ONE ITALIAN SUMMER speaks of loss and grief. Oh my heart, what a punch this one packs in less than 300 pages.

Katy Silver is mourning the loss of her mother Carol who was the most significant person in her life. Her mother, her best friend and champion. When Carol dies before she and Katy take a planned trip to Italy, Katy goes it alone, leaving behind her perplexed husband and grieving father.

Whilst in Positano Katy runs into another woman and so begins an interesting and bittersweet friendship.

What a transportive book. From the descriptions of Positano and it’s surrounds, to almost feeling like I could taste the food and wine, I was all in. Whilst I felt for Katy’s husband Eric, I understood her feelings of loss, her reflection and how she’d reached that point (living v thriving), how she felt I’ll-prepared for the future without her mother, and her need to feel pleasant ‘blankness’ after such a turbulent time in her life.

At the risk of saying too much, this involves alternate reality, parallel universe, multiverse ideas which I seem to have been lapping up lately (think Dark Matter, Wish You Were Here, A Fate of Wrath and Fury). This one is more poignant I think because of the mother-daughter dynamic.

All the fabulous stars …

ONE ITALIAN SUMMER will make you want to go to Italy SO badly 🤩 I fell in love with this book from the very first page. The writing was beautiful, the descriptions of Positano + the mouthwatering food, and not to mention THE story. It was emotional, moving and just magical ✨

🔎 Katy’s mum (+best friend), Carol, dies. Feeling overwhelmed and lost Katy makes the trip she and her mum had planned to Italy alone. When Katy arrives in Positano, a small coastal village her mother loved she finds Carol - in the flesh - very much alive, but 30 years old 🤯 Katy gets to know her mum in a whole new light, who she was before she became a mother. Grief, Joy, Self -discovery ONE ITALIAN SUMMER will take you on such a ride
📆 Out in March, make sure you guys pre-order now 👀

💭 I’d definitely like to escape to Positano, Italy - where would you like to go? 🗺

Review going up on IG next week

After reading and loving In Five Years in 2021, I was excited to read Rebecca Serle's newest book. I loved One Italian Summer as much as I loved In Five Years. It was easy to get into and I engaged from the beginning. My favourite thing about Serle's writing it how believable she makes the unbelievable seem. The magical realism element of the story was written into the plot expertly and the character development was really interesting. The setting and descriptions of the food and scenery were beautiful. The twist made the ending really come together to complete the book. It was a really enjoyable read and I will definitely be reading more of Serle's work in the future.

Thank you to Quercus Books & NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was my final read for 2021 so naturally I wanted it to be great. It was OK. It has however made me want to travel to the Amalfi Coast in Italy. Serle has a very distinct style of writing and although I loved in in Five Years Time, I didn't love it as much in One Italian Summer. I wasn't able to get a clear motivation from any of the characters and so was essentially waiting for the book to end. Lovely ending though!

Sometimes, the right book comes to you when you need it most. I said it about 'Convenience Store Woman' in the summer of 2020. And I'll say it now about 'One Italian Summer'.

What a glorious book. Not just to lift your spirits with its gorgeous descriptions of the Amalfi Coast, of food and wine and living a feeling I know so well but haven't had for years and years - it captured me within a few pages. I was a little nervous because it does talk about death and grief and illness, which I've been particularly sensitive towards over the last six months or so, but it was hopeful. I never got that anxious feeling I did normally. I felt calm reading about this. And that was all I could ask for.

Much like Serle's other books, the slight 'magical realism' element to the book is expertly crafted - in this one - I won't say what it is because SPOILERS - but it is just wonderful. It made me want to go to the Amalfi Coast. It made me want to live there!

Hopeful and heartwarming, it's all about how Katy grows and changes as a person, processing her own grief about losing a parent and discovering how to take care of herself and to exist in a world that was once out of focus and is now clear. It made me smile, it made me weep (and I don't cry at books that often) - and when I finished the final page, I felt like I'd lost a little something. Certainly my first 'favourite book' of 2022.

Thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to have access to an eARC for this book in return for an honest review.

Apologies for taking so long with the feedback.

This was beautiful, overall this was amazing the tension the romance. The characters was relatable and beautiful with flaws and I loved them so much. I loved this so much best book I read in 2021

With the dreamy setting of Positano in summer, this is an engaging escapist read. Like her other books, Searle has a HUGE twist towards the end that threw everything I thought I knew about this book on its head and reminded me why I enjoy her books so much. Highly recommending to anyone who enjoys contemporary women’s fiction as I feel this is a really strong addition to canon, and it’s a great entry point for anyone who has not read her work before. Personally I think this is one of her best and the ending for the MC is very satisfying.

