The lush Tuscan setting was expertly combined with a dazzling cast of characters (I’m a bit in love with Ursula), and the history included here and there about the rise of Mussolini and fascism was really interesting. Also I’m really happy Wood always adds a bit of LGBTQ rep to her novels - there’s an older secondary f/f couple featured, and one of the central cast is bisexual! It’s just so beautiful.’ I try to find the words. “Sitting underneath the bougainvillea and all the stars, eating this food and being with you. It’s… it’s… almost too much. If I wasn’t seeing it myself I wouldn’t believe such a place was real.’ A transgender boy starting over at a new school falls hard for a popular cheerleader with a reputation to protect in this debut. Wood evidently strives to emulate Shakespeare’s acerbic wit. Her writing is appropriately cheeky and wryly observed. The side effect is that it sometimes strays instead into the obnoxious. This one is too cringey to be indulgent - and that’s why Under a Dancing Star made me gag a little. A long, hot summer of kisses and mischief unfolds – but storm clouds are gathering across Europe, and home is calling. Every summer has to end – but for Bea, this might be just the beginning.

Klaus nods. ‘I understand,’ he says. ‘It is why it is the perfect place to make art. It is a thrill, yes, for all the senses. As if you are seeing everything in brighter colours.’ The shelves are already crowded with teens-training-for-space stories; there’s no need to make room for this one.

About Laura Wood

Finally, our favorite side characters, which didn’t feel like side characters at all, might I add, Klaus, Ursula and Filomena. These three were somewhat exactly what you need in these coming of age stories : strong people with strong convictions and a “let loose” kind of attitude. Filomena was the mother that Bea never had, nurturing and kind, which is sad in a way, because Bea’s mom is far from dead.

PRIASE FOR UNDER A DANCING STAR “Taking its inspiration from Much Ado About Nothing, Laura Wood’s YA novel is a heady exploration of first love and self-discovery… a thoroughly charming and entertaining love story with captivating central characters.” – Books For Keeps “Rapturously romantic, this dazzling novel sees a bright young woman experience unfettered Bohemianism during a life-changing summer.” - LoveReading 4 Kids Her dialogue is contrived and her frequent outrageous sex references as a means to differentiate her from her peers are quite frankly wince-inducing. The romance? Gosh. As I mentioned, this is certainly marketed as guilty pleasure summer reading, but I found the romance far too saccahrine, straying into unnecessary cliche. Bonding experiences include (but are not restricted to) multiple incidents of spilling paint over one another/ falling on top of one another in paint etc. What a hoot! It made my toes curl. Beatrice is this smart and driven woman, struggling with her people-pleasing traits, but while still being herself : a self-thought insect fanatic. She wasn’t forced and had dept, which I liked very much. The idea of romance certainly wasn’t her main goal in life, far from it, which made her story with Ben even better. Instead of asking for her life to change, while doing nothing like so many other book heroines, she actually decided to make the most of her youth, exploring Italy and studying medicine. Power move.Set in Italy, during Mussolini’s rise, Bea is sent to her uncle’s house to spend the summer with her cousin Hero. There she meets Ben, the devilishly handsome artist. The beauty in the words of this book creates a captivating and atmospheric reading experience. The setting of a summer in Italy painted the perfect picture for a mesmerising setting in which Bea can really discover herself and her passions. She is a fantastic leading lady, wanting to break out of the norm that has been set for her by society and her parents. I felt I wanted to fight fiercely for her and her rights as a human to be able to do what she wants in life! He turns to the girl on his left and for the first time I see his famous charm at work. He turns it on her like a spotlight, laughing at her jokes, teasing her, drawing her out so that soon she is laughing and blushing. I watch for a while with great interest. It reminds me of the way birds preen and sing during courtship rituals. Ben glances across, and I arch my eyebrows appreciatively, congratulating him on what is, after all, a brilliant performance. “ I really hope Wood is writing another YA hist fic along the same lines as these two, just so next summer will be even more wonderful. With their new friends gleefully setting the rules for their fling, Bea and Ben can agree on one thing at least: they absolutely, positively will not, cannot fall in love...