Ellie and Cris are likeable characters with a lot going on in this summer, second chance romance novel. Seriously, there is a lot going on between failures each MC is facing, a wedding, dealing with family, dealing with loss, and finding a way at a second chance. I am sure I left a few things off.

Overall, the writing is done well, the descriptive language places readers easily along the Italian coast, or in CA or in NYC depending.
If you are a fan of second chance romances, there is probably something in one of the plot lines you will enjoy.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the eARC of this work in exchange for my honest review.

I have requested this audio book version of this for our college library.

For me, the best summer reads tend to be ones that transport me to other countries around the world. One of my favorite destinations is Italy. That led me to Jill Francis‘s debut, The Summer You Were Mine.

Fourteen years after childhood friends almost became something more, they’re back in Italy together for their respective grandparents’ wedding. Ellie’s sports talk show is about to be canceled after a scandal; Cris has a record to set straight after now that he’s just retired from his swimming career. They can help each other out… but all that time spent together may also be what they need to rekindle what they once (almost) had.

What I Liked:
- Multi-generational relationships: Grandparents marrying; parents divorcing; Ellie and Cris maybe finally turning their friendship into a romance? This book encompasses so many stages of a romantic relationship, from finding love late in life after loss, to giving up on a decades-long marriage, to the fractured relationship Ellie and Cris are only just now revisiting. How do you know if a love is worth fighting for? When is it time to put it firmly in the past?
- Career growth from endings. Cris recently retired, though it’s mired in scandal after he was caught taking a banned pain reliever. Similarly, Ellie kind of destroyed her own show (though she secretly hated it, so is that so bad?). Both are looking at what’s next: fixing the path they’re on or doing something different. Are they brave enough to go after what they want?
- Second chance… but not tons of flashbacks from their past. There’s no dual timeline, though we get some glimpses of what their friendship was like. They never had a chance to become something more… at least not since that one night. Fourteen years is a long time, but their friendship foundation was strong before it all went wrong.
- Ellie was recently diagnosed as autistic. It’s not a big deal, and she’s actually kind of happy to know this about herself. It has impacted how she understands herself, for the positive. I like this more subtle, gentle representation and depiction of being neurodivergent, and of finding out as an adult.
- That romantic declaration near the end?! The groceries? The Netflix? My heart!!
- Greta! She’s such a fun character who provides some much-needed levity.

What Didn’t Work for Me:
- Almost incestuous? Cris’s grandfather is marrying Ellie’s grandmother…

Final Thoughts
The Summer You Were Mine is a wonderfully written, sweet romance that captures the essence of Italy and Italian culture. I liked the multi-generational family, the neurodivergent representation, and the career changes both Ellie and Cris are facing… plus, of course, their romance! I enjoyed this debut and look forward to reading more from Jill Francis.

A beach read, romance, and Italy? Say more. This was the book of the summer for me. I devoured this book once I started reading it. The characters, the plot, the setting- it was chef's kiss!
Ellie was amazing and I would love to meet her in person. Honestly, what a wonderful character. Smart, sassy, badass-y. Plus, she was realistic. It's nice to read about someone who you could potentially know or be. Cris- New book boyfriend alert, people! Stay cool! How dreamy is he? I mean honestly, what a dream.
Their unresolved feelings were boiling off the page and I screamed, JUST KISS ALREADY, 3 times before it actually happened.
Ben was a great character too. Loved him so much and hope the author may bless us with his love story which we get a peak at in this story.
My one main complaint is the whole Ellie watching her parents because they announced their divorce. She's a therapist..she could you know...talk to them about it with words instead of resorting to taking on their problems. Honestly, communication in this book would have gone a long way overall, but I still enjoyed it.

I wanted to like this book, but I really really struggled with the pacing. Everything moved way too slow for my taste.

I was very interested in Ellie’s character, and I thought she was interesting and well fleshed out. I did find her and Cris’s lack of communication exceedingly frustrating. And not in a fun build tension kind of way, but more of a why couldn’t they have cleared this up a million years ago.

The burning, Italian flavored tension I was looking for just wasn’t present in this novel.

Unfortunately I couldn’t bring myself to finish this one, but thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to St Martins Press and NetGalley for a copy of this ARC. I feel like it had so much potential but just did not hit for me. I think I may just be experiencing a smidge of burnout for the Italian Summer romance though. I liked the characters and felt like they were complex enough to be interesting. I just feel like there wasn’t enough tension and build up. The setting was beautiful and the antics between the whole cast was fun.

