3.5 stars
Another fun read from Nancy Barone. I loved seeing Gillian’s confidence grow as the story progressed - she had lost so much self belief in the years before, it was lovely to see some of that come back as she found the old Gillian again.
The Sicillian island sounded beautiful and the community around Gillian did wonders too. A real feel good read

I always love a novel where the protagonist isn’t a twenty-something girl with very little life experience. In Gillian Dobson, the lead character of One Summer in Sicily, author Nancy Barone has given us a brilliantly flawed, mature (but not old) woman. Married for twenty years, she visits Sicily to surprise her husband only to find that the surprise is on her, and it’s not a happy one.

Subsequently we get to see Gillian, who already conquered aerophobia to get to Sicily in the first place, deal with all the issues women deal with when they are in transition: self-esteem, body image, loneliness. While she challenges herself to conquer these issues, it’s the journey that makes the story, and author Barone has crafted an excellent plot.

I enjoyed the language choices the author used, and the way Sicily seemed like a character in the novel. rather than merely a setting. I liked Gillian, and rooted for her. But, speaking as someone who is about to turn 53, forty is not old, especially in today’s world, and the younger woman (the surprise she finds her husband with) is only a few years younger – in her mid thirties. Making Gillian truly middle-aged – mid forties to mid fifties – and/or making the younger woman significantly younger would have given the story more impact and made Gillian even more sympathetic.

Over all, though, this was a satisfying read, and I will happily read more of Barone’s work.

Goes well with: espresso and a cannoli with citron.

One Summer in Sicily is such a fun book! I studied abroad in Sicily so it brought back so many amazing memories for me!

The book starts out on a bit of a sad note but you cannot help but root for Gilly! At times the book made me sad because she was so hard on herself and her appearance but I appreciated it at the same time because many women are critical of themselves so it was relatable! It also made me infuriated that we do this to ourselves!! We need to love ourselves and see the beauty that others see in us!

This was a cute novel that was a quick and fun escape from everyday life!

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria &Aries books for the digital advanced readers copy!! I received a complimentary copy of this book. The novel was published on June 8, 2023

Oh I laughed so much throughout this book! A lovely entertaining story which made me want to visit Sicily, a great read.

A fun summer read perfect to take too the beach or on Summer vacation! First I just have to say that I loved travelling to Sicily as the descriptions are devine. Gillian is agoraphobic and her husband in Sicily on a business trip. Gillian decides that she wants to suprise him and show up there hoping to spice up there sex life but what she finds when she gets there is completely unexpected. I really did enjoy this story, there were just a few small things that didn't make sense but that didn't matter to me because I was having to much fun in Sicily with Gillian. I could feel the sand in my toes, the Sun on my skin and could hear the waves on the beach. A great read by Nancy Barone and I would definitely recommend this.

The cover and title has perfect summer vibes but this one just fell short for me. Gillian is a 40 year old plus sized woman who finds out her husband is cheating on her with a young, skinny Italian heiress.

My main issue was that Gillian was too self loathing and the story was really focused on her weight and feeling less than. Which is understandable given what her husband just did. But she didn’t really get a redemption arc I was hoping for.

Overall it just fell flat for me and I found myself having to will myself to finish the book.

I absolutely loved the location of this book. Lipari is so well drawn that the reader can imagine the sights and sounds, breathe in the scents and inhale the sea air. The author's love and knowledge of Italy is abundant in the descriptions of local food and traditions and add an appealing touch to the armchair traveller.

I know romantic fiction is bound by convention - girl meets boy, wants to fall in love, something holding them back, almost make it before the big finale and the love conquers all. However, in this case the plot itself seemed to offer little scope for surprise or variety and I must admit that towards the end I was willing the two protagonists to get together. The heroine at times, behaving more like a naive teenager than an almost forty year old.

