In honor of National Book Lovers Day this past weekend, I dedicated time to catching up on book reviews. Today I’m sharing my review of a recent ‘Books for Bubbly’ selection from The Book Drop. Scroll on to find out what I thought of this beautiful Italian treat!
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About The Book Drop’s Monthly Subscription
The Summer Villa was a recent ‘Books for Bubbly’ selection from The Book Drop (a monthly book subscription offered in 1 month, 3 month, 6 month, or 12 month increments). There are different subscription options based on what type of books you enjoy.
Each month they select a new book which is sent along with a cute bookmark and a fun letter from the author written to the subscribers with background on what inspired the novel. If you’re interested in signing up for The Book Drop‘s monthly subscription, you can use my Ambassador referral code ARIELLEJOY to get 10% off your first subscription.
Review & Thoughts
The Summer Villa by Melissa Hill
The Summer Villa was an entertaining story about the lives of three young women that met years ago while on holiday in Italy. Each was there under a different circumstance, from different cities, and different personalities, and they all have different paths ahead of them in their future. During their stay, the three build the foundation of a life-long friendship that becomes woven into the fabric of their lives in more ways than you realize.
This book had interesting twists and turns throughout and although the format had a past to present that involved the stories of three different women, the book was written in such a way that it wasn’t confusing and I wasn’t left trying to sort through a muddle of details. Even though you can’t really take a vacation right now, you can pick up this book and take a lovely trip to the gorgeous Italian coast of Naples. Fall in love with the characters, the friendships, the romantic dynamics, and the food!
Important themes and elements of the story:
Themes of romance and friendship. Overcoming difficult family and financial situations. Working hard, starting families, and surprising endings. Sometimes those you think you know the best and want the best for you can turn out to be the worst. And sometimes, those you thought had let you down, find a way to make up for it in the end.
Themes of honesty: Be honest with those that are closest to you; your friends and loved ones. Encourage success but not at any expense. Follow your intuition when it comes to love. At the end of the day, love always wins.
In a Nutshell: Take a vacation vicariously through this fun book set in a gorgeous area of Italy. Fall in love with the characters and enjoy the twists and turns throughout!
My Rating: 4 / 5 Stars
Details From the Book Jacket
Published: April 28, 2020 by HQ
Book Blurb:
Three women. One summer reunion. Secrets will be revealed…
Villa Dolce Vita, a rambling stone house on the Amalfi Coast, sits high above the Gulf of Naples amidst dappled lemon groves and the fragrant, tumbling bougainvillea. Kim, Colette and Annie all came to the villa in need of escape and in the process forged an unlikely friendship.
Now, years later, Kim has transformed the crumbling house into a luxury retreat and has invited her friends back for the summer to celebrate.
But as friendships are rekindled under the Italian sun, secrets buried in the past will come to light, and not everyone is happy that the three friends are reuniting… Each woman will have things to face up to if they are all to find true happiness and fully embrace the sweet life.
An epic summer read about food, friendship and the magic of Italy, perfect for fans of Jill Mansell and Sheila O’Flanagan.
Book Links: Amazon | Goodreads
Books by Melissa Hill
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