Book Review: Kissing In Italian by Lauren Henderson

Kissing In Italian

By Lauren Henderson

Release Date: March 11, 2014

Source: Publisher

Summary: In addition to her studies, Violet loves the arts, the shopping, and the friendships she's found in Italy. But secretly, her main objective is to learn about her true identity and family history. She never imagined she would fall in love with handsome Italian Luca. And he feels the same about her. But there are certain rumors circulating, that if proven to be true will forbid that they end up together. They need answers, but are they prepared for the truth?

Review: I read the first book Flirting In Italian two summers ago and wasn't all that impressed with the story. I normally love YA books that involve traveling, but the first book revealed nothing about the mystery the main character was trying to solve, and the relationships were too rushed and juvenile. So, I wasn't sure what to expect at all going into this one. I just hoped my questions from the first book would finally be answered! 

Violet has fallen in love with Italy now that she's become good friends with the girls on her trip and discovered her passion for art. Too bad she still hasn't discovered why she looks so much like the ancestors of an Italian prince, who just so happens to be the father of the boy she's fallen in love with. Could she really be related to the guy who she's started to feel intense feelings for? Violet knows she has to move on, but she can't forget Luca no matter how hard she tries, especially when he shows up when she's needing him the most…

While I felt like their relationship was rushed in the first book, I actually enjoyed Violet and Luca's relationship in this one. They didn't know if they were really related or not, so Violet had to try to stay away from him, even though all she wanted to do was throw herself back into his arms. There are possible love interests for her, but who could live up to an Italian? Also, I enjoyed how Violet actually paid attention to her new friends on the trip, and how they all had bigger roles and contributed their own problems to the story that they had to work through. 

With the mystery of Violet's ancestry, I wasn't a big fan of how everything was revealed. It seemed like it was put on the back burner for a majority of this book, with her mother texting "hold on" as she tried to get to Violet to finally reveal the truth in the last 20 pages of the books. I didn't understand why her mom would keep on texting "hold on" when Violet asked her about the portrait that looked exactly like her…it was kind of a weird thing to say in those circumstances. Then, when her mom finally came, the truth seemed way too rushed, predictable, and anticlimactic. I wish something crazy had happened or that there was more repercussion than there was. We had to wait pretty much two entire books to finally hear the truth, so I expected a little more. 

In the end, I enjoyed Kissing In Italian more than the first book, but it still had problems with rushing important events and information. Other than that, I loved how much the other characters were involved in the story. All three of Violet's friends went through their own trials that affected everyone and they all have to work through it together. While the first book was just okay, I really enjoyed Kissing In Italian. It's a fun read that'll have you dreaming of lazy days at the beach and summer romances you'll never forget.