Ada loves the dilapidation and decayed grandeur of the house in Wales where she lives with her mother and stepfather. When he dies her mother sells the house and transports them to the beige blandness of London’ suburbia. This is not, Ada thinks, the life she was meant to have. She’s unlikable in her snobbishness and her desire to move in circles she thinks should be hers. Shades of Tom Ripley and warnings of the deceits to come as she takes the chance presented by her godmother’s offer of an upmarket gap year holiday to reinvent herself. She seeks transformation from the dull middle class girl she fears she has become..and of course, possibly is. She is clearly going to face some humiliations along the way.. Really couldn’t decide who I disliked more Ada, or the entitled posh girls and boys she desperately wants to belong with. She tries everything to win favour, eventually going just a bit too far… Don’t want to say more for fear of the spoiler. The author obviously loves Italy. There are long lyrical passages concerned with art, architecture and the feelings that the country inspire. The first half of the book is quite slow, second-half rather faster but to be honest , by the end I really couldn’t care less what happened to any of them.