4.5 Stars

Priscilla, Devon and Bailey.
Three not very close sisters who just lost their mother and who are now cleaning out the old family home.
What they find is way more interesting than the old junk they were expecting.
They find out mommy Olivia owned a house in Italy and they find a bunch of old love letters from a guy called R.
They never heard about a house in Italy or an old boyfriend.
But what if he's not an old one? Maybe they reconnected after, or even before the divorce to the sisters' dad?
And even though they're all super busy with their own lives, they decide to investigate.
Off we go to Italy to find R. and to find out who their mother really was.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE THREE LADIES?
AND WHO IS THIS R GUY?
READ THE BOOK TO FIND OUT! 😎

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I really loved this.
I was afraid I wasn't going to like it, because I'm not the biggest Women's Fiction fan. And I am also not a fan of too many POVs and too many back-in-time chapters in books. And we get all that here. But I still loved the story!
It's all so very heartbreaking! Why didn't R. & Olivia end up happily ever after? Ugh! So sad! And it really made me hate Olivia a bit. Poor R.! I wanted him to get this amazing happily ever after with Olivia. Maybe he got it? With somebody else? We might find out by the end of the book.
I really enjoyed reading this! We get to hear and feel all the problems and hopes and dreams of the sisters and of course we read about the mom's past. It's all so very sweet and sad and hopeful and hopeless. 🤣

I really wouldn't mind seeing this on TV one day!
It's already almost a movie in your head - all those beautiful places and the food and the wine and ugh... I wanted to be there with them and smell and taste all the things!

THE SECRET LETTERS OF OLIVIA MORETTI was such a beautiful story about family, forgiveness, the past, the present, the future, Italy, love, grief, pain, hope ... all the things. READ IT!

5 Star review of The Secret Love Letters of Olivia Moretti by Jennifer Probst

I was intrigued when I read the blurb for The Secret Letters if Olivia Moretti. Having read a number of books by Jennifer Probst I knew reading a book told in multiple points of view would be entertaining.
Three sisters, estranged take a trip to the Amalfi Coast to find out more about their mother. Priscilla, Devon, and Bailey haven't been close for years but after their mother’s death they come together to settle her affairs and that is when their journey begins.
Finding the deed to a house on the Amalfi Coast and an intriguing letter they decide to visit and search for the answers they need. This journey will affect all three in different ways and secrets will be reveled. Will it bring them together or will it rip them apart once and for all?
This book was well written, with story lines that will draw you in and refuse to let you go until the last chapter is read. The journey each sister embarked on was enlightening and heart warming and made for a wonderful read. .
I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

A wonderful story of family relationships and the ties that bond them.

Learning about their mothers secret love through the eyes of these three sisters was beautiful. The broken relationships they mend, the love they find, and the new world they uncovered was a page turner. Jennifer writes these worlds in exquisite detail. I felt as if I was the forth sister. Jennifer always entertains and always delivers. The Secret Love Letters of Olivia Moretti has the full package with a stunning cover and the words to match. A total five star read for me!

Secret Love Letters is the first book i've read from Jennifer Probst and now I see I was missing out for a while! Her writing style is beautiful and one I cannot wait to read more of in the future.

This story follows four perspectives over 2 timelines - mom Olivia, and then daughters Priscilla, Devon and Bailey. They all have their own secrets, but they are also really relatable. Sometimes in Women's Fiction I find the characters secrets to be incredibly out of the rhelm of positivity. I was interested from the beginning to the end which made me very happy, and I beleive this novel is a very moving and emotional string of words worthy of love from readers!

What a heartbreaking read! Starting out reading, I wasn’t quite sure where this book was going to take me, but once I got the hang of the style of writing as well as the plot, things started to fall into place, and I found myself completely enamored and obsessed with this book. This book focuses on three sisters, Priscilla, Devon, and Bailey, who have recently lost their mother unexpectedly and don’t get along at all. When going through their mother’s house, they stumble upon love letters from their mother to an unknown man that is not their father, as well as a deed to a home in Italy that none of them knew she had. Deciding to investigate further, the sisters travel to Italy to see the home and try to track down the mystery man, and while there they start to open to each other and understand while also build a relationship as adults. Just when they think hope is lost on finding the mystery man and learning more about a side of their mother they never knew, fate intervenes and they meet him, and it helps the sisters to heal individually as well as a family. While I was unsure at first, I ended up adoring this book and loved the message behind it.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

