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All Roads Lead to Rome
When the daughter of a diplomat fake dates a Scottish celebrity in Italy, she soon finds herself living her own Roman Holiday until the feelings get real and the paparazzi's knives come out.
Introverted, slightly anxious Astoria “Story” Herriot knows everything about Rome—her mom’s an attorney here and the two of them are living la dolce vita… at least until Story’s off to college in the fall.
But when Story is in the wrong gelato shop at the right time, she’s swept up in a fake dating scheme with Scottish heartthrob, Luca Kinnaird, to protect his relationship with a pop princess. There’s something in it for her, too—Luca promises to help fund a scholarship in her dad’s memory. Soon she’s showing Luca the best cafés, sightseeing at the Mouth of Truth, and picnicking at the ruins of the Abbey of Santa Maria del Piano. Story’s travel guide skills are 10/10, but what she knows about being a celebrity—or having feelings for one? Zero.
Pretending to be Luca’s guide—then his girlfriend—gets the paparazzi’s attention . . . and what’s true and what’s fake gets blurry as their different worlds crash together. Sophisticated, hot, rich, and with the most charming accent ever, Luca is full of surprises. And maybe, too, is Story’s perfectly planned future.
It’s a fairy-tale romance in the Eternal City…will it have a fairy tale ending?
Introverted, slightly anxious Astoria “Story” Herriot knows everything about Rome—her mom’s an attorney here and the two of them are living la dolce vita… at least until Story’s off to college in the fall.
But when Story is in the wrong gelato shop at the right time, she’s swept up in a fake dating scheme with Scottish heartthrob, Luca Kinnaird, to protect his relationship with a pop princess. There’s something in it for her, too—Luca promises to help fund a scholarship in her dad’s memory. Soon she’s showing Luca the best cafés, sightseeing at the Mouth of Truth, and picnicking at the ruins of the Abbey of Santa Maria del Piano. Story’s travel guide skills are 10/10, but what she knows about being a celebrity—or having feelings for one? Zero.
Pretending to be Luca’s guide—then his girlfriend—gets the paparazzi’s attention . . . and what’s true and what’s fake gets blurry as their different worlds crash together. Sophisticated, hot, rich, and with the most charming accent ever, Luca is full of surprises. And maybe, too, is Story’s perfectly planned future.
It’s a fairy-tale romance in the Eternal City…will it have a fairy tale ending?
336 pages, Hardcover
First published June 18, 2024
About the author
Sabrina Fedel
2 books64 followersThanks for stopping by to learn about me:)
I grew up in a house filled with books. I mean, floor-to-ceiling filled with books. My dad’s field of study was Anglo-Irish literature (written in English rather than Gaelic), and our house was often filled with Irish writers and poets as well as their books. I had no idea this wasn't normal, and that it was special.
I have always loved reading and stories and spent a lot of time as a kid daydreaming myself into the stories other people created for me. (Okay, they weren’t creating them for me specifically, but it often felt that way).
I wanted to become an English major in college and write, but my dad discouraged me because he thought it was too hard to make a living as a writer (he was right about that.) So I did other things and eventually came back to writing.
My YA debut, Leaving Kent State, (Harvard Square Editions) has won multiple awards, and my latest YA Romance is forthcoming from Delacorte Press in Summer '24. It's called All Roads Lead to Rome and it tells the story of Story Herriott, a girl who gets pulled into a fake dating scheme while trying to start a charity to honor her dad, who died when she was eleven.
I also write short stories and poetry, and you can links to my other work, via my website, www.sabrinafedel.com
I hope you’ll enjoy reading my work as much as I’ve enjoyed creating it. Happy reading!
I grew up in a house filled with books. I mean, floor-to-ceiling filled with books. My dad’s field of study was Anglo-Irish literature (written in English rather than Gaelic), and our house was often filled with Irish writers and poets as well as their books. I had no idea this wasn't normal, and that it was special.
I have always loved reading and stories and spent a lot of time as a kid daydreaming myself into the stories other people created for me. (Okay, they weren’t creating them for me specifically, but it often felt that way).
I wanted to become an English major in college and write, but my dad discouraged me because he thought it was too hard to make a living as a writer (he was right about that.) So I did other things and eventually came back to writing.
My YA debut, Leaving Kent State, (Harvard Square Editions) has won multiple awards, and my latest YA Romance is forthcoming from Delacorte Press in Summer '24. It's called All Roads Lead to Rome and it tells the story of Story Herriott, a girl who gets pulled into a fake dating scheme while trying to start a charity to honor her dad, who died when she was eleven.
