Beautiful Setting, Lukewarm Story
I have mixed feelings about The Summer You Were Mine by Jill Francis. While the family’s Italian villa setting is beautifully described, the story itself didn’t grab me. I had a really hard time caring about the main characters, Ellie and Cris.
On the other hand, the extended family seemed three-dimensional and real, although some of the relationships seemed emotionally incestuous.
Still, the setting stood out. Jill Francis paints the Italian coast in vivid detail. The sun-drenched beaches and lush vineyards sound beautiful, but from my perspective, unpleasantly sweaty.
If you’re looking for a beach read with a strong sense of place and romance with a bit of drama, The Summer You Were Mine might be right up your alley.I received this advance reader copy of The Summer You Were Mine from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Book Details
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publication Date: July 1, 2025
Pages: 336
ISBN-13: 9781250322296
Genre: Romance, Women’s Fiction
Publisher’s Description
“The Summer You Were Mine is a swoony dream of a love story, as seductive and unique as its Italian seaside setting. Bellissima, indeed!” – Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author
A beachy, second-chance romance set on the stunning Italian coast, where messy emotions and life challenges collide in this poignant and enthralling novel.
Ellie Beltrami and Cristiano Conte have known each other their entire lives. Both families hail from Chiavari, a small city on the Italian Riviera. Their grandparents are friends. Their parents are friends. They were friends. And for one brief moment, fourteen summers ago, they were almost more than that.
After years apart, Ellie and Cris are headed back to Chiavari as generations of Beltramis and Contes gather for the unlikely second marriage between her grandmother and his grandfather. But while everyone’s celebrating, Ellie is reeling from the very public implosion of her career as the host of a sports talk show, plus overthinking her past and perceived flaws in light of the recent discovery that she is neurodivergent. Cris, a newly retired elite swimmer, also arrives adrift after being accused of using a banned substance.
Reunited in a place where summer dreams come true, Cris and Ellie make a deal: an exclusive interview with Cris to fix her career, and an appearance on Ellie’s show to clear his name. Soon they’re picking up where their teen romance left off—but if this second chance can last, they’ll need to finally confront what drove them apart all those summers ago.
Can your greatest regret become your deepest love?
