I went into this book completely blind and that is how I would recommend others approach this title. The only thing I knew about this novel was that it was set in Italy. If you are looking for escapism, One Italian Summer is the book for you. Serle's writing is beautiful and she really brought the characters and the setting to life in this story. While Katy, the protagonist, faces difficult challenges throughout the plot, I felt that this title had an overall theme of hope. It reminded me that even on the darkest days there is a better tomorrow. I look forward to reading more of this author's work in the future and seeing if they are also able to evoke strong emotions from me as this one did.