Aurora's life takes an unexpected turn when, in the midst of grieving a loss and finding herself living a life she doesn't recognize or understand, she discovers her late mother's Sicilian family. What awaits her is nothing she's ever experienced in her adult life - unconditional love and acceptance. Jennifer Probst paints a picture with her words and as I read, it felt like I was watching a movie. Excellent read with all the things that the best books deliver: complex characters to fall in love with who will stay with me for a long time, a cast of characters who jump off the page and a love story that encompasses a place, a found family and Quint, my new favorite book boyfriend. This one left my heart full to bursting. I loved it and I highly recommend.
WHAT I LOVED: Romantic-Wonderful Characters-Page Turner-HEA

I received a complementary copy of this book and am voluntarily providing my honest review.

Contemporary Fiction • Romance • Italy
Publication Date • 18 February 2025

Happy publication day! Thanks @berkleypub & @prhaudio for the free book and ALC! ‧₊˚🎧⊹

▶︎ •၊၊||၊|။||||။‌‌‌‌‌၊|• Travel to Sicily for a feel good story about what is important in life ˚₊˚⊹♡

Aurora is a life coach with a social media following, successful podcast, lots of clients, a book deal on the way, and a dreamy gym-owner boyfriend. However, when her mom passes away, genetic testing reveals that she has a whole extended family in Sicily that her mom hid from her.

Suddenly Aurora’s life turns upside down in eat, pray, love fashion as she upends her life, traveling across the world on a journey of self-discovery.

🍷Where this book shines is in the food descriptions that had me salivating and drooling, as well as the descriptions of the various markets and attractions: the charm of rural Italy. 🍝🦀🐚 This book was slower paced and although some scenes had me emotional, I did not connect with the main character. However, just because it was not for me does not mean it’s not for you!

‧₊˚⊹♡ Read this one when in the mood for a light, slower pace journey of healing with a no spice romance.

The audiobook was cute with Italian accents as well as actual Italian language. ‧₊˚🎧⊹

TO SICILY WITH LOVE is the fourth instalment in Jennifer Probst’s contemporary, adult MEET ME IN ITALY woman’s fiction series. This is life coach/ motivational speaker/ author American Aurora York’s story line. TO SICILY WITH LOVE is a complete stand alone, and is not connected to the previous instalments.

Told in three parts, from first person perspective (Aurora) TO SICILY WITH LOVE follows in the wake of Aurora York’s mother’s death. Since the death of her father five years earlier, workaholic Aurora York’s relationship with her mother has been strained . Hours after they last spoke Aurora’s mother dies, leaving Aurora grasping with a grief she did not understand. Six months will past, Aurora’s business and promotions begin to fail, and her relationship with fitness instructor James struggles in the face of different objectives but a DNA test will reveal a large extended Italian family, a family she knew nothing about. With the only family she knew dead and buried, Aurora travels overseas where she will find a place to call home, and someone to love.

The world building focuses on the fracture dynamics of a mother and daughter torn apart but secrets and lies. Aurora does not understand her mother’s ongoing grief and loss but Aurora does not have the time to think about anything else except furthering her business and online career. A trip to Italy will reveal years of unspoken heart break and loss but a connection to her mother she never knew existed.

Aurora York will meet her mother’s large extended and boisterous Italian family where secrets reveal words said in anger pushed the family apart. Aurora will meet and fall in love with a young man whose own life spiralled years before but a man who is willing to give love a chance.

TO SICILY WITH LOVE is a story of secrets and lies, grief and loss, acceptance and love. The premise is heart breaking and emotional; the romance is subtle; the characters are numerous, energetic and charismatic.



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Jennifer Probst’s To Sicily with Love is an engaging story on so many levels. It’s a love letter to Italy, big, boisterous totality involved families, fabulous food, customs and culture. It’s about life choices, forms of love, emotional growth, relationships and romance. Simply put, it’s a story to savor. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. Most highly recommend.

This was the book I needed 3 months after losing my mom. To be able to escape to. Beautiful town and to go on this journey that shows life can be beautiful after tremendous loss. The Author did an amazing job with description that I almost feel I have visited. 5 stars.

