“We can be right and miserable or risk being wrong and happy. So what I’m saying is be wrong, Eleonora. Be very, very wrong.”

This book has the perfect ambiance for reading on a beach in Europe or, alternatively, if you want to imagine being on a beach in Europe. While the plot takes some turns, it’s never so deep that you’d be distracted from your vacation. Still, it does have enough substance (particularly in the personal growth and interpersonal relationship-building department) to keep you entertained.

At its best, this book was heartfelt, quirky, and teeming with the essence of Italian summer. At its weakest, it was confusing, trying a tad too hard to have Ali Hazelwood-esque language so confusing I’d have to re-read lines, often in Italian with no explanation after of what they meant. I shouldn’t have to pull up google translate to understand dialogue.

I enjoyed the second half of this book much more than the first. The first half took me weeks to get through, while I flew through the second, especially after the 65% mark. The first half sacrificed clarity for zany writing, including too many characters to keep straight. After reading the entire book, I would still fail if you asked me to connect the names to each character. The description of Ellie and Chris falling out in their youth still made no sense after reading the resolution, and I also couldn’t pinpoint exactly when it happened or how old they were.

The second half excelled at showing the personal growth of multiple characters, particularly Ellie. I enjoyed the quirky languages with modern references when it wasn't confusing. Yet, my favorite lines were the ones that articulated emotions I’d lived before but couldn’t put into words:

"He was now in the groggy space that every dreamer knew, when there was no real way back to what magic they had felt on the other side, no matter how hard they tried. He closed his eyes tight, trying to remain in the dream [...] on a warm summer night in Chiavari and anything was possible."

Two significant ways to improve this book before its release would be to clarify the writing (which might mean reducing the amount of quirkiness and references, but it would be worth it!) of the first half and revise the section that describes why Ellie and Chris fell out in their youth. And, of course, fix the grammar mistakes sprinkled throughout the prose.

I rate the first half 4.25 and the second around 3.5. So, the overall rating hovers around 3.75 for me. I would read more books by this author if they could keep the quality of the second half throughout the entire book and if I was in the mood for the book’s setting.

PS, this was the best ambiance to play in the background while reading the book:
https://youtu.be/xEnxoE2iXzk?si=sadcKqOSPnR1zZh5

I find it hard to resist a love story that takes place with the backdrop of the food, wine, culture and beauty of Italy. I was rooting for Ellie and Cris from the beginning and just knew they had to wind up together. The podcast and sports themes lent an element of interest, as they navigated the ups and downs of their relationship. And how fun it all unfolded as Ellie’s grandmother and Cris’s grandfather prepared to marry each other.

The love and support of Ellie’s childhood friend Greta and her brother Ben was integral to the story. And Cris had the support of his twin brothers Leo and Ale. Surrounded by the love and support of family and friends, Ellie and Cris’s love story unfolded gradually, and everyone seemed to know where it was headed before they did. It was interesting to view the relationship through Ellie's perspective, after her recent diagnosis of autism and greater understanding of herself.

I recommend this fun story of love and family relationships with the delightful Italian setting.

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review.

I wanted to like this book because it seemed like a fun concept and I was down for the Italian summer vibes but it was just so boring. Neither main character was likeable and every one of their interactions felt like pulling teeth. They had no chemistry and honestly weren’t even very nice to each other. The rest of the book was just pointless dialogue and people eating in different locations. Nothing interesting happened and I had to force myself to finish this book.
(We’re not going to even get into the fact that their grandparents were getting married but that definitely made me feel weird about their relationship)
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the ARC!

"The Summer You Were Mine" by Jill Francis is like a sun-drenched getaway to the Italian Riviera, wrapped in the warmth of a second-chance romance. Ellie and Cris's journey from youthful almost-lovers to adults navigating life's curveballs is both heartwarming and relatable. Francis's evocative writing style transports you straight to the sun-soaked beaches and charming streets of Italy, making you feel the Mediterranean breeze as you turn each page. The characters are beautifully flawed—Ellie's neurodivergent perspective adds depth and authenticity, while Cris's brooding demeanor hides a tender heart. Their slow-burn chemistry is the stuff of classic rom-coms, filled with witty banter and palpable tension. If you're a fan of stories that blend heartfelt emotion with picturesque settings, this novel is your perfect summer escape.