I also write short stories and poetry, and you can links to my other work, via my website, www.sabrinafedel.com
I hope you’ll enjoy reading my work as much as I’ve enjoyed creating it. Happy reading!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
January 10, 2024
Absolutely, all roads paved with romance lovers' full adoration lead to this book! The pathways to the strings of my heart also lead to this book.
I was expecting a sweet, soft, maybe a little cliche and cheesy read, but I couldn’t be more wrong! My romance-craving friends, please mark this book, not just add it to your list, but read and reread! It’s so refreshing, powerful, genuine, and epic! I wholeheartedly loved it!
Any mortal who thinks adoring romances can resist the charm of this gender-reversed Roman Holiday—nope, no one can do so with a logical mind and a romantic heart, especially those who've memorized the lines of 90s romcom movies like me!
This is not only opposites attraction, two people from different universes, social circles, fake dating romance; this is a thought-provoking novel criticizing social media shaming, restrictions of personal lives, the pain and dues of the mandatory trapped public image celebrities have to endure, the class differences, and the ugly face of addiction.
Plus, you get an amazing fictional tour around the dreamy sights of Rome, pushing you to buy a ticket at your most convenient time to visit those places realistically described. In your mind, you can walk down these places, hear the buzzing sound of Vespas, crowds cheering, the smell of Italian food, and the splashing sound coming from fountains. Descriptions transport you to the locations, and learning more about the history increases your appetite to explore them firsthand.
The characterization, the honest blooming friendship that slowly turns into something more intimate, couldn’t be told more genuinely. Both Story and Luca stole my heart.
The main story revolves around Astoria "Story" Herriot, the daughter of a diplomatic attorney, an American about to graduate from high school, spending and learning everything about Rome in a year. She’s an outsider, introvert, mostly getting bullied by other dip squad (her classmate diplomat kids). One day she stops at a gelateria to escape from her friend circle to order an ice cream. She has no idea that at the same time, a bad boy Scottish celebrity Luca Kinnaird and his pop star girlfriend Jasmine chose the same location to hide from paparazzi. She finds herself posing for the cameras, acting like she’s the innocent tour girl of Luca. But one thing leads to another, and the press speculates she’s his secret girlfriend. Luca offers her to play along the role to help complicate the love triangle between Jasmine—her ex-famous boyfriend in rehab—and him. In exchange, he can pay for a very generous fundraising under the name of Story’s father, who lost his battle to addiction.
Story reluctantly accepts the offer to play the fake girlfriend for a better cause, even though she finds Luca and his world pretentious, fake, and unrelated. But as they spend more time together and get enchanted by the beautiful atmosphere of Rome, she realizes he’s not what she’s thinking. As their love game becomes more reliable for the press and their inner circle, Story realizes her feelings keep changing and growing into something more intimate. But he’s still another woman’s boyfriend, and they come from different backgrounds, as the entire social media and the people around them keep emphasizing. What if, against all odds, they can create something special, conquering the obstacles and reaching their happy ending?
I loved this book! Especially when I was reading the last third, I didn’t count how many times I made these “awww” sounds! So adorable, heartfelt, and powerful! I added Sabrina Fedel to my auto-approved romance authors list, and I cannot wait to read more of her works.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s/Delacorte Press for sharing this wonderful book’s digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.
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I was expecting a sweet, soft, maybe a little cliche and cheesy read, but I couldn’t be more wrong! My romance-craving friends, please mark this book, not just add it to your list, but read and reread! It’s so refreshing, powerful, genuine, and epic! I wholeheartedly loved it!
Any mortal who thinks adoring romances can resist the charm of this gender-reversed Roman Holiday—nope, no one can do so with a logical mind and a romantic heart, especially those who've memorized the lines of 90s romcom movies like me!
This is not only opposites attraction, two people from different universes, social circles, fake dating romance; this is a thought-provoking novel criticizing social media shaming, restrictions of personal lives, the pain and dues of the mandatory trapped public image celebrities have to endure, the class differences, and the ugly face of addiction.
Plus, you get an amazing fictional tour around the dreamy sights of Rome, pushing you to buy a ticket at your most convenient time to visit those places realistically described. In your mind, you can walk down these places, hear the buzzing sound of Vespas, crowds cheering, the smell of Italian food, and the splashing sound coming from fountains. Descriptions transport you to the locations, and learning more about the history increases your appetite to explore them firsthand.
