This was a complex and layered book.

Each chapter starts with a bit of information about a famous poet from the 1500/1600s. I really enjoyed reading these tidbits and learned a lot. It definitely seems to be part of Caletti's style!

For the storyline....
First, there's the story of Charlotte traveling to Venice for a writing program which is being led by the famous author Luca Bruni who she really admires. This storyline is very predictable as Charlotte ends up being a victim of sexual harassment/assault. However, this storyline takes an unexpected turn after Charlotte returns home; although I wish more the discussion about Charlotte's choice to speak up and mental health was included. Ultimately, I felt this storyline was both too predictable and underdeveloped.

Meanwhile, Charlotte has taken a family heirloom, a book of poems, to Venice and is trying to learn more about this female relative. She meets a young male student studying history and culture who introduces her to historians who become interested in helping Charlotte. This storyline twists and turns around the other storyline, but it quickly became the most riveting part of the book! There are in-depth discussions about the power of male artists, separating art from the individual, female friendship/empowerment, and the power of books/writing.

So, the first half was too predictable, and then the story was hard to put down. The last 100 pages were artfully written (much like readers would expect after AHIABITW) and left the reader full of emotions. I'm quite unsure of how to rate this book-- the last half was definitely 4-5 stars, but the first half was a solid 3; I'm settling on 4, but this still seems off. A 3.5 would probably be more accurate. I don't think this YA book will also connect with adult readers (like AHIABITW), but I definitely think high school students will read this book and appreciate the message.

Charlotte, our main character, is selected for an exclusive writing program in Italy with a respected and loved writer. While she is in Italy, she investigates one of her ancestors, Isabella di Angelo. Charlotte's family believes Isabella is the actual author of a famous poem from the 16th century - a poem they believe was stolen and published under her lover’s name.

This book - what a gem! 💕

The story examines how historically, men use their position of power to control the fate of women. During 16th Century Italy, men often persecuted women for their creativity and intelligence; men stole these women’s work and published it, claiming their genius and brilliance while leaving women’s history in the dark. Charlotte learns little has changed when Luca uses his position of power over the women in his writing program.

The themes in this book are so powerful! Many times I forgot I was reading a YA book and not women’s fiction. Here are only a few themes:
🔹 Abuse of power
🔹Can you separate the art from the man
🔹 Women advocating for women
🔹 Aftermath of #MeToo movement

Another unique element to One Great Lie, which I loved, was the mini-biographies written at the beginning of each chapter. Each biography provided information about a female poet or writer, mainly from the 16th Century. These biographies only strengthened Caletti’s themes.

I highly recommend this book, especially for a book club or high school discussion.

Thank you to @netgalley and @simonandschluster for a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

I visited Venice while in college and absolutely loved being taken back by the historical aspects of the story: the scenery and the tidbits about famous artists.

I felt it hard to connect to Charlotte and found it hard to continue reading at times, but it picked up after Bruni made his move.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review!
•
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️(3)/5

Loving Venice and appreciating Caletti’s work, I was happy to receive this eARC through Netgalley courtesy of the publisher. Charlotte is an aspiring writer lucky enough to win a scholarship to one of her favorites writer’s retreats for the summer. As time unfolds, something seems to not settle quite right with female students suddenly going home and Luca asking for private email addresses.

Pros: this is a tough but important topic to discuss in terms of abuse of power and ageism with sexual pressure. The description of Venice transported me back to the allure of life in Italy, and Charlotte’s voice was authentic to a young student.

Difficulties: it was very tough to remain absorbed into this book with the feeling of a disconnect throughout the plot. I was hoping for more engagement in dialogue and broader details when necessary— something just seemed to keep the characters at an arm’s distance from the reader.

What I liked about this book:
-the themes/topics addressed. Very timely and relevant
-the information about women poets/writers in history at the beginning of each chapter
-the setting

What didn't work for me:
-the plot pacing
-unlikable/flat characters
-underdeveloped romance; felt like it was put there but with no real reason or connection behind it

This book was okay for me. There were several things I liked but I needed a little more from the characters.

