Devoured this one in 24 hours like every morsel of Sicilian food in this book.

Thank you so much to Berkley for this eARC— this one really made me feel all the things.

Aurora, the main character, is a life coach and influencer/motivational podcaster who “has the life” - the hot boyfriend, the nice house, the huge social following, and great success. After losing her father a few years back, she is still finding her way in the world and helping out her mom, who can’t seem to move past the grief.

Aurora’s life is completely turned upside down, and she soon finds herself in a Sicily, meeting people who transform her life in every way, make her see the world differently, and make her truly consider what is important— has she really been life coaching the right way? Does she actually like what she does for a living? Does she like herself?

I loved this book. I love Jennifer Probst’s voice. It is honest, clear, and thoughtful. She writes incredible imagery and heartbreaking, real feeling. The descriptions of food? *deliziosa* You could find me drooling for half of this book, probably.

One major factor I want to make sure I call out in my review - as someone who has experienced a fair amount of grief in my lifetime - To Sicily With Love really hit home for me. There is a very strong theme in this book: family is everything.

Lovers of family bonds, self-discovery, FOOD, and most of all, love, please read this book. I think you’ll find it so fulfilling.

I loved this book! Aurora is a life coach, who has it all together. When she loses her mother suddenly, her life goes into a tailspin. She takes a DNA test and finds she has family in Sicily. After they reach out to her she decides to head over to Sicily to meet them.


This was such an enjoyable read! It’s a great journey of self-discovery as she heals from her loss and tries to figure out what she wants to do next in her life. It's a great story of grief, loss, family and the quest for meaning in your life. The author's descriptions of Sicily and her family members are wonderful. They are like a warm hug. I’d so love to head over to Sicily and spend some time there. I'm looking forward to reading more by this author.


Thanks to @berkley, @netgalley and the author for this arc.

*3.75 stars

I absolutely fell in love with our protagonist and the discovery of self through family. I laughed, I cried, I swooned.

3 stars ✰
⤿ this was actually really sweet 🙁

💌 plot:

this beautiful story follows aurora, as we watch her rediscover herself in the beautiful land of sicily <3 she’s only ever had her mother, no father, and no relatives. her mom was her best friend, and when she passes away, aurora’s whole life feels meaningless. she’s so heartbroken and instead of her bf consoling her through it and showing her love he.. breaks up with her?? kinda? but they’re still together but taking a break? idek. but when she discovers she has family in Italy, she drops everything and goes to meet them— and it changes her life completely 🤍

💌 my thoughts:

this was actually really comforting and refreshing. it was nice to see so much happiness and light be brought back to auroras life after what happened, so I really liked that for her. she’s also so easy to relate to. like loneliness can take such a toll on someone and affect their mental health horribly. I have to live away from my mom for uni and it puts me in misery, and aurora had to literally lose the only person she ever relied on!?!? and forever. it’s crazy how she even stayed so hopeful but I’m glad she followed her heart and found her people— it literally made me so emotional 🥹🫶🏼

what I did struggle with, though, was the writing at times. i don’t know how to put it but it feels very diary-like? I know that’s only natural when reading in first person but i found it hard to get into when it felt like she was just reciting the things she’s doing— i would’ve liked it to be a little more descriptive.. more creative perhaps? im not sure. I might be being nitpicky but I found it really hard to fully immerse myself. nonetheless, I still had a great time!! I would recommend reading this in the summer or at the beach I think it would be so good 🤭🤭

💌 conclusion:

i recommend this if you’re looking for something quick and relaxing, something easy to read with no major dramas or conflicts, defo pick this up!! obviously it does deal with heavy topics, mostly grief and how to cope with it but for the most part the book is pretty lighthearted. this was super fun 💐

thank you to netgalley and berkley publishing group for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Aurora has a rising career, a boyfriend and is happy. Her mother passes away and her world comes crumbling down around her as she is all alone. The author does a great job of showing how traumatic this experience was and how it changed her. Jason her boyfriend is not supportive or helpful during her grief. She takes a DNA test and learns that that she does have family in Sicily on her mother's side. She goes to Sicily to meet her family that she never knew existed.

I loved the descriptions of the big boisterous family, the many meals they shared and all of the family traditions. The family embraces her with open arms and she learns about her mother and why she left Italy. I liked watching her relationship grow with her grandfather and how he grew to love and accept her. Aurora finds love and happiness and it is beautiful to watch it all unfold. Warning-all the food descriptions will make you hungry and crave Italian food.

Get transported to Italy and enjoy the food, wine and family banter.

