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Viola #2
Viola in the Spotlight
I am in the midst of a conundrum.
Viola is finally where she belongs—back home in Brooklyn, where there are no khakis or sherbet-colored sweaters and people actually think her yellow flats are cool. With two whole months of nothing to do but hang with her two best friends, Andrew and Caitlin, this is going to be the best break ever!
But her BFFAA, Andrew, has started acting weird around her, and a new boyfriend has her friend Caitlin ditching her every chance she gets. When Viola's roommates from Prefect Academy show up for a visit, she starts to wonder—is Brooklyn where she wants to stay? When a tragic event shakes everyone's world, Viola realizes it's not where she belongs that matters—it's who she's with that really counts.
In this heartwarming follow-up to bestselling author Adriana Trigiani's teen debut, Viola in Reel Life, Viola just may be ready to get out from behind her trusty video camera and take the starring role in her own life.
Book Details: Format: Hardcover Publication Date: 4/5/2011 Pages: Reading Level: Age 13 and Up
288 pages, Hardcover
First published April 5, 2011
126 people are currently reading
2033 people want to read
About the author
Adriana Trigiani
65 books6,752 followersJoin Adriana Trigiani and the great authors and luminaries of our time on the YOU ARE WHAT YOU READ PODCAST! Available wherever you listen to podcasts: https://linktr.ee/adrianatrigiani
Beloved by millions of readers around the world for her "dazzling" novels (USA Today), Adriana Trigiani is "a master of palpable and visual detail" (Washington Post) and "a comedy writer with a heart of gold" (New York Times). She is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty books of fiction and nonfiction, including her latest, The Good Left Undone- an instant New York Times best seller, Book of the Month pick and People's Book of the Week. Her work is published in 38 languages around the world. An award-winning playwright, television writer/producer and filmmaker, Adriana's screen credits include writer/director of the major motion picture of her debut novel, Big Stone Gap, the adaptation of her novel Very Valentine and director of Then Came You. Adriana grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia where she co-founded The Origin Project, an in-school writing program serving over 2,700 students in Appalachia. She is at work on her next novel for Dutton at Penguin Random House.
Follow Adriana on Facebook and Instagram @AdrianaTrigiani and on TikTok @AdrianaTrigianiAuthor or visit her website: AdrianaTrigiani.com.
Beloved by millions of readers around the world for her "dazzling" novels (USA Today), Adriana Trigiani is "a master of palpable and visual detail" (Washington Post) and "a comedy writer with a heart of gold" (New York Times). She is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty books of fiction and nonfiction, including her latest, The Good Left Undone- an instant New York Times best seller, Book of the Month pick and People's Book of the Week. Her work is published in 38 languages around the world. An award-winning playwright, television writer/producer and filmmaker, Adriana's screen credits include writer/director of the major motion picture of her debut novel, Big Stone Gap, the adaptation of her novel Very Valentine and director of Then Came You. Adriana grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia where she co-founded The Origin Project, an in-school writing program serving over 2,700 students in Appalachia. She is at work on her next novel for Dutton at Penguin Random House.
Follow Adriana on Facebook and Instagram @AdrianaTrigiani and on TikTok @AdrianaTrigianiAuthor or visit her website: AdrianaTrigiani.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 155 reviews
April 10, 2011
I quite enjoyed Adriana's YA debut, Viola in Reel Life, last year, and was eager for the sequel to be released. Viola in the Spotlight did not fall into the sequel slump, and, in my opinion, it was even better than the first! Viola Chesterton spent her entire freshman year away at boarding school, and she is ecstatic to be returning to New York City for the summer. She can finally spend everyday hanging out with her best friends, Andrew and Caitlin, and relax all summer. But, this summer will not be at all what she expected.
Viola in the Spotlight allowed readers to get to know certain characters even better than in the prequel. Her parents, Andrew, and Caitlin, especially. Andrew, her best friend, has changed a lot while she was away at boarding school, and Viola is worried about their friendship. And when a British play director and his teenage son, Maurice, move into their basement, Caitlin falls in love. Caitlin's character was very complex in this book. We got to better understand her and her parent's rules, as well as her Indian culture. She didn't always prove to be a great friend to Viola because she constantly had Viola cover for her and Maurice so her parents wouldn't find out she had a boyfriend. In addition, so many of Viola's friends (including her roommates) have gotten summer jobs and Viola's grandmother helps her get an internship with the lightning director for her play. Viola's "Grand" and her boyfriend are both fabulous actors, and are starring in a Broadway production of Arsenic and Old Lace.
