My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by: Rachel Harris

Synopsis: 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?

Thoughts: Historic books tend not to be my thing, but MSSSC pulled me into the time warp so effortlessly. All the characters are likeable and the journey is an unforgettable one. It’s one of the best coming of age stories I’ve read this year.

We start off with Cat Crawford who’s had to live with all the Hollywood ups and downs… a mother who’s constantly in headlines (not good ones might I add), a very well-known father and a way too bubbly stepmother. Soon is Cat’s sweet sixteen… and she couldn’t be less excited for it. As a get-in-her-good-graces though her family plans a trip to Florence, Italy so Cat can finally see her love for artwork up close. Instead she stumbles upon a strange gypsy tent and ends up thrown into the sixteenth century. Cat soon finds herself living an ancestor’s life, making friends, possibly finding love and experiencing things she never thought possible.

I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect with this one… I knew it was going to be a quick, fun read but what I didn’t expect was to fall in love with it so much. Each a every characters quickly find a way to weasel into your heart. I truly loved watching siblings Alessandra and Cip cracking open little by little by having Cat in their lives. Then there’s also Lorenzo who right along with Cat you’re cheering “He’s a player… he’s arrogant.. he’s hot… wait he’s nice… WAIT HE’S PERFECT.” And, I love growing to love a character.

As the story continued on I just kept finding myself more and more invested in it. It was interesting to get a glimpse of another time period, fun to attend elegant balls, and to witness secret stolen kisses. I didn’t want Cat’s journey to end, but Rachel took the ending of her story to a level I totally didn’t expect, and I was so thrilled by it. Surprised even… the ending is somewhat of an exciting jaw-dropper! Now, I am dying for the companion novel because I know Rachel is going to give me a whole other story to fall in love with.