My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century (My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century, #1)

by Rachel Harris

On the precipice of her sixteenth birthday, the last thing lone wolf Cat Crawford wants is an extravagant gala thrown by her bubbly stepmother and well-meaning father. So even though Cat knows the family's trip to Florence, Italy, is a peace offering, she embraces the magical city and all it offers. But when her curiosity leads her to an unusual gypsy tent, she exits ...right into Renaissance Firenze. Thrust into the sixteenth century armed with only a backpack full of contraband future items, Cat joins up with her ancestors, the sweet Alessandra and protective Cipriano, and soon falls for the gorgeous aspiring artist Lorenzo. But when the much-older Niccolo starts sniffing around, Cat realizes that an unwanted birthday party is nothing compared to an unwanted suitor full of creeptastic amore. Can she find her way back to modern times before her Italian adventure turns into an Italian forever?

• ISBN10: 162061135X
• ISBN13: 9781620611357
• Publish Date: 18 September 2012
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC
• Imprint: Entangled Teen
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 304
• Language: English

Reviews

[Angie]

I waited way too long to read this! My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century is absolutely adorable! Cat is off to Florence with her dad and future stepmother. She's thrilled about going to Italy, since she has a bit of an obsession with the art, but she's not so happy about her father's fiancee. It's not that she's a bad person, she just doesn't get Cat. She's planning a huge Sweet 16 party, which Cat doesn't want at all and would rather be anywhere else. Well, anywhere else ends up being 1505 Italy, and she's taken over the life of one Patience D'Angeli, who happens to be an ancestor. There she must learn some important lessons before she can return to her own time.

I absolutely loved how Cat was actually excited to wind up in Italy during the Renaissance. Of course, there's some initial confusion, but for the most part, My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century is Cat having the time of her life in this new time and new life. There she meets other distant relatives, and sliding into her new life is relatively easy. Her "parents" are dead, and she's "from London" which allows her to make some mistakes and excuses her from knowing some things. Her family and new acquaintances just think she's eccentric and maybe tired from her travels and grief. It was just a lot of fun witnessing Cat trying to mimic 16th century speech and behavior with disastrous results. Even better was her introducing her new friends to 21st century slang!

My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century does have romance, of course! Cat meets the exceedingly charming, Lorenzo, and he sweeps her off her feet. In her own time, Cat doesn't let anyone get close, especially boys, but she's learning to open up during her journey through time. I thought they were super cute together, and definitely believed their connection. There is a bit of drama between them, but it's not silly or contrived. It is an issue that happens in those days, but it didn't resolve how I expected! That was a nice surprise!

In the end, I really, really liked My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century. It was just super fun, cute, funny, and sweet. And I especially liked that cliffhanger ending! I must know what comes next!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[Kim Deister]

My Review

This was my first read from author Rachel Harris and it was fantastic! There was a little bit of everything in this book... swoon-worthy romance, fabulous characters, humor, and conflict. There is a little bit of the contemporary right alongside the historical and the blend of both creates a mystical story that I truly fell into.

Cat is a perfect protagonist who really grows over the course of the novel. She is a daughter of Hollywood, but she is far from the "mean girl/rich girl" stereotype. Instead, she was a bit socially awkward, a bit of a loner. This made her instantly sympathetic and I loved that she was, at heart, every girl. But as her life changes, we get to see so much more depth. We see the hurt and the pain, but we also see the passion, the intelligence, and the humor. Her "cousin" Alessandra was very different from Cat, the epitome of a proper 16th century young girl. She was also a perfect friend for Cat and the two of them together were as sisters or best friends should be. And Lorenzo... oh, Lorenzo. The perfect Book Boyfriend! Gorgeous, smart, creative, funny... what more could you want?

Some Quotastic Goodness

--Throughout history, while day-to-day life has changed, humanity hasn’t (Loc. 217).

--I live my life by the wise words of Eleanor Roosevelt: no one can make you feel inferior without your consent (Loc. 677).

