What I loved the most about this book was Italy. The author’s writing made the reader feel as if they were there; the romance, the food, the scenery, and the people. The romance between Chris and Ellie was a beautiful journey. Romance readers will not be disappointed by this book.

My review is voluntary and all comments and opinions are my own.

Thank you to Nergalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book and I read it in one day. I loved the storyline and the characters. I would definitely recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
3.5 rounded up.
I really enjoyed the setting and trying to imagine I was in Italy. I am also learning Italian so I enjoyed the little language lessons throughout. Overall a cute summer read!

"The Summer You Were Mine" is set in Italy and if that doesn't hook me alone, it's a second chance romance. This was a fun read where both main characters were dealing with their own issues with the media. Ellie had a hot mic when she told her co-worker how she was feeling about the people she was interviewing and Cris was dealing with an article that was out that said he was using a banned substance when he won his swimming titles.

Cris and Ellie grew up spending the summers together in Italy until something happened between them. But now they are both headed back to Italy for a wedding. Cris' grandpa and Ellie's grandma are getting married. So, after years of trying to steer clear of each other, they will have no way of staying away from each other now.

I enjoyed the story and thought that it was cute. It was a fun, quick read for the summer. I struggled with the characters a bit. I didn't love Ellie and Cris together. I think because there was just so much miscommunication and that's just something that always irritates me in books. I felt that during their times spent together as adults they weren't really building a new relationship. It felt more like they were just remembering each other how they were when they were younger and didn't really get to know each other now. I also enjoyed the side characters and their parts in the story. I love when they have good side characters where you don't dread their part in the book and they actually add to the story.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. If you're just looking for a fun, summer read and you're just here for the vibes. Go for it.

I'd probably give it about 3.5 stars, but I'm rounding up because it's set in Italy and truly that's what I needed in my life!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Jill Francis, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of The Summer You Were Mine in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This heartfelt second chance romance really hit the sweet spot for me. I’ve always had a soft spot for stories about reconnecting with a past love, and this one delivered all the emotion, nostalgia, and vulnerability I was hoping for. What stood out most was the focus on characters who weren’t in their twenties—there’s something so refreshing and relatable about seeing love explored through a more mature lens, with all the life experience and emotional complexity that brings.

Jill Francis did a wonderful job weaving together past and present, slowly unraveling the history between the main characters and allowing their connection to feel both lived-in and deeply earned. The setting and atmosphere added a lovely summery backdrop that enhanced the story’s warmth without ever overshadowing the emotional depth.

This was the kind of book that leaves you thinking about your own what-ifs and long-lost connections. A tender, satisfying read—perfect for fans of second chances and slow-burn reconnections.

2.5 rounded up

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Jill Franics for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Summer You Were Mine is a second-chance romance set against the beautiful backdrop of Italy. Ellie and Cristiano, once childhood best friends, are forced to reunite after 14 years of silence due to a family wedding. Despite the charming setting and promising setup, the book did not deliver on its emotional potential for.

This is what worked for me:
-Stunning Italian setting that brought the story to life.
-Relatable side characters who added depth and charm.
-Cris’s internal struggles, especially with chronic pain and shifting career dreams, felt realistic and engaging.

What didn’t work for me:
-The most important part of the book- the romantic chemistry was lacking.-
-Ellie’s character came off as overly dramatic, emotionally immature, and frustrating, especially for someone portrayed as a therapist with a PhD.
- The miscommunication trope dominated the plot, creating tension without resolution or growth.
- The plot structure felt scattered such as the subplots that was Ellie’s parents' divorce. It was introduced but underexplored.

Overall, this book had potential, especially with its gorgeous Italian setting and themes of reconciliation. However, the emotional disconnect between the FMC & MMC, weak character development, and heavy reliance on miscommunication made the romance fall flat for me. Still, if you're looking for a light, scenic summer read with coastal vibes, this might be worth checking out.

This book was just ok for me. It was a cute story but was really slow in some areas. It didn’t hold my interest as much as I had hoped. It’s a decent summer read especially if you are a fan of 2nd chance romance.

3 stars for me.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this ARC.

Ellie and Cris, childhood friends who once shared summer vacations in Italy, are unexpectedly reunited when their grandparents announce they’re getting married. It’s been over a decade since they last saw each other—but could this summer rekindle more than just memories, especially after the steamy kiss they once shared?

Set against the sun-drenched charm of an Italian beach town, the novel blends scenic backdrops, mouthwatering Italian cuisine, and layered family history to build a slow-burning romance between two characters whose personal and professional lives are in flux.

While the premise holds promise, the pacing was sluggish, and the story struggled to hold my attention. Despite the rich setting, the emotional spark never quite caught fire, leaving the overall experience somewhat underwhelming.

Ellie and Cris have been friends since before they remembered, their moms were pregnant together and even their dads go way back. But for the past couple of years, they have done a fine job of avoiding each other. Now, they find themselves back in Italy, where their friendship almost turned into more. Both are battling adult problems now and soon they come up with a plan that might just fix it all. Could it also fix their strained relationship?

I enjoyed the book, but it was not quite it for me. Maybe it was the slow burn at the beginning, or that I didn’t care too much for the characters.
Still a solid read!

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a good judge of romance novels. But I am rating this book based on my own enjoyment and I really struggled with the “silliness” of the book. I was hopeful about the setting being the Italian coast but there wasn’t much description of the setting - a disappointment for me. I do believe that regular readers of this genre will enjoy it if you don’t care if the characters are well-developed or not. There were some humorous moments on the part of other characters but I never got a good sense for Ellie and Cris. The usual breakdown in communication was there which seems to be the only way that characters in romance novels can finally get together. So all in all, this book was not for me but will probably be a hit for romance readers who are looking for a beach read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this story from start to finish! The character development was nice from both the MMC and FMC. I do feel like in some spots it was lacking in substance and a lot of the problems the FMC was having with trust and commitment was explained away by her autism. Sometimes a lot of the Italian wasn't explained so I wasn't sure what was being said at some points, and kinda lost the immersion. I liked the setting of this story and wished it was longer than a week!! Overall this story was a cute, sweet read. I would recommend it to my peers looking for a nice summer palate cleanser.

