Book Review of "Better Than Gelato" by Libby Tanner + Author Q&A
- Rosie J.
- Jan 2
- 17 min read
Hi friends!!
It's time for another Book Review!
I am so excited to bring you this amazing debut contemporary romance novel Better Than Gelato that released August 19th, 2025 from City Owl Press, plus a Q&A with the author Libby Tanner. Thank you to Libby and City Owl for an eARC of this book!
I have the privilege of having Libby Tanner as an agency sibling, and that's how we met after I signed with our agent Katie! Libby is such an inspiration, and if you aren't subscribed to her Letters from Libby newsletter, then you're missing out on a whole lot of inspiration.
The spoiler free book review...
[Click the picture for the Amazon link or find it at the end of the blog]
Let's get to it, so we can get to the reason why you're really here: the interview with Libby Tanner!
I gave this book a wholehearted rating of:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is a sweet New Adult RomCom set mostly in Italy. And let me tell you, Libby really knows how to put the “com” in RomCom. I was constantly laughing at all of Juliet’s antics. I feel like a lot of books today are labeled RomComs but are really missing out on the comedy part, but not Better Than Gelato, Libby really nails it.
I’ve only spent a week in Italy, but this book took me right back there as Juliet explores Italian life during her year as a nanny, which includes falling in love for the first time with the most unexpected person. This books also includes lovely international and bittersweet friendships beyond the love story, which is so important for a New Adult romance where a young woman is figuring out her path in life. The friendships are just as heartwarming as the romance. There's also a life-defining external conflict where Juliet has to figure out whether she's going to follow her heart in not only love but in her future career as well. Even though I'm nearing 40, I could still really relate to Juliet in her early-20s being drawn to following her passion of photography but feeling it isn't the logical, lucrative career choice or the choice one should make.
Without spoiling it, I loved how the book wrapped up after a bit of a longer journey for the characters and not just for Juliet’s love life but for her personal goals as well. Libby’s written a bonus epilogue that I haven't gotten to read yet, but I can’t wait because I’d love more of Juliet and Jake after the current epilogue.
Was it “better than gelato”? I don’t know. Nomming fresh Italian gelato while walking down the streets of Italy might be one of my favorite things in the world, but it definitely gets five stars from me. I’m not really a “no spice” girlie, but there was so much to love in this one I didn't really miss it.
I can’t wait to read more from Libby Tanner! Brava!
And now, without further ado, I'm so excited to have been able to interview Libby about writing, the inspiration for the book, and what's next.
Q&A with Contemporary Romance
Debut Author Libby Tanner
Rosie: First of all, congratulations on your amazing debut Better Than Gelato. Was this the first book you’ve ever written? Tell us a little bit about how you got started writing and what inspired you to write.
Libby: I’ve loved writing since I was a kid. I was always making up stories to tell my parents and siblings and writing them in notebooks I left all over the house. I didn’t study creative writing in college, because I was trying to be a practical adult with hirable skills.
About a decade after college I was a stay at home mom, raising four kiddos, and I jumped back into writing to keep me sane. As a mom with littles it’s easy to feel like a milk cow that makes snacks, and I really needed something to keep my brain alive. I’d had this idea for a story for a long time. It was inspired by my experience living as a nanny in Milan and falling in love for the first time. I started writing after bedtime and it was honestly therapeutic to revisit the years I was young and free, and spent my nights dancing with friends. This is the first full-length novel I’ve written, and I learned a LOT in the process. The three novels I’ve written since have come a lot quick and easier.
Rosie: You went the traditional route, with getting an agent and submitting to publishers, tell us about the journey to get into traditional publishing.
Libby: The journey to traditional publishing is not an easy one! I found it very helpful to follow the steps outlined in Jessica Brody’s Writing Mastery Academy. I researched agents and put together a spreadsheet of about 40 agents I thought would be a good fit for this story. I created two different query letters and AB tested them to see which got better results. I sent out a batch of 10 letters then waited a month, then sent out another batch then waited a month. I took two months off for November and December because I’d heard things were pretty dead at that time, I sent out two more batches in January and February and ended up signing with my agent Katie Monson in April.
It’s nice to be able to hand things over to your agent and let them submit your manuscript to publishers, but I was pretty hands on researching publishing houses and suggesting publishers I wanted Katie to reach out to. My book is a sweet, closed-door romcom, and most of the feedback from publishers was that they wanted something darker and spicier. We shifted to pitch Christian publishers, but my manuscript wasn’t overtly Christian, so it didn’t fit well there either. Finally we found City Owl Press.
Rosie: You signed with a small press. Authors are sometimes hesitant about signing with small presses for various reasons, but I think they play an important part in the publishing industry. I’d love to hear about your experience working with City Owl Press.
