Review: Wish You Were Italian

Wish You Were Italian by Kristin Rae
Grade: B+
An e-galley was provided by NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA Children's in exchange for an honest review.
Summary: Pippa is in Italy for the summer and, despite her parents’ wishes, she has no intention of just studying the local art! She has a list of things of her own to do: from swimming in the Mediterranean Sea to getting a makeover – and falling for an Italian boy! As Pippa explores the dramatic ruins of Rome and Pompeii, she is swept into her own drama with two guys: an irresistible local she knows is nothing but trouble and a cute American archaeology student . . . Will she find her true love?

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: This book was really cute.  It had its faults, but I did end up enjoying it quite a bit.  I felt like I got a good grasp for the Italian culture, and now I totally want to go to Italy.  However, the love triangle did bother me, especially since I detested Bruno and couldn't see what Pippa saw in him.  Darren, on the other hand, was totally swoonworthy and I kept (silently) screaming at him and Pippa to get together already.  I did like that this book was more than a romance - that Pippa worked in the restaurant, and she has such a good relationship with her Gram, and Morgan and Chiara were great secondary characters.  Language was clean, as was the romance.

The Verdict: Honestly, there's not much more I can say.  This was a great debut, and I'm looking forward to Kristin's future books.