Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Love & Gelato. Vacanță la Florența

Ahhhh, someone please swoop in and take me to Italy! This book was like a breath of fresh Mediterranean air with a hint of romance and a whole lot of heart. It had everything I was looking for from an Italian summer story - exploring ancient buildings, secret bakeries, Tuscan vistas, oodles of gelato, scooter rides, summer nights, spontaneous train trips to Rome, and much more. The plot felt very reminiscent of Mamma Mia, except with a sixteen-year old protagonist. Despite the obvious feeling of escapism, the teenage characters actually felt fairly real to me. All I’m asking for is a Ren i’m my life…

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danicampbell0506's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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kiarelia's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

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oraclereadings's review against another edition

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lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I actually enjoyed this a lot more than what I thought I would. It was such a joy having Lina experience her mother's trip in Italy, while making her own memories, and reading her mom's journal to discover her deepest secrets.

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johannalippe's review against another edition

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lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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dazzlingreader_'s review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

I was looking for a light read that I didn't have to pay too much attention to, that didn't have a slow narrative and that was still enjoyable to read, this book fulfilled everything I was looking for.

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lovestory26's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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rosegoes3's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

So cute. Definitely tugs at the heartstrings a little bit but I think it was very well-balanced. Tells a really great story of love and grief and found family. I normally steer away from YA, as I don’t like reading about teenagers now that I am no longer one, but I liked this little summer journey.

The pacing was a little slow to get started but once the adventure begins (55% through?) it is a very quick read. Really loved these characters.

Her American-ness felt a little bit overdone (we have prosciutto and gelato in the US as well? How do you not know the Medici family?) but it was cool how sometimes they spoke in Italian considering they were in fact in Italy. Get me a flight to Florence stat

There were some timeline instances

the timeline of Ren and Lina seemingly being in love <\spoiler> that I didn’t fully agree with and it felt like a little bit of a rush to happily ever after but overall good.

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