My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century: A Sweet YA/Time Travel Romance

I have been basically reading depressing, dystopian YA novels for the past month, and needed a lighthearted read to shake things up. This book had been getting good reviews so I decided to give it a try.My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel Harris is a cute read that focuses on Cat, a cynical but somewhat spoiled 16 year old, who doesn't want her father to marry his current girlfriend, although all signs point to her being pretty nice. Sounds like your typical teen novel. Then enters a twist. Cat and her family go to Florence, where she meets a magical gypsy (aren't they all?) who whisks her off to the 16th century to "learn some lessons." OK, I'm making this a little more basic than the plot really is-- but essentially, we are swept away like Cat, and watch this modern teen try to make it in the 16th century. Gorgeous gowns, hot guys, and intrigue all abound in this book.There's a lot to like about this book. Cat, although spoiled, is a fun protagonist. That's a tough balance to make but Harris pulls it off. I loved all the descriptions of both the modern world and the old world. The art references, etc, are great as well, and I learned a thing or two! I liked that Cat also was able to fumble and fall but get up again (HEART the singing debacle!), as she wasn't perfect the first (or maybe second) time around. And she definitely had some room to grow and develop over the course of the novel. Alessandra was a wonderful side character, and I enjoyed learning about Cat's family, overall.My biggest beef with this book, which is not as much a criticism of the book but more of an opinion about it, is how clueless Cat is, almost to the point of me exclaiming, "How did you not see that coming?" But then, I thought about this for a while and pictured my younger 16 year old self in this position. While certain aspects of the plot were crystal clear in my now adult head, I could see how this may not even appear on her radar, especially coming from the modern world back to an older one.Overall, a fun, light read (just what I needed) with some great characters and terrific description, with room for a sequel or two! Here's to hoping!

I’ve had My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century (MSSSC) sitting on my TBR since August 2013 when I was lucky enough to score an eARC of A Tale of Two Centuries (ATOTC), the sequel. I had heard that ATOTC was more of a companion and could be read on its own, so I read ATOTC and then planned on reading MSSSC soon after – Well, it’s not exactly “soon after,” but I DID finally read it and man, oh man – Rachel Harris has done it again! A gorgeous story, amazing characters and a swoon-worthy guy, all set within the breathtaking back-drop of sixteenth century Renaissance Italy.I loved Cat almost from the beginning. At first, I even thought I liked her more than Alessandra (from ATOTC). In the end, I still like Alessandra more (sorry, Cat!) but Cat was an amazing character. She was strong-willed and defiant, the exact opposite of what a sixteenth century girl should be. But when she’s thrown into the past, she has no choice but to do what she can to fit in and not draw attention to herself. Along the way, she has some lessons to learn.I loved, loved, loved seeing Alessandra in her own time-period, considering that in ATOTC, we *Spoiler alert* almost exclusively see her in the twenty-first century. She was the same kind-hearted, generous person, if even more modest and demure in MSSSC than she was in ATOTC (since she has yet to come out of her shell). She embraces Cat from the start and even believes and trusts her later on, when Cat confides her in.Lorenzo!! We met at last, Lorenzo. I can see what everyone was swooning over now! And wow… Let me just say, wow! Rachel Harris sure knows how to write swoon-worthy hotties! Lorenzo, Lucas, Austin, Jason and Cane = all swoon-worthy! However…. Don’t hate me Lorenzo fangirls, but I think I like Lucas better! *Hides from the egg-throwers and mob with pitchforks* HEAR ME OUT! Because I read ATOTC first, I met Lucas first. I fell head over heels for him and I saw how things ended for him and Cat. So though I LOVED Lorenzo, I do like Lucas more and I like Lucas and Cat together more! I just do! *Nods firmly*I knew who Lucia was almost immediately. I loved, loved Aunt Francesca – she was so kind and loving, something Cat definitely needed. I adored Cirpriano – he was the over-protective big brother where both Alessandra and Cat were concerned.Now, I think I’ve mentioned this before. But I want to say that Rachel Harris renewed my faith in time-travel stories. Before I read ATOTC (and now MSSSC), I read a HORRIBLE book with time travel. It was pre-blogging, but if I were to rate it as a blogger now, it would probably have been 2 stars, if not lower. After that book, I swore off reading time-travel books because I was just too scared to. Well.. Clearly Rachel Harris fixed that problem! She does such an incredible job, I can’t help but love everything she writes. Her characters are amazing and lovable and her plots are intriguing. I also wasn’t a fan of romance until I started reading her books. So, yeah, that all says a lot!Overall, once again, Rachel Harris wrote a gorgeous, fun, amazing tale of time travel, love and self-discovery. She is one of my favorite authors – one of my auto-read authors. I highly recommend her books. If you haven’t read them, definitely check them out ASAP! You won’t be disappointed, I promise!

