The Girl from Sicily offers everything you could want from a book…..mystery, romance, history and crime. And all of this is nestled within the beautiful Sicilian landscape alongside huge helpings of traditional food and wine! Perfect!

The further I got into this story, the more I became captivated with the mystery surrounding Jess’ inheritance and her family history. The plot is superbly crafted and the author’s research is evident. Lucia is my favourite character - the loss, grief, loneliness and pain she experiences is heartbreaking. Yet her perseverance, resilience, strength, care and consideration really shine through.

I received a complimentary advance copy of this book from the publisher, Boldwood Books. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Sicily in 1943 saw Lucia living in a small farmhouse together with her twin brother Dinu, younger sister and their parents. They were poor, but worked daily at the vegetable gardens at the rear of the house. When Geno, a friend from America, arrived in Sicily, attached to the US army, things changed. Dinu was jealous of Geno being able to supply the family with food, while he was unable to. Changing his direction in life, he soon turned to crime to supplement his income. Dinu and his cousin Franku followed that life, while Geno married Lucia, moving to the baglio which he owned. Moving to the US after the war to be with Geno's family saw Lucia looking forward to the future...

It was 2005 when Jessica Brown of Bristol, England, received notification of an inheritance in Sicily, from a grandmother she had never known. Jess had lost her parents tragically and was in the throes of a divorce. She knew a few weeks in Sicily while she debated what to do would be a good holiday. But as she knew nothing of her family, she wanted to also dig into the past, hoping to discover its secrets. Would she regret that decision?

The Girl from Sicily is #4 in the Girls from the Italian Resistance series by Siobhan Daiko and it was another enjoyable episode. Inspired by true events, it shows the incredible depth of secrets and how they can either tear a family apart, or bring it closer together. I loved Lucia's character and felt for her and the decisions she'd made. She was a strong woman with a deep love for her family. Recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley & Boldwood Books for my digital ARC to read and review.

I'm reviewing this via NetGalley, as part of a tour with Rachel's Random Resources.

The novel has a split narrative; in 2005, we follow Jess, who finds out that she has inherited a farmhouse in her grandmother's will. Jess never met her grandmother, and isn't sure why the house has been left to her. The other narrative, mostly set in the 1940s, follows a girl named Lucia and her family. I was excited to see how the two narratives may be connected.

I connected with both narratives differently. I was excited to follow Jess, to see what might be in store for her next. Reading Lucia's story, I found that it tugged at my heartstrings a little bit more. I found that both narratives had a kind of atmosphere; something that made me want to focus purely on the moment and get lost in it as I was reading.

This book was uplifting, romantic and captivating. I became tearful towards the end, which was something that I hadn't anticipated at the beginning.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel's Random Resources, and to the author and publisher, for the opportunity to read and review this.

Set in Sicily, Siobhan Daiko's new book The Girl from Sicily is a dual timeline story about the impact of the Cosa Nostra (Sicilian mafia) on WW2 loyalties, and the after-effects on later generations of a family with conflicting loyalties. This was my first read from this author, as well as my introduction to rural Sicilian life. A well-researched novel, I especially enjoyed the historical aspects.

My thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the advance reader copy. I enjoyed meeting a new historical fiction author and reading The Girl from Sicily.

This author writes with warmth and engaging perception about our relationship and understanding…..

Many thanx as always to NetGalley, the publishers and the author for allowing me to read and review this book.

Thank you very much Netgalley and Boldwood books for this early copy of The girl from Sicily.

I had a lot of trouble getting into the story, it took me time to get attached to the characters. The novel is indeed constructed with a double temporality: Jess in the present, inherited a small house in Sicily from a grandmother she never knew. I found her part extremely cliché, the Englishwoman who falls under the spell of Italy and a handsome Italian....
And then in parallel, we follow the story of Lucia, her grandmother during the Second World War. I liked this part better even if the descriptions of the different clans / mafias can seem a little long. In any case, we feel that the author has done a real research work.

I had never read any of the author's novels and I liked the style and especially the change of scenery and the journey to Sicily that the pages of this novel offer.

