“It’s never too late to live your dream”. That or “When in Rome…”, either case, Violet is taking both head on as she lands in Rome and gears up for an internship of a lifetime. Fresh off winning her placement along with two of her classmates, Violet is ready to embrace everything Rome has to offer – the food, the inspiration, and apparently the floor of a café as she face plants into a table after believing she has seen her ex half way across the world. Attempting to pick up her dignity along with a stranger’s now smashed laptop off the floor, Violet comes face to face with a handsome (and rightfully irate) stranger who is, thanks to her, also covered in coffee. Attempting to rectify the situation, Violet offers to replace Matt’s coffee (which he accepts) and the laptop (which, thank heavens, he declined that offer!) The two quickly find that they go together like oil and water. Violet, dying to escape this increasingly painful situation, takes her leave when her friend and fellow internship winner Marco appears. Continuing on to her final destination and determined to leave her very embarrassing mishap with an unnecessarily (yet insanely attractive) man behind, Violet finally arrives at the professor’s residence that will be her little slice of heaven for the next three weeks. Excited beyond belief for her first night in Rome, geared up to meet the professor, and full of so many possibilities, Violet’s positive outlook comes crashing down when her personal antagonist steps through the terrace! Shocked to see Matt again, Violet quickly discovers Matt (or as his mother reveals – Matteo) is the professor’s son and will also be staying at the apartment while she is there. Not excited about having to deal with the bane of her existence under one roof, Violet attempts a truce (after a little well earned payback) so she can focus on her project. She wasn’t prepared for the U-turn their relationship was about to take.

What I like about it: I will admit at first, I wasn’t sure if this book was for me but when Violet shifts from killing Matteo with kindness to petty payback, I was hooked. When she dropped the people pleasure act and showed her true colors, I witnessed a Violet I could get behind and the story became so much more enjoyable. Her sarcasm, witty comebacks, off the cusp internal comments, all of it just kept me laughing. Whether they were fighting each other or falling for each other, Matteo and Violet together were some of the best moments – especially when he let his guard down and loosened up around her. 

What I love about it: While I was not be able to empathize with Violet’s character initially, I did genuinely like her and her swift and devious delivery when it comes to Matteo. Marco is an absolute keeper! He is so dramatic in the best of ways! The author is also a master with dialogue. The back and forth is so engaging, you feel like you are at a ping pong match.

What I don’t like about it: For the first couple of chapters, who Violet was as a character was a little too ambiguous. We are introduced to her with very little background but we are suppose to connect with her. Without a proper introduction to who she is as a person, she didn’t initially make an impression so again, it was very difficult to empathize or even sympathize with her character. Instead, you find yourself in the role of a simple onlooker/observer – completely detached from the events transpiring in the café. For this reason, her situation with Matteo was somewhat confusing because she seemed to be more irritated with him than the situation justified. As the reader, I understood I was suppose to take her side but it didn’t make any sense why. As the book progresses and more is revealed about Violet, you find the connection that is needed to truly settle into the book.

As for the spice – while there is an intimate scene in the book, if removed – it wouldn’t take much away from it. The almost moments were hotter, more intimate, more enticing. If this went from a semi open door book to a closed door romance, again – it would still be just as enjoyable!

Looking closely at Violet, she is the textbook example of overthinking and not trusting oneself. I get it – she did what she believed was right and it blew up in her face. How can she trust an inner voice that lead her astray before. The downside – without that trust, she second guessed everything! Her goals, her designs, her dreams, people’s intent. Everything has to be analyzed, questioned, reviewed, and picked to pieces. You don’t realize how much of herself she lost to Greg until she delivers the same speak to Matt – convinced that no matter what, she wasn’t good enough for someone else or smart enough to make the right decisions. Mix in the need to please and that poor girl was a walking mess. 

The one theme I did pick up across most of the characters was overcoming the obstacles of their past. Violet had to overcome the feeling of loss, resentment, and failure from her relationship with Greg. Holly had to overcome the feeling of living in her brother’s shadow to trust that people did see her for her, and not for who her brother was, who she was in terms of her wealth, or and what she could do for them. Matteo had to move pass the heartbreaking words of his ex and the choices of his past to believe he was worth love and being loved. Marco – well Marco was perfectly fine but it was nice to know that impenetrable confidence he always exuded did have a few holes in it.  

Matteo’s trying his best to cope with the loss of his dad still was unexpected and deeply moving. Combine that with his ex of 10 years basically telling him that he ruined her life, you start to understand why Matteo – not only is the way he is but feels he HAS to be that way, to protect others from him. He couldn’t forgive himself for what he did to his ex, he couldn’t forgive himself for not being there for his father, he just internalized it and channeled the happiness he didn’t believe he deserved into the characters of his show. For Violet not only to go against his grumpy disposition but also to push his buttons, get under his skin, and make him feel alive for the first time in a long time – it truly created memorable moments in the story.

Once we got into the heart of this book, there is just SO much to take away from it. I couldn’t get enough of it and absolutely adored how it ended. As my first book by Kate Bromley, I had to get use to her writing style but once I did, I couldn’t put it down and can’t wait to pick up something else by her.