Thank you Netgalley, Atria Books and Rebecca Serle for free e-ARC of One Italian Summer in return of my honest review.

Rebecca Serle is in her usual genre - time jumping and time crossing. Katy, the main protagonist, finds herself on the way to Italy after her mother’s death. They planned this trip together, however Carol, the mother, is gone before the trip happened. For Katy this trip is a chance to reconcile with her mother’s passing and see why Italy was such a big staple in her mother’s life. She drops through years and somehow she wakes up in Italy when her mother was there, they met and they’ve become friends, and Katy learns some truth not only about her mother but about herself.

Plot-wise I didn’t find the story fascinating. At times it was boring and tedious. I didn’t enjoy characters much as well. However, Italy, Positano in particular, has become its own character and Serle did an amazing chooce in describing the places, smells, food and the style of Italian life. I spent as much time on Google browsing pictures and reviews of the places mentioned in the story as much as reading it. After travel ban due pandemic, it was such a fresh breath of air - even if it was traveling through book pages.

Just for beautiful Italy - one mist read this book.

I ended up listening to this on audiobook once I realized Lauren Graham was the narrator. I have been a long time lover of all things Gilmore girls and the very first Lorelei quite had me hooked. I slid found it ironic that Al it if the story was based on the main character Katy and the bond she has with her mother. I routinely watched Gilmore girls during my late sleepless nights while I was pregnant or nursing my babies. I enjoyed the idea of Katy trying to find herself and figure out what she really wanted from her life. But above everything I was immersed in the setting and feeling transported to Italy. The sounds, sights, smells, and tastes of the city made me feel like I was there. The perfect book to read in spring and dream of trips abroad.

This was an enjoyable novel by Rebecca Serle. The vivid descriptions of Italy helped set the scene as the protagonist, Katy, tries to make peace with two relationships (her Mom, and her husband). Can traveling abroad heal old wounds? If you had a chance to change the future, would you take it? A delightful story that is perfect for anyone looking to get away. Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC. This is my honest review.

Things I liked about this book: the descriptions of the scenery and food were fantastic and I liked the interactions with the characters of Positano. Things I didn't like about this book: the main character, like at all, ever.

The premise of this book made me want to read it - Katy loses her mother to cancer and decides to take the mother-daughter trip that they'd booked before her death to work through her grief, leaving her husband behind with an "I don't think I want to be married to you anymore" as a farewell. While in Italy, she meets the local villagers and two Americans that influence her life in different ways. These interactions were interesting and there are a couple little twists, but the biggest problem I had was that Katy was an insufferable brat and I just couldn't really root for her along the way. Still worth reading, but not a favorite for me.

I love Searle's work, and this is another in the WIN category! The way she writes about the food, ands the town, and the air, and the atmosphere made me want to teleport myself to Positano immediately. I actually went there on my first honeymoon with my ex-husband, and now I want to go by myself and reclaim it. It's so refreshing to read something that isn't a love story primarily about a romantic partner, but one that is about finding yourself after the loss of the person who is dearest in the world to you. Highly recommend!

3.5/5 stars from me


I loved the plot, storyline, and the picturesque setting---but I was not able to connect with any of the characters so this one did not do it for me.

I will say that the author does an AMAZING job at transporting the reader to the Amalfi Coast just by her superb detailed and descriptive writing!

Overall, a decent read, but not great.

I could not get into this book. I felt the relationship the heroine had with the mom was overbearing and unhealthy. I didn’t like that she left her husband to go on a trip when he was grieving as well. Then, she is off with another man when she has someone who so clearly wants a deeper connection with her back home. I lovedddd her other book but this one was just not for me. The writing was absolutely beautiful though and it felt like I was in Italy.

a book that transports you to Positano both geographicly and emotionally. I loved the descriptions of Italy (take me back!!) but wanted more from the storyline and the characters.

