One Italian Summer: A Novel

Expecting a Hallmark-type, summer escapist, fluff story, I read this book in one swell foop on a long flight to Hawaii. Its beginning was much as I had expected, but about halfway through, it seemed to take a turn into more literary territory. The descriptions of Positano make me want to book my next flight to that enchanted place & its characters would all seem like my new best friends. Having just lost her mother, my sympathy for Katy grew as the plot progressed; the supporting cast of Carol, Adam & the hoteliers were all phenomenal, as if from a kinder, gentler era. The conspicuous absence of cellphones and other devices should have been a big clue, but I was so absorbed in the story, the surprise twist caught me completely off guard. But it was a wonderful, life-fulfilling twist, one that helps Katy through her grief & explains a great deal about her mother. My husband & I have lost four loved ones since November & like Katy in Italy, we found healing and hope in Hawaii. In fact, I left the book w/ my girlfriend for whom we were house-sitting; she, too, had lost her mother last fall, one of four deaths in 2021 in her family. In summary, if you're looking for something with more substance than much of the current best-selling junk, more like Frances Mayes' Tuscany novels, this one's for you. In fact, it would make a marvelous movie; one can only hope while re-reading it and gifting it to more girlfriends.

I have to preface this review by admitting that I'm a big fan of quality horror and supernatural novels from Dean Koontz, Stephen King and Alan Baxter. So, after reading my opening sentence you're probably saying, "what's he doing reading Rebecca Serle"? Well, a few months ago, I read a synopsis of her novel "In five Years" and I bought it because it has a supernatural twist that intrigued me. And, I might add that I really liked that novel. So, when I read the synopsis of "One Italian Summer", it hinted at that touch of supernational magic that interests me, so I purchased this one too. Although I liked "In Five Years" better, I nevertheless very much enjoyed "One Italian Summer". In this novel, a young woman who had a tight relationship with her mother is devastated when her mother dies all too young. She is so grief stricken that she's toying with calling off her marriage to the long term "love of her life". But, before making any life altering decisions, she decides to take an already scheduled vacation in Italy that she and her mother had planned months earlier before her mother became ill and she goes alone. And this is where the story really begins. She and her mother had booked the same local Italian hotel that her mother and father had gone to for their honeymoon. This is where she meets a dynamic young woman who just happens be the spitting image of her mother at that age and even shares her first name. Could this just be coincidence or is there magic afoot? I encourage you to read it and find out for yourself. It will be worth the time!

Books that involve some kind of time traveling element that make a character examine their lives in a new way are probably my favorite kind of books. This one had the added fun of the magical setting of Positano, which I have now added to my travel wish list. I enjoyed the setting, the whimsy, and the main character's interaction with another version of her mother as the main character process her own grief. I saw one twist coming but not all of them. All good stuff.

The ending and one of the twists I did not see coming are what prevent me from giving this book 5-stars. I felt that the main character's self-evaluation wrapped up a little too conveniently. I can't say much more without spoilers, which I will detail below....

SEMI-SPOILERS After all of her pondering about how she just drifted through life, let things happen rather than making things happen, including her own relationship, I was disappointed that she then....went back to her same relationship. It was a little too convenient that oh hai this was good after all. was it, though? Or was she just vulnerable and looking for something familiar?

Also - the plotline of a woman leaving her underage children in pursuit of self-fulfillment is one that pops up periodically in fiction. The unstated (or sometimes stated) point is that hey, men having been doing this for years and everyone's fine with it, why is it not ok when women do with it? People: it's not okay for ANYONE of any gender to peace out on their underage children in pursuit of self-fulfillment. Yes, it's hard and it sucks, but it sucks ever so much worse for your confused underage child(ren) for whom you are the entire world. If my husband had peaced out to find himself when I had a six month old at home, I don't think I would have been waiting for him when he came back.

So, a good read, and clearly made me think even if I disagreed with the conclusions.

