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Rome in Love
From the author of LAKE COMO comes the story of a young actress who lands the lead in a film that is shooting in Rome, bringing about difficult life choices, new friendships, and a chance at love.
When Amelia Tate is cast to play the Audrey Hepburn role in a remake of Roman Holiday, she feels as if all her dreams have come true. She has a handsome boyfriend, is portraying her idol in a major motion picture, and gets to live in beautiful Rome for the next two months.
Once there, she befriends a young woman named Sophie with whom she begins to explore the city. Together, they discover all the amazing riches that Rome has to offer. But when Amelia’s boyfriend breaks up with her over her acting career, her perfect world begins to crumble.
While moping in her hotel suite, Amelia discovers a stack of letters written by Audrey Hepburn that start to put her own life into perspective. Then, she meets Philip, a handsome journalist who is under the impression that she is a hotel maid, and it appears as if things are finally looking up. The problem is she can never find the right time to tell Philip her true identity. Not to mention that Philip has a few secrets of his own. Can Amelia finally have both the career and love that she’s always wanted, or will she be forced to choose again?
With her sensory descriptions of the beautiful sites, decadent food, and high fashion of Rome, Hughes draws readers into this fast-paced and superbly written novel. Rome in Love will capture the hearts of readers everywhere.
When Amelia Tate is cast to play the Audrey Hepburn role in a remake of Roman Holiday, she feels as if all her dreams have come true. She has a handsome boyfriend, is portraying her idol in a major motion picture, and gets to live in beautiful Rome for the next two months.
Once there, she befriends a young woman named Sophie with whom she begins to explore the city. Together, they discover all the amazing riches that Rome has to offer. But when Amelia’s boyfriend breaks up with her over her acting career, her perfect world begins to crumble.
While moping in her hotel suite, Amelia discovers a stack of letters written by Audrey Hepburn that start to put her own life into perspective. Then, she meets Philip, a handsome journalist who is under the impression that she is a hotel maid, and it appears as if things are finally looking up. The problem is she can never find the right time to tell Philip her true identity. Not to mention that Philip has a few secrets of his own. Can Amelia finally have both the career and love that she’s always wanted, or will she be forced to choose again?
With her sensory descriptions of the beautiful sites, decadent food, and high fashion of Rome, Hughes draws readers into this fast-paced and superbly written novel. Rome in Love will capture the hearts of readers everywhere.
314 pages, Paperback
First published August 4, 2015
48 people are currently reading
1753 people want to read
About the author
Anita Hughes
26 books1,007 followersAnita Hughes was born in Sydney, Australia. She attended UC Berkeley's Masters in Creative Writing program. She is the author of MONARCH BEACH, MARKET STREET, LAKE COMO, FRENCH COAST, ROME IN LOVE, ISLAND IN THE SEA, SANTORINI SUNSETS, CHRISTMAS IN PARIS, WHITE SAND, BLUE SEA, EMERALD COAST, CHRISTMAS IN LONDON and CALIFORNIA SUMMER, and CHRISTMAS IN VERMONT published by St. Martin's Press. ROME IN LOVE is coming to the HALLMARK channel in July, 2019!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 143 reviews
July 21, 2015
I love the idea for this book. An actress is in Rome to play the lead in a remake of Roman Holiday, and she ends up having some adventures of her own. Unfortunately, the book is not very well written. The description of the characters' attire in every scene becomes very distracting, and mostly unnecessary, especially when one of the characters (Max) always seems to be wearing the same thing (a yellow collared shirt and jeans). I might go back and count the number of times this same outfit was described; I'm sure it was at least half a dozen, and this was for a secondary character.
September 10, 2015
I won this book in Goodreads First Reads contest.
I just cannot finish this book. I quit at 50%.The writing is so so bad! Lots of run-on sentences that make it hard to follow the train of the story. There is almost no use of the comma. This book reminded me of how important commas are. If not used, you end up with sentences of "and this and that and this and that and this and that and that" (sometimes many of these types of sentence in a row) which makes this reader want to scream, "Use a f-ing comma!"
The tedious, overly detailed, descriptions of every character in every scene's clothing and what they were eating...just no. Lots of brand name for clothing dropping and extreme detail of the type of food; down to if it is a Roma tomato or what region the wine comes from. This happen in EVERY scene in the book. It is boring to read these lists of brands and food origins/types.
There are paragraphs that are "She saw this. She saw that. She saw this. She saw that." That is how the room will be described. For up to 7 sentences. It is mind bogglingly lazy writing.
All the above is even carried out in letters that the characters write to one another. Even the letters that Amelia magically finds all these years later written by Audrey Hepburn in the hotel desk. Yes, Audrey Hepburn writes just as horribly in her letters in this book. Ugh!
Also, the main character, Amelia, gets her designer silk dress totally wet, throws it in the DRYER, and then takes it out to wear it for hours afterward. It was perfectly fine. Yeah....silk in the dryer. Dryers RUIN silk.
So much wrong with this book. Only giving it 2 stars because I am sure there is an audience for this book out there.
I just cannot finish this book. I quit at 50%.The writing is so so bad! Lots of run-on sentences that make it hard to follow the train of the story. There is almost no use of the comma. This book reminded me of how important commas are. If not used, you end up with sentences of "and this and that and this and that and this and that and that" (sometimes many of these types of sentence in a row) which makes this reader want to scream, "Use a f-ing comma!"
The tedious, overly detailed, descriptions of every character in every scene's clothing and what they were eating...just no. Lots of brand name for clothing dropping and extreme detail of the type of food; down to if it is a Roma tomato or what region the wine comes from. This happen in EVERY scene in the book. It is boring to read these lists of brands and food origins/types.
There are paragraphs that are "She saw this. She saw that. She saw this. She saw that." That is how the room will be described. For up to 7 sentences. It is mind bogglingly lazy writing.
All the above is even carried out in letters that the characters write to one another. Even the letters that Amelia magically finds all these years later written by Audrey Hepburn in the hotel desk. Yes, Audrey Hepburn writes just as horribly in her letters in this book. Ugh!
Also, the main character, Amelia, gets her designer silk dress totally wet, throws it in the DRYER, and then takes it out to wear it for hours afterward. It was perfectly fine. Yeah....silk in the dryer. Dryers RUIN silk.
So much wrong with this book. Only giving it 2 stars because I am sure there is an audience for this book out there.
July 26, 2015
3.5 stars rounding to 4
I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this story! Rome In Love is a unique story, Amelia Tate is living a life that only some can dream about. The latest “It” girl in Hollywood, she’s off to Rome to film a remake of Roman Holiday, playing the part that Audrey Hepburn made famous.
Overwhelmed by everything surrounding her in Rome, Amelia rushes from her hotel and runs into a handsome, struggling journalist, Philip. But she leads Philip to think that she’s a maid at the hotel she’s staying at instead of an up and coming movie star and she isn’t sure she wants him to know otherwise. She also meets Sophie… someone who she can explore Rome with and who has a few secrets about her own identity.
Suddenly, her boyfriend of four years crumbles her perfect world and shares that he isn’t quite as supportive of her chosen career as she’d hope. His hopes that making this movie will get the novelty of acting out of her system and she’ll give it all up once this is over are just that… because Amelia wants to continue doing this thing she loves and so he turns his back on her and walk away.
While hiding away in her suite Amelia discovers letters written by none other than Audrey Hepburn … written while she was filming Roman Holiday and traversing her own tumultuous love life.
Here’s where everything gets interesting. There are three different love stories happening … Of course we have Amelia’s story, but we also learn about Audrey Hepburn! Through the letters, we learn about her relationships and experiences, which in itself is pretty interesting. I didn’t know much about her other than her iconic appearance… I found myself googling the names found in the letters to see if these were people she really knew, or if it was just an author taking liberties to tell a story, but the names were true which made me even that more invested in the story.
Back to Amelia’s story… still smarting from her boyfriend of four years walking away, she doesn’t just jump into a relationship with Philip, she attempts to take things slow with him. However, Philip has things happening in his life that has him pushing Amelia for more. I was kind of torn in regards to their relationship if I’m being honest. First, Amelia is pretending to be someone she isn’t and in her mind when she and Philip are together he supposedly thinks she’s someone else. Second, Philip has himself been lying to Amelia. He knows who she is… and he’s been tasked with duping her into something. I really hated that they were lying to each other, though ultimately Philip’s lies would end up being more harmful than Amelia’s.
