Member Reviews

Wow! It's been a while since I've read a book that made me think, feel and explore the world like this one did! The writing was beautifully descriptive, and it gave me the travel bug like none other. I loved following the three different perspectives and gaining insights into the family in different ways was super powerful. It was a immersive read, and I really enjoyed this. If you are a fan of multiple point of views, books with a historical and mystery subplot - I say take a chance on this one! I will definitely be reading more of this author in the future.

Was this review helpful?

ARC for honest review with no compensation Received from Valentine PR, NetGalley, Berkeley Publishing Group 4.5 stars

The Secret Love Letters of Olivia Moretti by Jennifer Probst is a standalone story of 3 sisters who are settling their mother, Olivia’s estate when they find a box with letters, ownership papers for a home in Italy and letters from a mysterious man. They decide to travel to Italy and uncover the secrets from the letters, discover who their mother was before they came along and discover the sisterly love they have been missing, along with some romance, healing, family and more…

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for a copy of this book.

I enjoyed the book. Three daughters who are very different from each other meet up to clear out the house they grew up in, only to find a stack of love letters addressed to their deceased mother but it's not from their father. Then they're off to Italy, to uncover the secrets their mother hid.

A little bit of historical fiction and a little bit of romance and little bit of women's fiction all wrapped up nicely in one little package. Jennifer Probst did a wonderful job of keeping the reader's attention.

I will be looking up more titles from this author.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you Berkley Publishing for the free ARC.

I ended up DNFing this book half way in so I will not be posting a review.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you for the opportunity to read this novel. This wasn't the right book for me at this time and I was not able to finish and won't be leaving a full review.

Was this review helpful?

I had so many emotions reading this book that it was hard to put down. The book is told from Olivia's point of view when she was a teenager and vacationing in Italy with her aunt. She meets Rafe and they are soulmates. Rafe and Olivia write letters back and forth for many years and she keeps all of them but hidden in a chest that her three daughters find after her unexpected death. Priscilla, Devon, and Bailey have grown apart through the years. When they discover that their mother also had inherited a home in Italy that was now theirs, they decide to see it and probably sell it. They are also intrigued that their mother had written to "R" as Rafe was referred to in the letters. They want to try to find him and figure out more about their mother. The sisters not only find out more about their mother but themselves, too. They each have their own problems but learn to share again with each other. This was such a wonderful book with the descriptions of the country and the food. I'm still thinking about it days after I finished. Jennifer Probst really knows how to write these types of stories that aren't just romance. I received an advance copy to read early and I'm leaving my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Honestly, this entire book felt like a love letter. A bittersweet love letter about family and what could’ve been and finding yourself.

Three mostly estranged sisters discover that their mother has a house in Italy after she unexpectedly passes away. While going through her things, they discover a box full of love letters. In an attempt to connect with their mother one last time, and get to know the woman she was they travel to Italy.

Each sister agrees to go to Italy for different reasons, but they’re each attempting to heal a part of them. As the sisters begin to trace their mother’s life in Italy, they begin to reconnect with each other. As they open up and forgive each other and themselves, they embrace the changes in their life. I don’t think I’m making the book justice with my words.

Was this review helpful?

From the first paragraph, I knew this book would be a good one. I immersed myself into the book from the first chapter and I cannot say enough good things about this book! Honestly amazing! The writing is incredible and the plot is just one to die for. I am absolutely obsessed with this book. My favorite part would have to be the character development throughout the book. Character development is something I look forward to and this book did not disappoint.

Was this review helpful?

I'm an avid fan of Jennifer Probst and was pleasantly surprised with the change of pace for this novel.

Olivia, Priscilla, Devon, and Bailey are all fleshed out, and wonderful characters who bring a balance to the story. All of them have challenges they need to overcome, and are unaware of how much they need answers. This is a true story of how sisters can become lost, but find themselves again when they come together, especially at a romantic mystery of their mother,

The constant perspective shift was jarring, initially but it was nice to get more introspection into each character, and how they perceived themselves and how others saw them.

Was this review helpful?

Happy to include this uplifting and escapist read in February's "Novel Encounters," my monthly fiction column for Zoomer magazine's Books section.

Was this review helpful?

The Secret Love Letters of Olivia Moretti is so much more than just love letters. It's 3 sisters learning who they while trying to uncover a love affair of their mothers. Priscilla, Devon & Bailey have lost the closeness they once shared as sisters over the years when their lives are all taken in different direction. After the death of their mother Olivia, they discover a whole different life their mother had at one time through her love letters as well as finding out about a house they own in Italy. There is so much more to Italy than just the house and an old love story. Jennifer Probst takes us on a journey of self-discovery for these sisters while also tracking a past that their mother never discussed. This is such a well written book and really makes you think about how everything we do in life and experience is a steppingstone in our paths of life.

