ARC Review Book Review by A Book Wanderer

ARC Book Review | One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle

Title: One Italian Summer
Author: Rebecca Serle 
Genre: Fiction
Published On: March 1, 2022
Publisher: Atria Books
Source: digital
Pages: 272

Synopsis:

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.

My thoughts

(Spoiler free)

When it comes to books with magical realism, often it can be hit or miss for me, but Rebecca Serle has consistently been the exception. I was a fan of The Dinner List and In Five Years (My Review), and while I enjoyed the setting and the leisurely pace of this one, I have to admit, I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as her two previous books. But, once again, Serle has written something beautifully different.

“History, memory is by definition fiction. Once an event is no longer present, but remembered, it is narrative. And we can choose the narratives we tell—about our own lives, our own stories, our own relationships. We can choose the chapters we give meaning.”

Rebecca Serle, One Italian Summer

Set mostly in Positano, Italy, this story features a setting to get lost in. Honestly, I think the plot could have been about almost anything. The descriptions of the seaside, the mouth-watering dishes, the textures and sensations of the place are what kept me turning pages.

But I did care about Katy and her story—eventually. It took some time for me to warm up to her. In the beginning, of course I felt for her situation, the loss of her mother. But, initially, she came across as somewhat self-centered. It didn’t help that she declared her mother the great love of her life—when she had a husband. While I felt for her, it didn’t seem to be a healthy attitude. But I hoped this would be a plot point in the book, and to some extent it was. 

It’s impossible to discuss much of this book without giving away spoilers, which is the case for most of Serle’s books. While I didn’t always agree with some of Katy’s choices and words, I did understand that it was coming from a place of deep grief. She was searching for a way through her sadness, as well as finding who she would be without her mother.

“As I walk, I feel her. Each step I take I know she has taken before, I’m certain of it. Thirty years or fifteen minutes she has just been here. She has just cleared the way. Somewhere in time she is walking, and somewhere in time I am walking, too, and we will find each other on this path. We will be here together.”

Rebecca Serle, One Italian Summer

It was fascinating going along with Katy as she met a much younger version of her mother in this new place. It’s something we all have to come to terms with—that our parents existed before us. That they lived lives we can never know everything about. Except Katy gets to experience a glimpse of that, and what a remarkable thing to contemplate.

Like most of Serles’s books, it’s hard to place this one in a specific genre. It includes romance, but at its heart, it’s about family, especially daughters and mothers. It’s brave and it’s different, and while it may have taken me some time to settle into One Italian Summer, by the end I was enthralled and wholly satisfied. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Atria Books for providing me with an advance copy.

(All quotes are taken from the advance copy and are subject to change in final print.)

Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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About the Author

Rebecca Serle
Rebecca Serle

Rebecca Serle is the New York Times bestselling author of In Five Years, The Dinner List, and the young adult novels The Edge of Falling and When You Were Mine. Serle also developed the hit TV adaptation Famous in Love, based on her YA series of the same name. She is a graduate of USC and The New School and lives in Los Angeles.

rebeccaserle.com

A Song For A Book

Rebecca Serle has created and shared a Spotify playlist for One Italian Summer on her website, which I’ll be sharing below. I’ll be highlighting “Buona Sera” by Louis Prima. It’s the perfect song to accompany the stunning setting of the book. I can especially imagine this song playing when Katy visits Napoli.

Buona sera, signorina, buona sera
It is time to say goodnight to Napoli
Though it’s hard for us to whisper, buona sera
With that old moon above the Meditteranean sea
In the mornin’ signorina we’ll go walkin’
When the mountains help the sun come into sight
And by the little jewelry shop we’ll stop and linger
While I buy a wedding ring for your finger

Have you read One Italian Summer? Or did you add it to your tbr? Let me know in the comments!

Happy Wandering!

12 thoughts on “ARC Book Review | One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle”

  5. Wonderful review Dedra. A very interesting concept for sure. I really liked In Five Years and hope to read this one eventually.

    Reply

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