Blog Tour Review + Giveaway: My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel Harris

My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel Harris

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Title: My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century

Author: Rachel Harris

Series: My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century #1

Genre: Historical Fiction YA, time travel

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Release date: September 11, 2012

Source: egalley from the publisher

Summary: On the precipice of her sixteenth birthday, the last thing lone wolf Cat Crawford wants is an extravagant gala thrown by her bubbly stepmother and well-meaning father. So even though Cat knows the family’s trip to Florence, Italy, is a peace offering, she embraces the magical city and all it offers. But when her curiosity leads her to an unusual gypsy tent, she exits . . . right into Renaissance Firenze. 

Thrust into the sixteenth century armed with only a backpack full of contraband future items, Cat joins up with her ancestors, the sweet Alessandra and protective Cipriano, and soon falls for the gorgeous aspiring artist Lorenzo. But when the much-older Niccolo starts sniffing around, Cat realizes that an unwanted birthday party is nothing compared to an unwanted suitor full of creeptastic amore. 

Can she find her way back to modern times before her Italian adventure turns into an Italian forever?

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So, friends, I was pretty stoked when I was chosen to participate in the blog your for Rachel Harris‘ debut, MY SUPER SWEET SIXTEENTH CENTURY. See, it contains several of my favorite elements: time travel, historical Italy, romance, and birthday parties gone amiss. What I realized after reading only a few pages was that it contained something else that I love: A main character in Cat Crawford who is modern and real and refreshing. Also, PRETTY DRESSES.

Basically, though, MY SUPER SWEET SIXTEENTH CENTURY is about a girl whose family is changing and she’s having a hard time dealing with it. Her mom–an Italian bombshell actress who chews men up for breakfast and spits them out for lunch–is MIA, but her dad, a big-time film director, sounds pretty fantastic. I can always get behind a good father-daughter relationship, and Cat and her dad seem pretty solid. Except for the PYT her dad is marrying. The stepmom-to-be wants to throw Cat this CRAY huge 16th birthday party in Italy and Cat is all, “no way, lady. NOT feeling it.” Once in Italy, though, things get really out of hand and Cat winds up visiting this gypsy lady in Florence and gets transported back in time. Shenanigans ensue involving ancestors, boys, unwanted betrothals, and port-a-potties in the bedroom.

Cat handles all of this craziness pretty well, I thought, all things considered. She’s lucky enough to make it through the time warp with her backpack, so she’s got some amenities with her. I would have liked it if she didn’t have those things–like fancy soap and her cell phone–to fall back on, but Rachel Harris makes it work. What I loved most about Cat, though, is her modern sensibilities about guys and relationships. When Lorenzo, hottie in tights, starts hitting on her with these cheeseball lines, she totally reacts the same way I think lots of girls today might: EYEROLL, accompanied by “ugh, he had to go and kill the moment with his over-the-top words.” I enjoyed that she didn’t fall for it. (At first.)

On the whole, Lorenzo was pretty great. Nice tingle-enducing romance that has lots of drama and butterflies and anticipation. There’s some other things going on that create obstacles between Cat and Lorenzo getting together–not the least of which is, obviously, the issue of Cat traveling from the future because of a gypsy woman’s crazy magic or whatever. But I liked Lorenzo, even though he knows how to thrown down the cheese.

I wasn’t aware that MY SUPER SWEET SIXTEENTH CENTURY was going to be a series, but I’m excited for more! I loved meeting Cat’s Italian family, and I’m looking forward to getting to know them all a little more. I’m hoping that maybe Cat’s man-eater mom will make an appearance, too! All in all, this was a really fun, light, enjoyable debut with a spunky main character and a sweet, emotional romance. I liked that the time travel aspect wasn’t scientific, either. I LOVED the little gypsy angle. I’m ready for more, Rachel!

Now, because the super awesome people at Entangled Teen love this book so much, they want to share some really incredible sounding swag with you guys! I can’t post the Rafflecopter widget here, but follow this link to enter to win some AMAZING prizes, including cookies, a book of Renaissance post cards, jewelry, a candle AND MORE! PLUS! There’s an international giveaway of goodies, too! So go check out that giveaway!

*Don’t forget to check out my interview with Cat Crawford HERE!*