Being under a lot of pressure at work and illnesses at home, I was looking for a very light fairy tale book. Being over 50, I didn't want a young or teenage child's type book that makes no sense. I enjoyed all the Harry Potter books and was looking for something more along those lines. I took a chance and downloaded this book and its sequel, A Tale of Two Centuries. I am three quarters of the way through this book and although it's not exactly what I was looking for, it is close enough to fulfill my needs.I only let myself read while at the gym or I'm sure I'd have finished this book in an evening. A young gal born into a family from Hollywood and all its drama is transported back to the Rennaisance in Italy. A painter by nature, she welcomes the freedom and arts the transport allows her. She meets a boy and all the drama that entails will satisfy people who seem to need the romance in a book but she also meets Michelangelo and sees the David and relates those experiences too. It's a witty book that has given me many needed smiles. I am enjoying it enough that I will look forward to continuing on into the next book. EDIT: I am now almost finished with the sequel to this book, Tale of Two Centuries and have to say that I would not recommend that book. I've had a hard time getting through it so it's just a matter of finishing it so that I can move on to something else. For those who are reading for the light, unrealistic, childlike romance there's plenty to enjoy but unlike the first book, there's nothing solid in this read. So as much as I enjoyed the first book, the second book was a big letdown.

In a day and age where stories about Vampires, Werewolves and Falling Angels are wildly accepted, I know that my following suggestion will seem a bit daft but here it goes...Suspension of Disbelief: A willingness to suspend one's critical faculties and believe the unbelievable; sacrifice of realism and logic for the sake of enjoyment.Get to know this definition and love this definition. You really won't be able to read and enjoy this book without going into it just the acceptance of everything that is happening. Caterina, Cat to everybody, finds herself transported back to the Sixteenth Century by a gypsy she meets in Florence. She doesn't speak Italian before she goes to the past but once there she understands and speaks it perfectly. She finds it hard to not speak in her 21st Century slang but passes this off as being from London where things are different. It is all very Big (the Tom Hank's movie from the 80's) but if you go in with an open mind you will find it enjoyable and a really good read."Powers that be, powers of three, let Caterina's destiny be all that I see."The time spent in Sixteenth Century Florence was fun. Cat is a huge lover of Renaissance art so this timeframe is perfect for her and she even gets to meet one of her favorite artists. The person whose body she has taken over is Patience D'Angeli and she soon discovers that the family she is staying with are actually her ancestors. Cat does a lot of growing up as the story progresses and is able to make some decisions that will affect her own life, the one back in the 21st Century.Her Sixteenth Century surrogate family are lovely. Her aunt and uncle were sweet but my absolute favorites were her cousins, Cipriano and Alessandra. Cipriano becomes quite protective of Cat and Alessandra easily becomes a close friend and they even call each other sister. Cat does not allow herself to get close to others in her 'real life' so the feelings she starts to have for them takes her by surprise.Of course no young adult book would be complete without a love story and this does not disappoint. Cat quickly begins to have feelings for a local artist and friend of the family, his name is Lorenzo Cappelli. He was so very sweet. I am sure the setting had a lot to do with how much of a gentleman he was and how sweet their interactions were with each other. He falls for Patience/Cat hard and is willing to change his entire life in order to be with her... so swoonworthy.My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century is the first in the series and the second book, A Tale of Two Centuries, is due to be published in August 2013. I have to be honest when I had got to around 80% I really could not see how it was going to end or even carry on with another book but then the end came and I was pleasantly surprised with a bit of a twist. Cliffhanger? Yes! But it was a fun one and left me very much wanting to carry on with Cat's story."Lorenzo gently places his hands on either side of my face, lowering his head to stare directly into my eyes. His voice is barely above a whisper as he says, "Patience D'Angeli-Cat-you are my dream now."ChristineRainy Day Reads

I enjoyed getting lost in My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century, it's an interesting adventure and Cat is a good narrator. History has never been my strong point so I don't know how factually correct this book is but I thought the little extra's (like the forks) added a nice touch to the story.Truthfully Lorenzo didn't do much for me but as I adored Alessandra and the rest of the D'Angeli family I didn't mind all that much. I haven't decided about the ending, I think My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century is a book that works better the less you think about it - just enjoy the ride.There are some really funny moments and I liked how Cat grew as a character from the beginning of the book.My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century is the kind of book that makes you go "aww" and "ha ha" from one page to the next.WARNING for UK readers: At one point in this story a character is described as "spastically" clapping. If published in the UK I'm certain an alternative description will be used.This description is not offensive in the US.

I was slightly disappointed in this book as the premise is really good but I didn't feel like I got to know the characters well so didn't care an awful lot about them... I'm sure there'll be follow ups which may get better! I might give them a go.