A young, lonely woman travels to Sicily to Eat, Pray and Love

Sicily is a magical island afloat in the Mediterranean Sea and filled with ancient ruins, welcoming people, and delicious local cuisine. In bestselling author Jennifer Probst’s new novel, “To Sicily with Love” (Berkley Books), Probst shares the story of Aurora York, an ambitious New York millennial driven to tackle the world of self-help. Aurora is a rising social media star, life coach, and author who has established her goals, and will let nothing hamper her success. Even her hunky boyfriend, Jason, a gym owner and health enthusiast, pushes her to be her best self. Aurora has it all!
Until one day, her loving mother unexpectedly dies. Having previously lost her father; Aurora feels alone in the world. She attempts to summon her strength to work, but when she publicly melts down, everything she has worked for is on the line. An only child and with no relatives, she feels adrift, and out of desperation she takes a DNA test.
The results are shocking. Aurora discovers her mother was Sicilian, and there is a match in Sicily. She is stymied as she believed her mother was an only child, too, and her grandparents had died long ago. But this does not seem to be the case. Faced with this irrefutable scientific evidence, Aurora wonders whether her whole life has been a lie, why her mother hid the truth from her. And who are these people in Sicily?
Aurora’s podcast, book contract, and career are all in danger, but she finds the courage to make a bold move. With nothing to lose, boards a plane to Sicily in search of her mother’s past, her own identity, a way to heal her grief, and to meet the big Italian family awaiting her on the other side of the ocean.
Her emotional and physical journey takes her to Sciacca, a small village in the south of Sicily. Will the trip serve as an emotional awakening for her, or will it be a disaster? Will her religious, traditional family explain her mother’s backstory, or will they reject Aurora and remain silent about the haunting past?
Read the full review at booktrib.com/2025/02/14/to-sicily-with-love-jennifer-probst/:
"“To Sicily, with Love,” is like a granita al lemone, an icy lemon Sicilian treat, which melts on your tongue with delight."

Aurora was such a great character to follow. She thinks she has her entire life together, until her mom suddenly passes and she’s left to pick up the pieces. In turn, she finds she has an entire family in Sicily she knows nothing about.

Grief is such a hard topic to depict in a book, and I think Jennifer Probst handled the delivery incredibly well while discussing some difficult topics with grace. This story was a tear-jerker and I found myself crying on several occasions.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

After losing her parents tragically, Aurora is left all alone. Aurora had it all it seemed; to crashing down all at once. Her career is in question after her public meltdown. She just lost her parents and has no relatives that she knows of. After taking a DNA test, Aurora is stunned when she hears from her blood relative in Sicily who eagrly invites her to meet there.
Aurora jumps on the opportunity. In Sicily she meets a handsome Italian man, a charismatic family of her own and a grandfather who is less than pleased of her arrival. As things unfold Aurora finds herself healing from grief.
When her trip is over she is left questioning her life and who she wants in it. She knows she wasn't fully healed and Sicily and still has to continue doing the work. What choices will she make?
This is an enjoyable read that drags in some spots but overall a great family/life story.

To Sicily, With Love, indeed!
I enjoyed reading this book quite a bit. The main character, Aurora, suddenly finds herself on her own in life when her last living relative passes away and her boyfriend wants some space.
After completing a DNA test and finding that she has many relatives and in Italy, she goes on a physical and emotional journey through her past, flying to Sicily and learning about her parents’ secrets.
The food descriptions in this book were heavenly! I think the food was my favorite part of the book. I love that in Italy it is a cultural experience, eating. Every time we sat down with our characters and experienced each course, I was ready to devour the next few paragraphs.
I would have liked to see more personality in our love interest. I like the romance aspect but I felt like we didn’t really find out a lot about the guy before they fl in love. Oh well! He was definitely cute!
As an American with ties to Italy, I felt more connected to this book, putting myself in Aurora’s shoes. Anyone with ties like mine would have fun with this one. It’s also an awesome idea for a book club.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the early read in exchange for my honest review.

The book follows Aurora York, a life coach who believes her career is all she needs for happiness. However, her life is turned upside down after her mother's death. This loss forces her to confront that she doesn't have everything she needs to truly feel fulfilled. Amid her grief, Aurora takes a DNA test and discovers a long-lost family in Sicily, which leads her to embark on a journey to meet them.

As she travels to Sicily, Aurora learns that life is about more than career success. We witness her transformation as she confronts her grief and begins to understand the importance of family and connection. This story beautifully illustrates that life continues and that starting over can lead to true happiness.

Even though this is the fourth book in the series, I easily read it as a standalone. If you're looking for uplifting women's fiction with a romantic element, you will truly love Aurora's journey of healing and self-discovery.

and lastly, these two quotes I LOVED:
"If we never stop to question ourselves or our happiness, how will we ever know we lost our way?"
"What is work? Tasks? Money? All is important, yes. But those things do not contain the meaning we really search for. The joy that stays even when the work is complete or the tasks are done."

