This book took a turn I could never have expected, but delighted in all the same. The 'return' of Katy's mother, as a 30 year old woman to the windy streets along the Amalfi coast was both haunting, and beautiful, and Serle's writing is spectacularly transporting.

It's a book that leaves you asking questions (between sittings), and stays with you days after you've finished it.

Just brilliant.

ONE ITALIAN SUMMER - REBECCA SERLE

⭐⭐⭐.5/5

This was a different genre to my usual but it was such a good read and palette cleanser between thrillers.

"When Katy’s mother dies, she is left reeling. Carol wasn’t just Katy’s mom, but her best friend and first phone call. She had all the answers and now, when Katy needs her the most, she is gone. To make matters worse, their planned mother-daughter trip of a lifetime looms: to Positano, the magical town where Carol spent the summer right before she met Katy’s father. Katy has been waiting years for Carol to take her, and now she is faced with embarking on the adventure alone."

A thirty year old version of Carol appears in Italy and Katy gets to experience one Italian summer with her 30 year old mum.

The story was heart breaking in some parts and with so much happiness in others.

Would definitely recommend this beautiful read

Thank you so much for @netgalley
& @rebecca_serle for this ARC

I absolutely loved In Five Years, when I saw Rebecca Serle had a new book coming out I automatically requested it without reading the description. The story was so unexpected, it was beautiful and really emotional and lovely to read book that explored the relationship between a mother and daughter for a change. I loved how atmospheric this book was, the descriptions of the food and the location won me over. That being said I found the main character not very likeable and I didn't like the dynamic of the relationship between her and her husband. I also found the storyline of the time travel/meeting her mum in Italy a little bit strange, it took me a while to work out what was going on. All in all it was an enjoyable book with a heartfelt storyline and I felt like it transported me to the stunning Amalfi Coast for a few hours. It didn't quite live up to my expectations but I will definitely read the authors next book.

If you need a break from the grey British winter weather, this is the book for you. Serle infuses every page with Italy, from the taste of the food to the dappled sunlight. I felt like I was walking through Positano alongside the main character, staying at Hotel Poseidon.

This book was good, if you like this kind of book. After a slow start, I thought the story was really going to get somewhere unusual (SPOILER?) after her phone call didn't go through. But then it became rather humdrum, alas.

The atmospheric meanderings of an italian giro. Living on love ❤️ and delicious food a girl spends her summer realising and relishing il calda Soleil 🌞 and living an interrestante experience. Never dull il colore, la vita et la Donna in italia e stupenda.

After losing her mother and absolute best friend in life, Katy is lost. She decides to go alone on their planned mother-daughter trip to Italy. When she gets there, however, Katy's mum is there, alive and well, 30 years younger.

This book was filled with gorgeous descriptions, the setting was perfect and made me want to jump on a plane to Italy, and there was so much absolutely mouth watering food.
I started off a little annoyed with Katy at times- whilst I recognised that she was grieving, I couldn't help being irritated by her pushing others away.
I went in not knowing anything about this book, so I was pleasantly surprised by the clever "twist" towards the end of the story.

This is the story of the strength of a mother and daughter's bond, but also so much more: choosing the life you want for yourself, appreciating that everyone's struggles are different, and not everything is as straight forward as it seems.

I really enjoyed this book, I find Rebecca Serle's writing such a delight and can't stop turning the pages.

Giving this 4 stars because it just read so 'easily' - the writing flowed, you don't see the pages turning, the chapters going on, and before you know it, the book is done. I liked that it transported me into this fictional world, and also to Positano that I knew next to nothing about (know of the Amalfi Coast & certainly Capri, but not this place).
Does this plot hold the line? Not really... But I knew it wouldn't as this is a Rebecca Serle book - I read 'In Five Years' and there as a twist at the end that had me gasping there, and I pretty much felt there would be this same kind of 'suspend disbelief, magical realism that makes no sense' here, yet the story works with it.
Why isn't it getting 5 stars then? Well, the character of Katy herself... I couldn't understand the huge love for her mother, her mother being her soul mate and vice versa angle (granted, I have a very fraught relationship with my own mother so this is unconceivable to me...) It just read like 'too much' and a tad forced, which killed the enjoyment for me.
Mostly, I read for the magical realism explanation which I knew would happen close to the end, and on this aspect, the book did not disappoint
All in all, a very quick and easy read, breezy and soapy enough to be a beach read or a quick afternoon snuggle book

I was a bit apprehensive about reading this at first given the nature of losing your mother. However, as with Serle’s previous works it tears at your heart strings in the most perfect way.