The third story we’re experiencing is Sophie’s story. She’s not just some random woman in Rome. She’s a princess of a tiny little country who is betrothed to a prince she hardly knows, but because it’s her duty she will do what her father asks of her. That is until she meets Theo and realizes that she wants more than just an arranged marriage. I really enjoyed her arc, but thought it wrapped really very easy.
I really enjoyed the way that Hughes ultimately weaved this story together, making Rome a big part of the story had me feeling as though I was there… the way she described the sights and the sounds was just a wonderful thing. But also working the letters into the actual story made it all very unique.
One thing that didn’t work for me… and this is honestly minor, but I found the outfit descriptions, the jewelry and perfume descriptions a bit tedious. Every time Amelia was getting dressed we were provided with designer names, colors, dress types, jewelry pieces and fragrance choices. Nothing that really mattered in my opinion, and totally unnecessary.
If you’re looking for a sweet romance, one that will take you to Rome and allow you to picture all the sights and sounds, one that explores friendships and relationships, love and sadness, and ultimately choosing the things that will offer you fulfillment and happiness, then definitely think about grabbing Rome In Love this summer!
Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this story! Rome In Love is a unique story, Amelia Tate is living a life that only some can dream about. The latest “It” girl in Hollywood, she’s off to Rome to film a remake of Roman Holiday, playing the part that Audrey Hepburn made famous.
Overwhelmed by everything surrounding her in Rome, Amelia rushes from her hotel and runs into a handsome, struggling journalist, Philip. But she leads Philip to think that she’s a maid at the hotel she’s staying at instead of an up and coming movie star and she isn’t sure she wants him to know otherwise. She also meets Sophie… someone who she can explore Rome with and who has a few secrets about her own identity.
Suddenly, her boyfriend of four years crumbles her perfect world and shares that he isn’t quite as supportive of her chosen career as she’d hope. His hopes that making this movie will get the novelty of acting out of her system and she’ll give it all up once this is over are just that… because Amelia wants to continue doing this thing she loves and so he turns his back on her and walk away.
While hiding away in her suite Amelia discovers letters written by none other than Audrey Hepburn … written while she was filming Roman Holiday and traversing her own tumultuous love life.
Here’s where everything gets interesting. There are three different love stories happening … Of course we have Amelia’s story, but we also learn about Audrey Hepburn! Through the letters, we learn about her relationships and experiences, which in itself is pretty interesting. I didn’t know much about her other than her iconic appearance… I found myself googling the names found in the letters to see if these were people she really knew, or if it was just an author taking liberties to tell a story, but the names were true which made me even that more invested in the story.
Back to Amelia’s story… still smarting from her boyfriend of four years walking away, she doesn’t just jump into a relationship with Philip, she attempts to take things slow with him. However, Philip has things happening in his life that has him pushing Amelia for more. I was kind of torn in regards to their relationship if I’m being honest. First, Amelia is pretending to be someone she isn’t and in her mind when she and Philip are together he supposedly thinks she’s someone else. Second, Philip has himself been lying to Amelia. He knows who she is… and he’s been tasked with duping her into something. I really hated that they were lying to each other, though ultimately Philip’s lies would end up being more harmful than Amelia’s.
The third story we’re experiencing is Sophie’s story. She’s not just some random woman in Rome. She’s a princess of a tiny little country who is betrothed to a prince she hardly knows, but because it’s her duty she will do what her father asks of her. That is until she meets Theo and realizes that she wants more than just an arranged marriage. I really enjoyed her arc, but thought it wrapped really very easy.
I really enjoyed the way that Hughes ultimately weaved this story together, making Rome a big part of the story had me feeling as though I was there… the way she described the sights and the sounds was just a wonderful thing. But also working the letters into the actual story made it all very unique.
One thing that didn’t work for me… and this is honestly minor, but I found the outfit descriptions, the jewelry and perfume descriptions a bit tedious. Every time Amelia was getting dressed we were provided with designer names, colors, dress types, jewelry pieces and fragrance choices. Nothing that really mattered in my opinion, and totally unnecessary.
If you’re looking for a sweet romance, one that will take you to Rome and allow you to picture all the sights and sounds, one that explores friendships and relationships, love and sadness, and ultimately choosing the things that will offer you fulfillment and happiness, then definitely think about grabbing Rome In Love this summer!
Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
September 11, 2015
Various members of my family recently spent time in Rome. Thanks to Anita Hughes, I was able to visualize some of the historic tourist spots they visited and enjoy Rome vicariously, as a result. Rome in Love: A Novel is a sweet and romantic armchair adventure. I enjoyed the film aspect, even though I'm not a fan of movie remakes and haven't seen Roman Holiday yet. I also loved reading about iconic actress Audrey Hepburn's story, as re-imagined by Anita. However, I would have rather been taken on a flashback into her life than seen full conversations written out in letter format. Still, it shows that Anita did her research to bring such a well-loved actress to life through the pages of her book. It reminded me of Sarah Jio's Goodnight June in that way.
The romantic story line was entertaining and I enjoyed hearing a guy's point of view this time around.
For future novels, I am hoping Anita will step back from detailing what everyone is wearing or eating every few sentences and maybe intersperse such information sporadically. I know there are ways to allow us to visualize characters without having to talk about every clothing change. A girl can own only so many white dresses with yellow scarves. ;) I'd rather focus more on the story line and location than the contents of the characters' closets.
Overall, it was an enjoyable virtual vacation with interesting characters.
As far as movie casting ideas (this is a book about a movie, after all):
Amelia: Emmy Rossum (http://imdb.to/1KfrSbB)
Phillip: Brandon Routh (http://imdb.to/1NtKQOe)
Sophie: Sarah Gadon (http://bit.ly/1VRDENa)
The romantic story line was entertaining and I enjoyed hearing a guy's point of view this time around.
For future novels, I am hoping Anita will step back from detailing what everyone is wearing or eating every few sentences and maybe intersperse such information sporadically. I know there are ways to allow us to visualize characters without having to talk about every clothing change. A girl can own only so many white dresses with yellow scarves. ;) I'd rather focus more on the story line and location than the contents of the characters' closets.
Overall, it was an enjoyable virtual vacation with interesting characters.
As far as movie casting ideas (this is a book about a movie, after all):
Amelia: Emmy Rossum (http://imdb.to/1KfrSbB)
Phillip: Brandon Routh (http://imdb.to/1NtKQOe)
Sophie: Sarah Gadon (http://bit.ly/1VRDENa)
August 24, 2015
One of the worst books I've ever read. I couldn't even get through it. If you went through this book and took out every reference to food and descriptions of WHAT EVERYONE WAS FUCKING WEARING, you would have a very short book. Honestly, even though it is supposed to be an homage to Roman Holiday, I can't help but feel like this book is an embarassment to everyone involved with that masterpiece. And poor Audrey Hepburn! The author puts in 'found' letters of the famed actress, and seems to think she was some superficial idiot who ALSO only cared about what everyone was wearing. Every time I read a description of the color pants someone had on or the jewelry they were sporting I cringed or rolled my eyes. SERIOUSLY! I'VE READ BETTER FANFICITION! With more character depth and complexity of plot than this piece of trash. 0/10 do not recommend.
August 21, 2015
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.
"Rome in Love" wasn't what I expected. I'm not sure why, but I'm glad to have read the book that I didn't expect. This is a lovely romance about a young, inexperienced actress who is filming the remake of "Roman Holiday" in Rome. Her adventures and the filming are interesting and held my attention. However, what I really loved was when she found the letters written by Audrey Hepburn to someone named "Kitty" in her hotel room. That was the story that brought everything together for me! I enjoyed everything from the scenery to the clothes and the storyline was beautiful. I will definitely be looking for other books by this author.
"Rome in Love" wasn't what I expected. I'm not sure why, but I'm glad to have read the book that I didn't expect. This is a lovely romance about a young, inexperienced actress who is filming the remake of "Roman Holiday" in Rome. Her adventures and the filming are interesting and held my attention. However, what I really loved was when she found the letters written by Audrey Hepburn to someone named "Kitty" in her hotel room. That was the story that brought everything together for me! I enjoyed everything from the scenery to the clothes and the storyline was beautiful. I will definitely be looking for other books by this author.
