A sweet and quick read. I loved the relationship between the mother and daughter. The descriptions of Positano and the ge food had me craving pasta and a trip to Italy.

Loved In Five Years but this one was just a bit blah for me. I had a really hard time getting into as the characters seemed so basic. The dialogue seemed robotic but mostly I was just bored.

Did you know that a story about a 29-year-old could be considered “coming of age”? Because I certainly didn’t before I read One Italian Summer, but now I do.

I’ve been a big fan of Rebecca Serle’s truly phenomenal writing and ability to weave magical realism into a story in the most natural way ever since I read In Five Years. I loved her storytelling from the start and I sobbed my way through The Dinner List. The moment she announced this book, I added it to my TBR, and boy, I’m glad I did.

The book opens with a quote from Lorelai Gilmore. And, if you know me, you’ll know that my favorite show in the entire world is Gilmore Girls, so naturally, this was the sign of a great book. In fact, the audiobook is narrated by Lauren Graham – and I was only three chapters into reading my eARC when I pre-ordered that audiobook because I just knew I would want to listen to it again and again.

Let’s start with a few things to LOVE about One Italian Summer:
– it will make you HUNGRY (I’m talking moments where your stomach will growl aloud because of the phenomenal descriptions of divine Italian dishes).
– it will make you want to TRAVEL (I couldn’t stop myself from looking up flights to Positano as I was reading because I’m now totally desperate to take a trip there, and more importantly, stay at the Hotel Poseidon Positano).
– it will make you crave ROMANCE (there are some majorly romantic vibes throughout this book, and while they’re not the primary focus, they certainly made me appreciate my husband even more).
– it will make you CRY (this was a given, knowing the nature of the book and the way it deals with grief and finding yourself after hardship, but I still wasn’t expecting quite how hard I would sob at times).

Really, truly, honestly, the only thing I did not care for about this book was the focus on infidelity. What I can’t do is go too in-depth about this particular topic because it would lead to some major spoilers, but there were some things that definitely made me uncomfy. However, even if this is a triggering topic for you, I beg you to give it a chance because the ending is 100% worth it!

As usual, Rebecca is the queen of magical realism and an excellent twist. Some have debated that saying there’s a plot twist is a spoiler, but if you’re anything like me, you get excited when you hear that, so I’m keeping it in my review. My jaw practically landed on the floor and it felt so dang good. I love being shocked by a book.

I need to touch on what I wrote at the beginning. This is a coming-of-age book in so many ways. Yes, it’s possible to have that happen at nearly 30 years old. As someone who is just one year younger than the protagonist in this book, I can relate so much to the feelings that she experienced and even the way she decided to handle them. Nothing was perfect, not even close, and she learned so much from the way she dealt with the grief of her mother’s passing, her marital struggles, and wanting to find herself after years of just being who her mother expected her to be. It was wonderfully written and I really appreciated the heart behind it.

Please, do yourself a favor and read this book. It would make an excellent companion at the beach this summer or as an escape during the winter. You won’t regret picking it up!

Content Warnings: Major: Death of parent, Grief, and Infidelity, Moderate: Sexual content, Minor: Cursing and Abandonment

This book was a nice little beach read, but unfortunately it didn’t work for me. The relationship between the protagonist Katy and her mother was a little too codependent and the novel’s romantic plot put me off, and took away from the character development otherwise happening. However, descriptions of the beautiful setting and food were nice, and made me feel like I was vicariously visiting Italy.

I was provided a free advanced copy of this book by @netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
When her Mom dies right before their planned mother/daughter trip to Positano on the Italian Amalfi coast, Katy decides to take the trip alone. After all, it's where her mother spent some time finding herself when she was thirty, maybe Katy can figure some things out too. What she doesn't expect is to meet her thirty year old Mom, living her best life! Will Katy find the answers she's looking for and be able to move on without her Mom?
I struggled with this one more than I anticipated. For one, Katy and her mother's relationship was not healthy! Boundaries are SO important in all relationships, and they did not seem to have any. She called her Mother "the great love of my life", and went with whatever advice her mother gave over her and her husband's own wants/desires. Not healthy! So although I understand her grief at the lose, I was rooting for her to get over it and form her own opinions. It also bothered me maybe more than it should have trying to figure out how this reappearance of her mother thing was working. We did eventually get an answer to that, and I was satisfied with it, but the trying to figure it out took a lot of my attention.
Without giving anything away, I did enjoy the ending and growth that occurred between the different characters. It also is a fun setting and definitely makes me want to visit Positano myself, although it sounds like I may need to get into better shape to be able to walk around up and down the hills so much! 😂
It is set to be published 1 March, so keep an eye out for this vacation read!
#OneItalianSummer #NetGalley

I absolutely adored The Dinner List and was disappointed by In Five Years but decided to give One Italian Summer a shot. Unfortunately, One Italian Summer let me down even more than In Five Years did. The plot sounded so interesting but the execution just wasn't there for me.

