The food, family, and land is very romantically described throughout the book. Unfortunately I think the romance could have been left out. Basically 70% of the book spent with the wrong, shitty guy is too much for me.
Thank you NetGalley!

Aurora, still reeling from the sudden death of her parents, is unhappy that her boyfriend Jason tells her he wants a break. As a social media influencer with a massive following, she breaks down during a podcast, causing her book contract to be delayed. An unexpected DNA result sends her on an unexpected trip to Sicily. Aurora plans a month-long stay in Italy, hoping to reset her life and get back on track. The family aspect of the story is heartwarming, especially as most of them welcome her with open arms.

This is a good book. The main character os Aurora. Both of her parents have passed away. Her father five years ago and now her mother. Aurora is a life coach. She can’t seem to get over her grief for her parents. She takes a DNA test to see if she has some relatives that she didn’t know about. When she gets the results back she finds out she has lost of relatives in Italy on her mother’s side. She talks to a cousin and she invites her to Italy. She goes there and meets her relatives. She learns so much about her mother.

I have always dreamed of going to Italy. I was supposed to go and then COVID hit and my trip was cancelled. Reading this book I felt like I was there. The descriptions were great. The message was great. I enjoyed reading the development of the family bonds. There were many topics covered from grief to self image. I really felt like I had skin in the game with this book. I was invested until the very end. I cried and I laughed. I felt pain and I felt love.

Overall, this read was fine. There were parts that were overly drawn out and I found myself skimming the pages, but overall I enjoyed the story of self discovery and the thought that just because we’ve been doing something one way for so long doesn’t mean we have to keep doing it that way. Plus also running away from controlling men. Very cute and heartwarming story about how grief can motivate you.

To Sicily with Love by Jennifer Probst is a story of discovery, belonging, and love.

Will Aurora find her way back to herself after losing both her parents?

Aurora York is our main character. After her father's death, she transforms into a new person. One driven and goal-related, to the point that she hasn't stopped to smell any flowers in years. On the outside, she looks successful and well-put-together, but looking closely, you can see that she isn't happy. However, Aurora doesn't see it either, but her mom does. Aurora's mom, Serafina, tries to remind her daughter of the important things in life, yet Aurora only sees it as her mother not liking the choices that she is making. The two argue, and Aurora storms off. That night, Serafina passes away, and now Aurora feels guilt and loneliness.

Serafina's death throws Aurora into a black hole of sorts. This is where the real Aurora comes out. I felt so bad for Aurora and her mother. This story brought me to tears many times. Through her grief, Aurora finds that her mother's family is alive and living in Italy after taking a DNA ancestry test. Meeting her family and being accepted for who she is is a huge change that shakes Aurora, making her remember the lessons her parents taught her.

Courage
Once Aurora experiences what it's like to have a close-knit family, she must make changes in her life. These changes come in many ways, from releasing the relationships that aren't genuinely healthy to finding someone who loves her as much as she loves him to changing her career focus and following her dreams, even when those change. She finds that she needs to be present and happy, not just checking off to-do lists and rushing from goal to goal, and, lastly, dealing with the death of her mom. It took courage for Aurora to do these things. I applaud her strength of character and courage to step out of her comfort zone and experience life to its fullest.

Ms. Probst does a fantastic job of putting us in Aurora's head and showing us life through her. I was emotionally wrapped up in Aurora's journey and cried with her many times. She transports us to Italy and sets the scene with smells, views, history, and food—so much food.

Five Stars
My rating for To Sicily with Love by Jennifer Probst is five stars. I loved everything about the story, from the settings to the characters and everything in between. I highly recommend To Sicily with Love, and I will be adding some of Ms. Probst's other books to my TBR.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of To Sicily with Love by Jennifer Probst.

Until the next time,

~Jen

If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out Baroness Book Trove.

To Sicily with Love by Jennifer Probst

This is my first book by Jennifer Probst and book #4 in the Meet me in Italy series. I will admit I didn’t feel motivated to read this book because it was #4 in the series and I hadn’t read the others. However this book read well as a stand alone story. I have yet to read the others but didn’t feel I was missing out on anything by starting here.

