One Summer in Italy

Written by Sue Moorcroft

Narrated by Helen Johns

‘I love all of Sue Moorcroft’s books!’
Katie Fforde

When Sofia Bianchi’s father Aldo dies, it makes her stop and look at things afresh. Having been his carer for so many years, she knows it’s time for her to live her own life – and to fulfil some promises she made to Aldo in his final days.

So there’s nothing for it but to escape to Italy’s Umbrian mountains where, tucked away in a sleepy Italian village, lie plenty of family secrets waiting to be discovered. There, Sofia also finds Amy who is desperately trying to find her way in life after discovering her dad isn’t her biological father.

Sofia sets about helping Amy through this difficult time, but it’s the handsome Levi who proves to be the biggest distraction for Sofia, as her new life starts to take off…

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Release date: May 4, 2021
• ISBN: 9780008394103

Sue Moorcroft

Award-winning author Sue Moorcroft writes contemporary women’s fiction with occasionally unexpected themes. The daughter of two soldiers, Sue was born in Germany and went on to spend much of her childhood in Malta and Cyprus. She likes reading, Zumba, FitStep, yoga, and watching Formula 1.

Reviews for One Summer in Italy

[humouress · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

{Stand alone; romance, summer read, beach read}(2018)Sophie Bianchi's dad was Italian but he was very mysterious about his family whom he hasn't seen since he moved to England when he married his English wife. Sophie has spent much of her life looking after her dad, since her mum died when she was small. When she nursed him through his final illness he made her promise several things, one of which was to go back to his home town to drink a proper glass of Orvieto Classico and another was to be happy.She'd often shared with him her fantasy of getting on the plane from Stanstead Airport for breakfast and arriving at a pavement café in Italy in time for lunch, even before his health had made such an adventure impossible. Sophie grinned, though her eyes swam. Half her life he'd cared for her and half her life she'd cared for him. And so Sophie finds herself in Montelibertà with a summer job as a waitress at Casa Felice and looking out for the much younger Amy, another waitress for the summer, while she tries to make contact with her father's family. Although the hotel's rules forbid the staff mingling with guests she finds herself attracted to the recently arrived Levi, who happens to live in a town close to hers in England.This would be a nice beach read. There were a few things going on, like Sophie discovering her father's mysterious past and odd things happening to Levi's internet company, but there were no big tragedies and it was quite relaxed. The romance was quite low steam (thankfully for my sensibilities) and only Amy really had any big dramas going on - though they were mostly in her head; I could relate to the teen with the end-of-the-world crises (not empathise with - I have my own teen who constantly has Earth-ending crises). The resolution is a bit convoluted but there is a happily ever after ending and an amusing epilogue.October 20213***

[nicx27 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The bestselling author, Katie Fforde, says that she "loves all of Sue Moorcroft's books". High praise indeed and I can't echo her sentiment, purely because this is my first Moorcroft. However, I really can't see it being my last so maybe at some point I will be able to say something along the same lines. I've heard so many good things about this author that I jumped at the chance to read One Summer in Italy, especially as Italy is one of my very favourite places. I was, as they say, sold!Sofia Bianchi is a woman in her thirties who has never had much of a life. She spent over half her life caring for her Italian father who had a weak heart. Her English mother had passed away when she was only 5 and she was unaware of any family left in Italy until just before her father died. This prompts her to go to his home village in Umbria, and to get a job working in a hotel for the summer.She meets Amy, an 18 year old running away from upsetting news at home, and also Levi, a guest who sticks up for Amy and most definitely catches Sofia's eye.I thought One Summer in Italy was a charming read. I loved Sofia, level-headed, calm in the face of all kinds of adversity and a steadying influence on the volatile and immature Amy, who I didn't take to quite as much. I recognise that she had to be immature and selfish for the storyline to work though. Now Levi, well, I did take to him. He's such a lovely character and I loved the way he behaved around Sofia.Also, I can't not mention the setting. As I said, Italy is somewhere I love and I so enjoyed reading the descriptions of the area and the views. I could just imagine myself there, sipping a glass of Orvieto Classico or even limoncello (which I did actually have a drink of whilst I was reading this book, just for an authentic reading experience, you understand).I found One Summer in Italy to be a really enjoyable, light read and yet it did address some deeper issues. The perfect combination, perhaps. It's a story with lots of ups and downs and all I wanted for the characters was a happy ending. You'll have to read it yourself to see if that's what they got. I'd definitely recommend it for your summer reading pile.