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When Girls Talk Books
Are you ready for story time? When Girls Talks Books is a podcast with two best friends bonding between the pages. They give comprehensive reviews of books where even if you haven't read the book, you can still enjoy the story. Brace yourselves for a tornado of laughter and literary love! When Girls Talk Books is here.
When Girls Talk Books
Ep.21 Roses in Rome by Jessica Everly
A single bouquet sets off a chain of goosebumps. We dive into Roses in Rome by Jessica Everly, a clean romance that starts with coffee drops in a Chicago law office and ends with a hard-won happily ever after braided through grief, family lore, and the art of choosing each other again. We follow Sienna—shell-shocked by a career setback and a devastating miscarriage—as she flies to Rome with her mom, stumbles into a priest who sketches between Mass and metaphors, and slowly reclaims her voice with a pencil, a plaza, and a mystery: why did the family’s flower order jump from eleven roses to twelve?
We rewind the Chicago timeline that made us swoon: a desk coffee courtship, a street festival first dance, a museum date that blooms into a rose garden proposal. Then we sit with what comes next: shattered routines, resentment born from different grief clocks, and work as a refuge that becomes a wall. In Rome, the legend of florist Lorenzo and a string of annual bouquets leads to Dona’s journals and a truth that reframes everything—love can survive repeated loss when it’s marked, remembered, and shared. No love triangle bait here; Giuseppe is a mirror, not a detour, and the Vatican scenes remind us that art can hold what words can’t.
The Florida chapter is where courage shows up. Sienna knocks on Joey’s door to apologize, and what could have been melodrama turns into something braver: two people naming what hurt, what was missed, and what they still want. On a quiet boat ride, forgiveness lands. The epilogue pays it forward with adoption, a surprise pregnancy, and a bouquet that grows to thirteen roses—a living ledger of love, loss, and legacy. If you’re searching for second-chance romance, clean storytelling, healing after miscarriage, and a touch of travel and art, this one will leave you teary, hopeful, and texting a friend.
Listen now, rate five stars if you cried even once, and share your favorite clean romance that made you believe in second chances. Subscribe for more thoughtful book chats and fan casts that might just predict the next big adaptation.
Editing done by Connor Luther @clfilms.co
Music by @thundercatlouis
Merch Here
Hello, hello everyone, and welcome to another episode of When Girls Talk Books. I'm Kylie. I'm Susie. And today we're doing Roses in Rome by Jessica Everly. Loved. Adored. Loved. Cute. Romance. All the things. The best book boyfriend. Mm-hmm. Loved it. Star reading. Five. Five. Yeah. Five stars. This was so good. This devoured. Devoured. Ate that up. Yeah. Was oh my god. No surprise. I do read books quickly, but I finish this in about two days. While working. Yep. While having life.
SPEAKER_01:So. Yeah, I totally didn't skip any work calls while I finished. No, no.
SPEAKER_03:Um, give me one sentence that would describe the book or your reaction to the book.
SPEAKER_01:One said. Definition of true love. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:I would say all the tears. That would be mine. Oh, yeah. All the tears.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:All right, let's get into it. So we open, not with our main character, but with a legend. We're in Rome, and decades ago, there was a flower cart owner named Lorenzo DeSantis. And one day a rumor started floating around that if you received a rose from this flower cart, that you would have a lifetime of love. So of course it's very popular. And it begins to become more and more popular. They get more carts. He recruits his sons to help out. And then eventually they end up opening a flower shop. The florist, the original florist Lorenzo, does end up passing away and passes it on to his kids. So we're start at the shop, and there's an order that needs to go out to the Spanish steps. And one of the sons pokes his head out and says, Oh, there's another order that needs to go. And so he hands the ticket to Elena, which I assume is his sister, and says, This needs to go. And it's uh 11 roses that were ordered. Elena thinks it's a mistake, and so she bundles up 12. And when he comes back out, he says, Nope, just 11. And he pulls one out. So it's a very important detail. Yeah. Hold on to that. Tuck that little fact away. What was your first thought with this whole 11 roses, why not 12? Did you have any theories about it?
SPEAKER_01:Yes, I assumed that it was gonna be like someone lost something. It was gonna be, I thought it might even go so far back it's like all the family died of a plague or some kind of disease back in the day. So I don't know. It was something like drastic. I assumed it was something to do with loss, and it had to be that specific if it wasn't gonna be 12.
SPEAKER_03:I thought it was gonna be like some long-lost love that always sent 11 roses or something like that. When we get into the story, I had no idea. But that was kind of my first initial reaction. I did like how this started with like more of a telling of this story versus like hopping into Sienna's Hot Mess Express she's got going on. Yep. But okay. So now we're back into present day in Chicago, where we meet our girl, Sienna, and she, as I said, honey is a hot mess express.
SPEAKER_01:She is going through it with all taps.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. Um, she mentions something about Joey no longer being there, and he was supposed to fix the steps, and there's dust all over the place. And she also mentions that she's not allowed back at work anymore, which she does work at a lawyer's office. Um, and she definitely feels like she doesn't have much of a purpose at the moment. And then her mom shows up, and she is essentially like, Hey, remember your great-grandmother, Dona? I think it's pronounced Dona.
SPEAKER_01:That's how my brain was reading it. Yeah, my brain. I'm sure it's like, go ahead and correct us, whoever you suit.
SPEAKER_03:I'm not Italian in case you couldn't tell. Um me neither. And she says, Well, she passed away and she left me her flat in Rome. And she's like, I want you to come with me. Sienna does not put much up of a fight here. She's like, Oh, I don't know. And she's like, Well, I leave Saturday, so yep, we got that rainy day find. Let's do it. And she says, Yeah. She's like, you know, it's easy, it's better than what's going on here. Like, she's not doing anything, so anything's gotta be better than that. So um, they do get to Rome, they go to a cafe that her, her mom's grandmother, so her great-great, her great-grandmother. I'm gonna mess that up a hundred times. Yep, that's all right. Took her as a little girl, and this is one of the oldest cafes in Rome, and this was a real cafe, which is pretty cool to think about. Yeah. And um, she also learns that her mom does speak Italian, which she didn't know, which was kind of fun fact. Kind of a cute little thing of like, how well do you know your parents? That's kind of what made me think of. And um, there's a bunch of art everywhere, and Sienna is very much into art, or she used to be. She does get her newfound love for it. Um, and so there's art all over the place. When her mom leaves to use the restroom, she sees this man who's looking at an art piece and just kind of notices him. And then when they're leaving, she looks back and he's gone. Hmm. Almost like it's fake. Then they go to the flat, and you know, there's all these memories there, and the lawyer is there to give them the keys. There's three keys: the building, the apartment, and then there's something a mystery key. They don't know. Could it be a storage unit?
SPEAKER_01:Or is it the key to Pandora's box?
SPEAKER_03:The key to the past. And then after she leaves this, there's a knock at the door. And what is at the door, Susie?
SPEAKER_01:Eleven roses.
SPEAKER_03:12 roses.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, yeah, right.
SPEAKER_03:Yes, of course. Um, so there's 12 roses at the door. And um, there she doesn't find a card or anything. But what's interesting about this is in Dona's room there was a vase and it had 11 roses.
SPEAKER_01:Oh yeah, we'll do this again.
SPEAKER_03:Wait, I know this one this time. 11 roses! How many roses are there? Um, and they're both very much like duffuck. That's weird. And her mom even says, the only people that know we're here are your sister Grace and the realtor people or the lawyer people who let us in. Who did you think this was?
SPEAKER_01:I thought this was gonna go like mafia kind of, and I thought there was gonna be some like bad boy son that knew she was coming, and the family has had an agreement with the flower shop for years, and she was gonna flower shop boy. That's where I thought this was going. So I was like waiting. Yeah. Not disappointed, just was wrong. Yeah, which is fine.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, but what do you mean? He's been looking for her? Yeah. Waiting for 10 years till she came? Yeah, that's all right. Oh, that's right. I thought it was gonna be the ex-boyfriend. Oh, okay. I'm like, oh, he's following her. Sorry. It's it is very cute and it's much better, but yep. I think we immediately went to it's a love story. Um, so we have our first hard timeline jump. So we go back to two years, and this is where Sienna starts falling in love with Joey. Um, she is starting at Schaefer and Sons as kind of a research person. She doesn't really talk a lot about what that actually is, just that she is in the basement for research. Doing front work. She's filing and forms and percentages. Um she's very nervous about it. She is kind of a perfectionist, I guess you can say, and she really throws herself into work. Um, and there's a guy who shows up and asks if she wants a coffee, and she says yes. And then he comes back and she's like, Oh, I think I have a couple of ones. I'm expected to pay for this coffee. She thinks he's like the coffee boy, and he's like, Oh no, no, no, it's okay. And then he brings it again, and again, and again, and every day he brings her a coffee. So cute.