There were so many great plot twists in this book and Viola was such a real character. Anyone could relate to her as she dealt with the ups and downs of the summer before her sophomore year of high school. My heart went out to Viola when things got tough and some of her friendships were tested, and I only wanted the best for her.
Her boarding school friends also played a role in this story. I am so glad I got to be reintroduced to the trio of fabulous girls Viola got to know during her first year of boarding school. Each of the girls had a distinct personality and they were such great great friends for Viola.
I love realistic fiction novels and this one was no exception. The premise was unique and well executed and Adriana Trigiani created a memorable character in Viola. While there were a lot of laughs and fun moments, there was also a more emotional side to the book, making it that much more real. I liked the first book in the series, but I loved this one. I can only hope for a third book about Viola and her friends soon!
Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Viola in the Spotlight allowed readers to get to know certain characters even better than in the prequel. Her parents, Andrew, and Caitlin, especially. Andrew, her best friend, has changed a lot while she was away at boarding school, and Viola is worried about their friendship. And when a British play director and his teenage son, Maurice, move into their basement, Caitlin falls in love. Caitlin's character was very complex in this book. We got to better understand her and her parent's rules, as well as her Indian culture. She didn't always prove to be a great friend to Viola because she constantly had Viola cover for her and Maurice so her parents wouldn't find out she had a boyfriend. In addition, so many of Viola's friends (including her roommates) have gotten summer jobs and Viola's grandmother helps her get an internship with the lightning director for her play. Viola's "Grand" and her boyfriend are both fabulous actors, and are starring in a Broadway production of Arsenic and Old Lace.
There were so many great plot twists in this book and Viola was such a real character. Anyone could relate to her as she dealt with the ups and downs of the summer before her sophomore year of high school. My heart went out to Viola when things got tough and some of her friendships were tested, and I only wanted the best for her.
Her boarding school friends also played a role in this story. I am so glad I got to be reintroduced to the trio of fabulous girls Viola got to know during her first year of boarding school. Each of the girls had a distinct personality and they were such great great friends for Viola.
I love realistic fiction novels and this one was no exception. The premise was unique and well executed and Adriana Trigiani created a memorable character in Viola. While there were a lot of laughs and fun moments, there was also a more emotional side to the book, making it that much more real. I liked the first book in the series, but I loved this one. I can only hope for a third book about Viola and her friends soon!
Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
May 5, 2011
After reading Viola in Reel Life by Adriana Trigiani, I immediately picked up Viola in the Spotlight.
Viola is back in Brooklyn and ready for a fun-filled summer with her BFFAA Andrew and her friend Caitlin, but things don't go as planned.
Andrew is off to summer camp. Worse, he isn't acting like himself. In fact, he's kind of distant.
Caitlin has a summer job and a new boyfriend. Viola isn't on her list of priories.
Despite the change in plans, there are plenty of twists and turns and dramas to keep Viola on her toes and her camera rolling.
She lands an internship at her "Grand's" Broadway production of "Arsenic and Old Lace", which is challenging and very educational. The Broadway show provides the perfect opportunity for Viola's roommates and school friends from Indiana to visit New York and get the grand tour.
Again, Adriana Trigiani created characters who inspired me with their dedication to each other and their friendship despite several ups and downs and distance. This time, though, she made me cry. What a bittersweet ending.
I liked the first book in the series, but I loved this one. I enjoyed meeting Viola's New York friends and getting to know her parents better. But what I loved most of all was how level-headed and mature Viola was. I'd like to read more characters like her.
Now all I want to know is when the third book will be published?
Viola is back in Brooklyn and ready for a fun-filled summer with her BFFAA Andrew and her friend Caitlin, but things don't go as planned.
Andrew is off to summer camp. Worse, he isn't acting like himself. In fact, he's kind of distant.
Caitlin has a summer job and a new boyfriend. Viola isn't on her list of priories.
Despite the change in plans, there are plenty of twists and turns and dramas to keep Viola on her toes and her camera rolling.
She lands an internship at her "Grand's" Broadway production of "Arsenic and Old Lace", which is challenging and very educational. The Broadway show provides the perfect opportunity for Viola's roommates and school friends from Indiana to visit New York and get the grand tour.