I don't know why this fell flat for me.. I wish it didn't! It just felt unbelievable and, dare I say immature. I feel so bad!
Sometimes I wish I could find a romance novel that wasn't so, fantasy like? Where maybe it's possible in real life and not just the movies for the book... le Sigh. :(

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review. I was so excited to read this book after reading the blurb: a book basked in Italy? Count me in! But the characters and the narrative just fell flat for me. I couldn't get into the story or the characters. I hate the trope of miscommunication and I fell so frustrated while reading this book. Because of my feelings, I won't be posting this review to my GoodReads account. I hate posting negative reviews because I am a firm believer in "No two people read the same book."

2 ⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins for the ARC.

This was my first book by Jill Francis and I really wanted to love it. But I just didn’t. Normally I am a huge second chance romance sucker but this just fell flat. I’m wasn’t a fan of the characters and the whole story line honestly. I really wanted to love it tho.

The Summer You Were Mine is a perfect Beach Read-It made me want to fly back to Italy and fall back in love with the country over and over. It hooked me immediately and I was 30% through the book before I even knew it. That being said, there was a bit of a slow patch in the middle--I think I believed the chemistry between Cris and Ellie less in the second half than I did in the first. However, It was still beautiful and atmospheric. I loved the way it dealt with Ellie's neurodiversity and Cris' reaction to it. Ben is absolutely my favorite character and I really hope his book is on the way! The straddling of two cultures-American and Italian-was nicely done, and as someone who is constantly trying to learn Italian, I loved all the little bits of the language sprinkled in (though I think I would find it extremely frustrating that the translations to them weren't always immediately obvious if I didn't know enough to at least guess at most of them). Anything with Italy is usually pretty hard to miss for me, but this definitely stood out from many others and I'm so glad I received an Arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest and fair review.

5*

I love beach reading in winter and found The Summer You Were Mine a perfect choice to do so. Italian Riviera, here I come!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
this is a beautiful story, following generations of a family and their love stories, but mainly follows cris and ellie. it is truly heart warming. it is a second-chance romance with an italian backdrop, what more could a romance reader want!

Despite its promising Italian coastal setting, "The Summer You Were Mine" unfortunately falls flat as a second-chance romance. The premise that two people would remain emotionally frozen for over a decade after a single teenage kiss stretched credibility too far. The characters' inability to communicate effectively made it difficult to root for their relationship, and Ellie's reactions often felt disproportionate even considering her autism diagnosis. The writing itself presented challenges with disjointed narrative flow and delayed important information. Add in the unlikely coincidence of multiple romantic pairings across the same families, and the story ultimately sacrificed authenticity for convenience. While I wanted to get lost in this summer romance, I found myself struggling to finish instead.

title: The Summer You Were Mine

author: Jill Francis

publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

publication date: July 1, 2025

pages: 352

peppers: 3 (on this scale)

warnings: parental death in distant past

summary: Just before Emmie will leave NYC for Italy to attend her grandmother's wedding, she accidentally tells the brutal truth on the air at her podcast. Even worse, her childhood friend turned first love Cris will be there, too. It turns out, that Cris is going through a work-related crisis of his own. They wonder if he makes an appearance on her podcast, could it help revive both of their images?

tropes:

second-chance romance
family friends
professional athlete
neurodivergence
parents' marriage on the rocks

what I liked:

the family scenes and scenes of Italy
both main characters' professional ordeals
Cris's water-polo-playing/ playboy/ reality tv star twin brothers
Emmie's relationship with her brother
representation of autism

what I didn’t like: too quick to believe the worst without talking

overall rating: 4 (of 5 stars)

this was a good book! I felt like I was there in Italy on the coast, enjoying the perfect beaches. I do like the themes of family, relationships, and growth, plus all of the familial drama that came along with it all. Over all it was a great read!!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

I really thought I was going to love this book. It encompasses athletes and second chances, both of which I am usually all for. While I didn’t HATE it, I found it very hard to get into the storyline here. The beginning was slow and fast at the same time, almost as though there was too much information and not enough simultaneously. The writing wasn’t bad at all and character development was decent. Overall I just found it lacklustre and wish it had had just a little more drama and excitement.

