In the Shadow of the Apennines tells the story of Samantha, an American divorcee starting over in the small fictional mountain town of Marsicano Italy. Samantha struggles to rebuild her life and finds herself on the outside of the community and feels utterly alone until she finds abandon journals in a wardrobe of her new house. The journals tell the story of a young Elena and her journey shares eerie similarities with Samantha’s own present day journey. As Samantha becomes connected to the journals, she begins to heal and find herself again and the strength to start anew.

This story is told in three time frames. The first two thirds of the book is told via present day and flashbacks to how Samantha’s life reached that point. The last third of the book primarily tells the story of Elena via the journals and how they tie into Samantha’s current situation. For me it took a bit to warm up to Samantha but once she stopped being so down and hard on herself I was able to connect better with her. I feel like the ending wrapped up rather quickly but I do really appreciate the epilogue and the closure it gave Samantha.


Thank you @katerockbooktours and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

I picked up this delightful book on a lazy Sunday afternoon and I was instantly transported into beautiful Italy!

When Samantha, an American divorcee, flees from her failed marriage and ruined career, she decides to start a new life in Italy. She purchases a stone cottage, starts renovations, and totally immerses herself into village life as she awaits inspiration for her writing. Soon however, she needs money and she resorts to writing a sarcastic blog poking fun at the people who live in the village. When everyone turns their backs on Samantha she is forced into isolation. She finds a diary that once belonged to a young woman who lived in the cottage over 100 years ago. Samantha reads the diary and soon becomes totally engrossed in another world as she discovers that the writer of the diary was on a similar path!

I really enjoyed this author’s writing style. I loved the descriptions of Italy, the food, and the people. The main character, Samantha, mourned the loss of her marriage, her career, and family relationships. It took her awhile to work through her pain and move forward. I always enjoy an introspective story where issues get resolved! Read this if you enjoy women’s fiction, travel stories, or ‘starting over’ stories.

Thank you
@KimberlyInRome @KateRockBookTours for my #gifted digital copy. My thoughts are my own.

A truly heartfelt thank you to Kimberly and to Kate Rock with Kate Rock Book Tours for having me on the tour and for this AMAZING story!

Samantha, our main character flees from her failed marriage and lost job in New York. She runs to an Italian Mountain to seek refuge and start again. Her plans are to begin writing again after years of not being able to. Things begin great but, take a detour when the towns residents discover Samantha’s blog about them, which isn’t too kind. After being outed, she discovers a hidden trunk and in it are some very old diaries. Diaries that keep her interested, curious and reveal some very sad and wonderful words. The diaries of Elena’s refresh Samantha’s life and she feels connected to Elena, even after being separated by an entire century!

I devoured and craved this book and thoroughly enjoyed this story! The way these two womens lives were intertwined was a breath of fresh air. I loved the way the past was included in the present. The stories, the hardships, the tragicness. It was beautiful and it kept my attention, in fact, I actually want more like this. I love the idea of being able to intersect the past with the present, secret diaries that hold so much truth and love and sadness. The ability to learn and change our current lives based off of history is a wonderful thing. Kimberly did a truly awesome job of writing this, the creativity is there and in your face. The setting sounds breathtaking and makes me want to fly to Italy now! I’ve always been interested in small towns that have rich histories. This is a definite highly recommended read! Five stars!!

It’s a rare joy to be pulled into a book where I begin by disliking the protagonist. I was fascinated by the way Samantha Burke pushed my buttons.
 
Her personal and professional life are both failures. She’s fled to the seclusion of a remote Italian village because the isolation and simplicity it offers drew her there. She wants what they have. Yet she still publishes a blog that belittles the town and its residents.
 
Belittles them in favor of what? An acerbic, overeducated divorced woman whose life is such a wet firework she felt compelled to travel halfway around the world to escape it? Enduring a writing career that’s rewarded neither herself nor her sparse population of readers, perhaps she’d be better served aiming that rhetorical buckshot at herself and not at the neighbors she went far out of her own way to choose.
 
I was so put off by Samantha’s journaling I almost wanted to close the book and forget about her.
 
A two-fanged promise kept me reading IN THE SHADOW APENNINES, and this dyad was delivered with a joyful bite: the majestically vivid descriptions of the Marsicani mountains (how I’d now love to visit!) and the historical fun of meeting Elena, a teenager whose own century-old diary rocks Samantha’s world.
 
The power of human expression bridges time and space to unite two very distinct women living utterly different lives. The discovery of Elena’s antique journal kickstarts a much-needed process of self-reflection for Burke.

Reading deeply into Elena’s experience with a natural disaster and the trials of World War I, Samantha grows and at least one reader becomes grateful he stuck around for a wonderful, original story.

