The Last Letter From Sicily by Lindsay Marie Morris
Publish Date: Jan 16th
Three and a half stars.

‘The Last Letter From Sicily’ appealed to me for a number of reasons. My favourite kind of historical fiction are those that surround war, and in particular has a focus on the vulnerable and enduring sort of love that comes from living through the hardest of circumstances. I had not read a book before which has explored Italy during this period of time. I also was drawn to the concept of immigration to a new country, and how that would look for a couple in love.

I did enjoy the concept of this book. My one wish for this book would be that there had been more time given for Concetta and Gaetano to build their relationships at the start of the novel, between themselves and side characters, and explore life in Sicily in a bit more detail. I got a good sense of who they are as characters individually, but when they were together at the beginning of the story, I felt the relationship building and the world changing happened together so quickly that I didn’t build an emotional connection to the relationship.

I particularly enjoyed watching Concetta and her family settle into their new life in America. Concetta became such a strong person who did not lose herself or what she believed in even after so many changes and difficulties.

Overall, I believe this is a solid debut novel, and I will look forward to seeing what the author has to bring in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

This book follows two individuals, who fell in love secretly while living in Sicily. Concetta, the FMC, dreams of being a math teacher, and through her good friend Alessandra, Concetta meets Alessandra's brother Gaetano. Gaetano is studying to be a Latin teacher, and Concetta slowly falls in love with him. However, Concetta's parents don't know about Gaetano, so when her father decides to take the family from Sicily to America (Wisconsin to be exact), the couple decides they should get married. Enzo, Concetta's father, rejects Gaetano's asking of Concetta's hand and the family departs to America. The story then flips back and forth between the MMC and FMC, as well as Concetta's little sister and Enzo. The book takes us through WW2 in Italy and being an Italian American immigrant during this period.

This is a fantastic historical fiction. I found the setting of Sicily to be interesting as most historical books during this period are set in Nazi Germany, France, or Poland. The author did an excellent job of flipping us back and forth between all the settings - I was invested in every area of the book. The book shows strong-willed characters who use their love for one another to fight the tests of time and distance, the author makes you root for these characters.

My only real complaint about the book is the ending. I wish we would have at least gotten an epilogue.

I was invited by the publisher to review this book. This book follows secret lovers Concetta and Gaetano - young and in love, but separated when Concetta moves away with her family in 1939. They vow to return to the other in the future, and write letters to one another until then. A problem for them surfaces when Italy declares war on America, and the letters then stop. Thus, Concetta becomes determined to find Gaetano, even if it is in the middle of a war.

This book takes place in Sicily and America, and I loved being able to go back and forth between the two locations. Sicily is such a great choice for a book setting, and the author did a wonderful job of making the reader feel like they were not only in the country based off of the descriptions, but present during a war time, as well. This success also applies to the life that Concetta leads in America, as well. The author also did a great job of depicting that true love can stand all sorts of tests, and I liked that the Concetta was written as a strong woman who was not afraid to go after what she wanted in her life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What an excellent read! It is the perfect love story where time and distance apart doesn't matter. When the love is there, it stands the test of time. Thank you to the publisher and NetGallery for the advanced copy in return for an honest review, I loved it!