I loved the insight into the life of a teenaged girl in RI's Federal Hill. I worry a bit about what seems to be a trend (OK, maybe just Millions and this one!) of kids/teens obsessed with the saints, but it was interesting to learn what ridiculous things there are patron saints of, and what things have been overlooked.The romance was a bit too blatantly obvious. Clearly, Antonia was not going to end up with "the love of [her] life, Andy Rotalini," and was going to end up with the Irish Catholic Michael. I just kept waiting impatiently for it to happen. I will admit to shock at what transpired with Andy, and had to admire Antonia's no-nonsense sense of self preservation.A note on the audiobook: the narrator's little girl chirpy voice made me crazy, and likely made Antonia less believable to me, as I spent a lot of time trying to picture the words on paper and gauging what my reaction would have been if I'd just been reading them, instead of listening to them. I LOVED this book!! Although I'm not Catholic, it was written from such a modern perspective that I fell in love. Antonia Lucia Labella is a typical Catholic girl living in Rhode Island. She goes to a Catholic school (where they try to "sluttify" their uniforms), has a crush on Anthony Rotellini, the most desired boy in school (the "strong and silent type"), has a typical Italian mother who makes supermegafoxyawesomehot pasta (they run a store out of their house), annoying cousins, and a BFF, Maria, who is always there for her. But she has a secret: Antonia wants to become a saint. More specifically, the first-ever living saint in history. Ever since her father died when she was either 6 or 9 (I can't remember), she has been sending monthly petitions to the Vatican, offering up her ideas for saints, and then suggesting herself for the job. So far she has proposed ideas such as the Patron Saint of Daddy's Heart (after her father died), Irons and Ironing (after her grandmother nearly burns down the house by leaving the iron on), Notice (as in, "Notice me, Andy!), and the latest, Patron Saint of Figs (after she must winterize the family fig trees for a hard Rhode Island winter). Yet the Vatican refuses to take any notice.***SPOILER ALERT***I won't say how the saint aspect of the book turned out, but I will comment on the love plot. I disliked Andy, as he seemed disinterested in everything and kind of mean, and my suspicions turned out to be right! I won't disclose all, but Antonia has a romantic moment with him, and he does something terrible and rude to her. Obviously, she is disgusted and ends her fetish with him. Then she ends up getting together with someone else I really liked and had been rooting for all along, so I was like yes! I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a fun, easy-to-read book. However, it is not a fluff book, as Antonia deals with many serious issues. 5 STARS!!!!~Gingercat696
What do You think about Pyhimysainesta (2009)?
Cute. This was the perfect light book for that little part of you that never grew up entirely.
—canman12
A cute book with an interesting concept of a girl who wants to become the first living saint.
—Emskers
A sweet but wildly stereotypical YA story about an Italian teen.
—Diann
