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One Summer in Sicily
A new fun and fresh rom-com set in Sicily by Canadian-Italian author Nancy Barone.
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...
For fans of Jennifer Weiner, Kristen Bailey and Sophie Kinsella.
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...
For fans of Jennifer Weiner, Kristen Bailey and Sophie Kinsella.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 8, 2023
165 people are currently reading
344 people want to read
About the author
Nancy Barone
22 books83 followersNancy grew up in Canada, but at the age of 12 her family moved to Italy. Catapulted into a world where her only contact with the English language was her old Judy Blume books, Nancy became an avid reader and a die-hard romantic.
Nancy stayed in Italy and, despite being surrounded by handsome Italian men, she married an even more handsome Brit. They now live in Sicily where she teaches English.
Like Erica, the heroine of The Husband Diet, Nancy is of Italian descent, but she swears that is where the similarities stop. And she’s absolutely never fantasized about murdering her husband.
Nancy has had a number of romance novels published, but The Husband Diet is her first Women’s Fiction book. She is a member of the RWA and a keen supporter of the Women’s Fiction Festival at Matera where she meets up once a year with writing friends from all over the globe.
Nancy stayed in Italy and, despite being surrounded by handsome Italian men, she married an even more handsome Brit. They now live in Sicily where she teaches English.
Like Erica, the heroine of The Husband Diet, Nancy is of Italian descent, but she swears that is where the similarities stop. And she’s absolutely never fantasized about murdering her husband.
Nancy has had a number of romance novels published, but The Husband Diet is her first Women’s Fiction book. She is a member of the RWA and a keen supporter of the Women’s Fiction Festival at Matera where she meets up once a year with writing friends from all over the globe.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
May 19, 2023
In an attempt to revive their stale marriage, Gillian flys to Sicily to surprise her husband Tony. Tony was attending a physicians conference and what better way to rekindle their romance than in Italy.
Rather than surprising Tony, Gillian is shocked to discover Tony with another woman. A much younger one at that. Gillian’s twenty-year marriage just went up in flames.
Resigned not to go begging Tony for a second chance, Gillian instead vows to become her own person. As Gillian navigates single hood in a foreign country, she befriends a surprising amount of people — including hot and handsome architect Mattia.
One Summer in Sicily is an excellent beach read exuding hot summers, gentle sea breezes, refreshing cocktails, and quaint shops, all located on the island of Lipari off the northern coast of Sicily.
Like all of Barone’s novels, the characters are well developed. I enjoyed all of the characters in this novel. Except I just wished that her main character (Gillian) would be comfortable in her own skin rather than being so self deprecating. But I guess that’s where the humor comes into play.
The story unfolds in a linnear timeline, beginning with the shocking infidelity and culminating in a nicely packaged finale. There were some unexpected twists that really brought the whole narrative together.
Reminicent of the movie Under the Tuscan Sun, One Summer in Sicily is sure to be a fan favorite for those romance aficionados. 4.5 stars rounded up.
I received a digital ARC from Aria & Aries through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.
Rather than surprising Tony, Gillian is shocked to discover Tony with another woman. A much younger one at that. Gillian’s twenty-year marriage just went up in flames.
Resigned not to go begging Tony for a second chance, Gillian instead vows to become her own person. As Gillian navigates single hood in a foreign country, she befriends a surprising amount of people — including hot and handsome architect Mattia.
One Summer in Sicily is an excellent beach read exuding hot summers, gentle sea breezes, refreshing cocktails, and quaint shops, all located on the island of Lipari off the northern coast of Sicily.
Like all of Barone’s novels, the characters are well developed. I enjoyed all of the characters in this novel. Except I just wished that her main character (Gillian) would be comfortable in her own skin rather than being so self deprecating. But I guess that’s where the humor comes into play.
The story unfolds in a linnear timeline, beginning with the shocking infidelity and culminating in a nicely packaged finale. There were some unexpected twists that really brought the whole narrative together.
Reminicent of the movie Under the Tuscan Sun, One Summer in Sicily is sure to be a fan favorite for those romance aficionados. 4.5 stars rounded up.
I received a digital ARC from Aria & Aries through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.
May 26, 2023
With summer upon us (and a travel itch making its annual appearance), we couldn’t resist picking up Nancy Barone’s One Summer in Sicily. Set amidst summer, sand, and sea in the picturesque Sicilian island of Lipari, OSIS revolves around 40-year-old housewife, Gillian Dobson, who is met with a rude shock when she arrives in Lipari to surprise her husband in an attempt to rekindle the spark in their 20-year-old marriage.
OSIS’s premise and the promise of a light summery read drew us to the book, and we found the plot quite reminiscent of Eat, Pray, Love. Unfortunately, that’s where the similarity ended. Instead, OSIS comprised a potential eating disorder, not a lot of praying, and a serious lack of self-love.
Gillian Dobson initially came off as the quintessential homemaker, married to her childhood sweetheart turned husband, who had lost herself over the years trying to fulfil her many roles. But it quickly became obvious that that was the least of her problems. She was stuck in a toxic, loveless marriage with a cheating spouse who repeatedly ridiculed her, leading to immense insecurity and low self-esteem.
And while this was a great foundation for a wholesome journey of self-discovery, OSIS went down another path. Now we must admit, we love a flawed main character with the capacity to make and take a joke upon herself, but Gillian’s insecurities ran deeper. The constant self-deprecating comments and the almost caricaturesque depiction of her eating habits grew quickly from negative to almost toxic and became incredibly frustrating to read. Her character showed absolutely no growth, and the only time she seemed to remotely accept herself was when she had inadvertently lost weight and had finally accepted her relationship with a hot Italian man- which only made the monologue at the end about self-love and growth feel outright hypocritical.
Although Mattia was an interesting character, the chemistry between him and Gillian felt forced and cringey, and the constant reference to their age difference (with him being 4 years younger) was plain irritating. Moreover, the final twist in the tale was so absurdly melodramatic. It reminded us of a bad soap opera. Other side characters, especially Maria, Martha, and Brends, felt comparatively genuine, each with their own backstories; however, they were barely featured and couldn’t do enough to salvage the tale.
Despite the amazing setting and eloquent insight into island life in Italy, this book was overall quite disappointing and just not our cup of tea.
We’d like to thank Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the e-ARC of this book.
L&L Rating: 1.5 Stars
TL;DR: Not for us; Gillian would’ve benefited from a summer in therapy instead of a summer in Sicily.
OSIS’s premise and the promise of a light summery read drew us to the book, and we found the plot quite reminiscent of Eat, Pray, Love. Unfortunately, that’s where the similarity ended. Instead, OSIS comprised a potential eating disorder, not a lot of praying, and a serious lack of self-love.
Gillian Dobson initially came off as the quintessential homemaker, married to her childhood sweetheart turned husband, who had lost herself over the years trying to fulfil her many roles. But it quickly became obvious that that was the least of her problems. She was stuck in a toxic, loveless marriage with a cheating spouse who repeatedly ridiculed her, leading to immense insecurity and low self-esteem.
And while this was a great foundation for a wholesome journey of self-discovery, OSIS went down another path. Now we must admit, we love a flawed main character with the capacity to make and take a joke upon herself, but Gillian’s insecurities ran deeper. The constant self-deprecating comments and the almost caricaturesque depiction of her eating habits grew quickly from negative to almost toxic and became incredibly frustrating to read. Her character showed absolutely no growth, and the only time she seemed to remotely accept herself was when she had inadvertently lost weight and had finally accepted her relationship with a hot Italian man- which only made the monologue at the end about self-love and growth feel outright hypocritical.