SPEAKER_01:Us girls, we really are that simple.
SPEAKER_03:Really? Girls are too complicated, women are too complicated. Really? Bring me a coffee every day. See how complicated I am. Yeah. Oh, Justin does make my coffee this morning. Um, so this goes on for weeks, and she doesn't know who he is, just that he works in the office and he brings her coffee every day. Hey, cool. Um, then one Saturday she is working down in the basement, and Joey ends up showing up, and he is kind of like, What are you doing here?
SPEAKER_02:Like, why are you here? And he's dressed fantastically. Yeah. Which I'm like, sir, you're here on a Saturday. What are you doing here? Yeah, the better question is, what are you doing?
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, but she doesn't ask that. So he's like, we are not doing this on a Saturday. You're gonna experience a day in Chicago, how you should. Which, like, yeah, it's cute. Me with my work rank, I actually have stuff I have to do.
SPEAKER_01:So anyway. Me an introvert go to a big city out where there's lots of people. Well, she lives there. Yeah, that's true. She lives in the big city. That's true. She likes it.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. And she moved there to be closer to her mom and her sister because her sister had moved to Chicago and had kids. Anyway, so he drags her out to show her real life. They end up going to a dive bar, they have beers, they watch the baseball game, and then they also go to like a Chicago Street Festival. Fun. And he gets hurt. You read this. What happens? 12 worlds is and uh so they go to the Chicago Street Festival, and they have margaritas, and she's feeling kind of buzzed, and she's getting a little bit looser, and there's all these kids dancing, and she's like, kind of has this thought of like, wow, they're so carefree. Like, she kind of feels like she's in control all the time, or she has to be in control all the time, and he's like, Well, let's dance. And so he pulls her out and they dance, and it's just really cute, and she just kind of feels like she can be silly around him, which she's never really felt before. He like literally picks her up and takes her to the dance floor. Yeah, and it's very all stupid cute, and then he's walking her home, and then she's like, I like I'm not gonna invite him in.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, yeah, I forgot about this. That weird, like, what do we do?
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, but she does like him, but she wasn't gonna kiss him. It's all the just kind of like very first date awkwardness.
SPEAKER_01:I'm so glad I never have to deal with that ever again.
SPEAKER_03:I would not make it. Um anyway, so she's having this like internal dialogue of like, yeah, I don't know what to do here. And he's like, hey, it's okay. I had a great time today. Stop it. Stop it. Um and she's like, oh, okay. And then she's kind of like in this weird spot of like, she likes him, but she doesn't know if he likes her. And we come to find out he thinks that she doesn't like him because of this, and it's all really awkward. But she goes to her desk and she finds a note on her desk with a Cubs hat, which is his team, and they kind of have this banter about her being a Sox fan. She's not at all. She doesn't know anything about baseball, but you gotta give him a hard time, right? Yep. So he leaves the hat with a note that says the only Chicago team you should be rooting for.
unknown:Stop it.
SPEAKER_03:Stop it. I was already in love at this point. What about you?
SPEAKER_01:I was very suspicious. Well, that's just your nature. Yeah. Yeah. I was suspicious. And then I gotta be honest, when this was when we were starting into this, and I'm like, if they won't say who he is, he's the fucking boss's son, isn't he? Like, if we don't know who he is, this has gotta be. And then I was like, ah!
SPEAKER_03:Spoiler alert. Oh, she does find that out.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, but like, not for a while either. It went on for a little bit because they were out or something. The credit card, that's what it was. When he went to pay food, and then she was like, Oh. And I'm like, think about if you didn't know that was your boss's kid for like two or three meetups and all this kind of thing, and you're like, It was the first meetup. He paid a what I meant was like interaction.
SPEAKER_03:If you did it, yeah, yeah, yeah. How he's bringing you coffee every day. Yeah, and like I was like, he's gonna be different than his dad, and he's just gonna be this wonderful thing.
SPEAKER_01:I have high hopes for men in books, not real life, but yeah, in books, and we're the opposite, and in real life, I'm like, he's probably a nice guy. Or in the book, I'm like, fuck you. He saves kittens. Donates to orphanages at night, yeah, whatever.
SPEAKER_03:So that is where we end there. We go back to present-day Italy. Sienna goes exploring on her own, and she brings her sketchbook.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I'd be so scared.
SPEAKER_03:I'd be lost. She does bring her sketchbook with her, and that's kind of something that she hasn't really dabbled in for a while.
SPEAKER_01:Connected with herself again.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, but she ends up going to a park, there's this statue, she ends up sketching for a while. Um, and then when she leaves, she hears somebody call her name, and she like turns around, and it's who we come to find out, the man that was in the cafe, and he's like holding up her notebook, like, you dropped this, you forgot it. And this is Miguel, he's older, he's very self-spoken. Um, he is also Father Fiore, but he says, Oh, you're an artist, and she's like, Well, not really. It's just kind of for fun. And he's like, I'm an artist too. And he shows her his drawings. And uh he asks what her name is, and she says, Sienna. Or he said, when he was calling out, he was like, ma'am, ma'am, ma'am. So they were standing on the plaza day Sienna, and he's like, Oh, like the plaza, and she's like, Oh, that's cool. I don't know. Isn't what we're standing on right now, and she's like, Oh, that's funny. And he's like, I think there's no such thing as coincidences, essentially. This was meant to be, he was meant to find her. Which I was like, is this gonna be the new man? Like, because she's gotta find somebody here, right?
SPEAKER_00:Yep, I get that.
SPEAKER_03:That's how the story goes. Um, he's a priest, yep. Anyway, he says, I'm meeting up with another artist. Would you like to come with us? And she was like, sure, sure. And so he introduces her to his nephew, Giuseppe, who is an Italian man. She thinks he's very beautiful. Um, but he also he's not only pretty, he's very into art. And he just finished an internship at the Vatican um doing uh restoration work. So art things, yeah, go sports, and but she is very impressed by this. She's like, oh, and he doesn't really want to tell her about it, but the uncle does. He's like, he's being modest. He just finished his internship with the Vatican, and he is potentially gonna start working there, also.
SPEAKER_01:So got a lot of very Italian artsy big deal stuff happening there.
SPEAKER_03:So they kind of have this art lesson, and it's very like I don't know when I say healing, but like she was really enthusiastic about it, and she loved sitting with them and like going over this art piece. And so they make it a routine. So I think they meet up once a week.
SPEAKER_01:Yep, their meet their weekly meeting, which is pretty neat to get to do.
SPEAKER_03:Um, what were your first thoughts on just seven?
SPEAKER_01:I was a little bit like, I'm gonna, I'm supposed to like him. Oh no, she's gonna fall in love with him. What about Lover Boy back home? So I was, I don't know, like I was optimistic but curious, and I was like, again, we just got done watching The Summer I Turned Pretty. Kylie got me into that show. And so the whole time I'm like waiting for Conrad to be showing up, and I'm like, oh, like uh, wait which one's the Jeremiah and which one's the Conrad? Yeah, like, oh no, and so I was just like, please make a good choice, please make a good choice.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I have to say, this is like a potential love interest. I did not feel it at all.
SPEAKER_01:I was worried that I was supposed to be wanting that. Me too. And I was like, oh no, no, no, no, yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Like, if she stays, we're gonna have a problem because I was not into this. Um, so going back, also at one point, she is at her house, and Joey ends up calling her and says, you know, he's right downstairs. Crazy, but okay. And he wants to take her to a socks game.
SPEAKER_01:Cute, cute, because he thinks she likes the socks.
