Love and Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch Book Review

“You know, people come to Italy for all sorts of reasons, but when they stay, it’s for the same two things.”
“What?”
“Love and gelato.” 

About

Author: Jenna Evans Welch

Genre: Contemporary Young Adult

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Sypnopsis

“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

Spoilers contained below

Dear Love and Gelato lovers,

If there’s one book that made me want to travel the world more than anything, it has to be this book. Do you ever just wonder if the reason you haven’t met your other half is because he/she lives on the other side of the world? Like that’s pretty crazy to think about. But a hopeless romantic can dream, I’m I right? But I just love the whole setting of being in Italy, the adventure and the love of course. If you read this book, what was your favorite part? Where do you want to travel most in the world?

I reread this book during the summer and I just couldn’t help but fall in love with it all over again! It was simply like falling in love for the first time again, but in a magical way in Italy.

Lina’s mom recently passed away, so she was sent to Italy to live with her “father,” Howard who was this tall orange haired lumberjack dude who lives in a cemetery. I thought that this was the funniest thing considering it’s the most random thing you could think of when traveling more than halfway across the world. Honestly, if I lived in a cemetery, I would be beyond creeped out! But hey, Lina’s in Italy. And I feel like if anyone told you you were going to spend a whole summer in Italy, you would go crazy with happiness. Yea, not Lina. Which is understandable because she has to move away from home and leave behind her old life.

I really liked how beautifully Italy was described in the book. It made you feel as though you were in Italy for the first time visiting the Duomo or the other sites and attractions Lina saw. I love how Ren lived in a gingerbread house like he’s coming straight out of Hansel and Gretel. It was such a quirky thing and his mom is so cute. Ren obviously likes Lina because he wouldn’t just do all these things for her if he didn’t have some feelings for her. He takes her to all these attractions in Rome and to meet Mateo. Ren’s also very protective of Lina because of the stern talking to Howard had with him after he first took Lina out. I think it’s such a sad thing for a father to tease a boy and scare them off on the first date.

My favorite part was when Ren took Lina to get gelato and when he also took her to Ponte Vecchio. I thought it was a truly magical scene when they sat at the bottom deck of the bridge that overlooked the glistening lights of the Ponte Vecchio. I think in real life, that would be really romantic if your partner took you there.

Anyway, let’s talk about Howard. Howard is such a caring and supportive person despite the fact that Lina isn’t really his daughter. Lina’s real dad is Mateo Rossi, the supposed X from Lina’s mom’s journal. I kind of knew Howard wasn’t X because the mom already mentioned his name in her journal, so it wouldn’t make sense for her to mention Howard’s name and then reference him as X. I think Howard tried so hard to connect and get to know Lina and Lina was kind of hesitant to do so at first. But my favorite moment between Lina and Howard is at the end when Lina wants to apologize to Ren after their awkward kiss, so Howard and Sonia help her find the dress. Like that was such a cute scene.

But Ren doesn’t even notice Lina when she shows up in the dress. Like c’mon Ren! But then Ren goes to her cemetery window like a true Romeo. Except this Romeo threw change through her window and brought her the treats from the secret bakery. Honestly, the way the author emphasizes the deliciousness of the food throughout the book had me wanting to book a ticket to Italy just so I could eat! Lina gets out of bed and then they sneak out and kiss in the grass where she tells Ren she’s going to stay because of the love she found and the gelato she had. I think those are two pretty solid reasons to stay in Italy if I do say so myself.

If you read this book, what was your favorite or least favorite part? Where in the world would you love to fall in love? Let me know below in the comments as I love hearing from you all 💕

I hope you have a magical and wonderful day never and wherever you’re reading this and until the next adventure,

As always, with love,

Rating

5 Full Bloom Flowers

Characters: Loved Ren, loved Lina. Loved it all 💞

Writing: Jena Evans Welch has a beautiful way with words that makes you feel like you’re right there in Italy watching two amazing people fall for each other and figure things out

Plot: Such a fun, cute idea that I think all hopeless romantics can appreciate in wanting to fall in love in a similarly sweet way

Romance: Falling in love in Paris is a dream. Falling in love in Italy? A magical reality.