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briannastw's review
2.0
I wanted to like this so much, but the female characters are terribly appearance-focused and obsessed with boys. I can't handle the level of unhealthy boy obsession in this novel. The plot is also unnecessarily dramatic.
Full review forthcoming on www.slatebreakers.com.
Full review forthcoming on www.slatebreakers.com.
mildlyjulie's review
2.0
I was really annoyed by the writing - it felt like she was trying so hard to "show not tell" but the entire freaking book was just describing things, instead of moving the plot forward. It really doesn't seem like enough of a story/plot to be more than one book, either.
booksofamber's review
2.0
I was initially driven to pick this up because of my current obsession with all things Rome. Of course, this book isn't actually set in Rome, but it's close enough. A lot closer than I was to Rome before this Wednesday. I was in the mood for a fun contemporary, so I went ahead and grabbed this one when I was in between books.
Full review on Books of Amber
Full review on Books of Amber
kelseybiscardi's review
3.0
I enjoyed this book, great summer read, but honestly a little annoyed that their is a Book 2.. I would have preferred it to be just one book.
justkeyreads's review
4.0
I really liked this book. It was a great book in the summer a bit of a quick read. This book made me want to go to Italy and get myself immersed in the culture. The mystery of this story, entwined with funny, witty characters combined with the Italian air was great.
leahjanespeare's review
3.0
You can also see this review on my blog, much-ado-about-books.blogspot.com
So, I have mixed feelings about this book. At some parts I loved it, and some parts I had to notice bad pacing and a wobbly storyline. If I didn't look up the author, I would think this is her debut, but by the end, it made some sense.
I didn't really know what to expect when I started Flirting in Italian. I opened it up to read the first chapter, which is what I usually do when deciding if I want to read a book. So, I had been standing in the middle of my room reading over 50 pages without looking up, when I realized apparently this is a book I want to read...so I sat down and finished it.
As a traveller, I am a sucker for books that take place in other countries. It's always a nice change of scene from the boring, stupid American school setting. My two recent favs: Anna and the French Kiss, which takes place in Paris, France. And the setting of Wanderlove, is Central America. This took place in a town near Firenze, Italy. (I've been there!) Honestly I'm not sure if the exact location was mentioned.
The part I didn't like of the book was the sort-of-there-sort-of-not premise. Violet wants to go to Italy because of a random painting she sees in a museum of a girl who looks like she could be her twin. The portrait is from the 1800s, but Violet has always felt strangely left out of the family genes, a 'throwback'. She could pass for Italian, even though her mom is Norwegian and her dad is Scottish. What would you do? Well Violet convinces her mom to take a summer study course in Italy when she really plans on investigating the history of the painting.
It just seemed lame, you know. Because once she gets there, three other girls are taking the course with her (more on that in a second) and 80% of the book is them all out partying with a bunch of Italian guys! Really? Here and there, she goes back to her original mission. And she finds out the portrait of the girl is from the family tree of the hot guy love interest, Luca. Oh, and he is a prince, and lives in a creepy old castle. They might be distant cousins! Gasp.
The part I DID love a lot: the three girls she is staying with. Kelly, the poor bookish redhead from Essex; and Kendra and Paige, the Americans. And they are VERY typical spoiled rich little American teenagers. Violet, our protag, lives in London, which took me a few pages to figure out.
Immediately, they are all so well defined by where they come from. It was fun for me to read from Violet's point of view, the kind of things she notices that the American girls do. Their antics, expressions, I've never read it from a foreigner's point of view. Those were the moments that made me crack up. Kelly, on the other hand, kind of bonds with Violet because they are both from the same place, though opposite upbringings.
It's a fun and silly read, and if you're in the mood for something to take your mind off your problems, this is a great escape. First I thought this was a standalone book, but nearing the end, and only having a week of the eight (of the course) gone by, I figured it would be continued. And at the end, my hunch was confirmed. There will be a companion, Following in love in Italian.
