Second Chance Summer

The Summer You Were Mine
By Jill Francis
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Publication date: July 1, 2025
Print length: 352 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1250322296
 

Publisher’s Blurb:

A beachy, second-chance romance set on the stunning Italian coast, where messy emotions and life challenges collide in this poignant and enthralling novel.

Ellie Beltrami and Cristiano Conte have known each other their entire lives. Both families hail from Chiavari, a small city on the Italian Riviera. Their grandparents are friends. Their parents are friends. They were friends. And for one brief moment fourteen summers ago, they were almost more than that.

After years apart, Ellie and Cris are headed back to Chiavari as generations of Beltramis and Contes gather for the unlikely second marriage between her grandmother and his grandfather. But while everyone’s celebrating, Ellie is reeling from the very public implosion of her career as the host of a sports talk show, plus overthinking her past and perceived flaws in light of the recent discovery that she is neurodivergent. Cris, a newly retired elite swimmer, also arrives adrift after being accused of using a banned substance.

Reunited in a place where summer dreams come true, Cris and Ellie make a deal: an exclusive interview with Cris to fix her career, and an appearance on Ellie’s show to clear his name. Soon they’re picking up where their teen romance left off―but if this second chance can last, they’ll need to finally confront what drove them apart all those summers ago.

Can your greatest regret become your deepest love?

 My Thoughts:

Ellie and Cris had a moment when they were 14, but it never came to anything. In fact, she’s been avoiding him for 20 years, since he blew her off. After multiple disruptions to her life—learning she’s autistic, totally screwing up her job, and hearing that her parents are divorcing—she’s not looking forward to the emotional labor of seeing him again when her grandmother and his grandfather marry in Italy.

 Of course, meddling family members keep throwing them together on wedding preparation tasks. As they spend time together, their long-past friendship comes back, and they confide in one another over the various problems they have been facing. It seems like a perfect solution for both of them to have Ellie interview Cris as a comeback for her show. Naturally, it doesn’t go as intended.

 The third-person narration allows us into the minds of both the main characters. Both characters are at crossroads in their lives, and their development as they determine next steps is satisfying. The resolution of the third-act breakup is strong—everything isn’t magically all better. They actually work on themselves and their relationship.

 The Italian setting is almost its own character, with beautiful descriptions and strong secondary characters.

 Possible Objectionable Material:

Swearing, including the f-word. Drinking. Some characters are gay. Sex, open door, semi-descriptive.

 Who Might Like This Book:

Anyone interested in Italy. Fans of second chances, and flawed, slightly more mature characters.

 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

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