Set in the rugged Apennine mountains of Italy, the author deftly weaves a dual timeline tale of an American woman's escape there after a soul-crushing divorce and an Italian shepherdess' struggle to survive love and loss after a devastating earthquake strikes the same town during WWI. In the course of settling into her new home Samantha, the modern-day protagonist, stumbles across the diary of Elena, the young Italian woman who lived in her stone cottage a century earlier. The emotional journeys of the two women become increasingly parallel as Samantha discovers more and more about the events that shaped Elena’s life. To be honest as a fan of HF I enjoyed Elena's story far better, yet it was a good story.

In The Shadow of The Apennines is a book I wanted to love, but the overwhelming amount of flaws kept it from being the standout I hoped it would be. The number one issue I had is the pacing. The first half of the book was spent explaining the backstory of Samantha, how she met her ex-husband Michael and what happened after he asked for a divorce. It took until 45% of the book for a new love interest to be introduced and once he was, the surprise pregnancy trope hit which is a personal dislike of mine. I could have overlooked my least favorite trope if it didn't take 58% of the book for the introduction of the dual timeline with Elena's journal. To be honest, I would have much preferred a full length novel about Elena, Serafino, the earthquake, the recovery and her journey to America to avoid Serafino's mother than reading about Samantha. If Samantha was a real life person, she is someone who I would have avoided like the plague. She doesn't have the emotional maturity I would expect from someone her age and the whiny/woe is me internal monologue was just tired and boring. In contrast, we got just enough information about Elena to make me rush through the Samantha parts to get back to Elena. And again, the surprise pregnancy and not telling the father, a double whammy of 'ugh' wasn't enjoyable to read.

Overall I would consider this book a middle of the road for me. Samantha, who's story is prominent, will be forgotten about but I'll remember Elena and hers which is ultimately why I'm giving this book 3 stars.

Thank you so much for giving me access to an eARC in exchange for feedback.

In the Shadow of the Apennines transported me straight to village life in Abruzzo, Italy and made me feel like I had known the characters all my life. I became quickly invested in their stories and that feeling only increased the more I read! The book follows Samantha, who has just lost her university job and her husband of 25 years (to a younger woman). In hopes of healing her heartbreak and re-igniting her writing career, she moves to a small town in Abruzzo, Italy and tries to settle into rural village life while still haunted by her past. After running afoul of the locals, she is effectively shunned and secluded in her small mountain cottage. It’s then that she finds the hidden journals of Elena, a 16 year old peasant girl navigating the harsh rural life and struggling with poverty on the eve of World War I. Samantha becomes fully engrossed in Elena’s story (I did too!), which although separated by a century, has shocking similarities to her own.

Beware that the book’s synopsis is quite deceiving, as it focuses on Samantha finding Elena’s journals, which doesn’t happen until past the halfway mark. This can leave you trying to speed through to get to “the crux” of the story, but that does a huge disservice to the first half of the book, as the flashbacks of Samantha’s life and marriage and the chapters of her settling into village life and meeting the local cast of characters are great and integral to the story.

P.s. I’m hoping for a sequel!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kimberly Sullivan for an e-ARC of this book!

What an absolutely beautiful story. This is a perfect book to curl up on the couch with and escape into. There were so many elements that made that easy for me- the author’s writing style, the frequent mentions of Italian cuisine, the cozy setting in the Apennine mountains. The story is told in dual timelines between Samantha in the present day and Elena in 1915 as they both navigate life in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Both characters were interesting and dynamic and I was surprised by how moved I felt by the end of the story.

This would’ve been an easy 5 star read for me, however the first half dragged a bit for me. We start with Samantha’s story about the end of her marriage and career in New York and learn how she lands in Marsicano for the first 1/3, then shift to Samantha’s rocky adjustment to the town for the next 1/3, then we meet Elena in the form of historic journals that Samantha finds. Elena’s story as a young shepherdess navigating love and loss during the unfolding of WWI was so captivating, and Samantha’s investment in her and subsequent growth was compelling and I wanted more of that! I understand why the book was structured in this way but I would’ve loved a little trimming down in the beginning and more breadth in the latter half, especially since the intersection of Samantha and Elena’s journeys are the main part of the story.

If you’re a fan of historical fiction, I highly recommend this book! I sometimes hesitate to read HF because I’m often left in an emotional puddle by the end but this story weaves in Italian history without shattering your heart and leaving you with a sense of hope.

Highly recommend this book. I read it in a day and was completely engrossed. This is my third book by Kimberly Sullivan, and she has an amazing ability to immerse you in a different setting and ambiance and time period. This one takes you to an Italian mountain village nowadays and back in 1914.

{3.5 stars}

Samantha is recently divorced and quite bitter about it. Her husband convinced her to live the life he wanted for her and then left her for a younger woman. She reacts by moving to a small town in Abruzzo hoping for an Under the Tuscan Sun renaissance in her life. It doesn't exactly go as she planned... it's hard to run from yourself even in a beautiful mountain town. She gets some surprising news and finds the diary of a woman who lived in her house in 1914 and these things help her understand who she is and what she wants in life.

I have to admit the first half of this book or so, I wasn’t sure that it was for me. Samantha portrayed a lot of qualities that I just did not jive with. All of the decisions she was now second-guessing in her new life, were ones I would’ve never made in the first place… So I’ll admit I judged her. I was way more invested in Elena’s story when it began to be weaved into the narrative. My husband‘s family is from this region in Italy and I could just picture his Nonnie as she told her story. Growing up in a small village with no real chance at a future outside of the present she had now. I did like how the two stories came together in the end and how Samantha drew strength from Elena’s story.

Thanks to Kate Rock Book Tours for the gifted access to this one. All opinions above are my own.

Set in the rugged Apennine mountains of northern Italy, Kimberly Sullivan deftly weaves a dual timeline tale of an American woman's escape there after a soul-crushing divorce and an Italian shepherdess' struggle to survive love and loss after a devastating earthquake strikes the same town during WWI.

In the course of settling into her new home and life far from contemporary US academia, Samantha, the modern-day protagonist, stumbles across the diary of Elena, the young Italian woman who lived in her stone cottage a century earlier. The emotional journeys of the two women become increasingly parallel as Samantha discovers more and more about the events that shaped Elena’s life. Love and loss are just as joyous and heartbreaking regardless of the time period in which they are experienced.

I loved Samantha’s alternating feelings of belonging and anomie in her new home – Sullivan’s ability to pen Samantha uprooting herself from all she has known – felt absolutely spot-on. At the same time, Elena’s life during the ‘War on Snow and Ice’ period of Italian involvement in WWI appealed to my abiding interest in all things WWI. Definitely one to re-read when I need to escape my own life and revisit an Italian mountain village.

Thank you to Kimberly Sullivan and NetGalley for the opportunity to review In the Shadows of the Apennines.

Although the various plots of this novel are not always as fluid and smoothly connected as they might be, there is something enticing about the different characters and their personal growth and search for strong relationships. Kimberly Sullivan, thoroughly comfortable with the striking imagery and the beautiful settings of the Italian Alps, is able to weave romance, tragedy, politics, and culture into the story of Samantha, Elena, Michael, and the villagers. Sullivan's ability to connect characters who are many decades apart but who share similar goals and dreams is deftly drawn. I found the history of the villagers and the inevitable war into which many of them are drawn to be an important backdrop to the story. Samantha's tale has the texture and wonder that comes from dropping the protagonist into a foreign and new environment. This book went quickly and enjoyably for me, and I appreciated all the pieces of plot from which this book is created. Most of all, I learned from Elena's adventures and from Samantha's appreciation of Elena's adamantine character how two women from entirely different eras can become close.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kimberly Sullivan for an e-ARC of this book.

3.75 / 5

There were some issues I had with this book. The main, and most important one, is that this book is about two parallel stories of Samantha and Elena as they navigate their lives in the Abruzzo region of Italiy. Elena is discovered through her diaries from her time in 1914, as Italy prepares to join World War II, while Samantha is in present day. That being the main plot of this book, I was disappointed to note that the first time Elena appears was 58% of the book. The set up for Samantha's character arc was just far too long in my opinion, considering Elena was by far my favorite part of the story.

I only note this as a large disappointment because of how gripping I found Elena's story. I wish there was more of her! As soon as Samantha discovers her, I could not put the book down, and I wish a larger portion of the book had been exploring the two character's lives.

My other minor issues are the fact that Samantha's love interest (if you can call him that? There is a romance side-plot, but it is very minor) was dropped in unannounced at about 45% of the book. I think he could have been introduced sooner. Also Samatha's personal story arc didn't end up adding a lot for me to the book, and honestly I think could have been cut in favor of MORE ELENA. (Did I mention how much I love Elena?)

I went on a long and engaging journey. It was beautiful and just the right book during this cozy weather.
Discovering who and what you can do is the pivotal part and there was something about novels that give you wonder and the breeze of thoughts and whirlwind of emotions. But what will stay with me is the place and the immersion it gave. I would love to read more from the author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for the eARC of this book to review in advance!

I was drew in by the premise and the cover and wanted to like it. unfortunately, I found the pacing to be incredibly off and slow. the two timelines felt like entirely different stories so it made it hard to read them together. and at times it was too predictable, cheesy and i just couldn't connect to the characters at all

This was not what I expected. Too predictable, a tad too cheesy, and too drawn out. An older audience would enjoy it better than I, I think. I just couldn't relate and didn't find the characters relatable or the plot all that realistic.