I am going to be very honest. This author's writing style is not one that draws me in or captures my attention. I keep trying but I just can not get into the story or get over their writing style.

ONE GREAT LIE is the latest young adult novel from award-winning author Deb Caletti (see especially A Heart in a Body in the World). Unfortunately, this most recent title which dealt with misogyny and sexual harassment was disappointing to me and I honestly did not finish it. Thanks to a scholarship, the main character (Charlotte, a recent high school graduate) heads to Venice and a summer writing program run by Luca Bruni, a famous writer who is also rumored to be inappropriately involved with young women. At the beginning of each chapter, there is a reference to a female Italian poet, generally from the 1500s or 1600s. While interesting and informative, that also reinforced the sense of impending trauma, calling to mind the famous painter Artemisia Gentileschi. Charlotte is also seeking to learn more about a female relative and poet from that time period – I wish the historical part of the story had developed earlier and more fully. I have sincerely enjoyed numerous titles by Deb Caletti so while I had reservations about ONE GREAT LIE, please note that it did receive starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus and Publishers Weekly.

Venice—family mysteries!

Caletti’s YA novel with 17 year old student Charlotte cutting a literary swathe through Venice (that is if you count her research hours as a swathe!) Having been awarded the chance too attend a summer writer’s program in Venice led by her favourite Italian author Luca Bruni heads off taking with her a book of poetry, The Verses, supposedly written by a fifteenth century ancestor, Isabella di Angelo, a “great-great-(too many greats too count)-grandmother on her mother’s side.”
Things don’t quite go according to plan and Charlotte ends up trying to track down Isabella and her writings.
Of course their two lives collide in the written sense, the hunt for Isabella, who she was is fascinating—a mystery to be solved if possible.
Likewise Charlotte’s journey has moments—of darkness and light, surrounding her search. This is equally as fascinating.

A Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing ARC via NetGalley
Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

ARC provided for review by NetGalley and Simon & Schuster publishing for an honest review of the book.

While not perfect, this book tells a deeply relevant and moving story about society and fame/hero-worship.
Charlotte is a recent high school graduate and an aspiring writer. When the opportunity to attend a writing workshop with respected and beloved author, Luca Bruni, is presented. Charlotte eagerly applies. While the opportunity to hone her writing skills with the guidance of her favorite author, she feels a deep connection with him based on one of his works The Glass Ship, she is also eager to get out of the simmering tension in her house that exists with her traveling salesman, and mostly absent, father, her over-worked, over-worried and passive aggressive mother and her sweet, panicky younger sister.

When Charlotte arrives in Venice for the workshop, she becomes enamored with the city and even more enamored with Bruni. So much so, that she, and the other college aged students at the workshop, ignore things that are obviously suspect. While all this is unfolding, Charlotte is also working to solve a long time family mystery involving a female relative that was a poet and in her volume of work, has a poem that is attributed to a world famous male poet.
This story examines what it means to turn the famous into a hero or a godlike persona. The men in the book are in positions of power and they use that power, and their fame, to exert control and take, take, take from the women around them. It examines #MeToo events including the social media backlash that survivors experience after speaking out about their trauma. It also reveals the historical, and documented, abuse and erasure of women's voices through out time. The details about convents, how families used them, how men abused them, how the women worked hard to advocate and protect themselves, is powerful and emotional and jarring for anyone unfamiliar with the history.

I did appreciate the inclusion of historical details about women artists, writers, and poets of the time. This was a beautiful and interesting way to show the treatment of women, especially at the hands of men throughout history.

Trigger warnings for the book: underage drinking, language, sexual assault, sexual harassment, anxiety/depression, historical references to child marriage, pedophilia, rape.

When I was in college, I spent a semester abroad in Florence, Italy. The weekend I spent in Venice was magical. The canals, the food, the historic buildings all made me fall in love with the city. This personal experience drew me to reading One Great Lie. While I enjoyed parts of the book, it didn't capture the magic of the city in a way I was hoping for.

