Flirting in Italian by Lauren Henderson

I'll be honest, I thought that this was going to be a light, fun contemporary romance read and it is, but at the same time, there's also an element of danger that I really didn't expect. When Violet sees a painting of a girl who looks exactly like her--painted during a different era--she finds herself wondering if, perhaps, her parents aren't actually her parents. After all, she doesn't look like either one of them. This is what draws her to Italy, to Villa Barbiano, and to Castello di Vesperi, where Violet hopes that she'll find some answers. In order to pull this off, she enrolls herself in an eight week course that will teach her Italian, how to ballroom dance, how to paint, and did I mention that it involves a private tour of Castello di Vesperi? This is how she meets the other three girls--who are also taking the same course--and a very cute (Italian) boy.

When it comes to the three boys--because yes, there are three--I feel a little bit like Goldilocks. Leonardo seems more like a--possible--friend, Andrea is more or less in the background, and then there's Luca, who is the only boy who really seems to pay attention to everything--and the fact that he's not interested in Paige or Kendra certainly helps too. And oh my goodness does he sound gorgeous! The only downside? Elisa seems to have her sights set on him and that Italian girl? Well, she's a bitch. Seriously, she likes to put down the girls that stay at Villa Barbiano and when she's not winning the war (so to speak), she's definitely unhappy.

Did I mention that Violet--our main character--is British? I can honestly say that I loved that about her and that Kelly, the girl with the less than stellar set of luggage is also British. On the other hand you have Paige and Kendra, two girls from the States who happen to know one another and well, they're pretty chic--which, I suppose, makes sense as they both come from money. And no, if you're wondering, not all of the girls live the privileged life. I think my favorite part about the four girls is how they go from disliking each other to really bonding together--as for why that happens, well, I'll let you read about that on your own.

Flirting in Italian flows nicely, has wonderful characters, and Violet's journey to find answers has a few twists that she certainly didn't expect. And you might just pick up a bit of Italian as you read it! Also, Flirting in Italian will have a companion novel that will continue the story--believe me, if it just left off like it did without another book I'd probably freak out. Would I recommend it to you? Definitely! I would, however, like to mention that if you dislike novels in which teens party and drink (not too excessively) that there are such things present.

Overall Rating: ★★★★ and a half.

Flirting in Italian by Lauren Henderson

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Random House

Release Date: June 12, 2012

Edition: e-ARC

* Received for review via publisher and NetGalley.