Dante's Girl
By: Courtney Cole
Review by: Kaede
Publisher: Lakehouse Press
Pages: 356
Source: ARC via NetGalley
I have spent every summer since I was ten years old with my father in London. Every summer, since I was ten years old, has been uneventful and boring.
Until this year.
And this year, after a freak volcanic eruption strands me far from home, I have learned these things:
1. I can make do with one outfit for three days before I buy new clothes.
2. If I hear the phrase, “You’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto,” even one more time, I might become a homicidal maniac.
3. I am horribly and embarrassingly allergic to jellyfish.
4. I am in love with Dante Giliberti, who just happens to be the beautiful, sophisticated son of the Prime Minister of a Mediterranean paradise.
5. See number four above. Because it brings with it a whole slew of problems and I’ve learned something from every one of them.
Let’s start with the fact that Dante’s world is five light-years away from mine. He goes to black-tie functions and knows the Prime Minister of England on a first name basis. I was born and raised on a farm in Kansas and wear cut-off jeans paired with cowboy boots. See the difference?
But hearts don’t care about differences. Hearts want what they want. And mine just wants to be Dante’s girl.
My heart just might be crazy.
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So one with a brain that actually functions correctly would probably think to just put down a book they didn't enjoy and attempted to read for a period of two months consistently.
But I've always been told I'm not like other people, you know? And I have this thing that if something in a book I hate seems at the very least redeemable, I'll put in effort to continue on to the end. Just cause I like giving things a fair chance. Well, I gave Dante's Girl that chance. Whether or not this book met my expectations, well, you'll just have to read on to find out.
*sighs* Here goes nothing...
So Dante's Girl begins the story of Reece, a teenage girl who is just about to board the plane for her flight to London to visit her father. But she runs into something on the way.
Some very hot thing, in Reece's eyes. Not mine. Just putting that out there.
In fact, Reece runs into the son of the Prime Minister of a Mediterranean paradise. (Hey, I can't deny how I much I'd love to live in Dante's home.) And because of her close little encounter with Dante, the hot boy Reece crashed into, she finds herself in the midst of a plane hijack, a team of big men also known as security guards, and a love life with a off-limit prince.
One thing that really bothered me was not just Reece, but her declaration of love every. Two. PAGES.
But the worse part is? She even admits she's known Dante a little short of three days when she first announces her undying love for a boy she knows nothing about. Why don't you just pick up a random stranger off the street and ask him to marry you? *shakes head*
What I first set out for in August 2012 was light fun read that I could enjoy and not want to make me fling my NOOK Color against the wall than out the window. But I didn't get that from Dante's Girl. Lasting for over 300 pages, I felt like I wasted two months of my time reading this. I did. But something, or someone, made me want to read on. And believe me, it's far from Reece or Dante. Far from.
But anyway, that someone was Nick. Nick's role brought in mystery, intrigue, and plot. *claps hands* I never thought it'd be possible. Seriously.
I know someone is going to think this review a bit too harsh, and I know Dante's Girl isn't suppose to be more than a fun read. But I'm a reviewer. I have a duty to look at things at all angles. And that includes comparing characters, story, and writing.
And writing was a huge part in the down factor. Repetitive and slightly amateurish, I didn't really appreciate the fact that, "I thought the way his beautiful hair shined in the moonlight was gorgerous. And so I told him that", or something along those lines, was basically found somewhere IN EVERY CHAPTER.
Seriously Reece, did the hot boy mess with your brain so much that you lost all ability to talk using diverse vocabulary? *frustrated anger*
Like seriously. You'd think someone her age wouldn't fall for a dude 5 years older than her. It's not right. Nor is fawning over the same boy you just met five minutes ago. Please. There's a reason you were born with a brain. USE IT.
I liked Mia well enough, as I did Gavin. But they were too typical best friend material. The fact that they were awesome wasn't deniable, but they seemed so...common. Like everyone single young adult book has an awesome bestfriend that's so deserves more appreciation. *cough Puck, cough*
And while we're on the track of things that are common, how 'bout we switch things up so that we're talking about stuff that's from from that?
Let's talk Dante.
So Dante is basically everything you'd want your boyfriend to be...probably. Handsome, charming, polite, and sprouts chessy lines like second nature. He also has no problem pretending to dress up as a fake shark to scare the crap out of a girl who fears them. But I have no problem admitting someone like him, and a story like this, won't happen to one out of a million of girls. Scratch that. 99.99% of the female population is more like it. I liked Dante well enough, but his perfection bothered me. I like my characters to be, well, real. And Dante seemed way to far from that. Especially after the ending. I'd love to see any boy I know do that. It was a sweet ending though, that much I'll admit. Sweet and impossible. But I guess that's the point. A hopeless romantic likes to hope.
But what about Reece, our lovely annoying main character?
I didn't like her. Not one bit. Plain and simple. And because crushing on your best friend's boyfriend is so not cool. More reasons explained above since I'm too lazy to re-word them.
But in the end, if you're looking for a break from action and high-fantasy, this just may be the book for you. And for those people who've never eaten gelato before, well boy, aren't you in for a real treat. But me? I think I'm going to take a break from contemporary now. *eyes Splintered and Through the Ever Night* I must physically restrain myself from running to those two books and reading them straight through over and over again, throwing my giant TBR pile out the window. Oh how I wish. How I wish...
