Oh My Affogato!

by Daphne Ang, Donna Ghorbanpoor, Liz Parkes (Illustrator)

For the first printing only! This paperback features stenciled sprayed edges while the special edition supply lasts.

Love & Gelato meets Emily in Paris in this sassy, sexy romp through the Amalfi Coast starring a boy-crazy teenager trying to make something real with her on-again-off-again guy before realizing the best things in life—like love and vacations—can’t be planned for.

Soraya is so close to getting the boy of her dreams to finally pay attention to her—she’s sure of it. She’s finally graduated from high school, glowed up, and is ready to show her on-again-off-again, secret situationship Wes what he’s missing out on. And when she learns that Wes is heading to Italy on a trip with his fraternity brothers, Sora decides that there’s no better place to reignite a romance than the Amalfi Coast!

Under the guise of a graduation Euro trip with her friends, Soraya’s plan is make memories with her besties during the day, make out with Wes at night, and make sure she comes out of this vacation with the title of Official Girlfriend and Grown College Girlie. But vacations can be messy, and romances messier—especially when you’re keeping secrets from your friends, discovering your dream boy may be a nightmare, and spending more and more time with the sweet, wholesome, and supremely cute Italian boy whose family runs the B&B.

For a girl who’s a true believer in sure things, Soraya has to learn the hard way that there really is no planning for love—or an epic vacation.

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Summer, Contemporary, Travel, Fiction, Young Adult Romance

272 pages, Paperback

First published May 5, 2026

Reviews

[Liralen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's the summer after high school, and Soraya is ready for the rest of her life to begin—starting with a grand tour of Europe with her best friends. And if it just so happens that she's planned the trip to start where her totally not toxic ex, Wes, is hanging with his frat boy bros, well, she can't help coincidence, right? And if they're going to be in the same place anyway, now is obviously the time to secretly get back together...

Now. I read this because even in my relative dotage I cannot resist a fluffy YA travel story. And fluff this is; Soraya is bound and determined to spend as much as her time as possible getting a sunburn on the beach and drinking cocktails and swooning over boys, and as little time as possible doing anything involving history or local culture. If I had met Soraya in high school, we would not have been friends. We would have been perfectly cordial to each other, and probably gotten along fine for small talk, but she's the sort of person to think that someone decked head to toe in expensive brand names looks "effortlessly cool", while I am the sort of person to think that such a look is both stunningly unoriginal and the opposite of effortless. She would quietly dismiss me as an uncool nerd (this is accurate); I would quietly dismiss her as being a boy-crazy birdbrain; we would both be happy; and after graduation we would never speak again.

So that's where I found myself with Soraya: disappointed that she prioritizes a boy over her friendships and that her peak travel dreams involve doing the exact same things she can do at home (with a boy who jerks her around just as much in Italy as he did in Georgia). This latter point is not a character flaw (and nor is it meant to be), it's just that for wanderlust reads I prefer a bit more adventurousness. And these are learning points for Soraya, of course; she figures some things out for herself over the course of the book, and one is left with the impression that when she returns to the States for college she will at least do so with a bit more curiosity about the world. But...I'm also sort of left with the impression that if she couldn't switch over from a toxic boy to a nontoxic boy, she'd still have a bad case of the Wes Nile Virus (which, to give the book its credit, is excellent wordplay) by the time she went home.

With all that said: It's a fun and quick read. I did not click with Soraya, but I did read the entire book in one day and still have time to finish off another book at the gym. I'm not sure who exactly the target reader is (there's a bit too much spice to aim this at younger teens, but not a ton of depth either, so...I suppose older teens who just want something really light). There's some casual diversity, which is nice; also nice is that Soraya and her friends are on careful budgets and have no intention of blowing those budgets. It looks like this might be the first of several books, with the next one potentially taking place in France, and even years (decades!) out of my teens, I'll take whatever light travel books this series can throw at me.

Thanks to the authors and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

[Karol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my Affogato! What a vacation!!

I felt so much for Sora, to be a young adult going through so much angst because when college starts in the Fall she’ll be separated from her dearest friends. She is vulnerable to the whims of her on and off again boyfriend who continues to string her along. The struggle was so real.