What a phenomenal read. A beautiful story Also a story of healing. Dev, Pris, and Bailey find out their mother had a secret life no one knew about. They only found out upon her death. They decide to go to Positano, Italy where it all began and try to find the infamous R. A man who was part of their mother’s life before they were born and continued to be in their mother’s life until her death. From the letters they found a man who she deeply loved for years.
This story is also a story of understanding and a way to bring these three women together again while trying to figure out a part of their mother’s life no one knew about. A life with a man they never knew but held their mother’s heart through years of love letters. I could not put this book down. A beautiful story filled with love, tears, happiness, and sadness. Choices made that not only effect one but all the lives of those we love. Jennifer Probst once again proves what an amazing author she is. A secret that was kept for years and only found out at Olivia’s death. A love that lasted for years through letters only Olivia and R shared. Such an incredible, fantastic, and beautiful read.

Their mother owned a house in Italy? Someone named R was writing her love letters? These are the things Pris, Dev, and Bailey discover when their mother Olivia dies. Turns out they knew very little about her and so they pack up and head to Positano for answers. This tale is told from the perspective of each daughter, Olivia, and the letters and it spans several time frames. Each of the daughters is struggling with her own problem- a marriage, a career, artistic ambition. Turns out Olivia went with her aunt Sylvia to Positano for a summer and met Rafael but they parted. Readers of this genre might see one secret coming but no matter- the letters are emotional and the romance sweet. Sadly, Probst doesn't give us much insight into Olivia's later life or why she chose to die without telling her girls she was ill as this would have added to the novel. There are, just saying, a couple of editing blips- a reference by Olivia in 1974 to Starbucks and I was curious why it took Garrett so many years to make partner (I'm probably the only one who calculated this). In any event, I found myself caught up in the plot. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Probst is a good storyteller.

his story touched me so deeply. This was a beautiful book about three sisters who have grown apart coming together to deal with things after the death of their mother. They find letters that lead them on a journey to discover exactly who their mother was and what secrets she was keeping. It also tells the individual journeys of the three sisters in coming to know each other again and sharing the struggles in their separate lives.

It felt like Probst gave a gift directly to me. Maybe it had something to do with my two sisters and I dealing with my mother's things after her death in 2020 and then making a conscious effort to not lose each other and even strengthen our ties. Maybe it had to do with the love in the book and finishing it on Valentine's Day. Maybe. But I'm pretty sure it was the superb way in which Probst wove the emotions throughout the book and the message to nurture and cherish love in any form in which it comes to you. I had tears trailing slowly down my face as I finished reading. Absolutely breathtaking!

I was gifted a copy of this book by Berkley Publishing, Valentine PR and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

Three sisters, with their own issues and baggage, reconvene after their mom’s death. While cleaning out her home, they find a deed to a house in Italy and a trove of love letters from someone who signs the letters as “r”. The sisters go to Italy to try to figure out more about their mother and themselves. A sweet story told in two timeframes. I enjoyed this one and will recommend it.

I was already in love with this book after just reading the dust jacket, and my love only got stronger as I devoured page after page of a beautifully written and touching romance. Positano, Italy is a place I can only dream of visiting, but with Ms. Probst’s descriptive writing, I felt as if I, too, was searching for answers about Olivia’s magical time in Italy. Her summers in Italy with her Aunt Slyvia were a dream come true for her and I was grateful to be along for the ride. The colorful homes nestled in the hillsides, the fragrant flowers and winding roads opened up a whole new world to Olivia. I cannot understand why she neglected to share this part of her life with her daughters. Perhaps she wanted to keep her memories of her summers in Italy to herself so they would remain sacred and untouched by others.

I saw myself in all three of the sisters at different stages in my life. Bailey’s carefree attitude called to my younger self as I looked to the future where anything was possible. I appreciated Devon’s attention to detail and her desire to achieve great success in her field, but Priscilla was the sister who I truly understood and could relate to. I felt her pain as she reminisced about her glorious ballet career that she gave up much too soon. She didn’t know who she was now, and I felt she was the sister who would benefit most from their trip. The sisters were awestruck at the beauty of their mother's house, the abundance of color and the peacefulness which surrounded all of them the minute they walked through the door. They could feel their mother's presence in the house and wondered if it held the answers to who their mother really was.

