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Maria Petranelli is Prepared for Anything (Except This): Winner of the Ampersand Prize
Looking for Alibrandi
meets
Arrested Development
in this YA screwball comedy about a student exchange gone hilariously, criminally wrong.
Maria Petranelli will do anything to get away from her overbearing Italian-Australian family. She’s over their constant heckling about getting a boyfriend, their unspoken belief that she’s not normal, and their loudly spoken belief that she’s incapable of doing, well, anything. So when her family declares she ‘couldn’t handle living in Italy’, Maria immediately signs up to go there on student exchange. What could possibly go wrong? Well, everything …
Despite months of mental preparation for every possible scenario, Maria is out of her depth in Italy. She struggles with the language, immediately gets scammed, and is bewildered by her growing attraction to Kennedy, the sweet-but-hopeless American exchange student who is determined to be her friend … if only Maria would let her.
When the two girls accidentally witness a crime, Maria discovers just what she can and can’t handle. Being kidnapped in the boot of a car and driven off into the Italian countryside? Maybe. But working out her feelings for Kennedy before it’s too late?
Maria Petranelli is prepared for anything … except this.
Maria Petranelli will do anything to get away from her overbearing Italian-Australian family. She’s over their constant heckling about getting a boyfriend, their unspoken belief that she’s not normal, and their loudly spoken belief that she’s incapable of doing, well, anything. So when her family declares she ‘couldn’t handle living in Italy’, Maria immediately signs up to go there on student exchange. What could possibly go wrong? Well, everything …
Despite months of mental preparation for every possible scenario, Maria is out of her depth in Italy. She struggles with the language, immediately gets scammed, and is bewildered by her growing attraction to Kennedy, the sweet-but-hopeless American exchange student who is determined to be her friend … if only Maria would let her.
When the two girls accidentally witness a crime, Maria discovers just what she can and can’t handle. Being kidnapped in the boot of a car and driven off into the Italian countryside? Maybe. But working out her feelings for Kennedy before it’s too late?
Maria Petranelli is prepared for anything … except this.
Kindle Edition
Published July 3, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
July 17, 2024
this was really odd but in a good way. i loved the plot twists and turns and they just kept coming!
also love the adl rep! that was so cool asw <3
also love the adl rep! that was so cool asw <3
January 28, 2024
Rounded up to 3.5 stars. Sweet clean-teen 🩷
April 21, 2024
This is a hoot!
June 30, 2025
Content warnings: violence, murder, kidnapping, gun violence
This was.............a ride. I honestly don't know who the audience for this book is because I'm not sure teens will get the satirical nature of the writing, and it's too young for most adults. I also felt like it should have been set in the 90s with the way that various characters reacted to Maria realising that she's a lesbian. This felt more like the way my grandparents - who were born between 1918 and 1924 - would have reacted rather than the way Maria's grandparents - presumably Boomers - react. And if it's influenced by the author's experiences, that's completely understandable, but also don't set it in the 2020s with a Gen Z protagonist.
I wanted the romance to be more front-and-centre than it is, and I honestly found Maria to be kind of an exhausting character. So ultimately, this wasn't a bad book but it did feel like a very hard slog at times.
This was.............a ride. I honestly don't know who the audience for this book is because I'm not sure teens will get the satirical nature of the writing, and it's too young for most adults. I also felt like it should have been set in the 90s with the way that various characters reacted to Maria realising that she's a lesbian. This felt more like the way my grandparents - who were born between 1918 and 1924 - would have reacted rather than the way Maria's grandparents - presumably Boomers - react. And if it's influenced by the author's experiences, that's completely understandable, but also don't set it in the 2020s with a Gen Z protagonist.
I wanted the romance to be more front-and-centre than it is, and I honestly found Maria to be kind of an exhausting character. So ultimately, this wasn't a bad book but it did feel like a very hard slog at times.