I wanted to love this. Italian Riviera, second chances, a neurodivergent heroine, the whole dreamy setup!!! But it ended up feeling just okay. Ellie and Cris have history and chemistry, and Italy is lushly painted, but the story never fully absorbed me. The slow-burn romance gets repetitive. I suppose I just wanted more...spark? Heart? Idk.

**Rating:** 3 ⭐️
**Pub Date: July 1, 2025**
**How I Read It:📱 🎧**

**Synopsis**
Ellie’s career may be over after a hot-mic incident on her sports talk show, and she has to fly to Italy for her grandmother’s wedding, where she runs into her old family friend, Cris, an athlete who is also having some career issues. Can they help each other fix their careers?

**My Thoughts**
I’m in the minority here - this book fell a little flat for me, and I had a hard time getting into it, but I did love that it took place on the coast of Italy. The main character, Ellie, was not my favorite in the beginning, but she grew on me as the book went on. I liked that there were some Italian words and phrases mixed into the book. I don’t get to hear Italian as often as I’d like, so it was refreshing to hear and read. Ellie and Cris’s relationship, definitely lacked chemistry, which there should have been more of because they were old friends.

**Themes**
- Second chance romance
- Slow-burn
- Enemies to lovers
- Childhood friends
- Set in Italy, think Amalfi Coast vibes

**Ratings**
Characters: 3 ⭐️
Pace: 3 ⭐️
Enjoyability: 3 ⭐️

Thank you St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!

This was a simple romance, albeit frustrating at many times because... communication! I had a hard time connecting to the main characters as a result. The conflict was also? I don’t know lol. However, as someone who has Italian in her blood, I loved how much Italy was in this book, from the language, the vivid descriptions of the location, the foods, etc. I enjoyed the family aspect in this book and I appreciated the autism representation, though it was pretty surface level.

This book did not wow me, but I think if you are looking for a simple romance, with mostly a lot of Italy, you may enjoy this, maybe.. Keep in mind there is some Italian in the book (sentences here and there), which may be confusing or frustrating if you are not familiar with the language.

(Realistically, this is more of a 2.5-2.75 for me)

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions and statements are my own.

The Summer You Were mine is a debut novel by Jill Francis.
It is a second chance romance that just did not hit it for me. I was just bored reading it. I did love the autism representation though. It was the first book I cam across that had had it.
Unfortunately it was a 3 star read. I could not get into the story but I think that was mostly because I did not care for either of the main characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for a gifted copy in exchange for a honest review.

Wonderful book to read by the beach and, hopefully, you will find as much food available as this extended family in Italy.
This summer the families get-to-getters focus on a widowed grandmother and grandfather wedding. Imagine three generations from both families and more than just hot weather incurs. Reluctant to attend are Ellie, a sports psychologist with a tv show, who didn’t notice the open mike was still on and proceeded to state how she really felt about the interviewee: basically crushing her career. Then, Ellie’s childhood friend, Chris, has just had a career crisis: pain-wrecked body from swimming for years has decided to hang up his swim goggles but has just been accused of using a rare performance drug. Their struggle to learn again how to face their demons both professionally but learn how to communicate their feelings to each other makes for an interesting read. Thanks to an ARC of this book to author, Jill Francis (also a sports psychologist), Net Galley and St. Martin’s Publishing; my review is unbiased and my own opinion.

You had me at “second-chance romance that takes place on the Italian coast” but the constant miscommunication between the main characters and Italian phrasing (with no context clues) sprinkled throughout made this a very frustrating read.

3 stars for an interesting storyline and cute supporting characters.

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Families gather in Italy for the wedding of two beloved elder members of the Beltrami and Contes family. They all used to spend summers together in Italy, but it’s been some time since they’ve all gathered together. Ellie is going through both a career and an emotional crisis and is not looking forward to all of the questions or to seeing Cristiano, the then boy who broke her heart into too many pieces to put back together. Lots of drama, love, nosiness into everyone else's business, wine, apologies, forgiveness, and more. Both Ellie and Cristiano are dealing with life changing career issues and trying to maybe salvage their public images and figure out what is next for them. They’ve not seen each other in years and Ellie is not looking forward to it. I understood why. I wanted Ellie to figure out who she was and be happy and though we do get a sweet happily ever after, I didn’t find there to be much of a spark between them and didn’t find him to be terribly likable. It seemed as if they hadn’t met up at a family gathering, he wouldn’t have tried to make amends and mostly seemed to be a selfish guy, regardless of how much therapy he had. I enjoyed the quirky cast of characters.

I ended up DNF-ing this one so I will not be publishing my review on Goodreads. Overall, the setting and the premises of the book was good but I did not feel any real chemistry between the 2 main characters. It felt more like their relationship was based on nostalgia and not any actual connection. With a little more editing this one could have been a 4 star read.

OH MY LANTA!!!!! This was the summer beach read I had no idea I needed in my life but I am so glad I read! I am truly a sucker for childhood friends and this was no different. Ellie and Cris' relationship with eachother and their families had me feeling all of the feels. I loved how Jill Francis was able to discuss Ellies neuro diversity in a graceful way.
While I have never been to Italy- this book made me feel like I was there. I adored this book so much!


Thank you Netgalley and Jill Francis for the ARC in exchange for an honest and fair review.