After graduating high school, Charlotte, our main protagonist, is selected for a prestigious writing internship in Venice. This is a "once in a lifetime" opportunity and she has her own family connections to the city. Charlotte is eager for the chance to learn more about writing, herself, and her family history. The head of the program is Luca Bruni, a renowned author who has a past of his own. Once Charlotte arrives in Venice, will it be the experience of her dreams or her nightmares?

I really wanted to love this book, but I had a hard time connecting to the characters. There were many plot lines (travel, writing internship, family history, love story, #MeToo movement) and while they were all intriguing it felt like events were just constantly happening. I was missing the character development that helps me feel for each character and their story. However, if those topics intrigue you, the book is still worth your time! I also believe many young adult readers will find something that resonates with them.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing/ Atheneum Books for Young Readers for the electronic advanced readers copy!

Thoughts:
After reading One Great Lie, I now fully understand why I have Deb Caletti's A HEART IN A BODY IN THE WORLD still sitting on my TBR shelf, and that is because Caletti's writing will gut you. Within each chapter, there are these moments of clarity (sometimes it's the last line of the chapter) that drip with foreboding.

I also feel like Charlotte is every young woman that has had the courage and determination to make something of herself and when she is confronted with the harsh reality that the men who run the world care very little about the sentimentality of females...it all unravels. It's a moment that shatters and reforms your perception of the world you are living in. It's harsh, and brutal, and utterly unforgiving at times, but unfortunately, it is the coming-of-age moment almost all females universally experience.

Charlotte had idolized this one writer and I think all of us have done that only to be wildly disappointed when our expectations do not meet up with reality. I remember a friend saying that AHIABITW was a difficult read for her because "it cut too close" and I feel that way 100% about ONE GREAT LIE. I can remember idolizing professors and mentors and being profoundly let down when I discovered that they were not just mortal, but also incredibly disingenuine.
Summary:
A compelling and atmospheric YA story of romance, mystery, and power about a young woman discovering her strength in lush, sultry Venice—from the Printz Honor–winning author of A Heart in a Body in the World.

When Charlotte wins a scholarship to a writing workshop in Venice with the charismatic and brilliant Luca Bruni, it’s a dream come true. Writing is her passion, she loves Bruni’s books, and going to that romantic and magical sinking city gives her the chance to solve a long-time family mystery about a Venetian poet deep in their lineage, Isabella Di Angelo, who just might be the real author of a very famous poem.

Bruni’s villa on the eerie island of La Calamita is extravagant—lush beyond belief, and the other students are both inspiring and intimidating. Venice itself is beautiful, charming, and seductive, but so is Luca Bruni. As his behavior becomes increasingly unnerving, and as Charlotte begins to unearth the long-lost work of Isabella with the help of sweet, smart Italian Dante, other things begin to rise, too—secrets about the past, and secrets about the present.

As the events of the summer build to a shattering climax, Charlotte will be forced to confront some dark truths about the history of powerful men—and about the determination of creative girls—in this stunning new novel from award-winning author Deb Caletti.

This is a wonderful book about a girl who goes to Italy to follow her dreams. While she is there her dreams begin to mold, change and take shape. Then of course the real story begins...

I received an eARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When Charlotte wins a scholarship to spend the summer in Italy at an intensive writing program led by her favorite author, what could go wrong? A lot. Turns out her favorite author has a bit of a reputation for not being the greatest dude, even though he claims to be a feminist. Charlotte finds out first hand and must deal with the fallout. Caletti adds in historical context about the women in 1500s Venice who have been forgotten for their work and had to deal with similar situations. I loved this added element of the story!

This book will be a good read for teenage girls that haven't done a deep dive into the history of feminism. It pulls from poets and history that, for me personally, was told over and over again. This is a compelling storyline for newbies to learn how the feminist movement was still a continued struggle. I had to keep putting this book down and coming back to it. It's 2 stories being told about women being treated hundred of years ago and how they are still treated today. Charlotte, the main character, goes on a lifetime trip to a summer camp in Venice, a writing camp with her favorite author. You will learn new things from this novel - great for people who love historical fiction, but a YA take on it.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Charlotte wants to be a writer. She wants it to the depths of her soul. So when she sees a pamphlet advertising a writing workshop in Venice with her favorite author, she has to apply. It will also gives her the chance to uncover the mystery of Isabella do Angelo, an ancestor from Venice who was also a poet and who, through family gossip, is said to be the true author of a very famous poem. However, the poem is credited to a man, thought to be her paramour. Charlotte soon discovers that not everything was as it seemed both in Isabella’s time and in Charlotte’s time.