September 14, 2025
*3.5⭐️
July 31, 2024
Loved this! Proper rtc. 4.5 stars
July 30, 2025
MARIA YOU ARE SO STUPID
dnf at 50%
it got painful when she was kidnapped
AND HER PARENTS -
the dumbest people alive
no offence
DOES SHE KNOW ANYTHING
call the police if you get kidnapped though -
and answer your phone -
dont be scared -
AND DONT BE CAUTIOUS OF EVERYTHING
STUPID MARIA
SHE GOT SHOT WTF
dnf at 50%
it got painful when she was kidnapped
AND HER PARENTS -
the dumbest people alive
no offence
DOES SHE KNOW ANYTHING
call the police if you get kidnapped though -
and answer your phone -
dont be scared -
AND DONT BE CAUTIOUS OF EVERYTHING
STUPID MARIA
SHE GOT SHOT WTF
September 22, 2025
3.5🌟
I loved the book as a whole and the characters. The plot was definitely interesting but I loved how crazy it was. However I felt like the plot also gave me whiplash at the same time. So much was happening and I was losing track, and I wished we could get more from Kennedy and her backstory. The biggest plus about this book was it felt like a comedic movie and I enjoyed it!!
I loved the book as a whole and the characters. The plot was definitely interesting but I loved how crazy it was. However I felt like the plot also gave me whiplash at the same time. So much was happening and I was losing track, and I wished we could get more from Kennedy and her backstory. The biggest plus about this book was it felt like a comedic movie and I enjoyed it!!
June 16, 2024
This was so much fun to read. Maria's frustrations and awkwardness resonated with teenage me. Witnessing a crime and being kidnapped not so much (thankfully) but it did appeal to my sometimes over-dramatic sense of adventure. Maria's hilariously chaotic romp through Italy was exhausting, tender, ridiculous and satisfying. Also I quite fancied Dominic...
February 3, 2025
Very fast paced and quick. It was very easy to read and a nice pallete cleanser between books. I liked the character growth and development too. It was chaotic and nonsensical but somehow really enjoyable and readable.
May 1, 2024
HOLY CRAP. This book was so exciting to read - if I had pearls I would clutch them. It NEEDS to be a motion picture right now and Nonno Franco is one of the best characters in this book and I need to see more of Gabriele!!
July 12, 2024
This debut author has a talent to make you laugh. Maria Petranelli’s adventures are told with humour and action. I received an ARC and my thoughts are my own.
June 24, 2024
This one was a slow start for me, but by the time I reached the third act, I was converted to Team Maria.
It's a story about an Italian-Australian girl who - out of spite more than anything - has decided to go on exchange in Italy. There, she experiences all manner of adventures, including getting kidnapped. But this is no "Taken" - for one, her dad is no Liam Neeson and for another, Maria's kidnappers are charmingly inept. What it is is a riot. I laughed out loud several times, enthusiastically enough to frighten my poor dogs, who couldn't understand what all the fuss was.
My initial challenge with this book was that I couldn't work Maria out, and nor could I relate to her. She put me in mind of a cranky Bertie Wooster from the Jeeves books, except that poor Maria had no Jeeves to sort everything out in the background as she rushes through the world, always heading in a northerly direction (or so she assumes). Also, at times she could be rather mean, which made it hard for me to like her.
I'm not sure when exactly the switch happened, but at some point while reading I went from not-too-sure-about-this-book to oh-no-it's-way-past-bedtime-but-what-the-hell-let's-do-one-more-chapter and then continued on at that gallop right until the end.
I recommend this book for people who love fast paced, slightly absurd but always a hoot storylines with a dash of some truly beautiful character development. Maria may not steal your heart immediately, but I suspect she will by the end.
Thank you to Hardie Grant for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
It's a story about an Italian-Australian girl who - out of spite more than anything - has decided to go on exchange in Italy. There, she experiences all manner of adventures, including getting kidnapped. But this is no "Taken" - for one, her dad is no Liam Neeson and for another, Maria's kidnappers are charmingly inept. What it is is a riot. I laughed out loud several times, enthusiastically enough to frighten my poor dogs, who couldn't understand what all the fuss was.
My initial challenge with this book was that I couldn't work Maria out, and nor could I relate to her. She put me in mind of a cranky Bertie Wooster from the Jeeves books, except that poor Maria had no Jeeves to sort everything out in the background as she rushes through the world, always heading in a northerly direction (or so she assumes). Also, at times she could be rather mean, which made it hard for me to like her.
I'm not sure when exactly the switch happened, but at some point while reading I went from not-too-sure-about-this-book to oh-no-it's-way-past-bedtime-but-what-the-hell-let's-do-one-more-chapter and then continued on at that gallop right until the end.
