One Italian Summer is a heart-felt story of one daughters grief of losing her best friend, her mother. Its an emotional journey to the Amalfi Coast in Italy where the daughter reunites with a younger version of her mother in a time travel loop. In deep pain, Katy slowly questions the meaning of her life, her marriage and her mothers wisdom that shaped her adulthood.

Every chapter is a glimpse into Italy's transformative powers to reveal secrets from her mother's past through its beautiful landscape. The Italian coast is impeccably described and the flavors of the region will leave your mouth watering tempting the reader to book a trip now. The impact of the scenery shifts Katy's perspective to gain invaluable insight into why her dependency on her mothers approval was so necessary throughout her life.

One Italian Summer is an honest portrayal of mother-daughter relationships, love and family. Thank you Atria Book for the advance reader copy.

I usually like to do an “overview” of a book before my review to paint a general picture of what happens in the book- and I want to be as kind as I possibly can with this review. I honestly felt so confused the entire book. This was the first book Netgalley approved me for, and I was so excited. But honestly, I felt very disappointed by this book. I gave it 2 stars for making me want to go to Italy based off the descriptions- especially the food. It literally made me go out and buy some tomatoes to eat from all the references of tomatoes. I don’t want to spoil the book for anyone but I will say that this book is about time travel. I did not know that reading it, which is why I did not enjoy it at all. If I had known, then maybe I would have felt different about it. I think the concept was like.. okay..? I understand that people grieve in their own ways and sometimes need to find themselves again when someone passes away- that’s relatable. But idk- the weird “Cheating” moment? Did not like that at all. Its so confusing because like.. did that happen? Does that count? I don’t know.. this book was just not it for me. This doesn’t make me want to stray away from Rebecca Serle’s other works because I have heard wonders.. but this just was not enjoyable for me.

I had such high hopes coming into this after reading and loving Serle's other books, but this was just not it for me. The mother / daughter relationship felt super weird to me? Calling your mother the great love of your life? Just weird to me. And that vibe permeated throughout the book. I had a hard time figuring out what this book was trying to be. I feel like if it went for time travel straight from the first time Katy saw a younger version of her dead mother in Positano it would have been a more interesting read instead of her figuring it out at the very end? I dunno. The last ~5% of the book made it a little bit better but this was not as good as I was hoping it would be.

I loved this story! The relationship between a girl and her mother is complex and complicated. Often times, the bond between mother and daughter is unlike any other, and a mother's advice is frequently heeded before others. This is no different with Katy and Carol.
When Katy's mom dies, she is broken and lost. A surprise trip to Italy was on the horizon and Katy decides to take it alone. Upon arriving in Positano, Katy is enthralled with the beauty and the charm of Italy. She feels her mother's spirit and happens upon her mother, in the flesh, in her 30's. Struggling to juggle her feelings about the loss of her mother and what that means for her future, Katy spends her time in Italy experiencing things that she never felt possible.
This was my first book from Rebecca Serle and it was wonderful!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for an advance e-arc for an honest review.

Read in a few hours. Katy was difficult but the story was interesting, the setting amazing, and the background characters rounded it out well. It tugged at the heart strings

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

I wished I had enjoyed this book. Other readers did enjoy this book very much; therefore, I am going to chalk this one up to just not my tastes. While I explain my reasoning for my rating, keep an open mind because the things that bothered me may not be a big deal to you.
Katy’s mother, Carol, has just died and she is left without her rock, her best friend and supporter. To say Katy has lost everything thing is an understatement. She depended on her mother for everything despite being a grown, married woman herself.
Carol’s death happened just two weeks before their planned trip to Positano, Italy to celebrate Carol’s 60th birthday. At a loss on how to live without her mother, Katy decides to take the trip alone. Once there she discovers a much younger version of her mother. She sets out to discover more about this version of her mother she never knew existed.
Before I delve into the parts I didn’t like, I would like to talk about the things I did like. First, I loved the descriptions of the Italian coast, the food and life. It made me want to drop everything, pack a bag and go see for myself all the delights of this lovely seaside town.
I enjoyed the plot (for the most part) and thought the pacing was good. However, I was not a fan of how the time travel was handled. It read as an afterthought or that it just thrown in to make the plot work. If you time traveled, wouldn’t you notice things like old cars everywhere that looked new, no cell phones, that people dressed funny. I guess there was a time bubble just around Katy?? Yeah, I know it is fiction, but it has to be at least plausible in some parallel universe.
Then we had the relationship between Katy and Carol. Katy was so clingy it was to the point of being unhealthily. It felt like Katy, couldn't wipe her own behind without asking her mother for permission. The relationship described was well beyond clingy going into the scary and creepy territory. I'm still shuddering to think about it.
In short, I was disappointed in what could have been a great story. Though I feel uncomfortable recommending this book, I know a lot of people will enjoy it. Therefore, I suggest you decide for yourself.
I received a free copy, via Net Galley, in exchange for my honest review.