...that doesn't sound right. Shouldn't it be Falling in love in Italian?? But I've seen two sources with it, so it's not a spelling error. Unless I'm the first to find that mistake... ;)
A solid three stars! And a half. Yeah, three and a half stars. Maybe.
If this book were a food: strawberry frosting.
So, I have mixed feelings about this book. At some parts I loved it, and some parts I had to notice bad pacing and a wobbly storyline. If I didn't look up the author, I would think this is her debut, but by the end, it made some sense.
I didn't really know what to expect when I started Flirting in Italian. I opened it up to read the first chapter, which is what I usually do when deciding if I want to read a book. So, I had been standing in the middle of my room reading over 50 pages without looking up, when I realized apparently this is a book I want to read...so I sat down and finished it.
As a traveller, I am a sucker for books that take place in other countries. It's always a nice change of scene from the boring, stupid American school setting. My two recent favs: Anna and the French Kiss, which takes place in Paris, France. And the setting of Wanderlove, is Central America. This took place in a town near Firenze, Italy. (I've been there!) Honestly I'm not sure if the exact location was mentioned.
The part I didn't like of the book was the sort-of-there-sort-of-not premise. Violet wants to go to Italy because of a random painting she sees in a museum of a girl who looks like she could be her twin. The portrait is from the 1800s, but Violet has always felt strangely left out of the family genes, a 'throwback'. She could pass for Italian, even though her mom is Norwegian and her dad is Scottish. What would you do? Well Violet convinces her mom to take a summer study course in Italy when she really plans on investigating the history of the painting.
It just seemed lame, you know. Because once she gets there, three other girls are taking the course with her (more on that in a second) and 80% of the book is them all out partying with a bunch of Italian guys! Really? Here and there, she goes back to her original mission. And she finds out the portrait of the girl is from the family tree of the hot guy love interest, Luca. Oh, and he is a prince, and lives in a creepy old castle. They might be distant cousins! Gasp.
The part I DID love a lot: the three girls she is staying with. Kelly, the poor bookish redhead from Essex; and Kendra and Paige, the Americans. And they are VERY typical spoiled rich little American teenagers. Violet, our protag, lives in London, which took me a few pages to figure out.
Immediately, they are all so well defined by where they come from. It was fun for me to read from Violet's point of view, the kind of things she notices that the American girls do. Their antics, expressions, I've never read it from a foreigner's point of view. Those were the moments that made me crack up. Kelly, on the other hand, kind of bonds with Violet because they are both from the same place, though opposite upbringings.
It's a fun and silly read, and if you're in the mood for something to take your mind off your problems, this is a great escape. First I thought this was a standalone book, but nearing the end, and only having a week of the eight (of the course) gone by, I figured it would be continued. And at the end, my hunch was confirmed. There will be a companion, Following in love in Italian.
...that doesn't sound right. Shouldn't it be Falling in love in Italian?? But I've seen two sources with it, so it's not a spelling error. Unless I'm the first to find that mistake... ;)
A solid three stars! And a half. Yeah, three and a half stars. Maybe.
If this book were a food: strawberry frosting.
astoryuntold's review
3.0
2,5/5
When there's a book titled Flirting in Italian, you automatically fantasize about sunny summers in Italy, imagine yourself walking through narrow cobbled streets and of course flirting with hot Italian boys in Vespas saying "Ciao" all the time. Right?
Well, not quite. In its defense, Flirting in Italian had all that but not to the expected amount.
So, we have 2 british girls, 2 American girls and 1 Italian girl in Tuscany, Italy. Violet, one of the British girls, was the protagonist, smart, outspoken and determined. The American girls however were not painted in the brightest colors. They both were beautiful but one was arrogant and the other was kinda dumb. And that wasn't even what bothered me. What I didn't get was their relationship with the English girls. Until the end I couldn't figure out if they were friends or enemies. Violet herself says one thing one time and another thing the other. I guess whenever it suited Violet they were good but, when they contradicted her they were mean. It doesn't quite work that way, but yeah.
I also expected a fiery, passionate romance between one of the girls (Violet, most likely) and a hot as hell Italian.
