thank you so much for sharing this arc! I loved the light hearted story and characters! Great read for summer. Congrats on the book!

**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.

The audio narration was great on this audiobook. I liked that they had a female and male narrator, and I loved the Italian accents. I’d give the narrators 5 stars!

**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, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!

While there were a few moments that caught my attention, I wasn’t fully captivated by the storyline overall. I enjoyed myself, but it wasn't great. I really felt like there could’ve been more tension and buildup between the two main characters to make things more engaging.

As a romance, the lack of spark between Ellie and Cris was a real letdown. Their dynamic felt awkward, and I struggled to connect with either of them. Ellie, in particular, was a bit insufferable at times—especially with the miscommunication trope that played a big role. She often chose to misunderstand Cris without giving him a proper chance to explain, which made the conflict feel frustrating rather than emotional.

I also had the feeling that I was missing parts of the story, for example why Ellie didn't want to find out why her parents wanted a divorce or more about her having autism.

That said, I did enjoy the Italian setting—it was one of the highlights for me and added a nice backdrop to the story. I listened to the audiobook and especially the narration for Cris was great.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

i sometimes felt lost in this book because of the amount of Italian used in it- i kept feeling like maybe i was missing things.

Otherwise i enjoyed the writing and the characters . The narrator was smooth and clear.

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 its 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 narration and the quirky cast of characters.

I may be SLIGHTLY obsessed with the audiobook for The Summer You Were Mine by Jill Francis. I’ll be upfront here and state that may be because of the Italian. 🎧✨I REALLY liked the narration, I think it added to the book quite a lot because now that I have finished I think it’s lacking in some of the storyline, and a few parts confused me but I know that can happen in audiobooks for me.

The bottom line is I really did like this audiobook, but I wasn’t really grasped by the book and probably wouldn’t read it again.

But hey, the good news is you may like it *more* than me. Plus, the Italian. Just listen.

I did receive my copy from NetGalley and thank them and Jill Francis for this opportunity ♥️

Perfect summer beach read! This second-change romance is the perfect book for your summer or beach vacation. Italian summer vibes.

Ellie Beltrami is a psychiatrist who has a talk show, interviewing atheletes. A blunder after an interview that is streamed live threatens to change her future and makes her question her life choices.

Cristiano Conte is a former elite swimmer, recently wrapped up in a doping scandal.

Ellie and Cris grew up together in small town Italy. As young adults their lives went in different directions, but not before almost becoming more than friends. Fourteen years later Ellie's grandmother is remarrying in Italy and Cris is coming. The forced proximity brings up all the confused emotions of youth.

#ItalianSummer #TheSummerYouWereMine #JillFrancis #NetGalley

Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin’s Griffin, @Dreamscape_Media, and NetGalley for providing me with an audio ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
Oh boy. I went into this book knowing that second-chance romances aren’t usually my favorite, but I was hopeful this one might surprise me. Unfortunately, it didn’t.
That said, the book has a beautiful atmosphere—Italy, summer, a wedding, and family—all some of life’s loveliest elements. Ellie, our FMC, is successful and driven, which I truly appreciated. I love when a female main character stands strong on her own, fully realized outside of a romantic relationship. The family dynamic is warm, loud, and endearing, and I appreciated that the story explored more than just the romance. The themes of potential parental divorce, mental health, anxiety, and the importance of proper medical care added meaningful layers. It’s always refreshing to see those topics handled with care in fiction.
Still, despite all these positives, this book just wasn’t for me. If I’d been reading a physical copy, I might have considered DNFing it. With the audiobook, I found my attention drifting, though I did manage to finish it. I always feel a bit guilty when a book doesn’t land for me, especially knowing the tremendous effort that goes into creating it. I genuinely believe this story will resonate with the right audience—it just wasn’t the right fit for me.
Goodreads rating: 2 stars

The book was fairly well written and definitely had humorous moments and I really enjoyed the setting. But I found the FMC to be annoying and I was indifferent to the MMC. The story was constantly moving from the present to the past and back which did confuse when certain events happened. There was a more telling than showing. It is explained several times that Cris and Ellie had this great attraction but I didn't feel any chemistry between them. The miscommunication drove me crazy and it just didn't feel believable.

The Summer You Were Mine
By Jill Francis
4/4 Stars

This was the perfect summer vacation listen! It was perfect for keeping me entertained during a long car ride. The story is told in 3rd person/dual POV and has two narrators (one for each perspective).

Estranged childhood friends are brought back to their family homes in Italy to celebrate a family wedding. Even though they have not spoken in years, they agree to work together on a project that will hopefully help both of their careers, which are currently in crisis.

I definitely felt like I could visualize Italy and the descriptions of food made me hungry.

I identified so much with Ellie and her working through her later in life Autism diagnosis. I was only diagnosed with ADHD a few years ago and have had a very similar experience as described in the book. In fact, just like Ellie, I decided to pursue an official diagnosis after going down a YouTube rabbit hole.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for giving me access to an advanced listening copy!

This book was a 1st of Jill's for me and it was cute but threw me off a little. The whole losing contact for years over something that seemed small but I guess as you go on and learn about the female character you understand a little more why she took it so seriously. Then the mix of job problems also felt off. If you look passed those small things its overall not bad.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this arc.