Was the young, carefree Olivia the same person who raised them and catered to their every need? Did Olivia ever regret anything about her Positano summers? Would Priscilla, Devon and Bailey find the answers they were looking for? How would their lives change as they spent time together on the magical Amalfi Coast sightseeing, dining on delicious local cuisine and coming to terms with what the future holds for each of them? This book is utter perfection and tugged at my heart in so many ways. The romance and honesty of the love letters brought tears to my eyes and made my heart ache for Olivia and Rafe. I became wistful about the meaning of the letters and grateful that Jennifer Probst had given us this wonderful gift to cherish forever.

After their mother dies suddenly, three sisters take a trip to Italy to learn more about heir mother’s secret past. Told from four different points of view and on two separate timelines, this book will definitely transport you to beautiful Positano.

I enjoyed the book, but it didn’t suck me in the way others by this author have. The story was pretty predictable, although it was beautifully written. Each of the sisters seemed really similar and it was hard to keep their storylines straight.

Thanks to Berkley and Valentine PR for the early copy. All opinions are my own.

5+ Stars for this emotional story!

I could not put this book down ... reading into the wee hours of the morning. I love that we got the POV of all three sisters. We also got the mother's POV starting when she was in college. This book is so well written and characters are well developed ... I loved everything about it. I just didn't want this book to end. This is a must read ... but make sure to have the tissues handy.

After their mother's death, three estranged sisters find love letters written to their mother along with a deed to a house in Italy. The three sisters embark on an emotional journey to Italy to learn more about the mother they thought they knew. Priscella is the oldest ... she is married with a son who just left for college. She feels the distance between her and her husband and wants the time in Italy to reflect on her life. Devon is the middle sister ... she's a workaholic and everything is dollars and cents to her and has no need for a relationship. She wants to sell the cottage in Italy so that they each have a nest egg. Bailey is the youngest sister ... she is the carefree artistic one. She sees romance in the secrets her mother held and wants to find out who wrote the letters to mother ... but all they have to go on is that his name starts with the letter R.

I received an early copy courtesy of Berkley Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

The Secret Love Letters of Olivia Moretti is a deeply emotional story about choices made, roads taken, childhood dreams and adult realities. The situations the three sisters encounter after the passing of their mother reveals secrets none of them ever knew about and brings each one a clearer understanding of self and and their relationships especially with each other. This is a book readers will long remember. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book. Most highly recommend.

I'm so in love with this one. The Secret Love Letters of Olivia Moretti is such a heartwarming fantastic read. I could not put this one down. There is so much packed into this one that gives you such amazing heart squeezes. This is a story of three sisters and finding more about their mother after she dies that they did not know. Each sister has is so different and I love it so much. Pricilla, Bailey and Devon will each take a piece of you as they work to discover their mothers' secrets in Italy and grow together as siblings. Pricilla is the oldest and is going through life just content and knows things need to change some way. She misses her old life as a talented ballet dancer and wants more now that her son is out of the house. Bailey is the youngest and the most free spirited out of them. She is the artist and sees everything with rose colored glasses. Devon is the middle sister and probably the most organized by the schedule and everything needs to be done a certain way one. She is driven and focused on her career and has let the past mistakes overtake her. As you read you will see such a divide within the sisters until they take the trip to unravel their mothers mysterious love in Italy. You are going to love every step of this journey these sisters take. They reconnect, grow closer to their mother and grow individually in so many ways. This is a story of sisters, friendships and love. My heart just loves this one so much. You need to one click this one and meet Olivia and her daughters now.

Three sisters who recently lost their mother suddenly find mysterious letters from a man with the initial "R" and a deed to a home in Italy. Each decide to take a break from their lives and pursue the truth.

I feel as though this kind of book could be a sub genre of the women's fiction world. The I found something in a dead parent or grand parent belongings and I must go find the truth! AND I love them! I especially love when there are chapters that take the reader back in time to the deceased and you get to see their story through their eyes as their descendants experience it in the book.

