3.7 Stars

One Liner: Fast-paced and gripping.

Annie, a twenty-year-old, reaches the Sicilian island of Galatea after the death of her beloved father. She is grieving the loss of the only loving person in her life. Annie has always been low on confidence, thanks to her mother’s standards. The trip to Galatea is a way to gain confidence, get her life back on track, and complete her father’s quest for his birth mother.
Meeting Salvo, the local fisherman, gives Annie the support she needs to search for her grandmother’s history. The delicate bracelet on her wrist makes things easier, but only until she realizes what her grandmother had to do to save her loved ones.
Even as Annie gets used to past unfurling in front of her eyes (literally), is she strong enough to handle the truth? Can she find peace and look forward to her life with Salvo, or will she abandon her quest and go back to the safety of her home?
What happened on Galatea that her grandmother was last found in the WWII concentration camp?

What I Like:
• It’s a short book (240+ pages) and goes at a steady pace. The combination of show and tell works well to keep me hooked.
• The touch of paranormal without putting too much emphasis on it makes it alluring. It suits the beauty of the setting and the ancient ties between the people, land, and sea.
• Mira and Mimi are both strong characters. Annie is, too, without being obvious about it.
• The shift between the past and present is seamless. The story weaves in and out without jerks.
• WWII wasn’t the central focus of the story. After reading quite a few of those this year, I’m glad to read something a little different.

What didn’t Work for Me:
• The rushed ending spoiled the beauty of the story. Sure, the actual issue is solved, but we could’ve gotten a little more information about the characters. I was surprised to see the epilogue when I expected another final chapter to tie the loose ends.
• The epilogue isn’t as effective as it should be. We get the happy ever after, but something vital felt missing from the end. Also, there is no mention of Annie’s mother or her reaction to the developments. Since Annie’s character arc depended on her mother, it was disappointing to not know.
• Annie’s character development wasn’t steady. It went up and down to suit the flow of the story rather than being the other way round. She needed more time to establish herself. The past track stole the limelight (as it almost always happens with dual timelines).

To sum up, The Italian Island is an intriguing and fast-paced story about women connected across generations and stood up for love. It’s not a heavy read, though it does deal with some complex issues of life and relationships.
Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was the first Daniela Sacerdoti novel I’ve read, and I enjoyed her storytelling and scene-setting in Italy, so this was a great discovery for me.

This novel develops an extremely strong sense of place on the tiny island of Galatea, off the coast of Sicily. The story unfolds in a dual timeline, one telling the story of twenty-year-old Annie, who has journeyed to Galatea from America to discover the mysteries of her past.

The earlier story is seen through the eyes of Mira in the months leading up to WWII. Mira is escaping a personal scandal in her native London, coupled with health issues. With war tensions brewing back home, her Jewish family considers this remote island an ideal and safer location from which to allow the madness to blow over. But war fervor is sweeping from Europe to Northern Africa, and even this remote island falls prey to its call.

I really enjoyed following Mira’s tale and her perspective as she sets down roots and creates a life for herself within this tight-knit island community. I enjoyed following along as her perspectives change about her beloved, golden older brother. I was quickly drawn into the island setting and details about daily life and culture in this outpost.

I was less drawn to the modern story of Annie, which made the paranormal/magical aspects of Mira’s story unfolding through Annie’s eyes a little less compelling to me. As a reader, I would have preferred the two stories to have unfurled in parallel, which may have also allowed Annie to develop more as a character, rather than serving primarily a conduit for Mira’s story.

Regardless, this was a thoroughly enjoyable tale, with a great sense of place and fully immersed in Italian culture and traditions. I highly recommend this novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this novel, in exchange for an honest review.

“My darling girl don’t make the same mistakes as I did. Now that my life is coming to an end, take your grandmother’s bracelet, unlock the secret of our family history, and discover who you are.”

