This is a warm, heartfelt story about second chances, friendship, and rediscovery. It follows Natalie, a TV presenter sent to Venice for a new show, only to find her past — including a painful teenage betrayal — resurfacing in unexpected ways. Reuniting with her former best friend Cathy, Natalie is given a rare opportunity to heal old wounds and embrace new beginnings.

What sets this novel apart is its authenticity. Victoria Springfield captures Venice not through clichés, but with a deep love and respect for its art, architecture, traditions, and unique spirit. Every detail feels carefully researched and lovingly described, painting a vivid and genuine portrait of the city. Rich with emotion, friendship, and the timeless magic of Venice, One Summer in Italy is a beautiful, satisfying read.

Excellent read, beautifully descriptive, but with some darker moments which all added to the twists and turns of the story. Very well written, with good characters,overall thoroughly enjoyable and recommended.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

Natalie works in TV production amd is offered a chance to be the presenter for a show called "Luxe Life Swap" where two very rich couples exchange their homes (and lifestyle) for two weeks. She loves the chance but not so.much that she is supposed to go to Venice, a city she has bad memories of since a school-trip years ago.
Once in Venice it turns out that the wife of the rich couple is Cate, who used to be Natalie's best friend until said school-trip and that is just the first rather unbelievable event in this book. It turns out almost all the english characters were on that school-trip years ago and now rather randomly have come to Venice at the same time which of course gives a perfect opportunity to put old secrets and guilts to rest.
I have to say while this book was entertaining I did feel the story was rather constructed and there were too many coincidences for it to be believable. I really loved reading about the city of Venice and all it's hidden gems. I made me want to go there and see for myself.
For me this was a feel-good novel set in a beautiful city.

Want a get-away to gorgeous Venice? Look no further than this novel.

Londoner Natalie is a television producer, who had one long-ago shot at TV presenter status. When a last-minute illness leaves her production company desperately searching for on-air talent for a luxurious lifestyle swap program in Venice, Natalie finds herself jetting off to La Serenissima. She’s determined to make this work and to push from her mind a secret she’s been harboring from a past school trip to the city of canals.

Cate is excited to learn that she and her successful businessman husband, Phil, have been selected for the luxury lifestyle program, swapping their quaint, renovated English vicarage for a Venetian palazzo for two weeks. Cate hopes the show can help profile her husband’s business, and she’s willing to overlook secrets from her past she’d prefer to keep buried.

This was fun, escapist women’s fiction, set in one of the world’s most beautiful cities. Springfield has an obvious love for Italy, which comes through on each page. You’ll enjoy this multi-narrator story, with hidden secrets and plenty of Venetian charm.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy - all thoughts are my own.

A great read written by Victoria Springfield. Brilliant characters, beautifully described setting of Venice and a romance flung in, what else can you ask for in a book!

Read this for a get away from it all, you will not be dissapointed

If you want a book to pull you to visit Venice, then you might need to read this!
Natalie works as a TV freelancer and is asked to present a programme in Venice. Sounds amazing. But she will have to step into the shoes of a famous presenter, which is no mean feat. And Venice... well, that's another story. Nat has to face some pretty big demons to accept the job. But none bigger than what she finds out when she realises who she will be spending time with.
Cate and Phil are a well-to-do couple, with Phil owning a prestigious furniture business, and Cate living a fantastic life. They've been approached to be one couple on a house swap programme with a difference, both couples live lives of luxury, including where and how they live. They both have secrets linked to Venice that neither of them has ever discussed with the other.
What a brilliant story!
The way we are led into these secrets, some darker than others, is done so well, and how they entwine with one another intricately keeps us reading. Well, it kept me reading!
Beautiful descriptions of the various parts of Venice, both the tourist spots and those lesser-known areas. Food is spoken about so much, I'd want to reach out for some, but I wasn't there!
There is romance, both new and rekindled, and mysteries solved, as well as friendships renewed.
I read this within a day and loved it!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood for providing me an e-arc in change for a honest review.
If you want a good book to escape to Italy it’s perfect!
This book follows 3 characters with their return to Venice years after a school trip.
It explores their friendships, family and relationships, a perfect summer read

Natalie goes to Venice to host a tv show, but the contestant on the shows happens to be the one she blames for her ruined wedding. good story

Natalie is stepping up to prevent 'Luxe Life Swap', she just wishes it wasn't I. Venice so she wouldn't have to confront the past and when one of the figures from the last turns up there too, it becomes a lot more complicated.

Cate and Phil have signed up to be part of a television series however when they're told they're going to Venice, neither of them quite feel ready to face the events of the last that have happened there.


It's an enjoyable book, it was a little predictable and for that reason I couldn't put it down as I wanted to see whether my hunch was right (it nearly was!). The characters are likeable, if a little too interwoven, and the story is dramatic. The setting is a great one but overall the story did feel a little contrived.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC.

Natalie works for a TV production company and is being brought in as a stand-in for a famous presenter who had a medical emergency. The TV show is called Luxe Life Swap, where two well-to-do couples swap places for two weeks. Cate and Phil from Sevenoaks get to stay in a Venetian palazzo and Natalie has to look after them. She realises that Cate used to be her old friend Cathy who has reinvented herself since their school days. Back then they went on a school trip to Venice together, and their friendship imploded because of certain things that were being said and done, to do with boys and parents.

Secrets and lies are exposed, family history is discovered and romance blooms. There are flashbacks, but not too many, and the story is well-rounded, expertly capturing the Venetian feel including art, architecture and delectable Italian food.

This is well-written and interesting and will make you want to visit Venice, though the twists are easy to guess. I liked watchmaker Eraldo and the "pub crawl" through Venetian eateries.

An excellent read for any and all readers! Author comes at you with both barrels and knocks you out of your shoes! Great job fleshing out all the characters. I give this book FIVE stars! Definitely recommend!

If the concept, “a book takes you to a place you’ve never been” this is it! I felt like I was there. The book was just phenomenal and I felt in the moment of Italy from start to finish. Wonderful story!

Get ready to say 'Ciao' to Venice and be swept away by the scenic Italian lifestyle. When Natalie is recruited to host Luxe Life Swap she couldn't have dreamed that the colorful coast would bring to light her childhood trauma. Forced to confront her past, Natalie's ex-best friend and new love interest set to right past wrongs with Venice's stunning scenery setting the backdrop.

Victoria Springfield's novel will keep readers guessing throughout the story. I found myself laughing and then on the next page, tearing up as the protagonists faced challenges and overcame obstacles. The author's vivid scenes will transport readers to Italy and by the end of the novel, they won't want to leave.

Free courtesy of Netgalley

First book I have read from Victoria Springfield but it won't be the last. I couldn't put the book down, and I read it in two days. It made me want to go back to Venice (which is a breakthrough as I didn't enjoy it on my only visit?). I was only there for the day and didn't get to see or experience all the wonderful places talked about in this book.

The story centers around 3 main characters. Firstly husband and wife, Phil and Cate (Cathy) who have signed up for a house swap for 2 weeks for a television show. They got to swap with a Venetian couple, but both of them got their own secrets around Venice which could threaten their Marriage. Then Natalie works for the television company who is making the show, she is asked last minute to stand in for the usual presenter, as she is in hospital. Natalie has her own demons about Venice but doesn't want to let her boss down, or pass up the opportunity to enhance her career.

With many twists and turns, the story weaves around the present and when all three main characters were in Venice on a school trip.

It has a wonderful array of supporting characters and really touches on the beauty of Venice and what it has to offer, if you step outside of the tourist traps.

I would definitely recommend this book, as I love a book that can take you on a journey to another place whilst led in your own bed.

A truly joyful read!
One Summer In Italy follows the story of Natalie, a tv presenter sent to Venice by her friend and manager to be the host of a very popular tv show. But that's not the first time Natalie's been to Venice, as she visited during a school trip when she was a teenager. Unfortunately the memories of Venice she built at the time are not great, a lost friendship, betrayal, and something more...
But this story is all about second chances and everything takes a new course when Natalie discovers that the protagonist of her tv show is Cathy, her best friend during her teenage years but that Venice and a series of misunderstanding took away from her.
We then follow along the stories of both ladies reunited unexpectedly and with a lot to discover about themselves, their lives, their past and even their future!

What I loved the most about this book is how authentic it felt, and how much the love for Venice as a gem of a city that needs to be preserved, came through every single page. As an Italian I'm always weary of books set in Italy, because more often than not, they depict the culture and life in a way that might seem realistic to the general public but usually full of cliches... This one was a truly different story, it felt genuine, it felt real, it felt researched in the best possible way, it felt honest and I genuinely loved all the little details, the description of the arts and crafts, food, architecture and art that make Venice the unique city it is. I might be a bit biased because I love Venice with a passion, but this book did not disappoint, if anything made me want board the first flight to Venice and go for a morning stroll by the canal in Cannaregio. Truly recommended!!

Thanks to Boldwood Books for providing with an advanced copy of this book on Netgalley! Couldn't be happier