The setting in this book was beautiful and the descriptions of Venice made me feel like I was there. I could not help but draw parallels between the lechery of Luca Bruno (the famous author hosting the workshop) and his use of young women who wanted to become writers, to the scandals that rocked the kid lit and YA world several years ago. The scandal where well-known authors would use their power and influence to seduce young wannabe authors by promising to “help” them find their way to fame.

Overall, I enjoyed this book very much. I especially enjoyed how the story of Charlotte’s ancestor, Isabella di Angelo. I also loved that the heading of each chapter was a short expose on famous women writers of 17th century Italy.

Caletti is so good at exploring serious topics in a very entertaining way. She never talks down to her teen audience. Another winner with the bonus of a trip to Italy.

*Thanks to Netgalley, Edelweiss, and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

I received this ebook ARC free of charge from NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing. It was my choice to read and I'm leaving this review voluntarily.

This young adult novel is exciting and fresh! It allows the reader to explore the world just sitting in their own bedroom. Charlotte is an inspiring character, and I would read more about her. It is a easy, fun read that is great for summer! One Great Lie is a wonderful coming of age story that even adults would enjoy reading! I enjoyed the author and historical references in the story. I think it added something to the depth and passion of Charlotte. I have never been to Venice, but now after reading this book, I would love to go!

3 stars

Charlotte, the m.c., is applying to write with an authorial icon in Venice, and while it's a long shot, like many areas of Charlotte's life, it seems to just work out for her. What does NOT work out for her is that this "icon" lives up to his reputation as a trash individual who harasses and assaults women. This is all extremely predictable for readers but somehow shocking to Charlotte, her parents (they worry about potential hidden costs but less so about sending their still high school age child on this "adventure"), and various other characters who know about the reputation. Oh, and Charlotte also knows about the reputation, but in keeping with the gross norms of this culture, before it happens to her, she just assumes the accusers are lying because this author - whom she knows only from his books - would NEVER.

Overall, I'm so disappointed in this read. I loved Caletti's _A Heart in a Body in the World_, and I thought _Girl, Unframed_ was good but did not live up to the aforementioned text. This one, though. I just could not connect to the plot or characters at all. Because of stylistic choices, Charlotte feels SO far away. Because readers can see what is coming from the jump, there is not a lot to engage with in terms of the plot. I even found this to be the case with the historical elements.

I enjoy Caletti overall, but this one was not for me.

I really found this to be formulaic and predictable but it very much was what I claimed to be. Can’t be mad at it, I guess. I was not the audience for it but I know that audience exists and this is a basically a run of the mill version of what it says it is.

Seventeen-year-old Charlotte enters a writing contest where she is awarded the opportunity to travel to Italy for a summer and study writing with her all-time favorite author, Luca Bruni. Charlotte is also hoping to learn more about a long-lost relative who disappeared from the pages of history, although they know she was a poet. Charlotte's family hasn't been able to track down much of her history except what is written in a book, which has been handed down from generation-to-generation through Charlotte's maternal side of the family.

As the plot advances, it becomes clear to the reader that Luca Bruni is not the mentoring, inspiring person Charlotte believes him to be. While Charlotte is researching and learning more about the abuse of women, by men, in Italy during the 1500's, she suddenly finds herself the victim sexual harassment and assault from Luca Bruni. Overall, the novel is very well-written especially the last half where Charlotte works through the after-math of her recollections and emotions of Luca's assault while dealing with aggressive and hateful social media attacks. I did struggle to connect with most of the modern-day characters and found the historical sections about Italian female authors, poets, and artists during the 1500's to be the most engaging pieces of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley, Deb Caletti, and Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing for an advanced eBook in exchange for my honest review.