Love & Gelato by Jenna Evan Welsh | Book Review

Title: Love & Gelato
Author: Jenna Evan Welsh
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: May 3, 2016
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis

“I made the wrong choice.”

Lina is spending the summer in Tuscany, but she isn’t in the mood for Italy’s famous sunshine and fairy-tale landscape. She’s only there because it was her mother’s dying wish that she get to know her father. But what kind of father isn’t around for sixteen years? All Lina wants to do is get back home.

But then she is given a journal that her mom had kept when she lived in Italy. Suddenly Lina’s uncovering a magical world of secret romances, art, and hidden bakeries. A world that inspires Lina, along with the ever-so-charming Ren, to follow in her mother’s footsteps and unearth a secret that has been kept for far too long. It’s a secret that will change everything she knew about her mother, her father—and even herself.

People come to Italy for love and gelato, someone tells her, but sometimes they discover much more.

Review

Love & Gelato is the kind of book you pick up on a lazy afternoon and don’t put down until you finished reading. It’s the kind of book that would make you feel warm and happy, even though it deals with serious issues, like grief.

It tells the Italian adventure of, not just one, but two wonderful ladies in Italy. There’s Lina, an American who goes to Tuscany to fulfill her mother’s dying wish, and her late mother, who we get to know through her journal.

Lina is portrayed like your typical YA heroine. She’s a timid girl, who has to adjust to a new life in Italy while still grieving the lost of her mother. She can be a little selfish and clueless of how the other characters feel, just like most kids her age.

Ren, the love interest, also fits the description of your usual male lead. He’s sweet, funny, and reliable. He acts as Lina’s personal tour guide to Italy and he’s always there whenever she needs him. But, at the same time, he also has his own issues.

Lina and Ren’s romance is cliche and predictable. It follows the a formula in often used in the YA genre, but what makes the book interesting and a different is the sub-plot.

Through the journal, Lina learns about her mother’s life in Italy years before she was born. Through the journal entries, she learns more about what her mother’s life was like, including a secret romance.

Howard was my favorite part of Lina’s mother’s story. The guy is endearing and lovable. He’s close perfection and I just want to give him a huge hug.

Overall, Love & Gelato is a good read. It takes you on a tour of Italy, and gives you a heart-warming story. If you enjoyed travel stories like Anna and the French Kiss, 13 Little Blue Envelopes, and Meant to Be, you’ll surely enjoy this one.

Now, I’m off to look for some gelato!

My Favorite Lines

“I thought I wanted caprice and fire, but it turns out that what I really want is someone who will wake me up so early so I don’t miss a sunrise.” -p. 171

“I couldn’t imagine it yet exactly, but maybe a day would come when the hole inside me wouldn’t ache quite so badly and I could think about her, and remember, and it would be all right.” -p. 189

“I fell completely head over heels in love with her. I’d never felt that way about anyone before —it was like I’d been looking for her all along and just hadn’t realized it. I knew I had to do everything in my power to make her feel the same way, so I started by being her friend.” -p. 192

“A life without love is like a year without summer.” -p. 214

“Turns out there’s a reason they call it falling in love, because when it happens—really happens— that’s exactly how it feels. There’s no doing or trying, you just let go and hope that someone’s going there to catch you.” -p. 215

My Rating

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