Thank you to NetGally and the author for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

IN THE SHADOW OF THE APENNINES by Kimberly Sullivan is a women's fiction novel set in modern day and flashes back via journals to an Italian shepherdess's life about 100 years in the past. There's an incredible parallel between these two women, and the journals serve to comfort the protagonist after the many mistakes and tribulations she suffers.

The protagonist, Samantha Thorpe, is seeking a life reset after her recent divorce and dismissal from her job at the university at which she met her husband who is now a big shot professor. Through flashbacks, we see what she's experienced and how much it has hurt her. She buys a small home in the mountain town of Marsicano to escape and start anew, perhaps with a writing career. But the words don't come.... at first.

What you should know about this story is that it will take you on an emotional rollercoaster ride, in the best sense. At times, I felt sympathy for Samantha, but sometimes I'd feel frustrated with her decisions, then come around again to sympathy, and even protectiveness. There are not many books that can make me run through such a wide range of emotions, and I applaud Ms. Sullivan for her skills in that area.

My favorite part of the novel is when Samantha discovers and reads Elena's diaries. It happens in the latter half of the novel, so stick with Samantha's story because the payoff when you get to the diaries is worth the pages the author dedicated to getting you there. The diaries keep Samantha company during a difficult and isolating part of her journey. Elena's story drew me (and Samantha) in, and I found myself cheering for this young shepherdess. What a compelling story within a story! There's romance, tragedy, and family and town politics to keep up the interest and the tension.

Ms. Sullivan's attention to detail and lush descriptions made me feel emersed in the novel. Whether we were on a college campus, or in the shadow of the Apennines, it impressed me how well the author knows her settings. They came alive for me, and I really enjoyed that.

IN THE SHADOW OF THE APENNINES is an escape into a beautiful mountain village in Italy, with lush descriptions and a satisfying main character arc. Come for the emotional rollercoaster ride, stay for the escape into historic Italy.

Fleeing New York and her ex-husband of 20 years, recently divorced Samantha stumbles across an old cabin at the edge of a small Italian town that she instantly purchases. She begins refurbishing her new home and promising herself that she’ll start writing again, while attempting to make new friends. Things are going well, though she still can’t seem to begin writing her novel. But she makes a mistake that ostracizes her from the village and then discovers two very significant things that will change her life forever.

The first 25% of this work relies heavily on flashbacks, which offers insights into why Samantha moved from New York to Italy. The next 20-30% focuses primarily on Samantha and her new life, then the remainder of the book dives heavily into the secondary plot of the historic journals. I understand why the author set up the work this way, but it made it difficult for me to connect with Samantha. It also means that she didn’t start the journals until the second third of the book, when I thought based off the book’s description that they were going to be the primary focus. I was a little disappointed that the historic journals took such a backseat.

To be honest, the parallelism between the primary and secondary plots was too cheesy for me. It made the last third of the book predictable and not as engaging as it could have been. I think part of the problem with this was that the journals were kept out of the story until the last third of the book, so the two stories didn’t really combine well or create any real emotional connection. Thankfully, I did enjoy the author’s writing style and the beautiful descriptions included throughout the work.

Samantha did undergo some good character growth throughout the work, while also having solid depth and development. She felt like a real person and made for a relatable protagonist, especially with the mistake she made relating to social media. The remaining characters weren’t as well developed, though since they hardly had any page time, I don’t think this was a huge deal.

Overall, this was a fine read although it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. It was still enjoyable though it was a little too “book club” for me. My thanks to NetGalley and Kimberly Sullivan for allowing me to read and review this novel, which will be published on October 21st, 2022. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Thank you for the eARC of this book to review in advance!

I wanted to love this book and was drew in by the premise and the cover. However, I found the pacing to be incredibly off and slow. The two timelines felt like entirely different stories so it made it hard to read them together.

A solid 3.5. Samantha Thorpe is newly divorced and seeking a fresh start in a small Italian village. Her sense of self and self esteem are at all time lows. She throws herself into updating her cottage, tries to find inspiration to write, and has a mercurial relationship with the locals.

It isn't until 60% into the book that Samantha discovers hidden treasures in the house which lead her on a journey to the past. By this time she has already made some pretty bad life choices, ones that have upended the life she has managed to assemble and forced her into some backwards steps.

While the writing was competent, with beautiful imagery and character development, there were some things that bothered me. First, two rape scenes. Second, the length of time spent on Samantha's failed marriage her unbelievably toxic husband. Third, the lack of consistency with Samantha's personality. Lastly, the amount of parallels between Samantha and Elena was quite unrealistic.

So, yes, I did like the book. But I didn't love it.