July 19, 2015
Sweet, Fascinating & Moving A Beautiful, Charming Read! I Loved It!
July 19, 2017
3 Stars, Completed August 1, 2015
I think it was an advantage that prior to Rome in Love I had no background knowledge on Audrey Hepburn* except that she’s an iconic actress that has influenced and inspired many people. It was also nice to read this not having watched Roman Holiday. I was able to dive in with a fresh mind with no particular expectations.
Rome in Love is a story of a young actress, resembling Audrey Hepburn named Amelia, that takes on the role of Princess Ann in the remake of Roman Holiday. In Rome while shooting the film, Amelia meets a real princess, Sophie. Sophie is in Rome taking time off from her royal duties, and she seems to truly be reliving a “roman holiday.” Amelia is having a blast exploring her new self as an actress and visiting the diverse Italian venues with Sophie, but then her boyfriend of three years decides to break up with her over her acting career. Along the way, she also happens to meet Philip, an American journalist that is keeping a few secrets of his own, and is under the impression Amelia is a hotel maid. Misunderstandings arise and Amelia’s left with tough decisions about love, friendship, and the acting profession. Just in time, she finds Audrey Hepburn’s secret letters in the very same hotel room Audrey stayed in over half a century ago; and Audrey’s evident intellect and wisdom shows through the yellowed letters guiding Amelia through the struggles she’ll have to face.
I’ll begin with how I was very impressed by the Italian cultural references incorporated in the story. The flaw about these books with travel is that they often do not have enough detail or the main character lacks cultural immersion, but I didn’t feel that way at all with Rome in Love. There were plenty of great, authentic Italian dishes I recognized and others that were foreign but seemingly delicious enough for me to research and watch recipe videos of (who else loves the Chiappa sisters?). The use of art in this was absolutely perfect. In high school and college I took several art classes, the last one being art appreciation last semester. It was wonderful that famous Italian art like Michelangelo’s fresco paintings in the Sistine Chapel and the architecture of St. Peter’s Basilica were mentioned and properly detailed. Also several Renaissance artists like Botticelli were discussed. Hughes did a convincing job of making the readers believe Amelia was a lover of the arts.
Speaking of Amelia, that was where I began to have problems. I was slowly getting into Amelia’s character in the first couple of chapters but then she stopped becoming any further developed. In my opinion, nothing was very complex or dynamic about Amelia’s character so I sort of gave up on her. The entire Inside Rome newspaper deal with Philip made him an instant non-boyfriend, or I guess in this case husband, material. So I wasn’t too keen of his character and invested in the Amelia/Philip romance. However, the subplot with the real Roman Holiday-esque romance between Sophie and Theo was fun though at times predictable. And the best plot and what kept me reading-though I’m kind of hesitant to say it-was Audrey Hepburn’s letters.
I have some qualms mentioning this because I’m not sure if I’m qualified to discuss these letters in a critic’s perspective since my knowledge of Audrey is still very limited. I couldn’t confirm if the letters were accurate but they were believable and fun. And if you’re wondering if this is a good Roman Holiday inspired remake? To play it safe I’d say this could go either way for most readers. Audrey Hepburn and Roman Holiday fans may have a hard time feeling entertained by the simplistic, predictable plot (I will explain in the next paragraph). Since I have no background on either subjects, I was able to enjoy the idea of the letters and Audrey Hepburn inspired-throwbacks with an easy mind.
However, it did slightly bother me that the somewhat slow burning romance became too dominant instead of Amelia’s remake of Roman Holiday. By the second half of the book Amelia was pretty troubled with Philip and figuring out how much longer she should keep secrets about her being an actress from him; and I recall having read only one film scene in Amelia’s rendition of Roman Holiday. I was hoping there’d be more scenes of Amelia on set and her experiences as an up-and-coming, rookie actress. Like I said this wasn’t a huge deal breaker in terms of me liking the book because readers do get a sense of the acting though Audrey’s letters and perspective.
The last thing that actually irked me and forced me to rate this book lower was how the luxurious lives Audrey and Amelia’s were relayed. To be frank, the writing was incredibly factual and somewhat made the readers feel disconnected with the characters. I think it’s totally okay to write in third person-I actually think that gives the author an advantage to share and illustrate the perspectives of many characters that way. I also think it’s fine that the readers should be given a sense on how wealthy these actresses and princess can be while vacationing in Rome. But I could have lived without the brand name descriptions or Amelia “spritzing her wrist with Estée Lauder’s Lovely perfume” every time she left out the door. And I’m sorry that poor Max literally wore and was depicted in the same outfit too many times to count.
However, I go back that there were still some nice moments that had me laughing-especially the scenes with Max. That guy is smooth, I tell you.
Overall, I enjoyed this fun homage to the film Roman Holiday. I again give major points to Hughes for making her readers want to learn more about Audrey Hepburn, the decadent food mentioned, and Italian art depicted. I actually ended up watching several documentaries and interviews with Audrey Hepburn after reading Rome in Love. She really does seem like an intelligent, lovely woman. I can see why a lot of individuals look up to her. And I’m definitely picking up Roman Holiday, Sabrina, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s to watch next weekend!
*Fun fact: For some reason I was so compelled to call her Aubrey instead of Audrey throughout this entire review. Like I, for real, went back and proofread for that name alone. XD
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I received this from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book. Thank you St. Martin’s Griffin for sending me this review copy! (And special thanks to Staci, a St. Martin’s Griffin’s publicist.)
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More reviews at Xingsings
I think it was an advantage that prior to Rome in Love I had no background knowledge on Audrey Hepburn* except that she’s an iconic actress that has influenced and inspired many people. It was also nice to read this not having watched Roman Holiday. I was able to dive in with a fresh mind with no particular expectations.
Rome in Love is a story of a young actress, resembling Audrey Hepburn named Amelia, that takes on the role of Princess Ann in the remake of Roman Holiday. In Rome while shooting the film, Amelia meets a real princess, Sophie. Sophie is in Rome taking time off from her royal duties, and she seems to truly be reliving a “roman holiday.” Amelia is having a blast exploring her new self as an actress and visiting the diverse Italian venues with Sophie, but then her boyfriend of three years decides to break up with her over her acting career. Along the way, she also happens to meet Philip, an American journalist that is keeping a few secrets of his own, and is under the impression Amelia is a hotel maid. Misunderstandings arise and Amelia’s left with tough decisions about love, friendship, and the acting profession. Just in time, she finds Audrey Hepburn’s secret letters in the very same hotel room Audrey stayed in over half a century ago; and Audrey’s evident intellect and wisdom shows through the yellowed letters guiding Amelia through the struggles she’ll have to face.
I’ll begin with how I was very impressed by the Italian cultural references incorporated in the story. The flaw about these books with travel is that they often do not have enough detail or the main character lacks cultural immersion, but I didn’t feel that way at all with Rome in Love. There were plenty of great, authentic Italian dishes I recognized and others that were foreign but seemingly delicious enough for me to research and watch recipe videos of (who else loves the Chiappa sisters?). The use of art in this was absolutely perfect. In high school and college I took several art classes, the last one being art appreciation last semester. It was wonderful that famous Italian art like Michelangelo’s fresco paintings in the Sistine Chapel and the architecture of St. Peter’s Basilica were mentioned and properly detailed. Also several Renaissance artists like Botticelli were discussed. Hughes did a convincing job of making the readers believe Amelia was a lover of the arts.
Speaking of Amelia, that was where I began to have problems. I was slowly getting into Amelia’s character in the first couple of chapters but then she stopped becoming any further developed. In my opinion, nothing was very complex or dynamic about Amelia’s character so I sort of gave up on her. The entire Inside Rome newspaper deal with Philip made him an instant non-boyfriend, or I guess in this case husband, material. So I wasn’t too keen of his character and invested in the Amelia/Philip romance. However, the subplot with the real Roman Holiday-esque romance between Sophie and Theo was fun though at times predictable. And the best plot and what kept me reading-though I’m kind of hesitant to say it-was Audrey Hepburn’s letters.