The main character, Katy, is insufferable. The book takes place right after the death of her mother. While I understand that Katy is grieving, it seemed like she had deeper issues - namely a codependent relationship with her mother (she literally describes her mom as her soulmate... Weird). She also gave 0 shits about her husband and was truly the most immature 20-something year old character ever imagined.

One Italian Summer has beautiful descriptions of Italy and food, but a lot of it was so useless. It didn't add to the story at all. There are also several times were brands, shows, or specific places in LA were mentioned but, again, wasn't relevant to the plot. Did Serle get paid to name drop? Even as a marketer, I thought it was excessive and so unnecessary.

My biggest pet peeve was how the book was written. The sentence structure was literally elementary. I'm not sure if this was a stylistic decision, but the book just read weirdly. A lot of the story just happened without much resolution. Katy got a happy ending without actually solving anything or dealing with any of the problems she had/created. It was a bit too fantastical for me.

Overall, I won't be recommending this book to anyone, but I can already tell this book is going to hit all of the bestseller lists. One Italian Summer has many of the makings of a good book, but in my opinion, the execution just wasn't there. A lot of the story seemed underdeveloped, which is especially irritating given that the book either could have been longer or some of the superfluous name drops or fluffy descriptions could have been cut out to add more substance to the plot.

It may have not been my cup of tea, but I'm sure others will enjoy it.

I was pleasantly surprised by this one! It definitely made me want to book a trip to Italy ASAP. This is my first book from this author and I can understand the hype around her other book, In Five Years, if its as good as this one. Katy recently lost her mother and is unsure of her life without her. She had booked a trip to Positano for her mother's 60th birthday, and after losing her mother and herself, she takes the trip alone. Katy meets a few people on her trip that make it more than she thought it would be. I loved the concept of this book and read it in one sitting! I'd definitely recommend it if you were a fan of her other books as it seems to be similar writing and style.

Beautiful descriptions of the Amalfi coast and all the wonderful food. But the writing style just didn’t work for me. Too gushing, over the top and nonsensical at times. I enjoyed the time travel twists to the story, but really didn’t love any of the characters. Also found the cloyingly close relationship between Katy and her mother, Carol, a bit odd and unbelievable. All that said, it was a quick read and will appeal to readers who want a quick beachy romance read. Thanks to NetGalley, publisher and author for a review copy.

I loved the realistic fantasy of this book. Katy is devastated when her mother; her best friend; dies. Prior to her death, Katy and her mom planned the trip of a lifetime to Positano on Italy's Amalfi Coast. Katy reluctantly embarks on the adventure, only to find her mother's spirit surrounding her. Until she discovers it is not just her mother's spirit, but a flesh and bone lookalike of her mother. Enchanted, Katy throws herself into the vacation, trying to explore Positano as her mother did before her marriage to her mother.

I've never read a book quite like this, and I am so glad I had the opportunity to read this! Katy's sorrow is real, and so are her adventures in Italy. Magical fantasy meet real-life adventure in this sweet, fun story of self-discovery, along with the discovery that parents are people and lived lives we can never fully understand.

I knew within the first three or four pages of One Italian Summer that I wasn’t going to like the protagonist and when I don’t like the protagonist, I usually don’t like the book. The story is narrated by Katy Silver beginning on the last day of her mother Carol’s Shiva. Katy quickly and proudly proclaims that her mother is “the great love of her life.” While it is normal to love a parent it is very strange to be “in love” with one. Katy’s complete co-dependency on her mother has gotten to the point that Katy feels she has no identity other than being Carol’s daughter. She doesn’t know what clothes to buy, how to cook a meal or decorate her own house. She feels she must divorce her supportive and kind husband for no other reason than her mother died.

Before Carol’s death, the two women had planned a two-week vacation to Positano, where Carol had spent a magical summer thirty years ago. When Katy selfishly leaves her husband and takes the trip by herself, I liked her even less. After she quickly befriends a handsome, single man in Italy, I was done with trying to like her. I will probably be an outlier in my opinion. I imagine many readers will positively relate to the strong mother-daughter bond and be more understanding of her grief than I was.

I decided to stick with the story for three reasons. One, I liked Rebecca Serle’s novel, In Five Years, so I hoped this would get better. Second, the plot summary intrigued me since it says that Katy goes to Italy and meets her mother, who is 30-years-old. If done correctly, time travel can be a fun and magical plot. Third, North Texas was thawing out from a snow day and I wanted to transport myself to the warmth of the Amalfi Coast. Unfortunately, I was disappointed on counts one and two, but I did enjoy my Italian daydreaming. The author’s descriptions of the scenery and food were beautifully written and spot-on.

2.5-stars rounded up to 3-stars. Thank you to #NetGalley and Atria Books for my advanced reader copy. This book will be published on March 1, 2022.

Rebecca Serle never disappoints for smart, feel-good romances. What I particularly enjoyed about One Italian Summer was the focus on the mother/daughter relationship. I found that to be a fresh take on a romance novel. I also love how she always plays with time in her novels. It's clever and keeps you intrigued.

One Italian Summer is a perfect armchair travel book! You'll find yourself wishing you were soaking up the sunshine on the Italian coast while eating big bowls of pasta and drinking delicious wine. A great, heart warming read!

I really wanted to like this book.

It's set on the Italian coast! Italian food! Wine! Men! Scenery! It should have been an easy A.

But the main character, Katy, a woman grieving the recent loss of her mother and best friend, Carol, has got to be the most selfish, self-absorbed character I've come across in the last number of years. Before she embarks on this trip to Positano that she was supposed to take with her mom, she brutally informs her husband that she's not sure she wants to be married to him, and without giving him a chance to respond, flounces off to the other side of the world. Yes, I understand that she's reeling from her loss, but Katy's actions seem so cruel that it's hard to empathize with her. Now, I don't need characters to be likeable all the time, but they do need to be multifaceted, and Katy is pretty much flat. I didn't see a lot of growth in her during her time in Italy and I was disappointed by the way that the book wrapped up for that reason.

The only thing that saved this book from a two-star review is that the descriptions of Positano were stunning, and I was transported back to my own trip to the Italian coast. But there are plenty of other ways to "visit" Positano without having to go along with Katy.

Katy has just lost her mother and best (only) friend, Carol, to cancer. She is distraught, questioning everything especially her marriage to Eric, her steadfast and loving husband. She decides to go on a previously planned trip to a Italy, a place that held special meaning to Carol. Once there, things take a surreal twist.

From the start, I found Katy whiny, immature and her grieving to be a little over the top. Her mother was a HUGE (controlling) part of her life, to the point of obsession. I lost my mother and yes, I miss her everyday, but in my opinion, Katy took it to a whole different level. I usually love books with kind of twist, but found I had questions that never were resolved. I was left scratching my head. I never connected with Katy or even the story.

I’ve never been to Italy, and this book definitely transported me to Positano, on the Amalfi Coast. Beautifully descriptive. I loved In Five Years, so I couldn’t wait to delve into this one. Unfortunately, this one did not live up to the hype for me. I do look forward to reading this author again.

Thanks to Ms. Serle, Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.

Katy has lost her mother who is also her best friend and confidant. Italy was a magical place for Katy's mother, Carol. The two of them had a trip planned to Positano, a place that Carol said changed her life. Carol died two weeks before their planned trip. To say that Katy was lost after her mother's death is an understatement. And her marriage that she is not sure is viable is looming large.
Katy takes the trip to Positano alone. She befriends a woman named Carol who looks and acts like her mother. Who is this woman? Will Katy find herself again? Will her marriage survive?
If you love the Amalfi coast and love reading about mother-daughter relationships, don't miss this book. It is truly heart-warming.

* I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an hones review. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

✨ BOOK REVIEW ✨ One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle

~ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫 ~

This book stole my heart and ran with it to Italy 🇮🇹 I’m not sure I have the words yet for how much I adored this book from the beautiful vibrant colors of Positano to the love and grief in the relationships and stories, this book felt like a nostalgic escape. Back in university, I studied abroad in Florence, IT and it captured my heart in so many of the ways it did Katy’s and Carol’s. Still to this day, it was and is the most alive & free I think I’ve ever felt.