The characterization, the honest blooming friendship that slowly turns into something more intimate, couldn’t be told more genuinely. Both Story and Luca stole my heart.
The main story revolves around Astoria "Story" Herriot, the daughter of a diplomatic attorney, an American about to graduate from high school, spending and learning everything about Rome in a year. She’s an outsider, introvert, mostly getting bullied by other dip squad (her classmate diplomat kids). One day she stops at a gelateria to escape from her friend circle to order an ice cream. She has no idea that at the same time, a bad boy Scottish celebrity Luca Kinnaird and his pop star girlfriend Jasmine chose the same location to hide from paparazzi. She finds herself posing for the cameras, acting like she’s the innocent tour girl of Luca. But one thing leads to another, and the press speculates she’s his secret girlfriend. Luca offers her to play along the role to help complicate the love triangle between Jasmine—her ex-famous boyfriend in rehab—and him. In exchange, he can pay for a very generous fundraising under the name of Story’s father, who lost his battle to addiction.
Story reluctantly accepts the offer to play the fake girlfriend for a better cause, even though she finds Luca and his world pretentious, fake, and unrelated. But as they spend more time together and get enchanted by the beautiful atmosphere of Rome, she realizes he’s not what she’s thinking. As their love game becomes more reliable for the press and their inner circle, Story realizes her feelings keep changing and growing into something more intimate. But he’s still another woman’s boyfriend, and they come from different backgrounds, as the entire social media and the people around them keep emphasizing. What if, against all odds, they can create something special, conquering the obstacles and reaching their happy ending?
I loved this book! Especially when I was reading the last third, I didn’t count how many times I made these “awww” sounds! So adorable, heartfelt, and powerful! I added Sabrina Fedel to my auto-approved romance authors list, and I cannot wait to read more of her works.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s/Delacorte Press for sharing this wonderful book’s digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.
Follow me on medium.com to read my articles about books, movies, streaming series, astrology:
medium blog
Want to read
January 20, 2024i got an arc for this!!! i love ya romance so let’s see how this goes 🤭
July 13, 2024
2 ⭐️
nope just nope it was so boring ohmygod T__T
[thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc!]
~~~
pre-read: a ya celebrity fake dating trope?? this is my type of romcom 🤭🤭 got this arc so hoping it will be good!! 💗💗
nope just nope it was so boring ohmygod T__T
[thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc!]
~~~
pre-read: a ya celebrity fake dating trope?? this is my type of romcom 🤭🤭 got this arc so hoping it will be good!! 💗💗
April 13, 2024
This was such a fun read! I’m going to Rome this summer so it was perfect timing for me to read this. There were some off-the-beaten-path landmarks mentioned that I added to my list of things to see there!
This was a really cute and sweet romance, with some emotional depth that really made me connect to the characters. Story was such a wonderful main character to follow. She felt like a very genuine high school girl but still had a good head on her shoulders and really cared about people and things outside of herself. I loved her relationship with Luca and seeing him help her come out of her shell was so nice. I love the fake dating trope so this was right up my alley. The romance, plus the travel aspect and the character growth made for a really enjoyable story!
This was a really cute and sweet romance, with some emotional depth that really made me connect to the characters. Story was such a wonderful main character to follow. She felt like a very genuine high school girl but still had a good head on her shoulders and really cared about people and things outside of herself. I loved her relationship with Luca and seeing him help her come out of her shell was so nice. I love the fake dating trope so this was right up my alley. The romance, plus the travel aspect and the character growth made for a really enjoyable story!
July 20, 2024
the writing was soooooo tacky and the characters are so boring istg. wanted to dnf at 20% but i had to give it a chance. neways.
“I told you, I hang around famous people. I don’t actually do anything. I just…am.”
IF YOU'RE DESI YOU KNOW THIS IS GIVING ORRY PLEASE
“I told you, I hang around famous people. I don’t actually do anything. I just…am.”
