Let's go to the Rome today with One Italian Summer. Although Keris Stainton has written many books, this is only my first book by this author. I had heard great things about her writing so I was really curious to find out more.
Title: One Italian Summer
Author: Keris Stainton
Published: May 4th 2017 by Hot Key Books
Blurb: It's been a year since Milly, Elyse and Leonie's dad died, and a year since their last trip to Rome. Summer's here again, and once again they are heading with their mum to Italy - but what's it going to be like going without Dad? Rome still holds its familiar charms - the sun is still as warm, the gelato as delicious, the people as welcoming. But nothing is quite as it once was...
With grief still raw for all of them, Milly is facing the additional awfulness of having to see Luke again - gorgeous, gorgeous Luke, who she had a fling with last year, and who she made a total fool of herself with - or so she thinks. What's going to happen this time? What's more, things between Milly, her sisters and their mum are rocky - Leonie is being tempestuous and unpredictable, Elyse is caught up with her new boyfriend, and Milly feels like she just doesn't know how she fits in any more.
Over one Italian summer, can Milly find a way back to the life she once had?
Review: In One Italian Summer we meet Milly and her sisters, Elyse and Leonie. They have a really close relationship, even more after their dad's death a year go. As you can imagine, their grief is palpable during the whole story and the fact that their mother has chosen to hide in her work as her coping mechanism doesn't help the situation. This though makes you, as a reader, really care about these girls.
I always enjoy reading about siblings and how they interact with each other. In this story, Milly and her sisters are a lot of fun to follow around, with their teasing, but it's also very warming to read how they support each other. I had really great expectations about this story after reading the first few chapters and I couldn't way to go to Rome with them.
Rome is a place they have always shared with their father so there some tough moments for them, being back without him. Reading about him, as they reminisce, you feel even closer to them, as he really seemed like a great dad. And I think the author makes a good job of writing about grief and how it affects their day to day life.
But as we discover Rome with them, a few more characters are introduced to the plot, including Luke, who had some kind of history with Milly but seems to be completely over her, kissing girls right and left. This is the part I enjoyed less, as I felt like some of the plots twits involving their relationship were a bit rushed and didn't fit with the whole tone of the story.
When I first picked this book, I thought it would be a light cute summer read but I soon discovered that it has so much more. In depth emotions, especially grief and love, play big roles in this story and even if I didn't like all the plot lines as much as I had hoped, I did have a really nice time reading about these siblings. Although this is only my first book by Keris Stainton, I'm sure it won't be my last one.
I would like to thank the publisher for sending me a copy of this book. This is my honest opinion.
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