It’s been a year since Milly, Elyse and Leonie’s dad died, and a year since their last trip to Rome. Summer’s here again, and once again they are heading with their mum to Italy – but what’s it going to be like going without Dad? Rome still holds its familiar charms – the sun is still as warm, the gelato as delicious, the people as welcoming. But nothing is quite as it once was …
With grief still raw for all of them, Milly is facing the additional awfulness of having to see Luke again – gorgeous, gorgeous Luke, who she had a fling with last year, and who she made a total fool of herself with – or so she thinks. What’s going to happen this time? What’s more, things between Milly, her sisters and their mum are rocky – Leonie is being tempestuous and unpredictable, Elyse is caught up with her new boyfriend, and Milly feels like she just doesn’t know how she fits in any more.
Over one Italian summer, can Milly find a way back to the life she once had?
Thanks to Allen & Unwin for sending me a copy of ONE ITALIAN SUMMER for review.
If you’re looking for a book with the perfect combination of summer romance and a bit of emotion, then this is the book for you.
There were parts of this book that I liked and didn’t expect just from reading the synopsis, however there were also things that left me feeling a bit meh about the whole experience. I liked the book, I just didn’t love it.
Things I liked:
- The relationships between the three sisters. I love reading about family relationships in books, especially between siblings, and especially ones that get along really well.
- The setting of Italy. It’s a country that I’ve always wanted to visit (especially since I am Italian) so it was nice to get a glimpse of the setting and some of its sites throughout the book.
- It’s a great summer contemporary romance, and if that’s what you love to read, then I’m sure you will at least enjoy this.
- It touches on the topic of grief. Milly’s father has just passed away and her and her sisters are all dealing with it differently.
- Milly is also considering whether or not she wants to move away from home to attend university. I love reading about this in YA and about teenagers who have just graduated because we don’t often see it. It also shows how Milly is dealing with a lot more than just her father’s death and the romance with Luke.
- It’s a quick and easy read, which is always good.
Things I didn’t like:
- It didn’t hit the right emotional tone for me. I initially thought that I would at least find it a bit emotional, but it just didn’t do that for me. Books that focus on the topic of grief usually hit me hard, and (for some reason) a few of my favourite books of all time actually focus on grief so I thought I would love this one.
- I’m still not too sure how I felt about the romance between Luke and Milly. I didn’t hate it, but it didn’t exactly do anything for me. A lot of the book was spent with them trying to make each other jealous (which I hate reading about!) and we never really understand Luke’s motives. But when they do get together, things become a little clearer.
- The story line wasn’t overly exciting. Sometimes this is good if you’re looking for an easy read, but I just felt like I needed a bit more of something.
- Apart from Milly, and perhaps her sisters, the other characters weren’t as developed as I would’ve liked. Even Luke could’ve had more of a background story.
Comment below if you’ve read ONE ITALIAN SUMMER and let me know your thoughts. Do you like books that focus on the topic of grief? How do you feel about grief and romance mixing together?