This is a book about grief, love and finding yourself through life’s difficulties. It was a fairly lighthearted read that felt positive throughout and the book moved nicely. I would venture to call it a heartwarming story, and certainly one that makes you want to leave the hustle of NY living behind for a slower paced lifestyle, perhaps in Sicily.

I’m not sure I will be searching down other books by this author, but glad I finally scratched it off my ARC list. Thank you NetGalley for the free copy!

To Sicily with Love had me wanting to sell all of my belongings and move to Italy. The food descriptions, the leisurely lifestyle...Probst described it all in such detail that I could almost taste it! A beautifully told tale of a family relationship where family ties are truly unbreakable.

Why do I love reading a messy main character? I'm kidding. I know why I love them so much. The messy main character are always so relatable because they are truly being their shelf. They just don't have everything together like most people. Nothing to be mad about. It's more about the main character journey in finding their shelf without being perfect all the time. No one is.

Unfortunately, at this time I cannot finish this book. I have faith that in the future I could find Aurora’s story enlightening and healing, but after reading the first few chapters I have realized that I am not at a good place in my personal grief journey to yet take on this book. I lost my mom tragically and was disturbed and sad at Aurora’s attitude towards her mom (I’m sure some readers who haven’t lost their moms felt this too), as well as her sudden death. Before reading, I was aware that she lost her parents but I didn’t know that one of the deaths would take place in the current timeline of the book. I incorrectly assumed that their deaths would be mentioned casually as part of her backstory. My situation is personal to me and I will give this book another try later down the road but from what I read so far, I can tell it would be a heartwarming, inspiring book. I just cannot allow myself at this time to let the bratty attitude of a daughter towards her mother, plus the triggers of grief and death of a mom, negatively impact my mental health.

This was just such a good feel good romance book that I needed! Missing my trip to Italy last year! But loved this book! More formal review to come on Instagram.

This book was like a warm, sunny escape to Sicily but with a side of romance and family drama. Aurora’s journey from grief and burnout to healing and connection felt really genuine, and I loved watching her discover her roots and reconnect with herself. The big Italian family was chaotic in the best way, and the romance was sweet without overshadowing her personal growth. It had a few slower moments, but overall it was heartfelt, charming, and full of that “new beginning” energy.

“If we never stop to question ourselves or our happiness, how will we ever know we lost our way?”

I had a great time with this read. It made me want to go back to Italy sooooo bad 🥹. This book covers ALL the topics. I truly think it has something that will hit home for everyone! I was not loving the FMC at first, but she really grew on me. Huge personal growth and the romance was amazing💘!

This book is out now and you honestly need it for a beautiful sunny day! Thank you @netgalley and @authorjenniferprobst for this heartwarming ARC. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

I really wanted to love this one, but it just didn’t click for me. I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters, Aurora especially. She’s a social media influencer and life coach, which could’ve been fun, but she came off a bit flat. Early on, I found her really dismissive of her mom, who just wanted to spend time with her, and that kind of set the tone for how disconnected I felt from her journey.

The first part of the book dragged for me, and honestly, I was reading just to get through it. Things finally picked up once the story moved to Sicily, that’s when the book actually started to shine a little. The descriptions of the food and scenery were chef’s kiss and probably the most enjoyable part. That’s also where I started to warm up to Aurora a bit more, though it still wasn’t quite enough.

As for the romance with Quint…it felt totally rushed and unnecessary. It didn’t add much, and honestly, could’ve been left out. The heart of the story seemed to be more about grief, healing, and family, which I appreciated, but the emotional payoff just wasn’t there for me. Overall, this one had potential, but it missed the mark.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for the free ARC via NetGalley!

Wow. This was the best book in the Meet Me in Italy series so far. I loved how Aurora went through the loss of her mother and had a realization of a family she has never known. While showing vulnerability she also had strength and flexibility to learn about her connections and openness to meet and try a new world. She was brave to start over and in doing so, met wonderful people and started a whole new life. I highly recommend this book for the story but added benefit of the descriptive scenes of Italy. I could picture the stunning scenes as I was reading. As a matter of fact, I looked some up on YouTube to see what they looked like in real lfe.