3.5 stars.
This book began with Aurora, a life coach who is go go go all the time. It emphasized it so much it made me question my life. It doesn't help that her boyfriend is also the same way but more extreme, very superficial with no family values. Unfortunately for Aurora life decides to make her slow down as tragedy strikes and all these emotions start to surface whether she likes it or not.

She decides to take a DNA test to see if she has
Any family left and takes a trip to Italy. It was very much eat, prey love. But I had trouble connecting with the characters. I loved where the story was going and it makes you appreciate that it's not always work hard but to enjoy the little things.

Thank you to Net Galley and Berkeley publishing for gifting me this eARC.

Let me start by saying I won this ebook along with another I did not know this was a series and this was book 4 in that series It does read like a standalone and i don't think I was missing anything.

I really have to get one thing off my chest- I hated Jason what a tool.....

Synopsis (Just a bit)

Aurora York had it all loving parents, a steady relationship, and a promising career. But after she loses both parents unexpectedly, she can’t seem to stay on track any longer. Lonely and lost after a public meltdown that threatens her professional credibility, she’s shocked when DNA test results show a blood relative in Sicily. When her cousin reaches out online and begs her to come to Italy to meet everyone in person, Aurora makes the leap.

I won a copy !
My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Winsome, tender, and atmospheric!

To Sicily with Love is a heart-tugging, engaging tale that takes you into the life of the grief-stricken Aurora York who, after struggling to regroup after the death of both of her parents, embarks on a journey to Italy to unravel the secrets of her mother’s past and to meet the extended family she never knew she had.

The writing is rich and vivid. The characters are endearing, adventurous, and authentic. And the plot is a wonderful mix of life, love, family, friendship, secrets, light drama, self-discovery, and romance.

Overall, To Sicily with Love is another sophisticated, emotive, compelling addition to the Meet Me in Italy series by Probst that once again highlights her exceptional ability to sweep you away to another place through her passion and knowledge of its food, culture, and landscape.

To Sicily with Love by Jennifer Probst, book four in the Meet Me in Italy series, takes the reader on a journey from New York to Sicily, accompanying Aurora York on her quest to heal after the loss of her mother. Aurora is a driven life coach whose own life falls apart after the unexpected death of her mother. She is struggling professionally and in her romantic relationship. As an only child, she believes she has no living family, but a DNA test reveals that not to be true. Aurora embarks on a trip to Sicily to meet the cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and extended family she didn’t know she had.

While some parts were a bit slow, by the time she gets to Sicily and spends time with her family, navigating a new culture, family dynamics and interactions along, as well as the descriptions of locations, helped the story pick up. You get lost in the Italian landscape, descriptions of food, and the importance of family, all while you're sorting through themes of grief, guilt, and self-discovery. There is a romance element to this book, but it takes a backseat to the themes of healing and self-discovery. I really began to enjoy Aurora more as well as the additional characters; especially her relationship with her Boppa. Jennifer Probst has written a wonderful book about rediscovering joy after experiencing profound grief.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
#NetGalley #Berkley

A good novel about personal growth and finding joy.
I didn’t like Aurora very much for the first part of the book, especially the way she treated her mother.
I loved the vivid descriptions of Sicily and Aurora’s family. Even cranky Baba covered up his lifelong regret with gruffness.
Quint was dreamy and every girl’s answer to a happily ever after.
Aurora spent a lot of time trying to squeeze herself back into a life size that no longer fit.
I did finally warm up to her but my favorite characters were Catena and Quint.
I think Probst needs to write Catena’s story next!

3⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an advanced copy of To Sicily With Love.

Aurora thinks she has it all together in life, her career and relationship are right on track. She lost her father five years ago and her mother has never really been the same. Then she gets the devastating news that her mother has passed away. She feels lost and finds out she has family she never knew about in Sicily so she decides to go visit and it is life changing for her.

I was not a fan of the female main character at all. I disliked how dismissive she was of her mother when all she wanted was to spend time with her. I disliked her boyfriend at the beginning and how she just followed his lead. The only redeeming thing in this book were the descriptions of Sicily and the descriptions of the amazing food.