I have some qualms mentioning this because I’m not sure if I’m qualified to discuss these letters in a critic’s perspective since my knowledge of Audrey is still very limited. I couldn’t confirm if the letters were accurate but they were believable and fun. And if you’re wondering if this is a good Roman Holiday inspired remake? To play it safe I’d say this could go either way for most readers. Audrey Hepburn and Roman Holiday fans may have a hard time feeling entertained by the simplistic, predictable plot (I will explain in the next paragraph). Since I have no background on either subjects, I was able to enjoy the idea of the letters and Audrey Hepburn inspired-throwbacks with an easy mind.
However, it did slightly bother me that the somewhat slow burning romance became too dominant instead of Amelia’s remake of Roman Holiday. By the second half of the book Amelia was pretty troubled with Philip and figuring out how much longer she should keep secrets about her being an actress from him; and I recall having read only one film scene in Amelia’s rendition of Roman Holiday. I was hoping there’d be more scenes of Amelia on set and her experiences as an up-and-coming, rookie actress. Like I said this wasn’t a huge deal breaker in terms of me liking the book because readers do get a sense of the acting though Audrey’s letters and perspective.
The last thing that actually irked me and forced me to rate this book lower was how the luxurious lives Audrey and Amelia’s were relayed. To be frank, the writing was incredibly factual and somewhat made the readers feel disconnected with the characters. I think it’s totally okay to write in third person-I actually think that gives the author an advantage to share and illustrate the perspectives of many characters that way. I also think it’s fine that the readers should be given a sense on how wealthy these actresses and princess can be while vacationing in Rome. But I could have lived without the brand name descriptions or Amelia “spritzing her wrist with Estée Lauder’s Lovely perfume” every time she left out the door. And I’m sorry that poor Max literally wore and was depicted in the same outfit too many times to count.
However, I go back that there were still some nice moments that had me laughing-especially the scenes with Max. That guy is smooth, I tell you.
Overall, I enjoyed this fun homage to the film Roman Holiday. I again give major points to Hughes for making her readers want to learn more about Audrey Hepburn, the decadent food mentioned, and Italian art depicted. I actually ended up watching several documentaries and interviews with Audrey Hepburn after reading Rome in Love. She really does seem like an intelligent, lovely woman. I can see why a lot of individuals look up to her. And I’m definitely picking up Roman Holiday, Sabrina, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s to watch next weekend!
*Fun fact: For some reason I was so compelled to call her Aubrey instead of Audrey throughout this entire review. Like I, for real, went back and proofread for that name alone. XD
---
I received this from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book. Thank you St. Martin’s Griffin for sending me this review copy! (And special thanks to Staci, a St. Martin’s Griffin’s publicist.)
---
More reviews at Xingsings
November 7, 2019
As someone who's favourite film is Roman Holiday, I was really excited to read this book. The plot of the book seemed promising, but as another Goodreads reviewer put it, was a trainwreck in execution. In fact, I'd prefer to be hit by said train right now. It'd probably hurt less. In addition to a convoluted plot (which was full of plot holes) and an overabundance of adjectives and descriptions, it was completely disrespectful to Audrey Hepburn. I cannot fathom having the audacity to create fictional letters of Audrey's, discussing and complaining about those she loved most. As someone who looks up to and adores Audrey Hepburn, it was incredibly upsetting to see her painted in this way. I really don't think Hughes did any research on Audrey's relationships with Gregory Peck, William Wyler, etc.
In Amelia fashion, I'm going to get off my computer and drink enough that I pass out and hopefully forget I ever read this book.
In Amelia fashion, I'm going to get off my computer and drink enough that I pass out and hopefully forget I ever read this book.
December 1, 2020
Sejujurnya aku bingung memberi rating 3 atau 4 untuk bukunya, tapi serius..., aku sanggaaaaaat menikmati seluruh ceritanya. Tidak hanya itu, aku jd penasaran ingin ntn Roman Holiday yg diperankan tokoh utama Audrey Hepburn dan Gregory Peck.
August 2, 2015
Amelia is an up-and-coming actress who takes on the role that Audrey Hepburn had in the very famous movie, "Roman Holiday." Amelia is escaping from a horrible ex-boyfriend who doesn't seem to understand what she wants out of life. While she knows that this film is could be her big break, she is also interested in trying to mend her broken heart. Enter Philip, a journalist, that Amelia falls for. She assumes that he doesn't know who she is and she wants to keep herself anonymous so she builds a backstory about being a maid at a Roman hotel. Philip quickly realizes who she is actually and can't understand why she's trying to hide who she is. This is a fun romance in a fun city that feels like a old Hollywood movie!
Although there are some moments of spiciness in this book, in a lot of ways, this feels like a throwback to some of the more innocent Hollywood romance movies of the yesteryears. You have a woman who wants her identity mistaken and a handsome gentleman who's trying to get out from under the heavy-handed of his very rich father. Another reason that it feels like the old Hollywood romance movie is because the premise is not all that believable. This isn't to say anything bad about the story but you will need a little bit of suspension of disbelief in order to follow through with the story. To me, it seemed a little unreasonable that Amelia thought that nobody would recognize her when she is a young upcoming starlet who seems to be major fodder for all of the tabloids.
I would be remiss to mention the setting. You also have a wonderful setting in Rome, one of my most favorite cities. The setting is to die for. The author did a great job of capturing the romance of Rome between the descriptions of the cobblestone streets and all of the really amazing, delicious descriptions of the various food that the characters eat throughout. The food itself could be another character, which totally makes sense for place like Rome!
Overall, I really enjoyed the romance of this book. This is a fun light read that I know what I'm going to want to go back to. It definitely seems like a good comfort read to me!
Although there are some moments of spiciness in this book, in a lot of ways, this feels like a throwback to some of the more innocent Hollywood romance movies of the yesteryears. You have a woman who wants her identity mistaken and a handsome gentleman who's trying to get out from under the heavy-handed of his very rich father. Another reason that it feels like the old Hollywood romance movie is because the premise is not all that believable. This isn't to say anything bad about the story but you will need a little bit of suspension of disbelief in order to follow through with the story. To me, it seemed a little unreasonable that Amelia thought that nobody would recognize her when she is a young upcoming starlet who seems to be major fodder for all of the tabloids.
I would be remiss to mention the setting. You also have a wonderful setting in Rome, one of my most favorite cities. The setting is to die for. The author did a great job of capturing the romance of Rome between the descriptions of the cobblestone streets and all of the really amazing, delicious descriptions of the various food that the characters eat throughout. The food itself could be another character, which totally makes sense for place like Rome!
Overall, I really enjoyed the romance of this book. This is a fun light read that I know what I'm going to want to go back to. It definitely seems like a good comfort read to me!
August 9, 2015
Original review can be found at http://kristineandterri.blogspot.ca/2...
2.5 stars
** I received a copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review.**
The main attraction to this book for me was that it took place in Rome. I will be there in less than a month and thought that it might set the scene a little bit for me while fulfilling my want for a nice summer read.
This book definitely had some moments that I enjoyed and they were mostly in the Audrey Hepburn letters. On top of that there were a couple of romances to be found within the pages.
But...
I thought the story was too busy with three different stories going on. There were the letters, Amelia's story and Sophie's story. It made for a bit of chaos with the flow of the story. Adding to flow issue, the author described every restaurant and thing every character ate as well as every outfit they wore at all times. It disrupted the story and made it read like a travel magazine. Although I found the over abundance of food that was mentioned interesting with my upcoming visit, it really didn't do anything for the cohesiveness of the story. I was also beginning to think that I could never survive Rome without a pair of silver sandals. Every outfit was paired with them and it may seem minor but when they are mentioned so many times you begin to take notice. Towards the end of the book you do read about other coloured sandals. On the repetitive side I do have to mention that every time Amelia had a knock on her door she crossed the marble floor (every time), and every time she saw Philip it was the same thing. She saw a man across the room, insert what he was wearing, and he turned around and it was Philip.
In short, as someone who will be travelling to Rome I found the setting interesting but what I found interesting is also what made the story a little below average.
