I never know what to expect with Rebecca Serle's books. I always like them, but they're always just slightly different than what I think they're going to be about based on the description. <i>One Italian Summer</i> is no exception to that rule. Katy travels to Italian on a trip that was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime adventure with her mother to visit the place where her mother spent time in her youth. However, Katy's mom dies even before the book begins, so Katy must go on the trip alone to deal with her grief and to figure out who she is and who her mother was. This book is wildly sad (the first few pages are especially tough) because the main character's grief feels so real. Serle does a great job of setting up the mother-daughter relationship throughout the book, and the magical realism doesn't feel too heavy-handed. This might be my favorite of Serle's books.

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

This was an enjoyable story. I felt like I was in Italy, surrounded by very real characters - and the descriptions of the food made me want to jump on a plane (and train, and car) to the Amalfi Coast.

The only reason it wasn't a five-star read for me was that a major revelation late in the book felt to me like it would have been obvious to the main character because of the clothing, language, technology use, and cultural references of the characters around her.

However, it was still a great book that I will recommend to others, and I am already looking forward to Rebecca Serle's next offering.

Absolutely adored Rebecca Serle's One Italian Summer! This book had me checking airfare to Italy and dreaming of a soul-searching Positano vacation. Fans of Serle's Dinner List and In Five Years will love her latest!

Rebecca Serle has always been a favorite of mine, and this book was no exception! When Katy’s mother dies, she thinks her world has fallen apart. To try and piece things together, she decides to go to Italy on a trip she and her mother planned. Little did she know, she would meet her mother 30 years earlier. The book twists and turns as they become friends, and as Katy realizes her mother has a secret.

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle is such an interesting concept. Katy's mom was her best friend. After she passes away, Katy is adrift, lost without her. She decides to take a break from her marriage and follow her heart to Italy, Taking the trip she had planned to with her mother. Once there, she runs into...none other than her mother Carol at 30 years old. Katy relishes the opportunity to get to know this younger, freer version of Carol and this experience helps her gain closure on the hardest goodbye of her life. Serle's descriptions of the Amalfi coast and the food are breathtaking. I want to hop on a plane and experience it for myself. However, I was a little disappointed by the story as I had high expectations after reading her previous work, In Five Years. This one lacked the same magic, although both are quick reads.

Publisher sent me an ARC, I read In Five Years (good read)
so was very interested in reading another book by her! ...(I am looking for The Dinner List, now)

Travel to Italy, where Positano is God's Country on the Amalfi Coast.

See the mother-daughter love/bond
(love how the book begins with Lorelai Gilmore quote- true mother daughter bond on tv)
when you have a close bond with your mother the question arises -
How do you live in a world without her?

This was a good book, I felt like I was in Italy, I was cheering on the way.

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle explores the relationship between Katy and her mother Carol. Katy travels to position, Italy, after the death of her mother. She is adrift and doesn’t see how she can navigate the world without her mother in it. Anyone who has lost a parent can relate to her feelings of somehow being disconnected from everything they thought they knew. Through a series of events that don’t make sense to Katy but are as real as real can be, Katy learns what is truly important for her to move forward. It’s :3 am and I just had to finish the book.

This was a quick and enjoyable read about a young woman finding herself in the aftermath of a loss. Set largely on the Amalfi coast, it's practically a travelogue, and a good one at that. Some of the plot points are contrived, even with a suspension of disbelief required for a fantasy novel. There is no way that Katy didn't notice the differences between the 2020s and the 1990s...ummm....cell phones? Even if hers was locked in the hotel safe, no one else had one? No one? Really?
Fun fact: If you time travel, stock tips are handy. :)
Thanks for the ARC.