Well, I am Greek. I know first hand how Italians act when on holidays in Greece. Let me tell you, it's not pretty. And the way Henderson portrayed the alleged "sexy Italian boys" it reminded me of these guys a lot, and honestly I don't really care for them. If I had not experienced the Italian+summer+Greek island combo I would too find everything in the book pretty cool. But seeing that I have, I can say now that I'm not a fan. So, I was definitely not feeling the hotness of the Italian guys.
There were a lot of historical factoids about Tuscany and Italy in general which was cool. However, there were some dialogues in Italian which were not later explained in English so that was a little bit confusing.
The story behind FIT sounded very interesting at first: Violet enrolls in summer courses in Italy after seeing a painting of a girl in the 1700s who is a dead ringer for her. She always thought herself different from her parents with her dark coloring, and she wants to explore her potentially secret heritage. Unfortunately, we didn't get a lot of that, as Violet doesn't find anything helpful till the end of the book, which mostly revolved around the girls' rivalries and not even develops the much anticipated romance between Luca and Violet.
I expected a lot more from Flirting In Italian than nonsensical conflicts and drooling tourists. I also thought this was gonna be a stand alone book but I was wrong. There is gonna be a companion novel called "Following in Love in Italian". No info yet about its release date.
When there's a book titled Flirting in Italian, you automatically fantasize about sunny summers in Italy, imagine yourself walking through narrow cobbled streets and of course flirting with hot Italian boys in Vespas saying "Ciao" all the time. Right?
Well, not quite. In its defense, Flirting in Italian had all that but not to the expected amount.
So, we have 2 british girls, 2 American girls and 1 Italian girl in Tuscany, Italy. Violet, one of the British girls, was the protagonist, smart, outspoken and determined. The American girls however were not painted in the brightest colors. They both were beautiful but one was arrogant and the other was kinda dumb. And that wasn't even what bothered me. What I didn't get was their relationship with the English girls. Until the end I couldn't figure out if they were friends or enemies. Violet herself says one thing one time and another thing the other. I guess whenever it suited Violet they were good but, when they contradicted her they were mean. It doesn't quite work that way, but yeah.
I also expected a fiery, passionate romance between one of the girls (Violet, most likely) and a hot as hell Italian.
Well, I am Greek. I know first hand how Italians act when on holidays in Greece. Let me tell you, it's not pretty. And the way Henderson portrayed the alleged "sexy Italian boys" it reminded me of these guys a lot, and honestly I don't really care for them. If I had not experienced the Italian+summer+Greek island combo I would too find everything in the book pretty cool. But seeing that I have, I can say now that I'm not a fan. So, I was definitely not feeling the hotness of the Italian guys.
There were a lot of historical factoids about Tuscany and Italy in general which was cool. However, there were some dialogues in Italian which were not later explained in English so that was a little bit confusing.
The story behind FIT sounded very interesting at first: Violet enrolls in summer courses in Italy after seeing a painting of a girl in the 1700s who is a dead ringer for her. She always thought herself different from her parents with her dark coloring, and she wants to explore her potentially secret heritage. Unfortunately, we didn't get a lot of that, as Violet doesn't find anything helpful till the end of the book, which mostly revolved around the girls' rivalries and not even develops the much anticipated romance between Luca and Violet.
I expected a lot more from Flirting In Italian than nonsensical conflicts and drooling tourists. I also thought this was gonna be a stand alone book but I was wrong. There is gonna be a companion novel called "Following in Love in Italian". No info yet about its release date.
lisak's review
3.0
I thought that this book would of been a great, fun and simple read about love in Italy for a bunch of girls...but its not...well not really. I did like the 1st chapter (The Prologue), it added a bit of mystery to the story that I didn't know it had. And it got me hooked. However the characters were not all that likeable. Some even came across as annoying to me.
This book is a part of a series (didn't know this bit of information either), and it ended kinda abruptly. It started off great and exciting but by the middle of the book, I was wondering when are we gonna find out clues to this big mystery. That was the only storyline I really wanted to know about. It was fun to read about the characters and their adventures with hot Italian boys, but I really wanted to get into why the main character, Violet, looked like the girl in the painting. That was the entire reason she went to Italy in the first place.
