I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
To Sicily with Love
by Jennifer Probst
Series: Meet Me in Italy #4
Series Rating:
Published by Berkley on February 18, 2025
Setting: Sicily, Italy
Genres: Women's Fiction
Pages: 382
Format: Audible Audiobook, Kindle, Paperback
Source: NetGalley
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon
When she learns she has a big Italian family she never knew about, a lonely woman travels to Sicily for a life-changing summer in the new romance from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Probst
Aurora York had it all loving parents, a steady relationship, and a promising career. But after she loses both parents unexpectedly, she can’t seem to stay on track any longer. Lonely and lost after a public meltdown that threatens her professional credibility, she’s shocked when DNA test results show a blood relative in Sicily. When her cousin reaches out online and begs her to come to Italy to meet everyone in person, Aurora makes the leap.
Aurora arrives in Sicily for a month, and there she meets a colorful, dynamic family steeped in tradition. The younger generation is fascinated by her social media fame in America, and even though her grandparents have more traditional viewpoints, Aurora begins to heal from her grief…and enjoys the attention of a kind and handsome Italian man.
But when the summer ends, a new opportunity calls her back to the States and her old habits threaten to reemerge. Will Aurora leave everything in Sicily she loves behind, or take the chance on a whole new future?
To Sicily with Love by Jennifer Probst is a story of discovery, belonging, and love.
Will Aurora find her way back to herself after losing both her parents?
Aurora York is our main character. After her father’s death, she transforms into a new person. One driven and goal-related, to the point that she hasn’t stopped to smell any flowers in years. On the outside, she looks successful and well-put-together, but looking closely, you can see that she isn’t happy. However, Aurora doesn’t see it either, but her mom does. Aurora’s mom, Serafina, tries to remind her daughter of the important things in life, yet Aurora only sees it as her mother not liking the choices that she is making. The two argue, and Aurora storms off. That night, Serafina passes away, and now Aurora feels guilt and loneliness.
Serafina’s death throws Aurora into a black hole of sorts. This is where the real Aurora comes out. I felt so bad for Aurora and her mother. This story brought me to tears many times. Through her grief, Aurora finds that her mother’s family is alive and living in Italy after taking a DNA ancestry test. Meeting her family and being accepted for who she is is a huge change that shakes Aurora, making her remember the lessons her parents taught her.
Courage
Once Aurora experiences what it’s like to have a close-knit family, she must make changes in her life. These changes come in many ways, from releasing the relationships that aren’t genuinely healthy to finding someone who loves her as much as she loves him to changing her career focus and following her dreams, even when those change. She finds that she needs to be present and happy, not just checking off to-do lists and rushing from goal to goal, and, lastly, dealing with the death of her mom. It took courage for Aurora to do these things. I applaud her strength of character and courage to step out of her comfort zone and experience life to its fullest.
Ms. Probst does a fantastic job of putting us in Aurora’s head and showing us life through her. I was emotionally wrapped up in Aurora’s journey and cried with her many times. She transports us to Italy and sets the scene with smells, views, history, and food—so much food.
Five Stars
My rating for To Sicily with Love by Jennifer Probst is five stars. I loved everything about the story, from the settings to the characters and everything in between. I highly recommend To Sicily with Love, and I will be adding some of Ms. Probst’s other books to my TBR.
Meet Me in Italy
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of To Sicily with Love by Jennifer Probst.
Until the next time,
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About Jennifer Probst
Jennifer Probst wrote her first book at twelve years old. She bound it in a folder, read it to her classmates, and hasn’t stopped writing since. She holds a masters in English Literature and lives in the beautiful Hudson Valley in upstate New York. Her family keeps her active, stressed, joyous, and sad her house will never be truly clean. Her passions include horse racing, Scrabble, rescue dogs, Italian food, and wine—not necessarily in that order.
She is the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary romance fiction. She was thrilled her book, The Marriage Bargain, spent 26 weeks on the New York Times. Her work has been translated in over a dozen countries, sold over a million copies, and was dubbed a “romance phenom” by Kirkus Reviews. She has over fifty books published.
She loves hearing from readers.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2025 Alphabet Soup-Author Edition-RC JEN
- 2025 Goodreads RC JEN
- 2025 Traveling the World JEN
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