Libby: From my first meeting with Tina Moss and Tee Tate at City Owl I was excited to work with them. As a debut author, I was unsure what to expect, but they’ve been really great. They don’t have the same marketing weight as a Big 5 publisher, but they are incredibly responsive and have reminded me on multiple occasions, (with the cover and pub dates and other things) that I’m the author and they want me to be happy. They’ve been as accommodating as they could be.
Rosie: Better Than Gelato came out on August 19, 2025. You’re a few months into being a published author. How long were you on Cloud 9 after your debut? Are you still on Cloud 9? What have been some of the most amazing moments since it came out? Anything unexpected? Anything you wish you’d done differently?
Libby: It’s been amazing. The lead up to release day can be intense. People talk about their books like they’re babies, but this felt more like leading up to a wedding. A lot of excitement, but a lot of stress too, because you want everything to go as well as possible. There have definitely been some surreal, “is this really my life?” experiences! The night of my launch party when a crowd of ladies asked me to sign their books, getting texts from old friends, and college roommates, with pictures of them holding my book, doing webinars and podcasts talking about my book. It all still feels magical.
Are there things I should have done differently? Probably. I really focused on enjoying this once in a lifetime experience of publishing my first novel. For my next books I’ll pay more attention to sales numbers and put more effort into marketing so that the book sells well. For the first book it was enough for me to just have it out in the world.
Rosie: I know you have an audiobook. What was that experience like? Was it magical hearing your words in audiobook form?
Libby: I have an audiobook and I am over the moon about the narrator! Devon Sorvari is brilliant! I never given any thought to how difficult it would be to narrate my story. You have to do male and female voices. You have to do adults and a child. You have to do different accents. And Devon does them all so well! I’m so impressed with her, I’m hoping I get to keep her for all the books in the series. And yes, it is magical to hear the words I wrote read aloud in audiobook form. It gives me goosebumps.
Rosie: You have a bit of a fun story about the second book in the Ciao Bella series and the title for it. Tell us about that!
Libby: Ooh, this was a really funny experience! Book one in the Ciao Bella series is called Better Than Gelato. Book two is about the next nanny who arrives at the Rossi home, an aspiring fashion designer. The whole time I wrote, the title I had in mind was Bigger Than Versace. My publisher was nervous about using the name of the famous designer and asked me to think of alternative titles. I brainstormed for weeks, harassing my friends and family with different ideas for the title. In the end, nothing really captured the story and went with the other books in the series as well as Bigger Than Versace.
My publisher reached out to Versace to ask their permission, and honestly I wasn’t even sure they’d respond. They did respond, and their response was unexpected- they wanted to read the book! It seemed like a fair request so my publisher sent them a copy and someone at Versace read my manuscript, apparently liked it and came back to us with their approval for the title. So Bigger Than Versace it is, and I’m so happy about it!
Rosie: That is too cool about Versace. I just love that story so much. Alright, let’s talk some about your book. I was lucky to receive an ARC! Thanks to you and City Owl Press for that. I absolutely adore the Italian setting. What inspired you to set the book there?
Libby: I love the country of Italy with my whole heart. The language, the landscape, the food, the people- there are so many things to love. I had the opportunity to do a foreign exchange to a small town in northern Italy when I was in high school. A few years later, after my freshman year of college I went back for a year as a nanny. I’ve been back many times since and the magic hasn’t dimmed for me. I think it’s one of the very most romantic countries. Last year I spent a few weeks touring Rome, Florence and Venice with my husband and four kiddos. It was so cool to take the people I love to some of my favorite places.
Rosie: You have mentioned that this book is based on some personal experiences. Has anything been weird writing a somewhat inspired-by your life book?
Libby: Yes! It’s been a very weird experience. I have to give a shout out to my husband for being so incredibly supportive while I wrote a romance novel about an ex-boyfriend! I’ve been asked if he felt jealous about this and honestly, the experience I portray in the novel- being afraid of commitment, terrified of saying ‘I love you’, being a terrible girlfriend- is so similar to his experience dating me I think it was a little bit comforting. He was like “Oh, the first six months of our relationship make so much more sense now.” Instead of jealous, I think he feels a real solidarity with the Jake character, like they should start a “we-survived-dating-Libby Tanner” support group.
It was also weird because I had to reach out to some of the people who are main characters in this book. I had to send a message to Isabella, who I nannied, and tell her I wrote a book about her and explain that I loved my time as her nanny, but in my book I portray her as a complete terror. I assured it was all exaggeration for the story’s sake and she was really cool about it.
