5 star Review Our Italian Summer by Jennifer Probst
What a beautifully written, emotional journey Our Italian Summer was. This is a story of three generations of Ferrari women who for a variety of reasons all embark on a trip of a lifetime to Italy. Their journey will effect them all in different ways and bring life changing experiences not only individually but for their relationships as a family.
Sophia is the matriarch and she is struggling with health issues, her daughter Francesca is a busy and successful career focused workaholic and her granddaughter 18 year old Allegra is at a cross roads in her life.
I was fully invested in this story; perhaps because I was in Italy the year before last, I could easily picture the sights as they explored Rome and Tuscany such was the descriptive writing.
This is not so much a romance story (although there is romance) but a story of re building family relationships, of taking stock and looking deep inside ourselves and coming to terms with what you find, of soul searching and reflecting on life as well as healing.
Told in multiple points of view, this story was at times an emotional roller coaster as walls are brought down brick by brick and the unconditional love of family brings much needed re-connecting for three generations of women.

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Our Italian Summer is such a heartwarming read. I loved this one so much. You have 3 generations of women coming together to reconnect and you will love each and every one of them by the end of this book. Sofia is the matriarch and is struggling with her daughter and granddaughter losing their bond. She sees time as fleeting and wants for everyone to reconnect before all things change. Francesca is a workaholic. She thinks she is doing the right thing and has plenty of time with her daughter. Allegra is sweet and lost. You feel her need for her mothers attention. As these ladies go through with their adventure you see such changes with each of them. Watching new bonds form and changes in life will just pull at your heart. I really couldn't get enough of this beautiful read. Go one click this one.

Three generations of Ferrari women set off to Italy for the trip of a lifetime not knowing they are going to learn, not only about themselves, but each other. This book was beautifully written, between the alternating points of view, the mother daughter relationships, and all the endless amounts of love shared, it was truly like being in Italy as the reader. I absolutely loved how 18 year old Allegra grew as a young women within these pages and found her true passions. Frannie, Allegra’s mother, let her guard down enough to allow herself to find true love and accept the fact that she can’t control everything. Sophia, the grandmother and true matriarch of the family, was witty and funny and had the best advice. A couple of times throughout this book I felt like it got repetitive but it was definitely engaging! This book is truly about Italian art and food, family, and so much love.

I was pleasantly surprised by and really enjoyed my first read of 2021. It’s the first title I’ve read by this author. It really kept my interest once I got to know the three main characters. Each woman had a very distinct voice and I enjoyed each of their story lines. There were sections between Francesca and Allegra that had me tearing up simply because I can relate to how hard it is to be a mother to a daughter. I wanted to not like Francesca since she starts out as an absentee control freak workaholic mom but throughout the story she really owns her mistakes. She recognizes how unfair she was to her own mom and how it colored how she raised Allegra.

The romance was very well done and I loved both Enzo and Ian and the roles they played. Lastly, the Italian setting and food descriptions? >Chef’s kiss<

The Ferrari women definitely need help in the relationship department. Ambitious Francesca lives for her work and despises her mother for having no interests beyond the home and yet is jealous of the relationship her mother has with her daughter Allegra.  Allegra needs to be seen by her mother and begins acting out in ways that will grab her mother's attentions.  Sophia know something is wrong with her on the health end and wants to make a last ditch effort to create harmony between her daughter and granddaughter before she's gone. 
Sophia longs to visit her roots in Italy and create an opportunity to heal the ills in her family on neutral ground.  Enjoy an armchair trip through Italy as the Ferrari's find a new meaning of life and work themselves into a close knit loving family. 
Enzo is the handsome tour guide who loves his country and truly enjoys sharing the splendor of his heritage with the tourists he escorts during the busy tourist season. He and Francesca seem to get off the wrong foot on their first night in Rome but then his rescue of her at the Spanish steps goes viral and the spark between them is lit. Where will this story go since he's Italian and lives in Italy and she lives in Manhattan running a successful advertising firm that consumes her life?
Sophia is my favorite character in the story. She's had a hard life that even her own daughter doesn't know about until they truly connect on this Italian Odyssey. She's fighting against an illness that might take her life and wants this once in a lifetime trip to Italian and Naples where her parents hailed from. More importantly she wants to create a safe environment for her daughter and granddaughter to connect before everything is lost in their relationship. She takes on life with a zest that's unbeatable. 
Ian and Allegra offer a very interesting love story with a definite twist that you'll never see coming. Pivotal to all these stories is Francesca who's struggling with anxiety and control issues.  She's the one I best related to having been a single mom with a very strong focus on my career and she's the one who grows the most in this story.
I have had the good fortune to visit Italy many times and experience some of the same destinations that the Ferrari's travel to.  The tour group and the various personalities and characters are very well drawn and it's easy to relate these experiences to some of my own experiences. There were many aha moments especially the one where they visited Maria and her cheesemaking and pizza making enterprise which I have visited too. Those aprons are absolutely something and while this is not in the book I can recall Maria tapping one of the guys in the group with her wooden spoon when in typical American style he wanted to use more sauce on his pizza. 
This is not the typical romances that I have grown to expect from Ms. Probst.  While there is romance it's not the typical girl meets boy and ends happily after.  The story is thought provoking with a lot of emotional and literary depth.