SPEAKER_03:And she's like panicking, like, oh, uh, uh, yeah, let me get my favorite jersey that I have. Yeah. Uh luckily her roommate does have a socks hat. So she grabs that and they go to this game. Um, it's very cute, and he is wearing, still wearing his Cubs hat, which she's like, I thought I'd never see you dead in a socks game, you know, which he's like, because he likes you. But girl, hello. Hello. And then also during this, he kind of is like, You're not a socks fan. She's like, no.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, because she's oh yeah, because she goes, Well, I actually was just about to turn the game on. And he's like, an hour and a half before start time, and she's like, I was gonna listen to them talk about stats. Yeah. It's like, oh my god. No sports. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Um, so then also one night, so after this, there like a week goes by or something, and there's no talk in between these meet meetups. They don't like text, they both have each other's numbers. Um, but he still brings her coffee every day. Okay. You guys, you guys. So late at night, she's working down in the basement and she hears a noise upstairs, and she's like, oh, somebody's breaking it. I'm gonna get out of the house. Somebody's in the house. Uh so she goes to grab something that ends up being like a big book that she grabs because she's like, What else am I gonna use? Yeah. So she goes upstairs and she does see something in the dark. She's gonna murder this man with knowledge. She screams, she drops the book, and she punches him in the face. Beautiful. And then runs. Excellent execution. She hears his voice. It's Joey, and he's like, What the heck? Because he's like, Oh sorry. Me! Who's that me? Did I do that? Oops! And he's like, Well, I guess I don't have to worry about you like defending yourself because for the love. And um, he has a black eye, she goes to get the ice, they're kind of like bickering, you know, like, well, what are you doing here in the dark at night? And he's like, punch me in the face. But valid, what are you doing here in the dark at night? Maybe you should say, Hey, it's Julie. Don't get punched in the face, save yourself some time.
SPEAKER_01:Yep.
SPEAKER_03:Um, it's very chaotic. They're kind of like close together because she puts the ice on his face and they end up kissing, and he like stops and she's like, and he's like, I thought you didn't like me. She's like, I thought you didn't like me. And it's uh miscommunication, annoying. Well, not even miscommunication, but yeah. He's like, Well, you didn't text me after we did like that street fair. She's like, You haven't texted me ever. And he's like, I called you. What do you mean? I bring you coffee every day. And um while they're going out their business, kissing, mooching on each other, uh, Joey's brother comes in. Whoops, AJ. Oops.
SPEAKER_01:Uh Bo, right? That was his name. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:And she's like on top of him. They're like sitting and she's all, I'm getting so fired. I'm getting so fired. And he's like, uh, let me know when you're done. Yeah, I'll be back. Gotta go. And she's like, I should probably go home. He insists on walking her home. And uh, while they're walking home, they kind of talk about their hobbies, things that they enjoy. And it ends up coming out that he wants to be a sports agent. That would be kind of his dream to do that. Um, but his dad won't really allow it. And she's like, Well, if you want to do it, like I think you should do it. And then she kind of talks about her art and how she does enjoy that, but not professionally. And he says, or she doesn't have time for it. And he says, if you love it, you should find time for it. No. And then um they are like at her door and they kiss, and he's like, I think I just might make you fall in love with me. Her brain. Too too little too late there, pal. And then we're back to present day. Sienna is again in the streets. She's catching, she's doing all these things. She ends up seeing Giuseppe, and he is going to teach a class. So he invites her to go with him. Um, he happens to be an art instructor too. And she gets to take a free class. Um, they're setting up the easels, they're kind of organizing brushes. He casually mentions her about Chicago, how long she's staying, things like that. Um, talking about her great-grandma, how she passed. Um their hands graze. Electrifying. Um, at the end of the class, Giuseppe kind of gets pulled away by this girl. I think her name ends up being Amelia, but I don't think we know this at that point. Um, a rude one. Yes. And they're kind of arguing over there. She's Jevus. Yeah. Prior to this, he had asked her if she would like to go out for a glass of wine or something. Then this whole argument thing happens, and she's like, You don't think I want to be a part of this. So she's like, I gotta go. And he's like, sorry, I'm not gonna be able to do uh wine tonight. And she's like, it's okay, I gotta go.
SPEAKER_01:In her head, she's like, Yeah, clearly your wife was pretty upset about it.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, clearly your girlfriend is not enjoying this. We are back in Chicago back in the day, and her and Joey are at a bar with Bo. And he Bo is kind of being kind of mean, and he mentions that Joey has put on some weight, which is kind of crazy. Yeah, and there's this whole like back and forth thing about it, and they end up betting that whoever can run the Chicago marathon faster wins.
SPEAKER_01:So yeah, then they start training for it, right?
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, so Joey's bet is essentially like Bo can no longer talk to his ex. And then I don't remember what Bo's was for Joey. Did it have something to do with the work? I don't remember what it was. Yep.
SPEAKER_01:Something. Yep. Go that's for you to go find reviews, watchers, listeners.
SPEAKER_03:They have a bet. Um, and so Joey's like, well, if I'm gonna do it, Sammy, you're gonna do it. And she's like, that sounds horrible.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I do honestly can't think of much that would be worse.
SPEAKER_03:Girls are not signing me up. Yeah. You can do it all you want. I'm not doing that. But she does join, Bo signs them all up. And Joey and her do train together, which I do think ended up being good for them. You know?
SPEAKER_01:But I was so embarrassed the first couple times I went running with Eric. No, I'm not doing that. Mm-mm.
SPEAKER_03:Mm-mm. That was humiliating. Um, and then at some point, Sienna's roommate says that she's moving out. And so she's at Joey's place. No! Yeah. She's at Joey's place after a run, and she's like, I don't know what I'm gonna do. I don't know where I'm gonna live.
SPEAKER_01:Which is realistic. Okay, she's having real world problems. Well, I'm sorry that's gonna come across like I hate him. I don't, but little mister never struggled in his life. Is like, well, just live somewhere else. Dad's black card will get anything you want. And she's like, I have not infinite money.
SPEAKER_03:Well, he does look at rent prices and he says, These are crazy. Like, oh my gosh. Yeah. Um, so then Joey's like, well, why don't you just move in with me? She's like, My mom will lose her mind if we move in together, and I'm not at least engaged, bare minimum. And secretly she doesn't want to either. She does not want to be living with someone unless she's engaged. About a week later, Joey he comes in and he has this paper with this apartment, or I think it's more of like a townhouse, is how I picture it. And it has an address and it's like, meet me here at six o'clock. And she's like, I can't afford this place, Joey. And he's like, just be so cute. Just give me a second. Like, just let's just look at it. And she's like, I can't afford this place, like you're crazy. But she shows up on time and he's inside, and she's like, What? I've been sitting out here for 10 minutes and you've been inside. So he walks her through it and she's like, Yes, it's beautiful, it's like her dream, like to decorate it. And she's very like, oh, everything. And she's like, But there's no way I can afford this. And he's like, Well, it's actually my parents' house that's been vacant for months. And this was the first house that they moved into when they moved to Chicago. So they're offering to rent it to you for a deep discount. And she's like, Awww. Why would they do that? And he's like, Because I care about you. Oh. And then she's like, Oh, Joey, you're just the best because he's the best. And she says, I love you for a tiny million reasons, not just because of this. And here we're back. It's all very sweet. Um, it's very perfect. Did you feel like it was too soon for that to be happening or no? Nah. No, I didn't either. That was like a year into them like kind of dating.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. For me, as long as it's not like 90 days. I'm not real, as long as you can make it past the 90 days, then I'm like, I'm not gonna judge as much. I mean, I'm a judge to D in general, so of course I'll judge a little. But like, yeah, as long as you've at least because it's it's pretty impossible for someone to hold up like a fake persona or a fake whatever for 90 straight days. Like, that's usually when it's gonna crack. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:So anyway, yeah. Mine was like a month into Justin and I dating. But I had known him for Yeah. This was not yeah, you guys, interesting, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01:You guys have known each other for a long time. You knew who he was. A little bit different situation.
SPEAKER_03:Or is he secretly a serial killer?
SPEAKER_01:I'll tell you. Uh if that ever comes to light, talk about Shooketh. Yeah, the last person. I'm sorry, but there ain't no way. That would be so flabbergas being cast. Lundy was a nice guy. He wasn't.
SPEAKER_03:It's true.
SPEAKER_01:That's like my biggest fear.
SPEAKER_03:Would you be going off some being too nice?
SPEAKER_01:Where the fuck were you really? Did you just like throw your phone in the freezer of Costco and walk out and go take care of some stuff and come back?
SPEAKER_03:My biggest fear for real. Um, okay. So when Sienna gets back from art class, so now we're back to present day. A lot of back and forth. Why do we pick these books with so much back and forth?
unknown:No.
SPEAKER_03:Um, so back to present day, Sienna's coming back from art class, and she does notice that there's this little card that must have fallen out of the bouquet. It was like under the mat or something. And on it is a logo and uh a koo! There's a logo and uh something written in Italian. So she hands it to her mom and it says, Welcome back. What's this gibberish Latin? Somebody read this. Latin? It's Italian. Um, so it's very like, that's kind of creepy. What do you mean, welcome back, my love?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, that was weird to me. That I thought there was gonna be some like soul traveling, time traveling bullshit. Like, oh no.
