☀️ arc review: the summer you were mine ☀️

🌟🌟🌟 / 🌶️🌶️

Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin for the ARC of The Summer You Were Mine by Jill Francis! I really appreciate the opportunity to read and review this.

The Summer You Were Mine is a fluffy summer beach read you don’t need to put much thought into it, which can definitely be a positive. That said, I did find myself struggling to finish it. Honestly, that might’ve been more about my mood than the book itself (not blaming the book at all!!).

The premise centers on a *kind of* second-chance romance between a talk show host and a retired swimmer. Ellie and Cris grew up together and are reunited at their grandparents’ wedding. The story is packed with tension, pining, and reflections on external expectations vs. what you actually want out of life.

I really enjoyed Ellie’s POV, she’s neurodivergent and accidentally goes on a rant during her live TV show. She reminded me of myself in a lot of ways, which made her super easy to connect with.

Cris is a former swimmer caught in a PR nightmare over alleged doping. His story leans more into angst and grief.

Overall, I’d recommend this when you're looking for something light, summery, and easy to fly through!

Tropes:
second-chance romance
light summer read
talk show host x retired swimmer
neurodivergent rep

Thanks again for the ARC! 💛

The Summer You Were Mine is a second-chance beach romance that takes place on the beautiful Italian coast.

Ellie Beltrami is a sports talkshow host whose career just recently imploded after she made a huge mistake on air.

Cristiano Conte is a professional swimmer who has been recently accused of using a banned substance.

Ellie and Cris have known each other their entire lives, but something happened between them fourteen years ago that changed their friendship, resulting in Ellie and Cris to have not been in contact since. After all of these years, they’re finally going to be reunited after her grandmother and his grandfather decide to get married.

After the wedding, Ellie and Cris decide to make a deal with one another in order to help both of their careers. Ellie will interview Cris to fix her career and Cris will be able to tell his side of the story in order to clear his name.

I really enjoyed the small town Italian feel of this book and the Italian phrases that were sprinkled into some of the chapters. I also loved the relationship that Ellie and Cris had with one another. Jill did an amazing job writing these characters personalities and showing why they were friends in the first place. I ended up reading this book on the plane when I went to Italy and I felt like I was immersed into the culture. This book is a the perfect light hearted Summer beach read.

Thank you Netgalley, St-Martin’s Press and the author Jill Francis.
I loved this romance set in Italy,
The couples were wonderful, the Italian in the book was so nice to read and brought back memories.
Even the Italian songs which I listened to when I was young brought back nice memories.
Love was totally in the air on the Italian seaside.
Highly recommend

Unfortunately I had trouble getting through this book. It might have been a me problem - I struggle to read about anything sports related, although I thought it would be a slam dunk (pun intended) because I also have a PhD in psychology. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Imagine you’re sitting on a terrace in Italy, and the sun is setting, and you’re holding a glass of wine, and you’re like, “Wow, life is beautiful,” but also you’re spiraling because you just remembered that one thing you said to your ex fourteen years ago that ruined everything. That’s this book.

What I loved is how Ellie’s dealing with her neurodivergence and her career falling apart, and Cris is this retired swimmer who’s in chronic pain and trying to figure out what comes next, and it’s like… they’re both going through a lot, but in a way that feels real. Ellie is dramatic and defensive and sometimes you want to shake her, but also, we've all been there. Cris is so earnest and trying so hard, and it’s heartbreaking because you can tell he’s carrying so much guilt and just wants to be seen. They’re messy, and they’re human, and I loved that. I love them.

Jill Francis writes with this dreamy, almost hypnotic prose that makes you feel like you’re floating in a lake at sunset. What I loved most is how this book explores the idea of identity, how we become different versions of ourselves depending on who we’re with and where we are. There’s this undercurrent of shame and yearning that runs through the whole book that is so deeply well written and shown.

The themes of belonging and impermanence hit hard, too. It’s messy and indulgent and sometimes a little too much, but that’s kind of the point. Summers are too much. Love is too much. Life is too much. And this book captures all of it in a way that feels both magical and painfully real.

Thank you to St-Martin's Publishing House and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review of this book.

unfortunately this wasn't for me. as i couldn't get pass 10 %.

thankful i got the chance to receive both the e copy and audio

I was really hoping The Summer You Were Mine would live up to its promising premise, but unfortunately, it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. The story had some nice moments, especially with the beautiful Italian setting and Cris’s struggle as an athlete dealing with chronic pain, but overall, I found the romance lacking. Ellie and Cristiano’s connection felt awkward and strained rather than passionate, and I never really saw the spark that makes a second-chance love story work. I would have loved to see them fall for each other again, instead of just assuming their childhood feelings automatically picked back up.

