I didn't like this book. The MC is whiny, self-centered, and thinks that cheating is okay if you’re trying to find yourself. The only saving grace is the setting and the postcard description of Positano,

One Italian Summer has all the feels.. summer and a Italy.. who could ask for anything more? Katy was getting ready to take the trip of her life but her mother has passed away. They had waited forever to take the trip together and now Katy doesn’t know what to do.. Carol, her mom spent a summer in Positano and wanted to share this beautiful place with her.
Some how Katy, gets herself on the plane and finds herself in the most beautiful place and immediately feels her mother’s spirit. She is in love with the water, the views and the town. One day she meets Carol.. not her mother Carol but her mother 30 years ago. She is healthy and vibrant and full of life. Katy doesn’t know how it has happened or why but she enjoys every second with her. She is surprised how her mother is and the decisions she has made. The summer turns out to be the most magical time. Katy has the time to make sense of the mother she knew and the young lady she was. This is such a good story about a mother and daughter and choices. Rebecca Serle, is a great story teller. The characters were so real.. it was heartwarming.. it was a four star read for me. I want to thank Netgalley and the author for my copy of One Italian Summer, for an honest review. It was my pleasure to read and review this book. If your like me and love Italy, this story will bring you right back to it.. enjoy

This book is the perfect sentimental beach read. It is so good to see the main character fall in love with Italy.

This book was a story of senses. I could hear the waves against the Amalfi coast. I could feel the warm sunshine as Katy hiked up the trail. I could taste the fresh pasta. But it was also an experience of many emotions — grief, excitement, elation, confusion, and the unbreakable bond between a mother and daughter. We as readers undergo a tumultuous journey alongside Katy is such a short period of time and this book is worth every up and down we encounter along the way. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and didn’t want to leave Italy when the cover finally closed. I gave this title five stars! (I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)I

This was a mother/daughter fiction book set amongst the beautiful backdrop of the Amalfi coast of Italy. The time travel element was a unique twist and I loved the vivid descriptions of the characters travels.

Parts of the mother/daughter relationship felt a little intense at times which made it hard to relate as the reader.


Thank you Atria and Netgalley for my copy.

Rebecca Serle's books always have *just* the right amount of magic. I think this book was my favorite of hers so far, though I recognize that's likely a controversial opinion since "In Five Years" was so widely well-received. I think I just really enjoyed the main character and, of course, the idyllic Italian backdrop.

I absolutely devoured this book in one sitting and cannot get it out of my head! This book was the perfect mix of family, friendship, love and magical realism. The setting was immaculate and I need to go to Italy ASAP now! What an amazing book that will stick with me for a long time.

Rebecca Serle is the queen of writing unlikable protagonists. But somehow she still gets me on board with the story and pulls some empathy out of me for the character.

It’s a risky gamble to make the star of your novel so unsympathetic, and I’m not certain it pays off for her. Many readers end up not liking her books because it’s difficult to enjoy the story when you don’t care for the character you’re reading about.

I’m able to look past my disdain, though, which allows Serle to sweep me away. And this time, in "One Italian Summer," she took me to Positano, Italy, and her gorgeous descriptions of scenery and food were enough to make me forget how little I liked Katy, a woman who, after losing her mother, Carol, travels solo to Positano on a trip that was meant to be mother-daughter.

Serle’s writing is as lovely as ever, and she adds a nice touch of magical realism to Katy’s tale, because upon Katy’s arrival in Italy, she is reunited with her very dead, and very young, mom. Katy is shocked by the encounter, but she seizes the opportunity to get to know Carol as the 30 year-old woman she was before marriage and motherhood.

It's an emotional story of a daughter’s grief while in the midst of self-discovery. Katy has much to figure out, and though I didn’t agree with a few of her choices, I appreciated her journey.


My sincerest appreciation to Rebecca Serle, Atria Books, and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions included herein are my own.

After loving Serle's other novels, The Dinner List and In Five Years, I was looking forward to reading her newest novel. Unfortunately, I was extremely disappointed when I read it - here's why:

The main character had zero ability to be independent or on her own. She comes across as needy and extremely dependent which was very annoying to me. This continues throughout the story when the main character makes large statements that made her come across as insufferable and privileged.

