greatexpectations77's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Fun little story of magical realism, but holy goodness does the MC need a therapist to work through the fact that she and her mother were enmeshed. And using a Lorelei Gilmore quote and having Lauren Graham narrate just drives the enmeshment home even more. Also,
Spoiler
I'm pretty sure that cheating on your husband even though in your current timeline, you are not married yet is still cheating??? And like? Did it magically make her sex with her husband better? I little too tidy of a tie-up there, for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent, Chronic illness, Cancer, Alcohol, Abandonment, and Infidelity
Moderate: Death and Toxic friendship
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
Flag for anyone who wants to keep away from reading about alcohol - the drinking is near-constant.toofondofbooks_'s review
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I liked this book a lot. it felt unique but also gave eat pray love vibes which I loved. emphasis on the eat - the food descriptions made me so hungry. the relationship between mother and daughter almost made me cry because of how close I am with my own mom. the fact that Lauren Graham narrated the audiobook was the icing on the cake. there were some aspects of the book that I didn't connect with, such as the romance subplot. I came here for family drama and tears, not necessarily romantic relationship drama, you know?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Infidelity, Death of parent, Sexual content, Grief, Terminal illness, Death, and Abandonment
Minor: Pregnancy
bookishaddictions's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I’ve officially added Positano and the Path to the Gods to my bucket list. I got this one in my @bookofthemonth box this summer, and it’s definitely a fun read if you want to “explore” a bit. I can’t say I fell in love with this story, but I did enjoy it. The struggles of the main character- Katy- is understandable, as she faces issues that many of us will encounter at some point in life. Serle addresses grief, understanding love, and finding ourselves. I loved the visual descriptions of Positano, but I wasn’t huge on the fantastical element (I won’t have spoilers). If you want to discuss this book further, you can find me fantasizing about booking a trip to Positano 🤣✈️
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Alcohol
franklola's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Cancer, Death of parent, and Chronic illness
emilylovesgoodbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Infidelity, and Death
readingwithtrey's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This book was not at all what I was expecting. BUT, it was in a good way. I didn’t really love In Five Years so I was nervous going in. I’ve also seen mixed reviews for this one and to be honest, I wasn’t sure how I felt about it in the beginning. Katy was not the most likeable character for me, but I chalked it up to her grief.
As the story went on, I found myself really drawn to Positano. Though I’ve never visited, I felt like I could truly appreciate everything about it and now it’s at the top of my bucket list of places to visit one day. The author did really well with that aspect of the story.
The last few chapters of the book are what sold it for me. I thought the message around women and motherhood was beautiful and will resonate with a lot of people. I don’t give this one five stars, because something just didn’t work but I can’t quite put my finger on it. Whatever it was kind of kept me from looking forward to picking this one up. I do feel like it would work better as a movie and would not be surprised if it’s made into one.
{ Favorite Quotes }
“History, memory is by definition fiction. Once an event is no longer present, but remembered, it is narrative. And we can choose the narratives we tell—about our own lives, our own stories, our own relationships. We can choose the chapters we give meaning.”
“I am my own, just as she was hers.”
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Grief
Minor: Infidelity and Pregnancy
victoriousbookworm's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, Death of parent, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Sexual content, Infidelity, and Cancer
icieri's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Alcohol, Death of parent, Death, and Infidelity
hannalizzy's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
When Katy’s mother dies, she is absolutely and completely devastated. Her mother, her “soulmate,” her best friend, is suddenly gone, and right before they were supposed to go on their dream trip to Italy. Katy decides to go on the trip alone, hoping to be brought back to life by Positano.
But once she’s there, she finds her mother. Not just her spirit, but her mother, in the flesh, exactly as she was when she lived in Italy as a young woman. This unexplainable magic allows her to get to know her mother all over again, but as her equal and friend.
This. Book! I showed you all my favorite summer romance read, but this is my favorite fiction read of the summer, hands down. As someone who is also best friends with her mom, I resonated so deeply with Katy. Plus, the lush and beautiful descriptions of the scenery and Italy, the food, the wine… it felt magical!
Loved every second of it. 5 stars all around! It was a perfect lakeside read.
But once she’s there, she finds her mother. Not just her spirit, but her mother, in the flesh, exactly as she was when she lived in Italy as a young woman. This unexplainable magic allows her to get to know her mother all over again, but as her equal and friend.
This. Book! I showed you all my favorite summer romance read, but this is my favorite fiction read of the summer, hands down. As someone who is also best friends with her mom, I resonated so deeply with Katy. Plus, the lush and beautiful descriptions of the scenery and Italy, the food, the wine… it felt magical!
Loved every second of it. 5 stars all around! It was a perfect lakeside read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Abandonment and Sexual content
Minor: Alcohol
martapsalvado's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is one of those books that are far from perfect, but so entertaining. Some things that the characters did or think didn't reasonate with me and some aspects of the plot itself didn't make much sense. The ending compensated some of these flaws. Nonetheless, I had a lot of fun reading this and loved the descriptions of Positano. The character devolpment is there too, although sometimes it felt a little abrupt. A good summer read overall!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, Death, Cancer, and Sexual content
Minor: Abandonment, Medical content, Alcohol, and Child death