When Aurora’s mother dies, her carefully constructed life of control and discipline falls apart. Her relationship with her boyfriend was based on their shared goals of success, until Aurora realizes she has cut herself off from true emotion. Finding out she has an extended family in Sicily, Aurora visits and begins a transformation. I really enjoyed the Italian setting, and the large, boisterous family, but the slowness of Aurora’s self realization was off putting to me. All in all, I did enjoy the book. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Aurora’s journey from grief to self-discovery in Sicily is both heartwarming and immersive, filled with rich cultural moments and endearing family dynamics. The contrast between her fast-paced digital life and the deep-rooted traditions of her newfound relatives adds depth to her emotional transformation. With a touch of romance and the pull of two worlds, this novel beautifully explores the question of where home truly lies.

My Honest Opinions:
This book had me craving a summer holiday in the Italian sun, however that was really where my love for this story ended. I could never really connect with the MFC, and there were so many cringy cliches used that just felt inauthentic and something more akin to a cheesy Hallmark movie (which I’m a fan of in small doses, not something I want to read over 300 pages of.)

If you are looking for a light, breezy book this might be for you, it just wasn’t exactly the type of romance writing that I crave.

Thank you @netgalley and @berkleypub for the e-ARC in order to review and rate this story.

#NetGalley #Berkley #BerkleyPub #RomanceBooks #BookReview #ToSicilyWithLove

I wanted to love this book, but sadly I ended up forfeiting at 60%. The book was filled was too many cliché phrases, horrible American stereotypes (you want me to believe that Sicilians had no idea how weird it would be to put hot dogs on a pizza and call it honoring someone), an insufferable FMC and as someone who is currently grieving over the loss of her father, the grief felt inauthentic. I knew exactly what would happen immediately, and although predictably is a good thing in a romance, it left me incredibly bored. I also hated the whole "motivational influencer" role that just fell flat. When her client had a panic attack about an Oreo and her advice was to be extra careful the next day I literally laughed, and not in a good way. Most motivational/inspirational people I follow would tell you that life is about balance, something our FMC was slacking tremendously and predictably develops throughout the book. However, I just can't imagine a world where someone who gained the fame she did, would be so one dimensional. She also kept mentioning all the lemon and lime art in the shops in Sicily as if those are the only remarkable things she saw. I had to stop immediately at 60% when the FMC unironically said "dreams don't work unless you do". I skipped to the end to see if my prediction was correct, and it was which I'm glad there was a happy ending. If I forced myself to finish this book it would have put me into a reading slump. Reading this book felt like showing up to a job that I hated.

3.5 🌟 This was an enjoyable read about family and love that took place in New York and Italy - two of my favorite places. I appreciated the focus on Italian culture and family and I loved the plot concerning Aurora growing closer with all of her newly found family members. I will admit that the first half of the book was a bit tough for me because I found Aurora and, more specifically, her boyfriend’s behavior to be a bit unbearable. I get that was the point, but they were still irritating. Aurora’s family was the saving grace throughout it all though. There was also some romance (can’t forget about sweet Quint), which I enjoyed, but I didn’t feel that it was anything to write home about. Overall a solid read but nothing super memorable. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing Group for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review 🙂

🤍Book Review🤍
4🌟
📖Book: 17/78
📚 Title:
To Sicily with Love
✍️Author:
Jennifer Probst
📄Pages: 384
💫Genre:
Fiction•Romance
••••••••••••••••••••••••
📝Synopsis 📝
Aurora is a famous Life Coach who’s life is about to chance. Her mom unexpectedly passes away and to her surprise she finds out she’s been living a lie. She has a televised breakdown and decides to discover her Sicilian roots and what her mother left behind.

💭My Thoughts 💭
This book was a beautiful tribute to Italy and how to rediscover joy and love after profound loss. I enjoyed reading through Aurora’s healing process and rediscovery with a touch of romance. The visualization and description make me want to hop on a plane to Italy, and I want to eat all that food. I loved how this was based on Aurora taking that DNA Test🧬
I didn’t like Jason from the get go and will remain team Quint. I also didn’t know this was book 4 of a series, but it can also be read as a stand alone.

