Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!

This book fell flat. The premise was cute and I hoped for a nice escape reading this in winter, but the setting felt cliche and the characters one dimensional.

What happened to Ellie in the initial scene is something many a reader can relate to. Not the exact scene, mind you. More of the foot in mouth slash wish there could be a do over.

Ellie takes what occurred and attempts to overcome it all while celebrating her grandmother's wedding. Appreciate that the reader will be in for a surprising turn as the story unfolds.

There is a bicultural feel in this book as the author liberally includes vivid descriptions of the Italian food, to the distinctly unique cultural customs and the lyrical Italian language.

This ARC was provided by the publisher, St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Jill Francis's 'The Summer You Were Mine' is the perfect sun-drenched escape for anyone craving a sweet, romantic beach read. The story follows two childhood friends, Ellie and Cris, who reconnect at a picturesque family wedding in Italy after years of estrangement.

The backdrop of the Italian coast is absolutely enchanting, creating a dreamy atmosphere that perfectly complements the rekindling of their old connection. Francis skillfully weaves the romance with the charm of Italian scenery, making it easy to get lost in the story.

The book delivers on its promise of a heartwarming summer romance, and it's a fantastic way to transport yourself to Italy without leaving your beach chair. If you're looking for a charming, easy-to-read romance with a beautiful Italian setting, 'The Summer You Were Mine' is a definite recommendation. It's the perfect companion for a lazy summer afternoon.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martins Griffin for letting me read the advanced e arc for this book.

The excerpt toted Summer on the Italian coast and second chance romance. I was in. Unfortunately, the vibes definitely fell flat for me. It felt touristy and not authentic.

I also really did not like the main characters. They were really immature and selfish. Especially the FMC. In the end I feel like she didn’t have any character development and it was the MMC that made most of the compromises. The whole premise of the story did not feel relatable or compelling.

The spice was very good but there was really only one scene.

I was really excited to read this one mainly because of the italian setting. However it fell a little flat for me. I couldn't get behind the characters relationship and it felt a little weird that their grandparents were getting married. The setting was fantastic and made me want to book a trip to Italy but i didnt love the Italian spread throughout and it made me feel like i was missing out on key diolouge. I think it could be a good beach read for the right people. i just wanted a little more substanse. I am also not a big fan of the miscommunication trope.

It's a little like a romance combo meal: lots of good pieces, but in parts, it is just a lot. It combines sports, parent drama, friends like family, two countries, career changes, failed attempts, and a little neurodivergent spice.

Cris and Ellie have known each other for their entire lives. They spend dreamy summers together as kids in Italy and then spend school years apart. Both of their families come with drama and trauma. They have a huge falling out as young people but are brought back together as their grandparents find love again. They reenter each other's lives as they both are experiencing professional crises. They fight through years of hard, mismatched feelings to find themselves again.

Look, Jill's writing is pretty great and although this book has much less romance and more angst than I typically read, the writing makes it worth it. You feel like you know these sweet little Italian grandmas, and I do love the multigenerational love that happens in two side couples' stories.

Looking for a beach read that you'll finish? This should be a summer staple.

“We can be right and miserable or risk being wrong and happy. So what I’m saying is be wrong, Eleonora. Be very, very wrong.”

This book has the perfect ambiance for reading on a beach in Europe or, alternatively, if you want to imagine being on a beach in Europe. While the plot takes some turns, it’s never so deep that you’d be distracted from your vacation. Still, it does have enough substance (particularly in the personal growth and interpersonal relationship-building department) to keep you entertained.

At its best, this book was heartfelt, quirky, and teeming with the essence of Italian summer. At its weakest, it was confusing, trying a tad too hard to have Ali Hazelwood-esque language so confusing I’d have to re-read lines, often in Italian with no explanation after of what they meant. I shouldn’t have to pull up google translate to understand dialogue.

I enjoyed the second half of this book much more than the first. The first half took me weeks to get through, while I flew through the second, especially after the 65% mark. The first half sacrificed clarity for zany writing, including too many characters to keep straight. After reading the entire book, I would still fail if you asked me to connect the names to each character. The description of Ellie and Chris falling out in their youth still made no sense after reading the resolution, and I also couldn’t pinpoint exactly when it happened or how old they were.

The second half excelled at showing the personal growth of multiple characters, particularly Ellie. I enjoyed the quirky languages with modern references when it wasn't confusing. Yet, my favorite lines were the ones that articulated emotions I’d lived before but couldn’t put into words:

"He was now in the groggy space that every dreamer knew, when there was no real way back to what magic they had felt on the other side, no matter how hard they tried. He closed his eyes tight, trying to remain in the dream [...] on a warm summer night in Chiavari and anything was possible."

Two significant ways to improve this book before its release would be to clarify the writing (which might mean reducing the amount of quirkiness and references, but it would be worth it!) of the first half and revise the section that describes why Ellie and Chris fell out in their youth. And, of course, fix the grammar mistakes sprinkled throughout the prose.

I rate the first half 4.25 and the second around 3.5. So, the overall rating hovers around 3.75 for me. I would read more books by this author if they could keep the quality of the second half throughout the entire book and if I was in the mood for the book’s setting.

PS, this was the best ambiance to play in the background while reading the book:
https://youtu.be/xEnxoE2iXzk?si=sadcKqOSPnR1zZh5

I find it hard to resist a love story that takes place with the backdrop of the food, wine, culture and beauty of Italy. I was rooting for Ellie and Cris from the beginning and just knew they had to wind up together. The podcast and sports themes lent an element of interest, as they navigated the ups and downs of their relationship. And how fun it all unfolded as Ellie’s grandmother and Cris’s grandfather prepared to marry each other.