This is an emotional book about Aurora and her life journey. It is filled with drama, family, love, and forgiveness. Jennifer Probst has an amazing ability to draw you in and weave a heartfelt tale. I highly recommend this entire series.

Rating: 4 ⭐️
How I Read It:📱

Synopsis

Aurora York had it all loving parents, a steady relationship, and a promising career. But after she loses her mother unexpectedly, she can’t keep it together and feels like she’s losing control of her life. Her boyfriend is no help, and she feels lonely and lost. She decides to take a DNA test and finds relatives in Sicily. Grandparents, aunts, and cousins. But her mother was an only child? How is that possible? Aurora decides to go to Sicily after her family pleads with her to go. She arrives in Italy to find unexpected family and a very handsome Italian man named. Aurora is faced with some difficult life choices when her summer comes to an end. What will she choose?

My Thoughts
This was a really cute read! Jennifer Probst did such an amazing job describing the small town in Italy, and I felt like I was right back in the town in Italy where I visited. That was really the type of book I was looking for when I decided to pick this book up. It had all the cozy Italian family vibes of the charming small village life. It was perfection! If you’re looking for a heartwarming read this summer with a sweet love story and the picturesque backdrop of Italy, then this is the book for you!

Themes
Family Death
Summer Romance

Ratings
Characters: 4 ⭐️
Pace: 4 ⭐️
Enjoyability: 4 ⭐️

Thank you Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!

Huge thank you to @berkleypub
and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I simply love the Meet Me in Italy books and this was the perfect addition! These books are heartwarming, tender, so emotional and all in the most gorgeous setting. Also, warning do not read this book hungry! The food scenes are so descriptive and utterly mouth watering! If you want to take a vacation without ever leaving your home this is the perfect book for you!

After losing both parents unexpectedly, Aurora sets out on a journey of self-discovery as she travels to Sicily to meet the long lost family she never knew she had. Aurora thought she had life all figured out and had specific plans and goals that she was striving for but life throws us curve balls and the unexpected which may just turn out to be what we needed after all. It took me a good minute to get into the book. I felt the story didn’t catch my attention very much but I still enjoyed the premise.

Whew…this book had me feeling every emotion out there. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the copy of this book.

What a journey Aurora takes. After losing her parents, Aurora is lost, she feels so alone. Until one test brings her back to her mother’s roots. Sicily. After drowning in grief, she decides to take a trip to see what happened to her mother and family. What she didn’t realize was how much she could heal being close to her family. This book is very descriptive. You actually feel like you are on this trip with her. Aurora takes sometime to self reflect and what a beautiful story we get. I really loved the last 50% of the book. That’s when the most feelings are felt and I cried right along with her. So many quotes are highlighted. I’ll share more closer to release day.

Perfect story for any fiction readers.

I loved this story that combines a romance with discovering one’s true self. As the story unfolds, Aurora has lost her mother and is having difficulty with managing her grief. Her business and romantic relationship are not in a good place. She travels to Sicily to find her relatives and begins to heal and realize what she wants out of life. This story is filled with great descriptions of Sicilian life: family, food,and traditions. I would recommend reading this book. I was given an arc from NetGalley but this is my honest review.

Aurora’s career as a life coach and motivational social media influencer is prospering and her boyfriend’s determination and goals match her own. She’s strict about her adherence to her life goals, diet and fitness.

However, her Italian mother thinks Aurora doesn’t have the passion she should and that she’s missing out and not embracing true happiness by always denying herself. And then suddenly her mother dies and turns Aurora’s life upside down.

Aurora can’t just brush away her grief like her boyfriend expects. He was a piece of work! The main driving force in her strict lifestyle, IMO. She can’t continue to coach and produce podcasts telling people how to live their life when hers is unraveling and she has no support. On a whim she sends in her DNA to see if there’s any family and gets the shock of her life. Her mother has a bunch of family in Italy.

I enjoyed seeing Aurora draw close to her Italian family, uncover the mystery of why she never knew about them. The food and setting of Italy sounded delicious and gorgeous! I loved Aurora’s loud and boisterous family! Quint, who started off as a friend and ended up as so much more, was lovely!

Aurora’s journey through grief and figuring out what’s important was a moving one! I enjoyed seeing her slow down and savor the gifts life has to offer.

This was a sweet romance with the beautiful backdrop of Sicily. It tells the story of a young woman who finds out that sometimes grief and loss can force you to open your eyes to see what is really important. I enjoyed the characters and how their relationships grew throughout the book. I especially enjoyed reading about the beauty of the land, the mouthwatering food, and the joy and love for life of the Sicilian people. It is a lovely story and one that I can easily recommend for lovers of romance.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book.