With the Gilmore Girls quote at the start I knew this was going to be a fantastic worthy read. I really enjoyed the mother daughter bonding Katy and Carol had.

I really enjoyed exploring Italy’s town of Positano so much. I felt like I was going along with them on all of their adventures and it was a lovely experience to do so. This was supposed to be a mother-daughter trip which the daughter, Katy had to go alone. Where she somehow discovers or entered a past version of this experience but with her mother. A younger version of her mother back when she did visit. This is where Katy gets to enjoy bonding with her mum in a new way and discovers more about herself as well as what her mother was like years ago.

Definite vacation vibes and a heart warming read that makes you appreciate your relationship with your mother and knowing that we are all people, young at heart.

Thank you to the publishers for sending me this in exchange for an honest review.

At first, this was a painful read for me; it described a seemingly perfect mother daughter relationship that I haven’t experienced, but that I obviously yearn for. Once I got past my own issues, though, I started to fall in love with the book: its luscious descriptions of the sights of the Amalfi Coast and Italian food, the plot twist that feels pretty unique for this genre, the narrator’s expositions on grief that resonate with anyone who’s lost someone.

This book has cemented Rebecca Serle as an author I’ll happily follow from novel to novel, and I absolutely recommend it to anyone, but particularly to women in that weird stage of life in your late 20s and early 30s where you’re establishing what it means to be you and not be defined by your relationships to others: daughter, wife, mother.

4.5 stars

One Italian Summer is one of those books where you need your imagination to just go with it a little. The story follows Katy on a solo adventure to the Italian town of Positano.

Katy is working through the grief of losing her mother and this trip to Positano was supposed to be a mother-daughter one. With her world spinning wildly off its axis, Katy embarks on the trip alone to try to learn more about her mother. The story is a heart wrenching and emotional read.

I have such a strong urge to go to Italy and this book was giving me serious vicarious summer thrills. The Italian coastal town was brought to life with vivid imagery and beautiful descriptive prose.

This is the first book I’ve read by Rebecca, Kirsty read In Five Years last year and I’ve not managed to get round to it. Based on this though, I’ll be making it a priority to read soon.

When Katy's mother, Carol, passes away before the two can take their Italian trip together, Katy decides she will honor her mother by going on the trip herself. Visiting places her mother spoke about with fondness, Katy begins to feel her mother's presence. When Carol shows up one day, Katy is astounded but she grabs at the chance to get to know her mother as the woman she was before Katy was born.⁣
⁣
I was eager to read this book especially considering how much hype there was around it. I enjoyed the storyline however I did not love Katy, our main character. For someone who loved her mother so much, I anticipated there would be a lot more emotion in her grief and there wasn't. I also wasn't a huge fan of how quickly she chose to cheat on her husband. I did love how everything came together at the end. Rebecca Serle has a magical way of writing. Her descriptions of Italian towns and landscapes actually had me picturing myself there and I now hope to visit Positano as a result of everything I've read in this book.

We might only be three months in to 2022 but I think I’ve found what will be one of my favourite reads of the year in this book, One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle.

Admittedly, I didn’t take to her previous book In Five Years but something about this book really appealed to me before it popped up on my NetGalley shelf and – I’m glad to say – it lived up to my expectations.

The book follows Katy after the devastating death of not only her mother but her best friend, her confidante, her everything. Knowing the subject matter of the book, I was worried it’d be a never ending grief fest and – whilst that can be good to read amongst the sickly sweet romances I love – I really wasn’t fancying that. Lucky for me, the balance between the unimaginable loss and the comfort Katy finds on her trip was incredible.

Whilst the loss element in this book is something both commonly explored and commonly experienced, I loved the idea of Katy literally finding her mum – several years younger- in Italy. I forever wonder what my parents were like before I was born and Serle plays with this idea in a way that is equally fun and heart wrenching. I loved the dynamic between Katy and the younger version of her Mum.

The dynamics between characters in this book is brilliant but what truly stood out to me was the descriptions. I haven’t been to Italy in several years, and haven’t been to the particular area ever, but the picture that Serle creates is so vivid and vibrant it’s almost impossible to not feel like you’re there every step of the way.

My only gripe with this book was the fact that it took a while for me to get over the strangeness of it. Saying that, once I did it proved to be both a delightful look at a mother daughter relationship and a realistic portrayal of grief. I just wish I was reading it basking in the summer sun or, better yet, in Italy. A girl can dream….

I received an ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in return for an honest review.

This book wasn’t what I expected from the blurb and that was a total disappointment.