SPEAKER_03:I thought these were gonna be for her mom. Oh, because her mom mentions that she went there as a kid and then she did come back at one time before her and her dad got married. Oh oh. So I thought that this was like some guy. That they fell in love and then she went to America. Like, went back. Her magger. So I thought they were gonna be for her. Welcome back, my love. Sorry, what? What? Um, okay. Not what happens, but that's what I thought was gonna happen. Surprise, surprise. Yeah. Um, later, while she's exploring, she does end up finding the storefront for Lorenzo's flower shop. Except the sign says it's closed indefinitely. Back to Joe, Joe, bro. They're still training for the marathon. She ends up going to pick her up because they're gonna have a date. It's very cute. And he she's like, Where are we going? And he blindfolds her and he takes her to the Chicago Art Institute. And she's like, Are you kidding me? Like her dream date. Okay, cool. My dream date. Great, love that. He knew that. Um, but she's over the moon excited about it. Not just because she gets to go to it, but that he kind of took the effort to know that she would want to go.
SPEAKER_02:Yep.
SPEAKER_03:So they are looking at the paintings. At one point, she starts to get annoyed because he keeps looking at his phone. He's like checking the time and call. Yeah, she's like, I don't want to be rushed. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:You know, like that is so something you and me would do.
SPEAKER_03:If you're not having fun, you can leave.
SPEAKER_01:That's what I would say.
SPEAKER_03:Just wait outside. Yeah, I'll I'll be out when I'm out. Um, and so she like gets angry and she like runs away, and he's like, What's wrong? And she's like, nothing, you know, and he's like, please don't ruin this. And she's like, Me ruin it.
SPEAKER_01:As soon as he said that, I went, I know what's happening.
SPEAKER_03:I know what's happening. She's like, You're the one on your phone. And he's like, Okay, problem solved. And he turns his phone off and puts it away. At some point here, she almost falls down the stairs and he catches her. That also happens, but anyway. So he is like, Okay, we're all about you. Let's keep looking. What else do you want to look at? And so they go through the rest of the art institute, it's all very cute. And then he ends up saying, Let's go for a walk. They end up going to this rose garden where he set up this picnic.
SPEAKER_01:Again, girl, you gotta start figuring it out at that point.
SPEAKER_03:Like you really for real. So he set up this picnic, they have this picnic, they're like laying together, and he's like, Are you happy? And she's like, Yeah, I'm happy. He's like, I mean, are you happy here with me? And she's like, Yeah, I'd be happy with you anywhere. And he's like, Oh, okay. And so then he's like, and then there's one more stop. He takes her to the Buckingham Fountain and tells her the story of his great-grandfather, who I believe was homeless at the time, met his great-grandmother at the fountain and had just enough money to take her out for coffee, and then they fell in love. A tale as old as time, and she's like, Wow, that's really great. And he's like, Yep, that's the story that everyone in my family tells to their future wife, and they take her to this spot, and then he proposes all the tears, so sweet, and then both their families are there, so she ends up like looking around, and his family's there, and her family's there. We did kind of skip over. She's met his family, obviously. Uh, works for the dad, but the mom is very sweet, and so it's just all very happy. That's where we leave off with them all engaged and happy. And then we're back to present day. So we have another art day with Father Fiore and Giuseppe. Um, he is running a little late, but it is what it is. Um, and then when Father does show up, he has another art piece. Um, and then Giuseppe gets a text and he's like, I have to go. And she's like, sketch, okay. And then Sienna gets a text from her mom saying that she found something, so she also has to go. Um, her mom ends up finding a dark blue trunk under the bed because they're cleaning out this flat to sell it. And inside of it is all the things you would think. There's so necklaces and bags and rosary and service uniforms, picture frames, her wedding veil. Um, and she tells her that's what the third key was from. And then also there is this picture frame of a drawing of roses, and it looks like something's written on the back, so she opens it and it's the family tree.
SPEAKER_01:So cool.
SPEAKER_03:It was really cool. Um, and then also there's Donna's wedding dress, and so the mom is like, isn't this beautiful? Wow! And Sienna likes starts crying, so she's like, I gotta go take a shower, and she ends up like sobbing in the shower.
SPEAKER_01:So sad.
SPEAKER_03:I thought Joey was dead at this point. Oh yeah, yeah, that's I get that. They never got to have the wedding and see because he died.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I could definitely see it. The way that they it was spoken about, too.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, or just it was very unknown. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, I was like, he died. So at this point, I was like, I don't think I can finish this if he's dying. I don't think I can do this. So now we're back to nine months ago. Um, Sienna and Joey are moving in together. Um, they're moving boxes, and he seems to be very distracted by his phone. Um, but it makes sense because now he is a sports agent for his brother. So his dad let him, that is gonna be his only client, but he's allowed him to do that. So he's kind of doing two different jobs. That's a lot. Yeah, so she tries to kind of let it go, but it is bothering her, and then she, you know, ends up like seducing him to get him off his phone.
SPEAKER_01:Sometimes us we gotta do what we gotta do. Men are so easy. Freaking bleacher report has taken over my life ever since all these seasons started again. So yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Sports! Go sports! Don't know what bleacher reports is. Um, but so then the next day, the Joey wakes her up and is like, hey, are we gonna go running? And she's like, What time is that? And he's like, It's like 9:30 or something. She's supposed to go wedding shop or wedding dress shopping today with his mom. In 30 minutes. Yeah. His mom. 30 minutes. Her mom and Grace. And first, they wanted to show up at Grace's house too. So they're gonna be it's pressed for time. So she's like, Oh, I got a shower. I don't have time to run today. And he's like, Okay, I'm gonna go. Have a great day. And so his mom, bless her heart, she's so nice, she's so nice, she just isn't Sienna's mom. And so the first place they go to, it's very industrial, and she's like, What the heck are we doing?
SPEAKER_01:We immediately would have been like, nope, yeah.
SPEAKER_03:But in his mom's brain, she's like, Oh, the best of the best. Well, the best of the best, but also she's like, Joey said you're really into art, so I thought that you would like this place because it's kind of edgy and different.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and she's like, Oh, I'm into like cottage court art and like classics.
SPEAKER_03:Okay, okay, and the dresses are awful, and she's feathers, and she does not like them at all. Um they end up going to the coffee shop for a break, and um the sister is just kind of like looking at her suspiciously, and she's like, What? It's nothing. Nothing. I'm like, why are you ordering tea? Yeah, you always get coffee. Yeah. She's like, I just want tea. Yeah. Um, so when they go to the last shop, um, she does end up finding this dress. They add sleeves, they get the veil. It's perfect, it's beautiful.
SPEAKER_02:It did sound very pretty.
SPEAKER_03:It did sound very pretty. And the sister's like, I'll help you take it off. And she's like, Okay. And she's like, Do you have something to tell me? Yeah. Like, no. Your bugs are huge, you're acting weird, you didn't get coffee. That's so be something we would do to each other. Like, you tell me right now. Yeah. And Sienna's like, no. Like, huh? I just, I don't know. I'm tired. And she's like, well, you should take a test. Yeah. So the next day, she does. She wakes up. She is feeling nauseous the next day. Joey makes her breakfast, because of course he does.
SPEAKER_01:Mr. Perfect.
SPEAKER_03:And uh he is leaving for work, and she decides that she can't go on with not knowing. Like, if she is, she is, but she needs to know. So she goes to Walgreens to pick up a pregnancy test. She's waiting for the results. She's, I just imagine this so chaotic. There's pregnancy tests all over the bathroom. She's probably got like four of them in her hand, is kind of what I'm picturing.
SPEAKER_01:She just instructions, like, you know how they folded up like 56 ways. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:She's like, I'm a lawyer, I can figure out this thing. And he ends up coming home and he's like, hey, whoopsie did. She's off. What are you doing here? She's like, I thought you were working. He's like, I'm gonna go. Po asked me to go play baseball, so I'm gonna go. And he's like, What are you? Uh are you pregnant? And she's like, I don't know. I haven't looked. And she's like holding it behind her hands. I don't know quite. Um, and then he holds her and he's like, Whatever happens, like, I love you and we'll get through it. And she's panicking because she's like, Joey doesn't want to be a dad. Like, he's not ready for that.
