One Italian Summer by Rebecca Merle
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle is set against the backdrop of the Amalfi Coast, and is a heartfelt story about a strong mother-daughter bond.

My Overview

When Katy Silver’s mother died, she was left lost and devastated. Her mom, Carol, had always been her everything: best friend, guide, favorite person. For thirty years, Katy lived her life with her favorite person in the world by her side. Without her, she’s completely lost. Even as a married woman, Katy’s mom is still her great love and go-to for advice on anything. Mourning along with Katy are her father and husband, but neither can help her cope with the loss and emptiness she feels.

Katy and Carol had planned a trip to the Amalfi Coast. Years ago, Carol had spent time in Positano as a single woman, and she’d looked forward to visiting there with her daughter. Unfortunately, that trip never took place due to Carol’s death. Since the tickets had already been purchased, Katy decides to take the trip alone. While in Positano, through the magic of time travel, she meets her mom and they become friends. Suddenly, Katy and Carol are both thirty-year-old women enjoying their stay in Positano. What a special opportunity for Katy to get to know her mom and explore the Amalfi Coast with her! The only thing is, the more Katy learns about Carol, the more she realizes she didn’t know her mom as well as she’d thought she did.

This is a multi-layered story about grief, marriage, and relationship boundaries. At its core, it’s a heartfelt story about a strong mother-daughter bond. Katy and Carol’s mother-daughter relationship was extremely close (too close, in my opinion), and the result of that was seen in their relationships with their spouses. The relationship between Katy and her husband was the worst, because she shut him out and treated him poorly. Overall, I enjoyed the characters’ journeys and time travel aspect.

My Recommendation

At times this story reminded me of Oona Out of Order. If you’ve enjoyed that story, I think you’ll like this one too. I really enjoyed the audiobook, which is narrated by Lauren Graham. If deciding between print or audiobook, I suggest the latter.

Have you read this or any other book by this author?