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One Italian Summer

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What to expect

The heartbreaking new novel from the author of the international bestseller In Five Years

When Katy's mother dies, she is left reeling. Carol wasn't just Katy's mum, but her best friend and first phone call. She had all the answers and now, when Katy needs her the most, she is gone. To make matters worse, the mother-daughter trip of a lifetime looms: two weeks in Positano, the magical town where Carol spent the summer before she met Katy's father. Katy has been waiting years for Carol to take her, and now she is faced with embarking on the adventure alone.

But as soon as she steps foot on the Amalfi Coast, Katy begins to feel her mother's spirit. Buoyed by the stunning waters, beautiful cliffsides, delightful residents, and - of course - delectable food, Katy feels herself coming back to life.

And then Carol appears, healthy and sun-tanned... and thirty years old. Katy doesn't understand what is happening, or how - all she can focus on is that somehow, impossibly, she has her mother back. Over the course of one Italian summer, Katy gets to know Carol, not as her mother, but as the young woman who came before.

But can we ever truly know our parents? Soon Katy must reconcile the mother who knew everything with the young woman who does not yet have a clue.

Rebecca Serle's next great love story is here, and this time it's between a mother and daughter. With her signature 'heartbreaking and poignant' (Glamour) prose, Serle has crafted a transcendent novel about how we move on after loss, and how the people we love never truly leave us.


~*~ PRAISE FOR IN FIVE YEARS ~*~

'Smart, emotional, intriguing and compelling - I loved it!' JILL MANSELL

'Full of twists and turns, this is a heart-breaking yet uplifting story about love and friendship, and is one of this year's must-reads' HEAT MAGAZINE 5*

'What a clever, beautiful, special book. The writing is stunning, the concept is so original - it just has everything going for it. I loved every page!' BETH O'LEARY

'Heartbreaking and poignant' GLAMOUR

'I loved In Five Years. A beautiful, intelligent story about friendships and love' CLARE MACKINTOSH

(P) Simon & Schuster Audio

Critics Review

I loved In Five Years but with One Italian Summer Rebecca has truly excelled herself. An extraordinary, beautiful, magical book. (And now I NEED to visit Positano...)
JILL MANSELL, author of SHOULD I TELL YOU?
Startlingly fresh and utterly compelling, One Italian Summer is a spellbinding story of love, loss and hope, so beautifully depicted I felt I lived and breathed every word of Katy's journey along with her. It's extraordinary storytelling - a book with magic on every page
HOLLY MILLER, author of THE SIGHT OF YOU
Breathtakingly original and heartbreakingly emotional, One Italian Summer is a tearjerker of a masterpiece that combines family, romance, and feeling lost, found and hopeful, set against the hauntingly evocative backdrop of one of the most beautiful places on earth. I was floored by it
LAURA JANE WILLIAMS, author of THE LUCKY ESCAPE
A gorgeous story that swept me away to Italy - breathtaking!
EMMA COOPER, author of IT WAS ALWAYS YOU
One Italian Summer is a feast for the senses. Serle is the queen of taking a truly original idea and breathing life and heart into every corner of it. I couldn't love her books more
LAURA PEARSON, author of I WANTED YOU TO KNOW
One Italian Summer is the perfect escapist read. Compelling, moving and masterfully told
LAURA KAY, author of THE SPLIT
Rebecca Serle is a maestro of love in all its forms
GABRIELLE ZEVIN, author of YOUNG JANE YOUNG
Honestly what a book - she's so bloody clever - sparing with words but able to write with real poetry. The whole book was so vivid and gorgeous and I am SO HERE for women's fiction that surprises - which this did in spades. Loved it and would read anything she ever writes
CESCA MAJOR, author of THE LAST NIGHT
Rebecca Serle has crafted a beautiful love story which shows her character's grief slowly ebbing away and being replaced by something new
IPAPER
[One Italian Summer is] wonderful on grief and love, and every reader lucky enough to still have their mother will want to hug her tight after this
DAILY MAIL
There is more than a touch of magic in this new novel from the author of In Five Years. Beautifully and sensitively written, exploring themes of grief, loss and the power of love, this haunting, touching tale is sure to get under your skin
SUNDAY EXPRESS
This is a captivating and poignant read, exploring relationships, the importance of family bonds and how we carry on after loss
CANDIS
A beautiful love story that turns its own pages as you are sucked into the Italian summer sun
WOMAN'S WAY
A beautiful love story that turns its own pages as you are sucked into the Italian sun
HERALD
Rebecca Serle writes such clever and original stories, ones which never turn out how I expected (this is a good thing!) and are full of emotion
NB MAGAZINE
In these cynical times full of snark and memes, it's nice to surrender to magic every now and then
PRESS ASSOCIATION
Poignant and beautiful exploration of loss, grief and how we heal our hearts
CULTUREFLY
Author Rebecca Serle
Narrator Lauren Graham
Duration 6 hours and 22 minutes
Release Date
ISBN 9781529419504
Format Audiobook
Publisher Quercus
Genre Contemporary romance, Modern and contemporary fiction, Speculative fiction
Availability AU, GB, IE

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