After her father dies, Annie embarks on solving a family mystery. Her father was adopted and knows little about his birth mother except that she died in childbirth in a concentration camp during WW2. Twenty-year-old Annie leaves home and heads for the Sicilian island of Galatea where she will uncover her grandmother’s identity and learn about her wartime sacrifice. A truly unusual and highly imaginative narrative unfolds featuring 3 women who are linked across time and space by a bracelet.

Part historical romance, part mystery, and part magic, Sacerdoti’s latest strays from her beloved Italian wartime stories that I’ve come to love and anticipate. For those who love contemporary fantasy, you’ll be swept away by the mystical moments. For those who love romance, you’ll love reading about Salvo! For those who love a mystery, you’ll love solving this one as it echoes through time. However, those expecting another of Sacerdoti’s trademark novels may be disappointed. The wartime history lover in me was left unfulfilled.

Beautifully written with vivid descriptions and full of mystical elements, this unique read explores the lengths some will go to protect those they love. Sacerdoti highlights the power that love has to save us all.

Congratulations to the graphic design team for a fantastic cover!

Publishes Jan. 11, 2022.

I was gifted this advance copy by Daniela Sacerdoti, Bookouture and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

What an unusual story, beautifully written and one that captures your imagination. When Annie travels to the remote Italian island of Galatea, she is following her late fathers wishes to find out about her grandmother. She has with her a beautiful bracelet, which we later find out is made on the island using a technique handed down through the generations.

The story is set between two time lines, present day and the cusp of WW2. Not only was I intrigued by the island and it’s caves but how the lives of the three women unfolded. I really enjoyed this book but thought the ending could have been more informative.

Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture and Daniela Sacerdoti for this ARC in return for my honest review. Having loved The Lost Village, I was delighted to get my hands on this one. Set in a dual timeline of modern day and ww2 era Italy, a compelling read, filled with engaging and likeable characters. The beautiful island of Galatea was a character itself so real and vivid were the descriptions. The only minus for me was that the ending was a bit rushed, as I was left wanting a bit more.

Set on a beautiful Italian island of Galatea near Sicily this is the story of three women who lived at different times but all three are linked by a beautiful bracelet made of a material created in the sea. In 2018 Annie comes to the island to solve a mystery and discovers both the answer of her grandfather’s birth and love for herself .We meet in Anna’s dreams Mira who lived during the second world war and was great friends with Mimi a young islander. Mimi loved a man who was a spy. The violence of war seems far away but it destroys some of the islander’s lives.
The story of these three women is linked together by love and bravery of different sorts. Mimi is a tragic girl who will do anything for love but World War Two interferes on the island. Mira is a girl who learns how to live free from medication she doesn’t need and finds love there. Annie ties these stories together and provides closure for older islanders.
The story is beautifully told and you will want the answers as much as Annie does.

The Italian Island is a book set both in the modern-day and during the war. Annie has recently lost her father and at his request, travels to the island of Galatea off Italy to find out more about his mother who died in childbirth and he never knew much about. As soon as she arrives she feels that the island has a story to tell her and she begins to have visions of what happened in the past.
This is a bit of a paranormal story with people able to see that past as well as the idea that the women of the island have a special spirituality that allows them skills such as diving for the shellfish that they turn into thread.
Although it's quite unusual in the way that it's told, it doesn't detract from how you are drawn into Annie or Mira's world and what they have experienced. This is a story that takes the idea of the actions of the past having an influence on what happens to the descendants of these people. And although Annie wants to find out what's happened, there's an idea that there is an inevitability to her being there and finding out what happens.
I don't really want to say much more about what happens, as I don't want to give away spoilers. It is a great read and I really enjoyed following Annie and Mira's life.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

The story of Anna as she embarks on a journey to discover her father’s heritage. She arrives on the island of Galatea with little more than the name of her grandmother and an old bracelet. But as Anna delves into the past, her life will take a surreal turn as she begins to learn about her grandmother. Will she find the answers she is looking for?

A good interesting story which was easy and enjoyable to read.

4.5 rounded to 5!

