A great summer escape read! Story and Luca’s adventures around Rome were so fun. I’m always here for a fake dating scheme.

Astoria is the daughter of an attorney for the American embassy in Rome. She’s looking forward to having a relaxing final summer in Rome before going off to Princeton in the fall. She gets the shock of a lifetime when Scottish royalty ask her to play the part of his girlfriend.

This was overall cute for YA. I like a good fake dating trope and the setting was amazing! I know students who would enjoy a book like this for sure!

I really loved the cover of this one and the idea of a fun time in Rome. I have always wanted to go there.

The book is told from one point-of-view and it comes from Astoria “Story”. She is living with her mom in Rome and will be off to college in the fall. It’s now or never to really see the sights! I really enjoyed seeing where the story went. I always like how paparazzi can cause some issues for celebrities in books and can change one person’s life. Their meeting was cute and very surprising! The scenery and tourists spots they visited made me feel like I was there. I am so ready for a vacation because of this book!

My problem and why this book wasn’t rated higher was the main character. She was fine for the most part but being the “not like other girls” got old and the way she treated people wasn’t any better than how some were treating her. She was better in the beginning but the status of her relationship and social media got the best of her and made her attitude worse in the second half. I get that it’s an important topic to have especially in a world filled with social media, but I just couldn’t stand her ha.

Overall, this was a decent book and I would definitely check out another book by this author.

Story and her mom live in Rome, Italy, and it's the summer before Story is set to head off to college at her parent's alma mater, Princeton University. Her life gets turned upside down when she stops to get gelato and runs right into a celebrity, Luca, and the popstar girlfriend he is trying to keep secret from the tabloids. Luca tells the paparazzi waiting outside they are mistaken and that he was just with Story, his tour guide. But when the paparazzi start following Story at school the next day and suggest they are dating, Luca realizes this is the perfect opportunity to control the narrative. After all, his "real" girlfriend is still in a relationship of her own, and the last thing she needs is bad press before releasing her next album while on tour. Luca tracks Story down and suggests they follow the tabloid's lead, striking a deal that she will act as his fake girlfriend for the remainder of the summer. What follows is a story of friendship, love, summer fun, and personal growth!

This was a really cute romance! The author did a great job showcasing Rome and its history without overwhelming the reader with too much detail. The pacing was spot on, and I was happy with the way the author wrapped up the book! I loved Story's character! From the start, she seemed like a bright, genuine girl who struggled to fit in with the other "dip" kids and kept to herself. It was really nice to see her character grow over time as she came out of her shell and gained the confidence to speak up for herself. As I was reading, this book reminded me of the Lizzie McGuire movie in all the best ways! Overall, I gave this book four stars and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fun summer romance with a fake dating trope!

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House Children's, and Delacorte Romance for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion!

All Roads Lead to Rome by Sabrina Fedel was cute, important and just really enjoyable!
This is one of the best romance novels of the year, and don’t you dare miss it!

Thank You NetGalley and Random House Children's/Delacorte Romance for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Oh my gosh
This book is amazing. The story, the romance, the location, the characters, plus, its a trad published YA novel with zero F words or sexual content beyond kissing!! There is a smattering of other swear words though, FYI.

If you like Aubrey Hepburn, Rome, fake dating, influencers, Roman Holiday, history, swoony MMC, quality and strong FMC, great family dynamics and summer romances that make you sigh, read this book. Its adorable, in case I didnt make this clear.

This was the best YA romance I've read in a long time -- I know I said that recently but this will go down in my all time top 5 of the genre. I couldn't put it down. Such a great fake romance and I absolutely loved the setting and the characters. You will not be disappointed by this one -- so good!!!

All Roads Lead to Rome comes out next week on June 18, 2024, and you can purchase HERE!

Rome is sweltering as it waits patiently for the sun to set over the Spanish Steps. It's the kind of vapid heat that makes me wonder how the lions had the energy to leave their cages, let alone maul anyone.

I'm in John Keats's bedroom, the room he died in, overlooking the sprawling steps below. Horses sweat in the middle of Piazza di Spagna as they wait to give carriage rides, immovable in the small throng of late-May tourists. Most of the passersby don't even know this was Keats's house, despite the enormous crimson plaque on the side of it. They come here for selfies on the famous steps and never give John's shrine more than a careless glance. For me, the Keats-Shelley House is the best part of the neighborhood. I wonder if he stood exactly here, watching the people outside the way I do.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a fun read that brought me back to my recent trip to Rome. It was fun to travel around Rome with our M.C Story and Luca, it was like being there are over again.

Story was a great protagonist. I appreciated her unwavering beliefs, although at times she could be a bit frustrating. It was wonderful to see her character development throughout the book and I liked seeing her come out of her shell.

I will say that the I felt that the book dragged on a bit towards the end.
I found myself wishing the big moment would hurry along so we could get to the conclusion.

Nonetheless, I thought the ending was very satisfying and I really liked this book overall. Thank you, Random House Children’s, NetGalley, and Sabrina Fedel for allowing me the opportunity to review this book!