Again, Adriana Trigiani created characters who inspired me with their dedication to each other and their friendship despite several ups and downs and distance. This time, though, she made me cry. What a bittersweet ending.
I liked the first book in the series, but I loved this one. I enjoyed meeting Viola's New York friends and getting to know her parents better. But what I loved most of all was how level-headed and mature Viola was. I'd like to read more characters like her.
Now all I want to know is when the third book will be published?
September 25, 2018
The second in Adriana Trigiani's "Viola" series and this time the main character, Viola, is back home in Brooklyn. It's good to see Trigiani writing back in New York, a place she knows and writes so well. Her characters are appealing and the teen feels real. This is a nice read on a gloomy fall day, no matter what age you are.
July 25, 2024
Film-making, friendships and figuring out maturing. Plus, theatre!
June 18, 2011
Great young adult novel...realistic fiction. A sequel to Viola in Reel Life, I decided to read these books because I had enjoyed the adult books written by Adriana Trigiani. I had seen her interviews on the Today Show, and she is very personable and down to earth. The two books concern the adventures of a 15 year old girl who aspires to become a film-maker, and involves friends and family in her efforts. The first novel depicts her freshman year at boarding school, and her adjustment to rural life in Indiana. The second novel picks up in the summer after her year away when she returns to Brooklyn and the city life she had missed so much. During this time, Viola learns to bridge her two lives, solve the complicated problems of her friends and navigate the fine line between friendship and romantic involvement between her and her BFFAA, Andrew. The second book develops the main characters more fully, and there is quite a bit of pathos and emotional events throughout, making for a more realistic depiction of teenage life. This is a huge relief from the typical depressing YA books which involve vampires, premature sexuality, and serious issues of drugs, violence, mental illness, etc. This is a nice, simple story of teenage girlhood, and I enjoyed it. I wish that it had been written when my daughter was young enough to read it...maybe she will still be interested.....
April 26, 2012
Viola in the Spotlight by Adriana Trigani is the second book following filmmaker Viola. Viola has returned from boarding school to spend the summer with her parents and friends. She plans on spending time with her two best friends and is unhappy to find that they've already made summer plans. Viola then throws herself into many projects (filming them all) including an internship with her grandmothers broadway show that is opening. How will she handle her best friend Andrew who wants to be more than a best friend and another friend using her to sneak around with a boy, can she live all summer without the roommates she's grown to see as sisters?
I love Viola and her friends. This book transported us to a new setting and gave us some new characters (while keeping the old). Viola experiences highlights and low times over the summer. She's a strong girl who isn't boy crazy and who cares about her filmmaking and helping out her friends. I sped through the book and loved reading Viola's story.
Appropriateness: This is a great contemporary novel that young adult readers will enjoy. There is no adult content in the book and Viola's attitudes towards relationships in the series is refreshing when compared to most boy crazy heroine. I would recommend this book to readers 11-15 however it is not inappropriate for younger readers (although Viola is 14 and in high school).
I love Viola and her friends. This book transported us to a new setting and gave us some new characters (while keeping the old). Viola experiences highlights and low times over the summer. She's a strong girl who isn't boy crazy and who cares about her filmmaking and helping out her friends. I sped through the book and loved reading Viola's story.
Appropriateness: This is a great contemporary novel that young adult readers will enjoy. There is no adult content in the book and Viola's attitudes towards relationships in the series is refreshing when compared to most boy crazy heroine. I would recommend this book to readers 11-15 however it is not inappropriate for younger readers (although Viola is 14 and in high school).
June 4, 2011
Trigiani remains among my favorite authors for her genius of really developing her characters so that you feel like they are someone you actually know or want to. This is a teen or tween book but I had thoroughly enjoyed this story and then passed it along to one of my favorite young middle school students. Viola, the character in this story is spunky and real and she stands on her own good feet and typically makes thoughtful choices even if she learns that maybe they weren't the best ones. She faces some difficult situations in this story with good grace and humility. This book is even better than the last Viola story which I also liked very much. I hope young ladies who read this get a sense from Viola that is okay to be who you are because Viola is definitely a character who knows who she is and is great with that.
May 18, 2011
Wow, I learned a lot of great lessons from this book, like don't disobey your parents or it could end poorly, and sometimes things don't work out the way you plan and it's for the best...
