“Light was better than darkness, knowledge better than secrecy.”

In this dual-timeline story, we learn of Giulia’s story around the year 1943. She was the middle sister to Annalisa and Mia. This story is also set in present day about Tori Coleman and her search for answers about her maternal grandmother.

Tori’s life is going through changes. For one thing, she learns that her actual grandmother might reside in Italy by finding out a connection to a postcard with a very stunning wedding dress that was made decades ago. Tori is in fact a wedding dress designer herself, and she learns that this dress was designed by the woman who is actually her grandmother. That’s not the only thing that Tori is experiencing. A single mother, in a long-term relationship with her boyfriend, she’s not sure that marriage is in the cards for her. For now she wants to find out the history of her past. Learning the history behind Parissi Island just might unlock secrets that Tori is desperate to uncover.

With regard to the past, Giulia barely escapes to Parissi Island with her life and she receives help. However, this help came with a price. Now Giulia is forced to possibly give up her dream to go to America and to reunite with her two sisters. There are the dangers of the Nazi threat as World War II is blazing, all while a slow romance is brewing. Is there the possibility that Tori’s grandmother is actually Giulia, a woman who would be well into her 90s?

Barbara Josselsohn has written a compelling story, one that pulled me in from the very first page. This book contained so much and was impossible to put down. I loved both Tori and Giulia’s story and we’ve had Mia’s story with Secrets of the Italian Island. I am definitely looking forward Annalise’s story with the third book in this trilogy.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

My Review
☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️
I absolutely Loved this Book.

The lost gift to Italian island..
Barbara Josselsohn.

A phenomenal story.
This author has a way of bringing to life.
The characters make you feel like you're right there with them.

This is a dual time line story. My favorite kind.
This book is so wonderful. One of those hard put down books.. You feel like you're right they're in the story.
Simply because it's so amazing..

Tori Coleman,
Is living her life in New York. Taking care of her daughter and her grandmother. Things are about to change. A trip is coming up. Things will be revealed. A story like no other.

Sometimes things from the past. Change your whole life and you don't even know it.

Tori is A dress maker. Of the best kind.
Soon she'll find out more family history.

This was an absolutely phenomenal book..
I don't say that about very many books. But this one is at the very top..

Thank you Barbara Barbara Solomon Josselsohn

I wondered as I delved deeper into this story how the plot would play out because Josselsohn makes readers wait a long time before the lines are connecting all the story dots.
The split time line works well to show both Guila’s and Tori’s story. I was more taken with Guila’s story because I found Tori rather closed off for the first part of the book.
I’m happy to reveal Tori has a lot of growth in the book while seeking the answers for her familial search.
After reading what Guila was told before her 18th birthday I immediately wondered how the author would deal with Emilia’s story, which I’m impatient to read.

The Lost Gift to the Italian Island is the second book in the Sisters of War Series by Barbara Josselsohn. This is a wonderful addition to a very beautiful series. Told in dual timelines, Ms. Josselsohn takes us back to Italy and you feel like you are there. She brings the story to life and you will not be able to put it down. It is a beautifully written historical fiction that will bring a tear to eye. It is filled with secrets, tragedy, family, love , courage and a whole lot more. The characters are very well developed and you see them grow right in front of you. A heartwarming story you do not want to miss. Kudos Barbara Josselsohn…..this is a wonderful book….and series.

Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture and Barbara Josselsohn for this captivating story to read and review. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.
#netgalley #bookouture. #barbarajosselsohn
#thelostgifttotheitalianisland. #arc
#sistersofwar

Tori Coleman’s boyfriend Jeremy wants to get married, but Tori just discovered that she is adopted. She isn’t ready to marry him because she doesn’t know who she is. She has an old postcard with a picture of a beautiful wedding dress that her grandmother Giulia made. She was told that the wedding dress was given to a museum on an island in Italy. This is the only information she has as to who her biological family is. She decides she must put her life in New York on hold and travel to Italy to find out everything she possibly can about her family. Tori arrives on Parissi Island, and is mesmerized by the beautiful sparkling waters of the Mediterranean. Her first stop is the museum and she discovers that her grandmother Giulia was Jewish and secretly lived there while World War Two raged on across Europe. When Tori discovers a notebook she soon finds out the truth behind her family.

The Lost Gift to the Italian Island, written by author Barbara Josselsohn was an amazing addition to the Sisters of War series. This story captivated my heart from the very first page to the last. This wonderful and heartwarming story of the connection of family through the decades was amazing. I loved everything about this book from the storyline to the characters. What a wonderfully written story. I could see the sunshine dance on the beautiful turquoise waters of the Mediterranean. This unputdownable book was a wonderful escape. I will recommend this story over and over. I loved it and it will definitely be one I will read again. This story is the second book in the series but can be read as a standalone, however, my suggestion is to read this phenomenal series.