Although Mattia was an interesting character, the chemistry between him and Gillian felt forced and cringey, and the constant reference to their age difference (with him being 4 years younger) was plain irritating. Moreover, the final twist in the tale was so absurdly melodramatic. It reminded us of a bad soap opera. Other side characters, especially Maria, Martha, and Brends, felt comparatively genuine, each with their own backstories; however, they were barely featured and couldn’t do enough to salvage the tale.
Despite the amazing setting and eloquent insight into island life in Italy, this book was overall quite disappointing and just not our cup of tea.
We’d like to thank Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the e-ARC of this book.
L&L Rating: 1.5 Stars
TL;DR: Not for us; Gillian would’ve benefited from a summer in therapy instead of a summer in Sicily.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 21, 2023
I liked this book, with some flaws in the story. Overall, it was enjoyable.
Gillian flies to Sicily to surprise her husband while he is on a business trip and get the spice back in the marriage. As you can probably guess, the outcome of the trip is not what she thought it would be.
Once her marriage is blown up by what she discovers, she decides to stay in Sicily while she figures out her next step. One issue I had with this book, is she is very concerned that she will soon be 40, and her Sicilian love interest is "Younger". Younger as in 36, so three years. That is younger, but hardly anything to bat an eye at. She also has self-esteem issues about her weight and I understood that, however, who would not want to eat yummy Italian desserts while fixing a broken heart?
This had a nice cast of characters, a lot was so perfect, it was a little Hallmark-ish, but who doesn't need a little bit of that once and a while. One unanswered question, was what happened to the husband? She told him only to speak through attorneys, but she kept extending her stay, and that part of her story never came back.
All in all enjoyable, I would like to give 3 1/2 stars, but rounded up.
Thank you to NetGalley for the preview.
Gillian flies to Sicily to surprise her husband while he is on a business trip and get the spice back in the marriage. As you can probably guess, the outcome of the trip is not what she thought it would be.
Once her marriage is blown up by what she discovers, she decides to stay in Sicily while she figures out her next step. One issue I had with this book, is she is very concerned that she will soon be 40, and her Sicilian love interest is "Younger". Younger as in 36, so three years. That is younger, but hardly anything to bat an eye at. She also has self-esteem issues about her weight and I understood that, however, who would not want to eat yummy Italian desserts while fixing a broken heart?
This had a nice cast of characters, a lot was so perfect, it was a little Hallmark-ish, but who doesn't need a little bit of that once and a while. One unanswered question, was what happened to the husband? She told him only to speak through attorneys, but she kept extending her stay, and that part of her story never came back.
All in all enjoyable, I would like to give 3 1/2 stars, but rounded up.
Thank you to NetGalley for the preview.
Read
April 8, 2024I wanted to love this book. The cover, the premise, everything was so promising.
Unfortunately, it fell flat for me. I am so honored that Nancy Barone shared her art with the world and that I was chosen to read it, however, I feel like another round or two of edits would have been beneficial for the plot, characters, and overall feeling of the book. The main character wasn't very likable, and her self-loathing and judgmental mindset bothered me. Sometimes the book moved so quickly that I became confused about what was happening. The character growth was limited throughout the book and the age-gap trope was hardly an age gap (and hardly a problem to keep dwelling on).
Overall, the main character felt very superficial. As a millennial reading this story, it felt like there were societal jabs and prejudices shared by the MC that were stereotypical and outdated. I loved that the MC was plus-sized, I just wish she had truly loved herself and embraced it at the end of her ARC. Instead, she only loved herself when her dresses became too big and she had a "hot hot hot Mattia."
Thank you to Netgalley and Aria & Aries for gifting me an eArc in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately, it fell flat for me. I am so honored that Nancy Barone shared her art with the world and that I was chosen to read it, however, I feel like another round or two of edits would have been beneficial for the plot, characters, and overall feeling of the book. The main character wasn't very likable, and her self-loathing and judgmental mindset bothered me. Sometimes the book moved so quickly that I became confused about what was happening. The character growth was limited throughout the book and the age-gap trope was hardly an age gap (and hardly a problem to keep dwelling on).
Overall, the main character felt very superficial. As a millennial reading this story, it felt like there were societal jabs and prejudices shared by the MC that were stereotypical and outdated. I loved that the MC was plus-sized, I just wish she had truly loved herself and embraced it at the end of her ARC. Instead, she only loved herself when her dresses became too big and she had a "hot hot hot Mattia."
Thank you to Netgalley and Aria & Aries for gifting me an eArc in exchange for an honest review.
June 19, 2023
I really loved the premise of this book, I love a book set in Italy so I jumped at the chance to read this one.
Sadly however this book just didn’t do it for me. Gillian I found was a really hard character to connect with and I felt so so sorry for her when she was running around Sicily in her dressing gown but honestly that’s all I felt for her. She was so self deprecating and seemed to just put herself down which was very sad.
I really wanted to enjoy this book but it just didn’t go anywhere for me.
Adored the setting, love Italy.
Thank you so much to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book, all thoughts are my own.
Sadly however this book just didn’t do it for me. Gillian I found was a really hard character to connect with and I felt so so sorry for her when she was running around Sicily in her dressing gown but honestly that’s all I felt for her. She was so self deprecating and seemed to just put herself down which was very sad.
I really wanted to enjoy this book but it just didn’t go anywhere for me.
Adored the setting, love Italy.
Thank you so much to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book, all thoughts are my own.
June 23, 2023
Rating: 3,5 stars ⭐️
This romcom is a perfect read for at the beach!
Gillian flew to Sicily for her husband as a suprise but she found out that he was cheating on her. Gillian decided to stay there and after that, everything changed..
I personally don’t like the cheating trope in books but please give it a try.
Thank you to Netgalley, Nancy Barone and the publisher for providing me with this copy. All opinions are my own.
This romcom is a perfect read for at the beach!
Gillian flew to Sicily for her husband as a suprise but she found out that he was cheating on her. Gillian decided to stay there and after that, everything changed..
I personally don’t like the cheating trope in books but please give it a try.
Thank you to Netgalley, Nancy Barone and the publisher for providing me with this copy. All opinions are my own.
June 11, 2023
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
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
June 15, 2024
Entertaining and the setting was fun, but the self deprecating comments/fatphobia and constant lack of communication got old real fast
May 1, 2023
This book gave me insane wanderlust...between the beautiful descriptions of Sicily itself, and the storyline of self love, found family and romance, this book was a lovely summer read. I'll be going through the pros and cons of this book, with no major spoilers ahead. Thank you NetGalley for sending me this book in exchange for my honest review. Without further ado, andiamo!
Pros of One Summer In Sicily by Nancy Barone
Sicily
So, for those of you that have followed me for a while know that a large portion of my family is from Sicily, including my grandparents who taught me the dialect since I was a kid. I loved reading about the Sicilian culture, food, language and just way of living as it made me think of my own family. The way the main character Gillian accepts the Sicilian life as the story progresses is very beautiful, as her new found family shows her the best way to enjoy la dolce vita. I'll read quite honestly anything that's based in Sicily, but it helps tremendously that this story was so loveable and rather than picking on Sicilian and Italian stereotypes, it shows the best parts of the island and the country as a whole. I also love how Gillian is an Italian-Canadian, much like the author and myself. It makes the story so much more relatable, and I love that.
