Audiobook Review: Butterfly Summer By Toni De Palma

Published May 24, 2026 | By Laura

It’s wonderful to be welcoming Toni De Palma to Novel Kicks and the review for Butterfly Summer.

Hollywood producer for the Bride-to-Be franchise, Anna is on top of her game. She’s helped generations of women navigate the ups and downs of romance. Ironic, since her own love life is a mess. When the Bride-to-Be finale is relocated to Ischia in Italy, Anna plans to use the opportunity to settle some family affairs. And perhaps solve an old mystery of her own. Delia. Decades before, at the age of seventeen, Anna had spent a summer with her aunt on the lush island.

Far from an idyllic vacation, she made few friends and learned her aunt had been hiding secrets from the family. Now she’s going back to sell her aunt’s house and finish up the show’s season finale. As the crew get ready to roll the cameras, all havoc breaks loose. The newest bride-to-be is missing. The groom’s partying has been all over social media. And the sale of the house is shrouded in mystery, with an anonymous buyer.

Both Anna’s personal and professional lives crash in on her. With only hours left until the finale, Anna must find a solution for the show. And face the events that still haunt her from that long ago summer.

*****

Anna has spent her life building up her career. Whilst she helps others with the concept of love, it’s an emotion she has shut herself away from. When her job takes her back to the place where she spent one important summer, she takes the opportunity to settle family affairs. However, when she arrives on the Italian island of Ischia, it’s matters of the heart that come to the surface.

The premise of this book sounded right up my street and so I jumped at the chance to review Butterfly Summer, the latest novel by Toni De Palma. This was my first opportunity to read work by this author and so I couldn’t wait to get started.

With it being an audiobook tour, I wanted to start by talking about the narration. Theresa Mastrobuono does a really great job with this book. The story was read well and with clear diction. I would very much like to listen to other novels Theresa has narrated as she has a calming voice and very easily draws you into the story.

Saying that, it didn’t take long to get invested in Anna’s life. From the beginning, it’s not hard to feel empathy for her. She is someone who has spent most of her life without love. Instead, she shuts herself off from it, even if she doesn’t want to admit that to herself. As I got further into the book and more of Anna’s past was revealed, I could see why. Having tried to open her heart at seventeen, an age where everything feels possible, any kind of heartbreak feels especially devastating. It felt as though I was reading Anna’s diary in a way as it detailed a change in how she saw the world.

Anna’s behaviour was of someone with huge naivety. Of course, this is normal for any teenager. What I did find interesting is that she is someone who doesn’t like the idea of choices being taken away but doesn’t always give other people the same grace – this showed an idealism you can only have by being young. I would love to read this book from Delia’s point of view. I think, as with this novel, it could be interesting to see her side.

The supporting characters were an interesting bunch of people. I related most to Anna’s Aunt. As someone who struggles with mental health, I wanted to reach in and give her a hug. I appreciate how this book handled the subject – with understanding and support. Cheryl was also terrific.

The setting itself sounded beautiful, peaceful and idyllic. The author conjured it up so vividly. It was an interesting contrast to the battles that were being fought by some of its inhabitants.

The plot goes from present day, to the past and then back to the present. I do like these kinds of novels as we get to explore what has brought the characters to their current points. The story unfolds well, and I never felt like there was a dull moment. I don’t want to say much else as I don’t want to give away too many spoilers.

Butterfly Summer is a tale of first love, heartbreak and discovery. It’s a perfect summer read full of emotion and relatable events. It reminds us that things are not always as they seem and that once you have a better understanding of a situation, it can feel very different. Above all though, in my opinion, it is a novel about how you sometimes must go back, to move forward.

About Toni De Palma –

Toni De Palma is the multi-published author of six novels. Her first novel, Under the Banyan Tree, was selected as a Kirkus New Voices Pick and a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age.

Toni holds an M.F.A. in Writing from Vermont College and is a 2008 and 2026 recipient of a New Jersey Arts Fellowship in Prose. Toni’s writing interests extend to fiction, memoir, plays and screenplays.

In December 2019, Toni directed her first short film, Marty’s Calling, adapted from one of her short plays.

Say hello to Toni via her website, Facebook and Instagram.

Butterfly Summer was released by Evoke Press, An Imprint of Ellysian Press in February 2026. Click to buy on Amazon UK and Amazon US.

About Theresa Mastrobuono –

Theresa (Terri) Mastrobuono has been active in the theater, film, and entertainment world for nearly 45 years, appearing in hundreds of productions across the eastern US and in Italy.

As a voice actor she has recorded commercials, film narration, character voices, and audiobooks. Butterfly Summer is her current release and has earned a 5 star rating.

She currently lives in a hilltop village in Abruzzo, Italy, where she maintains a recording studio and continues voice work.

Say hello to Theresa via her website, Instagram and LinkedIn.