There was an incorrect part about University of California Santa Barbara (the university where the main character and her husband met, which I also attended in real life) - the novel states that it is on a semester system, but it is on a quarter system and that small inaccuracy irked me since there clearly wasn't much research done for this novel.

It was lovely to have the novel set in Positano, Italy, but it felt as if this was targeted towards those who had never been there, and it was a romanticization of the whole place. The writing seemed to ignore the fact that people have their whole lives and homes based out of Positano and the surrounding areas and made it seem like it was only a place that people went to go visit.

Overall, the concept was there - a story about a mother and daughter relationship and dealing with the loss of a loved one - but this novel was executed in a way that I was put off by and I would not recommend.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the gifted e-book in exchange for an honest opinion!

While the setting was amazing and made me want to hop on a plan to Italy... this book fell a bit flat to me. I am usually a fan of magical realism stories, but this one barely felt like that. The main character's relationship with her mother was way too romantic and fanatical, and at times was almost uncomfortable to read about. I felt like there wasn't a lot of development or progress at all, from any person involved, which is something that I tend to expect in a read. That the character(s) will start in one place, ending up in another. I really enjoyed In Five Years and was looking forward to this one, but unfortunately I wasn't a fan.

Thank you to Atria books for the eARC of One Italian Summer! Rebecca Serle brought me straight to Positano, Italy with her descriptions of the beautiful Amalfi coast. While I loved the setting and the premise, the aspect of Katy leaving her husband to go to Italy alone (and some of the choices she makes there), and maybe just the character of Katy herself were hard to connect with.

✨BOOK REVIEW✨

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle

Find me in Italy this summer living my best life 🇮🇹

I loved this book!! I was so surprised bc I’d seen mixed reviews and I’m starting to think you either love Serle’s books or you don’t. I see very mixed reviews for “In Five Years” as well and I also loved that one! I want to read “The Dinner List” soon to see if I feel the same about that one.

Everything worked in this story! The setting, the characters, the themes, I adored it! I thought the storyline was so unique and it had me all up in the my feels 🥲🥲

Read if you want:
•an Italian setting
•mother daughter relationship theme
•grief
•marriage/separation
•finding oneself

Go in blind! I think you will be pleasantly surprised. Also Lauren Graham narrated and I LOVE GG and therefore this audio experience was heaven 😂

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

I'm still not sure what genre this was, but I really loved this unique mother-daughter story. My daughter read it as well and we had just the loveliest discussion around what we thought were the themes and takeaways from the story. A little bit of time-travel....a little bit of grief....a little bit of love. Delightful.

This was a fantastic novel by Rebecca Serle and featured a unique and fascinating concept for the plot. I appreciated the characters and will happily read any of Serle's future books. I've been recommending this one and the setting was superb!

This was a heart-warming, life-affirming story with equal heart, romance, and healing—the speculative twist enhanced the theme in meaningful ways, and the arc of mother, daughter, and the mother-daughter relationship was beautiful.

I really liked the start of this but had to stop reading due to its subject matter being too emotionally raw for me at the moment.

One Italian Summer was a light, breezy read perfect for a lazy day and easily finished in one sitting. I enjoyed living vicariously through Katy while she was exploring beautiful Positano and now want to visit the Amalfi coast even more than before!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing a free digital copy in return for an honest, unbiased review.

Rebecca Serle nailed it! LOVED this book and could not put it down. Wonderful setting and does such a great job of exploring grief, anxiety, and finding yourself. Beautiful character development and a remarkable way with words. A must read for anyone going through grief.

This was enjoyable but had a “gimmick,” which I’m not a fan of, spoilers below.

When I realized this was a version of a time travel book I almost DNF’d but the writing and atmosphere were good enough, it just was short enough, and I enjoyed Lauren Graham’s narration enough that I stuck it out. I loved the descriptions of Positano and Italy, and there was some good advice dispensed between characters.

Thanks to @netgalley and @atriabooks for my gifted copy of One Italian Summer, by Rebecca Serle. This book is out now, and is quite the interesting take on what would happen if you met a parent in a different time.

I loved so much about this book - the scenery (can I visit Italy now?!), the descriptions, the bonds between the characters, and more. Serle has a way of writing that absolutely captivates me, and always leaves me in such a happy place, even when the subject matter is tender.

This would be a great beach or poolside read for the summer! Be sure to check this one out.