We have updated our Privacy Policy Please take a moment to review it. By continuing to use this site, you agree to the terms of our updated Privacy Policy.
‘An extraordinary, beautiful, magical book’ JILL MANSELL
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.
Bestseller in the US: New York Times, March 2022.
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.
Bestseller in the US: New York Times, March 2022.
Newsletter Signup
By clicking ‘Sign Up,’ I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Hachette Book Group’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
Reviews
Rebecca Serle is a maestro of love in all its forms
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...)
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
One Italian Summer is the perfect escapist read. Compelling, moving and masterfully told
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
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
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
Rebecca Serle has crafted a beautiful love story which shows her character's grief slowly ebbing away and being replaced by something new
[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
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
This is a captivating and poignant read, exploring relationships, the importance of family bonds and how we carry on after loss
A beautiful love story that turns its own pages as you are sucked into the Italian sun
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
In these cynical times full of snark and memes, it's nice to surrender to magic every now and then
A beautiful love story that turns its own pages as you are sucked into the Italian summer sun
A gorgeous story that swept me away to Italy - breathtaking!
Poignant and beautiful exploration of loss, grief and how we heal our hearts