🤍Grief
🤍Rediscover Self
🤍New Found Family
🤍Healing

🤍Special thanks to @netgalley and @berkleyromance @berkleypub for an E-Copy this arc in exchange for an honest review.
•••••••••••••••••••••••
#bookstagrammer #bookstacommunity
#bookreview #romancebooks #bookreviewer #bookrecommendations #netgalley #netgalleyreads #bibliophile #tosicilywithlove

This book, holy cow! I love this author and series, but I have to say, this is my absolute favorite.

For those of us who have lost our mother's, this book hit close to my wounded heart. I cried big tears during this story, laughed at the incredible family Aurora fell into, and swooned with the love Aurora and Quint found. I adore the way this author writes, and I jammed through this book faster than I have in the previous books in the series. Had I started it earlier in the day I would have finished it in one sitting, it was that good. This story makes you want to visit every place Aurora went to, eat and laugh with the amazing family and enjoy the food you could almost taste. The ending was emotional, but perfect.

I truly loved every bit I experienced while reading this, and can't wait to see what Jennifer has in store for us next.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC copy of this book.

“I’d begun to find hidden pieces of myself here I hadn’t known existed.

Thank you to @prhaudio for the #gifted audiobook. Thanks also to @berkleyromance for the gifted e-arc #berkleypartner #berkley All opinions are my own.

To Sicily with Love is an emotional story of love and loss, family and heartbreak, grief and healing. I was lucky enough to be gifted both an audio and e-arc copy of this book allowing me to go back and forth between the two formats. The imagery, writing, and attention to detail is remarkably done and the audio version elevates this further. The narrator flawlessly draws you in and keeps you captivated the whole time.

After the loss of both of her parents, Aurora is struggling to keep her life on track. When a DNA test reveals that she has a first cousin match in Sicily, Aurora decides to embark on a whirlwind journey to discover her long lost family. She could never have imagined that this leap of faith would change her life in so many ways but the question then becomes which version of her life does she want for her future?

Putting my thoughts together on this one was not easy. The loss of Aurora’s mom is a prominent and beautifully portrayed piece of the story which hit very close to home. I think that a bigger theme of the book however is self-reflection and the idea that we must all discover ways to feed the parts of ourselves that bring us peace and help us grow. Once Aurora ditches her non-supportive boyfriend and her unhealthy eating habits she begins to embrace things that bring her joy. Watching her grow and seeing her realize that her path in life is not set was the most enjoyable part of the book for me.

If you are a fan of emotional stories with a hint of romance then this is one that I would recommend

If you are looking to be easily swept away and be immersed in a lighthearted fade-to-black romance set in Italy- this one is for you!

The story follows Aurora who is a go-getter, boss-babe who runs her own life coaching business. She is dating the gorgeous Jason who pushes and challenges her to be her best self mentally and physically. After dealing with a series of losses, Auroa realizes that she is greatly missing meaning in her life and jumps on an opportunity to visit her long-lost family in Sicily. It is a romantic adventure and the story overall was predictable and sweet.

Some things that didn't land quite well as how much weight and eating was discussed (it is mentioned A LOT which is good but I felt like it was but excessive). I also felt that Aurora was trying BREAK away from the expectations of others only to gain a new set of people who also had expectations for how she should act (or in this case eat. Like girl if you are FULL to the point where it is described you feel like you are going to barf SAY YOU ARE FULL. Okay. Rant over.)

Anyway! Cute, sweet, lighthearted, and closed door romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Romance for an ARC!

This was a charming novel about a woman who figures out the meaning of life after her mother passes away with some real big family secrets. When her mother dies, she finds out that she has family that she never knew about in Sicily. She goes there to meet them, eats a lot of great food (the book definitely made me hungry) and finds love. The ending was predictable but, you know what, if it wasn't, I would have been made. In effect, this was a book that I could read and fulfil my fantasy of traveling in Italy and eating my way through it. Is this a life altering read? No. But it definitely fulfilled one of my big desires for reading: to escape. I will definitely look for more books from this author. Oh, and I know that I did not read any others in the series, but I really don't think it kept me from enjoying it.
4 1/4 stars.
Thanks to NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing for providing me with this opportunity to read this engaging novel in exchange for my honest opinions.