I also had to reach out to the Jake character, a man I haven’t had contact with in twenty years, and tell him about the book. It’s probably the most embarrassing thing that’s happened to me in the last decade. My husband was cackling with glee that I had to send such a mortifying message. It went something like this- “Hi Jake, (not his real name), I hope you’re doing well. I really haven’t given you much thought over the years. And I definitely didn’t write a full length romance novel about our time together in Italy. And if I did, I certainly didn’t re-write the ending so that we ended up together. That would be crazy! Except… that’s actually exactly what I did and now it’s getting published. Wish you well, Libby.” My face was beet red just typing the words. He sent me back a very sweet message. In fact, it was very similar to some dialogue I’d written for him at the end of the book and I thought it was interesting- and validating- how closely matched their words were.
Rosie: I love hearing about your experience writing about people you knew, and love that they were generally so chill about it. The part about your husband and the "we survived dating Libby Tanner support group" cracked me up. I shouldn't be surprised, because Better Than Gelato is so funny. Was that on purpose, like did you set out to write a comedy? Or are you naturally a comedian and it just came through in your writing? I love that the Com was actually in the RomCom.
Libby: I’m so glad you thought Better Than Gelato was funny. I did set out to write a funny story. To me romance is funny. There are so many opportunities for overthinking, misunderstanding, and generally making a fool of yourself as you try to navigate a new relationship. Better Than Gelato takes place in Milan, and Juliet is definitely a fish out of water. I loved exploring all the funny things that happen when you’re learning a new language, gaining weight, trying to manage a small child, and navigating new friendships and relationships.
As a reader I love being surprised by funny things in books and I wanted to provide that experience for my readers.
Rosie: Is the main character, Juliet, a lot like you when you were that age or is she completely different?
Libby: When I started writing the story Juliet was very much based off me as a twenty-year old. But as the story progressed the character of Juliet changed quite a bit, really becoming her own person with her own goals and motivations. After a lot of revisions the Juliet in the final manuscript is very different than what I wrote in the first version.
Some things that Juliet and I have in common are we both love Italy and love Italian food. We love going out dancing with friends and we love traveling. Also, both of us had a major fear of commitment in our twenties.
Rosie: Both Juliet and Jake are college students and both had a lot going on personally that they were kind of running away from while spending the year in Italy. I love that Juliet had a sense of responsibility to her family and other “real world” issues going on that impacted her character development and growth. Which I think sets it apart a bit from other books I’ve read with this age of characters. She has to make tough decisions regarding her responsibilities versus her passions. Is it hard to find a balance for that “real world” conflict when writing younger characters where it’s not too heavy, because they are young and it is a romcom, but also is realistic?
Libby: It’s crazy to me how intense the new adult years are. From the age of 18-25 you are making huge, life-changing decisions regarding where you go to school, where you work, what city you live in, who you date. It is a special and magical time where all the major life choices are crammed together. In many cases you have to make some choices that will affect you forever. There are some tough realities to face.
And at the same time, you are experiencing more freedom than you’ve had before, getting to know who you are as an individual and spending time with friends. So there’s this crazy juxtaposition of fun and silliness with heavier responsibilities and choices. In Better Than Gelato I tried to capture both aspects of this unique time in people’s lives.
Rosie: I had so much fun reading Better Than Gelato and knowing that part of it was based on your experiences abroad. I remember messaging you to ask about the cake scene, and if it really happened. I was crying laughing at that. So, without being too spoilery, how many of the characters and events were inspired by people you met or experiences you had during your time in Italy?
Libby: Honestly, about 90% of this book is told as I experienced it when I was a nanny in Italy. My parents don’t own a dry cleaners, and Diego’s storyline is fiction, but the rest of it really happened. Looking back I definitely should have fictionalized more of it! There are sweet moments as well as fights that I recorded in my journal at the time, and then used them nearly word for word in the story, and honestly I probably should have kept those private.
The biggest difference from real life is the ending- I didn’t end up with the man I fell in love with in Italy. We had a wonderful year together, but then we came home and faced reality and it didn’t work out. We were meant for each other just for that special moment in time. But we weren’t right for each other for the long haul. I met my husband about a month after that breakup, and it took a while for my smashed heart to open up to love again, but we got there and we’ve been married 18 years next month.
All of the characters are real people, and some of them I even kept the same names (but I won’t tell you who).
I think writing the story so true to life helped it ring true and capture some of the special magic I experienced that year.
Rosie: What can you tell us about the next two Ciao Bella books? Who is going to get their romance next? Are they set in Italy, too?
Libby: I’m so excited about the next two books in the series! Better Than Gelato will also have my heart because it was my first and based on my experience in Italy. But I think I like Bigger Than Versace even better. A new nanny arrives at the Rossi house and she is very different than our sweet Juliet. She is wealthy and snobby and selfish and was SO fun to write. It was also so fun writing about her chasing her dream in a fashion studio. I could picture the outfits and models perfectly as I wrote about them. And I particularly love the ending of that story.