SPEAKER_01:And like her j she's worried about her job.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. And she pulls it out and it is positive. Uh-oh. And they both cry. I guess. Yeah. Got it. I will have to say, while I was reading this, I did have to like a certain chapter would end like without you knowing. I'll flip to the next one. I just want to see what that was. Oh, really? Okay, yeah, that's all right. Like, there's one scene where it just happens to end up like coming. But the end of the chapter is she looks up and she sees him. And then, but it doesn't say who it is, so I'm like, is that Joey? Is that Joey? Like, yeah. So who did the girl see? I cheated a little bit on this book. That's alright. Anyway, so back to present. Sienna decides to go to the Vatican to look at all the paintings, but it's really busy, and there the line is out the door. She's like, I don't even know where this line starts. Like, where do I go? And she ends up someone calling her name, hearing somebody call her name, and it's Giuseppe, and he says, Well, I can be your tour guy.
SPEAKER_01:Well, would you look at that? He just so happens to work there.
SPEAKER_03:And he knows where the back entrance is, so that's where he had to go after the painting thing.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, yeah, his coworker was sick. He had to run a tour.
SPEAKER_03:So he ends up taking her through it, and in one of the rooms, there's a painting of a mother holding a baby, and she ends up getting kind of really overwhelmed and upset, and she is just trying to hold it together till she can get out of there. And she tells him that she's gonna call it a day. Like, I he's like, Do you wanna go see? She's like, No, like I just gotta be done. It's like okay. And he doesn't push it, which I thought was good. And then the next day he or that night, he invites her the next day to go to a dinner party with all the friends. He's like, What is the word party? Yeah, party, dinner party. And she's like, Okay. And so she says yes. And then when she gets home, there's like bags in front of the door. Hey, also skipped ahead here. Yep. There's bags in front of the door, and she can't quite open it. Um, and her mom goes, honey, guess who came to visit? And you were like, Joey! Joey baby! I kept waiting for him to show. I was like, oh my gosh, me. I also think that he might be dead. But I'm also holding out hope that he's gonna show up and he's not dead. Um, who did you think this was?
SPEAKER_01:Oh, I genuinely like just uh yeah, didn't really I don't know, like it was interesting, but I there wasn't a lot of thought, and I was like, all right, let's see who it is.
SPEAKER_03:I was so anxious during this book, I have to say. I was like, I don't know what's gonna happen here. I was really nervous.
SPEAKER_01:I was really nervous about what was gonna happen. She did a good job of keeping you on your toes. Yes.
SPEAKER_03:Um I'll just let you guys know now. It's not Joey. What?
SPEAKER_00:11 Roses.
SPEAKER_03:Okay. So back to nine months ago. Uh they tell their family about the baby. Everybody's very excited. His brothers are like convinced it's a boy. Um, and she has a doctor's appointment, which Joey is late to. I thought he wasn't gonna show up, and I was gonna be too. He does show up at the ultrasound, and so they hear the baby's heartbeat. Don't see it on the screen, and it's all very emotional. Present day, Grace is the one who showed up. They end up going shopping together and they do this cute little like fashion show game. Yeah, I guess they used to do when they were little, and they each pick out outfits for each other, and it it was really cute because we kind of get bits and pieces of Grace, but this is kind of the first like you see from Sienna's viewpoint of them reconnecting. So it was very cute. When they're walking back, Sienna spots the flower shop again, and the door is open, and she's like, ah, somebody's inside. A clue. Eight months ago. Yep. Eight months ago. I don't know, too damn bad. We're going back in time. Joey and Sienna end up going to visit his grandmother's house, and she's like, Don't tell her I'm pregnant.
SPEAKER_01:Because she only wants something I would say, her immediate family to know.
SPEAKER_03:And she's like, Don't be telling her. And he's like, You can say that all you want. She's got a sixth sense for that kind of stuff. She's gonna know. And so this grandmother was very sweet. I felt.
SPEAKER_01:I thought it was set up like she was gonna be a bitch. I was ready for her to be like evil. But she was just like, if I ever got the privilege to be rich, that's exactly what I would behave like.
SPEAKER_03:She comes down the stairs with one of those floating, furry, uh like ruffle robes. Yeah, that's not what she's wearing, but that's kind of yeah. Um, hello, darling. Yeah. So she they go and she's like, Oh my goodness, you're glowing. You must be pregnant. And she's like, he's like, Told you.
SPEAKER_01:God damn it.
SPEAKER_03:And um, he's like, So what are the plans for the weekend? And she's like, Oh, I don't know. She has the whole weekend. I died skinned.
SPEAKER_01:This lady has a butlers, okay?
SPEAKER_03:And he's like, Yeah, you don't know. Yeah, Bernie has me.
SPEAKER_01:Look, we can get you a butler if that's what you need so bad. All right, god damn.
SPEAKER_03:They live here. Um, so anyway, he has like golf with these bros. I don't know who they are. He he's got golf set up. Oh, yeah. It was somebody's yeah, who wrote those guys?
SPEAKER_01:I don't I don't know. I kind of skipped over a little bit. It was a business thing. That's what it was. It was like a work thing.
SPEAKER_03:I think it ended up becoming a work thing. Got it. But it was set up as a casual thing. Anyway, so and then she was gonna have like a lunch with her friends, and then the grandmother took her to get a massage, and then um they go to a baby store and she's like, You like this? You want it? I'll take this whole thing over here. I like it. Loved it. And Sienna does insist on buying one of the onesies because she's like, I want to buy something myself too. Appreciate it, love it, very kind. I would like to buy something as well. And um then she's like, Oh, I have to use the restroom. So she's like, Oh, there's this restaurant right across the streets you can go to. And so she's in the bathroom and she ends up bleeding and she is panicked. And then the grandmother comes in, she's like, Are you okay? She's like, I need to go to a doctor right now. So they go to the doctor. Joey comes in and hugs her, and he's like still in this golf stuff. And I was like, Good, don't be late. That's right. I was a little bit better from him being late on the other one.
SPEAKER_01:Yep, that's right. Joseph, get your ass in there.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, and then the doctor comes in and tells her, you know, unfortunately, there is no heartbeat. Devastating, devastated, and Joey is too, and she's crying and he's holding her, and he's like, We can have more babies. And she says, No, I don't want more babies. I want that baby. I was so sad, so so sad. Which we kind of get hints to like something happened with a kid in present day because she does have a lot of rough feelings when it comes to marriage, when it comes to kids, like she kind of gets upset. So, present day, they meet this lady inside the flower shop, and it is Lena who did that last order that we hear from the beginning.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, the daughter of the owner, yeah.
SPEAKER_03:And she essentially says when their dad passed, everything just kind of fell apart. And so they are set, they closed the shop. Um, and then she asks her if she can find out who sent the flowers that were at their house. And she tells, shows her like the log, and it's her great-grandpa's name. She's like, that's impossible. He died like years ago, and um there's an order history for every year on January 7th. There is 11 roses.
SPEAKER_01:And I've heard of other stories of like husbands and stuff doing this, and I'm always just like, like, what is that movie with Gerard Butler where he dies?
SPEAKER_03:Do you guys know what I'm talking about? Oh gosh. Yeah. Remember you're talking about. Remember, no, hold on. It's gonna bug me. Yeah, what was it called? P.S. I love you.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, there it is. Yeah, that was a great movie. All the tears on that one. Um along with Remember Me.
SPEAKER_03:All the tears. I saw that in theaters. Anyway. Um. I am so sorry, I misspoke. This lady is not Elena, but she does offer to have Elena call the button to talk about it because she put together that last order. So she's like, I don't know. This is what the logs say.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, here, you want to take a picture of all this?
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. And Sienna says, Well, why don't she call my mom? Because Elaine doesn't speak very good English. So she gives her her mom's memory. Um, back to eight months ago, Sienna has a follow-up appointment just to make sure that she's healing properly. She doesn't want to go, but she does. And at the appointment, the doctor tells her that it's gonna be probably really hard for her to ever conceive again. So something happened where it's probably not gonna happen for her again, and she is devastated. Like it's hard enough to lose a baby, let alone find out that you may never be able to get pregnant again. And nobody could come with her to the appointment. Joey's out of town, her mom's not there. She does end up calling Grace, and Grace is like, I gotta call you back. Like the kids are throwing up, husband's out of town, it's very hectic, and Sienna's just like, okay. And she just cries in the street. Poor baby. I was heartbroken for her. Um present day, it's the dinner party with Giuseppe and his friends, and Grace is gonna go with her because the mom doesn't want her going out alone with this strange Italian man. Yep. Um, and they end up wearing the outfits that they had picked out at the fashion show. Before that, they do go to this, I think it's a pub, and they have a drink, and they have a conversation of essentially Sienna asking Grace why she didn't reach out to her after she lost the baby. And I I see two sides here, and I get them both.
