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Wow, I loved this book! My profile picture is actually Positano, the backdrop of this novel. This summer I went with my family to the breathtaking and gorgeous Amalfi Coast. We stayed in a hotel on a cliff overlooking the sea, lined with boats. This book brought back all the feels, from one of my favorite places on the planet. The first time I had ever gone was in winter, but enjoyed it even more in summer.

One Italian Summer tells the beautiful story of Katy, a woman reeling from unimaginable grief and heartache. Her mother Carol, who was Katy's world, recently passed away from cancer. Katy is drowning and lost without the comfort of the one person she came to for all the important moments of her life. She was "the love of her life".

Katy and Carol had planned a mother-daughter trip to Positano and now Katy questions whether she should still go. Carol had always spoken about a trip she took to Italy in her youth with fondness, so in a way of connecting with her mother, Katy tries to hold on to the past

In grief, Katy has mixed feelings about her marriage to Eric, her husband. She finally decides to take the trip alone, and also tells Eric she needs time apart to reassess her marriage.

Once Katy arrives in Italy, the story takes on a more fictional element in which Katy is somehow transported back to 30 years and befriends Carol, the Carol of her youth. Katy quickly attaches her grief, her love, and her desperate desire to reconnect to Carol, and delves deeper into a time forgotten full of secrets of her independent, free-spirited mother.

Katy also meets Adam, an American businessman looking to buy real estate on the island. The two are instantly drawn to one another by the familiarity of life's experiences, the ebb and flow of the clear blue water, and stunning flower laden cliffs. Katy explores her own independence and wonders what it would have been like to experience more of life instead of marrying Eric at such an early age.

I loved this book for two specific reasons. First of all, I adore everything Italy, especially the breathtaking coast. Rebecca Serle writes with such poetic detail, as if she is actually typing in front of the coast itself.

Secondly, I know grief too well. My father also passed away from cancer. What a wonder it would have been to go back in time; a fly on the wall to his youth. I've seen pictures of my father on lazy weekends (away from his demanding job as a resident physician) lying on sandy beaches taking in the sun, or exploring the Adirondack Mountains with friends. Snapshots of his previous life seem like such a far cry from the Dad I remember. A Dad who worked, taught us life skills, and was simply Dad.

Sometimes, when you are young, it's really hard to remember that our parents had actual LIVES. They were pretty darn cool and interesting. Somehow, age takes with it the idea that there was a wonderful life lived. It's an entire other realm of experiences, beliefs, and emotions that perhaps live in a capsule of memories.

The only things about the book that was a miss for me was the way in which Katy treated her husband. I suppose the book didn't explore much of why she felt trapped in her marriage, especially to a man that stood by her through not only in life but the entire journey of Carol's illness.

I will say though, grief can take on so many different personas. I think unless you haven't experienced loss this close, you can't judge a person's journey while grieving. I have a friend who recently lost her mother and she is not ready to see or talk to anyone, not even her closest friends. Grief can be a tipping point, a cusp of change in one's life, so I don't fault Katy completly for being distant in her marriage to Eric.

I also felt like her journey back to her mother's youth wasn't explained properly. It just happened. Was it a dream, or was it "real?" It's hard to say. There were a few missing pieces that maybe I overlooked, but didn't seem to be clear.

Overall, this was a great read. Reviews on One Italian Summer seem to be mixed. I though, can overlook a few flaws and felt a connection with Katy. Also, who doesn't love an Italian backdrop! 4.5/5 stars.