First, I'd like to extend my gratitude to NetGalley, Jennifer Probst, and Berkley Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I really loved this one! Aurora’s journey through grief felt incredibly real and relatable, making her a protagonist I truly connected with. Jennifer Probst’s descriptive writing transported me straight to Sicily—the stunning landscapes, rich culture, and, oh my gosh, the food! I was starving while reading this book!

Quint was the perfect blend of sexy and mysterious, keeping me intrigued from start to finish. I also adored how quickly Aurora found herself immersed in her newfound family—the warmth and love she experienced made the story even more heartwarming.

I 100% recommend To Sicily with Love to lovers of romance and general fiction. This novel beautifully captures healing, love, and the magic of a fresh start in one of the most breathtaking settings imaginable. Don't read it on an empty stomach! 🍝❤️

First off, Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

Let’s get started!

If I’m being honest with you all, the first quarter of the book was a doozy. Aurora is our main character who is a social media “influencer”, life coach etc, if you get what I’m implying and as someone who always wanted to try the “influencer” life, it’s an okay plot line to me.

The first quarter I wasn’t feeling it until the setting have changed and we was now in Sicily. I adored the descriptions of the landscape and food which is a chef kiss touch. That’s when I kind of bonded with our main character Aurora.

All in all, i recommend reading this book if you want something quick and will give you that welcoming spring summer feeling!

To Sicily With Love by Jennifer Probst 🥘🇮🇹✈️🍕

Description:
Aurora seems to have it all: the career, the boyfriend, and a life in NYC. But her world falls apart when she loses her mother. Through DNA testing, she discovers family in Italy she never knew existed. A spontaneous trip to Sicily takes her on a life-changing journey filled with discovery, connection, and love.

My Thoughts:
How do I describe a book that’s perfect? This story was phenomenal—a beautiful mix of tragedy, relationships, romance, food, and family. It’s the perfect February read because it celebrates all kinds of love: love for others, love for food, and, my personal favorite, love for grandparents. Aurora’s bond with her Nonna melted my heart—SO cute and heartwarming! The story’s pacing was just right, and I felt like I was walking the streets of Sicily alongside Aurora. If you want a book that will tug at your heartstrings and make you crave Italian food, this is it!

Genre: Romance, Contemporary Fiction
Age Range: Adult
Favorite Quote:
“Wait for the love of your life, even if it’s the scariest thing you’ve ever done.”

Publication Date: February 18, 2025

Acknowledgment:
Thank you, NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group, for the ARC!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I will post this review on my profile on February 6th, 2025: https://www.instagram.com/musiesmamareads?igsh=OXIyY2gxYTd2YjE1&utm_source=qr

Aurora York has a successful business and a great boyfriend. Everything is going great until her mom dies, and her life goes in a tailspin. She aways thought her mom was an only child with no family, but she soon finds out she has a large extended family in Italy. Her mother left Italy with her father to come to the United States and never looked back. Aurora goes to Italy, reconnects with her family, and finds herself again. The descriptions of the scenery and food brought this book to life, even if some of it veered on stereotypical.

3.5 stars.

Since the author went out of her way to show the reader how awful Jason was for Aurora, I hated the fact that it took Aurora so long to figure that out for herself.
Then, we didn’t get enough time and scenes with Quint to really feel emotionally connected to him like Aurora does.

I loved all the descriptions of the food, the setting of Sciacca, and the scenes with her family, especially Catena and her grandfather. What I found relatable about Aurora was her grief and search for belonging.

To Sicily with Love by Jennifer Probst is a captivating romance that follows the journey of a lonely woman who travels to Sicily for a life-changing summer. Along the way, she discovers that she has a large Italian family that she never knew existed. This heartwarming and tear-inducing story explores themes of love, faith, grief, and finding unexpected sources of support. From the very beginning, I was swept away by the story and left wanting more. Probst's writing effortlessly draws readers into the world of her characters, making it easy to become emotionally invested in their journey. To Sicily with Love is a must-read for anyone looking for a touching and engaging romance novel.

To Sicily with Love was such an emotional rollercoaster. I felt so bad for Aurora, after she loses her mom. But then, when she takes the DNA test and finds out she has a whole family in Sicily—it was seriously so moving, The way the Jennifer Probst described the scenery and the food was incredible; I honestly felt like I was there. This book was heartwarming and beautiful.

This was such a heart warming and emotional read. I couldn’t help but feel bad during some parts of the book for Aurora, especially after losing her mom. The emotions that came along with her taking a DNA test and finding out that she has a whole family in Sicily really tugged at my heart strings.
The author did such a great job with describing the scenery and food that I felt like I was really there. I was so not prepared for this to be such an emotional read, but it made me cry in the best ways possible.
Thank you NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing for sending me an e-copy of this book.

