Varina Palladino’s Jersey Italian Love Story by Terri-Lynne DeFino
This book was charming, heartwarming, and funny – all without being cheesy and contrived. I adore this family and wish they’d make a TV show about them!
Varina is a widow still running a small local grocery in the Jersey neighborhood she’s lived in her entire life. Her 92-year-old mother Sylvia is concerned that she has no love life and spends a lot of time caring for everyone but herself. Varina is perfectly content with running the store, caring for her mom, and being the peacekeeper for her large Jersey Italian family …but she is secretly planning a big vacation for herself, which is threatened when the three generations of Palladinos argue, break hearts, and make their own love stories.
A sweet story about love and family with lots of Jersey Italian definitions/phrases and food – lots and lots of food!
Thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Varina Palladino’s Jersey Italian Love Story was released on February 14, 2023.
Roots & Reads 