Well, I just absolutely loved this story! I am a sucker for some magical moments in a contemporary story, and this one definitely had that! It’s a journey of embracing grief and loss while finding who you are, and it was fantastic!
Katy and Carol with the best of friends, and also a mother and daughter. When Carol passes away, Katy is devastated. Rethinking everything about life, she tells her husband they need a break, and she takes off alone on an Italian vacation that was meant for her and her mother.
Then the magic happens. Katy’s vacation is nice, things are the way her mother always described them, and then she finds her mother. WHAT?? Here on her Italian vacation is the younger version of her mother. Katy gets a chance to spend time with her mother as she was when her mother spent time in Italy. Katy gets this amazing opportunity to learn from her and about her, while also saying goodbye.
I really enjoyed this story. I’m a bit iffy on grief stories, they can really put me in a bad place, but this one, it was so beautiful. I loved the balance of Katy spending time on her own, learning about herself, and then getting to spend time with her mom, learning about her. It was a beautiful story, and I almost didn’t want it to end, but like all vacations, it does end, and that was done beautifully as well.
I would recommend this one for readers that enjoy stories of travel and personal growth.
Where to Find This Book:
Stay up to date on all Simon and Schuster books by signing up for their newsletter and get a free ebook!
When Katy’s mother dies, she is left reeling. Carol wasn’t just Katy’s mom, but her best friend and first phone call. She had all the answers and now, when Katy needs her the most, she is gone. To make matters worse, their planned mother-daughter trip of a lifetime looms: two weeks in Positano, the magical town Carol spent the summer right before she met Katy’s father. Katy has been waiting years for Carol to take her, and now she is faced with embarking on the adventure alone.
But as soon as she steps foot on the Amalfi Coast, Katy begins to feel her mother’s spirit. Buoyed by the stunning waters, beautiful cliffsides, delightful residents, and, of course, delectable food, Katy feels herself coming back to life.
And then Carol appears—in the flesh, healthy, sun-tanned, and thirty years old. Katy doesn’t understand what is happening, or how—all she can focus on is that she has somehow, impossibly, gotten her mother back. Over the course of one Italian summer, Katy gets to know Carol, not as her mother, but as the young woman before her. She is not exactly who Katy imagined she might be, however, and soon Katy must reconcile the mother who knew everything with the young woman who does not yet have a clue.
Just the Facts:
One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle
Genre: Womens Fiction
Publisher: Atria Books
Pub Date: March 1, 2022
I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my honest review voluntarily.
All adult book reviews
All children’s book reviews
She Just Loves Books 