Oh My Affogato! by Daphne Ang and Donna Ghorbanpoor Review

 Title: Oh My Affogato!

Authors, Illustrator: Daphne Ang, Donna Ghorbanpoor, Liz Parkes

Age Group: Teen/Young Adult

Genre: Contemporary/Romance

Series: Vacationship, book one

Star Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

I read a review copy of this book through Netgalley and the publisher, Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers–my deep thanks to both!

I’ve been discovering that in between my dark and fantasy reads, I’ve been gravitating towards contemporary books. I love books that remind me of summer, and this book perfectly fit the bill! It wasn’t perfect, but nonetheless, I really enjoyed it! I loved the premise, and especially the setting: Italy felt like a character all of its own. I just finished this book yesterday, and I’m still smiling because of it. It was fun, silly, and light, but it still had great character development and growth for its main character, Soraya. It really felt authentic, but still light and breezy.

Soraya, a boy crazy teen, is so close to getting the boy of her dreams, she can taste it. When she hears he’s going to Italy, she decides to make that the first stop on her international trip, she shares with two friends, Mari and Anya. Right when they get there, things begin to go wrong: their luxury hotel is more of a hole in the wall, and things with Wes quickly become derailed. Desperate to make it work with Wes, Soraya becomes so consumed that she nearly misses who is right in front of her: Nico, the son of the hotel they’re staying at. Will Soraya get her priorities straight or will she miss everything that is right in front of her?

This book was really cute! I loved Soraya’s voice, even though her boy crazy ways drove me a little crazy. The pacing was fast but smooth, and Italy felt like a character on its own; I was absolutely transfixed. I could almost taste the gelato and feel the sunshine on my face. Despite its flaws, I really liked the book and the way Soraya grew as a person and as a friend. I loved Anya and Mari, and Wes was the typical frat boy who cared about little except himself; he was so well-drawn, I really didn’t like him by the end of the book. Nico was one of my favorite parts of the book, I loved seeing him bond with Soraya and Mari and Anya. And that ending! It was so perfect. I hope this book is a series, because I’d gladly read the sequel! The bottom line: As rich and sweet as a cup of homemade gelato, I loved Oh My Affogato!