Jennifer Probst is one of my favorite authors so all of her books are a must read. This one was not a 5 star for me- not because it wasn't great but I just didn't connect the main character Aurora like do with some of her other characters. I enjoyed her journey but her experience didn't feel new to me. However what I missed in the connection to the character I gained in the world building. The scene was painted so well with each word I felt like I was walking along the streets of Sicily along with them. The most connected I felt to the character was when she described her surroundings in such great details, it made me want to book the next flight!I would still recommend this as a great leisure or beach read

This is a book I will remember for a long time—not just because it brought back memories of my time living in Sicily (where the setting itself feels like a character) but because of the way the author writes about loss, grief, and healing. Her storytelling is poignant and deeply moving. Though I found myself in tears at times, the book ultimately warmed my heart. I absolutely loved it and will be looking up more of her books beyond this series. Her writing goes straight to the heart!

To Sicily with Love tells the story of Aurora, a social influencer and writer who really feels that she has her life together and a lot to share with the public...until her mother passes away and her life completely changes. Suddenly, all of the things that she thought she knew about herself stand to change.

With no remaining family, she takes a DNA test that she'd been given as an old Christmas gift, and thinks that perhaps there's a stray relative out there somewhere in the world for her. Little does she know that she has a ton of immediate family awaiting her in Siciliy!

The book did an amazing job sharing the feelings and thought processes as Aurora coped with loss, her hopes for the future, taking chances on opening up to others, and accepting change in her life as she rediscovers who she really is. I loved how the story told how she really learned to love herself again, as well as family and falling in love with the land of Sicily. It made me fall in love with Sicily - I definitely want to go there now! It was a heartwarming tale and one that I would definitely recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this Advanced Reader Copy. All opinions are my own.

Really enjoyed this story about a young woman finding herself and her family in Italy. The plot is incredibly unrealistic, but the setting is phenomenal, and you can’t help but love Aurora’s Sicilian family and Quint. Jennifer Probst always has me dying to visit Italy with her books!

** spoiler alert ** It was ok. If you want to read a predictable, very low-stakes, low-spice love story in Italy while watching the La Dolce Villa, this might just be the ticket.

(A single shot of Milo Manheim's bare bum in the long-awaited love scene between Maddie and Wally in School Spirits' episode last night gave me more excitement and romance than this whole book.)

The prose is stilted and full of cliches, and the author "tells" instead of "showing" - I know it is a common complaint, but it was especially pronounced here. Given all this "telling," the pace is also inconsistent. We get every detail of a scene or conversation, and then the time jumps suddenly.
Show us what's going on via interactions and dialogue instead of retelling what the therapist said and how another night went at the pub.

I trudged through this book. The MC's maddening relationship with food and grief is one thing, and her insufferable boyfriend is an extreme caricature, but what completely rubbed me the wrong way is Aurora asking her grandfather's permission to date a man - given that her mother left the family completely years ago and never spoke of them again after the same man did not approve of her choice of partner (Aurora's Dad.)

"Look, ma! I am giving into the patriarchy, and now I am happy in the way you could never be!"

That's the same grandfather who gives her a stink eye every time she considers saying no to more food - how dare she. After growing up in a "you don't leave the table until your plate is empty" culture, I find these scenes of the "loving" Italian force-feeding as damaging as the heroine's inner monologue about the carbs and "what would Jason think if I ate some bread and pasta."

I also sensed deep religious undertones (maybe I just needed to research the author and her works better) - given the return to the weekly mass with the family and extremely PG-13 romance.

This book was not for me - on so many levels.

Thank you, NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group, for sharing an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

Aurora, still reeling from the sudden death of her parents, is unhappy that her boyfriend Jason tells her he wants a break. As a social media influencer with a massive following, she breaks down during a podcast, causing her book contract to be delayed. Amidst her relationship issues, contractual problems, and public embarrassment, an unexpected DNA result sends her on an unexpected trip to Sicily. Unbeknownst to her, she has numerous relatives in Italy, closely related to her family tree.

Aurora plans a month-long stay in Italy, hoping to reset her life and get back on track. Discovering her Italian relatives leaves her curious about their history and why her mother kept that side of her family a secret. Learning the truth might just be the healing balm she needs, all while reveling in the attention of an attentive Italian man.

This heartwarming story feels like a coming-of-age tale. Aurora once had it all, having surpassed her personal goals. However, her losses were adding up, and this trip to Italy provided the perfect reset she needed. Faced with new choices and the newfound connection to her family, it creates a compelling story for readers who enjoy connecting with the characters. Aurora’s protagonist makes choices that ultimately lead to her happiness.

The family aspect of the story is heartwarming, especially as most of them welcome her with open arms. Aurora needs this bond with them, and it’s wonderful to witness their connection as the story unfolds.

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

This book was more than a romance. This book was about self discovery, over coming grief and building a more intimate and positive relationship with oneself. This book started really slow at first but picked up as Aurora met and learned about her family. I love how descriptive the author was which allowed me to really picture all the things Aurora got to experience. This is definitely an enjoyable read and anyone who loved Eat, Pray, Love.