The love and support of Ellie’s childhood friend Greta and her brother Ben was integral to the story. And Cris had the support of his twin brothers Leo and Ale. Surrounded by the love and support of family and friends, Ellie and Cris’s love story unfolded gradually, and everyone seemed to know where it was headed before they did. It was interesting to view the relationship through Ellie's perspective, after her recent diagnosis of autism and greater understanding of herself.

I recommend this fun story of love and family relationships with the delightful Italian setting.

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review.

I wanted to like this book because it seemed like a fun concept and I was down for the Italian summer vibes but it was just so boring. Neither main character was likeable and every one of their interactions felt like pulling teeth. They had no chemistry and honestly weren’t even very nice to each other. The rest of the book was just pointless dialogue and people eating in different locations. Nothing interesting happened and I had to force myself to finish this book.
(We’re not going to even get into the fact that their grandparents were getting married but that definitely made me feel weird about their relationship)
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the ARC!

"The Summer You Were Mine" by Jill Francis is like a sun-drenched getaway to the Italian Riviera, wrapped in the warmth of a second-chance romance. Ellie and Cris's journey from youthful almost-lovers to adults navigating life's curveballs is both heartwarming and relatable. Francis's evocative writing style transports you straight to the sun-soaked beaches and charming streets of Italy, making you feel the Mediterranean breeze as you turn each page. The characters are beautifully flawed—Ellie's neurodivergent perspective adds depth and authenticity, while Cris's brooding demeanor hides a tender heart. Their slow-burn chemistry is the stuff of classic rom-coms, filled with witty banter and palpable tension. If you're a fan of stories that blend heartfelt emotion with picturesque settings, this novel is your perfect summer escape.

I don't know why this fell flat for me.. I wish it didn't! It just felt unbelievable and, dare I say immature. I feel so bad!
Sometimes I wish I could find a romance novel that wasn't so, fantasy like? Where maybe it's possible in real life and not just the movies for the book... le Sigh. :(

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review. I was so excited to read this book after reading the blurb: a book basked in Italy? Count me in! But the characters and the narrative just fell flat for me. I couldn't get into the story or the characters. I hate the trope of miscommunication and I fell so frustrated while reading this book. Because of my feelings, I won't be posting this review to my GoodReads account. I hate posting negative reviews because I am a firm believer in "No two people read the same book."

2 ⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins for the ARC.

This was my first book by Jill Francis and I really wanted to love it. But I just didn’t. Normally I am a huge second chance romance sucker but this just fell flat. I’m wasn’t a fan of the characters and the whole story line honestly. I really wanted to love it tho.

The Summer You Were Mine is a perfect Beach Read-It made me want to fly back to Italy and fall back in love with the country over and over. It hooked me immediately and I was 30% through the book before I even knew it. That being said, there was a bit of a slow patch in the middle--I think I believed the chemistry between Cris and Ellie less in the second half than I did in the first. However, It was still beautiful and atmospheric. I loved the way it dealt with Ellie's neurodiversity and Cris' reaction to it. Ben is absolutely my favorite character and I really hope his book is on the way! The straddling of two cultures-American and Italian-was nicely done, and as someone who is constantly trying to learn Italian, I loved all the little bits of the language sprinkled in (though I think I would find it extremely frustrating that the translations to them weren't always immediately obvious if I didn't know enough to at least guess at most of them). Anything with Italy is usually pretty hard to miss for me, but this definitely stood out from many others and I'm so glad I received an Arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest and fair review.

5*

I love beach reading in winter and found The Summer You Were Mine a perfect choice to do so. Italian Riviera, here I come!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
this is a beautiful story, following generations of a family and their love stories, but mainly follows cris and ellie. it is truly heart warming. it is a second-chance romance with an italian backdrop, what more could a romance reader want!

Despite its promising Italian coastal setting, "The Summer You Were Mine" unfortunately falls flat as a second-chance romance. The premise that two people would remain emotionally frozen for over a decade after a single teenage kiss stretched credibility too far. The characters' inability to communicate effectively made it difficult to root for their relationship, and Ellie's reactions often felt disproportionate even considering her autism diagnosis. The writing itself presented challenges with disjointed narrative flow and delayed important information. Add in the unlikely coincidence of multiple romantic pairings across the same families, and the story ultimately sacrificed authenticity for convenience. While I wanted to get lost in this summer romance, I found myself struggling to finish instead.

title: The Summer You Were Mine

author: Jill Francis

publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

publication date: July 1, 2025

pages: 352

peppers: 3 (on this scale)

warnings: parental death in distant past

summary: Just before Emmie will leave NYC for Italy to attend her grandmother's wedding, she accidentally tells the brutal truth on the air at her podcast. Even worse, her childhood friend turned first love Cris will be there, too. It turns out, that Cris is going through a work-related crisis of his own. They wonder if he makes an appearance on her podcast, could it help revive both of their images?

tropes:

second-chance romance
family friends
professional athlete
neurodivergence
parents' marriage on the rocks

what I liked:

the family scenes and scenes of Italy
both main characters' professional ordeals
Cris's water-polo-playing/ playboy/ reality tv star twin brothers
Emmie's relationship with her brother
representation of autism

what I didn’t like: too quick to believe the worst without talking

overall rating: 4 (of 5 stars)

this was a good book! I felt like I was there in Italy on the coast, enjoying the perfect beaches. I do like the themes of family, relationships, and growth, plus all of the familial drama that came along with it all. Over all it was a great read!!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

I really thought I was going to love this book. It encompasses athletes and second chances, both of which I am usually all for. While I didn’t HATE it, I found it very hard to get into the storyline here. The beginning was slow and fast at the same time, almost as though there was too much information and not enough simultaneously. The writing wasn’t bad at all and character development was decent. Overall I just found it lacklustre and wish it had had just a little more drama and excitement.