All Roads Lead to Rome - by Yamile Saied Méndez (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

What happens when you fall hard for your fallback? In this luminous love story, a young woman who's spent years traveling the globe to outrun her own grief faces a momentous decision on her 33rd birthday...

A moving story about wanderlust, loss, hope, and the special magic of finding love in unexpected places--at just the right time - for readers of Elena Armas, Emily Henry and Mia Sosa, from the acclaimed author of the Reese Witherspoon YA Book Club Pick Furia.

All Stevie Choi ever wanted was a cozy life in suburbia--a loving husband, adorable kids, a dog. That simple dream shattered into a million pieces when she was only seventeen. She's spent the years since trying to outrun the pain and make something of herself, if only to prove to her estranged family that she's happy and successful--even though she's secretly yearning for another chance at love. If only she believed she deserved it . . .

So, Stevie drowns herself in her job, and in the low season, "dates" new countries, leaving her Utah home-base to circle the globe, from Paris to Cairo to Cabo San Lucas, curating a gorgeous Instagram feed--while spending every New Year alone. Then one frigid January day in Rome she meets Cristian. He would be her perfect match--if they weren't separated by continents and obligations. Unable to say goodbye, they agree that if they're both single at seventy, they'll marry each other if only to have a fun companion to travel with. . . . But through the years, their friendship grows into something more, and suddenly it's up to Stevie to choose happiness . . .

Sparkling with hope, All Roads Lead to Rome soulfully examines all the ways a tender heart can be broken--and how faith in the future--and in oneself--can make it whole again . . .

Review Quotes

Praise for Yamile Saied Méndez

"A tender, appealing romantic drama from Reese's Book Club author Yamile Saied Méndez. Powerhouse saleswoman Stevie Choi hides gaping emotional wounds behind her glossy surface success, still haunted by the tragedy that tore her life apart as a teenager. Thrown together with bad boy acquaintance Cristian at a destination wedding in Rome, Stevie finds an unexpected kindred spirit and their blossoming long-distance friendship gives her the first inklings of finding a more authentic life for herself. But Stevie has to do a lot of soul searching before she can accept Cristian's love and watching her grow slowly along the path to healing is the book's real joy." --Kate Quinn, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author on All Roads Lead to Rome

"Warm, witty, and completely enthralling, All Roads Lead to Rome is a gorgeous, moving ode to romance, friendship, adventure, and, most of all, self-knowledge. Stevie is a hero for the ages." --Flynn Berry, New York Times bestselling author of Northern Spy

"Yamile Saied Méndez writes straight from the heart. Love of My Lives is a heartwarming and honest exploration about the people and places that make us who we are. Don't miss this book!" --Zoraida Córdova, author of The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina on Love of My Lives

"A lush, vibrant and enchanting story. Escape into the magic of a love destined to be... You won't regret it." --Jayci Lee, author of Booked on a Feeling on Love of My Lives

"The beautiful Puerto Rican backdrop adds to the charm. This will appeal to armchair travelers and hopeless romantics alike." --Publishers Weekly on Love of My Lives

"Love of My Lives has lovely, sensual prose and a lot of good things going for it, including its wonderful heroine and a romance that sings. It's a wonderful little slice of magical realism...a sweet-tempered, magic-tinged romance that's well worth reading." --All About Romance, A-

"[A] ridiculously charming rom-com." --Cosmopolitan on Twice a Quinceañera

"A love letter to people starting from scratch and an ode to those searching to find their one true love...An enchanting novel overflowing with self-love and second chances." --Kirkus Reviews on Twice a Quinceañera

"A fun and whimsical story." --Hip Latina on Twice a Quinceañera

"Fun-filled contemporary romance." --Buzzfeed on Twice a Quinceañera

"A heartwarming romance centered on personal growth...It's a fun, empowering romp." --Publishers Weekly on Twice a Quinceañera

"This second-chance romance is a warm, romantic story made all the more compelling by the focus on Nadia and Marcos learning what they truly want for their lives. The details about what a second quinceañera is all about add to the vivid romance." --Booklist on Twice a Quinceañera

"A whimsical rom-com." --Arizona Daily Star on Twice a Quinceañera

About the Author

Yamile (pronounced sha-MEE-lay) Saied Méndez is an Argentinian-American Pura Belpré gold medal-winning author of picture books, middle grade, young adult, and adult fiction. An inaugural Walter Dean Myers Grant recipient, she's a graduate of the Vermont College of Fine Arts and Voices of Our Nations (VONA). Her young adult novel, Furia, was a Reese Witherspoon X Hello Sunshine YA Pick and she's a founding member of Las Musas, a collective of women and nonbinary Latinx creators. Born and raised in Rosario, Argentina--to a family with roots from all over the world--she now lives in Utah with her Puerto Rican husband, five multicultural kids, two bilingual dogs, and one majestic cat. Visit her online at YamileSMendez.com.