Wish You Were Italian (If Only... Series)

by Kristin Rae

Overview

Enjoy Wish You Were Italian and the other standalone titles in Bloomsbury's contemporary If Only romance line centered around an impossible problem: you always want what you can't have!

The summer before senior year of high school. It's supposed to be one of the biggest summers of her life, but Pippa is headed to an art program she has no interest in. The one saving grace is it's in Italy. And when the opportunity strikes, she decides to ditch the program and travel Italy accomplishing her own list of goals. Things like swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, eating a whole pizza in one sitting…and falling in love with an Italian boy!

As she explores the famous cities of Rome and Pompeii, Pippa finds herself falling for two boys: a local guy she knows is nothing but trouble and a cute American archaeology student who keeps disappearing and reappearing at the strangest moments. Will Pippa find her true love before her parents find out the truth about her summer program?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781619632875
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	05/06/2014
Series:	Max and Voltaire Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	140,882
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Kristin Rae was born and raised in Texas though her accent would suggest otherwise. She's addicted to books, music, movies, crafty things, and chocolate. A former figure skating coach, LEGO merchandiser, and photographer, she's now happy to create stories while pretending to ignore the carton of gelato in the freezer. Kristin lives in Houston with her husband and their two boxers.

www.kristincreative.blogspot.com
Kristin Rae is the author of If Only line title Wish You Were Italian and was born and raised in Texas though her accent would suggest otherwise. She's addicted to books, music, movies, crafty things, and chocolate. A former figure skating coach, LEGO merchandiser, and photographer, she's now happy to create stories while pretending to ignore the carton of gelato in the freezer. Kristin lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband, daughter, and their two boxers.

@kristincreative
www.kristinrae.com

Editorial Reviews

Pippa, a seventeen-year old, is reluctantly sent to Europe by her parents to attend an art program. Pippa travels alone and after landing in Rome, without anyone there to oversee her actions, decides to bail on the program. Pippa sets new goals, and one of them is to fall in love with an Italian. Passionate about photography, she sets out on her summer journey to capture the sites of Italy. A cute American archaeological student, Darren, shows Pippa the Colosseum. A new friend, Chiara, invites Pippa to stay with her family, including the hunky Italian, Bruno. Voila! A love triangle begins! The emotional rollercoaster between Pippa, Darren and Bruno is predictable but believable. Darren and Pippa banter back and forth in cute discussions, staying within the realm of a high school flirtatious romance. On the other hand, Bruno is an Italian bad-boy vying for Pippa’s attention. Other emotions are carried throughout, like Pippa’s anxiety about lying to her parents, stressing over the consequences that await her when she returns home and her strong love and bond with her grandmother. Rae’s novel, part of the “If Only” series, is an entertaining and fast-paced read. It touches on overcoming fears, setting goals, and believing in fate. Rae has an obvious passion for Italy and she describes the culture and sites in great detail, all the way down to the gelato. The story makes the reader want to throw caution to the wind, hop on a plane, and partake in a summer romance. For those who like a love triangle, this is a fun YA read for the beach or a curl-up-on-the-couch escape to Italy on a cold winter’s night. Reviewer: Lorraine Donohue Bonzelet; Ages 12 up.

Children's Literature - Lorraine Donohue Bonzelet

03/17/2014
This breezy, envy-inducing romance opens the If Only series, written by multiple authors. For some reason, 17-year-old Pippa Preston is dreading spending the summer in Italy—her parents are forcing her to attend an art history program in Florence. When Pippa’s plane lands in Rome, she discovers that her father has given her an envelope full of euros, and she decides to forgo summer school in favor of sightseeing and meeting boys. A new Italian friend, Chiara, whisks Pippa off to her family’s house on the Cinque Terre, and Pippa’s charmed summer becomes even more so (especially after two boys, one American and one Italian, enter the picture). Debut author Rae’s style is upbeat and cheerful, but like Pippa, who throws caution to the wind, the story lacks direction, with choppy prose and brief chapters tugging readers this way and that. Rae uses advice from one of Pippa’s friends back home to give some structure to Pippa’s zigging and zagging, but it’s not quite enough to anchor the novel. Available simultaneously: Fool Me Twice by Mandy Hubbard. Ages 12–up. Agent: Marietta Zacker, Nancy Gallt Literary Agency. (May)