I recommend this book for people who love fast paced, slightly absurd but always a hoot storylines with a dash of some truly beautiful character development. Maria may not steal your heart immediately, but I suspect she will by the end.
Thank you to Hardie Grant for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
August 11, 2025
Maria Petrenali Is Prepared for Everything Except This is a book about Maria going to Italy to get away from her overbearing family, she is faced struggles with the language and terrible socialising and her feelings with Kennedy. Even accidentally witnessing a murder and kidnapped during her time in Italy.
I found myself unable to warm to Maria herself. She struck me as judgmental and strangely unrelatable, and her choices such as notably handing money to the very person who robbed her did left me baffled.
Her family, too, felt oddly stunted and immature, behaving more like restless teenagers than grown adults, which pulled me out of the story.
The portrayal of Italian life at the language school was vivid enough to make me wonder whether it was an exaggerated caricature or a subtle warning to tread carefully when traveling abroad and hope it's just fiction.
Yet amid my frustrations, there was one character that I like which is Kennedy. She's warm and grounded as well effortlessly likeable for me. She brought heart and spark to every scene she touched.
The dynamic between her and Maria navigating love in unexpected places was the thread I held onto most tightly, even as my opinion of Maria herself never quite softened.
I found myself unable to warm to Maria herself. She struck me as judgmental and strangely unrelatable, and her choices such as notably handing money to the very person who robbed her did left me baffled.
Her family, too, felt oddly stunted and immature, behaving more like restless teenagers than grown adults, which pulled me out of the story.
The portrayal of Italian life at the language school was vivid enough to make me wonder whether it was an exaggerated caricature or a subtle warning to tread carefully when traveling abroad and hope it's just fiction.
Yet amid my frustrations, there was one character that I like which is Kennedy. She's warm and grounded as well effortlessly likeable for me. She brought heart and spark to every scene she touched.
The dynamic between her and Maria navigating love in unexpected places was the thread I held onto most tightly, even as my opinion of Maria herself never quite softened.
August 13, 2024
The Ampersand Prize winner is usually a sure thing for me, but Maria as an MC is insufferable. She reads as a twelve year old, but she’s supposed to be sixteen at the start (and older for the bulk of the story). It started out really promising though. I liked the introduction, it has some personality and was amusing and really set a fun tone for the story. Then everything about Maria is exacerbated as the plot progresses, and she basically has zero redeeming features.
The drama and conflict in here reads as middle grade, with very over the top scenarios and rudimentary crime solving (or witnessing? There’s definitely bumbling around a foreign country but not much else) and the MCs are flung from one random situation and straight into the next. So plenty of chaos if that’s your thing, and it is in a constant state of providing new locations and sources of conflict so no time for boredom. It’s just Maria herself is really not fun to follow. Her personality is grating at the best of times and anyone actually wanting to be her friend seems like a stretch, even if they were a cinnamon roll type.
The drama and conflict in here reads as middle grade, with very over the top scenarios and rudimentary crime solving (or witnessing? There’s definitely bumbling around a foreign country but not much else) and the MCs are flung from one random situation and straight into the next. So plenty of chaos if that’s your thing, and it is in a constant state of providing new locations and sources of conflict so no time for boredom. It’s just Maria herself is really not fun to follow. Her personality is grating at the best of times and anyone actually wanting to be her friend seems like a stretch, even if they were a cinnamon roll type.
August 23, 2024
Maria Petranelli will do anything to get away from her overbearing Italian-Australian family. She signs up to go to Italy on student exchange- where everything goes wrong. In Italy, Maria is completely out of her depth - she struggles with the language, is scammed, is terrible at socialising- and that is just the beginning! Far worse things are in store for Maria- is she really prepared for anything? Nope!
.
Poor Maria, trying to channel her inner bravery and ends up in so many unexpected situations on her trip to Italy. What met me on these pages was completely unexpected, I was drawn in straight away and had difficulty putting this down. It made me laugh, there were sweet heartwarming moments, suspense, action and some romance. This would transfer well into a film- it was playing so well in my mind while I was reading! If you’re looking for a quick, easy, fun queer YA read - then definitely get your hands on this one. Definitely a top read for me!
.