I couldn't get myself to care about this characters. Specially the FMC, not her hob, not her struggles. The relationship was specially difficult to buy. I understand that these two people spent every second kf their childhood together, but they haven't had contact in over a decade and I'm supposed to believe they're madly in love? Nope.
The best part was the italian setting and the side characters. Honesty, what kept me going was that each pov has a narrator and that made it nicer to follow.

I had such high hopes for the book. Second chance romance, childhood friends to lovers to set in Italy!! Say less. Nonetheless, I just could not get into this book.

I did not love the FMC. Nor did I feel any type of chemistry between the two. Also not a huge fan of the miscommunication trope 😢

This might be a new summer fave! I really enjoyed this atmospheric, feel-good book. A wonderfully consuming, friends-to-lovers tale that had me feeling like I was right there in Italy with the beautifully imperfect MCs. The first chapter didn’t immediately pull me in, but once our FMC set foot in Italy… I knew I was engulfed in the story.

I really loved the side characters and their storylines. The grandparents’ was particularly feel-good and heartwarming. The MCs had a charming backstory, interesting personal issues, and sizzling chemistry. I was so pleased with how the plot unfolded in a way that I found realistic and satisfying— especially at the ending. What a great summer read!

The audiobook dual narration by Tim Campbell and Nicol Zanzarella was spectacular (albeit a tad slow). These are two voice actors that I already know and love (honestly, why I picked up the book)— and they didn’t disappoint. Tim’s voice perfectly suited the MMC and he really brought the character to life. Nicol did a spectacular job with the FMC, and I really think her performance elevated the reading experience. Both of them really impressed with their Italian, and I felt totally immersed. I’ll continue seeking out their performances.

The premise of this book seemed incredibly captivating. And I do love a second chance romance. Yet I couldn’t seem to find myself hooked in by the story. I had to restart the audio multiple times from spacing out and then when I was focused in there was too much happening to really sink into any of it.

While the audiobook narrators are engaging to listen to, this was unfortunately a DNF read for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

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…

Audiobook:
Nicol Zanzarella and Tim Campbell narrate as Ellie and Cris. I enjoyed both of their voice acting; each portrayed their respective characters, as well as the side characters, so well. This was a great listen!

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.

This book was cute but not memorable. I enjoyed the setting in Italy for a wedding.

I disliked the multiple miscommunications and couldn’t understand what the MCs liked about each other.

The audiobook narration was well done but the storyline didn’t grab my attention.

Thank you netgalley for the ALC of this book for my honest review.

The Summer You Were Mine is set in the beautiful Italian Riviera where Ellie Beltrami and Cris Conte are given a second chance at love. The two friends grew up spending their summers in Italy with their families who go back generations together. After years apart, Ellie and Cris find themselves back in Chiavari for the wedding of Ellie’s grandmother to Cris’ grandfather.

Each going through their own personal struggles, Ellie and Cris find the perfect solution that will help fix both of their issues. As they are forced to spend more time together to prepare, will they find their way back to the relationship they once had and get a second chance at love?

The imagery was so vivid and instantly transported me to the Italian Riviera. This was an easy, sweet summer read that will leave you wanting for your own summer getaway to Italy.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media for the ALC of this book. The narrators, Nicol Zanzarella and Tim Campbell along with the production team did a wonderful job with this book. It was an enjoyable listen!

2.5/5

This is a second chance romance that takes place along the coast of Italy during a wedding. Families and friends reunite over this celebration, including Ellie and Cristiano. The two are both going through some career changes and trying to deal with what split them up so many years ago.

In theory, this sounded really fun. Who doesn't want to read about vibing on the Italian coast? But I found this to be quite flat and lackluster. There wasn't much change in pace or excitement throughout this book.

It reads more like literary fiction than romance (and I find literary fiction to be quite flat and slow for me). I just wanted more from this because it really could be so good and fun and exciting. I wanted more tension between the characters (and more chemistry), they even felt kind of terrible for each other at times. Not quite toxic, but definitely not right for each other. Maybe that was supposed to be tension? It just didn't come across right if that was the goal.

I also think that the audiobook narrators didn't help. Their voices just didn't work for me, didn't capture my attention.

This just wasn't for me, but maybe the literary fiction readers that want to dabble in romance will enjoy this. I don't know.

Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

I enjoyed so much about this audiobook but there were too many issues to rate it higher than 3 stars. First, the setting in Italy was gorgeous and their families were adorable. The descriptions were adequate to immerse in the setting without droning on too long. It made me want to be there enjoying their lovely family gathering.

The audiobook narrators Nicol Zanzarella and Tim Campbell were fantastic. I loved the tone of their voices.

I loved the premise of the novel but the author failed to deliver a poignant and enthralling story. For 2 people to suffer for a decade, you expect that they had some amazing love story that was halted with a tragic event. That was not the case at all. Two people pining away and feeling frustration over a minor incident when they were teens is ludicrous and just silly.

I appreciated the inclusion and explanation of a neurodivergent person. The author failed to show how disruptive those challenges really can be. The main character’s behaviors and thoughts often seemed more neurotypical.

I loved the Jill Francis’ style of writing. The wit and dialogue was humorous and the narrative moved at a good pace. I would read more from her. I just hope other novels will have more meat to the story.

Thank you Netgalley for this sneak peek!