2.5 stars
** I received a copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review.**
The main attraction to this book for me was that it took place in Rome. I will be there in less than a month and thought that it might set the scene a little bit for me while fulfilling my want for a nice summer read.
This book definitely had some moments that I enjoyed and they were mostly in the Audrey Hepburn letters. On top of that there were a couple of romances to be found within the pages.
But...
I thought the story was too busy with three different stories going on. There were the letters, Amelia's story and Sophie's story. It made for a bit of chaos with the flow of the story. Adding to flow issue, the author described every restaurant and thing every character ate as well as every outfit they wore at all times. It disrupted the story and made it read like a travel magazine. Although I found the over abundance of food that was mentioned interesting with my upcoming visit, it really didn't do anything for the cohesiveness of the story. I was also beginning to think that I could never survive Rome without a pair of silver sandals. Every outfit was paired with them and it may seem minor but when they are mentioned so many times you begin to take notice. Towards the end of the book you do read about other coloured sandals. On the repetitive side I do have to mention that every time Amelia had a knock on her door she crossed the marble floor (every time), and every time she saw Philip it was the same thing. She saw a man across the room, insert what he was wearing, and he turned around and it was Philip.
In short, as someone who will be travelling to Rome I found the setting interesting but what I found interesting is also what made the story a little below average.
September 23, 2015
Even though I didn't expect a lot from this book, I was disappointed. I chose the book because it was set in Rome, and was hoping for a fun read that would make me feel like I was in Italy. Unfortunately, the writing lacked quality descriptions of the setting, and really could have been set anywhere. I'm not even sure the author has ever been to Italy...she could've just googled it and made sure to include key tourist attractions. The story lines were very predictable and pretty shallow, and the whole Audrey Hepburn angle was just silly.
May 24, 2016
This was a great story - how can you go wrong with Rome, Roman Holiday & Audrey Hepburn, and a new romance?!! 3.5 stars
I'm not sure if it's the writing or the editing - some phrases were repeated so often that I was annoyed. If I read "Max wore a yellow collared shirt and jeans" once I read it at least 20 times! The repetitious phrasing made my eye twitch, but I still enjoyed the overall story. Off to watch Roman Holiday..........
I'm not sure if it's the writing or the editing - some phrases were repeated so often that I was annoyed. If I read "Max wore a yellow collared shirt and jeans" once I read it at least 20 times! The repetitious phrasing made my eye twitch, but I still enjoyed the overall story. Off to watch Roman Holiday..........
June 14, 2020
Chicklit ini menceritakan ttg Amelia Tate, aktris yg baru naik daun sedang syuting di Roma, Italia. Sialnya, Amelia diputuskan oleh kekasihnya dan mendapatkan gantinya seorang jurnalis tampan bernama Philip. Tapi sebenarnya Philip punya agenda lain dari romansa mereka.
Sebenarnya, romance Amelia dan Philip ini gak ada istimewanya. Biasa dan cenderung datar. Bahkan yg sebetulnya bisa memantik konflik, dipadamkan begitu saja. Philip yg membohongi Amelia malah dibebaskan begitu saja demi HEA.
Justru yg menarik adalah epistolary tahun 1950an antara Audrey Hepburn dgn Kitty. Selain itu, setting Roma dan berbagai tempat bersejarah berikut kisah yg melatarinya, diceritakan dgn memikat di novel ini. Mulai dari Gereja Vatikan, Tembok Hadrian hingga air mancur Trevi, dll. Bikin saya kepingin ke Roma euy.
Selain kisah cinta Amelia & Philip, ada kisah cinta sidekick antara Sophie, si putri raja yg sedang menyamar dgn rakyat jelata. Ini juga sama saja. Malah lebih datar juga.
Hedonis dan kemewahan ala Italy sangat terpancar di novel ini dan cenderung superfisial juga. Saya sih bukan anti hal-hal yg berbau mahal banget begini, toh tokoh utamanya memang mewakili hal-hal tsb, aktris dan anak orang berduit. Tetapi jadinya gak ada yg istimewa dari relationship mereka. Kecuali kalian memang memilih buku super ringan utk dibaca, novel ini boljug deh.
Sebenarnya, romance Amelia dan Philip ini gak ada istimewanya. Biasa dan cenderung datar. Bahkan yg sebetulnya bisa memantik konflik, dipadamkan begitu saja. Philip yg membohongi Amelia malah dibebaskan begitu saja demi HEA.
Justru yg menarik adalah epistolary tahun 1950an antara Audrey Hepburn dgn Kitty. Selain itu, setting Roma dan berbagai tempat bersejarah berikut kisah yg melatarinya, diceritakan dgn memikat di novel ini. Mulai dari Gereja Vatikan, Tembok Hadrian hingga air mancur Trevi, dll. Bikin saya kepingin ke Roma euy.
Selain kisah cinta Amelia & Philip, ada kisah cinta sidekick antara Sophie, si putri raja yg sedang menyamar dgn rakyat jelata. Ini juga sama saja. Malah lebih datar juga.
Hedonis dan kemewahan ala Italy sangat terpancar di novel ini dan cenderung superfisial juga. Saya sih bukan anti hal-hal yg berbau mahal banget begini, toh tokoh utamanya memang mewakili hal-hal tsb, aktris dan anak orang berduit. Tetapi jadinya gak ada yg istimewa dari relationship mereka. Kecuali kalian memang memilih buku super ringan utk dibaca, novel ini boljug deh.
November 7, 2019
With all due respect to Ms Hughes' abilities as a writer, this trope of putting words in the mouths of the dead needs to stop. It's disrespectful to not only the memory of Audrey Hepburn, but to her family, her friends, her fans, and good taste. Inventing fictional letters that purport to understand the complex feelings and emotions a person might have about a work of art, their career, or their lives is incredibly difficult to do well, and even when done well still includes an element of manipulation. Unfortunately, this is not a case where it is done well.
Unless these letters can be backed up by the real words, deeds, writings, etc of Audrey Hepburn, it is the height of irresponsible to publish them. To claim that it's simply "in the spirit" of a beloved public figure is an injustice, especially when those who knew and loved that person are in many cases still alive to possibly be harmed by this publication. Invent a fictional character if you desire to have this kind of element in your storytelling; do not force the dead to speak for you.
Unless these letters can be backed up by the real words, deeds, writings, etc of Audrey Hepburn, it is the height of irresponsible to publish them. To claim that it's simply "in the spirit" of a beloved public figure is an injustice, especially when those who knew and loved that person are in many cases still alive to possibly be harmed by this publication. Invent a fictional character if you desire to have this kind of element in your storytelling; do not force the dead to speak for you.
February 7, 2019
This was the first book by this author that I have read. I really enjoyed this book and how it brought in Audrey Hepburn.
September 21, 2015
*I received an eARC from the publishers in exchange for an honest review. (Thank you!) This didn't influence my opinion in any way
Oh, boy. Rome in Love and I didn’t get along very well. Essentially, the book is a retelling of the movie Roman Holiday. I love retellings in general and fairy-tale retellings in particular, and I thought this would be a really nice change of pace and a chance to see how a contemporary version would work for me. And it’s set in Italy! Who doesn’t love Italy?! Unfortunately, things didn’t go quite as well as I had hoped.
I really wish I could sugar coat this, but there isn’t a nice way to say it: I absolutely hated the writing style. The only way I can describe it is formulistic and emotionless. I need to feel some sort of connection to the story, and I felt nothing throughout the entire book. I’m a foodie and the descriptions of food in the first chapter or so was awesome! But… then I began noticing a repetitive trend: every single scene and everything the characters do is described in the same way. She saw blah, blah, blah. She smelled blah, blah, blah. She ate blah, blah, blah. She studied ... She felt ... She heard ... She climbed ... She walked ... Just remove the blah, blah, blah, and ellipses and insert any descriptive words you like and it’s annoyingly repetitive. And this isn’t just one or two sentences dispersed throughout the chapter, it is actually whole blocks of text used like this to describe what’s going on. I think the intention is to create an immersive atmosphere, but for me, it didn’t work. It was so unappealing and it detracted from the story and the characters completely.