Okay, first, I have to say that I didn’t choose this book; it was for my Book Club & it wasn’t my choice of book. I don’t really like magical realism, in general. Okay, that way of the way, I was really excited to get to read this book because I heard of Rebecca Serle before & knew she was supposed to be really good (& also because the audiobook is read by one Lorelai Gilmore herself of the show Gilmore Girls; LOVED that show when I was younger)! HOWEVER, unfortunately, I had a problem with the main character, Katy. I found her to be really unlikeable; she’s very selfish & very whiny! First of all, she leaves her ENTIRE grieving family & goes off to Italy, a trip that she was supposed to take with her mother before she (the mom) died. She doesn’t EVEN consider taking her dad on the extra plane ticket (her mom’s ticket); she actually doesn’t even asked him if he’ll like to go in the first place—let alone also leaving behind her lovingly & supportive husband who is the SWEETEST guy, it seems, (& who also didn’t do ANYTHING wrong, either) just because she’s “bored” of him—or @ least that was just the impression I got. Like she never really loved him; she just married him cause it was the “right answer” to the “Will you marry me?” question. So, then she gets to Italy & she meets her dead mom—but just 30 years younger (not a spoiler; this was in the little “summary” for the book) & a man called Adam … oh, Adam, you really didn’t need to be there … That’s the “romance” part of the book, I guess, if you can call it that …. 😒 Honestly, Adam came off as creepy & a little stalker-y to tell you the truth … I got the impression that he just wanted to sleep with Katy (which Spoiler Alert: he does! Totally not caring that she’s MARRIED & neither does Katy, it seems)!! I didn’t really FEEL the attraction between these two @ ALL!! It was just like “Oh, she’s cute, never mind that she’s married. Oh, he’s handsome, never mind that I’M married … ” , so they sleep together. That’s it … 😒 Where’s all the chemistry that usually comes with a romance?? Where’s that initial first spark?? (Even in the enemies-to-lovers trope, there’s usually that first “spark” … You can probably tell I read A LOT of Romances … 😅) And when they did sleep together, it was kinda … blah … No fireworks 🎆 , if you know what I mean … 😉 Like honestly, Adam didn’t have to be in the story at all … This could have been a lovely story about grief & coming to terms with losing your mother & then coming back to your husband … with NO Adam @ all ANYWHERE!! And that’s another thing: Katy’s relationship with her mother seemed REALLY unhealthy & co-dependent for a 30-year-old woman, even if you ARE really close to your mother. Like seriously, Katy asked her mother if she thinks it’s okay to start having KIDS!! Like, c’mon!! No, woman!! That’s not something you discuss with your MOTHER—even if you are close with her!! I’m siding with poor Eric (her husband) on this one!! (I sorta get “I broke his heart cause he was nice” (I’m a BIG Swiftie) vibe with their whole marriage.) Okay, now, for the BIG * Spoiler Alert * : we find out, towards the end of the book, that WHOLE time Katy sees her 30-year-old mom in Italy is because she’s gone back IN TIME to the 90’s!! Yep, time travel … Now, in general, I don’t like time travel books (unless they involve saving a hippogriff & a man who’s been wrongfully in prisoned for 12 years 😉; sorry, not sorry, I’m a HUGE Potterhead). Think ‘Back to the Future’ or like “Manifest”, the TV show, back in reverse, instead of 5 years in the future, Katy goes BACK 30 years in the PAST & the whole time she doesn’t REALIZE it!! I’m sorry, but HOW can you not realize it’s the 90’s!! Hello!! NO cell phones, big bulky computers, instead of iPads, the fact that EVERYONE has cash, not credit cards … !! 😒 I don’t care that everyone reacts to grief differently, but still … I would DEFINITELY notice if my iPhone wasn’t working … And that’s another thing: What 30-year-old doesn’t check her phone @ least once a day, even if she IS “trying to escape” her life back home (even just to take pictures; she IS in ITALY, after all! C’mon … !! 😒)!! This also means that Adam, the guy she CHEATED on her husband with, would be in his 60’s in the “real world” when Katy sleeps with him!! I’m sorry, WHAT?!?! And Katy doesn’t EVER question ANY of this or freaked out, either!! In fact, we (the reader) don’t ANY explanation for the time travel @ ALL!! Was it all just a crazy dream, alternative reality, a complete mental breakdown as a result of grief, what?! And that’s ANOTHER thing: we (again, the reader) never really FEEL Katy’s grief, either—@ least that’s the impression I got—we are TOLD (by Katy herself) that she was EXTREMELY (again to the point of it being unhealthy) close to her mom. We don’t get to see like a flashback—other than 30-year-old mom in the weird time travel thing—or something to when her mom WAS alive. Maybe if we got flashbacks, I would have FELT Katy’s grief better, instead of just being TOLD it by Katy herself … But, anyway, I gave it 3 stars ⭐️ because, in the end, I DID like the ending. 😊 Also, really liked the descriptions of Italy & Italian food … made me really want to visit Italy & try all the delicious Italian food that was mentioned! 👍🏻

What if you could relive the life of another person? Katy is so distraught over losing her mother that her mind allows her to relive her mothers dream trip. Rebecca Serle has a way with time travel! The what ifs that we wonder about are played out in her books. Characters are believable but the author fails to smoothly blend the two stories into a competent plot. If you enjoy exploring the past you never knew about, you'll enjoy this one.