I have recently become a fan. I appreciate the opportunity to read an advance copy and enjoyed the characters and the relationships formed and the heroine getting in touch with her true self. The tidbits about the locale was a welcome addition.
I, myself, prefer her spicier books but for anyone who is searching for a wholesome romance this is a winner

3⭐️ This book was so thoughtful and well executed. There is something so heartwarming about reconnecting with your family homeland and meeting your extended family. Jennifer Probst really does a great job of making you feel all the emotions Aurora is feeling, especially her grief and anxiety, and an even better job of making you feel like you have been transported to Italy yourself.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this eARC for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

I was lucky enough to win an e-ARC of TO SICILY WITH LOVE by Jennifer Probst in a Shelf Awareness giveaway. Thank you for the early look, and have a safe and happy Halloween season!

Aurora is a podcast host and a life coach with many clients. She has a boyfriend that is arrogant and pretty unlikable. Her mom dies young of a heart attack. She takes a DNA test and finds out her mom was not an only child but has a whole family in Sicily. The story takes a turn and she goes to Italy for the summer. This changes the direction of her life.

This book was full of nostalgic descriptions and endearing moments. I enjoyed exploring the theme of going to the home of one’s ancestors. Well, I appreciated the overall story arc as well as the dialogue. I found that an execution this story came across lacking. I wasn’t invested in any of the characters as there was not a lot of time spent in characterization. While this book was a bit boring in parts, it was overall quite a sweet story with good theme.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkeley publishing for the ARC. Book to be published February 18, 2025.

I absolutely devoured this book! The sensory writing was just what I was craving -- descriptions of the food, the location, the heart of the people -- it all came alive in this delicious read. Highly recommended.
This book was provided to me by the publisher but all opinions are my own.

To Sicily with Love is a five star novel. I couldn't put it down. I was completely invested in the main character, Aurora's arc and growth. Aurora is an only child who becomes unexpectedly orphaned as an adult and left without any family. She believes she is an only child of two only children. She is a high energy life coach and podcaster with a strong social media influence and a book deal Her boyfriend, Jason, owns several fitness clubs and is also a social media fitness influencer. They appear to be the perfect couple with a career trajectory that can only go up. They practice what they preach, eat clean, avoid carbs and work hard. That is, until Aurora can't seem to motivate herself or her clients anymore after her mother's untimely death. She learns that she might indeed have family in Sicily and takes a break from her hard charging life to meet them. One taste of home made Sicilian bread and she slowly finds out what she really wants in life.

I loved that I could literally see, taste and smell Sicily through Probst's beautiful descriptions. I highly recommend this novel to lovers of Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC. To Sicily with Love will be published on February 18, 2025.

the book started slow and it finally picked up when she arrived in Sicily, i really appreciated the way her anxiety was expressed bc it felt real, with that being said, her struggles throughout the book didn’t make me really connect with the romance part of the book, i didn’t really thought that the connection and chemistry with Quint was built and i didn’t really care about their relationship or him bc of that, he needed more development in my opinion for us as readers to also fall in love with him
I felt it had too many italian stereotypes that made them feel like cartoons of who the characters were supposed to be

Aurora has it all - a handsome boyfriend, a podcast and clients, a book on the way. Everything changes when her mom passes away, with her grief threatening everything she worked so hard to obtain.
After submitting a DNA sample, she finds family that live in Sicily. After a lifetime of believing she was an only child, she finds cousins and grandparents she thought were deceased.
She makes the trip to Sicily to discover her family, who helps her to heal and find what is missing from her life.
I can almost taste the wine and food, great descriptions of the lifestyle of family living in Sicily.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of the book in exchange for feedback.

Aurora seems to have it all. An amazing career, a hot, successful boyfriend, and her mom who keeps her grounded and makes her comfort food for Sunday dinners. But when her mom dies unexpectedly, Aurora has a difficult time managing her grief. She has a very public meltdown which costs her clients and contracts, and her boyfriend decides they need a break. Aurora sinks further into her grief.

After sending off her DNA to an ancestry site, Aurora gets a familial match and a message from a woman in Italy claiming to be a cousin. But Aurora has no family. She is an only child and her parents were only children. Weren’t they? Suddenly Aurora is thrust into a Sicilian family with grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and a really good looking family friend. As Aurora digs for answers about her mom, she realizes a lot about herself and what she wants. And maybe what she wants is Sicily.

