Publication Day Review!
The last thing Livia wants to do is leave her home and friends in Scotland to work in her gran’s cafe in Italy but life has other plans for her summer holidays.
She musters the strength to meet her formidable Nonna as it’s been many years since they last saw each other. It’s soon clear to Livia that her attempts to speak Italian and fit in to her new role within the cafe are not going well when she is met with derision from those who are in with the woodwork. Comments about her clothes to the way she speaks, especially from the smarmy Guilio who rides an ancient vespa and thinks he’s King of the World, nearly send her back to the airport.
Gritting her teeth, Livia tries her best but it becomes apparent that the cafe isn’t doing as well as it should be and her mum, Caterina, spends every waking hour trying to find the problem to their cash flow. A solution to see it stay in the family when the bank comes calling is on all of their minds as the deadline looms.
Nina, her Nonna, sends Livia to Italian classes in the hope she can ‘properly’ converse with the locals and help bring more customers through the doors of the failing business. Livia, ashamed her Italian isn’t up to scratch, meets new friends from all over the world on her language course. They bring her joy, make her feel accepted and give her the determination to help win over her Italian family, proving them wrong about her.
Guilio is always there. He seems to shadow her every move, gloating about his relationship with Nina, how to use the coffee machine and generally winding her up no end. Livia takes matters into her own hands and creates an event to bolster the finances of the cafe, with or without his help.
Secrets and lies whisper in the wind as Livia tries to understand their way of life and what has happened in the past that forced her mum to move to Scotland all those years ago.
Bruna De Luca’s first delve into writing for young adults does not disappoint. From her own beginnings in Italy and then a move to Scotland, she brings Livia and her family to life as they keep the bailiffs at bay.
With romance, exquisite food and an unbreakable family bond, Livia in Rome is a fantastic glimpse into two very different cultures.
A superb cover and artwork by Ali Al Amine, this brilliant novel is out on 3rd July!