Poor Maria, trying to channel her inner bravery and ends up in so many unexpected situations on her trip to Italy. What met me on these pages was completely unexpected, I was drawn in straight away and had difficulty putting this down. It made me laugh, there were sweet heartwarming moments, suspense, action and some romance. This would transfer well into a film- it was playing so well in my mind while I was reading! If you’re looking for a quick, easy, fun queer YA read - then definitely get your hands on this one. Definitely a top read for me!
May 29, 2024
I received this ARC from the author. I do run into her occasionally, yet I am not afraid of her and would readily heap scorn upon this book if...
... it wasn't so entertaining and fun and hilarious and cringe-worthy and heart-warming and ridiculous and...
Just really good. I was a bit sceptical when I started it, since this is not my usual genre, and I am probably not the target audience. But it kept me surprisingly entertained, to the point where I just HAD to know what else was going (to go wrong) to happen to Maria and Kennedy.
Also, Gabriele needs to be watched carefully...
... it wasn't so entertaining and fun and hilarious and cringe-worthy and heart-warming and ridiculous and...
Just really good. I was a bit sceptical when I started it, since this is not my usual genre, and I am probably not the target audience. But it kept me surprisingly entertained, to the point where I just HAD to know what else was going (to go wrong) to happen to Maria and Kennedy.
Also, Gabriele needs to be watched carefully...
November 4, 2024
A solid 4-star read—this YA queer coming-of-age story is as sweet as it is fun. It hits all the right notes for a coming-of-age tale, with multiple perspectives, plenty of teenage misunderstandings, and that mix of excitement and awkwardness you’d expect from a first-time adventure abroad. I loved how present the author’s voice feels throughout; it brings a warmth and authenticity to the story that’s hard to resist. Maria’s journey is both cosy and chaotic, making it a quick read that’s perfect for anyone craving a feel-good escape.
January 16, 2025
This is a fast-paced, easy to read queer coming of age young adult story. With a relatable protagonist and themes of control vs chaos, this heartfelt story skillfully balances humour with emotional growth and character development. Particularly enjoyed the Italian Australian family connections with all the accompanying expectations and embracing the unexpected.
*Thanks for recommending this one to us!
*Thanks for recommending this one to us!
June 4, 2024
I loved this book! Maria’s character was so relatable and I wasn’t able to put the book down, I loved Maria and Kennedy’s little moments they were so cute :) The twists in the book and Maria being in danger while still reminding the reader that she is just a teenager that has her own worries and doubts was done really well.
March 18, 2025
5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Read this book in three days, so good!!! Rom-com set on an exchange trip in Italy where everything that could go wrong, does.
Expect:
🇮🇹 Italian mafia bosses
🇮🇹Lots of adventure
🇮🇹Slow-burn romance
🇮🇹Annoying pickpocketing Italian kids
🇮🇹Plenty of overdramatic Nonnas
🇮🇹Aussie-Italian main character
Read this book in three days, so good!!! Rom-com set on an exchange trip in Italy where everything that could go wrong, does.
Expect:
🇮🇹 Italian mafia bosses
🇮🇹Lots of adventure
🇮🇹Slow-burn romance
🇮🇹Annoying pickpocketing Italian kids
🇮🇹Plenty of overdramatic Nonnas
🇮🇹Aussie-Italian main character
May 7, 2024
A fantastic story that I just didn't want to put down. The characters were so well written, the plot fast paced and fun and Maria! Madonna Mia! Any book that makes me laugh out loud gets my approval. I loved it!
August 13, 2024
Fantastically original, funny and relatable. I so enjoyed getting to know the characters and felt very invested in them. I found myself tearful at the end with the surprising softness. An important story, wonderfully shared by Elisa!
August 25, 2024
Loved this book. It had everything - drama, humour, romance . Highly recommended
July 18, 2025
Delightful!
September 4, 2025
This book was so much fun to read! I couldn’t put it down (I finished it in a day). I love the characters, especially Maria.
September 7, 2025
What a hoot!
October 24, 2025
Adorable!!! Teen chaos, plot twists, legit danger, and a little queer love story woven in amongst it. Cute!!!
Side note I enjoyed reading the acknowledgment page almost as much as the book itself 🥹
Side note I enjoyed reading the acknowledgment page almost as much as the book itself 🥹
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews