First offthank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for allowing me to read an e-arc copy in exchange for an honest review. I’m very appreciative of the opportunity.

I read this book as if I was a viewer watching Luxe Life Swap. So, I knew the implying conflict couldn’t be true…or could it? Nah I’m messing but this was a fun read about friendship and the true purpose for our lives. Connecting and experiencing life with people. I enjoyed this book but I found it slow at times making hard to get into the book.

Thanks again for an e-arc copy from Boldwood Books.

I’ve never been to Venice but I wanna go now! I can’t wait to read more of hers, this was my first. Read it in 3 days! Very quick read

It took me a while to get into this but when i did i was hooked. It was written well, the scenery descriptions were amazing. Venice sounded amazing as did the food and all the attractions too. Cate had a real charmed life with phil but both had demons and were both not really living there lives to the fullest as they had managed to keep essential facts back from each other.. When Cate reconnects with natalie lots of history is dug up and she needs to make amends to let them both move on. Great book. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This story holds self discovery, forgiveness, rekindling and igniting of old and new relationships. + As always with this author, the settings and attention to detail are phenomenal in this book, I really can imagine how wonderful it must to be in these beautiful Italian towns!
The secrets sprinkled throughout this book were so addicting, I read this in one day! I just had to know the answers
If you love
• Venice
• Surprise reunions unraveling secrets
• romance
Good food & wine
Please read this! Only thing that would have made it better is being on a beach in Italy !!

Natalie returns to Venice to host a tv show. a school trip there has left her with unpleasant memories but she cannot turn down this chance of a tv career .An old school friend from that trip is involved in the show, can they work together? this visit turns out to be much more pleasant perhaps bringing romance to Natalie's life. An enthralling read taking the reader to the beauty of Venice.

I was really excited about this from the synopsis but I couldn’t feel for any of the characters. I did like the mention of Flo’s purple lipstick and leopard print bag, as that’s my taste, but I couldn’t connect with any of the characters.

I felt the pace was slow, but Italy was vivid,

I did feel the nostalgia of a school trip abroad, but felt this feeling could have been made more prominent as it was glossed over.

This book wasn’t for me.

2 stars

Thanks to Victoria Springfield and Boldwood Books for my eARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

Unfortunately, this one wasn't for me. I was hopefully as the description sounded like it would be a fantastic story right up my alley. But I couldn't connect to the chapters and was bored. I had to DNF after chapter 10. I don't know if it would end up get better if I kept going but I couldn't push through anymore than that.

I appreciate the opportunity given to by Boldwood Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book and given my honest opinion.

I like Venice and am always happy to revisit in a romantic novel. One Summer in Italy was an easy read. There was friendship and romance and how seeking happiness can help cope with the events of the past. Victoria Springfield has created a story about friendship and the painful results of a friendship lost. A sexual assault when she is 14 years old, impacts Natalie's life decades later. She has not been able to move beyond her terrible memories of a n earlier visit to Venice or the Venetian plague mask that her assailant wore. Being sent to Venice on a job actually forces Natalie to find a way to deal with a childhood lost because of her memories of the earlier visit.

There is a not-too-believable coincidence when three friends from their teenage school trip meet again in Venice as adults. Natalie and Cate work to re-establish their friendship, but Cate's husband must also deal with his memories from that time. The discussion of a teenage sexual assault is handled well, as is the damage done by poor parroting. How the past impact future choices is a good theme to explore. Springfield makes it clear in One Summer in Italy that it is important to be courageous enough to confront the past.

Although a bit too heavy on coincidences, One Summer in Italy did work well. Since this novel is classified as a romance, readers will find the ending predictable, but that is okay. In a romance it is the journey not the ending that matters most.
Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley fr providing me with this ARC, in exchange for my honest review. The comments above reflect my thoughts about One Summer in Italy.

A wonderful book from Victoria Springfield. A TV programme called Luxe Life Swap takes a couple from UK and a couple from Venice and film their stay in each other’s worlds. However as soon as Venice is announced as the place that Cate and Phil will be going to unresolved issues begin to surface going back to their childhood. Alongside this the new TV presenter is an old friend who has her own issues. Can they work together and will the past affect their futures? A great storyline with interesting characters. Thanks to Victoria and her publisher. Thanks also to NetGalley

this book was so good. i havent read books by this author before but i will be very soon.
this book also takes us to Venice. i would love to go but dont think i could handle the place itself so i actually love reading books about it to fall in love with it from afar.
this books gives us Natalie. shes asked to stand in to present a program because the designated presenter is ill. great , this program is in Venice what could be better. apart from Venice is more to Natalie than it is to others. its got her past there. and not a great one. but she knows she cant let her job down or the moment she needs to further her career. but the program isnt going to make things better. its a luxury house swap. and one of the couples bring more of the past to Natalie's door.
this book is so much more than you could imagine it being. its about love new and old. its about the past healing and hurting in equal measure and how to move on from that and if that is indeed possible. its about friendships. its about humans and big feelings. but its so beautifully done. i loved this book and couldnt wait to read every time i had the chance.

This is a warm, heartfelt story about second chances, friendship, and rediscovery. It follows Natalie, a TV presenter sent to Venice for a new show, only to find her past — including a painful teenage betrayal — resurfacing in unexpected ways. Reuniting with her former best friend Cathy, Natalie is given a rare opportunity to heal old wounds and embrace new beginnings.

