One Italian Summer

"I read this book only a couple of weeks ago. I went into it expecting a light romance with the sister relationship at its heart. And it is – it certainly had me laughing, but it also had me in floods of tears. This book begins following the death of the sisters’ dad. Their father dies very suddenly, in his sleep, and so it’s not just the impact of losing a parent that they’re dealing with, it’s the absolute shock and finality of that event. The story is told from the perspective of Milly, who’s the middle child, and she’s really struggling with this loss – as is her mum, and her two sisters. Each of them are suffering in a different way, and Keris does such a brilliant job of exploring and teasing out those different struggles with a light touch. The grief exaggerates everyone’s personality. Milly is a sensitive, thoughtful worrier and this big tragedy has meant that her anxiety has taken control of her life. It is a delicate and well-handled look at grief and mental health without ever being cloying. The book explores the impact of grieving on the whole family with real tenderness and insight. I think it’s a really lovely book because the relationship between the sisters is so strong and their deep connection forms the foundation of the story. The three sisters are sustained in lots of ways by their relationship and ultimately it is the thing that helps them the most as they begin to heal."