Was this review helpful?

I loved this title, which I grabbed off Net Galley, about three sisters who reunite after their mother’s death to investigate why they’ve been left a house in Italy. Their mother’s early life, told in alternating chapters, provides a depth to her life before them, as they work to iron out the divisions among their own relationships. I love Italy and family stories and stories about sisters, so this was a great read for me! Thank you for my galley!

Was this review helpful?

This is a great journey that is all about family, friendships that grow from family and the ties that bind and can sometimes frighten us. Really enjoyed this heartwarming, action packed and emotionally thrilling adventure from beginning to end.

Was this review helpful?

What a beautiful yet somewhat heartbreaking story about family, life, and love. Jennifer Probst set such a beautiful scene in Italy that I almost felt like I was there with the sisters. I loved getting everyone’s point of view and how we saw the relationships grow. Such a lovely book that I will recommend to everyone.

Was this review helpful?

This is a book I read in a bubble bath with Enya and wine. I read curled up in my favorite chair, Earl Grey in hand. If it wasn't winter still, I would be outside in my lounge chair with my Bartles & Haynes in a frosted glass. The point is, it's a book for "Me Time". Don't read it while you're distracted by life.

The book is filled with wonderful descriptions of Italy, its food, its landscape. Having gone to Italy at the same age Olivia did, it brought back so.many memories. Sadly, no summer romance.

I liked how everything was resolved. It was obvious from the beginning that it was more than just a trip to sell their mom's house. Each sister had an issue, with each other, with their relationships and I thought the reductions of each was not cliche, and I was happy with the ending.

I will happily look for more books from this author.

Thank you, NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book. All the opinions expressed are mine and voluntarily given.

Was this review helpful?

Ms. Probst delivers another winner full of human emotion that just touches your heart, difficult relationships and a beautiful setting.  The story hits true to home as the three sisters now grown up have grown apart, their mother's sudden death and secret love letters hidden in a trunk in their mother's closet makes them question what had been a sure thing before.
The journey of discovery will do a lot more than help them find the truths their mother had long kept secret. The book deftly ties the past and future together as the author explores Olivia's first foray to the Amalfi Coast with her aunt and the beauty of first love. Even as things are falling apart at home, Olivia is exploring the love of her life with the beautiful Italian man during her summers in Europe. When the reality of leaving the USA and settling in Positano as well as her attraction of the man she's met in New York all collide, Olivia decides on marrying her American and settling in the USA and leaving her Italian lover as a beautiful memory. 
As a mother of three beautiful girls, a cheating husband, Olivia questions her decisions a couple of times in her life but before she can do anything about changing the status quo she dies suddenly. Now her daughters who have a dysfunctional relationship amongst them and are at crossroads in their own lives head off to Positano to find the truth and potentially to dispose the beautiful property that they never knew belonged to their mother.
I loved how the sisters came to terms with their own relationships as they found ways to bridge the challenges, they each were having in their own personal lives even as they looked for their mother's Italian lover whom they only knew by his first initial. Being one of three sisters and loving the Amalfi Coast really brought this one home for me personally. I really liked how the story worked out and happiness was achieved by all in their own ways.

Was this review helpful?

What another amazing story from Jennifer Probst. A story of love, forgiveness, growth, connection. It truly took me on an emotional journey and I definitely did ugly cry reading it. This is 100% must read!!

Was this review helpful?

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Was this review helpful?

Sisters Priscilla, Devon and Bailey aren’t close, but they’re forced to come together when their mother, Olivia, dies. As they are cleaning out her house, they find a deed to a house on the Amalfi Coast with their mother’s name on it and love letters from someone named “R.” The sisters decide to go to Italy to see the property and find the mysterious man. Along the way they discover a part of their mother’s life they didn’t know existed.

If you need a book to escape with this, is it! Filled with family drama, sister bonding and self-discovery with the backdrop of the Amalfi Coast. It’s a beautiful story of dual timelines of the present and Olivia’s past, spending the summers in Positano. You will fall in love with the three sisters and Olivia’s story will pull at your heart strings. I highly recommend.

A huge thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

I just finished The Secret Love Letters of Olivia Moretti by Jennifer Probst, and wow, what a journey this book takes you on! Three sisters, Priscilla, Devon & Bailey, who aren't the closest, are forced to come together to go through their mothers things, when they stumble upon a love letter & the deed to a cottage in Positano, Italy! Together they try to put together the pieces of their mothers secret past. In order to do this, they agree to go to Italy, and try to track down their mothers secret lover. But all they know is his name starts with the letter R. This book had me invested. I read it in 3 sittings. This book really brought out so many emotions. I laughed, I cried, and when a book can do that to me, it is magical. I loved the alternating chapters between the sisters, the mom & the love letters. This book deserves all the stars!

Was this review helpful?