A spectacular story...$.5 Stars


Three generations of women who love each other dearly yet don’t always see eye to eye. Francesca- a workaholic who hardly has time for herself yet alone her family. Allegra who is in those pivotal years between teenager and adult trying to figure out who she is and what she wants in life. She knows she doesn’t wanna be like her mother. Sophia hates seeing her girls suffer and yet holds a secret of her own. She knows she must take action before it's too late and her family falls apart. The trip of a lifetime. A tour of Italy. Each of the women agree to go but each with a different reason why. Little did they know their lives would change so much in one short month.

Through beautiful cities, amazing food, breathtaking churches, small villages and a handful of extraordinary people three women, three generations found a way to come together. To solidify a bond that was deeper than they realize they had. Yes, there were some rocky moments and ugly words were uttered yet they each found a part of themselves through their Italian Summer journey. Something life changing that allowed each of them to get outside of their own heads and figure out something deep within themselves. In the process it allowed a grandmother, a mother and a daughter to bond in a way that would not have seemed feasible just weeks prior.

I loved Our Italian Summer. A fantastic story of family, love and adventure. Learning to let go and being willing to take a chance. Knowing it ok to have some fun and it’s ok to shed tears when needed. Jennifer Probst hits you in all the right spots with Our Italian Summer. It was not just a story, but a journey that me completely rooting for these women to find their happiness.

I have always liked Jennifer Probst's romance novels but this one feels more like a women's fiction. Yes, there is romance but the most important part is the relationship between the 3 women.

Three generations of women decided to take a trip to Italy for the summer for different reasons.

Francesca has a successful business. She is a workaholic and puts her job first. She has missed so many events her daughter has participated in and her daughter is starting to resent her for it. She also doesn't have a great relationship with her mother, Sophia since her mother only wanted to be a stay-at-home mom and her father who passed away was just like Francesca. Taking a trip to Europe is the last thing she wants to do but maybe she might not have a choice.

Allegra is eighteen. She has one more year of high school and then she wants to do anything but what her mother wants her to do. She is tired of her mother making excuses for never being present. She's tired of feeling like she's second-best. On the other hand, she loves her grandmother. Sophia has always been there for her and they shared their love for cooking. After Allegra gets in trouble with the law, she doesn't have a choice in taking the trio.

Sophia can see how Francesca and Allegra are becoming strangers. She knows Allegra is unhappy with her mother and how much hurt she carries with her. She knows Francesca needs to put Allegra first and she thinks the trip to Italy can bring them all together. She's also keeping a secret from both and she wants to see the place where her parents were born. She has always dreamed of this trip and she finally has a chance to do it.

The story is told from Francesca, Allegra, and Sophia's points of view. Is a great way to get to know them better and in my case to like all three of them.

Our Italian Summer was the best escape I needed. I love traveling to Italy through their eyes. I've been to Italy a few times and I was lucky to recognize almost all the places they visit. Although, my favorite place remains the south of Italy. I'd go back to Positano in a second.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Berkley via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this beautiful and emotional story. I enjoyed it even more having visited some of these locations myself. I do hope we get to see more of these wonderful characters. I recommend this book and this author.

