As Long as It Takes

By Jill Francis

Book Overview

Set in a seaside town in Italy, As Long as It Takes is a charming summer romance about finding your roots and letting love blossom.

Love isn't exactly a priority for Lora Brooks. After all, her last break-up made it perfectly clear that she can't rely on anyone but herself. That's why Lora's number one focus is her research, where she's hard at work debunking Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. But when she's offered a prestigious post-doctoral position in Zurich--one whose funding hinges on her having European citizenship--everything changes.

Hoping to claim citizenship through her birth father, Lora and her best friend travel to the quaint Italian town where he was born. She knows little about her father (and intends to keep it that way) but nothing, not even the ghosts of her past, will stand between Lora and this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Except, perhaps, Italian bureaucracy. And an outdated filing system. And Andrea, the handsome--and slightly anxious--mayor.

Andrea's plate may be more than full, but in between trying to increase tourism, wrangling quirky business-owners, and debating whether to run for a second term, he somehow finds the time to show Lora what it really means to live, and perhaps love, like a local. Lora is destined for a future hundreds of miles away and Andrea's parents are pushing him to return to his fast-paced life in New York, but will they discover that their most basic need is actually just...each other?

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1250322316
• ISBN13: 9781250322319
• Release Date: July 2026
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.3" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

An Enjoyable Read

Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a psychological theory that lays out a pyramid of human needs. Loretta "Lora" Brooks believes the theory needs to be updated in the light of the way technology has affected human interactions. She has a chance to get a grant to that will let her to research her ideas, only she needs to be a European citizen to get it. Lucky for her, she can claim Italian citizenship through the father she never knew. Andrea Garibaldi left a high powered job in New York to return to his home town in Italy to serve as mayor, baffling friends and family. When Lora shows up in search of her father's birth certificate, Andrea is willing to offer his assistance. As Andrea gets to know Lora, he finds he likes what he sees. While her feelings mirror his, she's stubborn, trying to keep her eye on the ultimate prize. Until she starts to wonder if maybe her hypothesis has some flaws. I found this to be a tender story of two people swimming up stream, butting up against societal expectations to do what makes them happy. I was touched by the relationship between Lora and Andrea. Andrea was tired of fighting friends and family to do what made him happy. He felt more fulfilled in his small town, helping people, seeing his actions really make a difference than he had making money for spoiled people who already had more than they needed. He was caring, steadfast and determined. And when it came to Lora, he was unwilling to give her up. Lora was single minded, until Andrea found that crack in her armor, and she was no longer able to ignore her feelings for him. I felt a very subtle thread winding though the story, a commentary on the nature of relationships in a tech consumed world. Still, I really enjoyed this book. It made me laugh, at times it had me tearing up. As each chapter was prefaced by Lora's research notes, it kept me thinking and considering.