I love second chance romances, but this one didn't do it for me. I love that it took place in Italy and the grandparents generations was adorable, but the rest of the story struggled. Both Ellie and Cris lacked charisma and I felt that the story dragged. I actually picked the book up and didn't restart it until weeks later. I know that this book will be someone's dream, but it just wasn't mine.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins for the eARC.
I did not enjoy this. I found it to be very slow, uneventful, and the characters were boring. Ellie was nearly insufferable, and they had no chemistry whatsoever. The setting was the only thing I enjoyed about this book.
The romance between Cris and Ellie felt too forced, and there was no spark.
It touched quite a bit on autism, and there was good potential there but it wasn’t played out right.
Also, there was way too much Italian dialect, yes I know it was based in Italy, but I don’t speak Italian, so to have a good portion of the book in a language I can’t speak or understand, was irritating. At least put translations or something or let readers know it won’t all be in English.
Overall, extremely disappointed.

Slow Burn? More Like Slow Sizzle

Okay, The Summer You Were Mine by Jill Francis? Whew. I went in expecting a soft, second-chance summer romance... and ended up needing a fan. This book delivers all the slow-burn angst and unresolved tension you could ask for, with just the right amount of spice once things finally snap (you’ll know the scene when you get there 👀).

The chemistry between the two leads is electric; like, you feel the weight of everything left unsaid over the years, and when they finally give in? Fireworks. But what really stood out for me was the emotional depth. It’s not just heat for the sake of it; the passion is rooted in history, heartbreak, and hope.

Also, Jill Francis knows how to write a small-town setting that feels intimate and alive without getting cheesy. It made me want to pack my bags and go somewhere with lake views and a long list of emotional baggage.

Highly recommend if you're into:
✅ Second chances
✅ Summer nostalgia
✅ Tension that burns
✅ Steamy payoff that feels earned

Will definitely be reading more by Jill Francis; this one hit the spot.

Italy! Family! Second chance Romance! Yes please!!!
The Summer You Were Mine is a good summer read. I always love when a couple that finds their way back to each other - and the story of Ellie and Chris both reinventing themselves and finding their next chapter in life was interesting. Throw in a setting in the beautiful Italian riviera, and this novel is the perfect summer read!
Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy!

Thank you to the publisher St Martin’s Press and Jill Francis for the advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
For some reason, I put this book off for a long time because I didn’t feel like I’d like it and I’m happy to say that was not the case. I did end up liking this book and its plot.
There were some execution issues and some pacing issues that meant it took me longer than normal to finish this book.

What I liked:
-the plot
-the scenery, atmosphere and setting
-the side characters
-their last act break up surrounded more than just a miscommunication / it wasn’t heavy on the miscommunication
-second chance trope
-neurodivergent representation

What didn’t work for me
-some descriptions got too wordy for me (multiple pages dedicated to describing the meals - I found I ended up skipping and skimming some heavy description paragraphs and pages)
-I would have liked a better understanding of what happened between Ellie and Cris in the past
-I would have liked more time of seeing Ellie and Cris together as a couple prior to the last act break up

I would ultimately recommend this to some romance readers and particularly those who have a connection with Italy.

This cover suckered me in! Looked like the perfect summer romance. Ellie and Cristiano’s families are two peas in a pod, both living on the Italian Riviera, and they were childhood friends- fourteen years ago, they were almost more. Years later, they come together for a family wedding between her grandma and his grandpa, leaving us to see how their second chance romance unfolds.

Unfortunately, this one just did not click with me. I found that it was extremely wordy and needed to be pared down significantly. Between Cris looking to switch career paths and Ellie shouldering a new discovery that she is neurodivergent, there was a lot of potential for depth. Given how long-winded a lot of the book was, you’d think both of those things would have been fully explored, but the story seemed overall pretty surface level which was a disappointment for me- as we all know, I love “romance with a story.”

The storyline had promise, and the writing was not bad- this was the author’s debut novel, and I’d be interested to see what she could do with a touch more editing. I’m hopeful to recommend one of her books in the future, but not *quite* yet with this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review! All opinions are my own.

I love the setting of Italy for most romance books. It draws me in. I struggled to get into this book and for right now. I’m putting it down after the first few chapters. I’m just not connecting with the characters. And I want to, so I’m gonna give it another try Eventually.

I was really looking forward to this novel! The cover and title sold me on the book. Unfortunately, the story was meh for me. I couldn't get into it and the Italian was not translated so I either looked it up or missed that part of the story which was another detractor for me. I even requested the audio book and it did not keep me interested either. I am sorry I really wanted to love this book. I will not post my review on my socials as to not detract from the book launch.

Thank you Net Galley, Jill Francis and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to preview this title and wish that I could give it a better review.

This was okay and a good filler book, but not as interesting as the premise would make it seem. I enjoyed the mix between Italian and American heritage and sensibilities, but ultimately did not really care about the main characters issues and the will they won't they of it.