What sets this novel apart is its authenticity. Victoria Springfield captures Venice not through clichés, but with a deep love and respect for its art, architecture, traditions, and unique spirit. Every detail feels carefully researched and lovingly described, painting a vivid and genuine portrait of the city. Rich with emotion, friendship, and the timeless magic of Venice, One Summer in Italy is a beautiful, satisfying read.

Excellent read, beautifully descriptive, but with some darker moments which all added to the twists and turns of the story. Very well written, with good characters,overall thoroughly enjoyable and recommended.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

Natalie works in TV production amd is offered a chance to be the presenter for a show called "Luxe Life Swap" where two very rich couples exchange their homes (and lifestyle) for two weeks. She loves the chance but not so.much that she is supposed to go to Venice, a city she has bad memories of since a school-trip years ago.
Once in Venice it turns out that the wife of the rich couple is Cate, who used to be Natalie's best friend until said school-trip and that is just the first rather unbelievable event in this book. It turns out almost all the english characters were on that school-trip years ago and now rather randomly have come to Venice at the same time which of course gives a perfect opportunity to put old secrets and guilts to rest.
I have to say while this book was entertaining I did feel the story was rather constructed and there were too many coincidences for it to be believable. I really loved reading about the city of Venice and all it's hidden gems. I made me want to go there and see for myself.
For me this was a feel-good novel set in a beautiful city.

Want a get-away to gorgeous Venice? Look no further than this novel.

Londoner Natalie is a television producer, who had one long-ago shot at TV presenter status. When a last-minute illness leaves her production company desperately searching for on-air talent for a luxurious lifestyle swap program in Venice, Natalie finds herself jetting off to La Serenissima. She’s determined to make this work and to push from her mind a secret she’s been harboring from a past school trip to the city of canals.

Cate is excited to learn that she and her successful businessman husband, Phil, have been selected for the luxury lifestyle program, swapping their quaint, renovated English vicarage for a Venetian palazzo for two weeks. Cate hopes the show can help profile her husband’s business, and she’s willing to overlook secrets from her past she’d prefer to keep buried.

This was fun, escapist women’s fiction, set in one of the world’s most beautiful cities. Springfield has an obvious love for Italy, which comes through on each page. You’ll enjoy this multi-narrator story, with hidden secrets and plenty of Venetian charm.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy - all thoughts are my own.

A great read written by Victoria Springfield. Brilliant characters, beautifully described setting of Venice and a romance flung in, what else can you ask for in a book!

Read this for a get away from it all, you will not be dissapointed

If you want a book to pull you to visit Venice, then you might need to read this!
Natalie works as a TV freelancer and is asked to present a programme in Venice. Sounds amazing. But she will have to step into the shoes of a famous presenter, which is no mean feat. And Venice... well, that's another story. Nat has to face some pretty big demons to accept the job. But none bigger than what she finds out when she realises who she will be spending time with.
Cate and Phil are a well-to-do couple, with Phil owning a prestigious furniture business, and Cate living a fantastic life. They've been approached to be one couple on a house swap programme with a difference, both couples live lives of luxury, including where and how they live. They both have secrets linked to Venice that neither of them has ever discussed with the other.
What a brilliant story!
The way we are led into these secrets, some darker than others, is done so well, and how they entwine with one another intricately keeps us reading. Well, it kept me reading!
Beautiful descriptions of the various parts of Venice, both the tourist spots and those lesser-known areas. Food is spoken about so much, I'd want to reach out for some, but I wasn't there!
There is romance, both new and rekindled, and mysteries solved, as well as friendships renewed.
I read this within a day and loved it!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood for providing me an e-arc in change for a honest review.
If you want a good book to escape to Italy it’s perfect!
This book follows 3 characters with their return to Venice years after a school trip.
It explores their friendships, family and relationships, a perfect summer read

Natalie goes to Venice to host a tv show, but the contestant on the shows happens to be the one she blames for her ruined wedding. good story

Natalie is stepping up to prevent 'Luxe Life Swap', she just wishes it wasn't I. Venice so she wouldn't have to confront the past and when one of the figures from the last turns up there too, it becomes a lot more complicated.

Cate and Phil have signed up to be part of a television series however when they're told they're going to Venice, neither of them quite feel ready to face the events of the last that have happened there.


It's an enjoyable book, it was a little predictable and for that reason I couldn't put it down as I wanted to see whether my hunch was right (it nearly was!). The characters are likeable, if a little too interwoven, and the story is dramatic. The setting is a great one but overall the story did feel a little contrived.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC.

Natalie works for a TV production company and is being brought in as a stand-in for a famous presenter who had a medical emergency. The TV show is called Luxe Life Swap, where two well-to-do couples swap places for two weeks. Cate and Phil from Sevenoaks get to stay in a Venetian palazzo and Natalie has to look after them. She realises that Cate used to be her old friend Cathy who has reinvented herself since their school days. Back then they went on a school trip to Venice together, and their friendship imploded because of certain things that were being said and done, to do with boys and parents.

Secrets and lies are exposed, family history is discovered and romance blooms. There are flashbacks, but not too many, and the story is well-rounded, expertly capturing the Venetian feel including art, architecture and delectable Italian food.

This is well-written and interesting and will make you want to visit Venice, though the twists are easy to guess. I liked watchmaker Eraldo and the "pub crawl" through Venetian eateries.