IF YOU'RE DESI YOU KNOW THIS IS GIVING ORRY PLEASE
July 20, 2024
so! i did just read this entire book in a day! it was pretty good and just the palate cleanser i needed!
story and luca are perfect for each other and i loved getting to see them realize that as they fell for each other! i also loved the setting of rome and just all of the exploring and everything that was going on because it was super interesting.
i was getting a little annoyed at some aspects of this especially the way jasmine was acting?? like who do you think you are😅 and i also wish there wasn’t as much miscommunication at the end but it was pretty easy to overlook.
overall this was a good cute short read and i definitely recommend it!
story and luca are perfect for each other and i loved getting to see them realize that as they fell for each other! i also loved the setting of rome and just all of the exploring and everything that was going on because it was super interesting.
i was getting a little annoyed at some aspects of this especially the way jasmine was acting?? like who do you think you are😅 and i also wish there wasn’t as much miscommunication at the end but it was pretty easy to overlook.
overall this was a good cute short read and i definitely recommend it!
March 3, 2024
THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND PUBLISHER FOR THIS ADVANCE REVIEW COPY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.
Starting of the book was catchy. Story, an American girl in Italy is treated like an outcast by her fellows. She is happy living in the shadows and waiting to start university. But a girl can't live like this in a romcom so she bumped into a guy and from there, a fake dating trope started. She doesn't know who this guy is and why paparazzi are always following him (she should've googled but for the sake of the story she didn't). I liked Story and Luca's friendship but not a fan of their chemistry. This book was kind of a roller coaster, I started to like it, but then something happened and I lost track of the story and this pattern kept going on throughout the book. I felt like there were several filler characters. All of the history dumping was not my cup of tea so I skipped a good chunk of that. The book had potential but it got wasted like common sense in this story.
Starting of the book was catchy. Story, an American girl in Italy is treated like an outcast by her fellows. She is happy living in the shadows and waiting to start university. But a girl can't live like this in a romcom so she bumped into a guy and from there, a fake dating trope started. She doesn't know who this guy is and why paparazzi are always following him (she should've googled but for the sake of the story she didn't). I liked Story and Luca's friendship but not a fan of their chemistry. This book was kind of a roller coaster, I started to like it, but then something happened and I lost track of the story and this pattern kept going on throughout the book. I felt like there were several filler characters. All of the history dumping was not my cup of tea so I skipped a good chunk of that. The book had potential but it got wasted like common sense in this story.
January 24, 2024
I have very complicated feelings about this book. I requested the ARC because I studied in Rome for a semester and was excited at the prospect of revisiting a city that I love dearly. The first half of All Roads Lead to Rome was a delight. I read the first half in an evening; I could not put it down! Our main character, Astoria (Story for short), captured my heart with her genuine desire to be ethical and her appreciation for the classics (Keats! Roman Holiday!) The set up of the fake dating scenario was a little fast, but I was compelled enough by the narrative and characters to overlook that. Luca was a swoony male lead, and Andrew was a great and vital side character. I enjoyed the little details about Rome that showed the author’s familiarity with the city. The Keats-Shelley House in particular owns my heart. As well, the author tries to address some very serious social issues (addiction, the ethics of fame and social media, greed, etc) that I appreciated. She plants the seeds of those themes very well in the beginning.
However, I struggled to get through the second half of the book. It felt almost as if I was reading a completely different novel in terms of pacing and plot. The second half dragged on with very low stakes until the last 15%. So much of the action happened off the page without Astoria having any agency over what happened. Aside from her choice to participate in the fake dating scenario, most things happened to her rather than stemming from choices she intentionally made. She is often told about what is happening rather than uncovering it for herself. I appreciate that Astoria’s character development hinges on her learning to stand up for herself, but there should be a way to accomplish that while still keeping the plot moving.
I truly think this book has the potential to be excellent, so I want to be gracious. This 3-star review does NOT turn me off from reading any of the author’s future novels. I would love to see what she writes next! It has really good bones, but I believe it would benefit from another round of editing for the themes to truly hit home and for the plot to make more sense.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
However, I struggled to get through the second half of the book. It felt almost as if I was reading a completely different novel in terms of pacing and plot. The second half dragged on with very low stakes until the last 15%. So much of the action happened off the page without Astoria having any agency over what happened. Aside from her choice to participate in the fake dating scenario, most things happened to her rather than stemming from choices she intentionally made. She is often told about what is happening rather than uncovering it for herself. I appreciate that Astoria’s character development hinges on her learning to stand up for herself, but there should be a way to accomplish that while still keeping the plot moving.