2.5⭐️ I have not read a contemporary YA romance in forever, mostly because I don’t vibe with those stories anymore. But this one just looked too cute to pass up. So I decided to give it a go, and this one sadly is thrown into that pile of “not my vibe”. It was cute, but it ultimately wasn’t for me.

A couple of things I didn’t enjoy just overshadowed the good things in this book for me. I really dislike when the author explains a conversation instead of people actually having dialogue. I also don’t enjoy when the author skips scenes in the book. For example, the MMC has her graduation but it was half a page long. It was this huge deal, and it was almost completely skipped over. And that happened every chapter. The event starts, and then all of a sudden ends in one paragraph. So all this book was, was explained conversations and situations and that was about it. And honestly nothing really happened in it either. It was almost like the FMC was writing in her journal. Just thoughts here and there and then some conversations. Which frankly made it boring for me to read.

Another thing that was unfortunate was just the characters in general. They were so flat and boring and literally had no chemistry or tension. That is what you need in a book with fake dating, and I just felt like there was none of that.

The whole idea of this book was really cute, fake dating in an Italian setting, but I think it was just poorly executed. But that is just my opinion. You full on could enjoy it cause there were some things that were cute. Ultimately it wasn’t enough for me. I will not be picking up another YA contemporary romance ever again. Probably.

Okay, one last thing to end on a good positive note. The love confession was adorable and the story ended really well for Luca and Story. And I’m grateful this book stayed YA. There wasn’t a hint of spice, so that was a plus. And honestly, the target audience for this book, young adults, would probably eat this story up.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for the complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

hank you To Netgalley for providing me with an ARC to read.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

I gotta be honest... I thought this was an adult novel when I read the synopsis. I guess I thought Story was already in college?? And waiting to go back for another semester in the fall?? Not that she was 18 and hadn't been to college yet. I think I mostly assumed it was an adult novel because of the way the cover was drawn. A lot of adult romance novels have this kind of cartoonish style drawn on their covers now and it didn't help that the synopsis mentioned Roman Holiday right away. Those combination of things is what made me request this story for review.

I quickly realized though that Story was a teenager (I was very concerned for a moment there why she would care about what the other teenage diplomat kids thought about her) and not in her 20's. Once I realized I was reading a YA novel I lost a lot of my interest in the story. Everything felt pretty bland and boring for me.

One of the things that really bothered me though, which is why the book is two stars and not three, was the use of hashtags in Story's explanation post to the internet. Story didn't use social media much in the first place so it was hard to believe she'd hashtag those words so randomly and the way that she wrote #overdose bugged me really badly. It felt like she was making fun of something serious in a way. So it really irked me.

Normally I really love YA and I think this is a great concept for a book but I simply didn't like the execution and didn't enjoy the characters or their arcs.

Thank you to Delacorte Romance & NetGalley for an ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really loved this sweet love story, that was a perfect summer read! It gave me When in Rome mixed with Princess Diaries vibes in the best way possible.

The progression of Luca & Story’s friendship that led to romance felt so real, and relatable. It was definitely a slow burn/gradual love that formed very naturally. And I absolutely loved all the adventures they went on throughout the summer! I felt like I was in the back seat of their car, or right on the Vespa with them sightseeing and taking in all Rome has to offer. I also loved seeing how much Story and Luca grew as individuals, with the help of each other.

The ending was just chefs kiss and so perfect! I would love to see the author write a sequel or their first year at Oxford together; because I just know they will be off on another epic adventure!

One of my favorite quotes:
“The last two months have been a fast sail on a perfect day, and I know now that the world is meant to be tasted and felt, and not just wondered at. The world is still scary to me, but it’s okay to be scared because the things that are true can’t ever be really lost. Rome taught me to love, and love taught me to believe.“

This YA romance is truly a love letter to Rome, and as someone who loves Italy, I admittedly enjoyed all the Rome scenes and the nods to Roman Holiday. While the fake dating scheme between Story and Luca was a little outlandish and convoluted (Luca--a famous Scottish socialite--meets Story in a gelato store while hiding from the paparazzi and convinces her to pretend to be his girlfriend to take the heat off his real-life girlfriend singer Jasmine, whose ex-boyfriend has entered rehab, and is worried it will reflect badly on her career and new music--shoo!) and it took a bit of time to get to truly know the characters, I ended up really loving this book due to its commentary on social media, addiction, and how we treat famous people. Story is an intelligent, animal-loving vegan who has learned to shrink herself because of the hate she has received growing up as the daughter of an addict dad who died when she was young. She only agrees to help Luca because she has a good heart, and he has the wealth to establish a scholarship in her father's name for children of addicts. As the everyday girl enters the world of wealth and privilege, hilarity ensues with lots of "eat the rich" sound bites and a slow burn buildup that finds Story falling for Luca, despite her own inhibitions and Luca's best friend Andrew's warnings. The paparazzi definitely toys with Story and maims her for everything from her clothing choice to her background, and you feel for her as she realizes she's gotten herself in too deep with her college acceptance to Princeton hanging in the balance. However, the Eternal City's glowing backdrop is truly its own character and spending so much time together leads to Story & Luca's development and lots of sparks. A great addition to any high school library's romance section and recommended for those who enjoyed destination romance books like Anna and the French Kiss or Love & Other Great Expectations.

