I absolutely loved this book. I laughed, I cried, I was furious at times. Serle is becoming one of my very favorite authors and the characters she writes come to life more so than almost any other author I can think of. The premise was incredible, Katy and Carol’s interwoven stories were inspired and heartfelt. The magical realism could have been overdone, but it was perfect.

Heart breaking her hopeful. So magical. Anyone who has lost their mother should read this book. Loved Katy and wasn’t ready to let her go!!

Beautiful atmospheric story of a mother daughter relationship, I enjoyed this book very much.

Katy is struggling after her mom, Carol passes away. Katy viewed Carol as her best friend, someone who basically told her how to best live her life. After Carol passed away, Katy doesn’t know how to keep living. Prior to Carol’s death, they had planned a mother daughter trip to Italy, a trip that Katy is now going to take alone. Once Katy is there, she finds a renewed purpose.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

I absolutely loved this book, and I have to say it is definitely one of my favorites of 2021! Why? Well, the setting for this story is on the Amalfi Coast, one of my favorite places in the world. I have to give the author credit for the accurate details on the location. I almost felt like I was actually in Positano, sipping on an Aperol Spritz with a view of the Tyrrhenian Sea.
The main character, Katy, has a very close relationship with her mother, who unfortunately dies. They had planned a trip together to Italy, and Katy goes ahead with their plans, going by herself. She is looking for some direction in her life and finds some guidance when she bumps into a familiar person while away.
It wasn't until about halfway through that I realized I had read one of the author's earlier books, "In Five Years." I enjoyed that book and felt that there were some similarities in the writing style. So, if you liked any of Rebecca Searle's previous books, I would recommend this one. Also, if you need a vacation, but can't afford one, reading this book might do the trick for you!

One of my most-anticipated March 2022 book releases is a novel about grieving and understanding a parent. When her mother dies just before their planned mother-daughter trip to Italy, Katy decides to still spend the summer exploring the Amalfi coast as she grieves. Magically, Katy meets a younger version of her mother, giving Katy a whole new perspective on her mother as a person.

I really wanted to like One Italian Summer because I adored the complex themes of Serle's last novel, In Five Years. Yet, I really disliked the protagonist - who was overly reliant on her mother and was way too ambivalent to her husband. The mechanics of the time travel situation were not well thought out, which was also annoying. One positive thing: I loved the descriptions of Positano so much that I started learning Italian on Duolingo with intentions of visiting the Amalfi Coast as soon as possible.

If you loved In Five Years, and enjoy getting your heart ripped into a million pieces in your spare time, then One Italian Summer is the next book for you! The crisp Italian atmosphere, mixed in with the bitterness of main character Katy suddenly losing her mother and coping with her new, empty world, bring a heartful lesson on grief and how to go on. Beautiful storytelling, vibrant characters, and a touch of magic will leave you craving pasta and sunshine but also holding back tears. A really cleansing read, highly recommended.

First and foremost, I love the premise of One Italian Summer. It’s a love story, but instead of a romantic couple, it’s about the bond between a mother and daughter. This is the first relationship we have when we’re born, and it remains one of the most important ones in our lives. I was excited to see a novel which focuses on that relationship, but moreover, gives a daughter the chance to see her mother as more than just a parent. Here, Katy gets an unexpected opportunity to get to know her mom, Carol, as she was at age 30, before she became an all-knowing mother and wife.

One Italian Summer is quite heavy, opening with the immediate aftermath of Carol’s death. Katy is grieving her mother, but she’s also going through an emotional breakdown and is ready to tear down other aspects of her life, too. Her whole life has revolved around her mother. More than her husband, she saw her mom as her soul mate, her rock, her reason for being. She doesn’t know who she even is now that her mom is gone. How will she carry on without her guidance? How will she make her own decisions, live her own life? In the midst of this identity crisis, Katy is ready to leave her husband. She’s questioning what they have and whether they were ever meant to be together.

Unable to process everything at home in Los Angeles, Katy decides to go on the trip she and her mother had planned. They’d arranged to go to Positano, on the Amalfi coast, the same place where Carol had spent a transformative summer before marrying and having Katy. If Carol had once found herself there, then perhaps Katy can find herself, too. At the very least, she can get some distance – literally and figuratively – from all the turmoil of the past several months. The warm weather and picture-perfect vacation hotspot don’t hurt.