That small gripe aside, this is a lovely read, perfect for the summer. If you want to be transported to an Italian island, then book no further. There is a cast of secondary characters who rise above the stereotype, yet we have all met them. Justice prevails and there is a happy ending. Need I say more?

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One Summer in Sicily by Nancy Barone

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

In an attempt to resuscitate her twenty-five-year-old marriage, aerophobic Gillian Dobson knocks down a few tranquilisers and takes a dreaded flight to the Sicilian Island of Lipari to surprise her husband, away on a business trip. But her troubles are just about to begin...

My Opinion

On the whole this was an enjoyable read. I struggled with the start of it and thought I wouldn't like Gillian as a character but as the chapters ticked by she grew on me. Gillian has decided that she wants to surprise her husband Tony whilst he is on a business trip but unfortunately it is just Gillian that is surprised.

This will make for a lovely holiday read, or even just if anyone wants a quick escape to Sicily. Overall, this is a sweet story about learning to start over again, and finding yourself.

Rating: 4/5

Feeling as though her marriage was on the rocks
Gillian braves flying to join her husband and gets some shocks!
Her luggage is left behind her somewhere
And he has a lover, about Gill he doesn't care!

So starts her stay in Lipari, Sicily
And a new possibilities she begins to see.
An accident, drama, shocks and surprises-
Her life is changing before she realises.

Unfortunately Gillian has had her confidence drained
And her relationship with food is also quite strained.
Her self image is dire and so she feeds...
Can this prove to be the new start that she needs?

There's a great sense of community and friends who are new,
Tasty foods, fantastic places and lots to do, too.
But can she learn to trust once more
And all the new opportunities begin to explore?

Whilst her inner dialogue was often quite sad,
This is a light hearted read that certainly isn't bad!
There's even a canine involved to adore
As this fantastic region you get to explore!

A story to escape into where friends and chances
Give the opportunity for heartwarming romances.
For my complementary copy, I say thank you,
As I share with you this, my honest review.

A very sweet story about finding yourself after pain and stepping out of your comfort zone to try new things and love. Gillian did seem to be hard on herself a lot of this book, but I think it was important for us readers to understand how she feels about herself especially after having someone you loved for 25 years betray you. I really enjoyed this fun, easy read.

This book was really hard to get into. I’m not a big fan of DNF’ing a book especially any ARCS. I just found the female lead to be kind of annoying and the book just fell flat for me.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

Gillian makes a trip to Sicily wanting to give her husband a surprise. On arrival, it’s her that gets a surprise, one that she wasn’t expecting.

Now, on the island of Lipari, Gillian, with the help of the different characters wants to find what she wants to do with her life.

I loved how the island was described and the food made your mouth water.

It felt like you was there and enjoying the atmosphere.

I recommend this book.

I would firstly just like to say a big thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources who very kindly forwarded me an arc copy of this book, for my kindle, in return for my honest review.

One Summer In Sicily is a wonderful, fun rom com and set in Sicily, it is perfect for some armchair travel and as i read it, it made me feel as though i was there, absorbing in all the sunny goodness.

One day Gillian decides to fly over to Lipari, a Sicilian island and surprise her husband of 25 years, who is there on a business trip. But all does not go as planned and the problems begin…

All the characters were well rounded and down to earth and i really enjoyed getting involved in Gillian’s story.

This was a wonderful rom com set in the glorious warm sunshine and i thoroughly enjoyed it…….

This is one book that I thought would make a better movie than the book itself. The main character, Gilly, is annoying and unrelatable. Approaching 40, she has a plethora of self-image issues, constantly lamenting on her size (which isn't that large and miraculously decreases despite a constant diet of Italian pastries), her age (she constantly likens herself to a cougar for dating a man 3-4 years younger than herself.....), her lack of worthiness for any friendship or love. She rejects people's attempts to help her and love her over and over. I wanted to like this book and kept hoping it would get better at some point, but even the scenic backdrop of Italy wasn't enough for me to enjoy it.