Mattia
Oh boy, did I ever like Mattia. You can't go wrong with an extremely charismatic Sicilian leading man, and Mattia delivered the best book boyfriend lines a woman could ask for. He was patient, encouraging, a little bit mysterious, charming and just overall dreamy. He was the type of male lead to pull for, and quite honestly the complete opposite of another male lead from another Italian based book that I recently read. Mattia had me swooning, as was Gillian! He was very loveable, Ms. Barone did a great job making him so endearing.
Gillian's Journey
I love a good rags to riches story, and Gillian's - as unorthodox as it was - was definitely a climb. After 20 something years of marriage, Gillian finds out that her husband Tony has been cheating and naturally she leaves him, although reluctantly at first as she settles into a life without him. She meets Sandra and Mattia, who take her in and help her get over her recent divorce. Gillian mentions several times that she's a plus sized woman, and that because of that her ex-husband made her feel poorly for it, whereas a certain Sicilian architect never seems to bat an eye at the fact that Gillian is a size 18. She learns to accept her body for what it is and rather than cover up like she's been doing for the longest time, she starts wearing flattering clothes, as well as a trip to the salon to make her feel like a new woman. As clumsy as Gillian is, she's also kind of like a caterpillar that's blossomed into a butterfly after spending so much time in Sicily and gaining some self confidence. She often mentions how she can't believe an attractive man who's heavily desired by basically the entire island is interested in her, and I feel like that just speaks to a lot of the plus sized girls out there who have felt the same thing. Gillian grows and learns to love herself, those around her and the new life she's made for herself, and that alone is a beautiful thing.
Cons of One Summer In Sicily by Nancy Barone
Empty Spaces
I loved this story, however, I found that there were many empty spaces in the book that kind of ran on a bit, but I kept reading of course because I was captivated by the story itself and one of the bigger reasons, I was so curious as to what Mattia's secret was! And so, I read on about minor subtopics that seemed to drag on for a bit, but it kind of made it feel more realistic in a way; like I was reading a journal of someone who actually was living in the book.
Overall, this book was very enjoyable, and I would definitely recommend it to friends, family and readers.
Have you read One Summer In Sicily by Nancy Barone? Do you want to? Let's have a conversation!
Find me on social media!
Instagram: @melissa_dia @cozyannotations
YouTube: @MelissaDiaferia
Facebook: @melissa.diaferia.5
A presto,
Melissa
Pros of One Summer In Sicily by Nancy Barone
Sicily
So, for those of you that have followed me for a while know that a large portion of my family is from Sicily, including my grandparents who taught me the dialect since I was a kid. I loved reading about the Sicilian culture, food, language and just way of living as it made me think of my own family. The way the main character Gillian accepts the Sicilian life as the story progresses is very beautiful, as her new found family shows her the best way to enjoy la dolce vita. I'll read quite honestly anything that's based in Sicily, but it helps tremendously that this story was so loveable and rather than picking on Sicilian and Italian stereotypes, it shows the best parts of the island and the country as a whole. I also love how Gillian is an Italian-Canadian, much like the author and myself. It makes the story so much more relatable, and I love that.
Mattia
Oh boy, did I ever like Mattia. You can't go wrong with an extremely charismatic Sicilian leading man, and Mattia delivered the best book boyfriend lines a woman could ask for. He was patient, encouraging, a little bit mysterious, charming and just overall dreamy. He was the type of male lead to pull for, and quite honestly the complete opposite of another male lead from another Italian based book that I recently read. Mattia had me swooning, as was Gillian! He was very loveable, Ms. Barone did a great job making him so endearing.
Gillian's Journey
I love a good rags to riches story, and Gillian's - as unorthodox as it was - was definitely a climb. After 20 something years of marriage, Gillian finds out that her husband Tony has been cheating and naturally she leaves him, although reluctantly at first as she settles into a life without him. She meets Sandra and Mattia, who take her in and help her get over her recent divorce. Gillian mentions several times that she's a plus sized woman, and that because of that her ex-husband made her feel poorly for it, whereas a certain Sicilian architect never seems to bat an eye at the fact that Gillian is a size 18. She learns to accept her body for what it is and rather than cover up like she's been doing for the longest time, she starts wearing flattering clothes, as well as a trip to the salon to make her feel like a new woman. As clumsy as Gillian is, she's also kind of like a caterpillar that's blossomed into a butterfly after spending so much time in Sicily and gaining some self confidence. She often mentions how she can't believe an attractive man who's heavily desired by basically the entire island is interested in her, and I feel like that just speaks to a lot of the plus sized girls out there who have felt the same thing. Gillian grows and learns to love herself, those around her and the new life she's made for herself, and that alone is a beautiful thing.
Cons of One Summer In Sicily by Nancy Barone
Empty Spaces
I loved this story, however, I found that there were many empty spaces in the book that kind of ran on a bit, but I kept reading of course because I was captivated by the story itself and one of the bigger reasons, I was so curious as to what Mattia's secret was! And so, I read on about minor subtopics that seemed to drag on for a bit, but it kind of made it feel more realistic in a way; like I was reading a journal of someone who actually was living in the book.
Overall, this book was very enjoyable, and I would definitely recommend it to friends, family and readers.
Have you read One Summer In Sicily by Nancy Barone? Do you want to? Let's have a conversation!
Find me on social media!
Instagram: @melissa_dia @cozyannotations
YouTube: @MelissaDiaferia
Facebook: @melissa.diaferia.5
A presto,
Melissa
June 2, 2023
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.
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.
April 3, 2023
I requested to read “Summer in Sicily” by Nancy Barone as I had just gotten back from Italy and loved the premise.
Soon to turn 40 Gillian flies to Sicily to surprise her husband while he is on a business trip and put sex back into the marriage, But unfortunately, she discovers her husband is having plenty of sex—with someone else. Yet, she decides to stay in Sicily to figure out where she will go from here.
I really wanted to enjoy this book but I had a few hang-ups, including how Gilliam felt so “old” at forty I understand it was her perspective but she ends up with someone only a few years older than her, not 25. She also seemed too hung up on her size, which again, was not an issue, but, my God, woman, you are in Italy. Live a little. I really wanted the character to change and evolve, which I felt did not happen as I did not get a chance to know who she was to begin with. I became so frustrated that I skimmed through the last third of the book, and still did not get the result I wanted.
Still, I may have expected something that this book could not deliver. If you are looking for predictability and okay with minimal character growth, you might enjoy this story. Unfortunately, I did not.
Many thanks to the author, NetGalley and publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Soon to turn 40 Gillian flies to Sicily to surprise her husband while he is on a business trip and put sex back into the marriage, But unfortunately, she discovers her husband is having plenty of sex—with someone else. Yet, she decides to stay in Sicily to figure out where she will go from here.
I really wanted to enjoy this book but I had a few hang-ups, including how Gilliam felt so “old” at forty I understand it was her perspective but she ends up with someone only a few years older than her, not 25. She also seemed too hung up on her size, which again, was not an issue, but, my God, woman, you are in Italy. Live a little. I really wanted the character to change and evolve, which I felt did not happen as I did not get a chance to know who she was to begin with. I became so frustrated that I skimmed through the last third of the book, and still did not get the result I wanted.
Still, I may have expected something that this book could not deliver. If you are looking for predictability and okay with minimal character growth, you might enjoy this story. Unfortunately, I did not.
