Review: Our Italian Summer by Jennifer Probst

Genre: 

Fiction 

Format: 

E-ARC 

Publisher: 

Berkley 

Release Date: 

January 12, 2021 

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

Workaholic, career-obsessed Francesca is fiercely independent and successful in all areas of life except one: family. She struggles to make time for her relationship with her teenage daughter, Allegra, and the two have become practically strangers to each other. When Allegra hangs out with a new crowd and is arrested for drug possession, Francesca gives in to her mother's wish that they take one epic summer vacation to trace their family roots in Italy. What she never expected was to be faced with the choice of a lifetime. . . . 

Allegra wants to make her grandmother happy, but she hates the idea of forced time with her mother and vows to fight every step of the ridiculous tour, until a young man on the verge of priesthood begins to show her the power of acceptance, healing, and the heartbreaking complications of love. 

Sophia knows her girls are in trouble. A summer filled with the possibility for change is what they all desperately need. Among the ruins of ancient Rome, the small churches of Assisi, and the rolling hills of Tuscany, Sophia hopes to show her girls that the bonds of family are everything, and to remind them that they can always lean on one another, before it's too late.  

My Review 

This is the story of three generations of Ferrari women… 

Francesca is a single mother and a workaholic. She hardly has any time to spend with her teenage daughter, Allegra. More often than not, Francesca’s mother, Sophia, is left to deal with Allegra. The result is Allegra and Sophia are very close, leaving Francesca out in the cold. 

Allegra gets involved with a new group, but they are into things that are dangerous, such as drugs. Still, she plans to spend the summer on a trip with this new gang but she’s met with resistance from her mother. 

Sophia loves her daughter and grand-daughter, but she can see their relationship needs help. She comes up with the perfect solution. A trip to Italy to discover their family’s roots. Now she just has to convince Francesca and Allegra to go with her. It’s definitely not an easy sell. 

This book grabbed my interest right away. I liked all three characters, even with their flaws. They are realistic people going through real life situations. I didn’t always agree with them, but I could understand and feel for each one. The true love of family shines in this story. 

Each paragraph is told in the point of view of one of the women. It alternates. I love this technique as it gives you a look inside the head of each one. It gave me a chance to understand the motives of each character and get a better understanding of where they are coming from. 

As for their trip to Italy. I wanted to go with them! I would have needed no convincing.  LOL The author did a wonderful job of painting a very vivid picture of Italy. I felt as if I was by their side as they toured the country. The author has a real talent for bringing her readers into the story. I’ll definitely be looking at this author’s future books as well as checking out her backlist.

For reading challenges: 

Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge 2021 

European Reading Challenge 2021 (Italy) 

Netgalley & Edelweiss Reading Challenge 2021

 

FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a free Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.