Utterly adorable. Rebecca, thank you for transporting me and for the wonderful storytelling. I will always purchase your books, and share them with the women in my life <3

After losing her mother, Katy is questioning all of her own life choices. To clear her head she decides to embark on the trip to Italy that they had planned together. Imagine her surprise when, upon arrival, she meets a younger version of her mother when she is in the prime of her life. Katy is thankful for the opportunity to see Carol once again and is excited to get to know this version of her mother. Will she ever want to leave this place and time?

I liked the magical realism element in the story and the idea of getting to see a whole new version of one's parents. Serle's writing completely transported me to Hotel Poseidon on the Amalfi Coast doing the whole eat, pray, love thing with Katy. I will say that I was a little thrown by the way she treated her husband right after Carol's passing and by the fact that she thought that she and her mother were each others soulmates. Ultimately, One Italian Summer is a contemporary women's fiction story about grief, self-discovery, and the special love that mothers and daughters share.
Rating: 3.5 stars

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is the first book I have read from author Rebecca Serle, and I thoroughly enjoyed every page. She hooks you in and doesn't let you go. I felt like I spent a summer in Italy with Katy and Carol. This book was a tearjerker and shows the true meaning that loved ones never "leave" us.

I read In Five Years in an evening and stayed up incredibly late just to finish it. I had the same hopes for this one, but it just didn’t do it for me. The story line abs characters weren’t enough to draw me in and I wasn’t able to finish it

Despite not loving time travel books, this one worked for me. I loved the setting, and immediately added that portion of Italy to my "must see" list of travels. Plus the idea of seeing my mom as a young person was really intriguing and appealing.

I recently joined my good friend @debeliahreads for a buddy read of One Italian Summer and I have to say… I loved it! What an incredible and emotional roller coaster in the best way.

I’ve loved both of @rebecca_serle previous books, and I had very high hopes for this one. All of the author’s books are highly emotional books that make you think about your own life and family. This one was especially hard as it dealt with the death of a parent. I understand first hand what it’s like in those few months after it happens that you don’t know who you are or what you are doing and maybe making some not do great decisions. People will say that Katy dealt with her grief in a strange way, and I think those are people who haven’t really grieved such a major loss. I really felt for Katy about their special trip and I’m very glad she still went on it. She lost herself in taking care of her mom when she was sick and needed the time to figure out what her life was going to be without Carol.

I love the incredible descriptions of Italy, the food and even the clothing Katy wore during her trip. Rebecca did an absolutely incredible job of really making the reader feel like they were in Positano with Katy. I love her romantic part with Adam, although I understand she may have taken it too far as she was still married. I also didn’t mind the magical realism at all. That’s not a literary technique I usually enjoy, but I really felt it helped here.

Thank you to @atriabooks and the author for my gifted ebook. I knew it was going to love this so I bought a copy with @bookofthemonth as well. One Italian Summer is on sale now!

5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What I loved about this book: Descriptions of the scenery and food in Italy! I wanted to go on vacation there :). The use of fantasy/supernatural to explain and resolve the character's inner conflicts.
What I didn't like: The premise of the book that Katy's great love of her life is her mother. Although I appreciated her love and the description of coping with loss, the nature of the love they shared seemed over-stated and a bit strange. How could mother-daughter love be greater than that of either of their marriages?
Overall appreciated the creative and unique nature of this novel but was put off by some details. The marital issues were handled in a very simplistic way. Katy appears self-absorbed and is sometimes hard to like. The novel did not affect me emotionally as much as it would have if I had identified more with Katy.

I absolutely loved this book and I’m recommending it to everybody. The vivid imagery of the Italian coast line between the food and the people made this a five star review for me

I really loved the Amalfi Coast setting, I think it was so well developed, as if it was a character. I overall enjoyed the book but I dont think there was much of a plot. I finished and just wanted more.

A few years ago, I spent four unforgettable days in Sardinia, Italy with one of my oldest friends. She and I spent our days exploring the beaches, food, plazas, and views. Even though I grew up on a different island across the ocean that is also packed with breathtaking beaches and sights, there’s something about the Mediterranean coast that makes me feel like I’ve stepped inside a painting or a different time. It’s exotic and magical.

