Allison reviews Dante’s Girl by Courtney Cole

Sometimes in the dreary months of winter, you need a book that is going to pick you right up and take you away to a far away place filled with cute boys and fun in the sun. The book that did this for me recently was Dante’s Girl by Courtney Cole. From the very beginning, this book takes you far away from the depressing days of snow, and casts you right into the beautiful sunrays of an island in Greece. It is fun, cute, and endearing making it also a very quick read!

Every summer since she has ten years old, Reece has gone to visit her father in London, and every summer it has been the same predictable boring routine. She doesn’t expect it to be any different this year but that is because she has no idea what is in store for her. First, she bumps into a very handsome stranger named Dante in the airport only later to find out that he is seated next to her on her flight. Their flight never takes off though because as they are waiting to go, a nearby flight randomly explodes, and kills all the passengers. As Reece struggles to piece together exactly what is happening, she winds up being whisked away by Dante and his security team onto a nearby private jet to Caberra, a small (made up) island in Greece, where Dante’s father is Prime Minister.

Upon her arrival in this new strange exotic land, Reece is somehow quick to forget about the stressful tragedy which she just encountered, and instead finds herself captivated with Dante. In many ways, he is her complete opposite. He comes from a world of wealth and wit while she comes from a place of farms and sarcasm. Yet when they are together, their chemistry is simply undeniable. It is very easy to get swept up as the two of them try to deny what is happening between them. There are plenty of swoon worthy moments, and even when the dialogue can seem a little cringe worthy, it somehow still works!

Here is a mostly non-spoilery example of Reece and Dante and their swooniness:

“I lean up and kiss Dante’s cheek and he smells like the ocean and the salt and the sun. And maybe the woodsy scent of the olive groves. I sigh. There’s no way that life gets any better than this. I settle back into his side for the drive and he wraps his arm around me.”

*swoon*

It was also really easy to enjoy the scenery of Dante’s Girl because of the lush descriptions of the island. Simply put, it is gorgeous! I especially enjoyed the descriptions of the vineyard where Reece finds herself interning at over the summer which also allows her to stay in Caberra instead of going to London. It really did sound like a perfect place to spend the summer. The supporting characters also each added something different to the story, and they all played their own important role in allowing the progression of Dante and Reece’s relationship as well as the rest of the story. I especially enjoyed the friendship that developed between Reece and Mia (one of the girls who lived on the island).

Unfortunately not everything in Dante’s Girl was enjoyable for me. This stems from the disconcerted feeling I got whenever the subplot was brought up. The subplot involved more danger and intrigue than the main plot of Reece and Dante falling for each other but it was as if it was being also being ignored. Every time a moment that was dangerous came into play, it was almost as if it was being brushed off to help mold the romantic sections. This just made the story feel a bit unbalanced to me. It didn’t necessarily take away from the chick-flick type romance but at the same time I couldn’t help questioning the necessity of those moments if they were never fully addressed. At the same time, I definitely think that with a little refinement, the gap between the two plots could have easily been brought together more, and ultimately produced a more well-crafted story.

Even when the subplot flaws, I would recommend Dante’s Girl to anyone who is looking for a story that will take them away from things for a little while. It is fast paced quick read which has moments that will give you butterflies in your stomach and descriptive scenery that will leave you wanting to take an island vacation where you can find a cute sweet boy of your own!

Disclosure: Purchased for my Nook (Currently $3.99 for both Nook and Kindle)

Other reviews of Dante’s Girl by Courtney Cole:

Rather Be Reading: If you are prepared to embrace the drama, Dante’s Girl is worth giving a shot.

The Bookish Brunette: Dante’s Girl by Courtney Cole is light, fun, witty, hilarious and absolutely adorable!

Buried in Books: If you love a great romance between two very different but well matched people, then this is the YA contemporary for you!