One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle (audiobook)

genre: time slip fiction

When Katy's mother Carol passes away, the grief is enough to ground her. Carol was Katy's confidant and partner and without her, Katy's not even sure who she is anymore. Adrift and desperately sad, Katy decides to still take the trip to Italy that she and her mom had so looked forward to. When she arrives on the Amalfi Coast, the sun and the ocean immediately begin their magic. When she meets an incredibly familiar stranger, Katie's understanding of her mom and herself are forever changed.

I wanted to like this. I tried because they are making a movie with an actress I really like so I powered through but man. I had to work SO HARD to suspend my disbelief. And in a timeslip novel, you have to be able to just GO with it and I couldn't. Katie made choices that the author never explained to us as readers so I kept having so many questions.  The writing didn't amaze me, our main character has very few redeeming qualities and in the end, the best part of the novel was the setting, which, honestly, sounds incredible. I think I'll still watch the movie but I wish I'd just done that in the first place.