I very much enjoyed this story and the author made you feel a if you were there. She pulls you in with her descriptions of Venice and the sights and sounds.
The main character is Natalie who is a freelancer but has landed a job as a host on a programme in Venice.
She has to fill the shoes of a famous host.
There are secrets and romance aplenty and the author keeps you guessing till the end.
Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher.

When one-time school friends Natalie and Cate come face-to-face again for a TV programme being filmed in Venice, can they put the past behind them?

Natalie is given the opportunity of a lifetime, presenting a Tv show being filmed in Venice. Cate is escaping her normal life and swapping it for the glamour of Venice. Yet when the former friends were last in the city, things ended badly, as did their friendship. WIll they be able to find out the truth about wha happened on that fateful night?

This was a feel-good read, perfect for summer evenings. Although Cate took a bit of warming to, both characters were realistic based on the situation they found themselves in.

A wonderful escapist read, great for a day at the beach or the pool.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had not come across this author before, but when I discovered that she writes contemporary feel good fiction set in Italy, as an Italophile I just had to read 'One Summer in Italy'

Natalie and Cate are the main protagonists of the story. Natalie is sent to Venice for a work project, a city she has unhappy memories of, from a school trip many years ago. Imagine her shock when she finds an ex school friend from the same trip is also in Venice for the same project. forced to confront the past, the story unfolds as Natalie and Cate endeavour to put things right between them.

An escapist read which felt rather predictable. However this is made up for by being set in Venice and the author has shown her love of the city in the details. Recommended to Italophiles.

Thank you NetGalley, Victoria Springfield and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read and review.

Firstly, big thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for the ARC and chance to review this book.

I really wanted to read this book because I love Venice and Italian and this book did not disappoint. Both well known places and lesser known not so touristy areas are beautifully described and there's plenty of references to food making me feel as though I was sitting at a cafe watching this story unfold.

This is the first Victoria Springfield book I have read and certainly wont be my last. I loved how she was able to weave so many twists and turns into the story about romance, secrets, second chances and friendships renewed and it made the book memorable and unable to be put down.

I can't wait to recommend this book to friends and fellow readers

This was going to Italy, to one of the nicest places, Venice. It is the story about Natalie who works within TV. Floella wants Natalie to stand-in for Mandy presenting Lux Life's Swap. It is a story that unravels and how Natalie does go to Venice in Italy, a place she had sworn she would never return to. It is a story linked to the past and also to people Natalie knew a long time ago. The storytelling and characters are really nice, the setting of the story is Venice amazingly beautiful. The history, the culture, the Mediterranean vibe and the new as well as old encounters of the past. The author takes us on a trip to remember and it has several twists and turns. Making up with the past and finding a way to solve mysteries and finding family and it's true meaning. In the mix of the story is Eraldo owner of a workshop and a friend of Flo's. The whole book was a pleasant read and it wasn't predictable. I can definitely recommend this book. I'm grateful for the opportunity to read and review this story.
Charlotte N

I really don't know how I feel about this book, having just finished it. I guess for me, it just 'was'. I think I had higher hopes for it, given that it was my first book based on a story with an Italian backdrop. I can't say that the depictions made me want to travel to Venice anytime soon, despite Italy being a country on my travel bucket list.

The story is based on a reality TV show called Luxe Life Swap where two well off couples swap living arrangements for the summer and is based in Venice, Italy. The co-presenter or host of the show, Natalie, and Cate- the wife in the story, knew each other when they were teens and visited Venice back in the day. There was an incident that broke apart their friendship and there is tension when they find out they are working together. Paul- Cate's husband, also has a bad connection to Venice- a bad experience from when he too, was there as a teen. Neither Cate nor Paul tell each other about these 'secrets' and both are forced to come to terms with their experiences to finally put them behind them. Additional side stories evolve to include a romance for Natalie, a mother abandonment for Cate and boarding school drama for Paul.

For me personally, I don't like when an author keeps mentioning that there are 'big secrets' and then makes you read almost to the end to reveal them. In most cases, the anticipation often falls flat when they are finally revealed- as was the case here. The story was kind of boring and predictable at times, and more and more storylines and characters were added in lengthen and keep this story going, but they were sort or disjointed and didn't really make it better.

Special thanks to NetGalley and to Boldwood Books for the ARC for my honest review of the book.

