Under a Dancing Star

By Laura Wood

Book Overview

Steal away to Italy for a hot summer, a sexy dare, and a romance that was never supposed to happen. For fans of The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue and Love and Gelato -- this is the escapist read you've been looking for

Bea is an outspoken English girl determined to break with family tradition and pave her own path. After embarrassing her parents at a dinner party designed to find her a husband, Bea is invited to spend an eye-opening summer in Italy with her uncle's artistic bohemian friends. There, she meets Ben, a brilliant artist -- and a brilliant flirt. When sparks fly between them, a challenge is set: can they create the perfect summer romance? There's just one rule: they absolutely, positively cannot fall in love.

"Richly drawn and painfully relevant. A delightful and fresh retelling of Much Ado About Nothing." ---Katharine McGee, NYT bestselling author of American Royals

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 059330957X
• ISBN13: 9780593309575
• Release Date: June 2021
• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.03 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.7" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

Disappointing read but gave authors other book ‘A Sky Painted Gold’ 5 stars.

After loving A Sky Painted Gold, I was genuinely excited to pick up Under a Dancing Star. Same author, gorgeous setting, promising premise… it felt like a sure thing. But unfortunately, this one really missed the mark. The plot is slow and surprisingly dull, especially for a novel set in 1930s Italy. There’s very little momentum, and what does happen never feels particularly compelling. A big issue for me was the lack of chemistry between the two leads, Bea and Ben. For a book that positions itself as a love story, there’s surprisingly little tension or emotional investment in their relationship. Their dynamic is meant to be witty and oppositional, but it ends up feeling flat and unconvincing. Wood also weaves in heavy political themes (fascism, Nazi ideology, looming war) but these elements feel more like background noise than anything integral to the story. They're touched on, but never explored in a meaningful way, which makes their inclusion feel unnecessary rather than impactful. What’s most disappointing is the writing itself. After the lyrical, emotionally rich prose of A Sky Painted Gold, I expected the same level of depth here. Instead, the writing feels rushed and less refined, with none of the emotional weight or atmosphere that made her earlier work so powerful.