This is another good story in this series.
It’s about two dressmakers separated by time and place. Lots of secrets hidden in this book. I did think it was a slow build and really got better as the story goes on. I’m definitely looking forward to the next book in this series.

I love the Sisters of War series by Barbara Josselsohn. It has a gripping historical plot line and an emotional current-day plotline, and it is so full of family love that it just wrapped me in its warm embrace starting with page one. I don’t think I could ask for any more of a story than what it delivers naturally and effectively.

The historical plot line - Italy during WWII (mainly focusing on the islands off of the mainland) - is so compelling. It’s the story of three sisters who go through so much together and apart, all in the name of love - love for each other, their parents, and those special people in their lives. I loved learning more about what happened in Italy during that period.

The current plotline involves the sisters’ grandchildren and the consequences of what the sisters went through during the war on the current generation. How the war reverberated through the generations in one way or another. It was easy for me to get completely caught up in Tori’s - the main character - challenges and need to know more about the past. I especially loved the mystery angle of the plight to find her birth-grandmother.

I can’t rave enough about this series. You are just going to have to pick up the first book. Find out the secrets of the Italian Island for yourself!

The Lost gift to the Italian island is a heartwarming and gripping novel that expertly weaves between fact and fiction. This is the second book in the sisters of war series that follows Giulia after she escaped Parissi island after the Nazi attack and dives deeper into the political and racist tensions that occurred during the second world war. The narrative follows Giulia in 1943 and her granddaughter Tori in 2019 and this keeps the pace moving quickly as Giulia's point of view reveals information that is simultaneously pushing Tori's investigations to initially think the worst of her grandmother, when in fact it is the opposite.

The novel is a heartwarming journey of self discovery of what one can do when thrown into a situation that isn't their choosing. Giulia is faced with the decision to stay the same or face the unknown head on. An over arching theme is found family in a time of strife, where sharing the same blood doesn't always make a family. While Giulia is isolated from her sisters, she finds a home with Marilene and her family on Ciani Island and falls in love with Luca. Then Marilene creates a new family out of her love for Giulia by saving her daughter and raising her. This sensitively articulates the displacement of war and the struggle of carrying on and finding a path to safety when the protective walls of family or normality is crumbling around these characters.

Overall, I really enjoyed this series and this novel in particular because the pacing kept me wanting more and the even balance between Giulia and Tori's narrative showed that while times change, sometimes the need for safety, love and family stay the same. Tori is scared of the unknown and backs away, whilst Giulia embraces whatever is coming her way. This makes the ending even more powerful where these characters find peace.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I enjoyed reading this dual timeline story set within WWII and the present day.

Tori, a single mother is living in New York, bringing up her daughter, she also has her grandmother living with her. Although she’s engaged, she can’t bring herself round to prepare for the wedding.

When she receives a postcard, everything changes for her. Wanting to know the truth, she sets off for Italy, to uncover secrets from the past of her family. But, she finds more than she expected.

I highly recommend this book.

The Lost Gift to the Italian Island is indeed a gift to readers. The author, Barbara Josselsohn, has a wonderful penchant for writing in a forthright and poignant manner. As a reader, I felt like I was sitting in two time periods with the best of friends and listening in on a very honest, sad, and ultimately happy story. I have to say it was Marilene who most mesmerized me--such an amazingly dimensional character. I wanted to sail to her family's island, dream with her, and ultimately have a long glass of wine at her dinner table. The thing is that all through the book I felt that secrets were being shared only with me. There's a moment when Giulia thinks to herself that a young man she's just met "was beautiful indeed" and I actually smiled with anticipation. Every page offered up similar, mesmerizing gems. Just wonderful.

What a totally captivating story.
I loved the first book in the series and have to say, I loved this one even more. As I read parts of the story through blurry eyes full of tears, I was completely engaged in the heartfelt journey of the characters.
Perfect duel timeline story
Perfect history of resistance/Nazis
Perfect characters
Perfect mystery
Perfect romance
Perfect ending
Please read the first book in the series. Then continue on with book 2. You will not regret it.
Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author, Barbara Josselsohn, for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

Two dressmakers - one with a secret and one with a secret past!

I was so excited to hear that Josselsohn had a second book in her Sisters of War series! I’ve loved reading about three sisters - Annalisa, Giulia, and Emilia - who become separated when the Nazis invade Italy.

This book centers around one of the sisters, Guilia Sancino, and is set partially on an island in the Mediterranean during the darkest days of WW2. It’s a dual timeline and hops between 1943 Italy and present-day New York.