This book had another feature that I love when I am reading and that is chapters from different perspectives. Not only does their mother narrate her chapters as it jumps through time to tell her story, but each of the sisters get opportunities to describe their time in Italy through their own eyes and I loved that. Each of them are having their own "life crisis" moment in Italy that will hopefully forever change them and I am glad that they were given the chance to tell their own story.

I have only read a few Jennifer Probst books, but I much prefer the more women's fiction ones than the romance and I hope there are more to come from her.

The Secret Love Letters of Olivia Moretti is my first book that I’ve read from author, Jennifer Probst. And I now realize that I have been missing out on some excellent writing.

The story is told from multiple points of view and 2 timelines, beginning with Olivia, then each of her 3 daughters — Priscilla, Devon, and Bailey. Each character seems so real and relatable; and for me, I could just see myself as Pris and see Dev in my own sister. Olivia’s character stirred a lot of questions in my mind. Like did I really know my late mother as much as I thought? And was there anything that my mother kept from me and my siblings before she passed?

The family relationships really hit home with me as I could empathize with Pris’ and her husband, Garrett’s marital struggles and how we really need to work at keeping a marriage alive. That real and honest communication is so important in keeping that spark bright. Seems that Probst has been there, done that…

The narrative is smooth and the transitions to different points of view are well defined. The author deftly crafted a moving and emotional novel full of love and family connections. Five heartfelt stars.

I received a digital ARC from Berkley Publishing Group through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

I love Jennifer’s heartwarming stories and this one was amazing too. Her characters and their challenges will pull you along for a beautiful ride.


Watch my live interview with Jen here: https://amazon.com/live/broadcast/93626887-e2ae-4460-a24c-ffe6eb8c93bc?ref=social&tag=erinmbransco-20&linkCode=ilv

The Secret Love Letters of Olivia Moretti
by Jennifer Probst
Pub Date: February 22, 2022
Berkely

THE SECRET LOVE LETTERS OF OLIVIA MORETTI is my first time reading Jennifer Probst’s Women’s Fiction novels. I was intrigued by the concept of these three estranged sisters who travel to the Amalfi Coast to learn more about their mother’s past.

I found this book to be well-written and easy to follow. I also really enjoyed reading the different points of views from the three women.
Thanks to Berkely and Net Galley for the ARC. Good book but I did not enjoy the "body shaming" in it.
4 stars

Thank you to Net Galley for an advance copy of this book. I love family saga stories and this book was no exception. The writer's decriptions of the Amalfi Coast made you feel like you were there. The descriptions of the Italian food kept you constantly hungry! I loved how the estranged sisters all had a very different yet close relationship with their mother and how they managed to re-connect with her under the roof of the cottage in Italy. The different love stories were captivating especially the love story of Olivia and Rafe. Like Mother, like Daughter Devon follows in her mother's footsteps and finds everlasting love in Italy. The story had it's bitter sweet moments which endeared you even closer to the characters. This is a great read if you like family stories with angst, sibling fights and love in it.

Hard pass on the body shaming and stereotypes of women.

It's clear from the other reader's reviews that this was a much-loved book, but sadly, it just wasn't for me.

Initially I was loving the flashbacks of Olivia Moretti's summers spent in Italy, especially as I began to really dislike her three daughters. By the time I realized I wasn't loving the book as much as I thought I might, I was too far in to give up... hoping it would get better. It did not.

I never connected with her daughters. Dev, Pris, and Bailey didn't seem like fully-formed characters; rather, they all seemed a bit petty and unlikeable. And there were far too many mentions of weight and food, especially during the Italy scenes.

I had high hopes for this book when Dev said: "There's nothing wrong with carbs. They took something women love and spun it so it was evil. The world is always afraid we'll rise to complete power if we figure out our bodies are perfect just how they are."

But then the author decided to follow up that bold statement with body-shaming statements, like:

"They'd definitely be returning home next week with more curves. Especially if they rented those scooters and began to skip the stairs."

"I need to dance off some calories."

Here's a message: You do not need to earn your food in order to enjoy it!

And then there was this gem:

"'Shopping. I've got an American Express Gold I need rewards on so it's my treat today. Anything goes.' Her sister tried not to show her interest, but she was female."

Barf. Honestly, after revisiting these highlights I made, I'm mad at myself for not DNFing this one.