The characters are usually my main focus when I read, and if I love the characters I can forgive a whole load of things I dislike. Sadly, the characters didn’t work for me either. This goes back to the writing style again, but there was far too much attention put on unnecessary details. I don’t care about bicycles going by, or crossing guards, or what clothes people are wearing or what they smell like, or what every random character is eating, just please, please, please, make me FEEL something toward the main characters! With the way the book is written, there is so much focus on the outside world that the characters don’t get the chance to progress and develop from mere names on a page.
Amelia’s character felt a little bit hypocritical at times. We’re constantly told how much she wants to be a successful actress, yet her actions in the book suggest she’s not very committed at all. We don’t get to see much of the actual filming of the movie – which sucks – just a random sentence or paragraph here or there. She’s in Rome for two months and they’re shooting on location, yet she gets to spend a lot of time exploring the city and doing her own thing. This didn’t really gel with what I would imagine the environment of a Warner Brothers blockbuster movie being filming on location would be like. Especially since they invested a hundred million dollars into the movie! I don’t know… it just didn’t feel right to me.
I was hoping to love this book, but alas, Rome in Love was not for me. While the concept is fabulous, the writing style put me off very early on and it definitely influenced my feelings for the entire book. A lot of people really enjoyed this book, so take my opinions with a grain of salt. Unfortunately, you can’t love ‘em all.
This review, and others, can be found on my blog - Journey Through Fiction
August 3, 2015
4.5 stars
Rome in Love by Anita Hughes is an incredibly sweet and charming romance loosely based on the movie Roman Holiday. Although a mostly light-hearted read, the storyline touches on a couple of issues that are sure to resonant with anyone whose desires and dreams are in direct conflict with family expectations and/or obligations.
Amelia Tate is absolutely thrilled to be starring in the remake of Roman Holiday. Although filming on location in Rome is a dream come true, the separation is a point of contention with her long time boyfriend. Their long distance relationship is already tenuous and Amelia is stunned by his suggestion that she give up her acting career to move to San Francisco with him. Already stressed upon her arrival on location and suffering from jetlag, Amelia is quickly overwhelmed by her first public appearance. Eager to escape the press's watchful eye, she dons a maid's uniform so she can enjoy a little sightseeing on the downlow. After sharing an innocent evening with fellow American Philip Hamilton, she makes an impetuous decision to keep her true identity hidden from him. Their paths continue to cross and after a surprise visit from her boyfriend takes an unhappy turn, Amelia unexpectedly begins to fall for Philip. She knows she needs to come clean with him about her true identity, but fearing this revelation will end their burgeoning romance, Amelia continues her ruse.
Unbeknownst to Amelia, Philip is keeping a few secrets of his own. He is thoroughly enchanted by Amelia and in the beginning, he has no idea who she really is. He quickly learns of her deception and after he is paid a visit by his father, who demands he honor an agreement made between them years earlier, he agrees to write an exposé of her exploits. The more he gets to know Amelia, the worse he feels about his assignment, but Philip is desperate to avoid joining the family business. He eventually finds himself in the middle of a moral dilemma where he must chose between betraying Amelia or giving up his career to fulfill his family's expectations.
Amelia also befriends Sophie, another young woman who is going to great lengths to keep out of the spotlight. Sophie only has a limited amount of time on her own and she is enthralled with her newfound freedom. She embraces everything Rome has to offer (sightseeing and shopping) but it is her new friendship with a handsome doctor that has the biggest effect on her life. Sophie is soon torn between duty and following her heart, and she is surprised by the outcome when she is finally reunited with her loved ones.
Love in Rome takes a bit of a whimsical turn when Amelia makes a startling discovery: a series of unmailed letters written by Audrey Hepburn when she was filming the original Roman Holiday. These letters are quite interesting and provide fascinating glimpses into the lives of Ms. Hepburn, her fellow co-star Gregory Peck and Paris news reporter, Veronique Passani. This innovative addition of historical details to the story is quite fascinating and it is a lovely tribute to the stars of the original movie.
Rome in Love by Anita Hughes has a wonderful cast of characters, a unique plot and a luxurious setting. Fast paced and engaging, this entertaining love story has a fun storyline that fans of contemporary romances are sure to love.
Rome in Love by Anita Hughes is an incredibly sweet and charming romance loosely based on the movie Roman Holiday. Although a mostly light-hearted read, the storyline touches on a couple of issues that are sure to resonant with anyone whose desires and dreams are in direct conflict with family expectations and/or obligations.
Amelia Tate is absolutely thrilled to be starring in the remake of Roman Holiday. Although filming on location in Rome is a dream come true, the separation is a point of contention with her long time boyfriend. Their long distance relationship is already tenuous and Amelia is stunned by his suggestion that she give up her acting career to move to San Francisco with him. Already stressed upon her arrival on location and suffering from jetlag, Amelia is quickly overwhelmed by her first public appearance. Eager to escape the press's watchful eye, she dons a maid's uniform so she can enjoy a little sightseeing on the downlow. After sharing an innocent evening with fellow American Philip Hamilton, she makes an impetuous decision to keep her true identity hidden from him. Their paths continue to cross and after a surprise visit from her boyfriend takes an unhappy turn, Amelia unexpectedly begins to fall for Philip. She knows she needs to come clean with him about her true identity, but fearing this revelation will end their burgeoning romance, Amelia continues her ruse.
Unbeknownst to Amelia, Philip is keeping a few secrets of his own. He is thoroughly enchanted by Amelia and in the beginning, he has no idea who she really is. He quickly learns of her deception and after he is paid a visit by his father, who demands he honor an agreement made between them years earlier, he agrees to write an exposé of her exploits. The more he gets to know Amelia, the worse he feels about his assignment, but Philip is desperate to avoid joining the family business. He eventually finds himself in the middle of a moral dilemma where he must chose between betraying Amelia or giving up his career to fulfill his family's expectations.
Amelia also befriends Sophie, another young woman who is going to great lengths to keep out of the spotlight. Sophie only has a limited amount of time on her own and she is enthralled with her newfound freedom. She embraces everything Rome has to offer (sightseeing and shopping) but it is her new friendship with a handsome doctor that has the biggest effect on her life. Sophie is soon torn between duty and following her heart, and she is surprised by the outcome when she is finally reunited with her loved ones.
Love in Rome takes a bit of a whimsical turn when Amelia makes a startling discovery: a series of unmailed letters written by Audrey Hepburn when she was filming the original Roman Holiday. These letters are quite interesting and provide fascinating glimpses into the lives of Ms. Hepburn, her fellow co-star Gregory Peck and Paris news reporter, Veronique Passani. This innovative addition of historical details to the story is quite fascinating and it is a lovely tribute to the stars of the original movie.
Rome in Love by Anita Hughes has a wonderful cast of characters, a unique plot and a luxurious setting. Fast paced and engaging, this entertaining love story has a fun storyline that fans of contemporary romances are sure to love.
September 4, 2015
Check out this review and more at http://lostinlit.com
When I received Rome in Love for review I was very excited! I have always loved old movies and I think Audrey Hepburn is absolutely beautiful and a true icon. I found the concept of this book so amazing and just had to read it!
Rome in Love is about a young actress named Amelia, she is a budding star in her first major role, which is a modern version of the classic Roman Holiday featuring Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn. Rome in Love is unique in that it is also a retelling of Roman Holiday in the story line. It was fascinating!
Anita Hughes did a fabulous job with her descriptions of Rome! Her writing totally pulled me into the story. The landmarks, the fashion and of course the food! It was so descriptive and beautiful and I found myself hungry more than a few times while reading this! Anyone who knows me, knows that it is my dream to visit Italy someday and this book only encouraged that need within me!
I liked Amelia, and thought that she was sweet and really captured the essence of Audrey in a modern way. I enjoyed the other characters as well. Her friend Sophie was fun and I enjoyed their friendship. There is also Philip, the reporter and love interest that Amelia meets. Although I liked Philip, I had trouble being invested in the relationship between him and Amelia. I am not sure why, but there seemed to be so much going on between the re-telling and all of the characters that the romance seemed secondary to me.
I really enjoyed that the story line, followed the plot of the movie. It made it so interesting and Hughes did an incredible job bringing that to life. My one complaint was that, I wished there had been more of Amelia on the movie set. There was really only one mention of the infamous scooter ride and that was it, I was truly hoping for more!
