This is the second book I’ve read by Rebecca Serle because I was first introduced to her with In Five Years, which I really enjoyed. Her books, or at least the two I’ve read, have a bit of magical realism and it’s done in the perfect way for me that I find easy to suspend reality and escape into. One Italian Summer is set in Italy so it had me with that already since I love Italy. It is about Katy who is grieving the death of her mother. They had planned a vacation together. Katy’s mother always talked about the summer she spent in Positano before she met Katy’s father. Katy’s mother planned on showing Katy this place that was so special to her. Katy decides to go on the trip alone and immediately sees what her mother saw in this beautiful place and then the unthinkable happens. Katy sees her mother. It’s her mother, but she’s a younger version of herself. It’s as though Katy has stepped back into the summer that her mother has always talked about. Katy befriends her and begins to know her mother in a new way. I thought this was well done. It was a perfect escape for me and I read it while I was driving to Ontario for my own mother’s funeral so maybe that helped too. If you enjoy magical realism like this, I say it’s worth checking out.

As much as I absolutely LOVE Serle's previous book, this one just didn't do it for me. Unfortunately it was a struggle to pick up and I felt like the relationship between the main character and her mom was a bit co-dependant.

I'm sure this will work for many other readers, but not me!

A great read by this author. I definitely recommend checking this one out!
Thank you NetGalley for providing a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I loved this book. I truly felt like I was on vacation in Italy with the great descriptions and beauty depicted. There are heavy topics addressed, so don't go into thinking it is a fluffy vacation read. Well written and enjoyable.

I really loved the twist in IN FIVE YEARS by Rebecca Serle, and thus was excited for this next read from her. However, it's a hard pass from me when I know from the end of Chapter 3 that I actually didn't like the main character. And the writing was fine, but what I found most compelling about this book was the Italy setting and very little else.

Another wonderful summer read by Rebecca Serle, with a bit of a mystery which will keep you on your toes throughout the book. The descriptions and imagery will have you thinking you are on a glamorous Italian vacation. A perfect escape read or to pick up for your next vacation.

Summer trip to Italy anyone? ☀️

📖 One Italian Summer 🎧
By: @rebecca_serle
Narrated by: Lauren Graham
Publisher: @simonschusterca 📖
@simon.audio 🎧
Download: @netgalley 📖
@libby.app @markhamlibrary 🎧

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for this ARC.

My Review
⭐️⭐️⭐️

I finished this one way back in March. This is a well written book but a bit of a downer for me. Katy really misses her deceased mom Carol and decides to go on their original mother-daughter trip solo. I started to get more interested in the storyline once Katy bumps into her 30-year-old mother Carol in Positano, Italy. I do like this idea of having Carol’s young spirit with Katy on this trip, which was meant for the both of them.

This is a love story about mother and daughter. It had the 13 Going on 30 vibes, only reversed when Katy discovers she went back in time to when her mother was out travelling and living her best life in Italy.

Katy’s journey allows her to discover an appreciation for her life and loved ones.
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#maeroxwanders #readingwithmaerox #summerreads #Positano #Italy #OneItalianSummer #RebeccaSerle #LaurenGraham #SimonAndSchusterCanada #SimonAndSchusterAudio #MarkhamPublicLibrary #MPL #LibbyApp #bookstagram #audiobookstagram #RichmondHill #ON #Canada 🇨🇦

Katy's mother has nrecntly passed away and Katy makes the decision to go ahead with their planned trip to Italy. Staying on the Amalfi coast that her mother loved, Katy encounters her mother from 30 years ago. Katy is able to come to terms with her loss and move on with her life. A different type of book for Rebecca Searle but an easy enjoyable read.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada and the author Rebecca Serle.
Katy and her mother had planned a trip to Positano, Italy together but unfortunately her mother passed away.
Katy felt lost since her mother passed away and decided to go to Italy on her own to see why her mother loved that country so much.
I visited Positano and the author brought back so many wonderful memories. Her descriptions transported me back, it was wonderful.
I enjoyed the characters, the story, the sceneries she described.
Recommend

This book was an absolute pleasure to read. Anything by Rebecca Serle is actually. I highly recommend this book.

Kathy’s relationship with her mother warmed my heart. Having the opportunity to with her a bit longer after she passed, was very special. Rebecca Serle’s writing is beautiful and emotional. She writes characters that have depth and that are relatable. I also love how she brings the story full-circle and brings conclusion to it. This novel will make you ponder, smile, and warm your heart. Beautiful book.

The first thing I need to do is book my flight to Italy and pack….

When I started reading the first page I was hesitant to continue reading. The type of relationship I have with my made me wonder if I could finish this book. But I kept going on and I’m glad I did!