Ellie, in particular, was a tough character for me to connect with. As a therapist, I expected more self-awareness, but she often took things too personally and misunderstood Cris rather than communicating openly. Their back-and-forth felt frustrating and kept them hurting each other instead of helping each other grow. I also found the subplot about Ellie’s parents’ divorce a bit confusing and underdeveloped, especially considering her background.

Ellie & Chris 3.75/5
I really loved the setting of this book! I think the plot was really developed and went at the right pace. I love the relationship dynamic and the strong family trope. I think this book is def a cute comfort summer read! The scenery is described beautifully and the second change trope was played out great.

I typically really like second chance romances, but this one did not work for me at all. Despite that fact that she has a PhD and is in her thirties, the female main character was extremely immature and self-absorbed, which made it difficult to root for the couple to end up together or even to just stay engaged with the story while reading it.

I also hated the initial “break-up” incident that caused a decade long rift. When I originally read it, I had to go back and double check to make sure I read it correctly because all I could think was “That’s it?! That’s all he did to break your heart and earn a decade of avoidance?” Especially when you consider that she held a longer grudge about that one incident than she did for her ex-fiancé who cheated on her, I couldn’t take it seriously anymore.

There were some sweet romance scenes and I loved some of the side characters, but there was a lot more wrong with this one than right.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

• ellie & cris have known each other their entire lives: their families are from the same small italian town, their grandparents are friends, & they very briefly dated when they were 14. now, many years later, they both find themselves back in italy as their families gather for a wedding between their grandparents, all while ellie tries not to spiral out about her (very public) career implosion and cris deals with the fallout of being accused of using a banned substance to help his swimming career. when they make a deal to help both their careers, their romance picks up where it left off, forcing them to confront what drove them apart years ago.
• this felt like a very run-of-the-mill second chance romance, and while i didn’t dislike it, it honestly didn’t leave much of an impression on me.
• ellie coming to terms with her autism diagnosis was done really well, and i loved that piece of rep in this story.

During their whole childhood, Ellie and Cristiano were best friends. Their families did everything together, and they did too. Until, one day, something happened and they started to avoid each other’s presence.

After fourteen years of not talking, a wedding is fusing Ellie and Cristiano’s families together. Neither of them can skip this time, so they would have to act as if nothing has happened between the two for an entire summer. It shouldn’t be so hard, right?

The Summer You Were Mine had a couple things I liked: the Italian setting, the Italian added at some points of the story and Cris’s struggles as an athlete who is in chronic pain. But they didn’t compensate for the fact that the heroine was insufferable, the story relied on miscommunication and that I couldn’t see why the main characters were into each other. It seemed like they had fallen in love fourteen years ago, and seeing each other again was reason enough to want to be together again. People change, so I would have liked to see them falling in love again. Also, I couldn’t see any kind of chemistry between them.

On top of that, they didn’t make each other better. If anything, they kept hurting each other with their misunderstandings and with the fact that Ellie didn’t seem to care about Cris at all. I want my main characters to make sense. To make each other better, to support each other’s dreams. I saw that on Cris, but not on Ellie.

The Summer You Were Mine was a great slow-burn second chance romance that immerses you in Italy - the scenery, the food, the wine, and the amazing people. Ellie and Cris find themselves back in Italy for the wedding of their grandparents and start to reconnect about their past and losing touch as teenagers, along with their current job and personal troubles. There are plenty of fun and awkward moments as Ellie and Cris find themselves pushed together by their families - but their banter and chemistry is superb. And their families were so entertaining! This was a fantastic summer beach read - definitely recommend! Thank you to St Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the chance to read this novel.

An Ok read. I appreciate the Autism representation, but felt that the author could have done more to fully flesh out the characteristics into the main character to truly show representation.

This is primarily the story of podcaster Ellie, who was recently diagnosed with autism and may have just lost her job due to an emotional outburst while she was unknowingly on the air. I think this works better as women’s fiction than romance. I liked Cris, Ellie’s childhood friend and love interest, but for most of the book, Ellie just didn’t seem to be capable of a romantic relationship.