I rarely DNF books, but The Summer You Were Mine just didn’t work for me. I went in excited for a second-chance romance, but unfortunately, it fell flat on several fronts.
From the start, I found myself confused. Key details about the characters and their relationships were often left out until sentences later, which made it hard to stay grounded in the story. I understand this was an ARC, and I expect some rough edges, but the number of grammatical errors and run-on sentences made the pacing difficult. There were also moments when dialogue wasn’t set apart with quotation marks, which pulled me out of the narrative more times than I can count.
As for the plot, I struggled to buy into the premise. The idea that a kiss from their teenage years could cause two people to spend ten years in emotional turmoil and complete silence just didn’t feel believable to me. I wanted to root for these characters, but their motivations and reactions didn’t resonate.
I hope future editing rounds can smooth out some of the issues, but ultimately, this story didn’t capture me the way I’d hoped.

Thank you Netgalley for the arc!

I was so excited to pretend I was falling in love along the Italian coast, but unfortunately, this book fell flat for me. While I'm usually a huge sucker for second-chance romance, I felt the entire premise unbelievable - breaking up over 1 kiss as teens and never talking for 10+ years but then getting too scared to run into each other again. It just felt unrealistic to harbor such STRONG feelings over a teen romance for someone you have had no interaction with.. people change, they've grown up & been in other relationships - yet the feelings immediately return in full force.

The characters definitely fell into the trope of miscommunication / lack of communication. While I understand that our heroine Ellie has been diagnosed with autism, her feelings about every situation felt too sensitive and dramatic. I just couldn't fall in love with the couple and their romance.

Also their families seem a little too incestuous with the grandparents, the main couple, and the main couples' brothers all getting together?

This felt very much like a Carley Fortune summer novel and I loved that. The characters were very well developed. The story itself was steady in pace and written in a very heartfelt manner. A very cozy read that had me craving summer!

The Summer You Were Mine by Jill Frances

This is the perfect book for you if you're looking for:

✔️ Second chance romance
✔️ Italian setting
✔️ Neurospicy main character
✔️ Work scandals
✔️ The one that got away
✔️ 3rd person POV

"Nostalgia was the worst. It was the Instagram of memories."

The Summer You Were Mine tells the story of Ellie and Cris. Childhood friends, interconnected family, a shared kiss in the past ... All coming back together for a wedding in Italy. There is a whole host of characters for you to get attached too.

“Lord Jesus and Dolly Parton" I'm ready for a trip to Italy!

That being said I wasn't able to connect to the characters (at no fault of the author or the characters).. I will give this book a second chance this summer 🤞

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC copy of this book.

If you love second-chance romances, messy emotions, and the ultimate Italian summer vibes *The Summer You Were Mine* is about to be your next obsession. Ellie and Cris had that “almost something” fourteen summers ago—before life pulled them in completely different directions. Ellie is navigating a world that doesn’t always get her, and Cris is the broody, secretly-soft athlete who never quite let her go. This book is peak *enemies-to-lovers* meets *forced proximity*, with all the drama, longing, and sun-soaked tension you could want. The romance? Slow-burn perfection. The banter? Top-tier. The Italian setting? So vivid you’ll practically feel the ocean breeze, making this the ultimate beach read. If you’re into Emily Henry, Annabel Monaghan, or anything that makes your heart ache in the best way—grab this one. *The Summer You Were Mine* is out July 1, 2025, and trust me, you won’t want to miss it. Thank you to NetGalley and Jill Francis!

An absolutely delightful book. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read it in advance.
The author captivated me from the very first words, and as the story unfolded, I found myself so engrossed that I couldn't put the book down for even a second. I'm obsessed!!!