Many thanks to the author, NetGalley and publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.
May 15, 2023
Great beach read! When Gillian decides to confront her fear of flying so she can surprise her husband in Italy, things don’t go as planned. Hoping to get some magic back in their marriage, gets to his hotel and only has one leg shaved when she hears him come in… but not alone. Her doctor husband has been having an affair with a very young and beautiful Italian woman. Mortified, Gillian runs out into the street and gets hit by a car. Fortunately the injuries are not too serious, and this begins the start of her new life in Sicily.
What I liked about this story:
*Starting over
*new friends
*old friends
*finding meaning with your life
*finding confidence and independence
*friends to lovers romance
*serious and comical situations
*beautiful descriptions of Sicily
Because Gillian had friends in Sicily, her own money, and could understand Italian, she was able to turn the disastrous turn of events around and eventually much good comes from starting over.
There are some key takeaways here:
*never travel anywhere to surprise your spouse
*never travel anywhere you can’t speak the language
*squirrel away a Starting Over fund, it could come in useful🤣
Seriously, although some things were a little easy for Gillian, I thoroughly enjoyed One Summer in Sicily!!
What I liked about this story:
*Starting over
*new friends
*old friends
*finding meaning with your life
*finding confidence and independence
*friends to lovers romance
*serious and comical situations
*beautiful descriptions of Sicily
Because Gillian had friends in Sicily, her own money, and could understand Italian, she was able to turn the disastrous turn of events around and eventually much good comes from starting over.
There are some key takeaways here:
*never travel anywhere to surprise your spouse
*never travel anywhere you can’t speak the language
*squirrel away a Starting Over fund, it could come in useful🤣
Seriously, although some things were a little easy for Gillian, I thoroughly enjoyed One Summer in Sicily!!
April 1, 2023
I received a free copy of, One Summer in Sicily, by Nancy Barone, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Gillian is shocked when she finds her husband of 25 years cheating on her. Gillian has a lot to figure out and decides to do it in Sicily. While not the happiest of situations, this was a good read.
March 30, 2023
A very sweet story about finding yourself after pain, stepping out of your comfort to try new things and love.
After Gillian attempts to save her 25 year marriage by surprising her husband in Sicily... things go unexpectedly for her.
I absolutely loved that this took place in Sicily- I want to go now! All the characters were so fun to read about and I loved them. I also enjoyed reading about the friendships Gillian makes and love! No spice but a sweet story!
I wish Gillian had a grown with her negative self talk a bit, but otherwise So good!
After Gillian attempts to save her 25 year marriage by surprising her husband in Sicily... things go unexpectedly for her.
I absolutely loved that this took place in Sicily- I want to go now! All the characters were so fun to read about and I loved them. I also enjoyed reading about the friendships Gillian makes and love! No spice but a sweet story!
I wish Gillian had a grown with her negative self talk a bit, but otherwise So good!
May 27, 2025
I wanted to like this book, I picked it up whilst in Sicily and dreamt it would romanticize the island even more for me. Gilly is self deprecating from the get go and while her arc happens with self acceptance it wasn't until 3/4 of the way through the book. It was hard to get into it for that fact alone... ALMOST was a DNF but I wanted to commit to the book I brought back from across the world. I would have purchased a different book if I could go back in time.
July 11, 2024
Forty is not old. This theme is central to the book and was very hard to understand. The anti-fat content is antiquated. The relationship models suggested were also antiquated.
July 5, 2023
This book had so much potential at the beginning when Gillian showed up in Sicily to find her husband having an affair but that was as exciting as the plot got in my opinion. The cheating scandal peaked my interest but it was downhill immediately after that.
It seemed like fate when Mattia almost hit Gillian and I thought it would be an immediate fling and/or relationship but it was a VERY SLOW BURN. Any slower and I probably wouldn’t have finished this book. AND THEN, Gillian kept getting cold feet because of the age gap (OF ONLY 4 YEARS!!). Don’t call it an age gap if it’s less than 10 years, am I right?? That was a part of the book that I was looking forward to and was disappointed by for sure.
I love a destination romance and am here for the family drama and a woman rediscovering herself after heartbreak but this book seemed all over the place to me.
It seemed like fate when Mattia almost hit Gillian and I thought it would be an immediate fling and/or relationship but it was a VERY SLOW BURN. Any slower and I probably wouldn’t have finished this book. AND THEN, Gillian kept getting cold feet because of the age gap (OF ONLY 4 YEARS!!). Don’t call it an age gap if it’s less than 10 years, am I right?? That was a part of the book that I was looking forward to and was disappointed by for sure.
I love a destination romance and am here for the family drama and a woman rediscovering herself after heartbreak but this book seemed all over the place to me.
June 5, 2023
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.
April 8, 2024
The premise of this book was promising. The story was over shadowed by the negatives in the writing.
This book needs editing desperately.
For example, The audience can remember Gillian is from Canada, not America. It does not need repeating. This repetition of information pervades the book. It would be tighter and better written at half the length with all the repeated crap removed.
This book treats the reader as though they have no memory. Gillian, the female lead, comments on her size / weight about 100 x too much. Right, she said she was overweight… it doesn’t need repeating every few pages.
Gillian vacillates in her opinion of the romantic lead Mattias constantly. He’s a terrible sexist pig of a man - he’s terrific - he’s inconstant, a playboy - she likes him - he’s bonking everyone including underage girls in the bus 😳 - he’s appealing - he’s cheating as he has an undisclosed relationship 🙄 - on and on. There is no trust.
There is a continual harping around age differences. What adult really cares about an age difference of almost 4 years? It is nothing. Yet it’s made out to be some massive deal breaking issue - constantly. It’s not even an eye blinking concern.
About halfway through, as these non issues were repeated over and over, I was eye rolling. By 3/4 through I was loudly saying FFS just get on with the story.
Of course, in the end she doesn’t learn to love her size 18 self (which isn’t that large anyway). She works so hard towards the book’s end that she doesn’t notice that she has lost a lot of weight and her clothes don’t fit. Really??? So finally she can appreciate herself (now that she’s toned and lost weight). Wrong message to my mind.
Gillian’s husband cheats on her. She hates it. Queue self doubt, recriminations, melt downs etc. then she thinks she’s cheated on her new friend leading her to strangely run off. Yet, her friends, both in Sicily and in England, are in relationships with married men. Seems incongruous.
What even is it that makes Mattias, a really gorgeous, sexy (repeated often), man who has high ideals and is described as quite discerning, like Gillian in the first place? She falls over, gets drunk, is frequently and weirdly semi naked. She doesn’t communicate. She is judgemental. She is not a character that endears herself to the reader.
Gillian is so mean to herself that it’s hard to like her. And she doesn’t grow out of it.
Some things in the writing are just not possible. For example. The dog licked her face as she was walking through the door to the house. How? The dog was also walking. How can it lick her face?
There are plot aspects that could be explored, that are ignored.
The cheating husband could return to chase her after his engagement is broken - allow her to really explore closure, and possibly be a realistic friction point between Gillian and Mattias. It is not realistic that a lonely desperate male teacher who hasn’t really featured before, suddenly arrives on her doorstep and she spends the whole conversation in a towel, which Mattias judges at a glance causing him to leave in a huff for some time, only to return as though nothing happened with no real reason.
The house in England and selling of items etc. is ignored. The ending of the marriage / divorce is ignored. No closure.