Let's just say there was a lot of telling...and when I'm reading a book I don't like to be told, I get enough of that from my mother.
I may be misremembering, but what I liked about Viola was that she was quirky, and while she was she at first, she knew she was different and was okay with..something about yellow shoes. But in this book it felt like Viola was a manufactured teenager - reading Lauren Conrad, and listening to Gaga.
I've had enough.
Let's just say there was a lot of telling...and when I'm reading a book I don't like to be told, I get enough of that from my mother.
I may be misremembering, but what I liked about Viola was that she was quirky, and while she was she at first, she knew she was different and was okay with..something about yellow shoes. But in this book it felt like Viola was a manufactured teenager - reading Lauren Conrad, and listening to Gaga.
I've had enough.
October 17, 2011
Viola and her friends are so delightful! Even for me, at fifty years old, it’s a pleasure to read these wonderfully written Young Adult books, mainly because it’s about friendship and growing up, and that - for me - is ageless.
Adriana Trigiani has been one of my favorite writers for such a long time, and now that she has ventured in the YA genre, her ability to warm the heart hasn’t wavered. And as I said before, Viola and all her friends are from good stock, and they are deliciously normal. It’s so refreshing.
Can we have more Viola books please!?
Adriana Trigiani has been one of my favorite writers for such a long time, and now that she has ventured in the YA genre, her ability to warm the heart hasn’t wavered. And as I said before, Viola and all her friends are from good stock, and they are deliciously normal. It’s so refreshing.
Can we have more Viola books please!?
September 1, 2017
Thoroughly enjoyed the second book in the Viola series but Adriana. It's no secret she is one of my all time favorite authors. If you have not read anything by her I highly recommend the Big Stone Gab Series. Although all of her books are just wonderful heartfelt creations, the characters in Stone Gap are good people. Back to sweet Viola, I sincerely hope that there is more to come!!
February 9, 2020
I so enjoyed this follow up to Viola in Reel Life. The first book was also very good but more suited to a young adult audience. I found this second book giving so much more - it may be the details and descriptions of New York City and the theatre that I enjoyed so much but I also really loved these characters. Trigiani is such an excellent story teller that I enjoy everything she writes!
July 19, 2018
I had picked this up at a library book sale not knowing it was #2 in a series, but I don't think that matters. It was a cute story about 3 Brooklyn best friends. Viola is the main charater that goes away to Indiana to attend a prefect school in what I believe was her freshman year. When she returns to Brooklyn in the summer, she can't wait to see best friends, Andrew & Caitlyn.
Even though they have all changed throughout the school year, they remain close. They are all artistic with Viola & Andrew being film makers and Caitlyn being a violinist. Viola's parents also make documentaries and her grandmother is an actress so she gets her creativeness naturally.
As her grandmother, Grand, gets ready for her broadway play to open, Viola invites her prefect best friends to come to Brooklyn to visit and see the play. Lots of friend drama before and some after the play occur, but everything happens for a reason.
This was another great beach read that even made me cry towards the end. And I always love that Trigiani works in Youngstown, Ohio into her books at least once since I grew up there.
Even though they have all changed throughout the school year, they remain close. They are all artistic with Viola & Andrew being film makers and Caitlyn being a violinist. Viola's parents also make documentaries and her grandmother is an actress so she gets her creativeness naturally.
As her grandmother, Grand, gets ready for her broadway play to open, Viola invites her prefect best friends to come to Brooklyn to visit and see the play. Lots of friend drama before and some after the play occur, but everything happens for a reason.
This was another great beach read that even made me cry towards the end. And I always love that Trigiani works in Youngstown, Ohio into her books at least once since I grew up there.
July 29, 2019
This is the sequel to Viola in Reel Life. Viola is back in Brooklyn for the summer and has managed to get an internship at a Broadway show. She is happy to be back with her best friend Andrew and her friend Caitlin. But things have changed, and now Caitlin is entranced by an English boy who is staying with them for the summer in conjunction with the show and is using Viola as cover from her strict parents. And Andrew is acting strange around her as well. Viola is excited when her friends plan a visit to see the show, but for a while, it seems that life may get in the way. All of them must come together when a tragic event occurs and Viola must make a choice on where she wants to spend her next year in school.
