Wish You Where Italian by Kristin Rae

Publisher:   Bloomsbury
Date: May 6th 2014 
Pages: 323
Source: Publisher for review
Age Range: Young Adult

Pippa's mom has signed Pippa up for a summer school art program in Florence, Italy. But Pippa has quite had her fill of her mom deciding what is best for her. So when Pippa lands in Italy, she decides to do something very different for her. She doesn't go to the summer program and chooses to fill in her own summer time..!
She realizes that traveling solo gives her the freedom to do whatever she wants. So it’s arrivederci, boring art program and ciao, hot Italian guys!

During her first days in Rome, she meets Darren and Nina. Darren is an archealogy student and Nina is his sister. They are also from the US and from the first moment Pippa has her eyes on him, as he is very good looking and also super nice!
But Darren and Nina have to leave Rome soon and Pippa is on her own again. But then at a local trattoria, she meets Chiara, who works there as a waitress and invites Pippa to stay with at her family's house. There she meets Bruno, Chiara's brother, and it seems that Pippa's bucket list for this holiday, fall in love with an Italian seems to come true. Pippa has a great time discovering Italy and the Riomaggiore with Bruno. But then Pippa has to travel further as she has had an appointment to meet Darren and Nina again. But Darren knows now about Bruno and things between him and Pippa are a bit tensed up. But after a while, the tension breaks and things are back good between him and Pippa. But when Pippa goes back to Riomaggiore when her vacation is coming to an end. she gets to see the real Bruno, he has done some things that makes her question everything between them and it seems like it all was fake and he was just a player. And then, totally unexpected, Pippa's dad suddenly stand before her in Italy, and he has some bad news  about Pippa's grandmother and they have to go back to the USA immediately, it seems like the final meeting with Darren has to go canceled without a notice. Will she ever see Darren again or was it just a summer fling?

WOW, wow WOW! That are the first three words that come to my mind when I want to describe this FANTASTIC new book. I have been in Italy a few years ago, and reading this book took me back to that brilliant holiday.Kristin Rae has traveled to Italy for the research of this book I think, or she just knows Italy really really well, otherwise she couldn't have pictured Italy so vividly that you almost feel you are there yourself as a reader, well done! Pippa was a very lively main character. Her parent where very strict though, and I understand very well why she choose to do what she did that summer. She was very realistic and I instantly liked her. She only was quite naive with keeping both guys in the picture, she really should have dumped the bad guy Bruno and stick with Darren. Darren was THE perfect guy for her, he was so cute! Bruno was the bad guy in this story, I truly don't understand what Pippa saw him, as he was quite the Italian stereotype womanizer and player. In the end she finds out he stole more than just her heart.

However, having read quite a few YA novels already this first months of 2014, I can say already that this is one of the strongest YA stories out there this year, and certainly my most favorite!
A must read if you've been in Italy yourself, are going, or just want to travel to it through this book, I highly recommend it!!