The daughter and the similarity mentioned between cheating, career focused Tony and the daughters boyfriend is mentioned then goes no where. Why mention it?
How suddenly is Mattais’s brothers wife and child living with the “conniving bitch” of a grandmother? That was just a glossed over after thought.
Could have been a good story.
This book needs editing desperately.
For example, The audience can remember Gillian is from Canada, not America. It does not need repeating. This repetition of information pervades the book. It would be tighter and better written at half the length with all the repeated crap removed.
This book treats the reader as though they have no memory. Gillian, the female lead, comments on her size / weight about 100 x too much. Right, she said she was overweight… it doesn’t need repeating every few pages.
Gillian vacillates in her opinion of the romantic lead Mattias constantly. He’s a terrible sexist pig of a man - he’s terrific - he’s inconstant, a playboy - she likes him - he’s bonking everyone including underage girls in the bus 😳 - he’s appealing - he’s cheating as he has an undisclosed relationship 🙄 - on and on. There is no trust.
There is a continual harping around age differences. What adult really cares about an age difference of almost 4 years? It is nothing. Yet it’s made out to be some massive deal breaking issue - constantly. It’s not even an eye blinking concern.
About halfway through, as these non issues were repeated over and over, I was eye rolling. By 3/4 through I was loudly saying FFS just get on with the story.
Of course, in the end she doesn’t learn to love her size 18 self (which isn’t that large anyway). She works so hard towards the book’s end that she doesn’t notice that she has lost a lot of weight and her clothes don’t fit. Really??? So finally she can appreciate herself (now that she’s toned and lost weight). Wrong message to my mind.
Gillian’s husband cheats on her. She hates it. Queue self doubt, recriminations, melt downs etc. then she thinks she’s cheated on her new friend leading her to strangely run off. Yet, her friends, both in Sicily and in England, are in relationships with married men. Seems incongruous.
What even is it that makes Mattias, a really gorgeous, sexy (repeated often), man who has high ideals and is described as quite discerning, like Gillian in the first place? She falls over, gets drunk, is frequently and weirdly semi naked. She doesn’t communicate. She is judgemental. She is not a character that endears herself to the reader.
Gillian is so mean to herself that it’s hard to like her. And she doesn’t grow out of it.
Some things in the writing are just not possible. For example. The dog licked her face as she was walking through the door to the house. How? The dog was also walking. How can it lick her face?
There are plot aspects that could be explored, that are ignored.
The cheating husband could return to chase her after his engagement is broken - allow her to really explore closure, and possibly be a realistic friction point between Gillian and Mattias. It is not realistic that a lonely desperate male teacher who hasn’t really featured before, suddenly arrives on her doorstep and she spends the whole conversation in a towel, which Mattias judges at a glance causing him to leave in a huff for some time, only to return as though nothing happened with no real reason.
The house in England and selling of items etc. is ignored. The ending of the marriage / divorce is ignored. No closure.
The daughter and the similarity mentioned between cheating, career focused Tony and the daughters boyfriend is mentioned then goes no where. Why mention it?
How suddenly is Mattais’s brothers wife and child living with the “conniving bitch” of a grandmother? That was just a glossed over after thought.
Could have been a good story.
May 26, 2023
Everybody needs therapy, and now I need therapy after reading this book.
Looking a lot like a first draft, One Summer in Sicily follows a woman who finds love on an island where she discovers her husband cheating on her.
Summary: Gillian Morana (or Dobson, her husband's surname) discovers that her husband has cheated on her. She agrees to a divorce, then has the hots for a guy by the name of Mattia Spadaro, who likes her back.
Tropes/Genres:
• LOTS of miscommunication
• LOTS of trust issues
• divorce
• slow burn
• travel (Lipari, Sicily)
• romance, i guess
Review: My brain is thoroughly fried. I don't understand. Beautiful cover. I was fooled. This story isn't beautiful at all. It doesn't make sense. I don't like the characters. I think Mattia is too good for Gillian – she's pathetic, by the way. She's part of the problem.
The writing style is so annoying. It's as if Gillian is just vomiting out whatever comes to her mind. It's the kind of mistake that authors who write in the present tense often make, except this book is written in the past tense.
There are many things about this story that don't make sense. Gillian keeps stressing about the age gap between Mattia and her. Woman, he's 36 and you're 40. There's only a 4-year age difference. That's not an age gap. That's an insult to the trope.
Unfortunately, I'm not an insecure menopausal woman with a midlife crisis, so I don't relate to Gillian one bit. I find her an awful person, as she condones her friends, namely Brends and Sandra, chasing after married men, when her own marriage ended that way. I find it disgusting. That's why I say she's part of the problem. Because of course, it doesn't matter unless it happens to her. It makes sense that it wouldn't make a difference because the husband doesn't love the wife anymore anyway (as was her experience), but it doesn't make it right to chase after married men.
Anyway, I think that Mattia deserves so much better. He's a man who reflects on his mistakes and tries to be a good man. Gillian has pinned this prejudice on him, an assumption that he's a playboy just because he's hot. That's crappy. And she just makes the worse assumptions about him. She's a walking red flag, and it's honestly dumb how he just keeps trying for her. Dude, she isn't sure about your relationship. Stop wasting your time.
Maybe it would've worked out if the writing was better. There are ways to make conventionally unlikeable characters likeable, you know? The author failed to pull it off.
I don't recommend this book unless you're a fan of crappy characters that don't make sense and writing styles that sound like they severely lack editing. I think this book had potential, but everything just felt so underdeveloped.
Look, I'm not going to hold back. I had such high hopes for this book. It looked so promising, but it fell so flat. I tried thinking positively – "The writing isn't really my style, but maybe I'll like the plot and the characters." – Spoiler: I did not.
Looking a lot like a first draft, One Summer in Sicily follows a woman who finds love on an island where she discovers her husband cheating on her.
Summary: Gillian Morana (or Dobson, her husband's surname) discovers that her husband has cheated on her. She agrees to a divorce, then has the hots for a guy by the name of Mattia Spadaro, who likes her back.
Tropes/Genres:
• LOTS of miscommunication
• LOTS of trust issues
• divorce
• slow burn
• travel (Lipari, Sicily)
• romance, i guess
Review: My brain is thoroughly fried. I don't understand. Beautiful cover. I was fooled. This story isn't beautiful at all. It doesn't make sense. I don't like the characters. I think Mattia is too good for Gillian – she's pathetic, by the way. She's part of the problem.
The writing style is so annoying. It's as if Gillian is just vomiting out whatever comes to her mind. It's the kind of mistake that authors who write in the present tense often make, except this book is written in the past tense.
There are many things about this story that don't make sense. Gillian keeps stressing about the age gap between Mattia and her. Woman, he's 36 and you're 40. There's only a 4-year age difference. That's not an age gap. That's an insult to the trope.
Unfortunately, I'm not an insecure menopausal woman with a midlife crisis, so I don't relate to Gillian one bit. I find her an awful person, as she condones her friends, namely Brends and Sandra, chasing after married men, when her own marriage ended that way. I find it disgusting. That's why I say she's part of the problem. Because of course, it doesn't matter unless it happens to her. It makes sense that it wouldn't make a difference because the husband doesn't love the wife anymore anyway (as was her experience), but it doesn't make it right to chase after married men.