P.S: Gelato is amazing. Shrimp is good too. And I don't see why Reece doesn't like it. *grumbles & stomps feet*
But I've always been told I'm not like other people, you know? And I have this thing that if something in a book I hate seems at the very least redeemable, I'll put in effort to continue on to the end. Just cause I like giving things a fair chance. Well, I gave Dante's Girl that chance. Whether or not this book met my expectations, well, you'll just have to read on to find out.
*sighs* Here goes nothing...
So Dante's Girl begins the story of Reece, a teenage girl who is just about to board the plane for her flight to London to visit her father. But she runs into something on the way.
Some very hot thing, in Reece's eyes. Not mine. Just putting that out there.
In fact, Reece runs into the son of the Prime Minister of a Mediterranean paradise. (Hey, I can't deny how I much I'd love to live in Dante's home.) And because of her close little encounter with Dante, the hot boy Reece crashed into, she finds herself in the midst of a plane hijack, a team of big men also known as security guards, and a love life with a off-limit prince.
One thing that really bothered me was not just Reece, but her declaration of love every. Two. PAGES.
But the worse part is? She even admits she's known Dante a little short of three days when she first announces her undying love for a boy she knows nothing about. Why don't you just pick up a random stranger off the street and ask him to marry you? *shakes head*
What I first set out for in August 2012 was light fun read that I could enjoy and not want to make me fling my NOOK Color against the wall than out the window. But I didn't get that from Dante's Girl. Lasting for over 300 pages, I felt like I wasted two months of my time reading this. I did. But something, or someone, made me want to read on. And believe me, it's far from Reece or Dante. Far from.
But anyway, that someone was Nick. Nick's role brought in mystery, intrigue, and plot. *claps hands* I never thought it'd be possible. Seriously.
I know someone is going to think this review a bit too harsh, and I know Dante's Girl isn't suppose to be more than a fun read. But I'm a reviewer. I have a duty to look at things at all angles. And that includes comparing characters, story, and writing.
And writing was a huge part in the down factor. Repetitive and slightly amateurish, I didn't really appreciate the fact that, "I thought the way his beautiful hair shined in the moonlight was gorgerous. And so I told him that", or something along those lines, was basically found somewhere IN EVERY CHAPTER.
Seriously Reece, did the hot boy mess with your brain so much that you lost all ability to talk using diverse vocabulary? *frustrated anger*
Like seriously. You'd think someone her age wouldn't fall for a dude 5 years older than her. It's not right. Nor is fawning over the same boy you just met five minutes ago. Please. There's a reason you were born with a brain. USE IT.
I liked Mia well enough, as I did Gavin. But they were too typical best friend material. The fact that they were awesome wasn't deniable, but they seemed so...common. Like everyone single young adult book has an awesome bestfriend that's so deserves more appreciation. *cough Puck, cough*
And while we're on the track of things that are common, how 'bout we switch things up so that we're talking about stuff that's from from that?
Let's talk Dante.
So Dante is basically everything you'd want your boyfriend to be...probably. Handsome, charming, polite, and sprouts chessy lines like second nature. He also has no problem pretending to dress up as a fake shark to scare the crap out of a girl who fears them. But I have no problem admitting someone like him, and a story like this, won't happen to one out of a million of girls. Scratch that. 99.99% of the female population is more like it. I liked Dante well enough, but his perfection bothered me. I like my characters to be, well, real. And Dante seemed way to far from that. Especially after the ending. I'd love to see any boy I know do that. It was a sweet ending though, that much I'll admit. Sweet and impossible. But I guess that's the point. A hopeless romantic likes to hope.
But what about Reece, our lovely annoying main character?
I didn't like her. Not one bit. Plain and simple. And because crushing on your best friend's boyfriend is so not cool. More reasons explained above since I'm too lazy to re-word them.
But in the end, if you're looking for a break from action and high-fantasy, this just may be the book for you. And for those people who've never eaten gelato before, well boy, aren't you in for a real treat. But me? I think I'm going to take a break from contemporary now. *eyes Splintered and Through the Ever Night* I must physically restrain myself from running to those two books and reading them straight through over and over again, throwing my giant TBR pile out the window. Oh how I wish. How I wish...
P.S: Gelato is amazing. Shrimp is good too. And I don't see why Reece doesn't like it. *grumbles & stomps feet*
Two and ½ coffee cups!
An advance copy was provided from the publisher for review via NetGalley. However, all opinions remain honest and my own.
An advance copy was provided from the publisher for review via NetGalley. However, all opinions remain honest and my own.
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UPCOMING POSTS: Stacking the Shelves (11,12), Fierce Reads, Lauren Oliver, and AFTER Launch
Party Signing Recaps, Fierce Reads Swag Giveaway, Behind the Scene: ARCs,
Contacts, Questions and More.
UPCOMING
MEMES: School Selections & Spooky Scares, Waiting on Wednesday, Stacking the Shelves.
More information
to come when the gray colored memes become public.
UPDATES: There will be a whole post on this soon. If the storm doesn't kill all power, that is. It will be titled Rainbow Rewinders cause I suck at coming up with names. It's that or Lazy Layouts. (I'm trying to think of something that'll fit our completely inappropriate banner! Blame Isabelle. *points finger*)
And rest assured, the Stacking the Shelves is coming. Pictures are a lot of work, you know? I give up trying to show the signatures. I'll just tell you what they say cause I'm lazy and tired and want to read.
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Contact Kaede: kimberlyho75@yahoo.com
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