I think that my favorite part of the novel was when Amelia found the letters that Audrey wrote in her hotel room. In the story Amelia stays in the same suite that Audrey occupied while filming and she finds these letters hidden in the room. I loved the letters and thought they were so light and fun and really payed homage to Audrey, while also providing some History about when Audrey filmed the movie. It was such a fun part of the story.
I found that I loved the re-telling of the story and all of the references to Audrey and Gregory, but I struggled with the actual characters and love story of Rome in Love. One thing that kept bugging me was the switch to third person, it was a bit confusing. I am not a fan of third person so that could just be me.
Overall, I really enjoyed this novel. It was sweet, romantic and fun! I loved the tribute to the movie roman Holiday and the homage payed to Audrey Hepburn! This was my first Anita Hughes book, but I think that I will try others after this!
When I received Rome in Love for review I was very excited! I have always loved old movies and I think Audrey Hepburn is absolutely beautiful and a true icon. I found the concept of this book so amazing and just had to read it!
Rome in Love is about a young actress named Amelia, she is a budding star in her first major role, which is a modern version of the classic Roman Holiday featuring Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn. Rome in Love is unique in that it is also a retelling of Roman Holiday in the story line. It was fascinating!
Anita Hughes did a fabulous job with her descriptions of Rome! Her writing totally pulled me into the story. The landmarks, the fashion and of course the food! It was so descriptive and beautiful and I found myself hungry more than a few times while reading this! Anyone who knows me, knows that it is my dream to visit Italy someday and this book only encouraged that need within me!
I liked Amelia, and thought that she was sweet and really captured the essence of Audrey in a modern way. I enjoyed the other characters as well. Her friend Sophie was fun and I enjoyed their friendship. There is also Philip, the reporter and love interest that Amelia meets. Although I liked Philip, I had trouble being invested in the relationship between him and Amelia. I am not sure why, but there seemed to be so much going on between the re-telling and all of the characters that the romance seemed secondary to me.
I really enjoyed that the story line, followed the plot of the movie. It made it so interesting and Hughes did an incredible job bringing that to life. My one complaint was that, I wished there had been more of Amelia on the movie set. There was really only one mention of the infamous scooter ride and that was it, I was truly hoping for more!
I think that my favorite part of the novel was when Amelia found the letters that Audrey wrote in her hotel room. In the story Amelia stays in the same suite that Audrey occupied while filming and she finds these letters hidden in the room. I loved the letters and thought they were so light and fun and really payed homage to Audrey, while also providing some History about when Audrey filmed the movie. It was such a fun part of the story.
I found that I loved the re-telling of the story and all of the references to Audrey and Gregory, but I struggled with the actual characters and love story of Rome in Love. One thing that kept bugging me was the switch to third person, it was a bit confusing. I am not a fan of third person so that could just be me.
Overall, I really enjoyed this novel. It was sweet, romantic and fun! I loved the tribute to the movie roman Holiday and the homage payed to Audrey Hepburn! This was my first Anita Hughes book, but I think that I will try others after this!
August 10, 2016
I couldn’t make it to Rome this summer, but reading this book was the next best thing to being there! Rome in Love tells the story of actress-on-the-rise Amelia Tate who’s been cast to play the Audrey Hepburn role in a remake of Roman Holiday. This is a dream come true for Amelia, but she’s overwhelmed by all the media attention when she arrives in The Eternal City to shoot the film. Wanting to escape the crush of a press conference at her hotel, she dons a maid’s uniform and takes off to explore Rome. While off on this adventure, she meets a handsome American journalist who doesn’t recognize her and she lets him think she works at the hotel. She also crosses paths with a young woman named Sophie who seems to be on the run. Amelia bonds with Sophie, and after confiding their secrets to each other, they agree to discover Rome together.
Amelia tries to resist the charms of Philip, the reporter, because she has a boyfriend back home, but it’s hard not to fall in love in a place where the wine is always flowing and there are so many opportunities for romance. Unfortunately, there’s a problem in that Amelia continues to lie to Philip about who she is, and he’s not being totally upfront with her either. Will their relationship be able to survive when their truths are finally revealed? And how will Amelia’s experiences in Rome change her?
Both Amelia and Sophie’s stories in the book mirror the journey of the heroine in Roman Holiday, which was fun. I liked Sophie and her budding romance with the young, idealistic doctor who treats her sprained ankle so much that I would’ve liked to have seen more of it in the book. Unfortunately, most of what happened to Sophie, including her falling for the doctor, happened off-page. Because I’m a fan of classic films and stars, my favorite part of the book was the old letters of Audrey Hepburn’s that Amelia finds stashed away in her hotel room. There was a whole, fascinating story in those letters that detailed Audrey’s time on the set of Roman Holiday, including her friendship/crush on Gregory Peck and her meeting of her future husband, Mel Ferrar.
If you enjoy holiday romances, then this is the book for you. Reading it is a very pleasant way to spend a few hours.
Amelia tries to resist the charms of Philip, the reporter, because she has a boyfriend back home, but it’s hard not to fall in love in a place where the wine is always flowing and there are so many opportunities for romance. Unfortunately, there’s a problem in that Amelia continues to lie to Philip about who she is, and he’s not being totally upfront with her either. Will their relationship be able to survive when their truths are finally revealed? And how will Amelia’s experiences in Rome change her?
Both Amelia and Sophie’s stories in the book mirror the journey of the heroine in Roman Holiday, which was fun. I liked Sophie and her budding romance with the young, idealistic doctor who treats her sprained ankle so much that I would’ve liked to have seen more of it in the book. Unfortunately, most of what happened to Sophie, including her falling for the doctor, happened off-page. Because I’m a fan of classic films and stars, my favorite part of the book was the old letters of Audrey Hepburn’s that Amelia finds stashed away in her hotel room. There was a whole, fascinating story in those letters that detailed Audrey’s time on the set of Roman Holiday, including her friendship/crush on Gregory Peck and her meeting of her future husband, Mel Ferrar.
If you enjoy holiday romances, then this is the book for you. Reading it is a very pleasant way to spend a few hours.
August 5, 2015
My review may also be found on my blog - Dizneeee's World of Books
Amelia is a rising Hollywood starlet. She's is in Rome to film a remake of one of the best movies of all time: Roman Holiday.
At the beginning of the story, we meet Amelia. She snuck out of a party in a maid's outfit from the hotel where she is a guest. While out and roaming the streets, she discovers that she's quite tipsy from the party and has no purse or money with her. She meets Philip, a man who saved her from the rain, and shares a taxi with her.
The next morning, we meet a mysterious girl. She gets injured and Amelia goes along with her to the doctor to make sure she's okay.
After meeting these two people, Amelia's world becomes topsy-turvy! She finds a true friend in the mysterious Sophie and finds romance with Philip, the reporter who pretends to not know who Amelia is and why she's in Rome.
One day, while in her suite at the hotel, Amelia discovers letters taped to the inside of a desk. When she begins to read them, she realizes they're letters written by Audrey Hepburn! Through the letters, we find many parallels between Amelia and Audrey Hepburn. They were both beautiful ladies who were engaged to somewhat pushy and bossy men. Each of them ended their relationships while in Rome, while filming. Both women found strength and freedom.
Rome is magical! I need to go to Rome!
I absolutely love stories that are so detailed with the setting that I feel as if I'm IN the story. While reading Rome in Love, I could picture myself sitting at a cafe near a beautiful fountain, enjoying a plate full of pasta with a glass of wine.
I also love stories with happy endings. I especially love when it's a happy ending because the women in the story do what they want to do -- without regret.
The question posed in the summary, "Can Amelia and Sophie finally have both the life and love they've always wanted -- or will they be forced to choose?" will definitely be at the forefront of your mind as you enjoy the ride through this lovely story to find out their fates.
Amelia is a rising Hollywood starlet. She's is in Rome to film a remake of one of the best movies of all time: Roman Holiday.
At the beginning of the story, we meet Amelia. She snuck out of a party in a maid's outfit from the hotel where she is a guest. While out and roaming the streets, she discovers that she's quite tipsy from the party and has no purse or money with her. She meets Philip, a man who saved her from the rain, and shares a taxi with her.