Anyway, I think that Mattia deserves so much better. He's a man who reflects on his mistakes and tries to be a good man. Gillian has pinned this prejudice on him, an assumption that he's a playboy just because he's hot. That's crappy. And she just makes the worse assumptions about him. She's a walking red flag, and it's honestly dumb how he just keeps trying for her. Dude, she isn't sure about your relationship. Stop wasting your time.
Maybe it would've worked out if the writing was better. There are ways to make conventionally unlikeable characters likeable, you know? The author failed to pull it off.
I don't recommend this book unless you're a fan of crappy characters that don't make sense and writing styles that sound like they severely lack editing. I think this book had potential, but everything just felt so underdeveloped.
Look, I'm not going to hold back. I had such high hopes for this book. It looked so promising, but it fell so flat. I tried thinking positively – "The writing isn't really my style, but maybe I'll like the plot and the characters." – Spoiler: I did not.
June 23, 2023
One Summer in Sicily by Nancy Barone is the sometimes sad story of the end of a marriage. It turns out the marriage had been over for years and Gillian hadn’t noticed until she tried to surprise her husband who was currently in Sicily for a conference. Despite her fear of flying, she flew there, got a key to his room, and was preparing herself for a sexy meeting, when the door burst open and in popped Tony, in the arms of another woman, both of whom were tearing their clothing off. She ran out of the hotel room in only the robe she had been wearing and tore down the street, only to narrowly avoid being hit by a jeep, which veered away from her and hit a wall instead. The man was so kind. He picked her up and carried her to his home and his significant other, Sandra. Sandra and Mattia cared for her, got her carryon for her with one outfit in it: her luggage had been lost. Only later did she discover that Sandra and Mattia were not an item, that he had simply been staying there until his place was ready; that Sandra was in love with a married man named Alphonso, and that Mattia was an unspoken-for architect.
One really nice thing about Barone’s novels is that that there is always an underlying thread of humor, no matter how tragic the story. Gillian recovered, slowly, and discovered she didn’t really care. She started to let the sunshine in and see the birds. She adopted a dog, rather, it adopted her, who she discovered in a rundown mansion which she later learned was for sale. She threw caution to the wind and bought it and Mattia went about refurbishing it into a bed and breakfast. Mattia was a gorgeous man, four years younger than Gilly and sought after by every woman from 15-50. He wanted none of them. He appeared to want Gilly, but her self-esteem was so low she couldn’t really believe it. Thus the story went on, the two of them on the outs much of the time because of their refusal to communicate. It was a lovely story: part romance, part coming-of-age. Barone writes characters and situations well and these two were no exception. It was a feel-good story, but it took a while to get to the feel-good part. I enjoyed it.
I was invited to read a free e-ARC of One Summer in Sicily by Aria & Aries, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #AriaAndAries #NancyBarone #OneSummerInSicily
One really nice thing about Barone’s novels is that that there is always an underlying thread of humor, no matter how tragic the story. Gillian recovered, slowly, and discovered she didn’t really care. She started to let the sunshine in and see the birds. She adopted a dog, rather, it adopted her, who she discovered in a rundown mansion which she later learned was for sale. She threw caution to the wind and bought it and Mattia went about refurbishing it into a bed and breakfast. Mattia was a gorgeous man, four years younger than Gilly and sought after by every woman from 15-50. He wanted none of them. He appeared to want Gilly, but her self-esteem was so low she couldn’t really believe it. Thus the story went on, the two of them on the outs much of the time because of their refusal to communicate. It was a lovely story: part romance, part coming-of-age. Barone writes characters and situations well and these two were no exception. It was a feel-good story, but it took a while to get to the feel-good part. I enjoyed it.
I was invited to read a free e-ARC of One Summer in Sicily by Aria & Aries, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #AriaAndAries #NancyBarone #OneSummerInSicily
March 26, 2023
In this book we meet Gillian who has been with her husband now for 25 years. The sparks seem to have gone and things are feeling a little bit rocky and so when her husband goes to Sicily on a work trip. Gillian decides after too many drinks that she must go out and surprise him. But as you can probably guess when she gets there things aren't what they seem and the trip really doesn't have the outcome that Gillian wants. As her life and marriage blows up by what she discovers Gillian decides that she will stay in Sicily and figure out what her next steps should be and what she wants out of life, now that she can start again. However Gillian was a little hard to connect with. I mean for one she decides to stay in Sicily. But she doesn't really embrace it. I mean who goes to Italy and doesn't eat lots of yummy Italian food and treat. I mean I thought that was a given when going to Italy. But especially if you are mending a broken heart. I thought it was a little bit of a travesty that she never really embarrassed it. Also I understand that she was freaking out a little bit about being 40 and I get that. But to get so hung up on the fact that she had a younger lover who was only 3 years younger than her felt a little bit off kilter. I mean I have a husband who is 3 years younger than me. Its no big deal at all. I mean you don't notice the age gap at all when it's only a few years. I could understand it more if he was like 10 or 15 years younger than her. But three. That was a bit silly in my opinion. It was also all a little predictable. Which isn't always a big issue. But I think because I wasn't the biggest fan of the main character. I think it felt a bit more obvious and so a little bit more annoying. Also what happened to her husband. Did he return home? Were they both living in Sicily at the same time? I mean you usually know the outcome of that. But it felt like that got forgotten about and just disappeared. It wasn't an awful story. But I just don't think it was for me.
May 20, 2023
I wanted to like this, but it just didn’t hit the mark for me.
Gillian is nearly forty, married for nearly 20 years, and has given the last 20 years of her life to her husband and daughter. She decides to add a bit of spice back by flying (a huge fear of hers) to the Italian island of Lipari to surprise her husband who is there on a business trip. Unfortunately, Gillian is the one who ends up surprised, and in a very disappointing way. She decides to pick up the pieces and start her life anew on Lipari. She makes new friends, attracts new guys (unsure of how she does given the fact that she is curvy in all the wrong places and drowns her sorrows in Nutella and pastries routinely- her words, not mine), and starts her own business. She comes to realize forty isn’t too young to begin to live.
This book started out with lots of laugh out loud laughter, but as it went on the laughter turned to yawns. The writing style seems like it was written by someone who hasn’t really written before with lots of fourth wall breaks and clarifications in parentheses so I was surprised to see the author has quite a few novels under her belt.
Honestly, this is about 50 pages too long. All of the back and forth between Gillian and Mattia was just too much and it got to the point where I was rolling my eyes and sighing every time another of those scenes took place- nothing spicier than standard black pepper.
I fully understood the insecurities Gillian had of her body and I would have liked to see a little more positivity from Mattia- while it was made clear through his actions that he found Gillian attractive, it wasn’t actually spoken, and I think that would have made a better use of the pages written.
I really feel the bones of this book were good but the substance felt rushed and that ruined the book for me. I thank NetGalley and Aria for an advanced copy. This hits the shelves June 8th.
Gillian is nearly forty, married for nearly 20 years, and has given the last 20 years of her life to her husband and daughter. She decides to add a bit of spice back by flying (a huge fear of hers) to the Italian island of Lipari to surprise her husband who is there on a business trip. Unfortunately, Gillian is the one who ends up surprised, and in a very disappointing way. She decides to pick up the pieces and start her life anew on Lipari. She makes new friends, attracts new guys (unsure of how she does given the fact that she is curvy in all the wrong places and drowns her sorrows in Nutella and pastries routinely- her words, not mine), and starts her own business. She comes to realize forty isn’t too young to begin to live.
