To Sicily with Love by Jennifer Probst

To Sicily with Love is a beautiful love story between a mother and daughter, a woman and a country and a woman who finds not only a family, but also a soulmate. The message of the story is so important…sometimes a woman’s greatest loss can become her greatest strength in life.

Aurora York is a superstar! She can do it all! She has a popular podcast, is a life coach, and is writing a book. She has a wonderful boyfriend Jason who is just as busy as she is, and they both treat their bodies like temples. An only child and with her father’s tragic passing, it is her responsibility to take care of her mother who continually tries to malign her lifestyle. She doesn’t care for her boyfriend and feels Aurora starves herself. She reluctantly makes the trek to her house alone as little as possible, not realizing this visit where she tries to convince her to stay for dinner would be the last time she sees or speaks to her.

She is devastated at the loss of her mother. Now she is truly alone with no family or relatives, only Jason who himself is constantly busy. At first, she feels she is holding it all together, but as her emotions and feelings get the best of her, she begins to have breakdowns one in particular which is on air.

She decides to put her book on hold and seek help. One of the suggestions is to do a DNA test to see if she can find any relatives, she was unaware of. What she discovers will change the trajectory of her life forever!

Unbeknownst to her, her mother was born in Sicily and left her family behind to come to America. But the family she left including her grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins all still live in a small seaside town in Sicily. Against the wishes of her boyfriend but encouragement of her therapist she decides to go meet them and stay for ten days.

She is of course overwhelmed by these people who pull her in and love her unconditionally even though they did not know she existed. Her grandparents, especially her grandfather does not have much to say to her still angry that his daughter abandoned the family all those years ago. But they refuse to tell her why.

Aurora’s light begins to shine as she spends time and many, many meals (and carbs) with her relatives, laughing, going to church and learning the language. The more time she is there, the more it feels like a home. And of course, there is a very handsome man who continually gives her sage advice.

As her time in Sicily draws to an end, she begins to feel a loss she never imagined. She still does not have the answers to all her questions, or even what the life she knew is even worth her time anymore, and there is the mystery as to why her mother left and never mentioned having a family to her at all.

To Sicily with Love is full of love and hope as well as guilt, but most importantly, it’s about finding out who you really are in so many ways, slowing down and looking around for the beauty which can be seen through yours and other people’s eyes as well, including the main character of this wonderful story, Sicily.

Thank you #NetGalley #Berkley #JenniferProbst #ToSicilywithLove for the advanced copy.