I loved visiting Positano and the Amalfi Coast through Katy and Carol’s eyes. I loved seeing their mother daughter relationship in Italy. They had some difficult times as do all mothers and daughters but they also had some wonderful memorable times.

This book both filled and broke my heart at the same time. If you are looking for a quick read with all the feels I would highly recommend this one.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for this digital copy for my honest review.

⚠️ death of a parent, cancer, grief, infidelity

🇮🇹One Italian Summer☀️
By Rebecca Serle

⭐️⭐️

From nearly the first page, I found Katy to be unlikeable. If I don’t like the protagonist, most of the time I don’t love the book. It seemed as though Katy’s entire identity revolved around her mother and I just found it weird, especially because she was nearly 30 years old and seemed capable of so little without her. It seemed very obsessive and unhealthy. Adam was creepy. Oh and feel horrible for her poor husband. Why was it necessary for her to be married in this story?

What I did enjoy about about this book: The beautiful descriptions of the Amalfi Coast in Italy and the descriptions of all of the food and wine.

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada and Atria Books for a eARC copy of One Italian Summer to read in exchange for my honest review. #OneItalianSummer #RebeccaSerle #NetGalley

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Really loved this book. It's a perfect summer read, such a wonderful story. I will be gifting this one to a bunch of people

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Shuster for the egalley to review, This book is set in a beautiful town with amazing food and will leave you longing to visit! The story is about Kate, who is re-evaluating her life after the death of their closest person in her life - her mother. “If your mother is the love of your life, what does that make your husband?” Kate now needs to take a hard look at her life to figure out how to live without her mother. She has to decide what to do about the trip that they had planned to Italy. Her husband encourages her to go and she decides this is an opportunity to have time alone to think. Her amazing experiences and the people she meets allow her to figure out how to move forward in her life. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It is a quick read but covers many important topics, including grief, cancer, loss of a parent and suicidal thoughts.

It is very atmospheric and makes me want to jump on a plane and move to Positano and never come back. 🌊😍

It also has a time-travelling aspect to it and makes a deep dive into discussing mother-daughter relationships.

I am going to give it 4⭐. I really enjoyed it but sometimes time-travelling books take me out of the book. I focus too much on the non-realistic aspects of it.

Thank you Simon & Schuster for an advanced reader's copy.

Loved this story! The setting was so amazing and breathtaking. Now I want to travel to Italy! I thought it had a great mix of heartfelt moments and emotional moments since the main character is dealing with grief. Overall, I enjoyed this one very much!

Katy Silver is devastated by the loss of her mother. Carol was Katy’s best friend and “go to” person anytime Katy had a question or problem to sort out. The once in a lifetime Mother/Daughter trip to Positano they had planned is coming up. Katy must decide if she should cancel or go. Full of questions about her life choices Katy decides she needs to step away from her marriage to Eric and her job. Katy heads to Italy to the place her mother loved so dearly. Soon after her arrival Katy miraculously meets her mother but Carol is thirty years old. Confused and perplexed Katy decides to make the most of this opportunity to ask the questions that have been haunting her since her mother’s death.
ONE ITALIAN SUMMER is a story about the love between a mother and her daughter.
I liked the story. Once again “time shifting” was used as a plot device. The only other book I have read by this author is IN FIVE YEARS and “time shifting” was used to drive the plot of that book too. I like Rebecca Serle’s writing style but I might hesitate reading another book if it relied on the main character traveling in time.
Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced digital edition of this book.
Rating 3.5 ⭐️

One Italian Summer is a book about grief, of losing a loved one, and of finding yourself again. The main character, Katy, visits Italy as she had planned with her mother, after her mother's death. While she's at Italy, she sees her mother, but a younger (not dead) version of her.

I was so excited to read this book when I first received the email saying I got approved for this arc. I loved the idea of the story, but, unfortunately, it just wasn't for me. There's not much for me to say other then I was just simply bored. I could not connect to the characters at all. The main character seemed a bit bland and annoyed me. There were also way way way too many monologues about Katy's memories of her mom and what she was like before she died (I swear it took up 90% of the book). There also just wasn't much happening. It was just repeat of her hanging out with her mom at a new place and then her thinking of memories of her mom before she died. There's also the time travel fact. It doesn't make much sense how Katy didn't notice a difference of 30 years while she was in Italy. There are more problems I had with the book, but these were the major ones that made it difficult for me to truly enjoy it.

1.5 Stars

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the e-arc.

This book is a wonderful escape to the Italian coast. The setting is absolutely perfect and beautifully described, I felt immediately transported to Positano 😍
From the beginning of the story, my heart broke for Katy. When she makes the decision to travel to Italy on her own, I couldn’t believe how proud I was of a fictional character!
Rebecca Serle’s excellent storytelling and plot twists definitely helped me to keep enough interest in this book to finish it! I would recommend this if you’re looking for a quick escape from this drab winter!