Things take a strange and exhilarating turn when Katy finds that her mom is also in Positano… but she’s 30 years old, the age she was on that life-changing trip three decades ago. It’s unclear whether Carol jumped forward in time, Katy fell back in time, or if it’s something else altogether, but Katy is determined to spend as much time with her mom as possible. Never mind that Carol doesn’t realize she is Katy’s mom; Katy will get to know this woman as she was before motherhood. As a friend rather than a parent.

On the one hand, One Italian Summer rings true for me in some ways. I would not have been able to read it in the months or even first few years after my dad died. Like Katy in the novel, I found myself in a sunny European paradise after his death. However, in my case, I was already in Valencia, Spain when I heard the unexpected and devastating news. My dad had never been to Europe, and there was no time warp situation going on – no meeting a younger version of my dad in Spain! – but the chance to process things without my family, in a beautiful Mediterranean environment, is comparable to the novel.

However, despite the things I like about One Italian Summer – indeed, the things that drew me to it and that I could even relate to on some level – and although it was generally a pleasant read, there were several things that frustrated me.

Throughout my reading, I wavered between feeling compassionate towards Katy and annoyed by her. Losing a parent, or any loved one, is crushing. Going through an emotional breakdown or an identity crisis is normal, especially after such loss. But what bothered me was Katy’s apparent inability to think for herself. She couldn’t make any decisions, big or small, without her mom’s input. She lived her life too narrowly, too within her comfort zone, and seemed content to never go beyond the leash to which she was attached. Katy seemed to be co-dependent on her mom, and from my perspective, their relationship went beyond a close, loving bond and moved into potentially unhealthy territory. And the fact that Katy is already 30 herself made it even more aggravating. How does a grown woman not know how to function as an adult? She can’t cook, pick out her own clothes, or figure out if she wants kids yet. Her mother does everything for her and Katy allows Carol to think for her.

I also had a hard time understanding Katy’s urge to destroy everything left in her life, starting with her marriage. Why not lean on your spouse during such difficult times? Instead, she suggests divorce and flees the country before having a proper conversation with her husband.

Then, instead of focusing on herself, she starts up a possible summer fling with a man at her hotel. Is that really the best time for romance? A week after losing her mom, days after contemplating how much her relationship of eight years matters? Katy’s vacation romance was not only unnecessary in this book, it also detracted from the main story. He was a good character, and I think he offered important perspectives for Katy. But I didn’t really want to read a romance with some stranger while Katy’s husband is back home and her mom just died.

Instead, I would have liked to see more focus on Katy getting to know 30-year-old Carol. I would have liked to see more of a clear contrast between the mother she knew and the woman Carol had been. I wish this book had focused more on that mother-daughter relationship and the strange friendship Katy developed with 30-year-old Carol. Alas, something about it felt incomplete and not entirely compelling. This is partially because of how much time is allotted to the ill-timed romance.

On the other hand, I did enjoy the opportunity to get to know Positano like I was a tourist there myself. I love the descriptions of the one-way street on the hill and the shimmering water, the cozy restaurants and picturesque views. It transported me back to Italy (though I haven’t been to the Amalfi coast yet), letting the setting serve as a sort of character in its own right.

Katy’s interactions with the Italians running the hotel seemed rather unrealistic. Of course, her seeing a far younger version of her mom does make One Italian Summer a fantasy in some respects, so I’ll let that slide. The time warp – time travel? – isn’t ever explained, and it’s not until the end that you’re really sure what the exact situation is. What year is it? Who’s been transported in time? Has time simply collapsed on itself, letting two different years play out simultaneously? I did find it odd how unobservant Katy was during that whole week and how she never noticed what exactly has happening. It seems that she should have connected the dots far sooner.

Despite the meandering plot, I do like how One Italian Summer wraps up. It’s evident that Katy has grown as a person and is ready to tackle life – and her relationships – like an adult. She has gained perspective and seems to be ready to make the right choices, and I appreciate where it ends.

