Welcome to Litsy!

This book posed a great case for taking a vacation in Italy (as if I needed to be coerced), but I have SO many questions about the plot. Fine for a beach read—but ultimately not able to satisfy my curiosity about too many issues.

This one took me forever to read…. I just didn‘t feel compelled to make time for it, even with the exquisite setting. And I would‘ve bailed and tried again, except I needed this as a do-over for a #bookchain prompt I didn‘t plan very well! 😂🤷‍♀️ @TheAromaofBooks

I just didn‘t love this one as much as In Five Years. It seemed really familiar and predictable. I felt like it was the same story I‘ve read before and didn‘t really offer much of anything new. It was cute. I liked the setting, but I just didn‘t love this one.

#SchoolSpirit @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs
#Memories

A quick sad & poignant story of grief , loss and the relationship between mother & daughter . It‘s light hearted and easy to read but not gripping or rememberable, a few quotes about grief which will resonate, calling a loved ones mobile phone, who knows why we do it other than pure heartbreak 💔

Thanks to these Litsy folks for today‘s prompt:

#ABOUTABOOK
@Eggs
@AlwaysBeenALoverOfBooks

TODAY‘S PROMPT: YOU GIFTED

🍋 🍋 ONE ITALIAN SUMMER by Rebecca Serle 🍋 🍋

I read this book for book club and HAD to go to the Almafi Coast after reading the book, but apparently I didn‘t review it. 😃 I gifted it to another friend after reading it.

Have YOU read it?

“i hope you walk through the world knowing your value. I hope you find a passion--something you love, something that lights you up inside.”

#AboutABook

#DualTimeline

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

“Every day the world is born again. Every day the sun rises. It is a miracle, I think. A simple, everyday miracle. Life.” This book - sigh…

#FaveSummerThemedBook
#LitsyLoveBingoBoard

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @julieclair @Read4life @TieDyeDude

It' a sad and touching story of grief.
Hypocrisy and selfishness in Katy's behavior, her treatment of everyone around her was annoying but the magical plot twist was entertaining.

1. Tagged. Read it recently and became an instant favorite. Also, really made me want to visit Italy.

2. Not yet, but that could change!

3. My family, ceiling fans 🥵, my perseverance (it‘s the Taurus in me ♉️)

#WondrousWednesday

I loved this so much! I completely understood the extremely close relationship that Katie had with her Mother and how she felt completely lost after her passing.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Starting this audiobook. I‘m so excited that Lauren Graham is the narrator. Love her!

I liked this book more now that it‘s finished than I did while I was reading it (if that makes any sense). It‘s a story that you have to let sink into your head. It‘s a very magical story, and the setting where it takes place is beyond words. Ironically, my husband and I are planning a trip to Italy this fall. The Amalfi coast and Positano are great possibilities! I‘d love to stay at the Hotel Poisiden. I recommend this magical book.

Fourth prompt completed for #readyourTBR challenge
#2024challenge @melissajayne

Good. Even though at first the main character seemed not very likable I held on and was very pleased with her eventual redemption. Full of wonderful descriptions of the scenery around which made me feel like I was in Italy and feeling the sun on my face. Full of the usual Rebecca Serle magic and wonder.

#Quercus
#AtriaBooks
#SimonandSchuster
#HachetteUK

My first finish off my #24in24 list. #52Bookclub24 #MagicalRealism The story was ok but the descriptions of Italy were fantastic. I‘m ready to book my flight.

Both these lovely novels involve #Journey, both geographical and emotional.

#NewYearNewBooks

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

I love magical realism. This one was ok, fine, meh.

I‘m one hour into this and have already looked up how to get to Positano, places to stay and restaurants. Just checking to see if that‘s normal 😂

As a person who loves Italy, and has lost my mother- albeit many years ago now— this book certainly hit a sweet spot. After her mother‘s death, Katy takes the trip to Positano that she and her mother were supposed to take together. There she comes face-to-face with the past. Good read.

I‘m in! I was mostly crap at my summer readathons, although I did read a fair amount. My big goal is to finish all the books set in the summer on my BookSpin list as well as both my BookSpin & DoubleSpin. #SummerEndReadathon @TheSpineView

Okay. First off, I gave this 5 stars. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Lauren Graham who was perfect for this book. I loved it, but I have to warn you, if you are considering this book and you are BFFs with your daughter or your mother, make sure you have a supply of tissues handy. It was a good story and there was a twist that maybe I should have seen coming, but I didn‘t. Anyway, Lauren Graham was great! #BookSpinBingo #BFC #BookChain

Katy‘s mother died and her world stopped. She decided to travel to Italy as she had planned but with the absence of her mother, who was supposed to go. She will discover herself in this travel.
I didn‘t expect that this novel would be a time traveling. This is a story of second chances.
I liked the atmosphere, you felt like you were there. I traveled too with the help of Google☺️But this character is so annoying⬇️

Wow! This book was incredible.The story about learning to live for yourself and appreciate all the beautiful tendencies of those you love was wonderful in addition to the vivid illustrations of Italy through delicious foods and breathtaking views. As someone who views my mother as my best friend, I found the story to be emotional yet remarkable and would definitely recommend it.

Made it up 400 steps in 90-degree weather to the hotel in the book.

On my way to Positano!!

This book started it all. 🥰🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹.