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle will have you vicariously traveling to Italy and dreaming about the delicious Italian food. This is the perfect read while we are all still maneuvering through this pandemic. Katy and her mom were set to travel to Italy but then Katy's mom passed away. Katy decides to still take the trip. While in Italy she has some life-altering encounters that have her questioning all that she thought she knew about her life. Read and enjoy!

This is a great read. Katy's best friend and closest confidant is her mom, Carol. So when Carol dies, Katy is consumed by grief, no longer interested in eating, working, or much that life has to offer. She is also questioning her marriage to her husband, her college sweetheart. Katy and Carol had been planning to take a trip to Italy to visit the town where Carol had briefly lived before she met Katy's father and had always held a special place in her heart. Katy decides to take the trip on her own. Once on the Amalfi Coast, she understands why her mom found the place so compelling. And then, out of nowhere, Katy runs into Carol, healthy, alive, and only in her 30s. Katy cannot understand what is happening, but she is not going to miss the chance for more time with her mom. So she spends the summer with her mom, as her friend, learning things she never knew about Carol … and herself.

This is a touching book about the relationships between mothers and daughters, how well we know even those we are closest to, and the nature of grief. This is a story you will not soon forget.

Highly recommended!

One Italian Summer is a lovely story about love between a mother and a daughter. Nevertheless, it is not just that, it is also about life, grief and relationships.
The story is beautifully written and it captivates you from the very first pages. It is fast-paced and you end up reading chapter after chapter, engrossed in everything happening to Katy and in Positano, wishing you were there.
The mother-daughter relationship was beautiful and the grieving part was heartbreaking, all of that made the story felt more real, more human and unique.
It was my first time reading Rebecca Serle and I can easily say and a fan of her writing and her characters. I like the way everything was developed and I truly enjoyed the story.
If you have the chance, do not miss this amazing book that will certainly captivate you.

I absolutely LOVED Serle's book. In Five Years, so I was pretty excited for this one. I liked many parts of it. The descriptions of the Almalfi Coast were absolutely fantastic. I used to live in Naples and I have been there many times. I am a little sad the main character did not go to Ravello since that is the best part and I had to laugh at the idea that June is not super busy with tourists. Umm, sure. Maybe thirty years ago, but now it starts getting crowded in May. But I digress.

I empathized with Katy and the loss of her mother, but I felt like that part of the storyline was never fully fleshed out. She did realize that she depended on her mother for EVERYTHING and so I completely understand why she felt so lost after she died. However, I wanted to see a little character development and some realization that she needed to be her own person. I never really got that. Honestly, I felt like the author focused so much on the setting of Positano (she obviously did her homework) that the character development and plot felt a little lacking. Still a great author though, in my opinion.

I received an ARC of this book and I wish I could say it was my pleasure to read it early. Too much musing and repetitive pondering over the lost mother. Also, way too repetitive in its descriptions of the scenery and food - the author was constantly listing things. Kibda neat premise and likeable enough main character but the rest if the characters were flat.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC of One Italian Summer in exchange for my honest opinion.
I knew I was going to be in trouble when I was already starting to cry in the first few chapters of this book. The emotion conveyed in the words was wonderfully done, and it cut right to my heartstrings! Because I was reading it in public at an airport, I decided I should set it aside for a better time.
Cue me picking it back up on the beach yesterday and almost finishing it in one afternoon. And while I can't knock reading this on the beach in Hawaii, I could not help but wish I were instead in Positano! The scenery, the people, the wine, the FOOD... I must go immediately!
The story and the setting were ideal, and I can only say you should read and experience both yourself (ideally with both icy cold Sancerre and tissues on hand). One Italian Summer comes out March 1st and is (so far) my favorite read of 2022!

"One Italian Summer" felt like an incredible trip to the Italian coast, wrapped up in a beautiful mother-daughter relationship.

The novel is told from the perspective of Katy Silver; her mother and best friend Carol has passed away just before her 60th birthday and left her reeling. In doubt of her current marriage to her husband Eric and her life situation, she decides to take the trip she and her mother had originally planned to Positano, Italy. On her trip, however, she encounters a woman who appears to be her mother, but 30 years younger - and she of course befriends her and tries to understand how and why this woman is so different from the mother she remembers.

This novel is such a delight for the reader to see, smell, and taste this incredible city - the descriptions are alluring and vibrant, and especially in a time when travel is difficult, I loved being able to escape through this novel. This, however, seemed to be at the forefront more than the underlying themes and questions the novel raises about family, identity, grief, and love - which I wish was highlighted a bit more.

One Italian Summer

This book started with a Gilmore Girls quote and I was immediately sold. And then not even 5 minutes into the book I was crying, like only Rebecca Serle can make me do. I will say this book lost me a bit in the middle. A lot was going on that I would have liked to be fleshed out a bit more. For example, Katy meeting 30 year old Carol - how exactly did that happen? It happened so fast and I wanted to know a bit more about how we jumped to that time.