I truly think this book has the potential to be excellent, so I want to be gracious. This 3-star review does NOT turn me off from reading any of the author’s future novels. I would love to see what she writes next! It has really good bones, but I believe it would benefit from another round of editing for the themes to truly hit home and for the plot to make more sense.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 23, 2024
This was a cute story that I enjoyed, especially the young love aspect. I found Story, the main character, very relatable and reminiscent of my own school days. Her character development was definitely my favorite part of the book. The storyline is a tad unrealistic, but it’s a good day-dreamy read for young adults. While I wouldn’t have picked this up for myself nor would I recommend it to adult friends, it’s perfect for younger high school students. It was an easy read, and I got through it quickly. Overall, it’s a sweet, light read that’s great for a younger audience.
*Book Club Read
*Book Club Read
July 3, 2024
i miss rome
July 4, 2024
I think I may be too old for YA romance lol but the Rome vibes were fun.
Audio
Audio
July 17, 2024
2.75 ~ So… I really tried to like this one but I just didn’t. I didn’t like any character, the mmc was a spoiled little brat who gave off ignorant conservative vibes and the fmc was written to be “not like other girls” in such an annoying manner, it was pissing me off. Also, I wish authors didn’t perpetuate weird heteronormative stereotypes so often in YA books. Furthermore, the book read too YA, lessons on class and celebrity culture were shoved at us (like we got it already) and there were annoying tropes like rich vs poor (she wasn’t even poor bro), miscommunication, cheating, etc. I get fake dating, I like it occasionally even but the mmc was literally in a relationship already and even though the girlfriend was a bitch, she had a right to get annoyed at the fact he was emotionally cheating on her with our fmc… Yeah the fmc had good intentions but no shit that girl didn’t like her!! The only saving grace was the Roman setting. I love Rome and this book did make me miss it a bunch.
June 18, 2024
I really loved the cover of this one and the idea of a fun time in Rome. I have always wanted to go there.
The book is told from one point-of-view and it comes from Astoria “Story”. She is living with her mom in Rome and will be off to college in the fall. It’s now or never to really see the sights! I really enjoyed seeing where the story went. I always like how paparazzi can cause some issues for celebrities in books and can change one person’s life. Their meeting was cute and very surprising! The scenery and tourists spots they visited made me feel like I was there. I am so ready for a vacation because of this book!
My problem and why this book wasn’t rated higher was the main character. She was fine for the most part but being the “not like other girls” got old and the way she treated people wasn’t any better than how some were treating her. She was better in the beginning but the status of her relationship and social media got the best of her and made her attitude worse in the second half. I get that it’s an important topic to have especially in a world filled with social media, but I just couldn’t stand her ha.
Overall, this was a decent book and I would definitely check out another book by this author.
Thank you to the publisher for a complimentary earc to review!
The book is told from one point-of-view and it comes from Astoria “Story”. She is living with her mom in Rome and will be off to college in the fall. It’s now or never to really see the sights! I really enjoyed seeing where the story went. I always like how paparazzi can cause some issues for celebrities in books and can change one person’s life. Their meeting was cute and very surprising! The scenery and tourists spots they visited made me feel like I was there. I am so ready for a vacation because of this book!
My problem and why this book wasn’t rated higher was the main character. She was fine for the most part but being the “not like other girls” got old and the way she treated people wasn’t any better than how some were treating her. She was better in the beginning but the status of her relationship and social media got the best of her and made her attitude worse in the second half. I get that it’s an important topic to have especially in a world filled with social media, but I just couldn’t stand her ha.
Overall, this was a decent book and I would definitely check out another book by this author.
Thank you to the publisher for a complimentary earc to review!
March 15, 2024
As a HUGE fan of Audrey Hepburn and Roman Holiday, I was super excited to get my hands on this book. It’s kind of a gender-swapped reimagining of that movie. Instead of a princess (Audrey Hepburn) and reporter (Gregory Peck), this book follows Story, a regular girl, who fake dates Luca, an influencer.
I absolutely loved the Roman setting! Story, who has been studying abroad there and knows the area reasonably well, becomes Luca’s tour guide and they go to many spots all over Rome. It made me want to book a vacation there! The setting really came to life.
Luca and Story were characters from very different backgrounds, but it was fun to see them get to know each other and see their worlds collide.
This also touches on the subject of addiction, but it felt very surface level, and felt almost out of place in a sweet contemporary like this.
I thought the second half was slower than the first half (which I absolutely flew through), but this was a cute read and I’d recommend it, especially to those who love Rome and/or old movies!
3.5 stars, rounded up
I absolutely loved the Roman setting! Story, who has been studying abroad there and knows the area reasonably well, becomes Luca’s tour guide and they go to many spots all over Rome. It made me want to book a vacation there! The setting really came to life.
