I didn't super enjoy this after the 40-50% mark? It was too reminiscent of Gilmore Girls' Rory trying to fit into Logan's "rich" world in the latter seasons (if you've watched the show, you'll know how much anguish she faced because of it) 😭 I was really hoping for some wholesome fake dating to love themes, but it was more of paparazzi/rich societal expectations and the cruelty present in social media (especially surrounding celebrities and who they date).

TWs - parent who died of drug addiction (also subsequent grief and judgement faced by the kid), invasion of privacy by media

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy.

All Roads Lead to Rome is a fun YA book that everyone will want on their shelves. It reminds me of an old movie recreated into a current day story. The characters are fun and the whimsy adventure has you hooked.

What a fun read! Well drawn characters, dream locales-this book had it all! A satisfying ending made this extra enjoyable.

All Roads Lead to Rome follows the trope of fake dating leads to real romance, but it was Story's character that made all of the difference in this story. Astoria "Story" Herriot is a "Dip kid" living in Rome while her mother works for the American Embassy. She is smart, introverted, and a loner, not quite fitting in with the other kids in her grade. She winds up fake dating a rich Scottish tabloid kid who himself is secretly dating a pop icon whose ex-boyfriend was just admitted to rehab. Story has high ideals and values and doesn't pay attention to social media or tabloids until she unintentionally gets tangled up in them. You know that she will fall for Luca, and vice versa, but the process is handled well and feels different from many of the others out there. What I really appreciated was how Story helped Luca see himself better while also gaining a great knowledge and personal sense of self. She was unwilling to back down from being who she was and expected those around her to behave in similar manners.

The story takes its title from the fact that it takes place in Rome but also dances around the story of Roman Holiday. Story is a lover of old films and Audrey Hepburn grace, something that we don't see a lot of these days. Her personal style harkens back to a different time and perhaps will bring a new group of teens looking at classic Audrey style. An excellent YA read.

Absolutely, all roads paved with romance lovers' full adoration lead to this book! The pathways to the strings of my heart also lead to this book.

I was expecting a sweet, soft, maybe a little cliche and cheesy read, but I couldn’t be more wrong! My romance-craving friends, please mark this book, not just add it to your list, but read and reread! It’s so refreshing, powerful, genuine, and epic! I wholeheartedly loved it!

Any mortal who thinks adoring romances can resist the charm of this gender-reversed Roman Holiday—nope, no one can do so with a logical mind and a romantic heart, especially those who've memorized the lines of 90s romcom movies like me!

This is not only opposites attraction, two people from different universes, social circles, fake dating romance; this is a thought-provoking novel criticizing social media shaming, restrictions of personal lives, the pain and dues of the mandatory trapped public image celebrities have to endure, the class differences, and the ugly face of addiction.

Plus, you get an amazing fictional tour around the dreamy sights of Rome, pushing you to buy a ticket at your most convenient time to visit those places realistically described. In your mind, you can walk down these places, hear the buzzing sound of Vespas, crowds cheering, the smell of Italian food, and the splashing sound coming from fountains. Descriptions transport you to the locations, and learning more about the history increases your appetite to explore them firsthand.

The characterization, the honest blooming friendship that slowly turns into something more intimate, couldn’t be told more genuinely. Both Story and Luca stole my heart.

The main story revolves around Astoria "Story" Herriot, the daughter of a diplomatic attorney, an American about to graduate from high school, spending and learning everything about Rome in a year. She’s an outsider, introvert, mostly getting bullied by other dip squad (her classmate diplomat kids). One day she stops at a gelateria to escape from her friend circle to order an ice cream. She has no idea that at the same time, a bad boy Scottish celebrity Luca Kinnaird and his pop star girlfriend Jasmine chose the same location to hide from paparazzi. She finds herself posing for the cameras, acting like she’s the innocent tour girl of Luca. But one thing leads to another, and the press speculates she’s his secret girlfriend. Luca offers her to play along the role to help complicate the love triangle between Jasmine—her ex-famous boyfriend in rehab—and him. In exchange, he can pay for a very generous fundraising under the name of Story’s father, who lost his battle to addiction.

Story reluctantly accepts the offer to play the fake girlfriend for a better cause, even though she finds Luca and his world pretentious, fake, and unrelated. But as they spend more time together and get enchanted by the beautiful atmosphere of Rome, she realizes he’s not what she’s thinking. As their love game becomes more reliable for the press and their inner circle, Story realizes her feelings keep changing and growing into something more intimate. But he’s still another woman’s boyfriend, and they come from different backgrounds, as the entire social media and the people around them keep emphasizing. What if, against all odds, they can create something special, conquering the obstacles and reaching their happy ending?

I loved this book! Especially when I was reading the last third, I didn’t count how many times I made these “awww” sounds! So adorable, heartfelt, and powerful! I added Sabrina Fedel to my auto-approved romance authors list, and I cannot wait to read more of her works.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s/Delacorte Press for sharing this wonderful book’s digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.

Such a fun read that I will be thinking about for many moons to come. I love any book that transports you to another place and a fun retelling of Roman Holiday even more.

This book is for everyone who made The Lizzie McGuire Movie their entire personality back in 2003 and never fully went back to normal (raises hand.) A unique take on Roman Holiday with several tender moments of empowerment.