Review : Flirting in Italian by Lauren Henderson

Posted by on August 22, 2013 1:00 am in 4 stars reads | 2 comments

flirting in italianFlirting in Italian by Lauren Henderson
Pages : 336
Genre :  YA, Contemporary fiction
Stand Alone My Rating : 4/5

What it’s about  :

When Violet comes across a centuries old painting of a girl who could be her twin, she feels like this is her opportunity to answer all the questions she has about who she is. Before long, she has planned a wonderful summer in Italy for herself, where she plans on discovering her link to the painting all while meeting boys and learning Italian. This could very well be the best summer of her life

My Thoughts :

Who hasn’t dreamed of spending a summer in beautiful Italy? I know I have; the landscapes, the food, the art, everything there appeals to me immensely. When I first heard of Flirting in Italian, I was first attracted to the location; then I read the synopsis, and was enchanted by the idea of a novel mixing travel, romance, art and a mystery.

First I must say I loved Violet. She was brutally honest in some places, at times judgemental and bitchy, yet I found something endearing and real to her narration. I loved that she wasn’t the typical bookworm, super shy girl all the guys are attracted to; instead, her looks make her far less noticeable than her friends, but she doesn’t dwell on it and always reminds herself to appreciate the chance she has to be there. And even though she has her own insecurities, she stands up for herself when she needs to.

I also liked all three girls she was studying with. They formed an interesting quatuor, and even though they were all very different from one another, I had no trouble believing in their friendship.

There were two things though that diminished my enjoyment of the story; the first is the romance aspect, which was nothing swoon-worthy if you ask me! The push-and-pull between Violet and Luca wasn’t attractive; he’s something of a jerk to her and I couldn’t see what she saw in him. Maybe it was only physical? Or the italian accent?

I was also disappointed by how little of the mystery we actually hear about. I imagined Violet would be lurking around castles and investigating paintings, but once she gets to Italy, the mystery is barely mentioned for a long while. The classes and the friendships and the visiting was still super interesting (though a tad uneventful at times), but considering her motivation to go to Italy came from a painting, I thought we would hear more about it. There is also no complete resolution about it when the book ends, since there is a sequel to come.

All in all though, I enjoyed Flirting in Italian. Lauren Henderson did a wonderful job of describing Italy in all its gorgeous aspects, and I felt like I traveled a little with her characters. This was a great summer read, and I am looking forward to reading Violet and her friends’ next adventure!

2 Comments

  1. I never get it when girls are attracted to jerky guys either but it happens. The book sounds cute!

  2. This book has been on my to-buy list for a while now, glad you liked it so much! 🙂

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