I absolutely loved this book! This was the first book I read by this author and I’m hoping the rest of her books are similar in style because I can’t wait to read more. I loved the depth of the characters and how well their development flows through the book. They seem so real to me and not just written on pages. The descriptions of Sicily and the ocean and the food and everything Aurora encounters are so well written I feel as though I was there watching with her. Makes me want to go visit Italy again because I clearly didn’t appreciate it enough when I was there the first time. Excellent story.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Berkley Publishing for the advance reader copy. This is my honest review.
Publication date Feb 18, 2025 5⭐️

To Sicily with Love started out slow and I struggled with it until we get to Sicily. I loved that this story centers around found family, reinventing yourself, and navigating grief. I did find some of the book to be repetitive and I don’t believe it needed to be as long as it was. Reading auroras transformation genuinely brought a smile to my face and you could feel the love emanating from her family through the pages.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the e-arc for an honest review!

I won't lie, when I started To Sicily with Love I didn't have the highest of hopes. Our main character, Aurora, is a social media influencer/life coach and I just can't stand that plot line. The first 20-30% seemed to drag on and I almost put it down.

However! Once we got to Sicily, things started to pick up for me. You get lost in the Italian landscape, descriptions of food, all while you're sifting through themes of grief, guilt, and self-discovery. I really began to enjoy Aurora more as well as the additional characters. I especially loved Aurora's relationship with her Boppa.

This book did remind me a little too much of One Italian Summer but without the magical realism and cheating trope. This was a nice quick read and I'd recommend picking it up when it comes out in Feb 2025!

3.5 stars

To Sicily with Love by Jennifer Probst is a charming, heartwarming read that swept me away to the sun-soaked landscapes of Sicily. As someone who loves a blend of romance, family dynamics, and evocative settings, this book hit all the right notes. Probst masterfully weaves together themes of love, healing, and self-discovery, with well-drawn characters that feel incredibly relatable. The way she captures the magic of Sicilian culture made me feel like I was right there, savoring every detail. If you’re a fan of romantic, feel-good stories that transport you to another place, this one’s a must-read.

Jennifer Probst’s evocative writing captures the essence of Italian life and traditions with such vivid detail that you can almost taste the local cuisine and feel the warmth of the Mediterranean sun. Aurora’s personal growth and the rich, dynamic relationships she builds with her relatives, along with a charming love interest, create a story that’s as heartwarming as it is inspiring. The themes of healing and transformation are handled with sensitivity and depth, making Aurora’s story a compelling and emotional read. If you’re looking for a novel that combines romance with self-discovery and offers a glimpse into a world of new beginnings, this one is a perfect escape.

The cover drew me into the book but I stayed for the sweet story of family and finding yourself. This was such a good read with an amazing message but I at times I felt like it was a bit repetitive. Also the travel vibes were just beautiful and fun to read about! Thanks to NetGalley for the arc.

To Sicily with Love, written by Jennifer Probst, is the fourth novel in the Meet Me in Italy series.

Format: NetGalley ebook
Genre: Contemporary fiction, romance
Overall score:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice level:🌶️🌶️
Characters: Aurora (FMC) & Quint (MMC)

After losing both of her parents, and suffering a public meltdown, Aurora decides to take a vacation to Sicily to visit some recently discovered family members.

Quint helps run the family bar in Sicily and forms a connection with Aurora after they discover they have both lost their parents. The openness in the way that Quint talks and shares with Aurora is so refreshing! I adore when authors know how to write MMC’s that know how to, and are comfortable, sharing with the FMC’s.

No OW/OM drama, and no third act breakup. Guaranteed HEA! ❤️

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title!

This story focuses on new beginnings and managing grief parallel to a beautiful romance. Aurora goes on an adventure to find her lost family in Italy and in turn finds her true love. It's a heartwarming story that feels relatable and so enjoyable.

I loved this book! I’m a sucker for anything set in Italy and so this immediately drew me in. The romance was amazing but it wasn’t just romance - just a really nice book about finding happiness. I would recommend and will be adding to our library!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing this book, with my honest review below.

I loved reading To Sicily with Love not only due to the amazing descriptions of Italy (and the food!) but due to the lessons this novel reminds me of. While Aurora is likely different than most of us, as a high powered life coach with a strong social media following, her bump back down to earth may be one we are all familiar with in some ways (it hits on my own fear of not valuing my family as much as I can only to have regrets when they are taken away). Thanks to a DNA test she finds she has more family than she knew of and soon enters their warm cocoon, gaining a valuable touchstone that changes her trajectory. The characters in this novel were as vivid as the scenery, and the gentle lessons it introduced were ones that are important but didn’t come off as patronizing.

Whether you are looking for an escape or a bit of a mental break that has you feeling a little more introspective when you’re done reading, I recommend this as a great novel to provide both.

I wasn't sure I would like this book. Aurora and Jason were so annoying in the beginning I almost said enough. I am glad I kept going because when Aurora goes to Sicily the book really moved. Having had so much grief in my life I understood some of what Aurora was going thru. Read this book to the end!

This book is a heartwarming exploration of finding new beginnings and the joy of connecting with family and love in unexpected places. I would definitely be recommending it.