. I disliked the main character, and couldn’t engage with her. I thought her treatment of her husband was utterly selfish and unpleasant and the whole thing lacked credibility. I thought the relationship with the mother was absurd and beyond strange. Above all, I found the writing style rather boring.

I am clearly in a minority judging by the 4/5 star reviews but I just didn’t see what all the fuss was about. I was bored and skimmed it. This was just not my cup of tea whereas clearly many readers loved it.

I loved "In five years" and I loved this one. Rebecca Serle is becoming one of my favourite, recently "acquired", writers.
One Italian summer was not for the faint of heart. Katy travels to Italy on a trip she planned with her mother who just passed away. Before leaving she tells her husband that she wants to reconsider their marriage.
There where so many feelings I felt while reading. I'm not really sure I liked Katy's mom or their relationship. She felt like one of those helicopter moms who, in the end, become toxic. I was really rooting for a happy ending with Eric, but at the same time I could understand how Katy wanted to find herself.
This is s book about love, loss, making hard decisions and having the strength to accept people around you as they are but also yourself.
I received an ARC by Netgalley and Atria books for my honest review.

One Italian Summer" by Rebecca Serle is like walking into a magical trip to the Amalfi Coast of Italy!

Carol, has just passed away after a long illness. She was Katy's Bestie, her go to her right hand girl for all the right answers. Her Mum.

They had a mother-daughter trip planned to the Amalfi Coast of Italy. A trip of a lifetime. Two weeks together in Positano, the city where Carol spent the summer before she met Katy's dad.

So Katy decide to go to Positano alone and experience Italy kinda through Carols eyes from what she has told her.

When she gets there and sees just how beautiful the Amalfi Coast is, things become clearer and Katy begins to heal and and feel better.

Then she sees Carol. She's thirty-years-old, just like Katy. THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE...

Throughout this story she tells us about her relationships with her mother, her father, and her husband. There are lots of great characters to like in this story.. So sweet.

I loved this book. It's the food, the atmosphere, the gorgeous sights and sounds of the blue sky and sea.

It really did take me to Italy on my sofa.

I recommend this book to those readers who are looking for a quick trip to the beautiful, picturesque Amalfi Coast of Italy without boarding a plane and packing a suitcase. Heaven

I loved In Five Years so jumped at the chance to read Serle’s new release, and it didn’t disappoint.

Dealing with grief, loss, family and love set against the backdrop of the stunning Italian town of Positano, this book made me want to jump on a plane to Italy and hug my mum at the same time!

When Katy’s mum Carol passes away she feels like she’s lost part of herself and her job, marriage and life at home seem inconsequential. She decides to take the trip she had planned to take with her mum to Positano alone. Positano was a favourite place of her mum’s and she takes their itinerary hoping for an adventure and memorable summer of her own. In the end she gets more than she bargained for in the Amalfi coast when the younger version of her mother actually appears in the flesh. Katy doesn’t understand how or why, but she wants to make the most of getting to know her mother as a young women, even when secrets she wishes she’d never known come to light. There’s also a romance sub-plot which I found enjoyable.

Overall, I found this a captivating and heartwarming read, I can imagine lying by the beach or pool reading this on vacation and loving it even more!

Thank you NetGalley and Quercus Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A journey of a woman who finds herself through her lost mother. The grief aspect is very well written and also the journey of self discovery.

There was a part of the story that bothered me and I felt could be handled better. However with the twist at the end everything made more sense.

The description of Positano is dreamy and the story is full of beautifully written passages:

''The present is relentless. It forces us over and over again to pay attention. It requires all of us. As well it should"

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book. I really enjoyed it !

This was a beautiful read that explores thoughtfully themes of grief and finding yourself.
Initally I found it quite hard to warm to Katy despite her losing her mother. I felt her treatment of her husband seemed a bit unfair on him considering up to this point he had stood by her while she cared for her mother. This changed however once she came to Italy and you gain a greater insight into why she felt the way she did.
Seeing Katy interact with her mother who she finds on her trip to Italy is truly wonderful, and I loved seeing how the pair really needed each other in those moments. The descriptions of the Amalfi coast are also incredibly beautiful. I could imagine being there on holiday while reading!
My one negative is that I didn’t find the romance in this completely necessary? Although Katy has left her husband to go on this trip, I don’t feel she needed to be with Adam to realise how lucky she was to have everything back home.
Overall, this is beautifully written and one I will definitely revisit!

I was very afraid that the character would be terrible. But she got better in the 10th chapter. She was not a great main character and she irritated me so much. The plot was interesting and I had no idea what would happen.