From the first page to the last, when you open this book you are in Italy.  Raised by a single mother, Luce knows nothing about her family's history...what caused the heartbreaking rift in her family and what made her mother flee from her little village in Italy.   As you read this novel you are anxious to know the family's history, you are held in suspense, eager to find the answer(s). This book was well written, the character development excellent, the story itself kept me involved and entertained until the last period on the last page. Everything you ever thought about these small Italian villages leaps off the pages of this novel.  You too are sitting in the town's square sipping wine, watching people, listening to the music of a festival.  Molto bene!  My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

All of her life Luce Nardini was kept in the dark about her mother’s family. She grew up not knowing who her grandparents were, who her uncle was or the fact that she had a cousin. Her mother kept telling her, some things are best left in the past. But...Luce couldn’t let it go. She wanted to know her family and as her son has become a young man and shes separated from her husband...now is a great time to set out on a quest to find her family. She knows her mother is from a small village in Italy and thanks to the internet, finds a cousin she never knew she had. But upon meeting her cousin at an Italian airport, she learns that’s there’s bad blood between her mother and her uncle. Luce is determined to find out why. And then an earthquake destroys the village and her family is gravely injured. It becomes all the more important to learn the truth about her family before it’s too late but what she learns is a tale of secrets and lies. 

This story makes me want to visit Italy. The pictures the author paints of the villages and the festivals before the earthquake is something I’d love to see with my own two eyes. I love how determined and strong Luce is...from wanting to know the truth but also wanting to be of use as the village digs out of the rubble. In discovering her past, Luce builds new relationships and strengthens old ones. I do wish it touched a little bit more on WWII and the story of Luce’s grandfather but I really enjoyed the book! Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture and Daniela Sacerdoti for the chance to read this early! It was truly a great weekend read