The Summer You Were Mine: A Novel

(Paperback)

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Description

Ellie Beltrami and Cristiano Conte have known each other their entire lives. Both families hail from Chiavari, a small city on Italy's northwestern coast. Their parents are friends. Their grandparents are friends. They were friends. And for one brief moment, fourteen summers ago, they were more than that. After years apart, Ellie and Cris are headed back to Chiavari, as generations of Beltramis and Contes gather to celebrate the unlikely second marriage between her grandmother and his grandfather. Ellie arrives in Italy mere hours after her career as the host of a multimedia sports talk show implodes thanks to a hot mic incident. With no work to distract her, she spends her free time re-examining her early years and all her perceived flaws in light of her recent autism diagnosis. Cris, a newly retired Olympic swimmer, also arrives adrift in the wake of accusations of a doping scandal and is searching for something that gives him real meaning. Reunited in a place where summer dreams come true, Cris and Ellie make a deal: an exclusive interview with Cris will fix Ellie's career, and an appearance on her show will clear his name, letting him retire in peace. 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.

Reviews

"What if the biggest mistake of your life turned out to be the best thing that ever happened What if looking to the future meant combing through your past The Summer You Were Mine is a swoony dream of a love story, as seductive and unique as its Italian seaside setting. Bellissima, indeed!"
- Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"With its luscious Italian setting, well-drawn complex characters, and a plot that keeps you turning pages, The Summer You Were Mine is a must-read for anyone who believes in the power of second chances and the magic of true love. Jill Francis's novel is as heartwarming as it is compelling. I couldn't put it down."
- Jenn McKinlay, New York Times bestselling author

"The Summer You Were Mine was the summer beach read I didn't know I needed! Jill's writing was so evocative I wanted to fall into the pages. This is a perfect, slow-build romance with empathetic main characters, beautiful family dynamics, and a vivid, summery scene setting. By the end of the story, The Summer You Were Mine will have you desperately searching for flights to the Italian coast."
- Clare Gilmore, USA Today bestselling author of Perfect Fit

"Jill Francis's novel is the perfect summer escape, as her pages whisk readers away to dreamy, sun-drenched Italy. Her immersive novel is filled with optimism, as her characters strive for all manner of second chances. Most importantly, she reminds readers to not let our mistakes define us, because in both life and love, it's never too late to course correct."
- Lindsay Hameroff, author of Till There Was You and Never Planned on You

Author Bio

JILL FRANCIS is a researcher in the Department of Forensic Psychiatry at the University of Bern, a freelance writer, and a voice over artist. Born in Providence, Rhode Island, Jill now lives on the coast of Liguria, Italy, with her husband and their greyhound, Tulip.