Thankfully Sora has ah-mazing friends because she sure knew how to torture herself with a shit show of a frat ass boy love interest.

Of course, the Italian guy is a lifesaver and a true lover 🥂🥐🍇🧀🍨☕️🚤❤️

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me want to book a trip to Italy! The setting really came to life. I love the Mediterranean anyway but the descriptions of everything were so vivid I could almost smell the sea breezes and taste the lemon gelato. This book is the perfect escapist read.

The main character Sora is Persian so that was unique. I’m not sure I’ve read a YA contemporary with a Persian main character. I liked learning a bit about her culture and family. I would have liked even more, but I enjoyed what there was. A lot of people found Sora to be kind of annoying but I liked her well enough. It was easy to understand why she would feel and act the way she did, and I liked seeing her grow as the story progressed. Nico was sweet and I liked their scenes together. There is one sex scene in the book (which I wasn’t really expecting and didn’t really fit with the sweeter overall tone of the story) so be aware of that going in.

Overall it was cute and I absolutely flew through it. It was breezy and fun.

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ Cute summer fling book. Light hearted and an easy read that takes you to Italy the summer before University. Looking for a light, fun read- I would recommend.

[Val ✨️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ such a good heart warming YA summer romance.
Everything you need to have a great time reading it. Summer getaway, boys, friends, a bit of drama and introspection.
It was light and perfect for the summer time coming.
I love Nico, such a cute bookfriend.
I would of like to see a bit more of Nico and Sora together travelling 🥺💖

Thank you so much Simon and Schuster for the ARC ✨️

[alyssa ㅤ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

YES, this was exactly the book I wanted!!

A cute, fun, light beachy book, and a perfect easy read. Now I’m convinced I need to go to Italy because this novel really puts you into the story’s world. From the food to the scenery, chef’s kiss.

I think some people may become frustrated at the FMC for her decisions at times but honestly, she is only 18 and navigating romance and adulthood.

Anyone looking for a short summer read, please try this one out! I want a sequel like right now because Nico is the sweetest male love interest ever and I never say that! Also, the cover is so pretty, just yes.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 stars

short and sweet. something fun for the holidays. i enjoyed it

[Lisa Mandina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.Overall this was a pretty good read. I’ve categorized it as both YA and NA because technically the characters are graduated from high school, but also because towards the end there is one scene that while is pretty much fade to black, it is a little more than maybe I would want in a YA book? But that’s just me probably. I loved that these girls came up with the money to spend I think it is almost 3 months in Europe? Wow! What an incredible after high school trip. I can’t imagine being away from my family that long, especially at that age, I mean I even came home from college every other weekend. Soraya or Sora was the main character, and while I did like her, it was frustrating to see her letting her ex-boyfriend continue to treat her like he did. And even more frustrating that she was completely hiding it from her two best friends that she was on the trip with. Nico however was a cutie, and definitely worth a vacation fling, or possibly more as he became in the end. A fun summer fling/romance and buddy trip story. It says it is part of a series, and I’m guessing that maybe we’ll get at least one of the other two girls if not both of their stories in future books? I really wish I could have a trip to Italy now, especially to see Pompeii and just to enjoy all the yummy food. Maybe some day!This review was originally posted on Lisa Loves Literature

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so much fun! Short review to come when I can and longer review may come in November if I think about reviewing this one when my vacation is over.

Short review:
-Loved Italy, or well Sorrento and the surrounding area, it was so gorgeous and I just wanted to step into the story to experience it all.
-While I wasn't a fan of Wes, I was curious to see what Sora saw in him and I did kinda like that she tried to make things work.
-Loved Nico x Sora and was definitely shipping them hardcore. They were so sweet together and I loved their banter. The tension between them, WOW. And Nico was such a cutie.
-Sora helping out at the B&B along with making a great plan (which I wanted to be part of) was wonderful.
-Sailor!
-The friendship at the start and the end was so fun and I loved it.
-What the friends did while they went on their own way... made me laugh.
-Loved the cover/sprayed edges.
-Fabulous ending, happy to see they didn't just do this but also went a bit further.

