FLIRTING IN ITALIAN by Lauren Henderson Book Review
Series: Flirting in Italian, #1
Publication Date: June 12th 2012 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Rating: 
– Poor | 
Book Summary: Four girls. One magical, and possibly dangerous Italian summer. Family mysteries, ancient castles, long hot nights of dancing under the stars . . . and, of course, plenty of gorgeous Italian boys!
Book Review Overview:
- Contradicting and shallow main character
- The plot was overshadowed by partying with hot Italian boys but not in a good way
- Book with no ending
After spotting a striking resemblance between herself and a girl in a centuries-old painting in a museum, Violet travels to Italy to uncover secrets about herself and her family. Violet attends summer school in the Italian countryside with three other girls to learn about the Italian culture and meet cute boys at the same time. FLIRTING IN ITALIAN by Lauren Henderson is a quick contemporary beach read, but it will have you feeling dissatisfied.
To be honest, I was tempted to quit reading FLIRTING IN ITALIAN after the first 50 pages due to character inconsistencies. Violet is not afraid to voice her opinion on shallow people who base their opinions on first impressions. The irony in this situation is that Violet does exactly what she criticizes. Violet immediately judges the daughter of the hostess at the villa, Elisa. Elisa may not be the nicest person, but there is immediate tension between the two girls.
Furthermore, there is so much emphasis on physical attributes in FLIRTING IN ITALIAN by Lauren Henderson that it drove me nuts. Violet and the other girls are always concerned about the way they look and the way that they are dressed. There were way too many descriptions of their appearances as well as how hot the Italian boys were. After the first 50 pages of FLIRTING IN ITALIAN by Lauren Henderson, I just wanted to bang my head against a wall and say, Geez, I get it already. All the characters are pretty much vain and shallow, and it’s hard to remember that these four girls are here to learn over the summer. (Yeah, right.)
What intrigued me most about FLIRTING IN ITALIAN by Lauren Henderson was the mystery behind the painting – the main reason why Violet traveled to Italy. I wanted to know why there is a striking resemblance between the main character and the girl in a painting that is centuries old. Unfortunately, this plot line was overshadowed by vapid cattiness and partying with gorgeous Italian boys. Okay, the novel is called FLIRTING IN ITALIAN, but the prologue hinted at something with a little more substance. I was so wrong.
I guess it’s safe to assume that Lauren Henderson’s books follow a specific style. FLIRTING IN ITALIAN is my second Henderson book, and like the first, I liked reading it up until I got to the end of the book. Just when I thought Henderson was finally back on track with the mystery behind the painting, the book ends. I felt such an overwhelming dissatisfaction at the end of FLIRTING IN ITALIAN, similar to the dissatisfaction that I felt after finishing Kiss Me, Kill Me. It’s as if Lauren Henderson wrote a novel and just chopped it in half.
FLIRTING IN ITALIAN by Lauren Henderson had the potential to be a cute contemporary novel with a bit of substance. Unfortunately, the novel was underdeveloped and lacked an ending. While I’m still curious to know the mystery behind the painting, I am too frustrated at this point to even contemplate reading the rest of the series.
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About the Author
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Born in London in 1966, Lauren Henderson read English at university and then worked as a journalist for – among other publications – the New Statesman, Marxism Today, the Observer and Lime Lizard, a much-mourned indie music magazine. Lauren now divides her time between Italy and London and, when not wine-tasting, writes full-time.
Nooooooo. I was really looking forward to this one! Dang it. :[
I’ve been quite excited by this for months, hoping for something along the lines of Stephanie Perkins but ever since its release I’ve just heard pretty mediocre/negative reviews so I’m definitely not spending money on it. I’ll wait until it hits the library (if it does). Sorry you didn’t enjoy this one
Yeah, don’t spend your money on it.
You’re definitely better off supporting your library. I’m still looking for the next Stephanie Perkins, but right now, nothing / no one lives up to her.