Review Detail

This was cute and I really liked it. But it wasn't what I thought it would be.

You look at a title like Flirting in Italian and expect a crap load of romance and fun, right? Wrong, all wrong. There were family mysteries and a lot more serious things going on. Some strong rivalries, some very well done self esteem issues, lots of danger and mystery. It kinda threw me off, but I was still interested.

On the other hand, I didn't know this was the first book in the series. I thought it was a stand-a-lone until I got to the last page and...it was the last page. So the loose ends and the semi-cliffhanger ending bothered me. I wasn't looking for a series, I was looking for a book I could read and be done with. In that aspect, it was a disappointment.

The characters themselves weren't really memorable to me. I know one of them had a lot of self esteem issues and I liked how that was handled. It wasn't always glaringly obvious, but she had her moments. And the book wasn't from her perspective, so you saw it from a different angle. The main character then had her own insecurities when comparing herself to other girls and that was kind of a different type. I liked the comparison of the two and appreciated that Lauren doesn't try to make it all the same. The other two girls seemed confident and perfect, but we learn that they're not what they seem and I think that was another awesome touch. This was one of those rare cases where I liked the book not so much because I liked the characters, but because they were done well.

The story was still interesting, even if it wasn't the fluffy romance I was hoping for. It wasn't super hard to figure out most of the little mysteries, but it was still a fun ride. And as I said, it was well written. It was the little things that kept me engaged and intrigued. Lauren knows how to tell a story pretty well.

Overall, this isn't what it appears to be, but it's definitely one to pick up if you want a quick read with adventure and foreign countries and realistic characters.