The Girl from Sicily by Siobhan Daiko is a multi-timeline novel. When Jessica receives word of her inheritance form her maternal grandmother, she must go to Sicily in order to claim it. While there she discovers why she had never met her grandmother. Will her family's past prevent her from seizing her future?

Many twists in the plot. Strong female lead character. However, this book was not for me. Slow development and seemed to drag at times.

Releases Mar. 19th. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is a beautiful book and it is so amazing, the story is so lovely and very enjoyable to read. i loved everything about this book and i would recommend to anyone who loves reading to give this book a go. it is a lovely book and i will read other books from this author.

As I’ve mentioned in my reviews, World War II literature is one of my favorite genres of books. While I did enjoy this novel, it's not my favorite. One reason for this is that I felt the flow of the story was disrupted, and some chapters could have been better organized.
I felt compassion for several characters, particularly Lucia, Carula, and Jessica. I did not sympathize with Dino, his choices, and attitudes, and agree that Lucia cut him out of her life. Dino's greed and cruelty to achieve what he wanted was deplorable. While I can somewhat grasp why Lucia's daughter and son-in-law distanced themselves from her, I believe it was cruel of them to keep Jessica in the dark about her family and its history.
I’m thrilled that Jessica received a bittersweet ending, as she has love, family, and a wonderful place to live. However, she never got to know her grandmother, and that relationship was never possible. Unfortunately, I wasn't close to one set of my grandparents either, but that was their choice, and at least I am aware of some of my family's history. A bittersweet story, and realistic as well.

During the Second World War, allied forces often struck a working relationship with somewhat dubious people in order to seek out information on Germany’s bloody march across Europe.
Sicilian mafia were recruited to work with the Americans which had advantages for both sides, but long after the war was over, the Sicilian mafia, building on their wartime advantage, simply grew stronger and stronger.
The Sicilian Girl is based on the true story of a slice in Sicilian history which is discovered by Jess Brown, a woman facing a divorce and whom has, much to her surprise, inherited a peasant farm, a baglio contadina, at Villaurora in central Sicily from her maternal grandmother; a woman she had never met.
Jess makes the decision to go and see the property before she accepts the bequest and also to try to discover something about her family history, in particular her grandmother and her Sicilian family.
In doing so she discovers the heartbreaking story of her grandmother, Lucia, who was born in America but taken, with her twin brother Dino and sister to Villaurora, so her father could look after his ailing father. The outbreak of War sees them forced to remain there, living in grinding poverty, day after endless day.
As Lucia’s story unfolds, Jess begins to move on from her recent distressing experience and is beginning to fall in love, which she is not too sure about, with Piero, the very handsome manager of the family owned Tenuta Sacca di Melita estate, where she is staying.
While it appears that the past is long buried, as Jess looks further into her heritage, she realises that the past is still very much alive in this small area of Sicily and she, somehow, is caught up in it; dangerously.
Set over recent history The Sicilian Girl is a gentle, interesting retelling of a tale that may have been similar for many families during the challenging time of the Second World War.
The Authors Notes are well worth reading as they bring to life the people who lived and then inspired the characters captured within The Sicilian Girl.

The Girl from Sicily had me hooked. I love a good mystery and this story was full of them. The story begins with Jess inheriting a baglio in Sicily from a grandmother she knew nothing about. With her parents recently passing she would no nothing unless she took a trip to Sicily.

Her journey takes the reader into the past when the world was at war. Lucia and her family struggled to survive, like so many others. They hadn't planned on remaining in the area, but the war wouldn't allow them to return to America.

Things start looking up when Gero, a family friend from America and Sicily returns. He is working undercover for the allies. Lucia's family benefits from gifts he brings. The reader is exposed to the evils that were going on. Lucia gets a first hand view as she watches her brother get deeper and deeper.

Like in the war, there is much going on. Within the pages the reader is taken on a journey that left me crying. I experienced anger and disgust. The actions of other destroyed the innocents. Destroyed generations. I have to wonder how many actual stories there are similar to this. My heart bleeds for them all.

A light read that has you wanting to pack your bags and board a plane, bound for lush Sicilian landscapes of baglios, lemons, sunshine and vineyards.

Set in the 1940s and the 2000s across Sicily, New York and Bristol. It tells the story of three generations of Sicilian women as they navigate family, love and loss.

The storyline is also infiltrated by a Sicilian mafia narrative with fictional mafioso characters loosely based on real ‘made men’ and brings some added excitement and suspense to the overall story.

The 1940s storyline has extra interest due to the historical research carried out by the author into Sicilian separatist politics during and immediately after World War Two, and the island’s political relationship with mainland Italy. Really interesting reading about that as it was something I didn’t previously know about Sicily.

This was an easy comfort read with a few historical/political factual nuggets thrown in for some inadvertent learning for the reader.

This emotional tale that went between war-torn Sicily in 1943 and the present day.

Written about love, sacrifice, and long-buried family secrets, secrets revealed throughout.

Lucia’s love for her twin brother, Dinu, is tested as war and dangerous alliances threaten their relationship.

Decades later, Jess gets to the bottom of the mysteries of her ancestry, leading to unexpected truths she never expected.

This was a gripping read and I couldn't put it down.

So heartbreaking. Based on a true story from WWII in Sicily. Very well researched. I was wrapped up in the story immediately.

I thought that this would be a generic WW2 resistance novel, but it was much more than that. An element of this novel covered WW2 but that just gave the opportunity for the heroine to meet, fall in love with and then marry an American officer who had a Sicilian heritage. The book was much more focused on rural Sicilian life with its intrigues and untold truths. The shadow behind the action was the influence of the Cosa Nostra and how they prevented people talking to the authorities concerning serious crime. Like other books by Siobhan, it was a carefully constructed plot that tugged at the heartstrings giving a previously unknown insight into Italian life. An excellent read.

Very well written book. There were many aspects of mystery, love, and betrayal. A very action filled book until the end.

The story begins in 1943 when Lucia lives at home with her twin brother Dina who she keeps on the straight & narrow, younger sister Anita and their parents. Dina is uncertain when family friend Gero returns to the village as Dina starts to get big ideas which could lead to trouble! To further complicate things Lucia starts to have feelings for Gero . Will this cause upset? It certainly leads to Lucia making life changing decisions that affect several people!
The present story is in 2005 when Jess inherits a small house from her grandmother Lucia whom she has never met. it starts to throw up unanswered questions which are fascinating as the story unravels.

I found it slow to kick off, that said once it did I couldn’t put it down. Loved Lucia's back story.

The Girl from Sicily is the 4th book from the Italian Resistance series by Siobhan but can easily be read as a standalone.
In short, inspired by true events, ‘The Girl from Sicily’ is an historical novel revealing the hidden secrets and consequences of one Sicilian family across generations.
It’s another heart wrenching story by Siobhan Daiko, her inspiration sourced from the rumoured assistance given to the Allies by the Sicilian Mafia during World War 11. The core of the story hinges on old Sicilian traditions, a code of silence known as the omertà and in this case, its devastating consequences. The book is beautifully written with a great sense of time & place…a moving and illuminating read.
Big thanks to Siobhan Daiko, Boldwell Books and NetGalley for this eARC which I chose to read in return for my honest review.

Book Four in the Girls from the Italian Resistance series, it’s the first I’ve read and was definitely fine as a standalone novel. Told over a dual timeline alternating between Jessica in 2005 and her grandmother in 1943. The novels starts with Jessica who has had infertility issues which has impacted her marriage. She inherits a farmhouse in Sicily from her grandmother she never knew.

I enjoyed learning of the history of Sicily during the war with Jessica- from mafia ties to the separatist movement. The Sicilian setting sounded divine and I loved all the food and winery references. I found myself turning through the pages as her grandmother’s secrets came out and enjoyed her slow burn romance with Pietro. An interesting bit of history I hadn’t heard of and I’m keen to read more of the series as I find stories of Italy during the war aren’t as common as UK, French or German stories.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC. This book was very good. I liked the love story but of course it being about Italy there were "friends of friends" which kept me intrigued! The ending was a tad predictable but there were many twists and turns and surprises as well! A very good story