I enjoyed this book although it took me a little while to get on board with the concept of the alternate reality. The characters were warm and relatable and I found myself wishing that I might have a similar relationship with my daughter the way the mother and daughter do in this book.
The locations were the best part of the story though - I love the Amalfi coast and I could just picture myself walking up the steps in Positano! It made me want to return and soak up all that glorious Italian scenery.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced release copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a stunning book! I loved the writing and there were so many moments where it broke my heart. I can't wait to read more by this author.

The synopsis of this book will take all of my word count here so I’ll try to keep it snappy… Katy is our protagonist and she’s married to Eric, her childhood sweetheart. But her mother Carol has always been the love of her life. Now her mother has passed away, Katy is rudderless. They had a trip to the Amalfi Coast planned where Carol had planned to show Katy where she had experienced some of her most incredible moments as a younger woman. But they never got there together. So Katy jets over there solo to mourn her mother and to try to find how to move on without her person. On the second day of the trip she meets a woman who resembles her own mother, 30 years younger. And the rest is for you to discover!

This book is so easy to devour. Just like In Five Years, I found is alluring, refreshing and heartfelt. The storyline is a perfect cadence, the characters are super cute and the ending is perfect.

If you loved In Five Years, find Italy alluring, dig cute romances and enjoyed Eat, Pray, Love, you’ll devour this like a glorious bowl of spaghetti.

Ahhh I have just gobbled this book in one day…. Love, love, loved it. Incredibly well written by Ms Serle and I am sure it will go on to be a success.

Sorry, I didn't finish this. It was well witten and interesting about Positano, but the arrival of young Mum was too much.

This book is wonderful in that it transports you to the Amalfi Coast, you can feel the heat of the sun, see the stunning scenery and taste the delicious food and I enjoyed that enormously. However the time travel part of the book confused me and I never felt it was explained or justified.. so whilst it was an enjoyable read, I guess one of the main elements of the book left me confused and unsatisfied.

This book was such an emotional roller coaster! I felt everything alongside MC Katy.
We felt her pain, her grief, her loss but we also got to feel her sense of self discovery, self worth and curiosity through the authors excellent word choices. This book featured beautifully depicted imagery, I felt like I was right in Italy! This was such an emotional, moving and powerful story with such loveable characters. Keep the tissues close for this one everyone! Definitely recommend this one for fans of Rebecca Serle and those seeking their next adventure.

When her beloved mother dies Katy is lost. In a moment of despair she decides to go on the trip to Italy that was planned for herself and her mum. Retracing her mums footsteps from over 30 years previously. Confronting painful truths about her mum, her marriage and life choices lead to interesting situations.

I loved In five years and have recommended it to lots of people so I was really looking forward to reading this book. It's really well written and Positano sounded gorgeous but I just couldn't get on board with Katy, the heroine. To me she was selfish and obsessive about her Mother and this affected my opinion of the book as a whole.

Loved this book, it felt like I was transported away to Italy.
Rebecca Serle writes incredibly, she sucks you into the story and makes you feel like a friend who needs to hear all the words.

Reading this book in a damp and cold UK December was a delight, as it transported me to the warm and colourful Amalfi coast and the beautiful town of Positano. Thanks to th author, publishers and NetGalley doe the opportunity to read and review it.
Katy is a woman who is in her late twenties and whose mother has recently died. Katy and Carol were particularly close and Katy had been looking forward to visiting Positano with her larger than life Mum who had spent time there as a young woman. Katy decides to go anyway and there she meets a younger version of her mother. This gives her an insight into her mother but also an opportunity to reconsider her own life.
Having spent time in that part of Italy myself, I very much enjoyed the descriptions of the area.
If you are happy to suspend your disbelief and embrace a book that isn’t what it seems, I have not hesitation in recommending this book. It is heartwarming yet has depth.
It didn’t quite live up to Five Years for me, but it is certainly well written, enjoyable and should do really well.

I so enjoyed this book, what a beautiful story and an intriguing concept . If only we could all see our mothers before they were our mothers. A wonderful book, immensely well written and spellbinding.,

This was a great read. A very different story line and wasn’t sure I would enjoy it, bt I did.
Lead characters mother dies and her world is turned upside down. They planned an Italian summer trip together and she decides to go alone and what she experiences of her mothers live for the town and the people is wonderful. But will it help her to understand her younger mother or can she enjoy the experience and be calm about it.
Well written and enjoyable.