I was disappointed, because I often relate to neurodiverse characters. But we spend a lot more time watching Ellie making foolish assumptions and spinning out with wildly overblown emotional reactions than analyzing her situation or enjoying her special interests. That was more awkward and uncomfortable than fun and romantic. I should also mention that I hate the miscommunication trope, which played a big role here. Actually, for 14 years, there was a total refusal to communicate, which I find baffling between two people who were as close as Ellie and Cris.

Also, Ellie’s controlling behavior with her parents was severely annoying. They are adults. Let them work things out on their own.

I did enjoy the Italian setting and the secondary characters, and the ending was cute, which is why I am giving this 3 stars.

I received a free ARC through NetGalley. I volunteered to provide an honest review.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley

When I read the description for this book, it looked like a really fun read and it was. There were funny moments that I laughed out loud at and moments of growth that really peaked my interest. However, I did not see a romantic connection between Ellie and Cris. I enjoyed the setting, the humor, and the characters as individuals (for the most part) but their romance was just not there. It might have been the years ago that they were friends but in the present, it was not. I cannot give a 5 star review to a romance book with no romance and also Ellie was a problematic character at times. I feel like Ellie did not act like she had a phd in psychology and she seemed immature. She did not care about Cris or his goals and dreams and she also handled their relationship poorly and that of her parents getting divorced. I feel like for a character with a phd in psychology, you would be better with handling relationships and caring about people. Anyways, I really did enjoy reading this book though so thank you so much for this ARC!

Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this book. I found the pacing to be slow and the number of characters to be confusing. So many people were named, and while their relationships were mentioned, it was hard to keep up with who was who. There was also a lot of Italian dialogue, which, while immersive, was confusing and hard to follow as most of it wasn't translated. I had to Google or try to guess which took me out of the story each time. The story moved very slowly for me; even once they got to Italy, it felt like Ellie and Cris were hardly on page together. I think I needed to see some true connection (angry, or whatever) between them in the beginning, rather than vague descriptions of a falling out.

Ellie and Cris had a moment when they were 14, but it never came to anything. In fact, she’s been avoiding him for 20 years, since he blew her off. After multiple disruptions to her life—learning she’s autistic, totally screwing up her job, and hearing that her parents are divorcing—she’s not looking forward to the emotional labor of seeing him again when her grandmother and his grandfather marry in Italy.

Of course, meddling family members keep throwing them together on wedding preparation tasks. As they spend time together, their long-past friendship comes back, and they confide in one another over the various problems they have been facing. It seems like a perfect solution for both of them to have Ellie interview Cris as a comeback for her show. Naturally, it doesn’t go as intended.

The third-person narration allows us into the minds of both the main characters. Both characters are at crossroads in their lives, and their development as they determine next steps is satisfying. The resolution of the third-act breakup is strong—everything isn’t magically all better. They actually work on themselves and their relationship.

The Italian setting is almost its own character, with beautiful descriptions and strong secondary characters.

Possible Objectionable Material:
Swearing, including the f-word. Drinking. Some characters are gay. Sex, open door, semi-descriptive.

Who Might Like This Book:
Anyone interested in Italy. Fans of second chances, and flawed, slightly more mature characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book is also reviewed at https://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2025/07/second-chance-summer.html

#TheSummerYouWereMine #NetGalley #JillFrancis #StMartinsPress #BookReview #SecondChanceRomance #NeurodivergentCharacter

The Summer You Were Mine by Jill Francis is a heartfelt second-chance romance set against the sun-soaked beauty of the Italian Riviera. Ellie and Cristiano’s shared history and family ties add layers to their reunion, making their tentative reconnection feel authentic and emotionally charged. The book explores meaningful themes like career setbacks, neurodivergence, and public scrutiny with sensitivity, which adds depth beyond the romance.

While the setting and characters are engaging, the pacing sometimes drags, and the emotional tension feels uneven at times. The romance is sweet but occasionally predictable, and some plot points could have been developed further for greater impact. Still, Francis crafts a warm, thoughtful story about forgiveness and new beginnings that fans of gentle, introspective romances will appreciate.

This book made me feel like I was in Italy. I also related to making a mistake as a young person and attempting to avoid a person from then on. In a small town, it’s all complicated.

⭐️ 3 | 🌶️ 1.5

I looked forward to reading this book based on the cute cover, title & blurb, but it didn’t capture my attention as much as I wanted it to. The main characters didn’t seem to have that spark and I am not a fan of the miscommunication trope.

Overall, I loved the setting! It makes me want to go to Italy. This was a good, summer vibes book. If you love second chance romance, give this a try.