Book Review: When In Rome by Amabile Giusti

When In Rome

by Amabile Giusti

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Synopsis:

As her thirtieth birthday approaches, spirited and unconventional Carlotta is a little nervous. She’s just been fired because of her irrepressible frankness, her family is a mess, and her love life is nonexistent. Plus, living in Rome isn’t cheap, so she’s forced to rent out a room in her apartment to make ends meet.

Her new roommate, Luca, a gorgeous writer who can match her wicked sense of humor, has a lot of cons: he’s sloppy, he smokes too much, and he has a nasty habit of bringing home a different woman every night. Carlotta doesn’t want to admit it, but she’s beginning to fall for the charming novelist whose bedroom seems to have a revolving door. After they share an unexpected kiss, she’ll do anything to suppress her passion and protect her heart. With her crazy relatives and a new job to deal with, can she muster the courage to confess her true feelings? And will Carlotta find happiness in this rented romance?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

“He’s the kind of guy that women want and men detest. Unless they’re gay, in which case, they want him, too.”

“…in the six months that we’ve lived together, the most intimate moment we’ve shared was when I got sick of the dirty clothes piling up in his room and put his boxers in the washing machine – with salad tongs.”

“I want to warn her that Luca is not her property, that after tonight, he’ll shake her out of the house like a tablecloth full of crumbs.”

“When I was younger, I was the one who always fell down the stairs at schools, slipped love letters into the wrong guy’s pocket, or got stung by bees if I picked a flower and put it in my hair. And don’t even get me started on my adult life. Would you believe me if I told you that I even mixed up the recipients of two note cards? I sent one expressing condolences to a friend that was getting married and my warmest congratulations to another one who just became a widow!”

“Beatrice has chosen only spinsters as her bridesmaids, and I’m the only one not on the verge of menopause.”

“Families are only perfect in ads or ‘50s TV shows. In real life, they’re just a bunch of messed up people, and we have to accept that we can’t ask of others what they can’t give use, whether it’s because of who they are or what they’ve decided.”

My Review:

When In Rome is wicked funny, I barked and smirked as I read and more than once I was forced to stop reading and wipe tears of laughter from my eyes. The writing is vividly and comically descriptive, quirky, easy to follow, and entertaining from beginning to end. Then the humor slowed down and the angsty emotions kicked in, but I didn’t mind as I continued to enjoy the plot and remained invested in the story. Ms Giusti has extraordinary talent and goes on my list of new favorites.

Empress DJ