Review of One Summer in Positano by Jen at Dandelions Inspired Blog

About the book:

Libby has been drifting through life for too long and, now in her early 30’s, it’s time to grow up. She decides to have one last summer of fun before buckling down, so heads off to beautiful Positano in Italy.

There, despite all her good intentions, she can’t help but fall a little in love with the very handsome, but rather naughty, Luca and, as the summer draws to a close, Libby has some big decisions to make.

Should she head back home and face up to her responsibilities? Is Lucareally the right man to start a family with, or has the perfect man been right in front of her eyes all this time?

And, when it comes to affairs of the heart, is it really better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all?

My Review:
One Summer in Positano is the upcoming second novel from author Georgie Capron. This is a fantastic novel about Libby, who in her early 30’s still hasn’t quite figured out what she wants to do when she grows up. Before a long and strenuous training contract begins at a London law firm, Libby decides to travel for a few months and work at a hostel in Positano, Italy. Missing her best friends Angus and Jules, she finds herself in a dream-like setting where she meets the handsome Luca. But what will happen at the end of the summer?

Who, What, When, and Where:
Several players make up this wonderful story about Libby. Her mother Miriam is in Kent, her sister Helen (who has been battling depression) has moved to Asia to teach English, and her best friends since childhood, Jules, and Angus, also live in London. When in Positano, Libby becomes very close with the people that she meets but especially with the handsome, sexy Luca. A co-worker warns Libby about Luca, who himself admits his distaste for monogamy, but she finds herself unable to resist his charms.

After spending a fabulous summer in Positano, Libby must return to London for her job at a law firm. Besides her lack of excitement about this job, she has had a life-changing experience that she must come to terms with, along with missing Luca who stays in Positano. Libby’s sister Helen isn’t enjoying her fresh start as much as she had hoped, and there are also issues between Angus and Jules. Angus longs to be a father, however, Jules is adamant about having a baby. And where Angus’ career as an artist is flourishing, Jules detests her own career in accounting.

Thoughts and Reactions:
This novel is tricky to review because of fear of revealing spoilers. So many things happen in this novel that I can’t discuss, so bear with me. I initially loved Libby, but as I watched her grow and mature throughout the novel I came to realize how immature she was in the beginning. For a woman in her early 30’s, she was traveling around and enjoying Positano for the summer without much responsibility.

I liked Luca at first and then fell in love with him. He was sexy, charming, sweet, loving, and so on. Did I love him the entire novel? No, I didn’t, but I didn’t hate him either.

Angus and Jules flip-flopped for me. I hated him initially and loved her. Then that all changed. Regardless, I felt that most characters were well-developed and not overly simple or overly complex. Libby’s sister Helen aggravated me to no end. She broke up with a guy, returned to her typical state of depression, moved to another country, continued to be depressed, came home. What was at the center of all this depression? her desire to have a man and a baby. Helen just seemed very shallow and uninteresting to me as she was completely unable to find any happiness without a man.

There are so many subplots and underlying themes to this novel, but to me, it mostly embodies love, trust, taking risks, and moving on from disappointment and hurt. Libby went through a lot of things in this novel, some that were devastating. However, she picked herself up and created a new life that gave her happiness. Like her sister, I felt that she was a little too man-dependent, although she frequently reminded herself not to be. But I’ve tried to look at it in more of a romantic, soulmates way, rather than her needing a man to be happy.

One Summer in Positano is my second time reading Georgie Capron and I admit that I am addicted to her stories and her writing. This novel did not turn out at all as I thought it would, but I adored the story, especially all of the surprises and twists. With her descriptions of Italy, prepare to have severe wanderlust after reading this one. Lover’s of women’s fiction and romance, this should go on your TBR!