But I kept reading on, hoping to solve this mystery, then BAM!, book was finished and I saw a lovely message at the end saying stay tuned for the next book. Sigh! I will be reading the next book in the series though, because I want to know what happens, especially between Violet and Luca. Hopefully I get to find out soon.
This book is a part of a series (didn't know this bit of information either), and it ended kinda abruptly. It started off great and exciting but by the middle of the book, I was wondering when are we gonna find out clues to this big mystery. That was the only storyline I really wanted to know about. It was fun to read about the characters and their adventures with hot Italian boys, but I really wanted to get into why the main character, Violet, looked like the girl in the painting. That was the entire reason she went to Italy in the first place.
But I kept reading on, hoping to solve this mystery, then BAM!, book was finished and I saw a lovely message at the end saying stay tuned for the next book. Sigh! I will be reading the next book in the series though, because I want to know what happens, especially between Violet and Luca. Hopefully I get to find out soon.
debnanceatreaderbuzz's review
3.0
It’s just not summer if you don’t read at least one one book (1) about a Summer Romance, (2) with a Clever Main Character, and (3) an Exotic Setting. Flirting in Italian satisfies all three criteria.
Violet is off to Italy, seeking to find out more information about a painting of a girl that looks remarkably like herself. She is ostensibly there for a summer study course, staying in a villa with three other students, but hoping to discover more about the subject of the painting said to be from a family living in a nearby villa.
Handsome Italian boys…yummy Italian food and wine…the mystery of the curious girl in the painting…and even a poisoning…what more could you ask for in a summer teen read?
I was a little annoyed to find that the book is only available (as of yet) in hardback (it screams to be a paperback beach read) and that the book ends without resolving the question of the odd resemblance of Violet to the girl in the painting (requiring one to read yet another very, very light teen read next summer, I presume.)
Violet is off to Italy, seeking to find out more information about a painting of a girl that looks remarkably like herself. She is ostensibly there for a summer study course, staying in a villa with three other students, but hoping to discover more about the subject of the painting said to be from a family living in a nearby villa.
Handsome Italian boys…yummy Italian food and wine…the mystery of the curious girl in the painting…and even a poisoning…what more could you ask for in a summer teen read?
I was a little annoyed to find that the book is only available (as of yet) in hardback (it screams to be a paperback beach read) and that the book ends without resolving the question of the odd resemblance of Violet to the girl in the painting (requiring one to read yet another very, very light teen read next summer, I presume.)
laurafalls's review
3.0
Flirting in Italian tells the story of four very different girls. They all come together during a magical summer in Italy, learning the new language and learning the culture – everything from table manners to art to boys. And oh, are there boys.
The girls, Violet, Kelly, Kendra and Paige are different, as are their love interests. The main focus is on Violet, a Brit, and her possible love match, Luca, the favored Italian son. Their romance is soft and sweet, slow moving. Violet's wit and humor is contagious, and Luca is suave and debonair.
This is a cute, summery fun read. It definitely made me want to pack up and visit Italy. I do have a couple of complaints, though. I wish the mystery was deeper. I didn't like the cliffhanger, because I wanted more. Less fluff in the middle, with more information about the overarching theme that runs throughout the book.
All in all, cute read that's perfect for a lazy Summer day.
The girls, Violet, Kelly, Kendra and Paige are different, as are their love interests. The main focus is on Violet, a Brit, and her possible love match, Luca, the favored Italian son. Their romance is soft and sweet, slow moving. Violet's wit and humor is contagious, and Luca is suave and debonair.
This is a cute, summery fun read. It definitely made me want to pack up and visit Italy. I do have a couple of complaints, though. I wish the mystery was deeper. I didn't like the cliffhanger, because I wanted more. Less fluff in the middle, with more information about the overarching theme that runs throughout the book.
All in all, cute read that's perfect for a lazy Summer day.