SPEAKER_01:And Grace did an amazing job of writing both perspectives.
SPEAKER_03:Yes, Grace is essentially like, I've never lost a baby, I didn't know what to say to you, and I didn't feel like whatever I had to say would help because I don't know what the experience is, and I didn't want to say the wrong thing. Damn. So she's like, I felt like it was better not to say anything than to possibly say the wrong thing to you.
SPEAKER_01:And rather than not, I will choose that route.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, yeah. And Sienna is essentially like, I would rather have my sister than you worry about saying the wrong thing. Like I just needed somebody. And also during this, we find out that Grace is kind of having a little bit of problems at home, and that's why she came because she was feeling very um unappreciative at home by her husband. And disconnected from him. Yes. And she's like caregiver, therapist, nurse, like all these things for all of her, like everybody in this house, and she's just she feels overwhelmed too. It was a very sweet moment of them kind of like being very honest with each other, which I felt like was good. So, um good, needed, necessary. Yes, and then so they're at the dinner party, and there was this girl named Amelia, who's very territorial over Giuseppe, and she kind of so there's Grace, Sienna, Julia that was her name of Giuseppe, and Amelia, and she's like all over him. And Sienna's like, I definitely got the wrong message here. Like, sorry. Yeah, you're over here like peeing on him, like relax. And so they still do the dinner, they do have a good time, but Sienna's very much like, I definitely got the wrong message here. Yeah. And so as they're leaving, he says, We're gonna go to Disco. Do you wanna go? And she's like, no. And Amelia's over there, like, and he's like, Well, let me walk you guys back. And she's like, No, that's okay. You can go with your friends, and he's like, No, I insist. And they're walking, and Grace is like, So have you and Amelia ever dated? Yeah, I loved Grace. Just like, I don't care, I'm gonna find out. Yeah, and he's like, No, she's just a friend. I don't see her that way. I don't see her that way. I know she sees me that way, but it's never been like that. Um, so we get that confirmation that they're not together. And as they're walking, there's this band playing in the street, and so he ends up asking Sienna if she wants to dance, and they're dancing in the streets of Rome. It's all very romantic. And then they kiss, and she's just kind of like, and I feel nothing. I didn't like that. Uh, she doesn't feel any chemistry, and as they when they get back to the apartment, Grace is kind of like, so it you know, like he just kissed you. Oh my gosh, da da da. And she's like, Grace, no, like you're not listening to me. And she's like, he's a hot Italian man, like, go for it, girl. Which I appreciate, but she's like, You're not listening to me. I don't I love Joey, and then that comes out that she still does love Joey, and she's like, I'm sorry.
SPEAKER_01:I'm so sorry to hear that for you.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, which like would feel bad. You're like, yeah, girl, get it. Move on, and she's like, I don't want to.
SPEAKER_01:Like, oh right, yeah, who the fuck would move on anyway? Horrors, yeah, that's terrible.
SPEAKER_03:Those girls are odd boobs and no brain. Okay. Um, so we're back to seven months ago, and this is where things are kind of falling apart for Sienna and her feelings for Joey. So she feels like he's moving on, he's still training for the marathon, he's going to work, he's doing all of these things, and she is just not doing well at all. He gets up and he's like, Are you gonna come watch the marathon? Because she's not gonna run it. And she's like, No, I'm not going.
SPEAKER_01:I was I under no, I don't understand, but I was really sad that she didn't go.
SPEAKER_03:I get it. Yeah. And which she also got it. He said, It's okay, I understand. And then he leaves. And then she's she goes through this moment of like, well, if he gets to move on with his life, I'm gonna throw myself into work because that's what I know how to do. So she's starting the process of pushing him away from her. And she definitely starts to feel resentment towards him. Now, present day, they all decide to go to church, the mom, the sister, and her. It's all in Italian, they don't understand anything that they're saying. Uh, but Father Fiore is the one who's teaching. That's cool. Or doing the sermon, whatever you call it. Sorry.
SPEAKER_01:He's leading mass.
SPEAKER_03:Leading mass. Yes.
unknown:Thank you.
SPEAKER_03:Um, and she loves it. Even though she doesn't understand what it is, she gets the feeling she likes starts to feel a little bit better. She feels like it's familiar and comfortable, has made her grieve a little bit. Yeah, she used to go to church, she just hasn't gone for a while. Um, and then this is where she introduces Father Fiore to her mom and sister.
SPEAKER_01:Here's the strange Italian man I've been spending my time with.
SPEAKER_03:I love that part because the mom's like, you're doing Italian classes with two random Italian men, and she's like, Yeah. And so she's like, Yeah, this is the strange man, mom. He's a priest in like 60.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, so like it's okay.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. Um and then also Sienna has another art meeting with Father Fiori, and Giuseppe doesn't show up. And so she wonders if it's because he's so heartbroken, it's awkward, you know. He could tell she wasn't feeling it. Um and then after the meeting, he asks her how much longer she's gonna be in town, and she says, probably just like another week or so.
SPEAKER_01:He's like, All right, Giuseppe, you just have to stay away for another week and a half for another week.
SPEAKER_03:Um, when she gets home, her mom and her sister are looking at photos of her mom's mom, so her grandmother. And um, she's like, Why don't you guys go do something fun? Like go out and about, go look at stuff. I'm still going through all the stuff in the apartment. Um, and so they end up going back to the Vatican so she can finish looking at all of the stuff there, and um, they end up seeing the Pieta statue. Take that with what you will, with my pronunciation there, yep. Which is essentially a statue of Mary holding Jesus and she's grieving. And Sienna just has him melt down in front of this statue full crash out to the floor, sobbing, and Grace just holds her. It's like it's okay, you know. It's very sweet, it's very sweet. Um and then she calms down, they go outside, and Sienna says, Thank you for being there for me, and they end up deciding that they're gonna have another 90s sister movie night. Oh, so Grace wasn't there for her before, but you see in this moment that she is really trying to be there for her, which was nice. Back to five months ago, Sienna arrives at work and the boss calls her in, Joey's dad.
SPEAKER_01:Immediately sweating, crying, I'll just pack my stuff.
SPEAKER_03:Literally, and he tells her that he's very impressed with her work, and he's gonna put her as a lead on one of the corporate accounts. And she's very excited about it, and he tells her that she can have Joey's office since he's working from home indefinitely. She's like, I didn't know that. He's what? Okay, it's kind of awkward, but she decides to focus on the corporate account, focus on what she can because she is growing herself into work. Yeah. Present day on Grace's last day, they end up doing some sightseeing, and Grace gets a text and immediately puts her phone away.
SPEAKER_01:Shady.
SPEAKER_03:And Sienna's like, the fuck's that about? Yeah, hmm, what's going on? And she's like, that's it. She's like, yeah, okay. And so Grace ends up handing her the phone, and it's a text from Joey saying, He's live. He's live. Text from Joey saying, How is Sienna? And uh she tells Sienna that Joey had called her right before she left, was again asking, or like how Sienna was doing, um, and also gave Grace his new address in case Sienna ever wanted it. Alluding to he still loves her. And then Grace also says, if I ever thought someone would get through tough times, I always thought it would be you guys. Um, and then the mom calls or texts at the same time because they get it at the same time, and says, Someone from the flower shop just called me. Interesting conversation, like come home four months ago. Uh Joey comes home and she asks him about working from home, and he says he quit. And that the people he met at his grandma's house offered to give him kind of funds for a startup for the athletic agency. So he just wants to kind of focus on that. He's tired of like trying to please his dad and doing what he doesn't want to do. Um, and then she tells him that she got the corporate account and he's very excited for her, she's very excited for him. And he kind of mentions that his mom has been bugging him about wedding stuff. And she suggests that they move it back a year. And he's like, A year? And she's like, Okay, what about six months? And he's like, Okay, I'll talk to my mom, see what we can do. Because she's like, I need to focus on this account. If I like this. This is big for me.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Which he gets, but at the same time, like he does want to get married, but she just feels like she can't add anything.