The friendship between Natalie and Cate is central to the story. When Natalie reconnects with Cate, through work, she discovers so much about how they have both developed as adults. The events of their teenage trip to Venice have had a profound effect on Natalie. Cate seems to have reinvented herself and it is through their rekindled friendship that Cate is able to face up to her feelings towards her parents. Phil, her husband, has been her protector all through their marriage but as is revealed through events, he has some deeply buried secrets from his past.

Venice is a magnificent backdrop to the story and Natalie sets out to explore it. In doing this, she makes new friendships and there is a gentle romance under the surface. You get the feeling with Natalie that she has missed her true potential and her visit to Venice opens her horizons and gives her the confidence to take a risk.

In short: second chance friendship and new romance

This was an enjoyable escapist read about friendship and romance set in wonderful Venice. A great beach read which was enhanced by its setting. Recommend.

Italy works its magic for both Natalie and Cate.
Fractured friends meet up again and discover the secrets that helped keep them apart.
I struggled to like Cate because I thought she was self absorbed and was very quick to dismiss Natalie.
I liked Natalie’s burgeoning relationship with Eraldo.
Phil was a spineless man and I thought Raj was overly generous in even talking to him.
The best part about the book were all the different locales around Venice described!

I adored this book. The story is based in Venice during the filming of a reality show.
Two childhood friends that have lost touch are accidentally thrown together and have no choice but to talk about a previous falling out and open old wounds. Along with other character's that have old secrets that threaten to derail the show, there is a nice mix of sightseeing, Italian food and a budding romance.

Venice travel romance with twists

This is a very good book to read by the pool, on the beach, or on an airplane! It is a romance with lots of twists added to the wonderful food, drink and scenery.

Thank you to the publisher who lent me a time limited e-arc via netgalley with no obligation. This review is optional and my own opinion.

This made me feel like I was in Venice, and then it made me want to immediately book a trip TO Venice! The way it all twisted together was great!

Natalie heads to Venice, Italy, to film a glamorous reality show called Luxe Life, where contestants trade lives in luxurious destinations. Unexpectedly, one of the contestants turns out to be her estranged ex-best friend, Cate, someone she hasn't spoken to since a falling out during a high school field trip. As the two reconnect in the enchanting backdrop of Venice, old wounds resurface, and hidden truths begin to unravel.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, especially the vivid, romantic descriptions of Venice. The tangled dynamics between Natalie, Cate, and Cate’s husband, Phil, kept me turning pages, as each harbors secrets that threaten to surface. This is a beautifully layered tale of romance, second chances, and the art of starting over.

Thank you to @boldwoodbooks, @rachelsrandomresources, @netgalley, and the author for the ARC.

One Summer in Italy by Victoria Springfield

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

A return to Venice. A friendship rekindled. A time for romance.

Natalie’s landed the opportunity of a lifetime hosting television show 'Luxe Life Swap', but she’s dreading going back to Venice, scene of the school trip that changed her life. The beauty of the floating city and handsome watch restorer Eraldo begin to win her over, however. But then glamorous contestant Cate arrives, the girl who was once plain, ordinary Cathy – the ex-best friend Natalie blames for the night that wrecked her life.

Cate’s swapping The Old Vicarage for two weeks in a Venetian palazzo, hoping she might pluck up the courage to go on the quest she’s been putting off for more than twenty years. Forced to spend time with Natalie, Cate hopes to rebuild their friendship – until Natalie makes a shocking accusation against Cate’s husband. Cate needs to find out the truth but how can she expect Phil to be honest when she’s keeping secrets of her own?

My Opinion

Victoria Springfield whisks the reader away to Italy in this delightful novel. There are plenty of secrets to keep the reader interested. An entertaining read. One Summer in Italy is a charming book with some lovely descriptions.

Rating 4/5

In One Summer in Italy, Victoria Springfield crafts a warm and heartfelt story of redemption, friendship, and second chances. Natalie, a successful TV host, faces her past when she returns to the place that changed her life, rekindling old feelings as she reconnects with Eraldo, a charming watch restorer. However, her vacation takes a complicated turn with the arrival of Cate, her former best friend, whose own secrets threaten to unravel the fragile peace between them.