Luca and Story were characters from very different backgrounds, but it was fun to see them get to know each other and see their worlds collide.
This also touches on the subject of addiction, but it felt very surface level, and felt almost out of place in a sweet contemporary like this.
I thought the second half was slower than the first half (which I absolutely flew through), but this was a cute read and I’d recommend it, especially to those who love Rome and/or old movies!
3.5 stars, rounded up
August 1, 2024
The best part about this book was at the start when Story takes Luca to Porta Magica. The last time I was in Rome I accidentally stumbled across this place when the metro stop for the Colloseum was closed so I decided to get off at a random stop and hope for the best. Anyway, reading about it in a book was fun but then the rest of the story kind of just slogged on.
If I ever read the word "bonnie' again, it will be too soon.
If I ever read the word "bonnie' again, it will be too soon.
July 9, 2024
This was a Cute rom-com with an Enviable setting. Perfect for a Light beach read or when you need a break from all the heavy stuff in life.
February 12, 2024
Rome sparkles on every page of this delightful romance. I loved traveling throughout the city and daydreamed of gelato while reading. I also enjoyed the smart take on the fake-dating trope, discovering the world of the "dips", and following Luca and Story on all of their fun adventures.
April 10, 2024
I have finished this book and the review will come because I need to process what happened
ok i liked this book but i honestly think they would have been better staying friends
thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc!
ok i liked this book but i honestly think they would have been better staying friends
thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc!
June 9, 2024
This YA romance is truly a love letter to Rome, and as someone who loves Italy, I admittedly enjoyed all the Rome scenes and the nods to Roman Holiday. While the fake dating scheme between Story and Luca was a little outlandish and convoluted (Luca--a famous Scottish socialite--meets Story in a gelato store while hiding from the paparazzi and convinces her to pretend to be his girlfriend to take the heat off his real-life girlfriend singer Jasmine, whose ex boyfriend has entered rehab, and is worried it will reflect badly on her career and new music--shoo!) and it took a bit of time to get to truly know the characters, I ended up really loving this book due to its commentary on social media, addiction, and how we treat famous people. Story is an intelligent, animal-loving vegan who has learned to shrink herself because of the hate she has received growing up as the daughter of an addict dad who died when she was young. She only agrees to help Luca because she has a good heart, and he has the wealth to establish a scholarship in her father's name for children of addicts. As the everyday girl enter's the world of wealth and privilege, hilarity ensues with lots of "eat the rich" sound bites and a slow burn buildup that finds Story falling for Luca, despite her own inhibitions and Luca's best friend Andrew's warnings. The paparazzi definitely toys with Story and maims her for everything from her clothing choice to her background, and you feel for her as she realizes she's gotten herself in too deep with her college acceptance to Princeton hanging in the balance. However, the Eternal City's glowing backdrop is truly its own character and spending so much time together leads to Story & Luca's development and lots of sparks. A great addition to any high school library's romance section and recommended for those who enjoyed destination romance books like Anna and the French Kiss or Love & Other Great Expectations.
Thank you to Random House Children's/Delacorte Romance for the ARC.
Thank you to Random House Children's/Delacorte Romance for the ARC.
April 12, 2024
I really wanted to like this and was really excited about it. I love Roman Holiday and books like Anna and the French Kiss and thought this was would be great, soapy fun. And I think it is for about the first twenty pages. I love that the main character loves Audrey Hepburn and Roman Holiday and Grace Kelly. But there are so many... things that make this so hard to read.
1: The main character is very "not like other girls." Like there are multiple times where the love interest is like "oh my god those other girls are so...." or like when he's propositioning her to be his fake girlfriend and he's like "wow you're not like the other girls who would ask for money or concert tickets." It feels so so dated and it doesn't do anything to bolster the main character, it just makes them both seem really pretentious.
2: The characterization isn't done well. Within the first 60ish pages I don't really know who these characters are as people, just surface level things. Story's dad was an addict, she lives in Italy, she's going to Princeton, is vegan. Luca is Scottish lol. It feels like Story is pulled along by the narrative instead of leading it, which sucks because it's *her* story.
3: The concept doesn't make any sense. I was kind of willing to ignore that, but it happens so fast. Basically this famous guy runs into her and gets her to like... keep walking with him and hang out with him while another famous girl slips away. And Story, the main character, just goes with it. Like she doesn't question it. It's so weird? Wouldn't most people be like what's going on? But she doesn't. And then when he's asking her to continue being his fake girlfriend, I really couldn't understand why he needed that.
