One Summer in Italy

Three and a half (it's all my own fault) stars. Sofia Bianchi has led a sheltered life. Her mother died when Sofia was very young and ever since then it has just been Sofia and her father, Aldo. Aldo got sick when Sofia was just fifteen and she was his primary carer from then until his death. Now, aged 30, she is heeding her father's advice to live a little, and where better to start than her father's home town of Monteliberta in Italy? But Sofia finds that her dreams of romance and independence whilst waitressing in the natural beauty of Umbria are subordinated by family secrets and feuds, mercurial bosses, charming guests and young waitresses who need mothering after discovering their own family secrets. The teenage waitress Amy was a typical 19 year old girl, whining and sulking and crying when things don't go her way. She has run away from home after discovering that the man she called Dad her entire life was no such thing! Despite her sheltered life, Sofia had a lot of wisdom to impart to Amy (although selfishly I did wish she would just tell Amy to grow up and stop being such a teenage drama queen - no sympathy me). When Amy gets into an altercation with another waiter Sofia jumps in to defend her, assisted by a handsome man on a motorbike who turns out to be a guest at the hotel where Amy and Sofia wait tables. If you enjoy romances set in exotic locations, such as Italy, I am sure you will adore this book, the glorious landscapes, the foreign languages, the holiday atmosphere, the exotic food and drink. It's just not my cup of tea. It's not just this book, it's generally all romances set abroad - not sure why. I liked it, but I didn't love it, but I think that is because of the setting and not the plot. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.