This book started out with lots of laugh out loud laughter, but as it went on the laughter turned to yawns. The writing style seems like it was written by someone who hasn’t really written before with lots of fourth wall breaks and clarifications in parentheses so I was surprised to see the author has quite a few novels under her belt.
Honestly, this is about 50 pages too long. All of the back and forth between Gillian and Mattia was just too much and it got to the point where I was rolling my eyes and sighing every time another of those scenes took place- nothing spicier than standard black pepper.
I fully understood the insecurities Gillian had of her body and I would have liked to see a little more positivity from Mattia- while it was made clear through his actions that he found Gillian attractive, it wasn’t actually spoken, and I think that would have made a better use of the pages written.
I really feel the bones of this book were good but the substance felt rushed and that ruined the book for me. I thank NetGalley and Aria for an advanced copy. This hits the shelves June 8th.
July 18, 2023
"One Summer in Sicily" is a coming-of-age story, of sorts.
Gillian is flying to Sicily to surprise her husband and revive their marriage. Instead *she's* the one who is surprised... He's been having an affair with another woman! Having no reason to go home to England, she lingers in Sicily, forming friendships and gradually becoming more confident. But will she ever have the courage to risk her heart again?
This story is reasonably well-written, though quite predictable. I enjoyed the Sicilian setting and the chosen family story line. The "will they or won't they", in my opinion, goes on *far* too long with virtually no movement, until the conflict suddenly and conveniently resolves.
That's not my biggest complaint, though. This book is *riddled* with fatphobia. The main female character is *constantly* whining about her sausage legs and how fat she is and how the clothes that she wears look like tents, etc, not to mention her unending incredulity that the 36 year old male main character could ever *possibly* be interested in a 39 year old crone such as herself.
Gillian finally gains the courage to pursue the man she wants, but what caused that growth? Did she realize her true worth and inner strength? No. Did she decide that life is for living, no matter the risk? No. Nope. SHE DID SOME MANUAL LABOR THAT CAUSED HER TO LOSE WEIGHT!!! THAT'S what made her finally decide she was worthy of love.
I read this book til the bitter end, but I'm *so* opposed to the insidious message that women's worth is determined by their size, and this book is just *dripping* with that messaging, from beginning to end.
For that reason, I cannot recommend this book.
Nonetheless, I appreciate the author, publisher, and #NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this ARC,
#OneSummerInSicily
Gillian is flying to Sicily to surprise her husband and revive their marriage. Instead *she's* the one who is surprised... He's been having an affair with another woman! Having no reason to go home to England, she lingers in Sicily, forming friendships and gradually becoming more confident. But will she ever have the courage to risk her heart again?
This story is reasonably well-written, though quite predictable. I enjoyed the Sicilian setting and the chosen family story line. The "will they or won't they", in my opinion, goes on *far* too long with virtually no movement, until the conflict suddenly and conveniently resolves.
That's not my biggest complaint, though. This book is *riddled* with fatphobia. The main female character is *constantly* whining about her sausage legs and how fat she is and how the clothes that she wears look like tents, etc, not to mention her unending incredulity that the 36 year old male main character could ever *possibly* be interested in a 39 year old crone such as herself.
Gillian finally gains the courage to pursue the man she wants, but what caused that growth? Did she realize her true worth and inner strength? No. Did she decide that life is for living, no matter the risk? No. Nope. SHE DID SOME MANUAL LABOR THAT CAUSED HER TO LOSE WEIGHT!!! THAT'S what made her finally decide she was worthy of love.
I read this book til the bitter end, but I'm *so* opposed to the insidious message that women's worth is determined by their size, and this book is just *dripping* with that messaging, from beginning to end.
For that reason, I cannot recommend this book.
Nonetheless, I appreciate the author, publisher, and #NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this ARC,
#OneSummerInSicily
June 11, 2023
The Blurb :
Gillian Dobson hates to fly. But when her husband of 20 years goes on a business trip to Sicily, she is determined to rekindle their romance with a surprise trip to the idyllic island of Lipari… big mistake as it turns out he has A.F.C.- Alternative Female Company.
Devastated, she narrowly escapes a car accident, only to meet handsome local Mattia Spadaro. A mix between an Adonis and an Italian George Clooney.
If simply looking at him gives her an electric shock, surely anything more would give her a heart attack? What's worse, they share a wild passion for Sicilian desserts. Just what she needs - another man who's bad for her!
My Thoughts :
We meet Gillian Dobson, having been married for over 20 years and her husband away at a conference on a Sicilian island called Lipari. She decides to take the plunge although she hates flying and makes a surprise visit to see him.
Things take a turn when she finds him there with another woman, upset and not sure what to do Gillian decides to stay on the Island and not return home just yet.
Gillian is dealing with low self esteem, low confidence and body issues but then she meets the handsome Mattia Spadero.
Along with Mattia and the new friends she makes, Gillian starts to grow as a person and finds that there is more to life than what she has been used to.
Although this was a little slow to get into and Gillian was at times very hard on herself, I did find myself engrosed and entertained with the story and wanting to see what happens next.
Nancy Barone has given us some great descriptions of Italy and its surroundings aswell as some drama, some love and a few surprises thrown in.
Looking forward to more from this Author.
Gillian Dobson hates to fly. But when her husband of 20 years goes on a business trip to Sicily, she is determined to rekindle their romance with a surprise trip to the idyllic island of Lipari… big mistake as it turns out he has A.F.C.- Alternative Female Company.
Devastated, she narrowly escapes a car accident, only to meet handsome local Mattia Spadaro. A mix between an Adonis and an Italian George Clooney.
If simply looking at him gives her an electric shock, surely anything more would give her a heart attack? What's worse, they share a wild passion for Sicilian desserts. Just what she needs - another man who's bad for her!
My Thoughts :
We meet Gillian Dobson, having been married for over 20 years and her husband away at a conference on a Sicilian island called Lipari. She decides to take the plunge although she hates flying and makes a surprise visit to see him.
Things take a turn when she finds him there with another woman, upset and not sure what to do Gillian decides to stay on the Island and not return home just yet.
Gillian is dealing with low self esteem, low confidence and body issues but then she meets the handsome Mattia Spadero.
Along with Mattia and the new friends she makes, Gillian starts to grow as a person and finds that there is more to life than what she has been used to.
Although this was a little slow to get into and Gillian was at times very hard on herself, I did find myself engrosed and entertained with the story and wanting to see what happens next.
Nancy Barone has given us some great descriptions of Italy and its surroundings aswell as some drama, some love and a few surprises thrown in.
Looking forward to more from this Author.
November 21, 2023
Nancy Barone’s One Summer in Sicily is a witty, charming and wonderfully romantic tale that is impossible to resist.
Gillian Dobson hates flying, but determined to save her marriage, she decides to surprise her husband of twenty years by accompanying him on a business trip to the Sicilian island of Lipari in order to rekindle the spark between them. Only what Gillian didn’t realise what that her husband already had company on this trip – female company, that is! Devastated, heartbroken and dejected, Gillian cannot handle any more shocks and surprises �� but fate has other ideas as she discovers when she narrowly avoids being in a car accident and meets gorgeous Italian Mattia Spadara, who makes George Clooney look shabby!