Serle did an incredible job in capturing the Amalfi Coast and an even better job at narrating a beautiful story of love - and not your classic romance kind of love, but the intense love between a mother and daughter. Though there was some “romance” in the book, that was not at all the focus and it was honestly a breath of fresh air to read something so grounded in raw emotion yet magical in its stories. This one will make you yearn to learn more about your parents’ past and understand who independent of you… I don’t want to give too much away so I’m keeping this review brief, but please go out an preorder this one - it’s memorizing, intoxicating & breathtaking 🌞

🗓 Put this date on your calendars because One Italian Summer is published on March 1, 2022

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Genre: women's fiction
Pub date: Mar 1, 2022

In one sentence: After her mother's death, Katy finds herself alone on their planned trip to Positano...but then a 30-year-old version of her mom mysteriously shows up and befriends her.

I loved Rebecca Serle's earlier books The Dinner List and In Five Years, so I was so excited to read this one! Serle does a wonderful job transporting the reader to Positano - I felt like I was exploring the town alongside Katy. In her author's note, Serle explains that this isn't a traditional romance (although it has some romantic elements) - it's really more about the mother-daughter relationship and the power of family. Just as in her previous books, Serle takes the romance genre and turns it on its head.

Katy's story had me really invested - she's always relied on her mother and got married at a young age, so she's not familiar with being alone. Seeing her confront her grief and find her path forward was very heartwarming. The story ended with a lovely conclusion that filled me with warm fuzzies. I recommend this one to readers who love The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany and other emotional reads. 4.5 stars rounded to 5.

Posted to Goodreads 11/5/21; posted to Instagram 2/4/22.

When Katy loses her mother, Carol, her world falls out from under her and she finds herself adrift. To help center herself, she heads to the Amalfi coast on a trip she was supposed to have taken with Carol. While there, miraculously, she meets Carol again, but thirty years younger. These two women develop a friendship and explore the Amalfi coast together while also finding themselves.

This novel is a love story between a mother and daughter and as such, very much resonated with me. I lost my mother when I was three and I now have my own daughter who is four. The relationship shared by Katy and Carol is beautiful and I found myself at times crying, laughing and increasingly frustrated.

Serle again works her magic and I found myself hoping my daughter and I could have the type of relationship Katy had with Carol. However, as time went on, I did find myself not loving the characters as much as I wanted to and struggled with many facets of the mother-daughter relationship. Beautifully written with an attention to detail (I was transported to my trip to the Amalfi Coast so vividly I felt as if I was there!) that I have come to realize is inherent in Serle’s writing.

Thanks to the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The opening epigraph for One Italian Summer was a quote from Gilmore Girls, so it's safe to say I was hooked from the beginning. The way that Serle weaves magical realism elements into her stories is fantastic and really adds to the emotional component of the story as well. And boy, does Serle know how to pack an emotional punch in a relatively short book - again and again. It's safe to say I was a puddle of tears at the end.

One Italian Summer had me longing for a trip to the sea and basically all of the food described in the book. It was a beautiful story about a mother-daughter relationship, grief, and marriage. I think it's safe to say this will likely be one of my favorite books this year.

I couldn’t put this one down. I absolutely love Rebecca Serle’s writing style and I have adored every book I’ve read of hers. I was so excited when I got accepted to review this book. This one had be hooked from the start with the tight mother-daughter relationship. I knew before even picking up this book that it would break my heart but I didn’t realize how much it would affect me. I loved Katy’s journey in Positano. I’ve always dreamed of going to Italy.
This book was very easy to read. I knew that at the beginning, there wasn’t much happening as far as story line, but the character of Katy kept me going. I was so connected to the story and felt like I was there on vacation with her.
Rebecca Serle has a talent in her writing style that keeps you wanting more. You immediately feel connected to the characters/story. Although it wasn’t heartbreaking like I anticipated, it still brought on the emotions. It was lovely, sad, heartwarming.
Rated: 5.0 stars

With each book this author burrows into a different type of love story, this one about the love between a mother and a daughter. And what happens when one is lost to the other.

Katy is left reeling and unmoored after the death of her beloved mother. She makes the life changing decision to go on their planned trip of a lifetime to Positano, a stunning and magical town where her mother spent the summer right before she met Katy’s father.

While Katy’s certainly expected to feel connected to her mother on this trip, she never in her wildest imagination thought she would happen across the thirty-year-old version of her, sun dappled and vibrantly alive.

A truly wonderful twist of a tale that allows a daughter grappling with unspeakable grief to see her mother as her own person, bright and carefree and more than merely an unselfish and devoted caregiver. While not necessarily a painless exploration, all daughters should be so blessed.

If that’s not reason enough to pick up this book, it’s also an enchanting way to feed your wanderlust with the author’s skill in painting a picture of Italy fit for the page!