This was a story with that was set in a beautiful location, very descriptive with well-planned ideas but with characters that just didn't do anything for me.

The writing was on point- Jennifer Probst knows what she is doing for sure. I was ready to jump on a plane and go to Sicily myself. Her descriptions of the atmosphere and the foods were perfection. When reading, you are able to get a very detailed idea of what is taking place. I also enjoyed Aurora, the main female character, finding her family, connecting with them and building long overdue relationships. These things deserve 5 stars.

Unfortunately, I just didn't connect with any of the characters. I didn't really like or dislike any of them. I felt bored and at some points just reading to get done. Aurora's connection with Quint (love interest in Sicily) was also very anticlimactic. I felt that it was rushed and could have just been left out completely. The larger focus was on family, new beginnings, healing from and handling grief and any sort of romance just didn't really fit in.

I am very thankful to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing and Jennifer Probst for the opportunity to read this e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

To Sicily with Love by Jennifer Probst
Publishing date 2/18/25
#romance

I've read and enjoyed a book by JP before so I decided to give this one a try too. And perfect timing after a very dark book.

Aurora finally gets to meet a large family she never knew existed. It just might change her outlook on her work, her love life, and everything else too.

Very enjoyable. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys big families, family drama and **maybe a spoiler ** watching the annoying man go down. Lol. Not really a spoiler bc since when does a woman in a romance end up with the same man she started with?

#netgalley #berkleypublishinggroup
#tosicilywithlove #jenniferprobst

I didn’t realize this was part of a series when I requested it, with that being said I’m so happy this one can be read as a stand alone. If a book is set in Italy, im reading it! I loved the message about social media and the issues that comes with it. The story also touches on grief and how we wlll deal with it differently. Honestly this was such a good book, really enjoyed it.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 (rounded up for NetGalley and Goodreads metrics)

Wow.

What a gorgeous damn book.

This was my first foray into Jennifer Probst's work, but you can be certain that I'll be going back for seconds, and also probably thirds.

To Sicily with Love is a redemptive, family centered, emotion-forward story about rebuilding after that final collapse---when the levees give way and everything you know is swept from your sight, how do you find your way home?

Aurora was a fascinating protagonist. A New York life coach, influencer, and aspiring self-help author who believes that she can micromanage every aspect of her life until she'd reached her sky-high goals. Paired with her fitness junkie boyfriend, Jason, she's convinced herself that she'd content with the insane rush of tasks and deadlines and workouts that her life has become. Avoiding bread and pasta like most of us avoid the plague, Aurora has an iron-clad grip on the reins of her life.

But this way of life has sucked any modicum of joy, curiosity, and spontaneity from her life, essentially turning her universe into the physical embodiment of the color beige. And then, her mother dies and Aurora discovers that she has family in Sicily that she never knew about. And not only do they exist, but they're desperate to meet her, to know her, in ways no one else has before. As Aurora explores her family's home and unravels her mother's heartbreaking last days in it, she is forced to face the fissure cracks of her life head on, and begin asking herself that sort of questions she always asked her clients.

And some questions she never thought to ask anyone at all.

The heart of this story is about letting go of what you think you know in order to find out all of the things that you do not. Sincere and poignant, Jennifer has crafted a love story that, though includes a beautiful Italian man, is more about falling in love with yourself first and foremost, scars and all.

Highly recommend this one for anyone wading through the grief of losing a parent, and for those who enjoy Rebecca Serle's body of work.


Additional Thoughts on Potential Trigger Warnings:
I do think that readers should be aware that there is some potentially triggering material in this book in regards to eating disorders. Aurora's relationship with food and her body is not great, and she has some incredibly harmful viewpoints about both of those things that some readers may find hard to read about.

I also interpreted her relationship with Jason to be leaning into emotional abuse territory, given some of the things he said and did directly, but also going by some of what Aurora mentioned of him in passing.


And a Post-Script Bonus:
Head's up, friends. I wrote "KILL JASON! KILL JASON WITH FIRE!" half a dozen times in my reading journal during this. As well as added cheese and olives to my grocery list. This is your only warning.

To Sicily With Love is a sweet, light read following a young woman in the face of social media and fame as she navigates grief, family, relationships, and finding her path. While I did appreciate the sentimental moments throughout this book, I was left wanting more depth and character development. I think any reader could find an aspect of this book to relate to.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me an advanced copy of this book.

I loved this book, the characters were well developed, the story was very touching. The setting for this book was beautifully sketched by the author. The family was wonderful, fun and loving. This was a very sweet book, one I will recommend to all my friends

To Sicily with Love was such a beautifully written story. The story had grief, discovery of meeting new family, and revealing the beauty of Italy! I loved how the author made us see through the eyes of the main character.