When I read One Italian Summer, Rebecca Serle’s latest novel, set in Positano on Italy’s Amalfi Coast, I felt all that again. And, it’s not just because this book takes place in an Italian beach town; through Serle’s words, I felt the same amazement I’ve experienced when visiting the Mediterranean. During these times of limited foreign travel, this was a beautiful gift. But, this story gifted me so much more than wanderlust.

“Colorful hotels and houses sit chiseled into the rocks as if they were painted there. The entire town is built around the cove of the sea. It looks like an amphitheater, enjoying the performance of the ocean.”

One Italian Summer opens as Katy, our main character, is reeling from the loss of her mother. And her pain is so intense that she’s questioning some of her most important life choices, including her marriage. To reconnect with her mother and hoping to find some direction, she decides to proceed with the trip they were meant to take together to Positano, the town where Katy’s mom, Carol, had spent a transformative summer. While there, she finds and befriends her dead mother. Or, actually, the 30-year-old version of her mom.

“I want to see what she saw, what she loved before she loved me. I want to see where it was she always wanted to return, this magical place that showed up so strongly in her memories.”
When I read Serle’s previous book, In Five Years, I thought I was picking up a cute rom-com, and I ended up reading a deep and meaningful story. This story felt familiar, but it was also completely different. In One Italian Summer, Serle committed to the magical realism that inspired her previous book. Through it, she delivered an inspiring and spiritual portrait of loss, grief, and healing.

“My mother, you see, is the great love of my life. She is the great love of my life, and I have lost her.”
One Italian Summer is another uplifting and memorable celebration of love, but, once more, not the romantic kind. Rebecca Serle, this time, is tackling the oldest and most meaningful connection a woman has in her lifetime. Katy and Carol’s story spotlights the unconditional yet complicated love that fuels a tight mother-daughter bond.


I love how Rebecca Serle’s stories make me feel. Her memorable prose and imaginative storylines stay with me. One Italian Summer is a vivid, picturesque, and unforgettable story of life after loss. Katy and Carol’s journey will pull your heartstrings and simultaneously fill your heart with joy.

I’ve spent ten days in Italy back in the summer of 1997. I threw coins in the Trevi Fountain, so hopefully its legend is true, and I’ll go back someday. In the meantime, I must settle for books that take place in the country of my ancestors.

Author Serle sets her novel along the Amalfi Coast in the town of Positano. Her descriptions of the colorful houses and shops, the beauty of the clear ocean, the steep stairs that rival San Francisco’s hills, the bright sun and the cool breezes lacing through your hair made this reader feel as if she were there.

In the novel, Katy and her mother, Carol, had planned a trip to Positano for Carol’s sixtieth birthday. Unfortunately, Carol dies. Katy is devasted by the loss of the mother and best friend. After much persuading from her family and friends, Katy decides to go...alone. Upon her arrival, Katy is sure she has done the right thing; she can feel her mother’s spirit tagging along.

The hotel is gorgeous, the views are heavenly (no pun intended) and the service is remarkable. Katy has a plan; to do all the things she and Carol had planned to do: visit Capri, shop, eat, drink, sunbath. It was to be the perfect getaway.

In the hotel’s lobby, Katy meets a woman who looks exactly like her mother. No, it can’t be. She dresses, sounds and acts like Carol. Through some quirk of time travel, the woman is indeed her mother. Only she is thirty years old.

Over the course of the novel, the two women bond. Katy learns to let go of her grief and realize that her mother’s spirit will always be with her. Learning to let go involves a romance... or two...as well as getting to know Carol in various other ways.

“One Italian Summer” was a delightful read and a perfect getaway for those of us who won’t be traveling again this year. This book receives 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

I'm just not sure about this one. We have seen it everywhere, good job publicity, but I'm not certain it's for me.

Much like "In Five Years," there is a fantastical element added that is just so off for me.

I really enjoyed the mother/daughter bond.

The love story felt awkward.

It was just meh....

These are my own opinions. I recieved a review copy of this book from the publishers for this opinion. Don't tear me a new one! 😉