By Susan Meissner
Waterbrook Press, $14.99, 352 pages
Things are rough for Meg Pomeroy. She’s been waiting practically her entire life for her flake of a father to take her to Florence, Italy, the homeland of her grandmother and her dream location. But dad just never comes through. Ever. And then there’s the issue of her mom’s handsome new boyfriend, much closer to Meg’s age. And then work at the travel book company and trying to work with that chic brother and sister team in Florence on their Italian wedding book. And then, the fact that it seems probable that dad may have stolen a whole bunch of money from his current wife. Things are tough.
But it seems like they may turn around when Meg’s father surprises her with the trip to Italy that he’s been promising her whole life…until he never bothers to show up in Italy, leaving her to fend for herself. Meeting up with the chic brother and sister team, Lorenzo and Renata, Meg is introduced to their neighbor Sofia Borelli, a tour guide and lover of Florence, who just so happens to be writing a book…about how she is the last Medici.
The premise of The Girl in the Glass is winning, but, unfortunately, there are aspects of the book that seem unbelievable, and make it hard to fully enjoy the narrative. Meg’s utter naiveté about Italian culture and language, for one, don’t match with her back-story. Additionally, the issues with men/crush on every boy in the book ring more true for a 17-year-old than a woman in her 30s.
Overall, though, The Girl in the Glass is an enjoyable, light read, suitable for fans of romance and travel, and anyone (particularly women) looking for a book that doesn’t ask—or give—too much.
Reviewed by Ashley McCall
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