As Cate seeks to mend their fractured relationship and confront her own past, tensions rise when a shocking accusation about Cate’s husband surfaces, forcing them both to question everything they thought they knew. Springfield explores themes of trust, forgiveness, and the bravery required to face uncomfortable truths, all set against a stunning Italian backdrop.

One Summer in Italy is a beautifully written story about confronting the past, embracing the present, and daring to hope for a brighter future.

Three people are connected to a Venice at a single place and time which has left them with lasting impacts on their lives. When they all have to go back to Venice, will it be a chance for healing and forgiveness, or cause their lives to implode....again.

Natalie was once a presenter on a children's TV show, but these days she is happier behind the camera working as a freelancer in TV production. A job is a job, and so when she is offered a last minute role to present a high end house swap series called Luxe Life Swap, she accepts even though it means going back to Venice. The last time she was there, on a school trip, her life was changed when something happened and she also lost her best friend.

Cate and Phil are the wealthy homeowners who are swapping their lives to go and spend time living in a Venetian palazzo. Cate first laid eyes on Phil on that same school trip, when she was still known as Cathy. They got together four years later at university, and together have built a successful life together. But both Cate and Phil have some secrets about what happened on that first trip to Venice that they haven't told each other, even after all these years.

Phil was happy to do the house swap, but ever since he found out that they are going to Venice he has been acting strangely, to the point that he is finding it difficult to get on the plane. Cate is not sure what is going on, but she does need to find out.

It is quite a shock for Cate and Natalie when they realise that they are going to be forced into spending some time together. Even the glorious sites of Venice can only help so much. It is only as some truths of what really happened come out that there is any hope of reconciliation, but along the way there may well be some collateral damage.

This is the third Victoria Springfield book I have read. The first two were set on the islands of Procida and Ischia. This time the setting is Venice. The canals of Venice come alive in the pages of this book. It's not only the touristy places that we visit, but also little known areas off the track. Along the way, we get to hear about some of the crafts and trades that are being lost in Venice as they are replaced with cheap tourist knock-offs and as the locals are priced out of living in the famous city.

I have been to Venice once a very long time ago and I would love to go again. This book is first and foremost about the lost friendship, the secrets and starting over, but it is also about the place. Within it's pages there is also a request of visitors to the city. Come, see the sights, marvel at the glass blowing, the lace, the carnival masks and more, but please support the genuine makers and the people who live in the city.

I visited the the islands of Murano and Burano and where I had a very fish forward lunch on one of them. We also visited a glassblowers, and I bought these glass lollies that I have carried around with me for the thirty years since. They were probably the least expensive thing that you could buy, but I have enjoyed getting them back down off the shelf and looking at them again! I do have some kind of paperweight as well, but these are the things that bring me joy when I look at them!






I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted by The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews. Be sure to check out other stops on the tour shown below. Thanks to the publisher, Netgalley and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy.

Rating 4/5

This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was fun, charming and the gorgeous scenery of Venice was clearly described. The flow of the story kept me reading. I enjoyed this book and will look for more books by this author.

One Summer in Italy by Victoria Springfield is being released today! This is the second book I have read by this author and I really enjoyed it.

Victoria Springfield clearly enjoys writing stories set in Italy and she is very good at it. Moreso than the richly described setting and the always wonderful food descriptions, this story also has compelling and interesting plot elements. It explores friendship, dealing with the past, and both the keeping and revealing of secrets. While some of the character introductions and pacing of events was a bit confusing, sticking with the story was well worth it because much like her previous book, An Italian Island Secret, this book contains a mystery element with a satisfying conclusion.

I should mention that all this takes with a reality show in the background, so any reality show fans will be well entertained. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a well-written, emotional story and has dreamed of traveling to Italy.

Thank you to Boldwood Books for providing an early review copy of this book via NetGalley for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Victoria describes Venice in full technicolour. I am sure that even if you haven’t been there you will have a good idea of the canals, boats, buildings, and the food from Victoria’s descriptions. A reality show in the making, though we only see a small part of the recorded show (the Uk part is not relevant). Events from 25 years ago in Venice, & 39 years ago have much more significance for various members of the cast and crew! And certain residents are surprised by the visitors. An interesting and intriguing story. I received a complementary copy from NetGalley and Boldwood. This is my honest, voluntary review.