Publishers Weekly

“A charming and addictive read. Devour this delicious treat like a double scoop of gelato.” —Lindsey Leavitt, author of Going Vintage and Sean Griswold's Head

“Enjoyable--an ideal beach read.” —Kirkus Reviews

“This breezy, envy-inducing romance opens the If Only series.” —Publishers Weekly

“Rae's debut novel is a breezy, fluffy summer read full of dreamy romance.” —Booklist

“Readers may enjoy the international setting and details about Italian culture and travel in this innocent romance.” —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

This is a typical teenage girl book because the main character falls in love with a boy she just met. The novel’s message is to follow your heart and do what you want to do. Wish You Were Italian will hold the reader’s interest because Pippa’s journey takes the reader to different places in Italy. The author’s writing style is consistent and to the point. This contributes to the quality of the story. Reviewer: Jessica Smith, Teen Reviewer; Ages 12 to 18.

Voya Reviews, April 2014 (Vol. 36, No. 1) - Jessica Smith

Pippa’s trip to Italy is her mother’s idea. Pippa is enrolled in an Art History course in Florence so she can later help in her mother’s art gallery. It is not what Pippa wants to do, but she comforts herself with her own goals for her stay, one of which is to fall in love with an Italian. She discovers that her father has sent along some extra money—enough that she could extend her stay in Rome and learn about its history first-hand. Almost immediately she meets an American boy who offers to include her with his friends as they see the sights. Then, she meets Chiara, who invites her to spend the summer with her family at Riomaggiore on the Italian Riviera. Here is a novel filled with all the classic teen angst: the struggle for independence from a dominating mother; the difficulty distinguishing Mr. Right from Mr. Wrong; the decision to deceive her parents; and anxiety about consequences. The first-person narrative makes it work, however, as Pippa’s voice is true to that of a conflicted and vulnerable young adult. Scenes in Rome and on the craggy Italian coast add a spectacular backdrop for the story and contribute to the sense of adventure. The emotional showdown between Pippa and her parents at the end provides a satisfying resolution, and romance fans will identify with Pippa’s coming-of-age journey. Reviewer: Marla Unruh; Ages 12 to 18.

Voya Reviews, April 2014 (Vol. 36, No. 1) - Marla Unruh

2014-02-26
This debut takes readers to Italy, where 17-year-old Pippa defies her parents' wishes and secretly takes off on her own. Her parents were sending her alone to an art school in Florence to learn about classical art so she could follow in her mother's footsteps and run an art gallery. But she has plenty of euros and no desire to learn about art, wanting instead to see Italy and fall in love with an Italian. In Rome, she meets Darren, an attractive American archaeology student who shows her the Colosseum. Then she meets Chiara, an Italian girl who grew up in America but who lives in the Cinque Terre, where her family has a restaurant and where she invites Pippa to join her. Pippa decides to go—without telling her parents, of course. Complication lurks in the form of Bruno, Chiara's handsome cousin, who begins to court Pippa aggressively. When Darren arrives, Pippa worries which boy she should choose: Bruno is Italian and hot hot hot, but she's still attracted to Darren. Meanwhile, her parents still think she's at school in Florence. While Rae presents an appealing character in Pippa, her evident love of Italy dominates the narrative, making the story feel like an enthusiastic travelogue. Readers will detect early on which boy Pippa will choose, but mild suspense about how that will come about should keep them engaged. Undemanding but enjoyable—an ideal beach read. (Romance. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews