Review Detail

Cat Crawford might be the daughter of a big name Hollywood director but she doesn’t really care for the spotlight. But her soon to be stepmother wants to throw Cat this huge sixteenth birthday party for MTV. Cat wants nothing to do with the party or her future stepmother. While visiting Florence, Italy, Cat stumbles into a gypsy who has her go back in time to early 1500s. Seems maybe an ancestor also had some things she was avoiding.

There's so much to love about this novel. I'm a huge fan of time travel novel and if done right, they rock big time. This story does and has the added bonus of traveling back in time to one country dear to my heart. I'm a fourth generation Italian American and love any stories that show me the culture in rich detail!

The author shows us just enough backstory to get a glimpse into Cat's world before she's thrown back in time. There's more to her than just the spoiled rich girl. Cat isn’t what some might think of a director’s daughter. She goes out of her way to avoid the spotlight. She wants nothing to be like her movie star estranged mother, who left her when she was young.

Right off the bat the reader senses there is a reason why Cat goes back to this time period. While in the past, Cat finds out she’s Patience D’Angeli, an orphan who goes to live with her aristocratic uncle, aunt, and cousins. I liked how Cat finds that even though she might be from the future, her ancestors share the similar concerns and worries.

Loved all the details the author shows readers with 1500s Florence, Italy. Some little details include the law of sumptuary that kept commoners from imitating the aristocracy. Cat finds this out the hard way when she tries to ‘share’ one of her gorgeous gowns with her servant. Also how much the church at the time influenced everything including women not acting on stage. Or the thought of the time that public bathing contributed to the spread of the plague.

It's also fun to see Cat meet some famous people. One such person is the artist, Michelangelo, right after he finished scrupling the now famous statue David.

There’s also a hint of Romeo and Juliet intrigue when she falls under the spell of hawt Lorenzo. The romance here is sweet and the forbidden aspect adds to this tale.


Other characters also add to this story: Alessandra, the sweet, shy cousin who has an actress heart, Ciprano, the quiet cousin who helps with the escapees of Cat and Lorenzo. Niccolo, the middle aged man who schemes to wed her and break up her and Lorenzo up. And of course the mean girl, Antonia, who goes out of her way to make Cat look bad.

Sweet romance that sweeps you back to Renaissance Italy. A lighter YA that will appeal to romance fans with its hint of Romeo/Juliet intrigue wrapped up in time travel suspense. There’s a hint of a sequel at the end. Can’t wait to see what happens next!