But I didn't enjoy the drama. The way things fell apart. How Sora at times acted/reacted to things. The drama near the end with Nico and Sora that felt so unnecessary and bad. And Wes should have been around way less and things should have ended way sooner.

[Damani · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75⭐️

[Cristy Zubia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute read about friendship, old love/new love and the beauty of Italy. And I loved the cheeky tangas, main reason why I bought this book 😂

[Kay Norm · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fine YA romance, just not at all memorable for me which is a little sad considering it takes places on the Amalfi Coast.

[Stavroula · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun, read that teleported me to Sorrento,Italy and is written with realistic characters, friendship, romance and self-discovery. It was def a great read to end the summer. There is some spice at the end, but nothing vulgar, which I like. It's the joint-author's first book, and they did not disappoint. Highly recommend for a light destination read that is great for both adults and Young Adults (18+). Loved this book.

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this with M and while I LOVE that and we discussed it a lot, I was not a huge fan. And it most definitely not for 14 and up. 18 and up, MAYBE. My opinion, but it matters all the same.

[kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

such an easy and quick read but unfortunately i didn't like the main girl that was bc she was quite crazy. like how were u okay making ur friend miss out on her sisters graduation so u could make ur situation ship work? i wish we had a more define answer of what happened with her and nico too, but overall it was a nice fun little story.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

We meet Soraya who is on a trip with her best friends, but secretly she’s doing this to be with the boy she’s interested in, even if her friends don’t agree with her being with him. She sneaks off in the middle of the night to be with him, but things just never seem to work out for her. She has all these hopes with him being there in another country together, but nothing has changed. He’s still the same douchebag as before. It takes her a while to learn this but it’s interesting to see their experiences and the things Soraya does to sneak away from her friends.

This book has some great lessons in it though; remember your friends will always have your back no matter what and sometimes they really do know what’s best for you. Also, don’t deny the things that are right in front of you, they can amaze you. When Soraya gets to Italy, she has so many expectations, but things fall apart and she needs to learn to deal with what is in front of her and that’s the boy who helps run the B&B they’re at. It’s beautiful how kind and patient he is with her and her friends, he really deserves the five stars for service rating they have. Nico is a sweetheart and, in my eyes, all Italian boys are like him, even though I know they aren’t it would be nice to wish that.

Nico shows Soraya what a real man is supposed to be like and how a real man treats women, it’s a beautiful story. At first, it took me a minute to get into it, but when I got into the book I couldn’t put it down. The characters were interesting. I also loved that the main character was Persian and showed a slightly distinct perspective, but she had her own issues to work out through. She needed to learn to go with the flow and Nico did that for her. Wes was just not it. I really enjoyed the book, the writing style, the scenery, and everything about this book. Great read.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Soraya and her friends Mari, and Anya decide to take a European trip after they graduate high school. They decided to start in Italy. What her friends don’t know is that Wes, the guy that broke Soraya’s heart, is also in Italy and Soraya is planning on meeting up with him. She thinks she’ll have it all! Hang out with her friends during the day, Wes at night, and walk away as Wes’ girlfriend. Things don’t always go as planned, including Nico, the cute Italian guy whose family runs the B&B where the girls are staying.

This was a very fun read. It was especially fun for me because we honeymooned all around Italy and I could easily place myself in the scenes of this book. I really loved the friendship among the girls, they really seemed to care and be there for each other. I could see how Soraya could be annoying, but I think it’s important to remember that she’s just graduated high school, so in reality, she really was just like a girl her age – overthinking and obsessed with things.

Nico was the best. He cared so much about his mother and his family’s business. He’s a good guy. He’s also very sweet, hard working, and thoughtful. It took a moment for Soraya to get there. I loved the ending and I hope that we’ll see these characters again!

[Haley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advance physical copy from Simon & Schuster Canada in exchange for an honest review.

Soraya is going on a graduation trip for the summer with her best two girl friends. They plan to tour Europe, starting in Italy, which happens to be where her ex is vacationing. Soraya finds herself in a bit of a love triangle, between her ex, and the boy who works at the hotel where she is staying.

This was a cute summer romance. It moves quickly and I was able to finish it in one sitting. The pacing was a bit off for me and I wish the ending had been a bit more resolved (and realistic).

This novel did teeter the line of being YA, I think a New Adult labelling would have been more fitting with some of the sexual content near the middle and end. While not super explicit, it didn’t fade to black.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada for the ARC of this book.

Fans of Jenny Han and Lynn Painter, put this YA gem in your tbr!

Oh My Affogato is a delightful summer read about three friends traveling through Europe the summer after graduation. This book follows the first few weeks of their trip in Italy, and it's Sora's story.

Sora's senior year of high school didn't go as planned. Between her on-again, off-again relationship with Wes and not getting into an out-of-state school, she's feeling rudderless.

After some forcing of plans, she's made her trip to Italy line up with Wes's trip. But nothing about the trip feels carefree once they arrive. Fortunately, the son of the hotel owner, Nico, is her knight in shining armor.

This book was just a really fun, light read. I've been to Italy several times and always enjoy reading books that transport me back there.

Sora was a lovely character and really captured the intensity of being a teen with love problems... very relatable 🤣 I appreciated her character growth at the end of the book. My only complaint is that I wish I had gotten to read more of their trip.

[Vanessa Shoemaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)

Vacationship: Oh My Affogato! was a fun, lighthearted read with gorgeous Italian scenery that made me want to book a trip immediately. I loved the vacation vibes, the delicious food references, and the charming cast of characters. The story had some sweet moments and plenty of humor, but I found myself wanting a little more depth and stronger character development to fully connect with everyone.

Overall, it was an enjoyable, feel good romance that was easy to read and perfect if you’re looking for a cute escape. A solid 3-star read for me good, entertaining, and worth picking up, even if it didn’t completely wow me. 🇮🇹☕💕

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a cute and fun read! Brought me right back to when I was getting ready to leave for college. It also gave Lizzie McGuire movie vibes in the best way possible! I wish that the book was a little longer to dive deeper into Sora’s friendships more and to have even more time with Nico. I would recommend this book!

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet YA summer romance set on the Amalfi Coast of Italy that has one American teenage girl torn between her ex boyfriend and the new local boy who drives her crazy. Lighthearted, romantic, full of fun times in Italy and perfect for fans of authors like Jenna Evans Welch. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vacationship: Oh My Affogato by Daphne Ang and Donna Ghorbanpoor is a cute YA summer read. We follow Soraya, Mari, and Anya, as they start out on a last summer trip to Europe together before starting college in the fall. They are on an adventure with plans to make memories to last a lifetime. They have fun in the sun, but they also encounter events that test their friendship. It is a heartwarming story perfect for reading on the beach. Thanks to Goodreads, the publisher, and the authors for gifting this ARC. I enjoyed the book and have given my honest review.

[⭐️Liv⭐️ · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was horrible. She was so boy crazy it drived me insane.

[Britni Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick, summery read! I loved the Amalfi Coast setting — even though I’ve never been there, the author made it incredibly easy to envision the scenery and atmosphere.

The plot kept my interest, but as an older reader compared to the characters, I found myself wanting to shake Sora a bit. Her back‑and‑forth with Wes felt exhausting, and Wes came across as immature from the start. When you’re young, it’s easy to overlook someone’s true intentions and lose sight of the people who genuinely care about you, and that dynamic was definitely present here.

[Justus Underwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really cute however reminded me of myself in high school and a boy who was no good for me.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway and it was so cute! I finished it in one day while traveling. Super easy and quick read. I’d love to see a second book of what comes next.

[Danielle Cherek · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a disgrace to the beautiful Affogato

[Genna Stamper · Rating 5 out of 5]

It got way better towards the end. It was kinda slow at the beginning, but it was a great slow burn. Took 42 chapters to kiss. This was my first 'spicy' book. Kinda. 4.7/5.0

[Mariah Millard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute! Easy read! Loved it! :)