And the third book in the series, Brighter Than Times Square, is so fun because it’s Isabella’s story. We’ve seen her as a precocious child to two nannies, and in this book we’ve jumped forward, and we see her at 20 years old. She’s tricked her parents into letting her spend the summer in New York City under the guise of participating in the Model U.N. Peace Summit. Isa is a model for her dad, and all she wants is to shop and party in NYC. But she gets sucked into this conference with all these super intense, MUN nerds. It’s definitely got a Legally Blonde feel to it, and it was really fun to write.
Rosie: Oh, wow! As a former Government Club/MUN nerd, I definitely can't wait to read that! What else can we expect from you in the future? Are you sticking to RomComs or branching out to something else?
Libby: I love romcoms and I think I’ll always write them. I have an idea for a new series that I am itching to start. But I also have been branching out into other genres. I’m halfway through the first draft of a YA thriller, and I’ve got so say, vengeance might be even more fun that Happily Every After. I like the limitless possibilities with writing thrillers, and I think YA is an especially fun group to write for because it’s such a unique time.
I truly have no idea what I’m doing, and I'm sure my beta readers on this are going to be like “What in the world is she talking about?” but it’s really fun to explore this genre and try something new.
Whatever genre I’m writing in, there won’t be explicit sex or violence. That's just not my thing.
Rosie: Where can we buy your book? If a local bookstore doesn’t have it, will readers be able to order it there if they don’t want to purchase through a corporate retailer?
Libby: You can find my book nearly anywhere online. In most cases your independent bookstore will be able to order it from our distributor.
Rosie: Where can readers find you online? Do you have a newsletter sign-up?
Libby: You can find me on Instagram (@libbytannerauthor) and Facebook (Libby Tanner) and you can also check out my website libbytannerauthor.com where I share a lot about my books, my writing journey, and a dork picture of me in the third grade.
You can also sign up for newsletter, Letters From Libby.
Each week I share motivating stories and practical tips to help you identify and pursue your dream, whether that’s writing a novel, opening a restaurant or starting a Spice Girls tribute band (no judgement here). I also share links for free eBooks through BookFunnel.
Rosie: I enjoy your Letters from Libby so much! People should definitely sign up for it. Do you have any upcoming virtual events or in-person book signings you’d like to tell us about?
Libby: I do have some fun events coming up! If you’re in Florida, I highly recommend the Coastal Magic Convention, in Daytona Beach February 19-22. I’ll be there as a featured author, doing panels and signings and also a ridiculous inflatables race on the beach. This convention is honestly SO much fun.
I’m also doing some signings and events at some indie bookstores around Florida. I’ll post those things to my website and on social media.
Rosie: I won't be able to make it this year, but I'm so glad you put Coastal Magic Convention on my radar. I recognize quite a few authors on the line-up and definitely want to consider attending in the future.
For fun! What are you currently reading or if you could only recommend one book (romance or otherwise), what would it be and why?
Libby: I would never only recommend one book! I have a million books to recommend. But I will definitely recommend the book I finished last night, which is The Love Haters by Katherine Center. She is becoming a must-read author for me. The meet cute in this book is our main character wiping out on a wood deck and the paramedic love interest pulling splinters out of her bum. I have never seen an author write such a ruthless meet cute and I loved every second of it!
Rosie: I'm going to have to add that to my TBR. Any parting advice for writers trying to pursue traditional publishing?
Libby: Write! Traditional publishing is tough, and in most cases getting an agent and getting a publishing deal takes a long time. I wrote a full length novel in the time my agent submitted my manuscript to publishers until it found a home. And being sucked in and excited about that WIP, made it so much easier to bear the rejections that came. Honestly, write to hone your skills, write to keep yourself sane, never stop writing!
Rosie: And finally, what’s your favorite gelato flavor?
Libby: Good question! There are very few flavors I don’t like! I think my favorite is one called Fruits of the Forest. It’s strawberries and raspberries and blueberries, and it’s so yummy!
That wraps up our interview with Libby Tanner. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed hosting it. If you enjoyed Libby's vibes in this interview then definitely check out her books.
Let me know in the comments if you you might pick up Better Than Gelato or if you've read it and what you thought! But don't just tell me. Leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads. This helps authors immensely.
Be sure to follow Libby Tanner on social media to keep up-to-date with her upcoming books.
Link | Libby Tanner on Instagram
Link | Libby Tanner's Website
Link | Libby Tanner's Linktree
Link | Better Than Gelato on Goodreads
Link | Better Than Gelato on Amazon
Other book reviews with Author Interviews on my blog:
Link | The Masks We Wear by BD Carpenter with Author Q&A
Link | Mage Breaker by Sean R. Frazier with Author Q&A
Link | Silverweaver by Cee M. Taylor with Author Q&A + Excerpt
Link | The Ghosts of Reeser Morrigan with Guest Post by author Amara Lynn
I hope to do quite a few more review/interviews in the coming months. I love them so much. Until next time, friends.
Rose
Link | Linktree for Rose
