The Italian Escape by Catherine Mangan published by Sphere today

Congratulations to Catherine Mangan, whose debut novel The Italian Escape is published in paperback by Sphere (Little, Brown) today.

Sparkling sea, sun, delicious food and Aperol Spritz – escape to Italy with the perfect summer romance . . .

Niamh Kelly’s life hasn’t turned out quite as she’d expected. She’s thirty-three, still living at home and was recently dumped . . . by her boss. So when her sister invites her to tag along on a work trip to the sun-drenched Italian coast, Niamh jumps at the chance, eager to escape into a world of sparkling prosecco, delicious food, and breath-taking beaches.

Upon her arrival, Niamh immediately falls in love with the beautiful Italian town they’re staying in and realises she never wants to leave, deciding instead to stay and open up a quaint coffee shop nestled in charming old town streets – even if she has no idea what she’s doing. But when a family tragedy and a tricky tourist season threaten her new business, Niamh isn’t so sure she can stick it out.

With help from her new-found Italian friends – and the possibility of romance on the horizon – can she make her new life in the sun a success?

A glorious and uplifting escapist novel set against the stunning backdrop of the Italian coast. The perfect holiday read for fans of Rosanna Ley, Jo Thomas and Karen Swan

Catherine Mangan studied languages at University College Cork before moving to Italy (briefly) with friends, which was the inspiration for her warm, escapist women’s fiction novels. She is also an award-winning Irish entrepreneur and creator of the language-learning app Smigin, which has users in 175 countries. She now divides her time between Ireland and Silicon Valley.