One Italian Summer reads like a sort of dream, but while it offers a wonderful concept and some memorable lines, the whole of the novel didn’t fully capture me or feel convincing. It’s a fine book, and a quick read, but ultimately perhaps not for me. Nonetheless, I still intend to read Rebecca Serle’s previous two adult novels and am optimistic I’ll enjoy them more.

ONE ITALIAN SUMMER follows a young woman named Katy who recently lost her mother, Carol. Carol was wise, loving, resourceful—the type of mother who had all the answers. After her mother’s death, Katy feels disconnected from her husband and is having a difficult time processing her grief. Before Carol met Katy’s father, she spent a summer in Positano and fell in love with the Italian cliffside village. The two planned a return mother-daughter trip before Carol’s illness prevailed. Katy takes the trip alone hoping to figure her life out. Just as the beauty of Positano begins to heal her wounds, Katy sees her. Her mother is in Positano and she is thirty-years-old.

This magical story whisked me away to Positano which felt like a character in its own right—the vivid architecture, bustling markets, decadent food, and picturesque views where the ocean meets the sky. This setting comforted Katy as she processed the loss of her mother, reflected on her marriage, and discovered and pursued her true, inherent character. Seeing her mother in a new light, Katy realizes she was a flawed, complicated woman doing her best. With a dash of romance and a time-travel twist, this enchanting tale about grief and self-discovery sparkles like the Mediterranean Sea.

The beauty, the people, the history, the food, the wine... The Amalfi Coast is pretty incredible! If you ever get a chance to go, I can't recommend it enough. And if you can't go, read this book.

Quick Summary: For Katy Silver, it was the trip of a lifetime meant for her mother and herself. Before they go, her mom passes away, leaving the daughter devastated and also questioning everything, including her marriage. She ends up going alone to Positano and finds a carefree 30 year version of her mother.

Thoughts: First off, Rebecca Serle nailed Positano! I've walked on the Path of Gods; those stairs are no joke, but the view makes it worth it! Even Capri with the Faraglioni Arch and the good luck superstition was included. Only complaint was that limoncello was not mentioned, which is mainly produced in that area. Yet, I can't imagine a more relaxing place to grieve.

I did wonder if Katy had a normal, healthy relationship with her mom, especially after reading that her mom was the greatest love of her life and vice versa. That's intense. And maybe that is another reason why I liked this book. We are all different and regardless on how their relationship compares to our own, it is relatable. At some point in our lives, we have all felt lost and struggled to find our way back. And that would be extremely hard to do when it is your mother who you have always turned to first.

Don't get me wrong, I ❤️ my mom and losing her would be devastating. I'd rather not think about it.

Thank you to @AtriaBooks for this trip back to Italy and for an early copy of this book. It is available on March 1, 2022!

One Italian Summer
Rebecca Serle
Thank you NetGalley and Simon&Schuster (Atria Books) for this free copy in exchange for my honest review.

This novel about the Amalfi coast is a can’t miss story about the beautiful quaint little town of Positano. With a hook of having read Serle’s In Five Years and the pull of Positano it was on my list of books to read.

The sorrow of the death of Katy’s mother starts the story out. Her mother had always wanted to take Katy to Italy but cancer got in the way. Katy decides to go after her mother’s death and try to get that one more memory they planned together and should have shared.

Katy learns a lot about her mother as she traverses the streets and towns of Amalfi. But she does it with her mother from a younger age. Katy knows this is her mother in the character of Carol and she learns so much about her but doesn’t want to let Carol know that she thinks she’s her mother because she’s afraid that Carol will think she’s crazy. As the reader travels along this visit with Katy and Carol the constant thought is ‘tell her’. More than half way through the reader is still wondering how Katy is going to break the news, wondering if this is a time warp story, or a dream.

The author holds the reader in suspense until about 80% of the way through the book and then bam! The mysterious truth comes rolling out

The setting of this book is the star and takes center stage. I have never been to Positano but I feel as though I travelled there in my mind while reading One Italian Summer. The theme of grief is explored beautifully as well as the themes of individuality and personal growth. The ''twist' or supernatural elements of this novel didn't translate as well for me as in In Five Years, but I did find it overall enjoyable.