Gillian braves her fear of flying to pay her surgeon husband a surprise visit whilst he is on a business trip to Italy, only to find the surprise is on her.
The story concentrates on how Gillian starts restructuring her life after 20 years of marriage. Full of self-doubt that many of us, certainly myself included, have I felt that she is managing remarkably well. With the help of many of the local women and the enigmatic Mattia she gradually finds her feet, albeit with many relapses, but all set in what sounds like a wonderful location. I would certainly love to visit the island, although I would only ever be a tourist rather than integrating as she does. An ideal beach read, or for you sit and warm yourself up by on a winter's evening.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influenced my review of the book.

I’ve read and enjoyed other books by this author, but this one just didn’t do it for me. The MC is definitely not self-confident in the beginning, even before her husband’s surprise in the hotel room. She seems to be going through an early midlife crisis and is overwhelmed with life. She doesn’t work outside the home but helps everyone who asks and some who don’t.

I enjoyed that she did take time for herself in Italy despite the husband, and she did get some confidence after weight loss and the attention of a younger man, but it seemed forced. I’m sure there are many other people who will love this book, but not this time for me.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

This is a good beach read but I am going to be upfront from the start and say that I didn’t like the main character very much because she was very self deprecating because of her weight. I understand that she had been married for a long time and you get comfortable and don’t work as hard to stay fit, and it’s easy to let some extra pounds creep in. But every other comment was about how huge she was and it bothered me. I loved the idea of an older and not model size main character, so I would have liked for her to like herself, which she didn’t do until near the end when she “accidentally” worked out while working on her new house. With all that said, the plot is perfect for a beach read, I just think maybe it could use a bit of editing in this regard.
Gillian is the long-standing homemaker, wife and mother. She’s been everything to everyone for a long time and now that her daughter is grown and moved out she has decided it’s time to add some life back into her marriage so she’s going to surprise her husband while he’s away on a business trip to Sicily in the hopes of getting their spark back. When she gets to the hotel, she finds he has been cheating on her and her life does a complete 180 from what she expected when she planned the trip.
As she tries to get herself together, she meets Sandra and Mattia who take her under their wings and introduce her to more of the locals and the places the locals like to go. She eventually decides she likes it so much there that she’s not going back to London, she’s going to buy and renovate a local B & B.
There’s lots to like about this story and fans of Under the Tuscan Sun or Eat, Pray Love will enjoy.
Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

Unfortunately this book was added to my DNF list. I gave it an honest try at 35%, but I couldn't get myself into the story. I really wanted to like this book and really felt for Gillian and everything she was going through with her relationship, the trip and all that it entails.

While I may have not enjoyed it as much as I'd have liked others may! I'd been interested in checking out some of Nancy's other titles.

One Summer in Sicily is the perfect breezy atmospheric summer read. Readers are transported to Italy with descriptions of the scenery, weather, food, drinks, shops, and helpful locals. Gillian's character growth from a newly cheated on divorcee into a more independent woman was a fun arc for me as I am in my 40's and can empathize with how women can 'lose sight' of themselves and struggle with stepping out of our comfort zones later in life. This read had the perfect balance of humor, growth, and romance that make it perfect for lovers of romance and women's fiction!

One Summer in Sicily starts out with a crash. Gillian is determined to suprise her husband of twenty years by showing up in his hotel in Sicily. What’s waiting for her at the end of a terrifying plane ride is something Gillian could never prepare for. When her life is literally turned upside down, Gillian decides that spending the summer in Sicily with her new barrage of friends is the best solution. Filled with interesting characters, incredible scenery and romance oozing from the page, One Summer in Sicily is a delightful read. As a newly-forty year old woman, I felt myself nearly screaming out loud to Gillian. I was cheering for her to find herself along the streets of Sicily, put on her swimsuit and take up space! One Summer in Sicily is perfect for this summer’s beach reading and should not be missed!

A sincere thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.