Flirting in Italian

May 7, 2012
British teenager Violet looks nothing like the rest of her family, so when she discovers a painting of a girl who shares her dark, Mediterranean features and who could be her twin, Violet can’t help wondering if she’s adopted. Rather than ask her mother, the 17-year-old engineers a trip to Tuscany for herself for a summer of finishing school that includes a visit to the Castello di Vesperi, the setting for the painting. As soon as Violet lands in Italy, however, the painting is forgotten in favor of girl drama, a bevy of cute Italian boys, jealous Italian girls, etiquette lessons, and reveling in the magical villa and lush countryside. While Henderson (Kiss Me Kill Me) offers a perky heroine in Violet and plenty of tantalizing romance, readers may be jarred when the dropped thread suddenly picks up again in the second half of the novel, and someone may be out to hurt Violet. Light summer fun with much left unresolved for a planned sequel. Ages 12–up. Agent: Deborah Schneider, Gelfman Schneider.

April 15, 2012
Child of Nordic/Scottish parents, Violet--short, dark, curvy--feels like one of a kind until she discovers her uncanny resemblance to the Italian girl depicted in a 1790 portrait. Tracing the painting's provenance to Castello di Vesperi in Tuscany, Violet wheedles her mother into sending her to Villa Barbiano, whose formidable owner, Catia, offers summer instruction in the Italian language, art and art history. Joining Violet are working-class Kelly, another Brit, and two rich American girls: blonde Paige and African-American Kendra. Cultures clash, but strife recedes as the girls unite against the unspeakable Elisa, Catia's daughter, in pursuit of hot Italian boys, beginning with Elisa's brother, Leonardo. Violet sets her sights on handsome Luca, whose family owns Castello di Vesperi. The plot finally thickens halfway through, when Violet's resemblance to Luca's family is discovered and their burgeoning romance interrupted by attempts on her life. Slapdash execution, an undisciplined, rambling style and often-senseless plot (why doesn't plucky Violet simply ask her doting mother if she's adopted?) mark this series opener from the author of the Scarlet Wakefield mysteries. Fortunately, Violet's character eventually develops: Abandoning her generically breathless persona, Violet morphs into a funny, caustic observer, comparing and contrasting teen cultures and mores--American, British, Italian. For readers willing to abandon plot logic and go with the flow, there are compensations. (Mystery romance. 12 & up)

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August 1, 2012

Gr 8 Up-After seeing an 18th-century painting of an Italian aristocrat who could pass for her twin, Violet Routledge convinces her mother to send her to a study course in Tuscany. She has to find out if there's any connection between her and the girl in the painting, and in the meantime, she can get to know some of those famously handsome Italian boys. Violet stays in a villa with three other students and the family of Elisa, the woman who runs the program. It's a beautiful home but her experience is tarnished a bit by the nastiness of Elisa's daughter. Violet is feeling a little uncertain of her decision to spend time abroad until she encounters dark, mysterious, and downright hot Luca. He just so happens to be the heir to a nearby castle that just so happens to be the castle featured in the painting that Violet is dying to know more about. Flirting stays true to its title: Henderson delivers lots of crushing and a bit of mystery with a dash of Italian 101. Although the romance is appropriate for teens, the book has more of an adult chick-lit feel. The story stops without resolution and although a follow-up is planned, the abrupt ending breeds a bit more disappointment than anticipation. Readers who enjoyed Stephanie Perkins's Anna and the French Kiss (Dutton, 2010) will be interested in Henderson's tale of European romance.-Emily Chornomaz, Camden County Library System, NJ

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2012
Violet spends the summer in Italy, hoping to learn about a portrait of a girl from the 1700s to whom she bears a striking resemblance. In between hanging out with the girls in her Italian class and chasing cute boys, Violet works to unravel the painting's secret. Despite an intriguing premise, the plot drags; an unsatisfying cliffhanger sets up the next installment.

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)