I received an advance reader’s copy of "Our Italian Summer" from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Three generations of women travel together to Italy over the summer. Each is working through personal struggles and each finds comfort in family and adventure. It was a comforting read that demonstrated growth amidst a gorgeous backdrop of a summer abroad.

In all, this book was everything I wanted it to be- an easy read about a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Italy. I think it's a nice book that provides a little taste of travel!

I recieved this eARC from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

I loved that this book centerd on not one but three very strong female characters. The family dynamic of this novel felt very real and was easy to conect with.

A daughter, mother and grandmother go on a trip to Italy to reconnect and heal. The daughter is crying out for attention from her mother and has gotten mixed up with the wrong crowd. The mother is a control freak and workaholic. Who felt so crowded by her own mother that she has checked out of her daugther's life. The grandmother feels a disease growing insider her but refuses to go to the doctor till she fixes the relationship between her daughter and granddaughter.

This was overall a really good book. I loved the discriptions of Italy and the character devolpment throughout the book.. However I felt that the ending was rushed and I kept waiting for a climax since I already figured out what illness the grandmother had that wasn't the shock that I think that the author meant it to be. This was a easy read and a nice and quick read.

I give it three stars.

Our Italian Summer is a love letter to Italy wrapped around a three generations family drama. It is a story about expectations often crushed by unexpressed longings; deep desires vs. reality; emotions felt vs. actually communicated. Grandmother Sophia takes her daughter, Francesca and granddaughter, Allegra to her home country in an attempt to heal the rift between them. What they all discover will change their relationships and their expectations. The book also is a wonderful travelogue full of sites, smells, and food that is sure to make you want to hop on the next flight. The characters are well defined as each finally opens up about their individual needs and truths. I urge all lovers of outstanding fiction to read this book. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. Most highly recommend.

Three generations of women are each battling with their own issues and when things come to a breaking point, they end up taking a vacation to Italy that will hopefully change each of their lives. Francesca is the middle of these women, she is a daughter and a mother and is trying to balance both of those parts with her stressful full time job at a company that she has created and is still growing. The eldest Sophia is harboring a secret and is hoping that both of her girls can find peace. Allegra is a daughter and granddaughter and she recently made a few wrong turns that could impact her future.

I love a book about family and especially female relationships and the ins and outs and ups and downs that happen between females in their family relationships. Each of the women in this book had something they were dealing with and I loved seeing how this trip impacted how they were each reacting to their own struggles.

The balance of family, love and professional life were perfect in this book. There was just the right amount of each in the story.

I read this book in winter which made me wish for a great vacation, but I think this could be read at any time of the year.

My thoughts:

-This was as sweet and sensational as the gelato described in the book. I absolutely devoured this novel in one sitting and I've already started googling guided tours of Italy because I am desperate to travel there and feel the magic that Francesca, Sophia & Allegra experienced during their special summer.

-One of my favorite aspects of the book was how much I learned about Italian history, which was an unexpected, yet very appreciated layer to the storyline. It's one thing to know the names of different cities and landmarks, but to read them through the eyes of these characters really brought things to life.

-I did not want this story to end and I am desperate to know what happens next for each character. Speaking of characters, these were some of the most relatable, loveable and REAL ones that I've read in a while. I know it seems silly, but each of these women felt like friends. I was truly invested in their journey to self discovery, forgiveness, growth and happiness.

-As a parent, I took a lot of really good advice away from these pages. I know I will be facing some of these challenges later in life with my two boys and I was grateful for the guidance. Sophia and Francesca are both great role models and I really loved that they had a completely different upbringing, views on life and parenting style, but loved purely and endlessly.

If you want to read a beautiful and uplifting story about love, family and forgiveness, I highly suggest reading OUR ITALIAN SUMMER. This one burst with heart and honesty and I give this one 5 massive stars!

A beautiful story about family, love, loss and adventure. Probst captures every nuance of Italy - its art, food, people, tourist attractions. And culture. The reader will become immersed in the characters and their lives.