The next morning, we meet a mysterious girl. She gets injured and Amelia goes along with her to the doctor to make sure she's okay.
After meeting these two people, Amelia's world becomes topsy-turvy! She finds a true friend in the mysterious Sophie and finds romance with Philip, the reporter who pretends to not know who Amelia is and why she's in Rome.
One day, while in her suite at the hotel, Amelia discovers letters taped to the inside of a desk. When she begins to read them, she realizes they're letters written by Audrey Hepburn! Through the letters, we find many parallels between Amelia and Audrey Hepburn. They were both beautiful ladies who were engaged to somewhat pushy and bossy men. Each of them ended their relationships while in Rome, while filming. Both women found strength and freedom.
Rome is magical! I need to go to Rome!
I absolutely love stories that are so detailed with the setting that I feel as if I'm IN the story. While reading Rome in Love, I could picture myself sitting at a cafe near a beautiful fountain, enjoying a plate full of pasta with a glass of wine.
I also love stories with happy endings. I especially love when it's a happy ending because the women in the story do what they want to do -- without regret.
The question posed in the summary, "Can Amelia and Sophie finally have both the life and love they've always wanted -- or will they be forced to choose?" will definitely be at the forefront of your mind as you enjoy the ride through this lovely story to find out their fates.
July 20, 2016
I nice enough story, but the very premise required deceit on the part of both the main characters so I was constantly worried about how that might turn out well.
It was actually handled very well, but I didn't know that until I got to the end, did I?
And the chance of those letter still being there to be found 60 years later? Sorry, I don't buy that in the real world. Suspension of disbelief required.
It was actually handled very well, but I didn't know that until I got to the end, did I?
And the chance of those letter still being there to be found 60 years later? Sorry, I don't buy that in the real world. Suspension of disbelief required.
February 18, 2015
Hollywood, Audrey Hepburn, Rome...a delicious read. I don't know how Hughes can so repeatedly set her characters in the most fabulous, glitziest of locales and still make them completely charming and relatable. A read-at-the-beach in one sitting type of book. It definitely had me googling afterward as well!
August 4, 2015
I loved Rome In Love. Anita Hughes is great at settings. She knows how to take you away and in this book, you could FEEL Rome. You could see it, taste it, smell, live in it. And I liked the Audrey Hepburn sub plot, and how she had to re - do her life, start again, re think, take a hit and get back up. Totally loved it.
June 28, 2015
Another lovely novel by Anita Hughes! If you love Italy, but don't have the time or money to travel there, then all you have to do is read ROME IN LOVE--her descriptions of the country are immaculate and the story enticing. Loved it!
July 31, 2015
3 1/2 stars, review coming soon!
August 20, 2015
A fun read! Feels like you're actually in Rome with Amelia.
January 17, 2019
I like the idea of this story. And I like that it includes my favorite parts of an Anita Hughes novel, there’s always a lot of talk of good food, good fashion and an independent woman in the lead.
Amelia is an actress who has just gotten her first big break. She’s playing Audrey Hepburn in a remake of Roman Holiday. She’s on the cusp of being a big name.
Her long term boyfriend is not supportive. He wants her to come back home. He wants her to quit acting. But it’s her dream.
Soon after arriving, she runs out on a party and throws on a hotel maid’s uniform to sneak away from the crowd.
She meets Philip, a reporter, while in disguise.
She also meets Sophia, a princess.
She doesn’t want to tell Philip the truth at first and then she feels she’s in too deep to admit her lie about being a maid.
But Philip is a reporter and he might be on to Amelia before she fesses up.
Sophia is also under cover. She’s a princess in another country and isn’t likely to be recognized in Rome.
Add in the secret stash of letters Amelia finds in a desk in bed hotel room. They are letters written by Audrey Hepburn, while the stayed in the same room, filming Roman Holiday herself.
So, the storyline is cute, the setting in Rome is fun. And the food sounds delicious.
I’m even willing to go along with the undercover princess storyline and letters of Audrey Hepburn’s staying hidden in a hotel desk for 50 years.
But here’s what didn’t work for me, there’s so much going on that the attention to details isn’t quite there. For instance, the character Max seems to be wearing a yellow polo shirt every time he’s in the story. And all the characters kind of talk the same way. Amelia, Sophia and Audrey Hepburn all use a very similar way of talking. I know the author has a recognizable voice in her books but if there’s going to be three or four main characters I just prefer them to be a little more distinguishable from each other.
Amelia is an actress who has just gotten her first big break. She’s playing Audrey Hepburn in a remake of Roman Holiday. She’s on the cusp of being a big name.
Her long term boyfriend is not supportive. He wants her to come back home. He wants her to quit acting. But it’s her dream.
Soon after arriving, she runs out on a party and throws on a hotel maid’s uniform to sneak away from the crowd.
She meets Philip, a reporter, while in disguise.
She also meets Sophia, a princess.
She doesn’t want to tell Philip the truth at first and then she feels she’s in too deep to admit her lie about being a maid.
But Philip is a reporter and he might be on to Amelia before she fesses up.
Sophia is also under cover. She’s a princess in another country and isn’t likely to be recognized in Rome.
Add in the secret stash of letters Amelia finds in a desk in bed hotel room. They are letters written by Audrey Hepburn, while the stayed in the same room, filming Roman Holiday herself.
So, the storyline is cute, the setting in Rome is fun. And the food sounds delicious.
I’m even willing to go along with the undercover princess storyline and letters of Audrey Hepburn’s staying hidden in a hotel desk for 50 years.
But here’s what didn’t work for me, there’s so much going on that the attention to details isn’t quite there. For instance, the character Max seems to be wearing a yellow polo shirt every time he’s in the story. And all the characters kind of talk the same way. Amelia, Sophia and Audrey Hepburn all use a very similar way of talking. I know the author has a recognizable voice in her books but if there’s going to be three or four main characters I just prefer them to be a little more distinguishable from each other.
January 23, 2024
Tulisannya bagus, tapi aku berhenti membaca karena menurutku terlalu banyak basa-basi. Buku ini bisa menjadi tebal karena penulis terlalu banyak menuliskan hal-hal yang sebenarnya 'tidak perlu amat', seperti deskripsi pakaian setiap orang (benar-benar dari ujung kepala hingga kaki, warna, tekstur, dan bentuknya, tak peduli tokoh utama atau sekedar figuran pejalan kaki), omongan tidak masuk akal dan kurang berbobot dari Max, dan surat-surat yang 'ceritanya' ditulis oleh Audrey Hepburn saat dia tinggal untuk syuting Roman Holiday. Awalnya aku masih tidak apa-apa membaca isi suratnya. Namun lama-kelamaan aku bingung kenapa suratnya tidak habis-habis dan panjang sekali. Katanya Amelia menemukan surat itu di dalam laci hotel, tidak masuk akal kalau surat sebanyak dan bertumpuk-tumpuk itu baru ditemukan 50 tahun setelahnya (walaupun ini novel fiksi tetap saja harus masuk akal). Ditambah menurutku isi suratnya terlalu bertele-tele. Maaf, Mrs. Hepburn, kalau kamu memang aslinya kamu menulis surat seperti itu. Tapi untuk porsi dimasukkan ke novel, tulisannya terlalu banyak dan menurutku tidak berhubungan dengan cerita. Mau dibilang 'bacaan selingan' juga terlalu banyak. Penggunaan kalimat langsung dalam surat (atau diari berbentuk surat, aku bingung) juga benar-benar membuatku pusing. Apakah kamu benar-benar bisa mengingat setiap detail percakapan yang terjadi enam jam yang lalu untuk diceritakan ke orang lain? Kurasa tidak. Dan untuk penerjemah (Inggris ke Indonesia), kuharap untuk cetakan selanjutnya pemilihan kata dan susunan kalimatnya bisa diperbaiki. Tidak usah menggunakan bahasa yang berat, contohnya marmer menjadi pualam. Dan untuk nama-nama makanan atau tempat khas berbahasa Italia, berikanlah sedikit deskripsi singkat dan tepat. Aku susah menikmati bacaan karena terlalu banyak kosakata yang tidak biasa untuk orang awam. Terima kasih telah berhasil membuatku mengetik sebanyak ini.
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