Postcards From Sicily- Blog Tour

 

Author: Nancy Barone
Publisher: Aria / Head of Zeus
Publishing Date: 30th July 2026

Many thanks to the publisher and Rachels Random Resources for my digital copy of the book and a spot on the tour

Blurb 

A cosy story about mother-daughter relationships and starting over in life, set in a luxurious Italian spa resort

 

Olivia swore she would never grow up to be like her mother, who fled to Sicily to be with her lover when Olivia was a teenager. But now in her thirties, the spark in Olivia’s marriage has been extinguished for years, she’s hopelessly pining over her attractive business partner, Markus, and her own teenage daughter barely speaks to her. 

 

So when her estranged mother offers to pay for an eight-week trip to a luxurious wellness centre in Italy, Olivia reluctantly accepts. A break will be good for her. For everyone. There’s just one catch... Susan is staying in the adjoining room. 

 

Fuelled by gorgeous weather, good food and even better wine, can the two women overcome their history and form the mother-daughter bond that Olivia always dreamed of? Or is it too late for second chances?

My Thoughts 

I did not anticipate so much in this book but it proved me wrong. 

Olivia has never been able to forgive her mother, Susan, for walking away from her and her father when she was just a child. Even though Susan has tried over the years to make amends, and Olivia’s father has long since forgiven her, Olivia simply can’t forget the hurt she caused. For her, forgiveness isn’t as simple as pretending the past never happened.

And Susan isn’t the only complicated relationship in Olivia’s life. Her marriage has become distant and unhappy, her teenage daughter Cassie is increasingly shutting her out, and she finds herself developing feelings for her business partner, Marcus. Yet despite being unhappy for years, Olivia cannot bring herself to make the changes she knows are necessary.

When Susan offers Olivia an eight-week stay at a wellness centre in Italy, Olivia sees it as the perfect opportunity to escape, clear her head and perhaps work out what she wants from her life. What she certainly doesn’t expect is for Susan to be there too. Suddenly, the one person Olivia desperately wants to avoid is impossible to escape.

I was really intrigued by this set-up because, of course, you know almost immediately that Olivia isn’t going to get the peaceful retreat she was expecting! I was particularly interested in seeing how she would react to Susan and whether Susan would be someone I could sympathise with.

Olivia is clearly struggling from the very beginning, and I found her situation incredibly easy to understand. Being abandoned by a parent as a child leaves a wound that doesn’t simply disappear with time, and I could completely understand why Olivia struggled to accept Susan’s attempts at reconciliation. At the same time, I couldn’t help wishing Olivia would stop keeping everything bottled up and actually say what she was feeling.

Her relationship with Marcus was another aspect I found interesting. Olivia clearly has feelings for him, and there are moments of jealousy, but she never acts upon them. Despite everything happening in her marriage, she knows that crossing that line would have consequences, and I respected her for that.

The relationship with her daughter Cassie also felt very real. Watching your child withdraw from you must be incredibly painful, particularly when you already feel as though your family life is falling apart. Olivia’s struggles with Cassie, her marriage and Susan all contribute to this feeling that she is stuck, unable to move forward.

The eight weeks at the centre ultimately become much more than a wellness retreat. Slowly, Olivia begins to confront the things she has avoided for years. She starts talking, opening up and, perhaps most importantly, realising that she cannot keep living her life simply because making a change feels frightening.

There is a lot packed into this book, and at times the number of things happening felt a little dramatic, but I think that also reflects the messiness of real life. Sometimes we know something needs to change but are simply too scared to make that first step.

Ultimately, this is a story about family, forgiveness, abandonment and second chances. It explores how differently people can remember the same events and how difficult it can be to let go of the past. Olivia’s journey is really about finding the courage to make the changes she has been avoiding — and discovering that sometimes, the scariest decisions can lead to the happiest future.