With Mattia sharing her passion for lip-smackingly delicious Sicilian desserts, Gillian quickly realises that resistance is futile and that giving into temptation is inevitable and pretty soon it’s not just Mattia’s cakes and pastries she will find hard to say no to. Will this trip to Sicily give Gillian the new beginning she didn’t know she needed? Can she bid arrivederci to her husband and start afresh in Italy? Or will she let this unexpected chance at happiness slip through her fingers?
Nancy Barone’s One Summer in Sicily is romantic escapism at its best. A fun read sprinkled with wit, emotion, humour and mouth-watering descriptions of food, One Summer in Sicily is a book it is hard not to fall in love with!
Nancy Barone’s enchanting tale of fresh starts, finding happiness and tender romance is even more delicious than a glass of limoncello and I recommend romantics everywhere buy a copy of One Summer in Sicily.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Gillian Dobson hates flying, but determined to save her marriage, she decides to surprise her husband of twenty years by accompanying him on a business trip to the Sicilian island of Lipari in order to rekindle the spark between them. Only what Gillian didn’t realise what that her husband already had company on this trip – female company, that is! Devastated, heartbroken and dejected, Gillian cannot handle any more shocks and surprises �� but fate has other ideas as she discovers when she narrowly avoids being in a car accident and meets gorgeous Italian Mattia Spadara, who makes George Clooney look shabby!
With Mattia sharing her passion for lip-smackingly delicious Sicilian desserts, Gillian quickly realises that resistance is futile and that giving into temptation is inevitable and pretty soon it’s not just Mattia’s cakes and pastries she will find hard to say no to. Will this trip to Sicily give Gillian the new beginning she didn’t know she needed? Can she bid arrivederci to her husband and start afresh in Italy? Or will she let this unexpected chance at happiness slip through her fingers?
Nancy Barone’s One Summer in Sicily is romantic escapism at its best. A fun read sprinkled with wit, emotion, humour and mouth-watering descriptions of food, One Summer in Sicily is a book it is hard not to fall in love with!
Nancy Barone’s enchanting tale of fresh starts, finding happiness and tender romance is even more delicious than a glass of limoncello and I recommend romantics everywhere buy a copy of One Summer in Sicily.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
August 13, 2023
Gillian is on a trip to Lipari Sicily to spruce things up with her husband of a quarter center, give or take. She’s in for a surprise when her life is turned upside down, she’s forced to rethink her future.
This book was mehhhh for me for lack of a better word. While it’s set in Sicily so naturally the food talk is mouth watering, Gillian wasn’t my favorite. In many ways she was self-deprecating, especially when it came to her body; I can relate to self esteem issues especially post-baby but it was a bit over the top in my opinion. Something about her that rubbed me even more the wrong way were her excessive thoughts about Mattia being a “younger” man and her being a cougar. Under 4 years is NOT a big age gap for a relationship. In many ways Gillian seemed not her age to me. Sometimes she seemed like an old lady and others a very naive teenager, so it was hard for me to imagine her as a real person.
I did enjoy some of the motherly talk/her thoughts about her daughter and her relationship with her friends. I also loved Mattia and his non-stop helping hand attitude. I loved that he kept his personal secrets close to his heart for how wishy-washy Gillian was towards him.
All in all this was like one of the not great Hallmark movies where you think to yourself damn why do I watch these? Maybe someone a bit older might enjoy it more but it just wasn’t for me. It was too slow, didn’t have enough depth to the main character and a bit too much fluff for me. I found myself skimming many parts around the halfway point. I also wanted more heat!
Thank you Aria and Aries and NetGalley for a free eARC in return for an honest review!
This book was mehhhh for me for lack of a better word. While it’s set in Sicily so naturally the food talk is mouth watering, Gillian wasn’t my favorite. In many ways she was self-deprecating, especially when it came to her body; I can relate to self esteem issues especially post-baby but it was a bit over the top in my opinion. Something about her that rubbed me even more the wrong way were her excessive thoughts about Mattia being a “younger” man and her being a cougar. Under 4 years is NOT a big age gap for a relationship. In many ways Gillian seemed not her age to me. Sometimes she seemed like an old lady and others a very naive teenager, so it was hard for me to imagine her as a real person.
I did enjoy some of the motherly talk/her thoughts about her daughter and her relationship with her friends. I also loved Mattia and his non-stop helping hand attitude. I loved that he kept his personal secrets close to his heart for how wishy-washy Gillian was towards him.
All in all this was like one of the not great Hallmark movies where you think to yourself damn why do I watch these? Maybe someone a bit older might enjoy it more but it just wasn’t for me. It was too slow, didn’t have enough depth to the main character and a bit too much fluff for me. I found myself skimming many parts around the halfway point. I also wanted more heat!
Thank you Aria and Aries and NetGalley for a free eARC in return for an honest review!
April 18, 2023
3/5 stars
I wanted to love this book. The synopsis felt promising. Stories based in Italy always feel dreamy to me. I believe Nancy Barone did an impeccable job painting the scene. I felt like I was in Gilly’s shoes, walking the streets of Lipari. I could feel Gilly’s heartbreak upon finding her husband in the arms of another lover. I could feel her dread when trying to find clothing that fit her. I could smell the patisseries and only dream of indulging in the delectable desserts. The picture of Lipari and being in Italian culture was so present. It felt almost magical.
However, while that was amazing… I simply could not seem to get into this story for a few reasons. I believe Gilly may be one of my least favorite main characters that I have read about in the past few years. The constant self deprecation. The never ending commentary about food and her weight began to fuel this book in its entirety. It felt like every other page Gilly was commentating about her weight. It felt relatable for a little while but it became redundant.
I also could not build a connection to any of the characters in the story. I felt there was a major lack of character development in the whole novel. I didn’t find myself attached to anyone. My favorite was probably Diana (aka woofy).
I’d recommend this story to readers who enjoy:
-novels based in Italy
-stories involving a cheating spouse and finding the strength to overcome it.
-a women rediscovering herself
-cornettos
Sadly, this book was not my favorite but I am happy for those who thoroughly enjoyed it! It paints a lovely picture of Italy and really makes you crave a good cannoli!
Thank you Nancy Barone, Aria and NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I wanted to love this book. The synopsis felt promising. Stories based in Italy always feel dreamy to me. I believe Nancy Barone did an impeccable job painting the scene. I felt like I was in Gilly’s shoes, walking the streets of Lipari. I could feel Gilly’s heartbreak upon finding her husband in the arms of another lover. I could feel her dread when trying to find clothing that fit her. I could smell the patisseries and only dream of indulging in the delectable desserts. The picture of Lipari and being in Italian culture was so present. It felt almost magical.
However, while that was amazing… I simply could not seem to get into this story for a few reasons. I believe Gilly may be one of my least favorite main characters that I have read about in the past few years. The constant self deprecation. The never ending commentary about food and her weight began to fuel this book in its entirety. It felt like every other page Gilly was commentating about her weight. It felt relatable for a little while but it became redundant.
I also could not build a connection to any of the characters in the story. I felt there was a major lack of character development in the whole novel. I didn’t find myself attached to anyone. My favorite was probably Diana (aka woofy).
I’d recommend this story to readers who enjoy:
-novels based in Italy
-stories involving a cheating spouse and finding the strength to overcome it.
-a women rediscovering herself
-cornettos
Sadly, this book was not my favorite but I am happy for those who thoroughly enjoyed it! It paints a lovely picture of Italy and really makes you crave a good cannoli!
Thank you Nancy Barone, Aria and NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
June 9, 2023
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.
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.
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