The paparazzi think Luca dating a famous singer named Jasmine but Jasmine is linked to someone else names Jeremy who is going to rehab and so he needs Story to pretend to be his girlfriend? But why does it matter if Jasmine is linked to someone else if Jeremy is broken up with her? Luca says it's because they have music coming out together but I didn't understand why Luca cares so much and extension why Story should care. Like maybe it comes later but when this is first being explained it's so fast and I'm like why should we care? And Story goes from being like "no" to "okay well yes" so quickly lol. It doesn't feel like they're doing things because they would normally do them, but because the plot calls for it.
4: It ultimately reads like an early draft, which really sucks. I don't know how to articulate this exactly, but the simplest thing is like there's so much telling and not showing. So there's a part where Luca takes her to some concert and there are so many paragraphs where it's like "He took me to talk to his friend. And then I spoke to another friend. And I spoke to this girl. And I sat in the corner." And if I were editing it, I'd be like "Show me these conversations! Why are you summarizing this first event that they're going to together? This first concert is their first event together and Story seems to barely be there. The chapter feels like she's summarizing the night to tell her mom -- no spark, no excitement, no nervousness about trying to fake a relationship. Like where is all of it!
I feel really mean and I feel bad about it because this book feels like it could be really fun and gushy if the editor took more time with it. Just reading this, it feels like Delacorte really rushed this as the start of their romance imprint and they really did a disservice to the author.
1: The main character is very "not like other girls." Like there are multiple times where the love interest is like "oh my god those other girls are so...." or like when he's propositioning her to be his fake girlfriend and he's like "wow you're not like the other girls who would ask for money or concert tickets." It feels so so dated and it doesn't do anything to bolster the main character, it just makes them both seem really pretentious.
2: The characterization isn't done well. Within the first 60ish pages I don't really know who these characters are as people, just surface level things. Story's dad was an addict, she lives in Italy, she's going to Princeton, is vegan. Luca is Scottish lol. It feels like Story is pulled along by the narrative instead of leading it, which sucks because it's *her* story.
3: The concept doesn't make any sense. I was kind of willing to ignore that, but it happens so fast. Basically this famous guy runs into her and gets her to like... keep walking with him and hang out with him while another famous girl slips away. And Story, the main character, just goes with it. Like she doesn't question it. It's so weird? Wouldn't most people be like what's going on? But she doesn't. And then when he's asking her to continue being his fake girlfriend, I really couldn't understand why he needed that.
The paparazzi think Luca dating a famous singer named Jasmine but Jasmine is linked to someone else names Jeremy who is going to rehab and so he needs Story to pretend to be his girlfriend? But why does it matter if Jasmine is linked to someone else if Jeremy is broken up with her? Luca says it's because they have music coming out together but I didn't understand why Luca cares so much and extension why Story should care. Like maybe it comes later but when this is first being explained it's so fast and I'm like why should we care? And Story goes from being like "no" to "okay well yes" so quickly lol. It doesn't feel like they're doing things because they would normally do them, but because the plot calls for it.
4: It ultimately reads like an early draft, which really sucks. I don't know how to articulate this exactly, but the simplest thing is like there's so much telling and not showing. So there's a part where Luca takes her to some concert and there are so many paragraphs where it's like "He took me to talk to his friend. And then I spoke to another friend. And I spoke to this girl. And I sat in the corner." And if I were editing it, I'd be like "Show me these conversations! Why are you summarizing this first event that they're going to together? This first concert is their first event together and Story seems to barely be there. The chapter feels like she's summarizing the night to tell her mom -- no spark, no excitement, no nervousness about trying to fake a relationship. Like where is all of it!
I feel really mean and I feel bad about it because this book feels like it could be really fun and gushy if the editor took more time with it. Just reading this, it feels like Delacorte really rushed this as the start of their romance imprint and they really did a disservice to the author.
January 22, 2024
I didn't super enjoy this after the 40-50% mark? It was too reminiscent of Gilmore Girls' Rory trying to fit into Logan's "rich" world in the latter seasons (if you've watched the show, you'll know how much anguish she faced because of it) 😭 I was really hoping for some wholesome fake dating to love themes, but it was more of paparazzi/rich societal expectations and the cruelty present in social media (especially surrounding celebrities and who they date).