SPEAKER_01:I was feeling tense when I was reading this happening. Like, whoo boy.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. Present day. Elena said that the flower shop had a standing order for 11 roses to be sent at the beginning of January every year while Dona was alive. And Elena said that Leonardo, the owner of the shop, changed the order right before he went into the hospital in April from 11 roses to 12. And then shortly after that, he passed away. Um, they kind of closed down the shop for a while, and then by the time they got back, Elena realizes that the order for the 12 roses had never been delivered, and so then which they were supposed to go to Dona's funeral, but never got sent out at times. So she ended up sending them out late. So they were supposed to be for the funeral, and then they were. Um interesting. Also, Sienna had found journals that her mom was gonna work on translating. Oh, this part. Oh, and she says, Sienna, I think you should read these. And so she tells her the story, and essentially we find out that Dona had lost three babies and kind of back to back to back, and the last one was late, like later in the pregnancy, when she just started to feel like she could celebrate it. And so it caused issues in her marriage, and they had this huge fight, and the husband was in, I think it was the Rose Garden, when he ran into Lorenzo, the flower shop owner, who gave him three white roses to like give to her.
SPEAKER_01:What's the word I'm looking for?
SPEAKER_03:I'm not gonna say it because I'm gonna trip up on it. Yeah, so anyway, to remember, respect you know, the lives of the babies that they lost. And so he gives them to Dona, and she has like this kind of healing moment of like we can get through this. And then every year he sent her three roses, and then as her kids unfortunately passed away, it added a rose to each one, and then when he passed away, it added another rose, and then when she passed away, that was the 12th rose. That's so sad. Heartbroken. So Lorenzo obviously knows about this, so he sent the bouquet of 12 roses to her funeral because too.
SPEAKER_01:That he's had looks like so sad.
SPEAKER_03:It's very like heartbreaking for her, but then also at the same time, she's like, well, donut went through three times this, and she got through it, and she moved on, and she had more kids, and her marriage was fine, and like if she can heal, so can I. It was it that part is very emotional. Two months ago, Sienna is getting ready for her big meeting with the corporate account, and Joey comes like rushing in, and he's all excited, and he's like, How do you feel about moving to Florida? She's like, huh? He's like, I'm gonna be Bo's agent, and he just got signed to a place down in Florida. Like, I'm gonna move, and then I can do it from there, and I just need to get out of here and away from Chicago and all this stuff. And she's like, I don't want to move to Florida. Like, he it's a hard thing because she's like, I have a career too. Like, I just got this big thing, I'm doing this presentation tomorrow. I'm not moving to Florida.
SPEAKER_01:Yep.
SPEAKER_03:And also during this, he's like, we don't even need a wedding, let's just elope. And she's like sweet. Ah, like, I don't want to get married at all. And well, she she tries to say it as her career of like, I can't just give up my career. And then he's like, You're not gonna marry me, are you? And she's like, That was sad. No, no, and she feels like she can't marry him. And I don't think it's a Joey thing, but she knows that Joey does want a big family, and she can't give that to him. But I don't think they ever actually have that conversation, yeah, that's true. Um, and so he leaves. It's sad. Yeah, it was very when he said, You're not gonna marry me, are you? I was like, No, no. So we arrived to her last day in Italy, and she's at a rose garden with Father Fiori, and they sit down and they're drawing, and then um, out of one of the journals that she had brought, three white roses fall. I was like, oh my god, and she starts crying, and she tells Father Fiori all about her great-grandma and her and Joey and all these things.
SPEAKER_01:Sharma dumps on the priest.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, and after she tells him everything, he says, you know, I'm so sorry for your loss. I hope you find feel healing, and I hope Joey finds healing, and she's like, Joey will never forgive me for what I've done because she has all this guilt. I think for the miscarriage, that she can't have any more kids, that she pushed him away. She's like, he will never forgive me. And he's like, Have you asked him for forgiveness? She's like, No.
SPEAKER_01:No, I'm undeserving of forgiveness. Why would I ever ask them like forgiveness? Exactly. Hello.
SPEAKER_03:Um, and then he kind of gives her this whole rose metaphor. Rose has its thorns. You can't have the beautiful rose without the thorns. Um as he's leaving, she does see Giuseppe and he gives her the self-portrait, and he's like holding her hand, which I'm like, you just got rejected, but okay. But he's like holding her hand and she has a callus where her ring was, which makes sense. And he's like, Are you?
SPEAKER_01:I don't really get calluses where your rings were?
SPEAKER_03:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:I guess because of work I don't wear mine enough that I don't have one.
SPEAKER_03:Fair. You just kind of get a little one. Okay. Anyway, and he's like, Are you married? And she's like, No. But I was engaged, and he's like, Do you still love him? She said, Yes. Yes, yes, I do. And he's like, Well, I'm very glad I got to meet you, and I hope that one day, you know, I'll be able to see Chicago and stuff. And he gets up and leaves. So I'm gonna go back just a little bit. I kind of skipped ahead to finish that conclusion to the rose garden. Um, so two months ago, we are on the day of the presentation. She wakes up late because she's up all night crying because Joey left, and she's at the coffee shop and she sees her old roommate with pregnant married, and she just kind of meltdown. Margaret comes in who's just a barracuda and is like, you need to get to room 203 right now. She's like, Okay, yeah, you're right. So she does, she goes to the meeting, she can't focus, she's just not in it at all. And Margaret's like, Can I see you? And she's like, Oh fuck. She goes out in the hall. Margaret's essentially like, You're the worst. I'm gonna continue this meeting without you. And she's like, Okay, that's fine. She leaves, she gets called back to the office by Joey's dad, and she sits down with him, and he is very gentle. And I I was very sorry to hear that you and Joey called things off. Um, I think you need some time away from work, and so he ends up giving her a sabbatical until August. Yeah, like gave her three months off or something. Yeah. And then she's like, Yeah, yeah, okay, cool, that's fine. So she's walking home. Humiliated. She gets a text from Joey saying, Um, I've decided I need a fresh start. I'm moving to Florida. I picked up my stuff earlier that day.
SPEAKER_01:Then I jumped into traffic.
SPEAKER_03:Like uh he says she's right that he cannot ask her to give up his job, and his family knows the wedding is off, and she has the place till July, and she is just a mess.
SPEAKER_01:And she calls her mom and says, Mom. The way I would shave my head, change my name, disappear, not act well. I would not be responding to this in a healthy way at all. Shut the doors, shut the blinds. Somebody chained me to a wall so I can't harm myself and others. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Um poor girl. I felt so bad for her. As much as she was like messing her life up, I felt so bad. Yep. Present day. So sorry. She gets back to the flat and she's packing to leave, and her mom tells her that she's not coming back. She's like, huh? She's like, I'm gonna stay in Italy for the summer and live my best life and eat pray love. And she's like, I'll be back in the fall, I'll rent it out, it'll be just fine. I've missed it here. And she's like, okay. Um, and then so she leaves Italy and she flies right to Florida. And she says she just needs to apologize to Joey. She says, I need to apologize and heal and whatever it is.
SPEAKER_01:I was so scared about this.
SPEAKER_03:I was, yeah, my heart was pitter pattering up.
SPEAKER_01:I was so scared.
SPEAKER_03:Uh so she did get the address from Grace, and when she gets there, Bo is coming out of the house.
SPEAKER_01:And I was like, Don't you be a fucking douchebag, don't you be a douchebag?
SPEAKER_03:She is like panicked. She's like, he hates me. Everybody here. Yeah, and then he gives her a hug and he tells her I'm so sorry about what happened. And he hopes that he does she doesn't hate Joey for convincing him to move with him. Yeah. And it's all then just so sweet. I think it was a good moment for her to be like, oh, I'm not the worst thing in the entire world. So um he says, I'm going for a run. Joey took the boat. I don't know when he's gonna be back, but you can wait inside. And she's like, okay. And he's like, hey, don't break his heart again. Yeah. And he's like, he's been through a lot. Like he's really been trying to move on.
SPEAKER_01:And he Oh God. So there's bitches in there?
SPEAKER_03:I mean, oh, who's on that boat then? Yeah, literally, oh, boats and hose, huh? I see. Yep. Which because Joey's a good looking guy. Yeah. They both are. Bo is like the classic good-looking guy. Joey's like the guy that you actually like that's good looking. Yep. Anyway. Um, so she ends up going inside, he goes for a run, and she starts to see the boat, and it's like coming in, and she's like panicked. She's like, I shouldn't be here. What am I doing? Yep. I need to run. He gets off the boat, and they're like coming towards each other. And then who walks out of the door? This Brazilian modern. Yeah, and she's like, Joe, who's this? Oh my gosh. And she's like, I'm the biggest idiot in the world.
SPEAKER_01:Yep, like this is the new love of his life. That's clearly a spiritual.