To Sicily with Love was exactly what I hoped it would be: breezy, warm, and packed with food, feelings, rich family ties and a whole lot of personal growth packed into a story that doesn't take itself too seriously.

Olivia’s burnout and career crossroads felt super relatable—especially if you've ever hit that “what am I even doing with my life?” phase. Watching her rediscover joy (and herself) through Sicilian culture, food, and family was the real heart of this story. And the details? So vivid I could practically smell the citrus trees and garlic.

The setting? Dreamy. Between the lemon groves, Sicilian coastlines, and pasta dishes described in borderline erotic detail, I was ready to book a flight and never come back. Jennifer Probst really leaned into the vibes, and honestly? She nailed them.

A few moments dipped into Hallmark-movie territory (you know the ones), but it never lost me. The mix of humour, heart, and healing made it a perfect vacation read—even if I was just mentally vacationing from my couch.

If you’re looking for a feel-good escape with lots of heart and a setting that does half the heavy lifting—this one’s for you.

I couldn’t put this book down once I started reading. This book was witty, fun, hard, loving, tear inducing, and absolutely beautiful. Each character jumped off the page and made me wish that I was a part of the story! And Sicily was a character itself. Probst did such an amazing and beautiful job bringing Sicily alive through her words. I almost felt like I was there.

Aurora is such a strong character and watching her life fall apart and seeing how she rebuilds it while relearning everything about herself… it’s inspiring to say the least.
I recently went through my own loses and seeing how she couldn’t do it on her own spoke volumes. She needed people around her who cared and who she could lean on. Something I had to learn as well.

Finally, Quint was a perfect love interest and match for Aurora. His demeanor and quiet strength while being confident in who he is was so important to see. The way he would speak his mind, but also let her realize things for herself made my heart so happy! The two of them together was kismet!

I was so sad when it ended but this is one of those books that I I’ll stay with you forever!

To Sicily with Love by Jennifer Probst

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars)

This was my first Jennifer Probst book, and wow, it was so relatable. If you’ve ever felt like you’re trying to do everything for everyone while barely keeping yourself afloat, this book will hit home. It explores grief, self-reflection, and the avoidance of mental health struggles in a way that feels deeply authentic.

I found myself pausing mid-read just to sit with my own thoughts—this book really makes you reflect on life choices, what truly matters, and how we process emotions (or avoid them). It’s not heavy-handed, but it is one of those reads that sneaks up on you with its emotional depth.

If You Like…Women’s fiction with depth
✈️ Travel stories with a heartwarming journey
❤️ Family relationships and self-discovery

Themes
✔️ Escape to a new place for healing and carbs
✔️ Finding love when you least expect it and carbs
✔️ Strong emotional growth thru carbs
Honestly...the food talk had me running for a snack...and a bowl of spaghetti.

Spice Rating: 🌶️ (Very mild, more emotional than steamy)
Would I Recommend It?
Absolutely! If you’re feeling like your life is spiraling and need a book that offers perspective (without being preachy), To Sicily with Love is a perfect pick.--TBH...I will be adding all of Probst books to my TBR.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to devour this book!!!

Loved this book and love the series! One of my fav authors. The stories are always written so beautifully

If you can tell me of a place that I'd like to travel to and it's more beautiful that the GORGEOUS & Sunny Italian coast that's described in this book? Well, I'd sure like to know where that place may be because oh my goodness! The only thing I was missing while reading. this book was a beautiful loaf of freshly baked bread, and a huge bowl of caprese salad.

This story was beautiful - Aurora is just living her life when grief hits her hard - while grieving her mom Aurora decides to travel to Italy in order to grieve and learn more about her culture. The small town feels and the beautiful family and hot man? Sounds delicious to me! This was just a delightful and fun read - perfect for a warm summer day laying on the beach. It's light and comforting all at once!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.