But let’s talk about what I did love. First of all, this book made me want to visit Italy ASAP. Also the food!!! Rebecca Serle’s descriptions of both the scenery and the food were so detailed and phenomenal I wanted to be on this trip with Katy. I also loved the beginning and the end - both left me feeling so emotional but were so sweet and heartfelt. I also loved how in both Carol and Katy’s lives, this trip to Italy was transformative and a journey of self-discovery and how reflective this book was in that way. Overall, there were so many things I loved that made up for wanting a bit more from the middle.

Thank you to Atria Books for the advanced copy!

Can’t afford a vacation to Italy? No problem. One Italian Summer will do the trick. I’ve never technically been to Naples or Capri, but I’m pretty sure I could fool anyone after reading this book. The descriptions of the hotels, beaches, and food are as clear as the beautiful country’s sparkling seas and I think I’m going to be homesick for Bel Paese after I retire this book to the shelves.

While the novel had me head over heels for a region I’ve never once inhabited, the plot left a little something to be desired, sort of like the tomato bruschetta I tried to make after being inspired by the character’s mouthwatering meal. (Did someone say delivery?) The beginning and end of the book had some shock value and a unique storyline, but the middle dragged on like the minutes I spent waiting for my UberEats driver to arrive with a bruschetta that had more than the two flavors found in my spice cabinet. So until the Amalfi Coast can become my next vacation destination, find me in Manhattan’s Little Italy adding extra Parmesan to my Tortellini Alfredo- and keep the Chianti coming. Buon Pasto!

⚠️ May cause readers to wonder what it would be like to hang out with their parents when they were their age.

This book was just ok for me. Katy loses her mother who she described as her “the great love of her life.” This was a weird way to describe a parent. Katy goes to Italy on a trip they had planned together. Every chapter we read about what she wears, what she eats, and what she sees.

I really wanted to love this book but it was a bit repetitive. Katy’s relationship with her mom and how much she depended on her (to do everything) got tiresome.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

I went into this book with SKY HIGH expectations and unfortunately they fell flat. I loved In Five Years and this one just left me confused and disappointed. I was pretty confused about the plot the whole time, which is shocking given it's only 256 pages. I wasn't sure what the plot WAS, what the point of the book was supposed to be. Adam was an INCREDIBLY creepy character and he felt unnecessary to the plot. I absolutely loved the relationship between the MC and her mom-- it really reminded me of my relationship with my mom. And the SETTINNGGGG....brb booking a girls trip to Positano ASAP.

“Everyday the world is born again. Everyday the sun rises. It’s a miracle, I think. A simple, everyday miracle, LIFE.”

This book is possibly one of my favorites of the year. I read Rebecca Serle’s In Five Years last year, and it didn’t wow me like it did for everyone else. But when I read the synopsis of this one, I wanted it !!! First of all, the setting of this book (Italy duh!) is literally breathtaking. The way the author describes everything— the water, the breeze, the sunshine, the view, the food, the wine, the people— it made me feel like I was in Italy with Katy the whole time. The relationship Katy had, and has with her mother Carol is so amazing. Katy was already close to her mom before she died, but she got to experience a whole new version of her mom she’d only heard about, in the place her mother flourished. It was really beautiful to read and even made me cry and some points. Even the new relationships she made with the people in Italy, her husband and herself were such ab great addition to the story.

I am so glad I got approved for this ARC !! Thank you NetGalley, Atria Books and of course Rebecca Serle for such a beautiful story! Highly recommend !!

Katy’s mother passes away and she is devastated! Carol was more than just a mom to Katy, she was her best friend and they had a very strong bond that is now broken forever. Katy and Carol had a wonderful trip planned to Italy. Katy makes the difficult decision to continue on with the trip by herself. Shortly after she arrives, she runs into her mother??!! Carol is now 30 years old and healthy as can be. How is this even possible? Katy doesn’t understand but goes with it as an opportunity she thought was already lost. Carol and Katy spend the summer together and find out there is a lot to learn about each other.

ONE ITALIAN SUMMER was a quick and easy read which I really enjoyed. The concept was totally unique but the storyline was very uplifting and heartwarming. If you are looking for an easy vacation read, this one is perfect!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

One of my favorite parts was how I felt like I was really in Italy. The author transported me here. This book was about grief and self discovery.

I felt like there was definitely some mystery and then you figure out that there is some weird time / alternate reality thing going on so I didn't really know what to expect. It sorta keeps you on your toes but has a beautiful bitter sweet ending

I'm not sure what Adam played a part in the story... we could've done without him honestly. But, it was beautiful and a bit predictable but very enjoyable and definitely transports you there. I just wanna go to Italy now...