TWs - parent who died of drug addiction (also subsequent grief and judgement faced by the kid), invasion of privacy by media
-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy.
TWs - parent who died of drug addiction (also subsequent grief and judgement faced by the kid), invasion of privacy by media
-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy.
June 2, 2024
A little what a girl wants, a little lizzie mcguire movie (which are movies i still love to this day!)...a fun YA fake celebrity dating in Rome. I loved the descriptions and the gelato. Some of the scenarios felt a little over the top, the conflict and resolution felt very rushed (I wish there had been an epilogue!) There were some moments that felt too surface level for the heaviness of the content, even with this being a clearly YA novel. And honestly there multiple other MMCs other than the hero that I kind of wanted to root for more. 🫣 that aside, I loved watching Story and Luca's friendship grow throughout the book, the adventures around Rome, and the visit to Scotland. 🥰
Thank you Netgalley and Random House Children's, Delacorte Romance for the ARC in exchange for my review!
Thank you Netgalley and Random House Children's, Delacorte Romance for the ARC in exchange for my review!
May 26, 2024
It’s been a bit since I’ve picked up a sweet YA romance & All Roads Lead to Rome stole my heart.
Astoria “Story” is a sweet girl who mostly keeps to herself. Her mom is a diplomat and they live in Italy. One day she steps out of a gelato shop alongside Luca…a Scottish heartthrob… and then from there finds her self wrapped up in a fake dating situation that will work in Luca’s favor as well as hers.
The way I loved this book! A bit of a gender swapped modern Roman Holiday, Luca and Story are from two different worlds… making the opposites attract trope *chefs kiss* and the fake dating will leave you hoping for something more. Besides the romance of it all you get an arm chair travel look at the Eternal City… Ferrari’s, yachts, vespas… to clubs, art exhibits and I can’t forget the scrumptious food. Plus a bookstore!
I definitely will be keeping my eye out for Sabrina’s next book!
Thank you Get Underlined/Delacorte Press for the gifted ARC
Releases 6/18
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Lyon.brit.A...
Astoria “Story” is a sweet girl who mostly keeps to herself. Her mom is a diplomat and they live in Italy. One day she steps out of a gelato shop alongside Luca…a Scottish heartthrob… and then from there finds her self wrapped up in a fake dating situation that will work in Luca’s favor as well as hers.
The way I loved this book! A bit of a gender swapped modern Roman Holiday, Luca and Story are from two different worlds… making the opposites attract trope *chefs kiss* and the fake dating will leave you hoping for something more. Besides the romance of it all you get an arm chair travel look at the Eternal City… Ferrari’s, yachts, vespas… to clubs, art exhibits and I can’t forget the scrumptious food. Plus a bookstore!
I definitely will be keeping my eye out for Sabrina’s next book!
Thank you Get Underlined/Delacorte Press for the gifted ARC
Releases 6/18
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Lyon.brit.A...
Shelved as 'dnf'
July 17, 2024guys… she’s not like other girls. she’s basically an italian history book. and him? your favorite foreign-born teenage heartthrob, but there’s a catch! he’s not famous for anything besides knowing other famous people.
i couldn’t do it aIrjwjdjs this would be fun if it was a movie though!!! or… like if i was 15.
i couldn’t do it aIrjwjdjs this would be fun if it was a movie though!!! or… like if i was 15.
August 1, 2024
Travel Bug • YA issues • Unrealistic
This was a light, fun read that put you in the mood for a drive through Rome. Lots of references to iconic sights that will give you the travel bug. It covers lots of YA issues, mostly associated with social media. As an adult it’s a lot of silly worries and unrealistic, but to a teen it might be more appealing.
This was a light, fun read that put you in the mood for a drive through Rome. Lots of references to iconic sights that will give you the travel bug. It covers lots of YA issues, mostly associated with social media. As an adult it’s a lot of silly worries and unrealistic, but to a teen it might be more appealing.
June 29, 2024
4.5 stars
I’m desperate to go to Italy and Scotland. Loved the touristy dates especially!
I’m desperate to go to Italy and Scotland. Loved the touristy dates especially!
July 25, 2024
Super sweet clean romance. Story learns to be her true authentic self with the help of her new “bad boy” friend, Luca. He learns a good lesson as well!
July 26, 2024
If I could live a book, it would be this one😍
July 28, 2024
astoria could not be more pick me if she tried
July 24, 2024
this book is for the girls who spent a single semester in rome and never shut up about it (me)
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