Wish You Were Italian by Kristin Rae Published by Bloomsbury on May 6, 2014
Pages: 323
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased by Reviewer
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Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N
Pippa has always wanted to go to Italy … but not by herself. And certainly not to sit in art school the entire summer learning about dead guys' paintings. When she steps off the plane in Rome, she realizes that traveling solo gives her the freedom to do whatever she wants. So it' s arrivederci, boring art program and ciao, hot Italian guys!
Charming, daring, and romantic, Bruno is just the Italian Pippa' s looking for—except she keeps running into cute American archeology student Darren everywhere she goes. Pippa may be determined to fall in love with an Italian guy … but the electricity she feels with Darren says her heart might have other plans. Can Pippa figure out her feelings before her parents discover she left the program and—even worse—she loses her chance at love?
It’s Summer time and when I’m sitting at my desk in the most air-conditioned city in the country, I close my eyes and imagine that I’m lounging on the Spanish steps, my face raised towards the Sun, my skin turning as golden as freshly pressed olive oil while pistachio gelato drips off the waffle cone in my hand and down my toasty decolletage… *Snaps out of it* Okay. I’ll continue to my book review before Fabio jumps out of a fountain and offers to clean up my mess…
So, yeah…Wish You Were Italian is THE PERFECT ‘get me the hell out of Houston and into an Italian daydream’ kind of book. It’s a fun and light read but does deal with the bittersweet emotions that come with monumentally defying your parents for the first time/stepping out on your own and the loss of a beloved family member.
The main character, Pippa, was likable and I related to a lot of her internal conflicts about boys, family, and pursuing her dreams. The romance aspect was light-hearted and just a tad risqué (YESSSSSS). The hit-and-miss moments with destiny and the well fleshed out journey of Pippa’s Italian adventure were awesome and created the perfect tension and backdrop. I truly felt like I was swept off my feet by Kristin Rae’s descriptions of iconic Italian landscapes. There’s definitely an “Under the Tuscan Sun” for teens feel to this story which makes it perfect in my book.
Just shy of 330 pages, Wish You Were Italian is a great Summer read and perfect for taking to the beach/pool/backyard/WHEREVER you go to relax and read. I haven’t read any of the other books in this series, but will be adding them to my TBR pile for days when I want to mentally escape with a fun and flirty novel.
Giveaway
About the Author:
Lover of books, music, movies, crafty things, and chocolate. My young adult contemporary debut WISH YOU WERE ITALIAN is out now, and WHAT YOU ALWAYS WANTED is coming March 29, 2016 from Bloomsbury! Represented by Marietta Zacker of the Nancy Gallt Literary Agency.
Visit Kristin Rae’s Website HERE!
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