November 25, 2023
Viola Chesterton is finally on her way back to the place she loves most of all - her home in New York City. She just completed her freshman year of high school as a border student at an all girls academy in Indiana. Her hopes for a perfect summer spent hanging out with friends Andrew and Caitlin are ruined when she discovers that both of them have jobs. Then Viola's grandmother found an internship for her at the theatre where Grand is acting in a play. Things are changing as Viola and her friends are growing up. She misses her roommates from Quad 11. They became as close as sisters while living and going to school together. The only constant thing in life is change. Viola has learned to accept and embrace it as she looks ahead to her future. Great story and characters!
August 7, 2023
While the first book in Viola's series saw her pulled away from her home, New York City, and to a private school in Indiana, this book follows Viola's return home. Taking place all over the city as she takes part in the creation of a new play, it is impossible to read this book without being immersed in Trigiani's beautiful settings. While this story is meant for younger readers, Viola still finds herself in complex situations that closely mirror Trigiani's adult books. I recommend this book to everyone from young teenagers to adults.
March 7, 2024
2.5 stars, rounded up. A couple of things working against it, for me are the fact that this feels very of-its-time (i.e. a 2011 published YA book), it's been over a decade since I read the first book, and I am now deep into my 40's. But honestly, don't let those things deter you. Viola and her friends are a hoot, and the life Viola and her family have in Brooklyn and NYC is a fun one, full of love and some hard lessons. I'd just make sure that if you read the series that you start this one shortly afterwards.
February 3, 2019
Great read!
Loved this book. Even though it is about teenage girls! I'm a Grandmother and will recommend this one to my Granddaughter. Adriana Trigiani has such great insight to family relationships! Her books are always a joy to read, and this one didn't disappoint. Hope there is a third in the series!
Loved this book. Even though it is about teenage girls! I'm a Grandmother and will recommend this one to my Granddaughter. Adriana Trigiani has such great insight to family relationships! Her books are always a joy to read, and this one didn't disappoint. Hope there is a third in the series!
January 7, 2018
I found this book quite relatable to my age group as Viola is fifteen years old and is enjoying her life with family and friends. I didn't feel like I had to read the first book in order to like this one. This is overall an enjoyable read with fairly likeable characters.
January 1, 2019
In my final read for 2018, the story of Viola and her roommates continues in New York. Viola learns new lessons—what it means to be employed, how to choose between helping her friends and doing what’s right, and the depth of loss when she experiences death for the first time.
February 1, 2019
What a charming story.
I picked it up from the free cart at my library.
I didn't realize it was a YA book and I'm glad I didn't - since I probably wouldn't have grabbed it if I had known.
And I would've missed reading ?an enjoyable book.
I picked it up from the free cart at my library.
I didn't realize it was a YA book and I'm glad I didn't - since I probably wouldn't have grabbed it if I had known.
And I would've missed reading ?an enjoyable book.
August 3, 2019
Growing up with friends
Loved the characters and their trials. Viola is in the middle of protecting her friend. She has a BFFAA in Andrew.
There is excitement, sorrow, fear and many teen emotions. Being 15 is not easy.
Nice ending.
Loved the characters and their trials. Viola is in the middle of protecting her friend. She has a BFFAA in Andrew.
There is excitement, sorrow, fear and many teen emotions. Being 15 is not easy.
Nice ending.
May 17, 2020
3.5 stars
I wasn’t looking to read a small series about a teen girl but I’m glad I gave the second book a chance. I like Viola as she matures. Also glad I read it first and know my teen daughter could read these.
I wasn’t looking to read a small series about a teen girl but I’m glad I gave the second book a chance. I like Viola as she matures. Also glad I read it first and know my teen daughter could read these.
May 8, 2017
Really good follow up to the first YA novel.
July 4, 2017
Cute book and a good story for 13 to 15 year olds. I enjoyed it even if I don't fit into that age range. A quick, light read to enjoy between weightier books.
September 11, 2017
Fun YA book about friends, family, first love and a fun summer in NYC!
January 1, 2018
Three stars. I enjoyed it but not as much as the first book.
July 29, 2019
A light and fast read about teenage life. Wholesome story.
October 4, 2019
Truly cute book. Book two of Trigiani’s Viola Series. Wish she had continued it.
October 30, 2019
A sweet story about young love. I enjoyed the descriptions of NYC and theatre.
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August 3, 2021Another non-angsty YA.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 155 reviews