Book Blurbs: 

“In this captivating and utterly charming tale of several generations of “cursed” women, Lori Nelson Spielman proves—yet again—that she’s a masterful storyteller.”—Camille Pagán, bestselling author of I’m Fine and Neither Are You 

“Sparkling…Spielman brings Tuscany to vivid life and offers more than a few surprises along the way. Fans of An Affair to Remember, Under the Tuscan Sun, and the like will be enthralled.”—Publishers Weekly

“A stunning, heartwarming, multi-generational story of family secrets and self-discovery, spanning the globe from New York to Italy.”—Samantha M. Bailey, author of Woman on the Edge

As effervescent as an Aperol Spritz and written in Lori Nelson Spielman’s signature heartfelt style.”—Meredith Jaeger, USA Today bestselling author of Boardwalk Summer