Thank you to Random House Children's/Delacorte Romance for the ARC.

All Roads Lead to Rome gives Starstruck x The Lizzie McGuire Movie with hints of Letters to Juliet and a modern-day Bridgerton….

Needless to say, I LOVED this.

Was it a tad cliché? Yes. Was it insta-love? A little bit. Was it unrealistic? Probably. But I don’t care. This book gave me what I needed from a YA, European, celebrity fake-dating romance and I devoured it.

I’ll be honest, until about the 20% mark I wasn’t sure if I liked it or would like it. The story started slow and it took a while to get into the rhythm of the writing/dialogue.

But after that 20% mark, I absolutely loved it. The pace started picking up, I got more invested in the characters, and I realized the writing style truly reflected Story and who she is.

I loved seeing Story blossom, Luca’s growing maturity and Andrew’s friendship to the both of them. I wish more than anything that there would have been an epilogue to this story, though. 😭

Before reading, I would check the trigger warnings. There’s several potential triggers including substance use disorder, death of a parent, bullying, etc.

This book comes out June 18th, and I couldn’t recommend it enough if you like this trope!

And finally - thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Children’s/Delacorte Press for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Random House Children's, Delacorte Romance. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Contemporary Romance, YA Romance, Coming of Age
Age: Young Adult Audience (13-18 years old)
Spice Level: No sex on the page. A little bit of implication but not with the main characters.
Language: Some swearing

ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME is a lot of fun! The main trope is a famous boy and a regular, ordinary girl—this is not my favorite trope, but it works here. I loved the development of the relationship. I kept trying to pinpoint the moment when they changed. It flowed very naturally.

I loved:
- Seeing Italy in a new way
- Scotland!
- Fast cars
- Cows
- Other animals
- Jack (seriously a good guy)
- Clothes
- Nicknames
- Story's mom is amazing!
- Strategies to handle social media and bullying
- CHEMISTRY!

I think older teens will especially love this book.

Happy reading!

🩷❤️ All Roads Lead to Rome ARC Review ❤️🩷

Thank you so much to Sabrina Fedel, Delacorte Romance and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read and review this book!

All Roads Lead to Rome is a standalone contemporary YA romance. Astoria is looking forward to graduation and enjoying living in Rome. But when she’s photographed with a celebrity, she finds herself in a spotlight she never asked for. She soon realizes that she might have more in common with the flirty celebrity than she ever imagined

This was a super cute read. I really enjoyed Astoria in this book - I feel like her anxieties were relatable and I liked her strength. Luca was such a fun, flirty character and I really enjoyed seeing him evolve throughout the book too. Rome is a beautiful city and I enjoyed that it was a setting for this fun book

Overall this was a four star read. I enjoyed the characters and the story, but would have loved some scenes from Luca’s PoV too! This book does touch on some heavy topics so please check triggers if you’re sensitive. This book did have a YA romance plot but no on page smut, so one flame for spice

If you’re a fan of fake dating, fun characters and Italian history, then absolutely pick this one up!

Please Note: review will be posted to Amazon upon publication

All Roads Lead to Rome by Sabrina Fedel is a captivating and charming novel that is perfect for younger teens. This book offers a delightful and romantic story that is sure to appeal to readers of all ages. Embark on a journey filled with love, adventure, and the magic of summer romance as you follow the road that leads to a perfect summer getaway.

A little what a girl wants, a little lizzie mcguire movie (which are movies i still love to this day!l....a fun YA fake celebrity dating in Rome. I loved the descriptions and the gelato. Some of the scenarios felt a little over the top, the conflict and resolution felt very rushed (I wish there had been an epilogue!) There were some moments that felt too surface level for the heaviness of the content, even with this being a clearly YA novel l. And honestly there multiple other MMCs other than the hero that I kind of wanted to root for more. 🫣 that aside, I loved watching Story and Luca's friendship grow throughout the book, the adventures around Rome, and the visit to Scotland. 🥰

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Children's, Delacorte Romance for the ARC in exchange for my review!

All roads lead to Rome gave the Liszt McGuire movie but they guy is a prince and they really fall in love. I was skeptical at first because I found Story to be a little unlikable but she grew on me and I loved how her and Luca made each other grow through the story. This is a really fun summer read

Fake Dating? YA? Set in Italy? Super famous MC? Yes, yes, yes, YES! These things are so hard to find in a young adult novel, and I was SO excited when I found this one! This is an immediate add to my classroom library!

so cute, i liked this one! this is definitely giving vibes of the lizzie mcguire movie. especially not knowing luca is a celebrity and gets to have an adventure with him as a "normal" person.