What an amazing book! I loved reading each of the women's point of view - Sophia, the grandmother, Francesca (Frannie), the daughter and Allegra, Frannie's daughter. Sophia helped raise Allegra while Frannie became a workaholic at her business. Sophia wants to go to Italy to see where her parents came from. She thinks it'll be a good time for all three of them to reconnect. Frannie doesn't have time for the trip until Allegra gets arrested for drugs. Then she thinks it'll be a way to get Allegra away from the bad influences. As they are on their trip, they each learn more about each other and a greater understanding. Sophia knows she has a health problem but doesn't want to go to the doctor until after the trip. I really enjoyed Jennifer Probst's descriptions of all the different places that the three went and saw. I could almost smell the food that was described. I cried and laughed while reading this book. It's a little different from Jennifer's usual books but it's wonderful. I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review which I'm leaving.

I was happy to receive this ARC as part of a Shelf Awareness giveaway. As a travel advisor who specializes in Italy, and with COVID 19 putting a stop to international travel, I was in need of an Italian escape via the pages of this book. It was a totally delightful story of 3 women, workaholic Francesca, her mother Sophia, and Francesca's daughter Allegra. There was such a believable and wonderful dynamic between the trio. Their escapades during their escorted group tour of Italy were often laugh out loud and heart wrenching, but they learned more about themselves on that trip and learned to love their lives and each other even more.

I feel like I just spent a month in Italy with three exceptional women. Sophia is a mother and grandmother, seemingly at odds with her daughter, Francesca, but always close to her granddaughter, Allegra. Francesca is a determined career woman, who has let her ad agency get in the way of her relationship with Allegra. Sophia plans a trip to Italy, hoping that away from their everyday lives, the women can forge a new bond. I loved the detailed descriptions of Italy and the growth shown by each woman. I highly recommend this one, and thank NetGalley for the ARC.

Oh, how I love when books transform you to a different place! This was the perfect book to read during a time when we cannot travel.

Our Italian Summer is told through the three point of views of the Ferrari family.

Francesca is a workaholic and control freak. She owns her own advertising company, and she is successful in all aspects of her life except when it comes to her family.

Allegra is Francesca’s daughter, she’s still in high school, and all she wants is for her mother to work less and pay more attention to her.

Sophia is getting older and always wanted to travel to Italy where her family lived. She realizes that her daughter and granddaughter do not have the greatest relationship with each other, so she plans a trip of a lifetime exploring Italy over the summer with the hopes of mending their relationship.

Both Francesca and Allegra initially have no interest in going – Francesca is too busy with her job and Allegra wants to spend her summer with her new friends. When Allegra gets arrested for drug possession and Francesca has a panic attack from all the stress in her life, Francesca decides that spending the summer in Italy isn’t a bad idea.

I loved traveling through Italy with the Ferrari women! I loved the description of the landscapes, the churches and all the delicious food. I felt like I was on vacation with them the whole time. It was a character driven plot with each character dealing with their own personal issues while trying to strengthen their bond with each other. It’s a heartwarming story of family, relationships, forgiveness, and love.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Mother, daughter, and grand daughter decide to take a trip to Italy. That was where Grandmother's parents were from. At first they said no, but then the youngest got caught with some other kids who were drinking and smoking. And Mom was having panic attacks due to stress from work, so they go.

Berkley and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It will be published January 12th.

They are a close family but with work and other activities they don't talk much any more. This trip changes that.

The Mom and daughter talk about expectations and how they feel about their relationship. Grandmother let's her daughter know that her father had panic attacks like she was right before he died. The youngest says her mother isn't there for her - it's all work. And Grandmother has a health problem she hasn't told anyone about.

As they travel and enjoy the sites and the talks, they get closer. As the grand daughter meets a guy she likes in the group, her mother is falling for the tour guide. The Grandmother meets an interesting man in the cafe and he sends her flowers at home.

You don't know if the love will last but it's better to have loved and lost than never loving at all...

Our Italian Summer is a dreamy escape to sun-soaked Rome where three generations of the Ferrari family women are taking a break from their lives and trying to find their way back to each other. This is a classic Jennifer Probst book with gorgeous cathedrals, realistic family drama, hot foreign men, and food. So much food.