--If looks could kill, I’d be a barbecued pineapple (Loc. 888).

--The first is that if beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder , I want the world to see me the way he does. Every flaw, every imperfection that I hate about myself has been made beautiful through his eyes and with his hand (Loc. 1454).

--At least I can look like a Kardashian while hyperventilating all over the dance floor (Loc. 2164).

--Our second kiss is gentle and passionate , tentative and hungry, all at once (Loc. 2419).

--At certain times of the month, I’ve considered chocolate consumption an urgent matter (Loc. 2529).

--“There we go, rule number three. Caloric consumption. Thou must not thinketh or worry about the circumference of one’s thighs while at a sleepover (Loc. 2785).”

--“And I’ve learned that letting people get close to you doesn’t always lead to pain. Some people are actually worth the risk (Loc. 3127).”

My Recommendation

This was a fun read with great characters and an interesting story. One thing I really appreciated was the author's attention to detail. It kept the experience believable and I applaud that!

[Ashley]

Nose Graze — Book reviews & blogging tips

This book was SO much fun! I started reading it at like 10pm and read straight until 2am! I did not want to put this baby down.

I think one of the things that made My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century so much fun for me was the fact that I'm getting married in Florence. It was just fun to read a romance (though the romance wasn't actually the focus) that takes place in Italy! I'm not normally one for historical books unless they're: ancient Egyptian, ancient Greek/Rome. This was pretty close, and I ended up adoring all the historical elements. It really felt like Rachel Harris did her research (not that I know much about sixteenth century Italy, but it all sounded legit!).

I loved all the comparisons to modern day. It was interesting to see how vastly Cat and Alessandra's worlds differed.

For some reason I expected the romance to be the focus of the story, but it wasn't. And I think that's mostly a good thing, because I ended up really loving how the story unfolded. It was more about dealing with some family problems, with some romance on the side. I think the one thing that disappointed me was how the romance didn't quite feel resolved at the end. I think I expected something else to happen, but Cat was just abruptly cut off from Lorenzo and went home.. and that was that. I didn't feel fully satisfied with the romance side of things.

But I loved all the characters and how they all felt different and unique. Alessandra was definitely one of my favourites, which is why I'm now super pumped to read A Tale of Two Centuries!.

[Kelsenator]

Originally posted on my blog Kelsey's Cluttered Bookshelf.

What actually got me to purchase this book was the cover, I just love how it looks, and when I read the description I knew I had to give it a try. I’m so glad I did, I just loved it. It was a nice easy read with awesome characters, great historic settings and romance.

Cat is our main character, a girl from Hollywood, on a trip with her dad and future step-mother to Florence. Her mother was famous in a way, and Cat constantly has to deal with paparazzi because of her mom’s scandals. She is always worrying what others think and always tries to be perfect and in control. She has no friends, and only relies on her father. As the story goes on, she does start to change a bit thanks to her cousins of the past and the people she meets. I loved seeing her try and deal with how to act during the Renaissance compared to modern times, she does slip up at times but manages to pull through. These were lots of moments that had me laughing too!

The other characters made me love this book even more I think. Alessandra was adorable and I really liked how she bonded with Cat. Lorenzo, the love interest, will definitely get some of the girls swooning. He’s the artist type with a great smile. She does try her best not to fall for him but it doesn’t take long, and I think those two would be so cute together.

Another thing that was great about this book, it doesn’t drown you in back story. There’s little snippets of info that Cat talks about that mention what her life used to be like, and as you read on you start to figure out why her mom isn’t there. As for the time travel, it doesn’t take forever for it to happen either. After a few chapters in you get to enjoy her awesome journey! As for the rest of the story with the Niccolo thing and why she got thrown into the past, you’ll have to read it for yourself!

I only wish that it was a bit longer, but there is another book coming out in the series luckily. After the way it ended I want more now! This was a great read for a debut author, very cute and lots of fun! Highly recommended for young adult fans of historical fiction and romance.