Eleonora and Cristiano have not been able to forget each other since the summer that changed their lives. They were childhood best friends since their dads used to play water polo together in Italy. For the first time in over a decade, they are reuniting in the small town of Chiavari for Ellie's grandmother to marry Cris' grandfather. Unresolved feelings resurface. Ellie and Cris' careers have both taken a negative turn, and together, they hatch a plan to fix their reputations.

In the beginning of the book, Ellie closes her eyes and invokes the smell of jasmine, reminding her of summering in Chiavari. Later, when Cris is looking for Ellie, the scent of jasmine leads him to her. Second chance romance is one of my favorite tropes. After years of avoiding each other, at age 32, Cris realizes that he lost the girl once but he can't lose her again.

I love the families in the story: the grandparents, the parents, the siblings, and the friends. Everyone is nose deep in one another's business, rooting for Ellie and Cris to realize that they are meant for each other. The themes of it's never too late to pursue your dreams and it's okay to have new dreams really struck a chord with me.

Jill vividly transports the reader to the Italian Riviera, making me daydream I was summering in Italy instead of just reading about it.

𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁:

Travel to Italian Rivera in this swoony second chance romance. I love that the MCs were childhood friends and his grandpa is now marrying her grandma years later! It was so fun to get to know these characters it felt like you were apart of the family. This book had all the things: rekindling of friendship, reminiscing of the past, meddling family and all the Italian culture.

𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬:

When your job hits the fan because you were accidentally on air and voiced your true thoughts you’re more than thankful you had a vacation to Chiavari, Italy planned for your grandmother’s wedding.

Although Ellie may not get the summer escape she was planning. As her mom just dropped the bomb they are getting a divorce and need her to keep it a secret for now. Oh and not to mention her childhood bestie turned nemesis will be there.

But Cris is also escaping his own drama as his retirement from pro swimming is being overshadowed by his own scandal. It seems Italy is the perfect backdrop to reunite and let the summer magic rekindle old friendships and maybe even sparks.

𝙁𝙖𝙫 𝙌𝙪𝙤𝙩𝙚:

“Maybe it’s because this isn’t just some idea, Ellie. After thirty years of history, it’s kind of hard to think that we are some kind of revolutionary new concept in relationships. Even though we didn’t speak for years, we might be the most consistent thing in each other’s lives. So . . . what if the only thing we’ve messed up is not being together?”

𝑳𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒍𝒍 𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒅:

* Second Chance - Childhood Besties
* Disgraced Podcast Host FMC
* Retired Pro Swimmer MMC
* MCs in 30s & Starting Over
* Autistic Rep - Diagnosed in Adulthood
* Italian Rivera for Grandparent’s Wedding
* Meddling Family
* Blueberry Pie, Ferris Wheels, Pouring Rain
* Dual POV

☀️🇮🇹💕☀️🇮🇹💕☀️🇮🇹💕

I was enamored with the premise of The Summer You Were Mine, with italian beaches, gelato, and weddings. Unfortunately, the premise was not quite portrayed to its fullest potential. Ellie was a very strong main character and I loved the autism awareness however I did feel at some times her character leaned into common stereotypes as portrayed by most major media, and I wish she had been a little bit more fleshed out. Cris was a very hard character for me to palate, and he was forgettable as a character; the miscommunication trope is something I'm not one to appreciate as well, so all in all I just wasn't very satisfied with the book.

Thanks to NetGalley for an Arc for an honest review. I really liked the premise of the book, sadly I did not enjoy this at all. I just did not care about it, felt very bored and really pushed myself to keep reading. I did not like the main character Ellie, felt like maybe I would grow to like her but I did not. It’s a good story in general but just didn’t enjoy the writing style or the characters so I would pass on this one.

This was such a fantastic summer read. I mean the setting is in Italy so what else can you ask for!

Ellie and Cris have known each other since they were kids growing up in Italy. Their families have been life long friends too. A romantic encounter between them fourteen years ago creates a misunderstanding, which causes them to separate. Now both are returning to Italy for the wedding of Ellie's grandmother to Cris's grandfather.

I loved Ellie and her character development in this book. Ellie was recently diagnosed with Autism. Prior to her trip to Italy, there was an unfortunate incident which puts her job as a host of a sports show podcast in jeopardy. I liked how Ellie had this thought process about how she was feeling. When Ellie and Cris have a possible second chance at a romance, Ellie is more cautious after being hurt by Cris years ago. I wasn't too sure about Cris at the beginning as he was more reluctant to open up about the past and I enjoyed his character development to.

This was a great second chance romance set in a dreamy location of the Italian Riviera.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for the ARC as all opinions expressed are my own.

Great summer/vacation read. Loved the characters and second chance at romance. Also loved Italy as the setting.
Thanks to publisher for ARC.