Idgie Says:
I agreed to review this book as it sounded like a fun little romantic romp of a story, with some dash of Audrey Hepburn mystery thrown in. (Who doesn't love Audrey?)
Unfortunately, by page 10 the constant product placement had driven me insane. Food, drink, shoes, clothes, barrettes, couches, socks. Okay, not socks, but perhaps I had not gotten to a sock part yet. Every single sentence seemed to have a label of some sort in it. It was like talking to the person at the party who constantly makes sure you know what they're wearing. I could not imagine reading an entire novel that is like Elle magazine without pictures.
Then suddenly it goes into an R rated sex scene! I found the sex scene startling as I was so distracted by realizing that I was reading nothing but labels that somehow the fact two people were even getting close enough to rip each others clothes off completely eluded me.
It was like watching a racy HBO show and suddenly the commercials pop up.
This may be a good read. I will never know. I simply could not get past the utter distraction of so many names and labels and dinner items being thrown into the story. The story wasn't even really about vast riches so that the descriptions were needed to remind you of how wealthy they are - Pottery Barn and Adidas were in there too. That much description is simply not needed to tell a story.
______________________________________________
St. Martin's Griffin
August 4, 2015
Book Description:
When Amelia Tate is cast to play the Audrey Hepburn role in a remake of Roman Holiday,
she feels as if all her dreams have come true. She has a handsome
boyfriend, is portraying her idol in a major motion picture, and gets to
live in beautiful, Italian city of Rome for the next two months.
Once there, she befriends a young woman named Sophie with whom she begins to explore the city. Together, they discover all the amazing riches that Rome has to offer. But when Amelia's boyfriend breaks up with her over her acting career, her perfect world begins to crumble.
While moping in her hotel suite, Amelia discovers a stack of letters written by Audrey Hepburn that start to put her own life into perspective. Then, she meets Philip, a handsome journalist who is under the impression that she is a hotel maid, and it appears as if things are finally looking up. The problem is she can never find the right time to tell Philip her true identity. Not to mention that Philip has a few secrets of his own. Can Amelia finally have both the career and love that she's always wanted, or will she be forced to choose again?
With her sensory descriptions of the beautiful sites, decadent food, and high fashion of Rome, Hughes draws readers into this fast-paced and superbly written novel. Rome in Love will capture the hearts of readers everywhere.
Once there, she befriends a young woman named Sophie with whom she begins to explore the city. Together, they discover all the amazing riches that Rome has to offer. But when Amelia's boyfriend breaks up with her over her acting career, her perfect world begins to crumble.
While moping in her hotel suite, Amelia discovers a stack of letters written by Audrey Hepburn that start to put her own life into perspective. Then, she meets Philip, a handsome journalist who is under the impression that she is a hotel maid, and it appears as if things are finally looking up. The problem is she can never find the right time to tell Philip her true identity. Not to mention that Philip has a few secrets of his own. Can Amelia finally have both the career and love that she's always wanted, or will she be forced to choose again?
With her sensory descriptions of the beautiful sites, decadent food, and high fashion of Rome, Hughes draws readers into this fast-paced and superbly written novel. Rome in Love will capture the hearts of readers everywhere.