Although marketed as a romance, it is also about family, self discovery, and that things aren‘t always as they seem with magical realism thrown into the mix. I enjoyed both Katy and Carol‘s stories plus you can‘t beat an Italian coast setting.

No book has ever made me want to travel somewhere more. Inspiration for my 10 year anniversary trip, perhaps? This book was transportive. I enjoyed the magical element of it and hope to experience some of that coastal Italian magic for myself some day.

Giving someone freedom feels a lot like love. Sometimes you have to let people go, to have them come home. Sometimes you have to see someone in their own element, not as your mother or your husband or in any relation to yourself, but just as themselves - to see them for who they are and not just what you have thought them to be.

I don't know if I would enjoyed this book more if i had read it (instead of listening to it) or if it just wasn't the right moment in my life to pick it up but this book was just OK for me. 3⭐️

One Italian Summer was a light, breezy read perfect for a lazy day and easily finished in one sitting. I enjoyed living vicariously through Katy while she was exploring beautiful Positano and now want to visit the Amalfi coast even more than before! #netgalley

Book sleeve by @mapleleafstitching. Use code BOOKLOVER10 to save 10% on your purchase in their Etsy shop!

I have complicated feelings about this time travel story. I enjoyed it for the setting and its depiction of a woman coming into her own, but I found the mother Katy grew up with (as opposed to the mother she meets in her time slip) extremely controlling, and the novel leaves minimal space for her to unpack the toxicity there. I appreciated how the book dealt with grief; I wanted more nuance from the wider relationship.

#TopRead2022 #JanuaryJazz @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Too tough choosing just 1…

Now I want to go to Italy even more than I did before. Beautiful story about seeing different sides of people and their lives before you knew them. Deals with relationships, grief, appreciation, and finding yourself. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I tried this on audiobook for the first time because Lauren Graham read it. This was such a comforting book with a touch of magic realism that I could not have read earlier in my grief process after losing my own mother.

New #bookmark acquisition! 1 of 2, actually. I'll have to share her buddy later with a different read 😁😊

These are by ⭐️ Rather Puckish Illustrations ⭐️

https://www.ratherpuckish.com/collections/bookmarks

Our orange & white November 🧡🌲 tree in the background; the Texas (📣 HOOK 'EM!! 🤘🏈🐮) vs. TCU game beside it.

Hubby and I had a busy day full of errands and all he wanted to do was avoid score spoilers and get home ASAP so he could watch his recording.

So y'all know what that means for me... 😁😁😊

Got my chai latte beside me and my current read in front of me!

Sietje cleaned the whipped cream bowl tonight, using her whole face 🤣.

Katie‘s mom was the most important and influential person in her life, and when she passed away Katie didn‘t know how she could continue. The two of them had a trip to Italy planned, so Katie decided to go alone and see if she could find some direction.

Even with the grief of losing a loved one, I found this a light and enjoyable read. It made me want to go to Italy to eat!

We read this for book club and I enjoyed it, the others attending, not so much! While most found the mother-daughter relationship toxic (and not saying they‘re wrong) I could relate to it. I too had a very dependent relationship with my mother…even when married. It caused issues, forced me to work on myself, and stand on my own. I learned marriage is work and not always sparks and butterfly‘s. So I felt some of what Katy was going through.

I‘m a little surprised at how many prompts I was able fill for #booked2022 this quarter. I‘ll send in the official form later today.

@Cinfhen @alisiakae @BarbaraTheBibliophage

Very readable! Easy to get into. The quickest I've read a book in a long time.
Slightly annoying how much the mc seems to obsess over her mother. That sounds terrible..but I'm guessing you'll understand if you read this. I love my mother too, but Katy and her mother are extremely close.
I love the idea of time travel. Especially in a place where there is such atmosphere and delicious food and wine. I really must take a trip to Italy someday!

This is an interesting story of self discovery with a little bit of time travel

Did I get a #botm add on *and* shop Book Outlet‘s fiction sale in addition to the vacation plunder? Why yes, yes I did. I think I see judgement in those stuffed owl eyes…. 👀

I started reading / listening to this book yesterday.

I love this quote from the author‘s acknowledgments, I had to share: “One if life‘s most important challenges is determining what to hold onto and what to let go of. Don‘t be fooled into believing that you do not know which is which. Follow the feeling, follow it all the way home. ❤️❤️❤️

Such a lovely book! Getting to know Carol and Katy and their special mother-daughter relationship was a beautiful heartwarming experience. Seeing them each go through the challenge of unearthing your life‘s purpose and who you want next to you while you do so was unique and meaningful. And the setting and how Serle describes it? Just book your tickets to Positano Italy now! #BookspinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

I really loved the descriptions of the Amalfi Coast, and this book heightened my desire to visit Italy, but that‘s where my enjoyment of this novel ends. Main character Katy is insufferably selfish and immature (I think she‘s supposed to be 30), the ‘romance‘ is cringey, and the bit of magic combined with powerful grief doesn‘t do anything to excuse Katy‘s behavior.

Bummer that this was my free birthday BOTM. 😂

⭐️⭐️1/2

This book hit close to home. I, too, lost my mother to illness fairly young — she was 50, I was 24 — and the summer after she passed I visited Italy for the first time, a trip largely paid for by her so I could have an experience like she did when she was in her 20s. When I got home from the trip I compared our pictures — hers from the 70s, mine taken ~30 years later — and some were nearly identical. It was creepy & comforting, much like this book