A good quick read that is written beautifully and transports the reader to a lovely setting.

Grief takes many forms. Katy sees her dead mother as she was thirty some years ago, a young woman finding her way much like Katy is now. Read it for the insights and for the dreams we all have.

After having read The Dinner List and In Five Years, I was excited to read a new novel by Rebecca Serle and this did not disappoint. This book probes a close bond between a mother and a daughter. We meet our main character when her mom has died and her world is completely upended because of the closeness with her mom. It was a sad story in some ways but it was a breath of fresh air to read a novel focusing on a positive parent relationship.

To offset the sadness, we do get a trip to Italy which is very fun because of someone she meets while there. To say more would be a spoiler but this summer trip to Italy is definitely worth taking.

I have extremely mixed feelings about this book. I had it so hyped in my head because of my love for In Five Years but it didn't quite hit the mark. The writing, especially the first chapter, was beautiful in it's simplicity. After about half way, I felt it to be quite dull but it was probably the character's that felt dull. I didn't feel any personality from anyone. I understood Katy's grief about losing her mom but other than that, she gave nothing. When I type this, I also think that maybe the reasoning for that is because Katy feels like she is nothing without her mom. See? Mixed feelings. Or I could be thinking way too much of it hahaha. Either way, I appreciated her growth and watching her process her grief. Not everyone handles death the same and some make poor decisions but it gets them back to where they need to be. This book really wanted me to go visit Italy though.

Rebecca Serle does it again! I’ve adored every one of her previous novels, and One Italian Summer was no different. Serle is so good at weaving elements of magical realism into beautiful, emotionally charged setting. I loved this story.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. Katy just lost her best friend- her mom. She embarked on the trip that they were going to go on together. A story of finding yourself and learning about those who are closest to you.
A quick beach read!

Atmosphere? Check! Heartfelt story? Check! Tears? Check! A beautiful story of Katy, grieving the loss of her mother, and rediscovering her again in Positano Italy. Touching and beautifully written, it shows we will never fully know our own parents but learning about them is a gift.

This book made me want to go to Italy and see if I could find the places Katy went. I thought it was going to be strange when I got to the part where Katy meets her mom, Carol, in the flesh, but it wasn’t, it flowed nicely in the story. It’s an interesting concept to see your mother at a time before you were born and see the person she was at that time. Katy had to make some decisions about how she was going to live after her mother died, and being able to see her mother when she was Katy’s age helped her make them. This was a great story about the closeness between a mother and daughter, and how loved ones stay with us even after they’re gone.

For every daughter who has lost her mother and yearns for the return of that relationship in some manner, this is the book for you. Katy's mother has died, leaving a vast hole in her life. She decides to go on that fateful trip to the Amalfi Coast alone that the two of them had joyously planned.
The story is chock full of nostalgia when Kate encounters her mother's spirit when she was 30 years old. It's heartwarming, special and eye-opening. The glint of magic realism is so satisfying. Above all, the thought that love transcends permeates the book. How does someone move on after the loss of a loved one? Can one survive? This book's theme adds to that notion that you can and will survive because, ultimately, that person remains with you always.
The author tackles loss in such a sensitive manner and through skilled and emotional writing fills that hole of loss successfully. Happy and uplifting and sad and poignant--a great read!

Love, love, love this title.
I absolutely adored In Five Years, so I was super excited to get my hands on this one. And it was fantastic. Sure, there were a few things that were a little "off" but it was still a great read!!

What I loved: The premise - I just love how Rebecca Serle plays with time.
What I didn't love: A few things wrapped up a bit too easily, but not enough to turn you off from reading it.
Why you should read it: Our main character is dealing with the loss of her beloved mom. Nothing in her life is correct without her True North to guide Katy. Katy embarks on our trip to Italy she had planned to take with her mother - the same trip her mother had taken some 30 years before. Everything starts correctly, but then it changes...ever so slightly. And Katy starts to realize something is off about this journey...but more importantly something is off about the stories her mother told her and the timeline of events. This great book pulls you from the beginning.