SPEAKER_03:Bo said that he'd been trying to move on, like, of course.
SPEAKER_01:And also, like, Bo, why would you set me up like this?
SPEAKER_03:You could have told me. Yep. I'd have waited outside. For real. And so as soon as Joey sees her, he's like, Sienna, and she's like, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry. I'll just go. She's like running out of the house. And uh she calls an Uber and then she's like, I forgot my suitcase. And he's like, Yahoo! You seen this? And she's like, yeah. And she just is like, I just wanted to say sorry. I'm so sorry. You know, I've been in Rome, I've been thinking about you and the baby and like everything that happens. Oh. And I just, I just needed to come here and say that I'm sorry. And he's like, why don't you come in and we talk?
SPEAKER_01:And she's like, No need, I already said everything I came to say. I don't think you're a girly pop here.
SPEAKER_03:She couldn't say it. She couldn't bring herself to say it.
SPEAKER_01:And he's like Carmen?
SPEAKER_03:That's Bo's girlfriend. And she's like, Oh, sorry. Okay. Of course it is. And the Uber pulls up and she's like looking at him, looking at the Uber. And she's like, what do I do? And she's like, I'm not gonna need an Uber. And so they go inside to talk. Carmen goes who knows where.
SPEAKER_01:Um don't know, don't care.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, so they're inside. It's really awkward. And he's like, why don't we take a ride on the boat? And she's like, Okay, sure.
SPEAKER_01:I watched too much true crime. I'd have been like, careful girl, don't get on his boat alone. Nobody knows you're going.
SPEAKER_03:We also think our husbands could be serial kids. So are we very rational? No. Cautious. Always be on your alarm. Always be on your, what's it called?
SPEAKER_01:Toes.
SPEAKER_03:Toes. Always be on your toes. Don't let him fool you. Yep. Yeah. Um so he takes her to like this island, and he's like, this is where I get away to think. And then they're like sitting there, and they're it's really awkward. And he's just like, what happened? My poor sweet baby Angel, I know. And she essentially tells him what we already know, that she started to resent him because he felt she felt like he was moving on and she couldn't. And so she threw him into work, and she is like angry and she's just like lashing out at him. And he, when she's done with all of that, he gets pretty angry and upset and is like, you don't get to tell me that I wasn't devastated. Like when I found out you were pregnant, it was the best day of my life, and I was heartbroken when we lost the baby. But not only that, I lost you too, and I just wanted to be there for you, and you kept pushing me away. And no matter what I did, like it didn't matter. And he says, you know, I've tried everything to get over you, and I've I've done it all. I've done the party. He's like, Don't tell me that. I don't want to know that you tried the she's like, okay, yeah, you would party? I know what that is. So you got your degree. And he's like, there's just one thing that's been missing. And then he stands in front of her and he grabs her face and he's like, You, I've missed you, Sienna. She's like, I miss you too. And they kiss. It was so wholesome and so sweet. And so then they get back on the boat and he tells her, I forgive you, Sienna. They got back in the boat. They got back in the boat.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, sorry. Anyway.
SPEAKER_03:Um, not like us. And uh so when they get back to the house, he kind of looks over her shoulder and she's pulling up flights to Chicago. It's too much. This is too much. Must go, must run. And he takes her phone and he says, stay with me, Sienna. Don't leave. Don't go back to Chicago or Rome or wherever it is you think you need to run away from you. Okay. I'm not letting you go this time. I'm not letting you try to move on from this by yourself anymore. Whatever we have to face, we face it together, all right? If you need to lay in bed all day, I'm laying next to you. If you want to cry in the bathroom, I'll hold you and wipe your nose. If you want to sit on the floor and eat ice cream out of the carton, I'll feed you. I just don't want to lose you again. Whatever dark times or hard times happen, we face together and I want to face them together. We're never apart, never alone. Okay. And she says, Okay. He's so cute. Okay, who's ready for the tears? But for real, five years later, she gets a text from Joey saying that they're on their way. And she has this bouquet of roses, and I think there's 13 roses because they add roses for their child that they lost, and she insisted there be 13 roses. And on her phone is a picture of Joey and a little boy that they adopted two years after they got married because they were trying to have a baby and they couldn't get pregnant, so they adopted. Then in comes this little boy, and he's got a rose, and she introduces them to Josephine, who's their little baby, and she found out she got pregnant like closely after they adopted him. So just tiny was meant to be. And it was the first girl born in the family in over four generations. Yeah. Oh. Named Josephine, who he wants to call Jojo. It's so cute. Every kind of ending we're together after. Perfect, perfect fucking boat. And I cried at the end of this. Oh, yeah. Because I was like, oh, they deserve it. They deserve everything. They need to live the happiest life ever.
SPEAKER_01:I need to send the Snapchat video of me crying so Connor can enter it in.
SPEAKER_03:Oh my god. Oh my god, this book. I cried at the end of this. Big tears. That's that. Roses in Rome. It was so good.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, this one. Everybody. Don't walk, run. Go get it. Yeah. It's so good. It's so cute. It's so good. Fan cast. Fan cast. What's fan cast? Susie, what's fan cast? Fan cast is if we were gonna make this book into a series or a movie, what celebrity would you cast? As the characters. So I did. Oh no, okay. I only did like four. Okay. I only did Sienna, Joey, Grace, and Father Fury.
SPEAKER_03:You didn't do Giuseppe.
SPEAKER_01:I didn't.
SPEAKER_03:I did Giuseppe. So we want to share my next. Okay, I did um Fabian Frankel from House of the Dragon.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, great.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Beautiful. Chef Kiss there. Perfect choice.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. Uh who do you want to do next?
SPEAKER_01:Um, we'll go with Sienna. For Sienna, I did Minka Kelly. Oh, yeah. She's beautiful. She's beautiful. She's so pretty.
SPEAKER_03:Um, mine was Phoebe Duncan. I don't know if you know who that is. Yes. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:I sounded like a dog barking when I said that.
SPEAKER_03:Yes! Um you know my Joey. Sam Claflin?
SPEAKER_01:Ah, yes. Great choice. Great choice. Uh mine was Austin Butler for Joey, which I did not save a screenshot of.
SPEAKER_03:I watched a movie one time where he was a biker, like in a gang. Oh, yeah. Okay. So I can never picture him as like a wholesome cute guy anymore. Yeah. Like, I'm like, Sam Claflin plays just nice guys, and he's got dimples. So I don't know. That movie just changed my perception of him. That's okay. Yeah. I like him. Don't get me wrong. Like, I enjoyed the movie.
SPEAKER_01:But you're like, I can't see him being wholesome and kind. No. Yeah. Or emotionally open and available. Nope. Can't do it. Okay, for Grace, uh, the sister. I did Alison Bree.
SPEAKER_02:That's a good one. I love her.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:I like her a lot.
SPEAKER_01:What about you? I didn't cast Grace. Oh, sorry, Grace. That's okay. And then uh Father Fiore. Yeah. Eugene Levy. Yeah. Curses Greek. I mean, so much more, but that's just my Sergio Casaleo. Excellent. Honestly, I like that one a lot. That's great.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. Go with that. Did you cast her mom?
SPEAKER_01:No. Not that I didn't really like her character. I was having trouble like picturing what she would look like.
SPEAKER_03:I did uh Marissa Tomei. Good choice. From uh Spider-Man and stuff. Yep, she's in a million other things. But I was like, yeah, she's looking for love after these people leave.
SPEAKER_01:She was like somebody's kind of crazy wife. I don't remember that.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, did you cast anybody else? No. Alright. Final thoughts. Wow. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:This was like the love story book that like I've kind of been like waiting for. You know what I mean? It didn't nothing about and it's clean. She liked it. And it's clean. There was no smut. And honestly, no problem. Like the it was such a good story. Yeah. Yeah, it was really good. It was really good.
SPEAKER_03:I felt this one. Like while I was reading, I was really anxious. I was really scared about what Joey did that they broke up because I assumed it was him. Because I live in the real world. Oh yeah. And uh like when they lost the baby, and then like I just like my heart was heavy, which is excellent. Good writing. Yeah. If you can make somebody feel that way. So 10 out of 10.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. So yeah, if you uh are looking for a new book, go pick it up. It's available pretty much everywhere. Books are sold.
SPEAKER_03:We told her our uh ideas for spin-offs. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01:So we'll see.
SPEAKER_03:So you'll see that in the interview.
SPEAKER_01:And make sure to uh like, subscribe, share, follow. All the things. All the things. Yeah. Okay. And come back next time. Bye. Bye.