I loved this book so much. The plot was very unique and the author did a good job of combining the historical fiction elements with the romance and the small amount of “magic”. I thought both Annie and Mira were really interesting to read about and I liked exploring the island through both of their perspectives. The description of the island was amazing and it really made it come to life in my mind. All of the characters introduced tied in to the plot and helped it progress at a good pace. I can’t say much about what characters I liked and disliked without spoilers so I’ll just say that if the plot interests you even a little bit, read this book because it was better than I ever expected. I finished it in a day because I needed to know what would happen and how everyone would end up!

The only reason I took off .5 is because while it wrapped up nicely, it was a bit quick at the end. I wish we got o see the reactions of more characters after the ending at the end, because it was a twist!

Overall, I highly recommend this book!!

This book was described as a World Ward 2 romance although I found this description to be very loose and the whole story very far fetched.

Yes it was set at the time of the war and there were a few mentions about the main character being a Jew. The mention of concentration camps was literally a few sentences with none of the story actually set there. Her brother was a double-agent Communist which I found all very far-fetched as to why he would go and spend time on an island in the middle of no-where as he would glean nothing there.

On researching Galatea I found it was not a real place which was disappointing as I like to look up places to see what they look like to get a better feel of the background.

In truth parts of the story were almost mythical and fantasy based with the modern day character seeing herself as the main character from the past. Again, a little far fetched in my opinion.

I enjoyed reading war based fiction but this sadly was more about the island and the harvesting of Bysuss than being related to the war. It was well written grammatically and easy to follow but sadly the storyline was not for me.

Traveling to the beautiful island of Galetea in this book with Mira and Annie is a wonderful getaway.

We meet Mira Goodman who was sent from London to the family's villa from London at the cusp of WWII and Annie who travels there present day after her father's death and because of his note that asked her to find out the story of her Grandmother Mira.

The descriptions of the land and food will have you turning the pages as we are taken back to tradition with Mira and even in present day with Annie on this isolated island in the Mediterranean.

When Annie arrives, she finds out that Mira did live in the villa and finds all Mira’s things that were kept by the current owners. Hopefully she will find the answers her father wanted her to find.

We find out the island seems magical and the women have a secret tradition.

And you can’t be in this beautiful place without love.

THE ITALIAN ISLAND was nostalgic and made me want to travel to Galatea.

The characters were warm, inviting, and added to the book’s beauty even with the sadness of her grandmother’s story.

Enjoy…historical fiction fans, fans of delicious food, lush landscapes, and fans of a bit of romance and magic should love this book too. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an ok read. I wasn’t crazy about the embodiment part of the story. I did like the setting. I also liked the family mystery, family history angle. Parts of the narrative were sluggish and made it hard to keep reading. However, the cover art was very appealing.

Novel of a woman seeking her history on a remote Italian island I'm sure others will enjoy this novel, but too many Italian words make a bumpy read and I gave up after a few chapters.

This is such a beautfully book. It was gripping right from the start and continued to captivate me the whole way through. The writing is beautiful, the story is good, the characters are so endearing and I took them to my heart instantly and I loved the setting. It was both emotive and heartwarming. I loved it

Twenty-year-old Annie arrives on the Sicilian island of Galatea carrying nothing but grief for the father she just lost in her heart and the weight of the mystery she just inherited on her shoulders. All she knows about her grandmother is that she died in a concentration camp during World War Two. But when handsome local fisherman Salvo’s sea-blue eyes sparkle at the sight of the delicate gold band around her wrist, Annie knows she’s come to the right place. Exciting, engrossing, page turner. Keeps you involved even if you know it's fiction. This book was definitely a winner for me, thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend to all. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for providing me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

With grateful thanks to netgalley and Daniela sacerdoti for an early copy in return for an honest opinion.
Having read a number of this authors books I have found them absolutely outstandingly beautiful and a total work of art, this one is above and beyond anything I have read this year.
This is a story of Annie and takes us on quite a magical journey that what is real and what really matters I have been glued to every page, iam beyond ecstatic to have read an early copy and feel very privileged I really can't praise this book enough and warrants far more stars than I can actually give
A work of a true genius.