Her Tuscan Summer- Book Review

Her Tuscan Summer by Vanessa Carnevale

Expected Publication: 3rd June 2021
Genre: Contemporary romance

3.5 Stars

Mia Moretti travels from Melbourne to Florence to heal from the psychological and emotional scars left by a life-threatening condition. She also wants to get back her art and paint again.

She meets a local mechanic, Luca, who sweeps her away across the country, making her smile, help her face her fears, and paint again. But when a tragedy strikes them, can they let love keep them together, or will it tear them apart?

I picked the book for its setting more than anything else. The story started out great, and that was a plus. The writing is easy to follow, and I finished the book in two days. The imagery is beautiful (obviously, it’s Italy!), and I could picture it with ease. More so because I’m a fan of David Rocco and watched his Dolce Vita series set in Florence, Sicily, Amalfi, and Napoli.

After a light 2/3 of the book, the last 1/3 went totally out of balance. Though the book talks about Mia’s recovery from cancer, it doesn’t get too intense until after 65% or so. And then, it almost gets overwhelming, pushing one heavy emotion after another on the reader.

There’s little breathing space, and that too is shadowed by intense agony and grief. This unexpected shift didn’t work for me. The tone was set by then, and I knew there would be some conflict. But based on what flowed until then, I wasn’t expecting something this forceful. It does have a decent happy ending, but I only heaved a sigh of relief that the book was over.

Maybe if the story has a non-linear narration to space out things, it would have been easier to handle. Also, the insta-love would have had a better chance of convincing the readers.

What surprised me was the age of the characters, which slipped my mind after the initial chapter or two. Mia is 19 years old. Yeah, she’s quite mature for her age (not always, mind you), but the book is a typical romance and reads like the one with 25+ characters. Though 19 is not terribly young, she is still a teen and acts like one only when the author needs some ripples or touches of conflict.

The talk of art was lovely to read. There was nothing technical, and the focus is on how Mia lets go and starts to embrace her talent. The side characters are well-etched and do their bit to bring some cheer into the book.

If not for the 1/3rd of the book, where Mia’s character is developed, and Luca is almost messed up, this one would have been a four-star for me.

Overall, it’s an enjoyable read with a wonderful setting, but be prepared for an extra-emotional last section and some heavy drama.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bookouture. 

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