I was engrossed in a heartwarming story about a single mom, Tori Coleman, with too much on her plate who had her life changed by a single postcard. I couldn’t put the book down because Josselsohn masterfully wrote to pull Tori’s past forward to her present. Josselsohn knows just how to mobilize and energize her characters by giving them new challenges and opportunities. It was wonderful to sit back and watch the growth.

The setting is so vividly described it was as if I was visiting it alongside Josselsohn’s characters.

I was completely engrossed in a wonderful novel featuring love, family dynamics, secrets, abandonment, and bravery. Josselsohn’s timelines meshed seamlessly, and she left me needing more to the story.

You’ll be pulled in different directions as the author gives you different perspectives and challenges you to see how each woman’s history played a part in the truth.

I’m hoping for a third book in this series!

I was gifted this copy by Bookouture and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

ARC Review.

The Lost Gift to the Italian Island by Barbara Josselsohn is a historical fiction. It's the second book from the Sisters of
War series.

This is one of the most heart-wrenching stories I have read this year. It's about a woman who was stuck in life because of her childhood trauma, and how her discovery of her true lineage helped her heal herself and move forward. The story alternates between present and past for the most part. The way it's written enables you to feel all the raw emotions the characters feel. The descriptions of what the people on that tiny island went through during WW2 were heartbreaking.
Tori's character was very interesting and so was her story. At first, her decisions angered me but as I read more about her upbringing everything made sense. In some ways, I could relate to her as well. One of my favorite parts was when she found out the truth about what truly happened in the past.

Even if you don't like this genre I think you should give it a chance. It has beautiful life lessons inside of it.
I will rate it with 4 stars.

Told in dual timelines between WWII in Italy and present day. Tori Coleman is a single mother living in NYC with her grandmother, while raising her young daughter. She’s engaged to a wonderful man but can’t seem to commit to marrying him. With the arrival of a simple postcard, Tori’s world is torn apart. On a quest to lean the truth, Tori leaves for Italy to unravel the secrets of her family’s mysterious past. She finds much more than she bargained for.

A wonderful, heartwarming story full of tragedy, secrets, family dynamics, revelations, love, and more.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I am a fan of historical fiction, especially dual time line stories, so I was excited to read this book and I was not disappointed. The story of Tori, a single mom living in New York trying to grow her career as a seamstress and designer of wedding gowns while supporting herself, her elderly grandmother and her daughter is jolted when she discovers a part of her family history is a lie. The story reverts back to a small island in Italy during World War II, where Giulia lives with a family who rescued her when she was escaping from the Nazis from another small island nearby. The book alternates between the dual time frames and the connection ultimately is revealed . I have always learned new information about the tenacity, courage, determination and horrors that these people had to endure during the war, and I always have so much respect and gratitude for all that these people lived through. I enjoyed this book, I liked all the characters, at times I was frustrated with Tori, but it was a learning experience for her throughout this story and it has a satisfying ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to review the title.

Parts of the book are very good and parts I didn't enjoy as much. I found the main character to be a bit wishy-washy and indecisive and wanted at times to give her a good shake and make her realise how lucky she was in her life. I also found some inaccuracies in the title which I fed back via the Kindle tool. Certain parts of the book also felt a little far fetched.

I persevered with the title and enjoyed the last couple of chapters where things came together.

I have since purchased the first title in this series and assume more will follow.

One of those books that will always stick with you once you’ve read it. It’s been days and I still can’t get this breathtaking story out of my head. I honestly don’t think there are words adequate enough to describe how hard I fell for this book and the beautiful story it holds!

This is a lovely story about the main character, Tori, searching for answers to questions that she didn’t even know she had about her past and the way she was behaving and the choices she was making in the present. Told in two different storyline’s, during the war and the present, it was lovely to learn about Tori’s past and to see her grow and evolve. The characters were people you would want to be friends with and the story finished with the perfect ending. Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

As with all Josselsohn’s book, she takes the reader right along with the characters, You can picture everybody, know what they’re wearing, what they look like, where they are. It’s almost like a cinema tour, the details are so specific.. Aside from the physical aspects, she also lets us know what they’re thinking and feeling, The suspense builds throughout, propelling the story forward.

What a wonderful book! The author transports the reader back to 1943 when WW II was being fought and an Italian family separated after living on an island with their uncle. In this book a young single mother finds out the woman she thought was her grandmother is actually not. She goes back to Italy to find out why her grandmother abandoned her child. Through a series of contacts she is able to unite with her biological grandmother and find out what actually happened. I felt compelled to keep reading without much of a break as I neared the end of the book. I had to find out how it played out. This book is full of WW II history and events I was not aware happened. I recommend this book to anyone interested in WW II historical fiction. I received an arc of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.